Fedor Holz Joins The YouTube Vlogging Boom

At just 23 years old, Fedor Holz is one of the hottest names in poker right now, which is especially impressive given his self-proclaimed 'retirement'. @CrownUpGuy might not be as serious about playing cards for a living as he used to be, but he's definitely ramping up his entrepreneurial endeavors.

Between his new clothing line and a mobile mindset app, he has plenty of products to promote and he aims to do so by increasing hissocial media presence and joining the poker vlog boom. While the plan is sound, it's hard to shake the feeling that Fedor's first vlog entry left something to be desired.

Selling Stuff in Style

Fedor's YouTube vlog is basically a very short, and somewhat enigmatic commercial. It starts with a product placement followed by a shot of @CrownUpGuy sliding into his designer kitchen, and a few food network style frames showcasing the creation of carb-bomb smoothie - which feels somewhat out of place.

The video ends with a slew of trendy buzzwords including "success", "ideas", "value", "content", "start-ups", "inspiration" etc. The whole rigmarole leaves the viewer confused as to what was the purpose of the "vlog" that they just watched, which becomes really apparent if we take a look at the responses below the tweet promoting the YouTube clip. The video is all style and very little substance.

It doesn't work that well as a diary given how Fedor's life isn't really at the center of things, and it's not the best commercial for the "Primed" mindset app, given how it fails to showcase the product. The main thing that the video has going for it is high production value, and heavy stylization aimed at creating the image of success. The coolness factor of the vlog is high but it lacks a clear core message.

Taking a Step Back

When we think poker vlogs we think Jaime Staples or Andrew Neeme. We think about raw, honest sometimes unedited snapshots of a poker player's life. Fedor's vlog stands in stark contrast to that idea. It looks cooler but also less authentic, it succeeds at creating a certain vibe but it also seems a tad superficial.

Holz could definitely learn a thing or two by studying the works of the more experienced poker vloggers out there. The fact that the production value of his first video is already head and shoulders above virtually everyone else is very promising, but his content could use a bit of that unscripted raw honesty that we love so much in Jaime Staples videos. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel Fedor should meet other vloggers half way while playing to his strengths.

There's nothing inherently wrong with high production value, it's actually a great tool in every vlogger's arsenal but emphasizing the production value alone, makes the final product appear hollow. On a similar note, there's nothing wrong with using a vlog as a tool to promote a product, but showing Fedor using the app before making a sugar loaded smoothie is perhaps not the best way of achieving that.

On the whole @CrownUpGuy, first vlog entry can be summarized as a promising misfire. However, if Fedor focuses a bit more on merit and a bit less on the style he's in a good position to quickly catapult himself on top of the poker vloggers popularity charts.