Daymon Patterson on How One YouTube Channel Turned Into His Own TV Show

Fifteen million YouTube views of a guy experiencing his inaugural Five Guys burger in the front seat of his SUV seems a bit excessive, maybe even unwarranted. Perhaps it should rank right up there with the nonsensical online celebrity of an opera-singing tabby cat or a guy playing cricket on a unicycle.

But then you actually watch the clips of Daymon “Daym” Patterson musing about carryout on his Daym Drops YouTube channel and find yourself hooked. On second thought, you think, this guy is made to be on TV. And the execs at Travel Channel would agree with you — the network is putting the former Wal-Mart assistant manager front and center with Best Daym Takeout, premiering July 31.

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So how did this start? Why review fast food and why record and upload those reviews to YouTube?
I was in retail management for the last 17 years. In the beginning, I was only getting a half-hour lunch, and I would run and grab a quick bite to eat and get right back to work. My last job was at Wal-mart, which gave me an hour lunch as an assistant manager, so I had a little more time to play with. I started out filming my neighborhood, doing little news reports and uploading them. One day on my lunch break, I went to Burger King and had their French toast sticks, and I did a review of them in the car and put that on YouTube. It received like 134 views, whereas all the other videos were maybe like 30, 50 views. The following week, I went to Dunkin Donuts and I got their new frozen hot chocolate. That video caught over 300 views, and I thought, “OK, now I have something here.”

Eating in your car and making funny comments and actually interacting with the people behind the foods are two different stories. How has this experience challenged you, and what have you discovered about yourself?
To make comedy that can people can relate to, that’s major for me. When you’re in retail management, you find yourself kind of in a box. You know, it’s just like you have to be one way with your associates; you’ve got to make sure the job gets done; you’re doing this for 12-15 hours a day; you come home; you’re tired; that’s it. And then again, that’s life. And then again, you look back on it and you’re like, “But there’s so much more.” So I guess doing this for YouTube, I actually found out that I have a lot more to offer. It’s only been like two and a half years for the food reviews. One a week tends to go a long way with the people, you know?

How did you end up with a show on The Travel Channel?
Once the Gregory Brothers did the video, “Oh My Dayum,” it started blowing up and I started getting the attention of a lot of different networks. They were like, “Daym, this is what we see your future looking like and this is what we can do.” But nobody was talking about what I really wanted to do. I wanted to stick to that YouTube flow. That’s how I grew my fan base. It just so happened in dealing with [Banca Studio], they were able to connect with The Travel Channel. I was able to keep my YouTube style, add some more ingredients, then bake it all together for a great show. Best Daym Takeout was born. I think the biggest thing that I truly enjoyed about this experience was the fact that I was able to get away from national chains and go over to mom and pop shops. I’m going in; I’m talking to the people; I’m jumping in the kitchen; I might even get myself dirty a couple of times over. But, ultimately, I’ma put in an order, I’ma take it to the front seat of my vehicle and give that YouTube review that everybody knows me for.

What’s your travel and production schedule like now, and how frequently do you dine out?
The first series is going to be a limited series. It’s six episodes and I’m visiting 18 restaurants, three an episode. We definitely try to put some breaks in there, because you need some breaks. You need to make sure you get back to the basics of maintaining that balance, and the balance for me is hitting the gym three or four times a week so the body’s right. Keep myself tight. So, if I’m out for two or three weeks, I won’t be home for a month after that. That’s how I can make sure we can get those three restaurants in in every city. We capture the history of that location, talk to the people, see what it is that they’re saying is their best takeout. I’m all about the experience and the food when it comes to the review.

You often take meal and restaurant suggestions your YouTube followers. How do you think that’s played into the success of your channel, and now that you’re on cable who will make the decisions about where you eat?
That’s the main thing. If people know I’m going to be in Chicago or Atlanta, I go to my Daym Drops fan page and I’m like, “Listen y’all, I’m going to be in Atlanta for a few days. What would you say are some hot spots I might need to check out?” And, once we touch ground, we’re keeping those spots that people responded with in mind. We also go out and do some scouting to figure out what’ll be great for the show. Then we get our three shows. Pow, pow, pow. We make it happen. The biggest thing, again, is I like that whole feeling of being interactive and keeping that foundation, and the foundation is that following that I have. So they’re still with me in every step of the show.

Will you continue to do your videos now that you’re on television?
Girl, you know ain’t nothin’ gonna change. I’ve still got the “Daym Drops” flow going on on YouTube every week dropping something on them.

Last year, Dr. Oz introduced you to healthier fast food. How will you be incorporating vegan, vegetarian and lower-calorie meals into your adventures now that you have a broader audience?
I’m always open. As long as I leave myself open to try something new, whether I love it, whether I hate it, whether it doesn’t make a difference, the fact is I’m willing to go on ahead and try it. I do have a nice little vegan following and they’re always reminding me, “Daym, can you do something that doesn’t have meat in it?” I just want to make sure I have communication with the people, so if it takes some fruit and vegetables, you do what you have to do.

Is there anything you’ll absolutely refuse to eat, no matter how many people are watching?
Now, I don’t know how you feel about oysters but oysters are rough for me. We have a tough time. They’re slimy. We tried to have a communication, a little something at the roundtable and uh, they didn’t say anything I like to hear.

Daymon Patterson’s Tips for Growing a YouTube Audience:
1. Start with something you love. “Know what your passion is and stick with it, but don’t be afraid to try new things. And make sure you’re comfortable on camera. Once you believe in yourself enough, other people will believe in you, too.”

2. Work well with others. “All it takes is one person to change your life. That’s all it took for me. [YouTube viewers] put something on Reddit and now I see life out of a different scope. There are a lot of opportunities for collaborations with other YouTubers who have a broader audience. Work with them. Get yourself partnered because they can bring their subscribers to your channel.”

3. Don’t forget the people who made you. “A lot of YouTubers get to a point where they don’t respond to comments anymore. I still take the time out, because even though you’re growing you should still acknowledge your viewers. Word of mouth is everything.

Janelle Harris resides in Washington, D.C., frequents Twitter and lives on Facebook.