VCU advertising student gains fame through ridiculous videos

Brian Charlton
Contributing Writer

Mel Kobran
Managing Editor

Senior VCU advertising major Sidney Raskind’s YouTube series – videos titled I Am A–,” featuring Raskind himself flopping across the VCU Compass as a jellyfish, scuttling as a crab or simply dancing in a giant turkey costume – have made him something of a campus celebrity.

In each of the videos, Raskind strips his character of choice down to its essence: quietly sliding along walls like a spy, sliding slug-like up a lamppost or leaning rigidly against a wall much as a real-life rake would, all complete with a strange arcade-like soundtrack.

Recently, Raskind’s fame has extended past VCU with his videos being featured on “The Daily What” and “Good Morning America’s” Play of the Day.” The exposure has earned him over 22,000 views on his “I Am a Dancing Turkey” video.

Raskind, who said he has been making videos for a decade now, started his newest series because of a comment from his mother.

“My mom said if I don’t graduate college, I need a skill,” Raskind said. “My skill is proving you can be anything you want.”

Raskind explained his videos as attempts to prove that everyone has the ability to do great things.

“We are all humans, so we can’t literally be jellyfish,” Raskind said. “But I think it is more of keeping an imagination and keeping that sense of person. Humans, in general, are capable of anything – literally anything.”

Raskind says he thinks the message is something everyone can relate to, especially college students.

“People get into this view of you have to be one thing,” Raskind said. “You go to school to be that one thing … but the point is you can be anything you want.”

While the feedback online has been mostly positive, Raskind says the reactions he gets from people on campus while filming varies.

“The general reaction is ‘What is he doing?’ … ‘Why is he doing that?’” Raskind said. “Some people think it’s hilarious, and that I think is the most fun. People just laugh while I’m doing it.”

Others on campus don’t find his antics so humorous.

“When I was doing Disco Dancer, they yelled at me for filming in the Commons … they said I was disruptive,” Raskind said.

Despite this, Raskind said he sees his actions as a positive message and an inspiration not to self-limit.

The good vibes in Raskind’s videos don’t stop there: At the end of each of his videos the text ‘hydration = happiness’ appears, declaring the passionate love for water he’s had since high school.

He considers this motto as his brand.

“It’s as simple as that, ‘hydration equals happiness,’” Raskind says. “If you’re hydrated, you wont have a hangover. You’ll lose weight. You’ll be happier … that’s it.”

Raskind says his plans for the future are undefined.

“What is in store for the future is anything I want, and I think that is the point.”

Raskind said he is open to suggestions for what ridiculous thing to be next.

[sws_grey_box box]You can see Sidney Raskind’s YouTube channel here. [/sws_grey_box]

Photos by Mel Kobran