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With the New Year just around the corner, I wanted to take some time to look back on 2019 and the milestones that Hella Basque hit this year.
Launch of the Hella Basque YouTube Channel
The biggest change to my workflow has been the start of the Hella Basque YouTube channel back in March. I uploaded 40 videos to YouTube in the last 9 months, all about Basque culture.
It’s crazy to think of how big of an accomplishment this has been for me personally. Nine months ago, I didn’t know how to edit a video. I was super nervous in front of a camera. I was scared of the negative things people would say about me and my work. And I wasn’t entirely sure there was even a need for a YouTube channel dedicated to Basque culture.
But the numbers speak for themselves. The YouTube channel has grown to over 1,200 Subscribers and garnered 45,000 views. Nevermind the countless comments and messages I have received from an engaged YouTube audience.
It turns out there are lots of people online who are interested in watching videos about the Basque Country and its diaspora. So thank you to everyone who has Subscribed to the Hella Basque YouTube channel and who comes back week after week to watch my videos.
Here are the top 3 most viewed videos since the channel started:
1. What Is the Basque Language?
2. Ancestry DNA Results Say You’re Basque – What Now?
3. What You Need to Know About Basque Blood Types
Launch of a Basque Walking Tour of San Francisco
This summer I started a historical Basque walking tour of San Francisco. I spent weeks researching the former locations of San Francisco’s Basque hotels, restaurants, and handball courts and putting together a route for a walking tour that would visit them.
Having grown up in the Bay Area after many of San Francisco’s Basque establishments had closed, I was curious to find out where my dad and other Basque immigrants hung out when they first got here.
Much like the YouTube channel, I didn’t know if anyone else would share my interest in this but I thought it was worth a try.
15 walking tours and 16 5-star reviews later, I think it’s safe to say there’s a small number of Basque history buffs out there curious about the old Basque businesses of San Francisco. It’s been a lot of fun meeting people and showing them this hidden history of San Francisco.
And for 2020 I’m building on the Basque walking tour to add a food inclusion at a Basque restaurant. I’ve found that a lot of the people who have come on the Basque walking tour are interested in the Basque food scene in the Bay Area, so finishing off the tour with some Basque appetizers seemed like a nice way to show off the Basque restaurants that are still around today.
You can sign up for the walking tour here.
Sponsored Trip for the World Congress of Basques Abroad
In October 2019, I was honored to participate in the World Congress of Basques Abroad in Bilbao, sponsored by the Basque Government. The conference consisted of four jam-packed days with over 100 other Basques from all over the world, discussing challenges facing the Basque diaspora today. We also spent time learning about the Basque Government’s services and programs.
It was an incredibly enriching experience for me — you can imagine I was in Basque heaven!
I made a video recap of the World Congress if you want more details of what went on. Watch below:
Launch of New Products
This Christmas, I experimented with designing and ordering products in bulk and shipping them myself to complement the print-on-demand offerings in the Hella Basque shop.
That means I expanded into pins, buttons, scrunchies, air fresheners, and phone grips. I really enjoyed designing new products and seeing what resonated with you guys.
Here are Hella Basque’s best sellers this Christmas:
1. Lauburu Scrunchies
2. Basque Phone Grips
3. Etxea Pins
I also last-minute before Christmas launched an Etsy shop to make our Basque-themed products accessible to shoppers who may not follow Hella Basque. 9 sales in a crowded marketplace by a shop less than a month old felt like a huge victory!
Continuation of the Blog
While this isn’t really a milestone, it feels like an accomplishment when life gets busy. I posted at least 1 blog post a week in 2019.
Over the course of the year, 50,000 people visited the Hella Basque website. As far as analytics go, that’s a relatively small number compared to more popular websites. But that’s huge to me!
Thank you for reading the blog and coming back to visit the website!
With all of these small ways Hella Basque is growing and expanding, I’m extremely grateful for the Hella Basque community’s support. Thank you all for following along, liking/sharing/commenting on Hella Basque’s social media posts and YouTube videos, and for purchasing merchandise from the Hella Basque shop.
It really means a lot to have your support. It shows me Hella Basque is going in the right direction.
I’ve got big aspirations for 2020, so I hope you’ll be along for the ride next year too.
Happy New Year and I’ll see you in 2020!
CONTINUE READING:
- Christmas in the Basque Country
- The Hella Basque YouTube Channel is 6 Months Old!
- The Ultimate List of Basque Restaurants in the United States (2019)
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