Snervous centers on the life and career of the 26-year-old YouTube star. Produced by AwesomenessTV’s Awesomeness Films division and directed by Amy Rice (HBO’s By the People: The Election of Barack Obama), the documentary follows Oakley on his international “Slumber Party Tour,” a live show that’s part speaking event, part sketch comedy, and part interactive experience. At each Slumber Party show, Oakley and his teen fans wear pajamas and celebrate YouTube culture while their parents stand anxiously in the back of the room dreading the traffic getting out of there.
Like many current high-profile YouTube personalities, Oakley got involved with YouTube on the ground floor. He uploaded his first video in 2007 and has since grown to have a following of over 7.6 million subscribers. In addition to discussing pop culture, interacting with his fans, and sharing details about his life, Oakley is an activist for LGBT youth and has galvanized his fanbase to raise more than half a million dollars for The Trevor Project. Like most successful YouTubers, he’s also set to release his own book—a collection of personal essays called Binge.
Snervous will have a limited theatrical release in December followed by a wide digital release. Hopefully it will make the world of YouTube a little more relatable to those born before George H.W. Bush was in office. However, anyone who can’t wait until December can just read our own exploration of YouTube culture instead.