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6 CREATIVE PRODUCTIONLead Authors: Patricia G. Lange and Mizuko ItoTwo fourteen-year-old boys from the Washington, DC, area have anaccount on YouTube in which they post videos made by their own videoproductioncompany. Their videos often sport a personalized introductionin the form of their logo, written in LEGO building blocks, set ablaze bya lighter. One of the boys, Max, hopes to be a director or filmmaker andthought it was important to have a production company, since some ofhis favorite filmmakers, such as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, haveproduction companies too. Max also has a number of friends who pitchin by acting in his videos, which are often put together quickly and spontaneouslyin the context of social activities. For instance, the boys becamebored at a slumber party and felt inspired to make a horror film that waswell received after they posted it on YouTube. In another instance, a simpleouting with Max’s mother at the beach turned into a YouTube sensationwhen he recorded her singing along to the Boyz II Men song playingthrough her headphones. She was unaware that people around her couldhear her and had started to laugh. Max posted the video on YouTube andit attracted the attention of ABC’s Good Morning America, on which thevideo eventually aired. In the two years since it was posted, the video hasreceived more than 2 million views and more than 5,000 text comments,many of them expressing support. Max’s work has also attracted attentionfrom another media company, which approached him about the possibilityof buying another of his videos for an online advertisement. He regularlyreceives fan mail and comments on his videos. This example illustrates thenew possibilities that the Internet offers for kids to receive feedback notonly from peers but also from media companies. The advent of this sociallybased, digital milieu means they can connect with large numbers of dispersedothers and test wider reaction to their work.