Lost in YouTube Space: Touring YouTube LA Studios

[music playing] Finally tonight another installment in PBS's "On Technology" series, "Is YouTube Becoming the Next Big Movie Studio?"

Steve Goldbloom brings us the story.

[cell phone vibrating] STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Hello?

JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Stevie, Uncle Jordan here.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Hey.

JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Listen, while you're in La-La Land, we're going to need you to go to YouTube Studios.

Yup.

I can get there.

JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Atta boy.

Do you know where it is?

JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): You've heard of Google, right?

No, I can look it up.

Did you get my email about the wireless mic?

It broke.

JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Steve, there's no money.

No?

JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Steve.

No.

OK, sure.

I mean, it would be good to have, but I'm not exactly breaking the bank on lodging.

I'm staying at an Airbnb in Los Feliz.

JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Please, I once stayed under a sewer like a Ninja Turtle.

OK, good luck.

Good.

[organ music playing] [humming to himself] This is going to be tricky.

SECURITY GUARD (ON INTERCOM): Yeah?

Hi.

I'm here to speak with YouTube.

SECURITY GUARD (ON INTERCOM): It's open.

Go ahead.

It's open.

Go ahead.

Oh, thanks.

Nope.

I have one of these in my apartment.

Everybody looks very cool, which is always intimidating.

That looks like a hipster Keanu Reeves, doesn't he?

So what do you want to accomplish on this interview?

Good question.

We really wanted the lobby to be thought of as a cathedral.

It's the alter at which YouTube creators and their audiences worship.

So if you could walk us and talk us through the tour-- Sure.

---I'll awkwardly bring the mic around.

This is amazing.

LIAM COLLINS: Are we interrupting?

MAN: No, you're all good.

You're a chef or a juicer?

A juicer.

Juicer.

Yes.

LIAM COLLINS: He's teaching folks how to make their own juice.

Ah.

And obviously it has great results, right?

That's all because of the juice.

One of the great things that we get to do is, we have all this interesting equipment, and we encourage creators to try it when they're here.

A Canon C300 and a Red-- that's an Epic?

Epic.

LIAM COLLINS: Yeah, the Red Epic.

(GRUFFLY) If they mad at us, they mad at God!

We don't even need context for that.

I think we can just use it.

One of the reasons that we built this facility was to encourage people to think about how to be more ambitious with original programming and think about new ways to attack it.

I think the difference for us is that it'll be our partners that make it, as opposed to us.

[organ music playing] And the idea here is, it might be kind of daunting to come from your home to the soundstage we were just in.

Or from PBS.

Wow.

Part of what we wanted to do with the facility, and will continue to do, is demonstrate what the cutting-edge technology is and lead the way in testing out that technology with manufacturers who want to work with us.

So when you're part of one of our programs, you can sign on to our website and book space, and you can also book equipment.

And that's all free.

Jordie?

JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): Yeah.

Goldbloom, what is it?

Look, I'm at the YouTube studio, and they have every piece of equipment that we would want.

And frankly, it's embarrassing we don't have the money for a second wireless mic.

I look ridiculous with a PBS stick.

JORDAN SMITH (ON PHONE): No.

Steve, I thought you'd understand this by now.

We have the money.

We don't have the Steve money, OK?

[music playing] This place is amazing.

You absolutely should do a PBS show.

Yeah, that would be a good idea.

We'd love to have you guys in.

We had Robin Thicke here.

That was a great day when that happened.

Cool.

Thanks again, man.

We'll see you.

All right.

Thanks, Noah.

This is an editor's note.

This'll be right for the front of the piece.

We'll do a little stand up and cut to the YouTube sign and come back.

Oh, god.

They're not renewing our budget for next year.

NOAH: For sure?

Yeah.

Well, they want to have a discussion about it, but nothing's confirmed, so there might not be a show.

[beep] MAN (ON VOICEMAIL): Hey, Noah.

It's your father.

We never hear from you.

You don't call.

You don't write.

You don't send pictures.

I think you're in La-La Land.

You and that Goldbloom boy.

I knew Stevie when he was little.

He was a good boy.

Come home and do what your mother always said you should do, go to medical school and become a real person, rather than flitting around pretending you're somebody important.

Call me.