Howcast Turns 1!
When Howcast was born on February 6, 2008, we figured we'd skip those first baby steps and hit the ground running. A year later, we've hit our stride, with a library of incredible videos that we add to daily, an ever-growing community of talented filmmakers, and an impressive roster of partners. So a big thank you to everyone who has helped make Howcast the go-to place for how-to videos. Here's to many more birthdays to come!
Fond Memories, Favorite Moments
Despite being split between New York and San Francisco offices, the Howcast staff is a tight-knit bunch (no doubt that's due in part to those offices being awfully small). Apart from a total lack of privacy, here's a glimpse into why it's such a great place to work.
 |
 |
 |
|
“Launch day was so exciting – people were finally going to see what we were all about. There was a feeling of teamwork and accomplishment.....and the custom cookies were great!” |
“When I arrived for my first day at work, someone had put up a paper nameplate on the wall next to my desk. It meant a lot to me to know that everyone was expecting me; it made me feel very welcome.”
|
“The best thing about working at Howcast is that I learn how to do something new every day. In fact, I think I'm going to ask my alma mater to give me an honorary doctorate."
|
Did You Know?
 |
“At Equilibrio, we have an ongoing joke about the cartoon tick in How to Check a Dog for Ticks. If you look closely, you'll see it makes a cameo appearance in a lot of our other videos too. It's like the Hitchcock of Howcast.” --Equilibrio Films, Directors, Emerging Filmmakers Program |
The Director's Cut
We're eternally grateful to our talented team of directors for bringing our ideas to life with such panache. So let's allow them to do the talking, as they show you the view from the director's chair.
 |
 |
 |
|
“My favorite thing about shooting How to Plan a Romantic Honeymoon Getaway was eating the set afterwards!”
|
“Howcast is amazingly supportive! Especially to a guy who had no professional experience in film/video.”
|
“For How To Kiss Creatively, we posted for actors on craigslist; but people thought it was for a porn movie so we animated it!”
|
Did You Know?
 |
“For How to Shotgun a Beer, we used ginger ale instead of beer. When the actor punctured the can, soda shot six feet up in the air and hit a light bulb. If you look closely at that scene, you can see bits of broken glass raining down among the droplets of soda.” --Nick Carbonaro, Director, Howcast Studios |
First-Year Highlights
The cool thing about working at a start-up is the camaraderie that comes from building something from scratch. That, and the free cereal. Here are a few of the many good times that helped bond us along the way.
 |
 |
 |
|
“One afternoon, we ordered an insane amount of food from a classic New York deli called Katz's. There's nothing like pastrami and pickles to bring people together. And drive them into a food coma.”
|
“Because we’re in an old building, we never know when the heat and electricity are going to go out. To anyone who got a slightly used Howcast blanket as a holiday gift, our apologies.”
|
“You gotta love a company that provides a Wii for you to have office tournaments during the day. Plus, we discovered who's secretly super-competitive, and who's a bowling pro (Meg!).”
|
