Mario Ferraro worked diligently this summer. Not only on his NHL career but also on growing his YouTube channel.
"Youngest of Plugs" features 147 videos and counting. Most of them documenting his passion for tech, workouts and unfiltered personal life.
“I tried to take it to the next level,” Ferraro said. “I had some spare time on my hands, of course. I have a lot of passion in making those videos.”
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SIGN UP HERE The San Jose Sharks defenseman made some serious upgrades to his production value, including new camera, audio gear and the acquisition of a drone. But the most notable improvement over the last few months is his editing skill.
“The editing, I think that’s just practice and watching other videos,” Ferraro said. “The more movies I watch: Videos, television shows, cinematic footage ... you feed off what you’re watching and try to implement it into the videos you’re making.”
While most professional athletes value every ounce of privacy they can get, Ferraro truly opens the door to his everyday life. Nothing seems scripted or rehearsed, but he admits there is the occasional creative rut when decided what video to produce and publish next.
“That actually happens a lot,” Ferraro said. “You have to sit down and plan. It’s similar to hockey to getting out of a slump. What you’ve got to do is get back to the basics. Talk to yourself, and just be confident. That’s why I think YouTube and hockey go along so well.”
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As for hockey, the preparation hasn’t stopped even though the NHL’s immediate future still is very much unknown.
A best-case scenario would have Ferraro and his teammates playing games in early 2021. Which would be an unprecedented nine months since their last tilt.
“This is our job; this is what we do for a living,” Ferraro said. “We’ve been training. We’ve been skating. Getting prepared. I don’t want to set up any excuses for us because at the end of the day, we’ll be ready to go.”