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A video I helped make 7 years ago now has 25 million views

· 3 min read
Pacing Agency
Pacing Agency
Digital Marketing Agency

Learn how a video I edited as a marketing apprentice reached 25 million views and became a lesson in the power of free content.

A Video I Helped Make 7 Years Ago Now Has 25 Million Views​

Learn how a video I edited as a marketing apprentice reached 25 million views. It's a powerful lesson in the value of free content.

I was browsing YouTube the other day and stumbled upon a video I edited almost a decade ago. It's now sitting at over 25 million views.

The video is a lullaby featuring SleepyPaws, a cartoon koala from Moshi Monsters. I created it during my first job as a marketing apprentice at Mind Candy. Fresh out of university with a mix of nerves and excitement, I landed at one of London's most creative companies.

My Time at Mind Candy​

Mind Candy was founded by Michael Acton Smith. He has a knack for creating things people adore. He started with Firebox.com, a gadget and gift website. He then launched Moshi Monsters, which became a global phenomenon for children. After that, he co-founded Calm, the mindfulness app that helps millions of adults. Their motto was "to create worlds that fire the imagination." For a 20-year-old apprentice, it was an incredibly inspiring environment.

My role involved various tasks, including editing videos like this one. Looking back, it’s a simple, charmingly lo-fi animation. A sleepy koala, a gentle song, and some twinkling fireflies make up the scene. But behind that simplicity was a surprising amount of manual effort.

I remember manually transcribing the entire song. I typed out each word to create the subtitles that fade in and out. This was before AI transcription existed; there was no magic button. It was just me, headphones, and a lot of rewinding. I also created some of the glowing background animations. This task was my first real venture into video editing. It felt like a huge responsibility at the time. Seeing those little moving lights now feels like looking at a ghost from my past.

The Power of Free Content​

It's strange to think about the video's reach. In marketing, we often discuss impressions and reach in abstract terms. But 25 million views is a tangible, staggering number.

Paying for that many impressions through ads would cost a fortune. Yet, this simple piece of free, helpful content achieved it organically. It's a strong reminder that one of the best marketing strategies is simply creating something valuable and giving it away.

More important than the numbers, though, is the personal aspect. It's lovely to think that this video I worked on has been part of bedtime routines for millions of children. Hopefully, it has made life a tiny bit easier for their tired parents. As a first job, I couldn't have asked for a better outcome.