Catenaccio Feature: Dan Colosimo, Video Master

Catenacciari, this feature switches gears a little, focusing not on fan clubs, but on the individual fan.  And what an individual.

I had the pleasure of chatting with a young Italian-Canadian whose talent in making video-montages is eclipsed only by his unapologetic love for Juventus FC.  Millions have had the pleasure of viewing the authentic works of art that Philistines otherwise call "soccer videos" on his youtube channel.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is my chat with Dan Colosimo, or as he's known in all four corners, Colosimo99:


How did you become a Juventus fan?

My father was a Juventino and as a kid I would sit with him and watch the games even though I was not that big of a supporter yet.  It was more about being young and spending the Sunday afternoon with my dad on the couch.  It mostly began after Del Piero scored his goal against Mexico in the World Cup back in '02.  I remember being 9 years old, hearing the Italian commentator go crazy and it was the first real moment that I understood and appreciated the sport.  I guess you could say I became a Del Piero fan before I became a Juve fan, but the years progressed and I fell in love with our capitano and the black and white stripes.


What inspires your videos? 

I would say the biggest reason I make the videos is because I enjoy having fellow fans tell me how much they enjoy them. I never knew or intended for my channel to get as big as it is, but it has really picked up in recent months.  The moment that I knew I had done something great was when I realized my videos had reached a world-wide approach.  The Daily Star and The Daily Mirror posted my videos on their sites and Asamoah and Pepe both tweeted my videos about them.  It's been a great year and hopefully the success continues.

Your videos have their own style, feel.  How did you develop that?  What are your influences?

I've been a fan of soccer videos on YouTube for years but I had noticed many flaws in some of them and began to wonder if I should start making some myself.  What I realized is that in order for the videos to be successful, they need to make the viewer feel like they have just watched a short film, and not just a quick video.  I enjoy telling a story in my videos, and not just showing a 3 minute collection of tricks and skills. Coordinating the effects and clips with the music is a necessity and greatly improves the video quality. I wouldn't say that I am influenced by other you tubers, but famous directors around the world who have made successful films have always been my main inspiration.


How do you get such awesome material, the raw footage?

The process of collecting footage can be quite irritating and actually more time consuming than actually making the videos. What I do is download every full match in HD and I re watch it. Once I see a clip or event in the match that I can use in my video, I mark it down with the time and the player that the clip involves. It is very tedious but it allows me to gather rare and exciting footage that many other youtube accounts don't posses.


What are your aspirations where would you like your videomaking to go?

In a perfect world I would get an internship at the Juventus Media department and make my videos for them, but I continue to stay realistic and strive to do well in school.  Currently taking a Media Communications course and I intend to follow through and keep making videos, whether it's for me or for a company.  I've been told that fans prefer my videos to those on Juventus' Youtube channel or even the montages on Sky Sports, and to work for one of those companies one day would be a dream.

Have you visited the Mecca for all Juventini, the Juventus stadium? 
Unfortunately I haven't visited the stadium yet, but I will hopefully be attending one of the first games next season as I travel to Italy.  Hopefully all goes well, as going to the stadium has been on my to-do list since it opened.


Do you have any particular pre- and/or during- game ritual/superstition?
Game day at my house usually just involves my father and I, some food, my Del Piero jersey and a lot of yelling at the screen.  No superstitions or rituals, as long as Juve gets the win, I'm happy.


Fan Profile
Name: Dan Colosimo
Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/colosimo99
Twitter Handle: @dancolosimoo

Videos courtesy of Colosimo99