Having a video blog or vlogging has become a true hit among teenagers in recent years. The number of those who create videos and publish them online constantly grows. Surfing the net is one of the favourite activities of teenagers nowadays but instead of sharing their thoughts in a conservative blog, they just shoot a video with their message and post it. Topics are different, usually provoked by personal experiences. Some give advice about love relations while others discuss cosmetics, etc.  In western countries some vloggers make profits from ads but this rarely happens in Bulgaria.

Bulgarian vloggers see opportunities in gaining more popularity among their peers, while others see it as a way to share thoughts about the things that excite them the most. "I had some ideas and messages that I wanted to share with others," says Christian Zahariev about his reasons to become a vlogger. He is seventeen and studies graphic design at the Sofia School of Fine Arts "Prof. Nikolai Raynov." He has been making videos for a year and now has about 30 of them.

He is known among his fans in YouTube, who are nearly 11 000, as ThatBoyChris. These are mainly young people aged between 16 to 24 years. According to Chris other vloggers are not competitors. He is a friend of the most popular of them - Emil Conrad. They have a video together called "Ultimate Survival."  Chris plans to post new videos in the spring, saying he always tries to have a message in his videos. This is especially valid for two short documentaries he made. The latest one, uploaded in March, is called “Take me to School.” The documentary tells about an initiative that aims to combat early dropping out of school among Roma children.

"I am glad to find out about initiatives that can change the situation in Bulgaria or at least the way of thinking of some Bulgarians. I wanted to show my fans that good things also happen in this country and that not all Roma are the same.  There are many who work hard to earn their living and have been trying to change the attitude of people around them.”

Directing, shooting and editing are entirely the work of Chris, who says that it took him three weeks to make the shots in the Roma neighbourhood. His chief critic and adviser is his mother. "I always look for her opinion," he says. The vlogger admits his peers prefer funny posts but says he has received just one negative comment, so far.

"All the other comments about me and my work were positive. But I am the most impressed by comments saying the film changed their opinion. Even a little girl in the 4th grade wrote how together with her mother they help a Roma kid with his homework after school. It was very pleasant to see that such small initiatives exist."

Chris draws inspiration from life itself, his Christian faith and his desire to inspire young people to want more from life than just the mediocre.

English: Alexander Markov