I spent less than an hour hanging out with the legendary YouTuber Justine Ezarik before she had me in a chokehold. Literally. Jiujitsu has become an integral part of her weekly routine, and the Thursday I was hanging out with her happened to be a jiujitsu day. The move we were working on: how to use your Gi uniform as a tool to choke your opponent.
Next thing I knew, Justine, a creator I had been watching for years, had me tapping out. I was star-struck, shocked, and couldn’t breathe. I was in for a wild day.
Justine, better known as iJustine, started creating content in 2006. She was vlogging before Casey Neistat, doing “man on the street” interviews before TikTok, and livestreaming before Twitch. By the time I started my tech…