When it comes to opportunities to make videos and win cool stuff (from exposure on YouTube to cash to appearing on mainstream TV), there's a lot going on on YouTube right now. For this week's Weekend Project, a roundup of some current programs, their deadlines and what your participation might earn you:

Video Volunteers: Make a video supporting a women's organization and you could be featured on our homepage alongside Diane Von Furstenberg. DUE: May 26, 2010

Small Talk: Submit videos of kids saying funny things, for the chance to earn $10,000. DUE: June 20, 2010

America's Got Talent: Submit videos of your unique talents for the chance to perform on TV. DUE: June 23, 2010

We begin a new periodic series in which users reveal the meaning behind their YouTube channel names. First up is Jodie, mistress of the parody, aka "VenetianPrincess": 

"When I created my YouTube account back in 2006, I wasn’t thinking in terms of branding yet. I just thought of it as a username and an inspiration for videos. I thought of Venetian Princess because firstly, I am half-Italian. Venice has so much culture and mystique, from its colorful venetian masks to its gondolas. I thought it would make for a good video setting. The princess part was my paying homage to my idol, the late Princess Diana. I’m also a Disney fan, so it has two meanings to me."

Ester Brym is the auteur behind "Butterflies," a documentary about the YouTube community and this brave new world of digital culture and social media. The film premiered at the Action on Film International Film Festival in Pasadena, CA, last summer and has since won the Alan J. Bailey Excellence Award in Documentary Filmmaking and was also nominated for Best Social Commentary. Now, it's available for rent on YouTube and will be featured on our homepage tomorrow.

1. How did you come up with the concept for "Butterflies"? Was it inspired by anyone in particular?
I was already a big fan of YouTube when I decided to make a documentary about its community. What fascinated me were mainly people's videos and the fact that one is able to reach anyone, anywhere, just by uploading a video online. When I realized that people actually have huge followings, I found it incredible. I worked with lots of independent filmmakers and figured that with YouTube's community, everybody now has a chance to have an audience. I was mainly interested in the people I was watching and very curious to know their story. At that time, it was Xgobobeanx, Paytotheorderofofof2, Thehill88, Brookers and others.

2. How did you go about choosing the subjects for your documentary?
Apart from Jill, aka Xgobobeanx, all the characters featured in "Butterflies" weren't my first choices. I filmed about 20 characters for over the period of one year. I picked the final six based on how their story developed and what happened to their YouTube channels. Some YouTubers weren't interested in being interviewed; some had to be cut out or added in because of how they all fit together to illustrate the community, the different personalities on YouTube and the kind of videos they make. I wanted to have a little bit of everything. I also wanted to acknowledge some of the original YouTube personalities so the film ends up having a good mixture of all, including DaveDays, Fred, Whatthebuckshow, LisaNova, Mr. Safety, Kicesie and Boheme.

3. With the cost of equipment falling so sharply, anyone can really make a documentary. What do you think separates average docs from good ones, and good ones from great ones?
It is true that anyone can make a documentary these days, and I am sure it is also thanks to the low costs that we were able to make and finish "Butterflies." I am asked very often how we raised money to make a feature film. I always answer the same way: anyone who has a great story and great people attached to a project can make a film. Of course, there are lots of technical issues, and film's production quality should be the best possible. For a great documentary you need to have great sound, good footage, and an amazing editor, but mainly you need to have a fantastic story that's interesting, fresh, new and different.

4. As you were making the film, how were you thinking about your distribution strategy? What were/are your goals for the film?
My original wish for the film never was traditional distribution. I felt the audience for this film is online and that's where we should present it. However, just a year ago, there still weren't many choices for us to put the film up online. This online distribution system is very new and still developing and it is very hard to distinguish a good distribution platform. As we searched, we ended up opening at film festivals and going through the traditional system because people were asking to see the film. This was very good for the movie as we got some awards, some recognition and people started to talk about "Butterflies." It comes at the perfect time, that YouTube launches its "for rent" program, because we couldn't imagine a more perfect and more fitting place for our movie.

5. Where do you see the future of film distribution heading?
I am absolutely positive that the future of independent film distribution is not in the traditional ways as it was up to now. Releasing a film theatrically or even via broadcast has great costs associated with it and considering the budgets filmmakers can make movies for these days, it makes absolutely no sense to waste all that money on traditional distribution. Filmmakers can keep all the rights to their movies while releasing them online for free or with minimal costs attached. This is the future for all film, and I think, given YouTube's already-established audience, this can be the next step for how the platform can be used. Other sites that are strictly focusing on the filmmaking community, like, for example IndieProducer.net, will embrace this movie, because lots of us filmmakers are already online and lots of us hunger to see each other's films. We just need a place where we can go and see a good film.

6. What is your favorite aspect of filmmaking?
Editing! Editing and post-production is definitely my favorite part. Because that's when you are done with all the stress; you know what you filmed and what kind of personalities you have. When I sit down in front of my Avid and watch the hours and hours of footage I have, that's when I feel I finally have made a movie. That's when the story comes all together for me.

TheWillofDC is currently YouTube's #3 Most Subscribed Reporter of All Time and has a rapidly growing following. Sure, it helps that he's RayWilliamJohnson's roomie and seems to have learned a thing or two from Michael Buckley, but what's really endearing him to people are his twice weekly shows: every Tuesday he releases a new episode of his super-dishy series, "YouTube News," in which he covers every aspect of the YouTube community, and Fridays he devotes to "Winners & Losers," in which he shouts out the folks who've gained the most subscribers in the last week and who've experienced the slowest growth.

Will became a fan of YouTube in college (first subscription=smosh), and after graduating in May '08 he moved to DC to work on a presidential campaign in Virginia. Once that job ended, the recession was in full swing, so he says: "I just took the time to be lazy and spend all day on YouTube and other fun social networking or game sites." Now, Will now claims YouTube as his full-time job -- "and I wouldn't have it any other way!"

In this interview, he reveals how he manages to stay on top of the seemingly infinite activities of YouTube users and offers some invaluable advice on the best ways to start making YouTube your career.

What tools do you use to keep up on what's going on in the YouTube universe?
First and foremost, I'm very active in the YouTube community. I try to be in constant contact with a vast amount of 'Tubers and everyday I watch more videos than I can count, making sure to comment and interact on them all. I also get tons of information from my viewers, who have their own vast network of people they love, watch, and gather information on. I use Twitter to keep up with a large number of YouTubers, as well as attending their live shows on Ustream or BlogTV.

What's your routine for collecting all this information?
Now that my job is YouTube, it makes doing YouTube News so much easier because I spend all day on the site and have a pretty good feel for the community and what is going on. I start with reading the YouTube blog and the YouTube business blog. Then I watch videos (meaning everyone's I'm subscribed to plus everyone on the most subscribed lists, and all the videos under the popular tab and then finally any sent to me or that I find randomly surfing through). After that I spend time responding to all the comments on my videos and checking messages. In the afternoon, I usually try reaching out and interacting with other YouTubers, basically seeing what they're up to. I have Twitter open on my phone and computer 24/7. Also checking up on the more popular YouTubers' individual websites. With food and some outside time mixed in there, LOL.

How do you decide what to cover?
For "YouTube News," I usually have around 5-10 stories or subjects on a list of possible things to cover. I then go with my gut on which stories are the most interesting or would get the best reaction or what I think YouTubers want to hear about the most, and I cover those. It's a pretty simple process.

For "Winners & Losers," when I wake up Friday, I update my own Excel spreadsheet which I've been doing for over a year now. Because the YouTube page is delayed, I go to each YouTuber's individual channel to get the most up to date number. After putting all that into the spreadsheet and seeing the difference between the previous Friday and the current one, I figure out who dropped and by how much, or who grew and by how much. Obviously any big drops or gains get immediately noted to mention. Then I look at each individual YouTuber's history and see if anyone is trending better or worse over time. I try and spread around who I cover, which is why I've been covering when people only move up or down one spot a lot more lately. I always include people I feel the YouTube community want to hear about. Also I get a lot of comments from my audience telling me who I should include and then I include them. While I would love to cover every user in the top 100, I don't because the video would probably be 10 minutes long and I feel people like my episodes best when they are around 3.5 minutes.

What advice would you give about optimal days/times/frequencies to post?
I try and pick a time when I think the most people that watch me will be awake. I've found I do very well releasing a video anywhere between 1pm and 4pm EST. I know many people think Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days to upload but I think any day other than Sunday seems to work just fine. I chose Tuesday and Friday because it's what works for me. The key is consistency and sticking to one upload day and time.

You follow in the footsteps of Michael Buckley -- how can others also take what's out there but give it a fresh spin?
I think Michael Buckley has inspired more people to start making videos than anyone else on YouTube, although that could just be my bias because he is the reason I started, LOL. Before I did "Winners & Losers" and "YouTube News," I was making vlogs which I look back at now with such embarrassment -- but that's where everyone has to start. You have to get the awkwardness out of your system and find your voice. No one wakes up one day, joins YouTube, and knows how to make the best video or become the most popular. Everyone goes through the process of finding their foothole in the community and the style they are most comfortable with. I believe I'm good at being a reporter and it took me a few months to figure that out and realize that was my place. So, I guess long story short: my advice is to not rush anything. Make a video because you enjoy it, not because you think it will go viral. Find your voice and do it thoughtfully and with purpose. Find something out there you're passionate about that you believe others would be interested in as well and go for it. I don't have the best camera or the best editing software nor am I the most attractive guy. But I found something I'm passionate about and I believe I draw people in because they enjoy seeing how excited I am about it and then it begins to excite them.

Other advice?
I feel like I could give advice for hours, but on top of what I've already said I think the biggest thing to remember is to be excited about what you're putting out there. If you don't like a video you made, no one else probably will either so why bother uploading it. Be consistent in everything you do and engage with you're audience. While there are many YouTubers who have believed in me enough to promote me or feature me, I think so much of my success came from my dedication to my audience. With the site growing so fast, I believe networking and interaction with your audience is key to any hope for success. Finally, you have to have fun with it. While YouTube can be a business, at its core it's a community of people loving this new social media experience "thingy." Our generation hasn't seen anything as great as YouTube in a long time; so I say let's ride the wave and enjoy it.