YouTube sensation leaves channel

Ian Deibert and Nick Sjolinder walk away from Misterepicmann in order to pursue more serious video material

“Nick (Sjolinder) is more likely to be recognized than I am because he always looks the same,” Liberty University alumnus Ian Deibert said. “He always has that face and some kind of beard. I pretty much never look the same.”

As Liberty senior Sjolinder walked to the Jerry Falwell Library he saw a friend talking with someone he thought was a stranger and decided to stop and say hello.

“I saw my (old) roommate and turned to (Deibert) and was like, ‘Hi, nice to met you,’” Sjolinder said. “He was wearing a hat and glasses, and I didn’t know it was him.”

Deibert, who has known Sjolinder since freshman year, explained that he went along with it at the beginning because he thought Sjolinder was kidding.

“Then he was rolling on the ground (in laughter),” Deibert said.

Although Deibert and Sjolinder might not always recognize each other, many YouTube fans knew this duo as Misterepicmann, the makers of the hit video “How Animals Eat Their Food,” which was ranked as the third-most-viewed video on YouTube of 2013.

However, at the end of March, Sjolinder posted a tweet and Facebook status saying they had left the channel.

“To Misterepicmann followers: Ian and I left the channel last week,” Sjolinder wrote. “It was a tough decision, but keep on the lookout for new projects!”

Since there was no official announcement, fans were wondering why they were no longer on the channel, according to Deibert, but the videographers knew they were making the right choice.

“For me, it felt like a peaceful decision, because I knew my motives of why I wanted to stay in and why I left,” Sjolinder said.

Sjolinder also explained that leaving the channel meant he and Ian would no longer be able to use any of the characters or situations they had created for Misterepicmann.

“I feel like I am ready to move beyond that level of simplicity, and I can totally work around not using those characters,” Sjolinder said. “I am kind of excited, too. All of those (videos) are impulsive, and now we can write things out and make it more long-term watchable.”

Deibert and Sjolinder are now putting their focus into a new project that will be released sometime during the summer. They described their new project, titled “The Men Who do Nothing,” as a more serious endeavor instead of a compilation of crazy actions.

“It will be a different universe where things are just not right, so it will have a bizarre feeling,” Deibert said. “Things will happen, but it will just be accepted like normal. So there will be serious moments, but they are not serious to normal people, if that makes any sense.”

According to Sjolinder, he is in full writing mode right now and tries to draw from whatever pops into his head for “The Men Who do Nothing.”

“I really make a point to draw from nothing, almost,” Sjolinder said. “Since it is going to be three main characters, I am trying to create a world where people can become attached to them and know what to expect from them, kind of like any show. Eventually, you are just watching because you like the characters so much.”

Deibert and Sjolinder, who have considered trying to host a cat film festival at Liberty, are unsure of what their long-term futures hold but are excited for the prospect of this new project.

“It is another creative outlet, and we hope for it to be successful,” Sjolinder said.