A Q&A with National Coasters
If you’re looking to learn about weird and obscure roller coasters from around the world, content creator Jesiah Olson has you covered! Jesiah started his YouTube channel, National Coasters, back in early 2019. Since it has amassed over 10,000 subscribers and close to 4 million views.
Hi Jesiah! Why not tell us a bit about yourself?
Hey everyone! My name’s Jesiah Olson and I’m a roller coaster enthusiast with the goal to open a theme park! When I was a kid, I LOVED theme parks (as I’m sure many reading this might have as well). I practically grew up in Disneyland, and Knott’s Berry Farm was just a 30-minute drive away - I’m extremely lucky to say that, and I am indebted to my parents for such a fun upbringing! Because of this, I guess I just kept a deep love and longing for theme parks and joined the roller coaster community! Watching all sorts of YouTube videos, as I got older I decided that this was my place, and I started a series of social media platforms myself called National Coasters! Since its debut, it’s been very successful and provided me with many opportunities on Instagram, YouTube, and life! I’d encourage anyone like me considering this, to try it! If not anything else, it’s just fun!
What’s it like being a roller coaster enthusiast?
Being a roller coaster enthusiast is one of the most exciting and eye-opening things I think anyone can do! Often, we roller coaster enthusiasts try to travel as far as we can to ride the best or most roller coasters possible. In doing this, your world is expanded in so many ways I never thought possible! The rides are great, sure, but since I’ve been doing this I have met so many cool and amazing people, seen places I never thought I’d see otherwise, and just experienced life from a new perspective. If you’re like me and would like to work in the themed industry, you quite honestly just learn a lot from being exposed to everything.
What’s your favourite roller coaster?
My coaster count is 335 coasters, soon to be 400 this summer! My favourite roller coaster depends on the day, but I’ll usually go with X2. If we’re talking quirkiness; Fujiyama. Intensity; Intimidator 305. I also really enjoyed Flying Dinosaur and Universal Studios Japan!
What made you decide to start a YouTube Channel?
For that, I need to give credit to one of my best friends in the roller coaster community, Marc. After the small successes I’d seen with my Instagram page, he heavily encouraged me to create a YouTube page. At first, I was hesitant, but after he and my followers requested one, I was excited to try that too! And it really paid off, literally. After my first 1,000 subscribers, I was able to get monetized, and then Instagram invited me to their Bonuses Program. I was able to switch my job from bagging groceries my sophomore year to social media full-time and it was awesome!
Do you have any future roller coaster-related aspirations?
A long-term goal of mine has always been to open and operate a theme park. Having grown up in theme parks my whole life, I feel like I quickly became familiar with the atmosphere and learned to love it! Whether it be roller coasters, flat rides, dark rides, food, whatever - I’ve spent the last few years trying to understand it all. This led me to school in Utah where I currently attend Brigham Young University and am entering the Marriott School of Business. I also work as the president of social media at Wild Rivers waterpark which has proven super beneficial to my learning process as well.
A huge thanks to Jesiah for answering our questions! You can find National Coasters on Instagram and YouTube.
- Harry
