Nick Uhas ’09 Talks Netflix, YouTube, and Delta Tau Delta

Nick Uhas ’09 has led an interesting career path, to say the least. The son of two high school teachers, Nick always placed a high value on education, becoming a published chemist in his studies at OSU. While living in California before college, he became a professional stunt rollerblader, and filming stunts sparked his interest in content creation. After college, Nick would combine these passions into Nickipedia, a YouTube series of thrilling science videos; his channel has over 246,000 subscribers and more than 280 videos.

Nick’s YouTube clout led to him competing on the reality shows Big Brother and America’s Got Talent, and this experience along with his science proficiency led to his latest job: host of Blown Away, a glass-blowing reality competition series on Netflix.

But you might not know that Nick is a proud Beta Phi alumnus. He took some time to speak with us about his Delt and OSU experiences, his varied career, and the value of the fraternity experience.

Why did you decide to join Delta Tau Delta?

When I got to college, Alex Bailey ’08, an elementary school friend, asked if I wanted to join a group of friends continuously bettering themselves through graduation. Who could say no to that?!

I didn’t go through recruitment my first year because Greek life seemed to clash with the “counterculture” of skating. When I did it the following year, I found that both had a similar community aspect—but this was arguably better thanks to the structure! I moved into the Shelter that same year, and brothers from my member class are still my friends.

Tell us about your favorite memories as a Delt.

Attending the Leadership Academy in Maine was great on so many levels. Another great one was my senior year Greek Week; I entered the Greek God competition as a skater and one of my stunts helped win Greek Week for us! Delt was also on fire academically that year, thanks largely to our advisor, Jeff Pelletier ’94.

How do you think Delta Tau Delta helped you become who you are today?

It helped sculpt my personality, both professionally and socially. I learned to communicate with everyone by finding common threads, even if we were widely different. We were all upfront with any issues or problems and learned to resolve them quickly.

The producers of Blown Away discovered you via your YouTube channel. Why did you decide to join the show?

I knew very little about glass blowing but liked the idea of learning something new by observing others at work. They essentially hired me to be a liaison for the audience—I had the right science background but was still learning new things alongside the viewers.

What Nickipedia video would you recommend to first-time viewers?

“Liquid Sand Pool” is a great one. By pumping nitrogen through a sand bed that we lined with copper pipes, the sand acts as a liquid! Since we’re talking about glass blowing, another good one is “Unbreakable Exploding Glass Egg,” which we filmed at the Corning Museum of Glass (which collaborated on Blown Away).

What advice would you offer to undergraduate brothers?

It’s cliché but be involved as much as possible. Practical experience outside of the classroom helps you think about what you want to do for a living. Being an entrepreneur doesn’t come up much in college, so Delt led me to several ideas I didn’t even know existed! I began as a pre-med student, and even though I didn’t go into medicine, my studies and knowledge ended up being perfect for content creation.

Studying is important, but your relationships with your fraternity brothers really matter as well— they’ll be in your life a super long time.

Have you visited campus or the Shelter lately?

While home in Columbus for Christmas a couple years ago, I knocked on the door and asked to see the new Shelter. The guys were very welcoming and enjoyed talking about their studies, and I was impressed by how many were in the study room. The chapter looked even better than I left it!

What are your impressions on the need for fraternities today?

I wish more people understood that Greek life isn’t like you see in movies; it sets people up for success in life. You gain an important sense of structure while you’re young, and it helps you with lots of things you might not be prepared for. It really does have a positive impact.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Like I said, I was apprehensive of fraternities in the beginning, but I took a leap of faith because I thought it might be helpful. If anyone is in a similar phase, I would advise them, “Just do it!”

Season 1 of Blown Away is available on Netflix and you can check out Nick’s Nickipedia series at youtube.com/user/NickUhas. Connect with Nick at nickuhas@gmail.com.