*Bailey and Aubrey work on their YouTube channel, Trainwrecked!*

In times of darkness, laughter is light. It can transcend many emotions, including fear, frustration, sickness, and grief. For YouTubers Aubrey Maynard and Bailey Gravitt, their mission is to make people happy and help them escape their realities, even if just for a second.

Early one Saturday morning last month, Aubrey was sitting at home watching Michael Jackson music videos when “We Are the World” came on. Since she and her friend, Bailey Gravitt, are always looking for ideas for their YouTube channel which will uplift and encourage people, they decided to do a remake of “We are the World” – Texarkana style. “The time in which we are living in is a very historical time,” Aubrey explains. “There’s a lot of negativity, fear, doubt and uncertainty in the air, so what better time to make lemonade out of lemons and give people some uplifting entertainment?” The friends dedicate this video to all the people who are on the front lines of this Coronavirus pandemic: medical professionals, essential grocery store employees, food service workers, truck drivers ... all of those people who are greatly impacted by this health crisis.

When asked if either of them studied film in school, Bailey jokes, “No! We just studied our favorite reality shows.” Although this is their only music video, the friends have released three episodes of a talk show, including a video where they went around Texarkana asking people questions about their thoughts and views on the Coronavirus.

A 2017 graduate of Pleasant Grove High School, Aubrey attends Texarkana College and plans to become a dental hygienist. She currently works at Gracyn Elizabeth Bride and teaches dance at Texarkana Dance Academy. Bailey is a 2016 graduate of Texas High School and graduated from Texarkana College. He plans to return to school in the fall to study Psychology, but dedicates his free time to his passion of writing songs and creating music.

When asked why they call their channel Trainwrecked!, Aubrey says, “We’re both in a place in our life where we are unsure what we want to do with our lives, so we jokingly refer to our lives as trainwrecks. Thus, the title of Trainwrecked!. We just want to come off as authentic and never try to be anything we aren’t.”

*Always trying to find the fun in every situation, Aubrey and Bailey get out their tape measure and don masks and gloves while practicing social distancing.*

Because of social distancing and the shelter in place order, Aubrey and Bailey decided to do this video while spotlighting everyone in their homes. “We just sat down and brainstormed people we knew would have a lot of fun with the video and be willing to participate. We wish we could’ve asked more people!” Bailey admits. “The more the merrier we think!” The two of them broke the song into segments and texted people instructions and told them what part they wanted them to lip sync, leaving the level of creativity up to each individual person/family.

The participants then recorded their videos from home and sent them back to Aubrey and Bailey. “No quarantine violations were committed during the making of this video!” Aubrey assures. “Everyone is significant to us, but of course, we had some people who were more easily recognizable such as local pastors, a state championship coach, the quarterback of said state championship football team, a lawyer, local business owners, and, of course, our own sweet families!”

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