How one Brainstorm Became a Flagship series

Disasters of Yesteryear isn’t just some random YouTube series—it’s basically our chaotic attempt at making history lessons binge-worthy. The original pitch? To “fix” the so-called decreasing IQ of Gen Z (lol, as if we’re not already multitasking 12 tabs while watching TikToks). Spoiler alert: it didn’t exactly blow up the way we thought, but hey, two years later we’re still here, still posting, still vibing.

And today? It’s the big 2nd birthday of the series. Yup, two whole years since that very first upload dropped. So instead of just throwing confetti and calling it a day, we figured—why not spill the tea on how this whole thing even came to life?

Here’s the story, the glow-up, the behind-the-scenes chaos, and the accidental memes that made Disasters of Yesteryear what it is today. Buckle up, because it’s giving “origin story energy.”

This is Dimarzio—aka Zio. He’s the brains behind the website, the YouTube channel, and the creator of Disasters of Yesteryear. Picture him at 12: chubby cheeks, no braces yet, rocking that full-on nerd vibe. History videos? His jam. Random trivia? His superpower.

Back then, Zio was deep into a cancelled TV series called Zero Hour (2004–2006 vibes). While most people moved on, he didn’t. Sitting there, binge-watching reruns, he made a vow: if the world won’t keep the spirit of Zero Hour alive, then I will. But not as a copy—he wanted to remix it, Gen Z style, in his own way.

That’s how the seed for Disasters of Yesteryear was planted. One kid, one cancelled show, one big idea: to take history’s wildest disasters and retell them with energy, memes, and storytelling that hits different

Fast forward to 2023. One random day, Zio grabs a whiteboard, a marker, and pure chaotic energy. He sketches out a draft of 15 episodes—each one a disaster waiting to be retold—and officially christens the project: DISASTERS OF YESTERYEAR.

Now, how did he even land on the word yesteryear? Plot twist: it wasn’t from a dusty history book. He was watching an episode of The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show when one character casually dropped the word. Zio heard it, thought it sounded kinda catchy, kinda weird, kinda odd, and totally new. Boom—brand name secured.

And here’s the part we’ve been waiting for: we finally have the actual photos of that original whiteboard draft. No more stock photo filler, no more guessing games—this is the real deal, straight from Zio’s archives. It’s like opening a time capsule and seeing the very first blueprint of what would become Disasters of Yesteryear.

Looking closely at those photos, you’ll notice something interesting: some of the episode titles were totally different back then. They were placeholders, rough drafts, names that didn’t quite stick. Over time, Zio refined them, swapped words, and polished the lineup until the final titles matched the vibe of the series. It’s proof that even the earliest ideas can evolve into something bigger, sharper, and way more iconic.

YAAAYYY!!!!

So here’s the plot twist: it took my bro ONE WHOLE YEAR before he even started filming. Like, the whiteboard was ready, the vibes were set, but the actual camera work? Delayed. When he finally picked up the camera, he went all in on making a Chernobyl movie.

But then—classic Zio move—he scrapped it. Tossed the idea, but not the footage. That’s when the lightbulb moment hit: wait… this could actually be the very first episode of Disasters of Yesteryear. And just like that, the series had its starting point.

But before we dive deeper into how that episode came together, it’s best we show you something else first…

You see, back in the day, ZioLou Productions wasn’t even called that. Nope—it was just ZioLou’s Channel, and honestly… it was peak cringe. We’re talking kids’ content overload: drumming videos that Burn Zio out cuz someone would request, awkward singing stuff, Project videos made for school, and all the “what were we even thinking?” vibes. And here’s the kicker—the older vids actually pulled way more views, but that’s because the channel was originally run by Zio’s parents. So yeah, it looked… eugh.

The last upload before Disasters of Yesteryear? A Christmas skit. But not just any skit—it was inspired by Element Animation’s The Crack. In one episode, the characters literally get taken hostage by Sam Pepper during a Christmas video. Wild, right? That was the final chapter of the “cringe era.”

Then came Disasters of Yesteryear. Think of it as the gunpowder that blew up the old vibe and replaced it with something fresh—something that could fix the cringey taste of modern viewers and give the channel a whole new identity.

And then—on this very day in 2024—Disasters of Yesteryear finally made its grand debut. The launch wasn’t just one episode, but four back-to-back drops, all part of what we now call the “pre-changed intro era.”

Why that name? Well, think of it like Henry Danger. In the early episodes, the intro was short, quick, and kinda barebones. But later, the show upgraded to a longer, more polished intro that ended with Kid Danger going, “Oh my boot!” That’s exactly the kind of evolution Zio’s series went through.

For those first four episodes, the intro was short, scrappy, and very “we’re just starting out, don’t judge.” It had that raw, DIY energy—like something filmed at 2 a.m. with a dream and a Huawei Phone that worked but the footage looks yellow. But by episode 5, things changed. Editing officially moved over to Zio’s laptop, the camera changed into Zio's iPhone 12 pro Max and suddenly the intro got a full glow-up. Longer cuts, sharper transitions, actual pacing—it felt like the series had leveled up from “random YouTube project” to “legit show.”

That upgraded intro became a turning point. It wasn’t just about aesthetics—it was the moment Disasters of Yesteryear found its identity. From then on, every episode carried that signature vibe: history retold with Gen Z energy, memes, and a sense of “yeah, we’re making this up as we go, but it slaps.”