By Alexandra Quilici
YouTube is no longer just a platform for hilarious cat videos (granted, they still exist and they are great). The video sharing website has been a launching pad for some of the most famous online creators. Is it possible to make a career by just talking to your camera in your house? The answer is yes, and for some, it has launched them into incredible careers. Often dubbed “the most famous people you’ve never heard of” these YouTubers have taken online video-making to the next level.
Beauty & fashion
Louise Pentland (“Sprinkleofglitter”)- She started out as a beauty and fashion blogger, which turned into making video tutorials. She garnered the love of viewers when she started sharing about her personal fashion tastes, as well as her adorable daughter, Darcy. Beyond making videos, she has since become an advocate for body positivity, and has launched her own plus size fashion line with Simply Be. She has also written a book titled Life with a Sprinkle of Glitter and a diary titled Sprinkle of Glitter 2016 Diary: Have the Best Year of Your Life! To top it off, she tours around the UK with her show LouiseLIVE.
Comedy
Lilly Singh (“iiSuperwomanii”)- Her Twitter bio reads, “Spent thousands of dollars on tuition, graduated and got a degree. I make YouTube videos now.” A fun quip that pretty much describes anyone who has made a career out of YouTube. She has amassed more than 8 million subscribers on her 6-year run, and is noted as having a huge world wide centered fan base- something she capitalized on and was the first YouTuber to do a world tour titled “A Trip to Unicorn Island” which covered 10 major countries and several shows within the most populated cities. A crew filmed her experience, and she later released a documentary also titled “A Trip to Unicorn Island.”
Grace Helbig– Grace never had a “viral video” that launched her career, instead just consistent content for many years helped gain her audience. At 22 years old Grace started making videos while simultaneously auditioning for commercial and television roles in New York. Now at 30, she has published two New York Times Bestselling books. One just this February called Grace and Style: The Art of Pretending You Have It which detailed her relationship with fashion and beauty in a comedic, fun way. She often works with YouTube best friends Hannah Hart and Mamrie Hart and together the three of them have made two movies together (Camp Takota and Dirty Thirty), gone on a comedy tour throughout the US, UK, and and Australia, and have been dubbed the “Holy Trinity” of YouTube.
Gaming/Personality
Dan and Phil– The most popular duo on YouTube have taken their dedicated (to put it lightly) fan base and launched themselves into a career that extends past the video platform that first made them famous. They starred in their own BBC Radio 1 show before joining Monday night’s Internet takeover, have created a documentary titled The Supergamers, wrote bestselling book The Amazing Book is Not on Fire which was followed by a UK tour The Amazing Tour is Not on Fire that completely sold out.
Pewdiepie– YouTube’s pride and joy, Pewdiepie (real name Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg) is THE most popular YouTuber with over 43 million subscribers. Pewdiepie has made his fame by simply playing video games with his voice commenting and ranting over the game. His funny, likeable personality has made him the most popular YouTuber, to the point that whatever video game he plays- sales increase astronomically for the game.
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