The internet is a magical place full of news articles, funny cat videos, and Kardashian reaction gifs. YouTube combines all of these things and more with its countless content creators uploading over 300 hours of video every minute. These could come in the form of music videos, challenges, collaborations, or even just daily vlogs (video blogs) and for some of these creators, YouTube is life. It is home to over 1 billion users and some of the most famous people you’ve probably never heard of. There are even conferences held each year (much like Comic-Con) where viewers can meet and interact with their favorite YouTubers. This creates a very personal creator/subscriber bond and a large, tight knit community. While some users started out blogging, others jumped straight into video creation, but now they’re jumping out of computers and landing on bookshelves, in arenas, on televisions, and even in museums. So who are they? #TeamInternet.
Grace Helbig
One of YouTube’s biggest stars, 29 year old Grace Helbig, rose to internet fame with her channel “Daily Grace” that grew 2.4 million subscribers over a period of 5 years. After her contract with content network My Damn Channel ran out at the end of 2013, Helbig returned to her original channel “it’sGrace” and has surpassed the 2 million mark again in just the time since then. Dubbed as one third of the internet’s “Holy Trinity” (best friends Mamrie Hart [“You Deserve A Drink”] and Hannah Hart [“MyHarto”] complete the trio), Helbig uses her awkward and adorable persona in combination with her flawless comedic timing to create an abundance of satirical and hilarious videos that have gained her a massive following of loyal subscribers. In the past year alone, she has released a bestselling book entitled “Grace’s Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grown-up” which Amazon describes as “a tongue-in-cheek handbook for millennials” (her second book, “Grace & Style: The Art of Pretending You Have It” is available for pre-order), created a podcast called “Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig” which can be heard free of charge on iTunes, and has launched a television show with highly popular entertainment network E!.
The Grace Helbig show is a unique mix of internet quirkiness and mainstream media. The late night talk show is taped inside of a house (instead of a studio with a live audience) and features interviews and games with fellow YouTube stars and more traditional celebrities. The show aired on April 3rd and can be seen on E! every Friday night at 10:30! Check out a clip from the most recent episode featuring Dance Moms’ Abby Lee Miller below.
Zoe Sugg
Across the pond, Zoe Sugg, or “Zoella” as she is known to her 8 million subscribers started out her Internet career as a blogger in 2009, creating posts on her job, her purchases, and her daily life. With growing blog numbers, Sugg turned to YouTube in December of that year and started creating videos, beginning with topics as simple as “60 Things In My Bedroom”. Now, over five years later, the UK native has created a huge following with her beauty related videos and collaborations with fellow YouTubers/best friends and her boyfriend, Alfie Deyes. (#Zalfie) Thanks to the success of her channel, Sugg was able to launch her own line of extremely popular beauty products called Zoella Beauty which can be purchased online and in UK Superdrug stores.
After suffering with anxiety for years herself, Sugg also penned a young-adult fiction novel, “Girl Online”, about Penny, a girl with anxiety who attempts to find herself by expressing her daily thoughts through an anonymous blog. The novel (which is rumored to be creating mass hysteria among Hollywood television and movie execs who want to purchase the rights) sold over 78 thousand copies in its first week and beat out the first week sales of “Harry Potter”. A sequel, currently only known as “Girl Online 2” is set to release in October of this year.
Perhaps the biggest news of the young YouTuber’s year came recently as she announced that herself and Deyes are to be immortalized as wax figures in Madame Tussauds, the world famous wax museum in London. The pair are the first YouTube personalities to receive this honor. Watch the video below from Sugg’s second channel, “MoreZoella” to check out part of the process!
Tyler Oakley
Referring to over 6 million subscribers as his “people”, 26 year old Michigan native, Tyler Oakley is hilarious, personable, and boasts a wealth of knowledge on One Direction. Oakley has had a lot of fun being Taco Bell’s Twitterspondent at the VMAs several years in a row, hosting the YouTube Music Awards, and even co-hosting an episode of MTV’s Catfish, but he also knows how to use his platform and position to help others. Over the past three years, Oakley has used his birthday as a chance to raise money for The Trevor Project, the nation’s leading non-profit organization focusing on crisis intervention and suicide prevention in the young LGBTQ community. In this time period alone, he has been able to raise over 1 million dollars for the charity. In 2013, The Trevor Project even awarded Oakley the Youth Innovator Award at the Trevor Live event for his hard work and dedication to the cause.
The fierce and fabulous Oakley keeps his channel, simply titled: “Tyler Oakley”, fun and exciting with “Q & Slays” (his version of a Question and Answer session in which he answers fan queries submitted via Twitter) and collaborations with Queen Jackie (his mother). His signature quiff is constantly changing in color and adds an additional dash of spontaneity. Oakley has also launched a pop-culture-gossip podcast titled “PsychoBabble” with his best friend Korey Kuhl that is available for free on iTunes. Because of how much he loves to communicate and interact with his subscribers, Oakley has created a live tour where fans can come and hang out him outside of their computer screens. Aptly named “Tyler Oakley’s Slumber Party”, this is the second year of Oakley’s tour. Guests are invited to wear their pajamas to hang out in the YouTuber’s “living room” and enjoy interactive games and a plethora of stories and surprises. Several stops on the tour are already sold out, but remaining tickets can be purchased here. For more information and to view his behind the scenes look at what happens on tour, check out the video below!
Alfie Deyes
PointlessBlog
Having just hit 4 million subscribers while on a ski trip with friends, Alfie Deyes’ YouTube channel “PointlessBlog” has been viewed over 230 million times. Greeting viewers with a signature “hey guys” (previously “what’s up guys”), his channel features challenge and tag videos, Q&As, and even the occassional bit of advice. Deyes also daily vlogs his life and adventures with friends, family, and girlfriend Zoe Sugg (of the previously mentioned Zoella) as well as the training of their tiny black pug, Nala on his second channel, “PointlessBlogTV”.
Deyes, along with Sugg and friends Marcus Butler, Niomi Smart, Caspar Lee, Tanya Burr, Jim Chapman, Louise Pentland, and Joe Sugg, created a UK Tour known as Amity Fest. This live show brings the stars’ YouTube videos to life, featuring live challenges and a lot of laughs. Though the tour for this past year has ended, it is rumored to be returning sometime soon.
When you hear about someone getting mobbed by screaming fans, you automatically assume that this person is some kind of movie star or teen-singing-sensation. But did you ever stop to think that video creators have reached this level of recognition? Well, that’s exactly what happened to the YouTube star as he was approaching a book signing at a Waterstones in London. Right in the middle of having measurements taken for his Madame Tussauds wax figure, Deyes released his second book. “The Pointless Book” and “The Pointless Book 2” are taglined as being “started by Alfie, finished by you”. The books, which are both currently available, are interactive activity books that offer hours of entertainment and loads of exclusive content from Deyes himself that isn’t available anywhere else. This content can be unlocked with the use of your smart phone. Check out the craziness surrounding the release of the first book below!
Up and Coming
Victoria Magrath
Already well-established in the blogosphere, Victoria Magrath (Inthefrow) is one to watch. A little bit rock-and-roll, a lotta bit chic, Magrath’s fashion and beauty advice keeps her 200 thousand subscribers coming back for more. With those numbers and the success of her blog, we predict she could be one of YouTube’s next big things! Check out her 12 basic fashion staples below!
Gabriella Lindley
While her makeup tutorials and homeware hauls are well-done and entertaining, the video that caught our eye from Gabriella Lindley (velvetgh0st) was of a different nature. Her recent singing cover of Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” with Hobbie Stuart is captivating and beautiful. Her voice is strong but soothing and leaves us wanting more from her! Watch and listen below!
