CAROLINE MOSS
YouTube
Jenn McAllister is not your average 18-year-old.
She left home a year ago to pursue her career as a social media celebrity in LA.
But you won’t find McAllister bartending or waiting tables as she waits for her big break.
Nope, McAllister already found a certain kind of fame — and you’ve probably never heard of her.
She’s a YouTube star, with hundreds of thousands of fans, millions of views on her funny “Buzzfeed-y” videos. Her latest, “Kids Back Then vs. Kids Now,” already has nearly half a million views with just a few days of being live on the platform. At just 18, she’s already chastising a younger generation for always being on their phones while hanging out rather than playing games like hide-and-seek. And her fans love her for it, it’s all in good fun.
YouTube
McAllister, who makes money from ads on YouTube and integrating different brands’ products into her videos (most recently, Kohl’s), tells Business Insider she’s “never had a real job” and frankly, doesn’t see herself having one anytime soon.
“I want to get into hosting or acting,” she says. “That would be my next step. I don’t think I see myself having a real regular job.”
She started uploading YouTube videos five years ago, but said it wasn’t until 3 years ago that she saw her videos get what she calls a “starting platform” on YouTube after creating a collaborative channel with friends she met in YouTube communities that were doing similar videos as McAllister.
“YouTube is a great way to meet friends,” McAllister told Business Insider. In fact, McAllister moved to LA a year ago from Bucks County, PA and into a house with four other successful YouTube stars. When we asked if a house filled with social media stars all gunning to be the next “big name” is all the makings of a dramatic season of MTV’s Real World, McAllister just laughed.
“We’re all very supportive of one another,” she said, “and we actually help each other with videos a lot.”
YouTube
But what do her parents think? McAllister says they’ve always been very supportive.
McAllister’s mother even made an appearance in one of her daughter’s videos — “Teaching My Mom Internet Slang” — where she tells the YouTube audience that she’s extremely proud to have a daughter who’s so grounded and who “is so kind and giving.”
“I didn’t know what to think when you told me you were going to do YouTube videos,” Jenn’s mother says to her daughter, “I didn’t know what YouTube was. But now I get it, and I love your videos and your channel.”
“Fake fan!” McAllister yells.
YouTube
McAllister will be one of the YouTube stars headlining the big InTOUR LA event in Los Angeles, CA. I will be there this weekend talking to lots of YouTube and Vine stars (check out the full list here.) Have any questions for the talent?
没有评论:
发表评论