When the bright lights of Hollywood are calling your name, you would be forgiven for shunning platforms such as YouTube to work on big-budget, global productions. However, apparently this isn’t the case for certain celebrities, who are currently producing their own content for the social site.
Despite being some of the most sought after names in the talent industry, A-listers such as Madelaine Petsch, The Rock and Karlie Kloss are taking time to flex their creative muscles, creating videos that cover a range of topics from personal anecdotes to surprising side hobbies.
With Zac Efron’s recently creating his own travel channel Off The Grid and with more celebrity content creators joining the platform, we ask why are these accounts so popular and who are the other famous faces getting into the world of vlogging?
A Personalised Platform for a Personalised World
To put it bluntly, social media has made the world nosy. From personal pictures of their down time shenanigans, to tweets regarding their opinions on topics such as politics, everyone wants to know everything about the lives of celebrities.
Sites such as Instagram have made it commonplace to know so much about any given individual at the click of a button and YouTube is the ultimate expression of this, with the creator having total control to showcase their personality and preferences: from the video topic, to the style of post-production editing.
It is one thing to read about an individual in the tabloids or to see an image out of context, but the reality of first-hand vlogging often offers a unique glimpse into their lives on a scale previously unseen. Take A-list power couple A-Rod and Jennifer Lopez: forever darlings of the Daily Mail and subject to continuous press coverage, who have recently announced that they will be collaborating on a YouTube side venture and becoming something of a celebrity influencer. Known for their ripped physiques and envy-inducing lifestyle, subscribers can expect a unique insight into the lives of two living icons.
A Chance to Showcase a Different Side
For others, a YouTube channel provides the chance to showcase a previously unseen side of their persona. There can be little doubt that celebrity often entails many preconceptions regarding how an individual behaves and thinks, so launching an independent presence is the perfect way to rectify this.
One notable example of this is supermodel Karlie Kloss who is best known for her ubiquitous magazine covers. However, many are unaware of the fact that Kloss is also an accomplished academic with a passion for coding and computer science. Her YouTube channel acts not only as a glimpse into the star’s life but also as a front to her initiative ‘Kode with Klossy’: a programme that encourages girls to get into coding via free camps for 13-18-year-olds across the United States.
A Way to Alter Their Career Path
Although Hollywood is the dream for so many, it is often reported that a long time working in the creative industries is enough to exhaust even the most passionate of individuals. The pressures of fame coupled with long hours and a total invasion of privacy make a normal life post-fame impossible for many.
However, YouTube can act as a bridge of sorts, allowing celebrities to take control of their schedules and remove them partially from the direct, red carpet-induced spotlight. Names such as Pretty Little Liar’s Shay Mitchell and High School Musical’s Ashley Tisdale, have reinvented themselves as YouTube gurus covering a range of topics from beauty to interiors and even careers advice.
As such, the option to pick and choose other professional projects supplementary to their YouTube and a partial recovery of professional control make this an attractive and lucrative prospect.
A Fresh Perspective
Although the initial thought behind vloggers is that of ‘an everyday person with relatable commentary’, those who have experienced fame and excelled in their fields do bring a fresh offering to the online space.
Whilst there are many talented makeup lovers uploading tutorials onto the site, Lisa Eldridge, celebrity makeup artist, recreates looks on the very celebrities she first created them for, for her YouTube audience. Sometimes the sheer star power of a celebrity can bring a new video format to the table, complete with industry commentary, that a regular uploader could never replicate.
Although this will never replace the thrill of an everyday talent being catapulted to relevance via their videos, as the site gets more saturated, viewers are demanding continuously diverse content. Sometimes the platform is even cyclical in relation to traditional fame, as names such as Justin Bieber continue to upload on the very site where they were first discovered by mainstream big wigs.
Celebrity YouTubers That Are Worth Following :
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson - 3.6 million Subscribers
The former wrestler turned Hollywood megastar creates informative videos on how to achieve his legendary physique.
Will Smith - 4.9 million Subscribers
The Hollywood heavyweight offers fans a unique insight into life behind the scenes on set, as well as partaking in various viral challenges with other famous faces.
Russell Brand - 1.3 million Subscribers
The comedian turned political activist uses his channel as a platform for offering opinions on various world issues as well as advice on topics such as substance-abuse.
Zendaya - 2.4 million Subscribers
Fashion darling Zendaya’s channel hosts a plethora of easy to follow and relatable beauty tutorials that feature everything from how to style curly hair, to replications of her red carpet beauty looks.
Maisie Williams - 415+ thousand
The Game of Thrones star also showcases her skills as a comedian through her YouTube channel that also features a range of bloopers. Known for her candid but hilarious manner, Maisie combines short sketches with a range of more serious videos, all embellished with her signature light-heartedness.
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