By now I’m sure you’re at least aware of the power of the vlogging world and know of a couple YouTube stars. For those of you who might be confused vlogging, or video blogging, has become a new powerhouse in the entertainment industry. New media is taking over and the young and internet-savvy are taking full advantage and pioneering a whole new kind of celebrity. They film, edit, direct, upload, and promote their videos themselves. It really is a one-man operation and there’s a whole community of YouTube content creators who are currently killing the game. Here are a few you should get familiar with if you are not already.
1. Tyler Oakley
With over 5 million subscribers, Tyler Oakley is one of the most popular vloggers on YouTube right now. Tyler makes videos about everything from pop culture to LGBTQ issues. He recently raised over $500,000 dollars for the Trevor Project through an online fundraising campaign in March to celebrate his birthday. He encouraged his viewers to donate money to the cause instead of sending him gifts for his birthday to his P.O. box. As a result he won the Trevor Youth Innovator Award for his contributions and work with the organization.
Tyler can be found at: youtube.com/tyleroakley
2. Zoe Sugg a.k.a. Zoella
Zoe Sugg is the most subscribed female vlogger in the U.K, with over 6 million subscribers. She is primarily known for her beauty and fashion-related videos. She’s gained so much popularity that she has been able to put out her own beauty range, Zoella Beauty. She also released her first novel, Girl Online at the end of November and had the highest first week sales of any debut author in the U.K., even beating out J.K. Rowling. Zoe is also the first digital ambassador for the mental health organization, Mind through which she raises awareness about anxiety. She has made a few videos discussing her own battles with anxiety that have proven to be very popular. Zoe is part of a group of popular vloggers in the U.K. who often appear in each other’s videos, including her boyfriend Alfie Deyes of the channel PointlessBlog. Alfie released his own book earlier this year, The Pointless Book.
Zoe can be found at: youtube.com/Zoella
3. Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan is a popular YouTube vlogger from Australia. In addition to making videos, he is also and actor and singer. He is the star of the South African film series, Spud and Spud 3: Learning to Fly was recently released. He also put out his first EP in August titled TRXYE, which includes the popular single, “Happy Little Pill.” Troye also made waves in August of 2013 when he uploaded his coming out video, which now has over 4 million views.
Troye can be found at: youtube.com/troyesivan18
4. Tanya Burr
Tanya Burr is a popular British beauty vlogger and has over 2 million subscribers. She makes extremely popular makeup tutorials as well as other beauty, fashion, and lifestyle videos. Tanya put out her own range of beauty products last year called Tanya Burr Cosmetics and released a collection of lip-glosses and nail polishes and this year she release a new collection of lip-glosses as well as her first collection of false eyelashes. She recently announced a publishing deal with Penguin, who will be publishing her first book, Love, Tanya sometime next year.
Tanya can be found at: youtube.com/TanyaBurr
5. Grace Helbig
Grace Helbig is a popular American vlogger who uploads videos 3 days a week, sometimes more. She has almost 2 million subscribers on her channel. Grace is a comedian and recently released her first book, Grace’s Guide: The Art of Pretending To Be A Grown-Up. Grace is part of group of female YouTube comedians whose viewers have named “The Holy Trinity”, which also includes Hannah Hart and Mamrie Hart. They often go on comedy tours together and perform for sold-out crowds.
Grace can be found at: youtube.com/itsgrace