What do Charlie (the greedy baby who bit his brother’s finger), Jenna Marbles, and Justin Bieber all have in common with Jacqueline Cassell? They are all YouTube sensations.
Most of these YouTube celebrities do crazy things, act out characters, or sing. However, Jacqueline Cassell is not singing or acting her way onto viewers’ computers. She is drumming.
Jacqueline began recording videos right after she picked up a pair of drumsticks for the first time back in 2006. She was actually inspired to learn how to play the drums after watching videos on YouTube. Jacqueline is the first to admit that those first videos were not stellar. However, after hours of tireless dedication and a few drum lessons, her videos began to improve, both with the quality of drumming and quality of video.
Fast forward 5 years: Jacqueline is now a sophomore at AU studying Public Communication. She is an active brother in Alpha Phi Omega and loves women’s soccer. Oh, and she has over 4 million views, 16,000 subscribers, and 3 sponsorships with top of the line drum equipment companies.
So how did this collegiette™ jump from beginning a drummer to a YouTube celeb? When I asked Jacqueline about her success, she provided many theories as to why she thinks her videos are so popular. The first is that she was one of the first female drummers on YouTube. This, combined with her smiling face and pure, genuine love of the drums, created something fresh and new for audiences to watch. Jacqueline also covers Top 40s Hits, which appeals to a greater audience. All of these factors combined with hard work, fantastic camera work and kick-ass drumming skills have landed Jacqueline where she is today in YouTube stardom.
Her success on YouTube has led to many awesome opportunities. Jacqueline currently has three sponsorships with leading companies in the industry. Because of Jacqueline’s first sponsorship with SJC Custom Drums, she was invited to attend the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) conference in Anaheim, CA. This conference led to amazing networking opportunities, which turned into sponsorships with TRX cymbals and Vater Percussion. Jacqueline also had her first “celebrity moment” at NAMM, when her fans approached her for pictures and autographs.
So what is next for Jacqueline? She is currently in talks with her representation at Vater Percussion about judging a drumming competition on YouTube. She would be on a panel judging professional drummers who she idolizes. As Jacqueline said, “These are the moments I still can’t believe. It is amazing that out of all the drummers in the world, I am the one given these awesome opportunities.”
As most musicians, Jacqueline is hoping for her big break. She is constantly putting out new videos and gaining viewers. Hopefully, one day we will see her playing drums for Beyonce at a sold-out show in the Verizon Center.