This dynamic duo team has a YouTube channel with almost 43,000 subscribers! Jenna and Jess Wilson are definitely internet sensations with their awesome videos. Their channel features makeup, fashion, and other fun and quirky things! You might have seen them on campus, and yes you are seeing double!
Names: Jess and Jenna WilsonHometown: Niantic, CTAge: 19Class Year: 2017Majors: Jess- English/Spanish Jenna- Spanish/Secondary Education
1. Why did you two decide to start a YouTube channel? What’s your story?
“We really just started out of boredom. We had been watching YouTubers for quite a while, and really just got interested in the early ‘beauty gurus’ such as Elle and Blair Fowler. So, in the summer of 2010, we started making videos via our mini-laptop webcams and posting them to a channel that (thankfully) doesn’t exist anymore. Eventually, in the summer of 2012, we officially started posting regular videos on our channel Beautytwins124 that we own now. It really just started as a hobby more than anything else!”
2. How do you guys come up with the videos that you make?
“We don’t really have a formal brainstorming process, but every month or so we’ll come up with a tentative schedule of videos that we really want to make– typically, these are the videos most requested by our viewers, so a lot of them are advice videos, as well as monthly favorites, tutorials, and the occasional haul.”
3. Have you ever been stopped on campus or in a public place because you were recognized?
“Yes, actually! It’s really the weirdest experience ever, the first time it happened was on a tour of Marist College and both of us were at a loss for words because we couldn’t believe that someone would actually recognize us in public. Other than that, we’ve been so lucky to be able to meet a ton of our subscribers at both the IMATS convention and Beautycon in New York City. Since then, we’ve run into subscribers at plaes like Panera and Taret and it’s so great to actually get to talk to them face to face.”
“It would definitely be the connections you make. While it is fun getting to try free products, doing YouTube wouldn’t be worth it if it wasn’t for the friends we’ve made. It may sound weird to say you have friends over the Internet that maybe you’ve never even met, but they’re honestly some of the greatest people we know. We’ve had the opportunity to become friends with girls from all over the country (and outside the U.S.), and it really creates a strong connection when you’re all doing something that’s not the typical ‘job’ in many people’s eyes.”
5. Do you ever think you would make YouTube a full time career for the two of you?
“As of right now, we’re really focused on school, and our channel isn’t exactly capable of supporting two people with a full-time income. We’re definitely going to continue posting videos as a hobby, but we’re open to the opportunities it could produce in the future!”
6. Are there any other channels collegiate ladies should be watching on YouTube?
Rachel Whitehurst– She’s funny and honest about a lot of things that relate to college students’ lives, and she’s actually one of the nicest YouTubers in real life, as well!http://www.youtube.com/user/icallitambrosia
Crystal (jadorefashionxoxo)– Crystal has been one of our closest YouTube friends for the past two years, and she gives really great advice on everything from makeup to thrifting.http://www.youtube.com/user/jadorefashionxoxo
Shelby Church and Monica Church- We really love watching both Shelby and Monica’s videos not only because they’re also twins, but they have great videos on seasonal style, apartment decor, and even interview tips.
Shelby: http://www.youtube.com/user/teenmakeuptipsMonica: http://www.youtube.com/user/hairodynamic
7. What would your advice be for other girls who want to start a channel?
Honestly, just do it if you really want to. It may seem scary to put yourself out there, and there’s always the possibility that someone’s not going to like what you post, but you just have to realize that YouTube becomes what you make of it. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort that it takes to run a channel, you’ll be rewarded for it. If someone had told us three years ago that we’d have almost 50,000 subscribers, we never would have believed them. Creating your own YouTube channel can really change everything.
8. Tell us your favorite quote!
“Creativity takes courage.”