HC: How did you get involved with YouTube?
Brooke: At a very young age, I played the role of baby “Stephanie” in “Jason Goes to Hell: Friday the 13th.” From then on, I had a strong passion for the performing arts. I continued to perform in musical theatre, as well as being a gymnast and dancer. While I had stopped competitive gymnastics due to injuries, I continued taking dance classes on a daily basis. During high school one day, I decided to create a Youtube account to upload videos for my friends and family. When my best friends and I had nothing to do on a summer day, we began to create and upload music video parodies dancing to our favorite top 40 hits. Suddenly, my videos went from having one hundred views to one million views. I began to read the comments on my videos and I had realized that many of the viewers were “Jason Goes to Hell: Friday the 13th” fans! Unfortunately, I cancelled that Youtube account due to it having copyrighted music. In order to partner with Youtube, your videos must not have any copyrighted material. That’s when I created my new fashion and beauty channel, FADVICE. “Advice on the Latest Fads.”
HC: Tell us about your favorite uploaded video!
Brooke: My favorite uploaded video on “FADVICE” would have to be “My Boyfriend does my Makeup.” (Although him and I are no longer in a relationship, we remain great friends and have laughed about the video since!) The video is completely unscripted and hilarious. I’m looking forward to creating “My Dad does my Makeup” next!
HC: How has coming to UCSB influenced your videos? Brooke: Since transferring to UCSB, I have really directed my main focus towards studying and achieving great grades. Boring, I know! Meanwhile, I’ve kept up with my fans via social networking. I’ve recently been featured on popular Youtube channels and blogs such as StyleHaul, HaulBlog, and PennyChic.com. I’m always looking for new friends to create videos with! I mean c’mon, how perfect would a fashion tips video on the beach be?
HC: How do you maintain a successful YouTube following as a full-time student here at UCSB? Brooke: Like I mentioned and being completely honest, it isn’t easy maintaining both! I know a lot of Youtube beauty gurus that are in college and upload consistently. I praise them for that! I think that once I get more adjusted with balancing my time, I’ll be able to create a bunch of new videos. For now, I am keeping up with my friendships and connections that I have made all over the world through the internet.
HC: Has your involvement with YouTube brought you any other opportunities?
Brooke: My involvement with Youtube has brought me SO many amazing opportunities! Through Youtube, I have gained over 45,000 followers on Twitter. Some of those followers are people that I can now call my life long friends. I have been invited to several charity events whether it be to raise awareness on animal welfare or breast cancer. The first red carpet event I attended was for a music video release party and I’ll never forget, a girl that came up to me for an autograph and told me that she watches my videos. Since all of my feedback comes from a computer screen, it was so incredible to meet a viewer in person. Since then, I have hosted and performed at an event in Hollywood called “Jeans Bring Dreams” which was a clothes drive to benefit children in need. I have been contacted and interviewed by the directors of a Friday the 13th documentary, “Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th” which should be premiering early this year. Over this past summer, I acted in a short film for Justin Bieber’s song “Believe” which is currently in post-production. Lastly, I’m being interviewed right now for HerCampus.com as a ‘Campus Celebrity’ for UCSB. How cool is that? These are just a few of the opportunities that Youtube has brought me and I am so thankful for each and every one of them.
HC: Tell us the story behind your single on iTunes! Brooke: As my audience on the internet began to grow, I began to receive a lot of questions regarding a music career. I’ve always loved musical theatre, but I had never once thought of releasing a single on iTunes! Since fans told me they’d be interested in hearing a song, I thought “Hey, why not?” A producer contacted me and soon after, I came out with “Beautifully.” It’s a really sweet, catchy pop song that everyone can enjoy!
HC: You’re involved with the dance program at UCSB, do you incorporate this into your YouTube videos? Brooke: Now that’s a good question! I’m on the Amatory dance team here at UCSB and I’m really loving it. I’m looking forward to the day that we create a video together! Because I’m not allowed to upload any content that is copyrighted while being a Youtube partner, I have refrained from uploading our dance videos. It’d still be fun to create a type of fashion video, “The Style of a Hip Hop Dancer!”
HC: What are your plans for after graduation?
Brooke: After I graduate, I plan to land my dream career in the entertainment or marketing industry. As a side job, I’ve always wanted to experience being an NBA or NFL dancer. I’m always coming up with new ideas, so I think it’d be really great to be able to start my own company too!
HC: What is your favorite thing about UCSB?
Brooke: Where else can you obtain a degree while taking a study break by the ocean? Oh, and Woodstock’s Cinnabread.