Welcome to Vine Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million follower mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about Vine success. Read previous installments of our Millionaires column here.
Meghan McCarthy is building a career, six seconds at a time. The 23-year-old content creator, who makes short, humorous videos about her dog, her voice, and everything in between, now has more than two million followers on Vine. McCarthy, who is partnered with Collab, has recently begun growing her YouTube channel as well. We chatted with her about her online popularity:
Tubefilter: How does it feel to have more than 2 million Vine subscribers? What do you want to say to your fans?
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Meghan McCarthy: It’s crazy! I never expected anyone to follow me, never mind 2 million people. My followers and I have decided they’d like to be called Meghan’s Minions because I kind of sound like a minion. So to all of the Meghan Minions out there- I love you all so much! Thank you for your support and for inspiring me to keep creating content!
TF: What convinced you to start pursuing acting instead of professional soccer?
MM: Well, the real reason I started focusing more on acting was because I had a few too many injuries and concussions playing soccer. My mom thought acting might be a little safer for my accident=prone self. Plus, I loved performing in improv shows and making people laugh.
TF: Why did you first start using Vine and uploading your own videos?
MM: I was a theatre major in college, but I didn’t get cast in many plays and I was starting to feel like maybe I should have been a business or math major instead. Then Vine came along and gave me a platform to create comedy on my phone by myself!
TF: What inspired your “Deb the Dog Lady” and “Darla the Dumb Blonde” personas?
MM: Deb the Dog Lady came to life when I found my dad’s Austin Powers wig that he wore for a Halloween party, and because I’m pretty obsessed with dogs. When people watch Vines, they sometimes forget that most Vines are not candid. I created Darla the Dumb Blonde so that I could make these silly stupid jokes as a character instead of people thinking these were actually a real reflection on my intelligence.
TF: Your website says you got to interact with Robert Downey, Jr. when you were cast as an extra on the film Due Date. What was that experience like for you?
MM: Being a featured extra in Due Date is still the best day of my life thus far. My goal was to be in a movie with Robert Downey Jr. because he is my favorite actor, but I never expected I would get to work directly with him during my first ever in a movie. He actually asked me my name, joked with me, and started singing a Styx song to me in between takes. I think I had a heart attack. My next goal is to actually star in a movie with him.
TF: Apparently, there’s a children’s book author & illustrator, as well as a Hollywood writer & producer for My Little Pony, with your same name (Meghan with an “h” and all). If you three could meet, what do you imagine that’d look like and what might you talk about?
MM: Well, we’d probably have to start by using nicknames for each other, otherwise things would get pretty confusing. I’d also have to ask Meghan of My Little Pony for her email address so I could forward her all of the questions I get asked about the show.
TF: What’s your favorite part of collaborating with your boyfriend Joey Ahern and Steel, his husky, on some Vines?
MM: I love everything about collaborating with Joey and Steel on Vine, because without Vine, we never would have met! Joey has taught me so much about editing, as well as using a more strategic approach to create Vines.
TF: If you could go anywhere in the world to shoot a Vine video, where would it be, why, and what would the clip be about?
MM: If I could go anywhere to shoot a Vine, I think I would choose Australia. I’d like to wrestle with a crocodile in Steve Irwin’s honor. I could handle a crocodile for 6.4 seconds, right?
TF: What’s next for your Vine career, YouTube channel, or anything else you’ve got in the works?
MM: I have well over 400 Vines and despite the challenging time limit, I continue to create new Vines all the time! Also, I now post a #MeghanMonday video every week on my YouTube channel. However, social media is just the beginning for me. You’ll be seeing more of me on screen and hearing my voice in cartoons in the future. 🙂
On Deck (channels that will soon reach one million subscribers): Terror Bionic, Xafurdaria, Sierra Marie
