Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.
Authenticity is a key part of the YouTube experience, and few creators keep it quite as real as Meghan Rienks. The 21-year-old, whose videos run the gamut from fashion advice to visual poetry, has developed an important relationship with her audience based on her ability to express herself in a natural and candid manner. Rienks, who is partnered with the Awesomeness TV network and represented by the CAA and Untitled Entertainment, took some time to talk to us about the rapport she’s cultivated with her fans:
Tubefilter: How does it feel to have over 1 million subscribers? What do you want to say to your fans?
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Meghan Rienks: It doesn’t feel real. I can’t seem to wrap my head around the idea that more people than just my mom and dad watch my videos. I want to say THANK YOU. Thank you a thousand times over. My YouTube channel was my escape when I was in a really bad place, and my viewers were my friends when I had none. I just want to say thank you to them for being there for me, supporting me and getting me to where I am today. I am eternally in their debt.
TF: Your personality seems more goofy and comical when compared to most beauty vloggers on YouTube. How did you end up finding this “voice?” Did you start making videos that way or was it more of a journey to finding what set you apart?
MR: Let me preface this by saying, “I’m an only child”. I think that’s part of it. My parents always encouraged me to be my own person, and boy oh boy, did I take that and run with it. I never even thought to censor my personality! I have always been 100% unapologetically myself for my whole life. So it never occurred to me that maybe I should tone it down for my videos, so I don’t. I think the fact that I am goofy and weird makes my videos easy to watch. I don’t take myself too seriously and I think that’s refreshing for viewers.
TF: What are your favorite types of beauty or fashion videos to make? Why?
MR: I like “Favorites” videos. They are super casual and it just feels like I’m talking to a friend about different things I like and recommend. Plus, I get to throw in my other passions, like the books I am reading, the songs I like, the movies I have seen–it encompasses it all.
I also love “Look-Books”. Those are really fun to edit, despite the fact that filming them is the least glamorous thing ever. Yes, I change my outfits in the back of my car, and behind trees, and any other random places you can think of.
TF: Your most-watched video is a waterfall braid tutorial from almost four years ago. While views are useful in their own rights, which video of yours do you wish had more views and why?
MR: Can we also note that I’m basically screaming in the whole video? Watching that now actually makes me nauseous. I want to shake my 16-year-old self for not understanding audio.
I pay attention more to the engagement of my videos. The likes, comments, shares, and overall interaction around my “Spark” visual poem video has been overwhelmingly amazing, but I would totally love if it had more views, just because that means more people are watching it, and hopefully taking something away from it.
TF: Describe a video you haven’t made yet but have always dreamed of making someday:
MR: My brain is flooded with video ideas constantly. I get inspiration from places I go, photos I see, and songs I hear. I have this one idea–another visual poem, set on a New York City train–that I hope I can do someday soon!
TF: Describe the creative process behind your “Spark” video.
MR: I was procrastinating on Pinterest one night when I came across a wedding picture in which the couple was holding sparklers and it was beautiful. I then started looking up videos on YouTube, and I ended up spending hours watching badly filmed clips of people at weddings playing with sparklers. For about a week, the idea to do a video with sparklers stuck in my head, and in passing, I asked my friend what she thought of it. She loved the idea, asked if she could help, and 5 minutes later I was ordering $75 worth of sparklers online.
We filmed the video in her back yard, without any direction at all. I was literally just playing with sparklers for about 45 minutes. I knew I wanted to have words to go with the video, so I found a song as inspiration, and put it on repeat, and then wrote the poem. It was a huge collaborative process with my friend Lily, who is also an amazing editor, and we spent so many nights tweaking fonts and audio and clips so it would flow perfectly. I’m pretty sure we both got a few grey hairs from it, but it was worth it.
TF: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a channel on YouTube?
MR: Be yourself. Be yourself. Be yourself. I can’t stress it enough, you are the only you out there, so embrace it! You’re going to be the happiest and the most successful when you’re just “doin’ you”! Not only is that authentic for the viewers, but it’s going to make you happy. You can’t please everyone, that’s impossible, so why not just please yourself? Staying true to who you are, and living in the moment are what it’s all about.
TF: What’s next for your YouTube channel? Any interesting, fun plans?
MR: So many things! I’m really excited about the direction my channel is going in right now. Beauty and fashion are expanding into more comedy sketches, vlogging, advice and inspirational videos and it’s been amazing that my viewers are on board with this broadening of content on my channel. I want to do more motivational videos like “Spark,” visual poems, music, scripted, and maybe even a series! Like I said, I want to do it all and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store.
On Deck (channels that will soon reach one million subscribers): Scott Bradlee, benshortstuff, SoFloComedy
