There is a new element to celebrity culture – the online video star. Forget your one-hit wonders, these are the people who build a following on YouTube and the like by uploading brilliant clips on a regular basis.
The Rise Of Fred
Last year saw Fred emerge as the new darling of the online video scene. Fred may have just been a 14-year-old acting like a 6-year-old in a series of short sketches but it propelled the kid behind the phenomenon to an amazing level of fame.
Lucas Cruikshank went from being an ordinary teenager to being a video star. By June 2008 he had over 250,000 subscribers and was being talked about in The L.A. Times and making appearances on TV shows.
The Rise Of Nigahiga
At around the same time as Fred was growing popular, a high school kid from Hawaii started uploading comedy videos to YouTube. Known as Nigahiga, Ryan Higa, along with a number of collaborators, became known for movie and music spoofs as well as straight comedy skits.
But Higa has run into copyright trouble, with a number of allegedly infringing video removed from YouTube. These are mainly the music spoofs which saw Higa lip sync over the top of artists including Fergie, Nickelback, and Beyonce.
Nigahiga Topples Fred As Most Popular
While Fred has remained popular despite many people finding the joke wearing a little thin, Nigahiga has gone from strength to strength. Two weeks ago, Nigahiga overtook Fred in terms of channel subscribers and is now the most popular online video star on YouTube.
Higa and his collaborators are now venturing into new territories. They released a feature film titled Ryan and Sean’s Not So Excellent Adventure last year, which did well despite a limited release in American theaters.
And they recently uploaded a short film titled Ninja Melk which made it to the YouTube movie spotlight.
Conclusions
Both Fred and Nigahiga represent a significant culture shift, with teenagers showing the older generation how to market themselves and their product on the Web.
Traditional TV networks and media companies are already starting to take note and are likely to continue watching YouTube for the stars of tomorrow.
Buy ‘Ryan and Sean’s Not So Excellent Adventure DVD’ on Amazon
