Long gone are the days when you had to study theatre and acting to get into the entertainment industry. Nowadays, youngsters with access to social media have learned the art of selling their personalities to thousands if not millions of fans online.
Most recent example is 14-year-old Hayes Grier, who took after his older brother Nash Grier. Hayes, who had already developed a following on Twitter and Vine, posted his first video on YouTube of the Funny Bunny Challenge, which began trending on Twitter worldwide with the hashtag #HayesVideo.
Hayes rose to fame on Vine by gaining two million followers and climbing to the ’top 50' spot. He also has a following of over a million on Twitter. His older brother, Nash Grier, 16, who has 8.6 million followers on Vine as of Wednesday July 2, 2014, introduced his younger brother to his fans via a video on his website.
The Grier boys now have a loyal following on multiple social media platforms and are touring U.S. to meet their fans while also performing live alongside other self-made starlets.
Although most teens make videos of funny everyday instances, make parodies, or pranks and jokes, some self-made stars try to sell a talent, like dancing, singing, or offer tips and advice.
Then, these starlets go viral.
Carter Reynolds, another such example of a teen idol, along with Hayes Grier will be making an appearance during the Virtuosofest in Hollywood on July 20. The festival specifically brings together YouTube and Vine celebs to let fans interact with them in person.
The two Grier brothers will then embark on another event, the FAM tour in Wizard World, San Antonio, on August 1 to 3.
But it’s not only the personalities that they’re selling, they have also set up their own online merchandise stores where fans can purchase branded clothes.
Nash Grier’s website dubs him as the “King of Vine.”
“Nash’s popularity stems from his use of humor, song parodies with a little of his personality sprinkled in to create videos. He loves to collaborate with his friends and family when he can,” his Bio page reads.
Nash Grier did state in a Q&A video that he posted that he‘d like to pursue acting. Given the popularity that he has already amassed, which includes appearances on “Good Day America” and “Good Day New York,” as well as his addition to the “AwesomenessTV,” a sketch-comedy reality series on Nickelodeon, there’s little doubt he’ll have trouble tapping into the industry.
Friends Read Free