Emma Chamberlain, a 17-year-old San Mateo County local, signed with United Talent Agency (UTA) in July because of the increasing popularity of her YouTube channel.
Chamberlain started YouTubing in the summer of 2017 while a sophomore at Notre Dame, Belmont. During that summer she gained popularity on YouTube but became especially well known after signing with UTA. With 4.7 million YouTube subscribers and 4.4 million Instagram followers, she has become one of the most popular YouTubers today. Since signing with UTA, Chamberlain has created her own clothing brand, “High Key,” received sponsorship for her videos from companies including Curology, and established a partnership with the social media fashion app Dote.
“I love Emma’s humor, honesty, and the fact that she displays herself as a normal girl and doesn’t let the fame get to her head,” Brianna Dikun, a junior at Woodside High School, explained.
Chamberlain started her YouTube career after a bad day at school. Her first video was a San Francisco fashion lookbook posted in May 2017. However, fans agree that signing with UTA in July 2018 has helped Chamberlain ramp up her production skills.
“Just as a viewer myself, I think that she is a better editor than she ever ever has been,” Michael Chamberlain, Chamberlain’s father, said. “The last Vegas video was one of my favorite videos. I just thought it was great from start to finish: super entertaining [and] really well-edited.”
Like any other celebrity, rumors swirl around Chamberlain. Specifically, some claim that she bullied people.
“During middle school, Emma was a bit of a bully,” an anonymous source who has known Chamberlain for years admitted. “Although, as she became older, Emma became more comfortable in her skin and stayed away from drama.”
Chamberlain quickly became famous; many other YouTubers never reach her level of fame in their entire career. Fans agree she is extremely comfortable around the camera and has a certain type of humor no one can replicate.
“I started watching Emma because she was from the area and would recommend places like Boba Guys in San Carlos,” Dikun reflected. “Once I started watching her videos I instantly loved them because of how down-to-earth and funny she was, so I recommended to my friends that they start watching her.”
Throughout her life Emma has struggled with mental health issues, although they became prevalent during her sophomore year of high school.
“I would say as her dad, and someone that cares about her that she’s healthier mentally since moving to L.A. since I’ve seen her for years,” her father observed. “She was struggling for sure. The YouTube thing and moving to L.A. has been really good because she is surrounded by people who are doing the same thing and has friends that are doing YouTube and stuff like that.”
What’s next for Emma? According to her dad, she was recently interviewed by internationally acclaimed financial publication, Forbes, for an issue that was released on Tuesday, September 25.
“The storylines of Emma’s new videos have become very organized and professional while staying very funny,” Riley Bellomo, a Woodside junior and Emma Chamberlain fan, stated. “I think a lot of people from Woodside, and all around here, will be watching her career. It’s pretty surreal that she has made it this far.”
