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 creator has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments here.
LexiVee03is a lot of things: high school student, college student (yes, at the same time), gamer, “low-key sneakerhead”–and, for the past three years, a career content creator. When she launched herYouTubechannel in 2017, she was just 14, but she already knew it was going to be more than a hobby.
Like many Gen Z’ers, Lexi had grown up watching YouTube. In middle school, she’d entertained herself by filming videos she never planned to upload. As she got older, though, the idea of making content shecould show the world became increasingly appealingand increasingly plausible.
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Lexi’s also one more thing: a planner. Right off the bat, she established her channel’s upload schedule–and a thesis. “I decided up front what my vision and purpose would be in creating, and made sure it was clear to my viewers. I wanted to chronicle my life and my interests,” she says. “I create content that I love and would want to watch myself.”
Her channel tipped over 1,000 subscribers in December 2017, after she posted a video about her sneaker collection. Since then, she’s regularly published updated collection videos, along with dozens of personal vlogs, challenges (especially 24-hour challenges, as they’re a fan favorite), and day-in-the-life snapshots, plus content on Instagram, where she has 334K followers, and TikTok, where she has 287K.
Among Lexi’s future plans are more content, more merch, and creating her own business. But for now, she’s mainly focused on sticking to her upload schedule while getting through the last semester of high school–and, above all, “nottaking myself too seriously.”
Check out our chat with this new Millionaire below.
Tubefilter: How does it feel to hit one million subscribers? What do you have to say to your fans?
LexiVee03:It feels awesome…a feeling of accomplishment! It is a dream come true and a blessing from God. I would like to thank my subscribers for their support and for sticking with me. I truly love each and every one of them, and I never forget that I would not be where I am without their love and support.
Tubefilter: Tell us a little about you! Where are you from? How did you get started on YouTube, and why did you pick YouTube to be your main platform?
LexiVee03:I was born and raised in Huntsville, Ala. I “started YouTube” when I was nine years old, making fake videos that I never uploaded. I would make the videos to entertain myself and just have fun. It was my favorite thing to do! I think I’ve always had a passion to entertain and be a positive influence to kids and teens.
Tubefilter: Did you go into content creation intending to “become a YouTuber,” or did you end up becoming a creator without quite meaning to?
LexiVee03:I started my channel in October of 2017 and put out my first video within a week! I intentionally set out to be a content creator, and to create a relatable space where people could come and have a laugh and be entertained.
Tubefilter: Much of your channel chronicles your everyday life as a student—and we’re guessing a lot of your life has been disrupted by COVID. How has the pandemic changed your content? Have you expanded to other niches or tried new topics? Have you kept things steady?
LexiVee03:The pandemic has definitely had an effect on the content that I had planned for my channel, especially during the lockdown period in my state. The main difference in the beginning of the pandemic was me being unable to go out and film content with my friends. I quickly adapted to produce content in the safety of my home, but tried to still make it interesting and entertaining to my subscribers. I am always trying to think of new things and expand into other niches. I do pay attention to what’s trending on YouTube, and I put my own spin on it to make it relatable to my viewers.
Tubefilter: How do you balance YouTube with being a full-time high school student? Do you have a content production schedule you stick to, or do you fit it in where you can? Walk us through an average day!
LexiVee03:Balance is super hard, especially because I am a high school senior and a dual-enrolled college student. I do have a content production schedule, posting two times a week, but unfortunately that has had to slip sometimes because school comes first! A typical day consists of me waking up and getting ready to attend school in person. My college classes are both virtual, so I attend those online. Right after school, I am doing homework and studying. If I have time, I will spend some doing my YouTube stuff (planning, filming, editing, responding to emails, and working on sponsored content). I do my best to get some relaxation time in and may play a few games of Among Us with my friends and watch YouTube or Netflix. I end up going to bed pretty late, which is not good.
Tubefilter: Do you have any strategies for growing your audience? Have you noticed any particular kind of content getting more traction than others? Do you adjust what you film depending on how your viewers react?
LexiVee03:For me personally, I decided up front what my vision and purpose would be in creating, and made sure it was clear to my viewers. I wanted to chronicle my life and my interests, and I created entertaining content around that. I create content that I love and would want to watch myself. If you don’t like your content, it’s likely your viewers will not like it either.
Consistency was also a key factor in my growth! My parents were instrumental in that. I decided early on that I had to be consistent and committed to uploading at least once a week, and I’ve been able to hold myself to that goal since then. I think my subscribers really enjoy my challenges and vlogs. I am a low-key sneakerhead, and I love retro Jordans. The video that brought me my first 1,000 subscribers was of my sneaker collection. I continue to do updated collection videos, and it seems like my viewers still enjoy them because they do well. Twenty-four-hour challenges have also gained a lot of popularity on my channel, and I have seen a lot of growth from those. I try to do a 24-hour challenge every month or two, because I know that is what attracted many of my current subscribers.
I definitely pay attention to my analytics and comments, and adjust my content depending on how my viewers react. I wouldn’t be where I am without them, so if they don’t like my content, I try to switch it up to what they want to see! If something does well, I expand on it, and they seem to respond very well to that as well.
Tubefilter: How have you made your videos stand out amongst all the noise on YouTube?
LexiVee03:Being myself–there is only one Lexi! Being myself and not conforming to the “norm” is important to me, and I think my subscribers enjoy and really appreciate that. I am a normal teenager just like them, with normal problems and insecurities.
Tubefilter: What’s your favorite part of making content on YouTube? Do you have any thoughts/feelings on making YouTube content versus making content for other platforms like TikTok and Instagram?
LexiVee03:I love creating content! My favorite part is the freedom I have on YouTube to really just do whatever I want, all while being my silly self! YouTube is my favorite platform to create content on because my videos can be as long or short as I want, and I can switch the content up and still maintain my subscriber base. I enjoy the freedom to just kinda talk to my subscribers about anything that’s on my mind. They’re like my family, and we’re there for each other. I am working on being more consistent on Instagram and TikTok. I like how I can express myself in different ways on each platform, so I try to use each in different ways to communicate with my subscribers and followers.
Tubefilter:Have you expanded your content/personal brand off YouTube at all? Launched any merch, a related business…? Do you want to?
LexiVee03:I definitely want to expand my brand beyond YouTube and create a business, but with school keeping me so busy right now, I am not able to commit all the time I would like to focus on that. I’ll get there, though! I just approved merch samples, and I have new merch coming soon! I have released merch in the past, but I am super excited to release a new collection of my merch this winter! Stay tuned!
Tubefilter: What’s next for you and your channel? Any plans looking to the future?
LexiVee03:My immediate plans for my channel is to be more engaging and committed to my viewers and be more consistent with my uploads. I want to use my platform to positively influence and entertain my viewers–it’s something that I am truly passionate about. Finding the right balance without taking myself too seriously is important to me. I just want to have fun and be my normal silly self!
Lexi is repped by Charley Button at Select Management.
Header image courtesyDokk Savage Photography.