American YouTube star attends YouTube Fan Fest in Seoul

“There is no such thing as an “overnight star.” You have to be consistent in creating your contents and uploading them. Don’t cling to the number of visitors and readers. Even only one reader for your contents can be enough reason for you to keep creating contents. When they write a comment, you should reply back with heartfelt comment.”

An America-born beauty creator in makeup and fashion, Bethany Mota (aged 20) is a star with 9.29 million subscribers on YouTube. Stories about Bethany Mota always describe her a “teen icon.” She was selected as one of the “25 most influential teens of 2015” and attracted the attention of public when she interviewed U.S. President Barack Obama, while representing YouTube stars in January. Mota has recently launched her own fashion line targeting teens on her online shopping mall.

“There’s no audition required. Anyone can do whatever they want. That is the charm of one-person contents,” Bethany Mota who is visiting Korea for the first time said at “YouTube Fan Fest” held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Friday. At the event where YouTube stars home and abroad displayed their performances, the American YouTube star showcased an on-stage makeup show with “ssinnim,” one-person beauty creator of Korea. “Korean women have wonderful skin and eyebrows. It is worth noting that cosmetics for skin treatment are famous as Koreans put much importance on skin care,” said Mota at her first visit to Korea.

Bethany Mota was 14 years old when she first started YouTube. Having been bullied by school mates through social network service, she created videos with herself in them so as to recover her confidence. While her videos contained demonstrations of cosmetics, blouses and accessories that she purchased in the beginning, her recent ones cover various areas such as baking, music work and DIY-related contents. “I’m pursuing a lifestyle that is not limited to a single area,” said Mota.

Unlike some one-person creators who have dedicated teams for shooting and editing, Mota does all the work for content’s planning and editing by herself, getting her sister’s help for shooting only. “My skills have much improved as I have begun editing videos with movie maker program from the age of 13. I look for the Internet or study by myself if there are things that I’m curious about.”

The age of her subscribers varies from teens to 20s and 30s. While she gets inspiration from TVs and communication from the subscribers to make creative contents, the biggest source is herself. “Living in the Internet world where nothing can’t be done without being connected, I turn off all the electric devices when I need some time to think,” she said. “That’s the way to live wisely in the online age.”

salthj@donga.com