Since its creation in 2005, YouTube has served as a way for creative people to share their interests and skills at a global level. Freshman Maya Summers is one of these people.

Summers frequently uploads fashion, beauty, and food videos on her channel, which currently has over 10,000 subscribers. Her YouTube life has been previously hidden from her friends and peers, but she is excited to finally be able to talk about her channel and her inspiration.

Q: What inspired you to start a YouTube channel?

A: “My friend Anna Merklinger told me about it. I would watch a lot of videos on YouTube, so I decided I would try it out.”

Q: How has making videos and being a part of the YouTube world affected your social life and you personally?

A: “I have met a lot of people from YouTube, both followers and people who also make videos. Not a lot of people at school know about it. It was awkward when people would ask me about it at first but now it doesn’t bother me.”

Q: Where do you take videos and how long is the process of taking, editing, and uploading a video?

A: “When I’m just doing a sit down video, it takes two and a half hours to set up everything in my room, film and then edit.  A more in-depth video like a DIY or outfit of the week takes a whole day to prepare and film, plus another day to edit it.”

Q: Did you start off with any equipment?

A: “I asked for a T3i camera three years ago for Christmas and decided to film my first video, ‘What I Got For Christmas’.  I had no idea how to work the camera, but one of my friends showed me how to record and from there I started filming.  Eventually I got studio lights and a different lens.”

Q: How often do you receive hate comments and how does it affect you?

A: “I don’t usually get hate comments on my video, unless the video gets a lot of views, such as ‘What I Got For My 14th Birthday.’  When I do get hate comments they’re mostly comments about my braces and gap that unfortunately cause me to have a lisp.  Sometimes I will comment back, but if it is really mean, I will delete it. Most of the time I just ignore them.”

Q: What kind of videos do you make or which are your favorites to film?

A: “My channel has a lot of beauty, DIY, and fashion videos. For holidays I like to film food videos, which are my favorite because they are a lot of fun to make, edit, and take pictures of.”

Q: Who manages your YouTube channel, and how much do you get paid for uploading and making videos?

A: “I get this question a lot. I’m not partnered with YouTube but I am partnered with StyleHaul. I’ve been partnered with them for a year and they pay me directly instead of YouTube. How much I get paid a month is based off of the activity, views, and comments on the videos.”

Q: Why do you think people should watch your videos?

A: “My channel isn’t just for one thing and I post whatever I want. I guess the wide range of videos that I have attracts viewers. I’m always trying to respond back to everyone, because I know a lot of YouTubers just ignore the comments on their videos and I don’t think that helps attracts viewers.”

View Maya’s channel here: https://m.youtube.com/mayasummers