The power of online video is presenting successful 'vloggers' with new opportunities to make it onto the big screen. In addition, movie stars like Troye Sivan ('Spud') are extending their cinema success with the help of the web. Sivan now has a following of 350 000 subscribers on YouTube.
These two entertaining youngsters are learning from each other - film star Sivan gives Lee acting tips, whilst Lee provides YouTube advice and support.
Lee uploads regular videos to his YouTube channel dicasp, much to the delight of his 1 million-strong, mostly female, tween/teen fan base. The channel has helped him earn enough money to be financially independent at the age of 18 through the YouTube Partnership Programme, where YouTubers earn a portion of the ad revenue their channel generates. He is now adding 'film star' to his career timeline.
The Spud lead's subscriber base has jumped from 100,000 to over 350,000 subscribers in just six months. According to Sivan, this growth was largely due to adding video blogs to the channel, which features singing, skits and a little bit of crazy.
