2015 RHS grad Amber Bodeur has been quite busy lately. Not only is she a full-time student studying journalism and digital media at U Conn, but she is presently a YouTube sensation (at least in Turkey).
In just 6 short months, Amberin Hayatı (“Amber’s Life”) has grown to 22K YouTube subscribers and videos views have soared beyond 160K. How did that happen? We sat down with Amber Bodeur to find out.
So, one of your videos has reached 160K views. Tell me a bit about who is watching.
Since my videos are in Turkish, 89% of the viewers are from Turkey. The other 11% consists of Turkish-speaking people from all around world, mainly Germany, Azerbaijan, Netherlands, and France. “Amberin Hayati”, meaning “Amber’s Life” in Turkish, contains videos from my daily life. About 80% of the viewers are female and 20% are male. People that may be curious about what life is like for someone else in the world may be watching.
And in Turkish - your second language. Explain.
There are millions of YouTube channels out there, the majority being in English. I wanted to target the Turkish audience since there aren’t as many Turkish YouTubers. Being a Turkish YouTuber has brought me so many great opportunities, I have met so many amazing people, and received such inspiring messages from viewers.
Tell me how this all began and why.
Since I was 11 and could use a camera, one of my biggest hobbies was making short films. I used to film myself and my friends on my mom’s camera and edit it on Windows Movie Maker. It was so much fun for me and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it from the setup of my “set” to the presentation for my family and friends. Initially, I wanted to make videos way back then. However, I had only begun middle school and was far too young. Only after graduating did my parents let me start creating content on YouTube. As a journalism and digital media & design double major, everything I learn can directly be applied to my videos and channel. I started the channel as a way to practice my skills and have fun, not thinking much of it. Now YouTube has become such a big part of my life!
The videos are like a reality show: working out, shopping, hanging out with friends. Why do you think people are so interested?
It’s always interesting seeing what someone else’s life is like. Their family, friends, pets, school, and lifestyle in general could be fascinating to a person living on the other side of the world. Maybe my lifestyle and daily activities with family and friends amuse my viewers. Overall, making YouTube videos is my passion and I hope that reflects in my videos. From the messages I receive and questions I answer in Q&A videos, many mention that they love seeing my relationship with my friends and seeing what I do on a daily basis.
I hear you have had inquiries from national brands who want to partner with you. Tell me about that.
Since Amberin Hayati has been expanding rapidly in the past few months, many multi-platform networks and media networks have reached out to me for partnerships. Due to advertisements and sponsorships, I have been skeptical about it. However, I may consider partnerships with companies that would let me sponsor only brands I believe in. As of right now, I have 100% ownership over my content and channel.
Now what? English version?
This has been brought up many times, and I have thought about it. I currently create 2-8 videos each week. Every Friday at 12:00ET (7:00 a.m. in Turkey), a new video goes up for sure. I can’t imagine creating one more for an English channel. However, the option is still there and I will definitely see how it goes.