Do you know these Anguillian Youtubers?

Did you know that YouTube is the largest search engine, right after Google? In fact, YouTube is bigger than Bing, Yahoo and Ask combined.

More than 1 billion people use YouTube and some Anguillians are leveraging this medium to promote the island, their talents and much more.

Many people look up to popular YouTube channels but it’s time to recognise some of Anguilla’s locals who are engaging in the same ventures in the areas of Everyday Life, Entertainment, Beauty & Gaming.

Everyday Life

Taydra Fahie | TaysDays

       My goal is to inspire and motivate as many people as possible and be a constant reminder that despite life’s challenges, with determination and hard work you accomplish your goals.”
— Taydra Fahie
It all began as a dream of hers that turned into reality when Taydra created her YouTube channel on June 9th, 2016 when she was 18 years old. Taydra attributes her interest in vlogging to her fondness for pictures and love for visual memories.

“I was always an outgoing person and I am comfortable in front of the camera, so I thought “Why not?”

Taydra Fahie is a college vlogger who currently attends Temple University in Philadelphia. Taydra brings her viewers along her journey in ‘adult’ life as she finds balance between school, travel, business matters and social life.

“I wanted to video blog my life because I was always fond of pictures! I loved to look at my pictures and reminisce on great memories and appreciate my growth.

Video blogging was an upgrade to pictures because I had the opportunity to watch moments as they precisely happened.”

The creation of “TaysDays” in 2016 has led to the birth of Taydra’s first business venture:  a tee-shirt and other apparel business under her brand named “TayzDaze”.

The ambitious vlogger has also expanded her presence on YouTube by creating two more channels named NapturallyCoily which focuses on makeup, natural hair care and styling and skin care and ItsYaBaeTay which consists more of sit down videos.

Taydra’s vlogs are so entertaining and enjoyable to watch, especially since they are often relatable and she seldom sugar-coats anything!

If her Anguillian accent doesn’t tell it all, she often “bigs up” Anguilla in her vlogs. Not to forget that The Anguilla flag stands proudly in the background of many her of videos. She never fails to represent!

Artiya Bruno | As Told by Tee

       It requires not only a lot of effort but consistent creativity and I’m excited nonetheless to see what challenges and new opportunities arise, as I become more involved in the YouTube community.”
— Artiya Bruno
Another interesting vlogger to keep up with is Artiya Bruno affectionately known as Tee.

She started her YouTube channel at the age of 19. Artiya is and always has been a passionate advocate for women, youth and black people in general.

As shy as she was, Artiya knew one thing for sure, that she wanted to help young girls in any way that she could and a YouTube Channel was where she always wanted to start.

Artiya has a natural ability to speak very well, so she used that skill to her advantage and established her channel named ‘As Told By Tee’ around her voicing her opinions on every day issues.

Whether it is through emphasising the incredible talents and skills of Anguillians or the unrivalled beauty of the island, she is adamant about showcasing the island to the world via her channel.

In conjunction with Artiya’s resent project ‘The Black Girl Magic Project‘, her ‘woke’ talk shows on her YouTube channel have inspired many young girls to be advocates for themselves!

Black Girl Magic Project by Artiya Bruno
Black Girl Magic Project by Artiya Bruno

“Through my talk shows, I encourage young girls to indulge in the truest form of self-love and self-appreciation. I have also encouraged other young people to promote themselves and what they have to offer.”

Artiya may be new to the game, but her YouTube channel surely displays promise for both Anguilla, the increased wellbeing of young black girls all over the world and a future for her as a prominent public figure.

Entertainment

Colin Harrigan | C Swift TV

There is only one person in Anguilla who provides ton loads of shoulders and endless laughter! None other than your one and only Yellow Shirt Man (YSM).

Colin Harrigan aka The Yellow Shirt Man, a local comedian, is famous for his hilarious videos that consist of advertisements, humorous displays of local controversies and not to forget threats of giving someone “shoulders”.

His comedy platform started on Facebook and he recently expanded his range to include YouTube.

       I felt I could also bring smiles and laughs to people as well so I just tried my luck and many people have responded positively towards my comedy.”
— Colin Harrigan
His love for comedy developed over the years from watching many television shows such as Sanford and Son, Fresh Prince and Wayan Brothers. He was always considered to be funny from a young age and was known as the class clown in high school.

The YSM recalls that watching other comedians on YouTube such as King Bach, Reggie Couz and Jasmine Luv inspired him to create a YouTube channel himself.

Colin has only just begun and many people are doubling over in laughter at his videos. As Colin gets more recognition, not only in Anguilla but overseas, the more his videos might inspire other Anguillians to showcase their talents in whatever art form it may be.

T’arah T.A. Niles | T.thepoet

She’s a debater, spoken word poet and athlete; lover of reading, writing, listening to music and playing sports; an aspiring secondary school teacher and education leader and manager – T’arah T.A. Niles.

     My aim is to change the world one poem at a time and my YouTube channel will help me to accomplish this.”
— T’arah T.A. Niles
The articulate poet created her YouTube channel T.thepoet at age 18 as a result of a strong desire to expand her fan base and to make her poetry and performances more available for viewing.

T’arah’s poems are often based around social issues, the natural world and Anguillian society. The emotion and passion in T’arah’s voice as she speaks on these topics feels palpable. Her poetry evokes the consciousness of any listener and her facial expressions and hand movements sustains interest and makes her poems come alive!

Forthcoming, T’arah aims to upload more poetry videos to her YouTube channel, offer tips on writing and performing spoken word poetry, ways to improve public speaking skills and how to analyze poetry; as well as uploading more “T-talks” which are interviews with talented young people in several creative areas to encourage them and give them exposure.

However, presently, T’arah continues to impress and inspire people near and far through her spoken word.

Beauty

Kiara Mills-Rey | Beauty.fasho

“No one actually taught me how to do makeup; it’s something that I learned on my own over a period of time. I think that it was my hidden talent from God and he’s now leading me into this direction for a reason.”

      Makeup does enhance beauty, but I’d like to help to encourage women to love their selves with and without it!”
— Kiara Mills-Rey
The young and promising Freelance Makeup Artist is known in Anguilla for her fabulous makeup “beats” and helpful beauty tips. She has also expanded her platform through the creation of her YouTube channel Beauty.fasho where she uploads easy to follow makeup tutorials and fashion tips.

As for what inspired Kiara to pursue the path she is currently taking as a freelance makeup artist. She credits her inspiration to a childhood fascination that grew into love and a bomb talent! Kiara started wearing makeup at the age of 11, but just for fun.

“I would play in my mother’s makeup and then later get scolded for it, but that never stopped me.”

She believes that continuous practice is essential to advance her skills and now, she even takes makeup appointments. Moreover, she makes the effort to produce a video of a new look to satisfy her audience every week!

Kiara’s future looks as bright as her highlights as she plans to work with mentors as well as taking specialised classes to advance her skills until she’s at the appropriate age to attend cosmetology school

Gaming

Christoph Pradel Vaper Axa Nation

YouTube has become the main outlet for gaming videos which are the fourth most popular videos on the website. In fact, the YouTube channel with the most subscribers – 54.1 million, to be exact – is currently held by a gaming channel.

Anguillian Youtuber Christoph Pradel

The prosperous future of gaming on YouTube is what inspired Christoph Pradel of Anguilla to create a YouTube channel under the handle Vaper Axa Nation. Christoph also saw the website as an outlet to gain experience in creating and editing videos that would help him with becoming a director in the future.

Christoph walks through and comments on the challenges of different video games and methods to overcome them. His animated personality makes his videos even more interesting to watch.

He also uploads vlogs about his everyday life to strengthen his connection with his audience. Hopefully, Vaper Axa Nation can display to other Anguillians the opportunities that unconventional careers such as gaming have to offer.

YouTube affords Anguillians a worldwide platform to showcase their boundless talents, skill and the beauty of the island. Even us, at What We Do In Anguilla, have been utilising the service! It is inspiring to see the positivity they promote while doing something they love.

Over to you!

Do you know any other youtubers in Anguilla? Comment their channel name below. And don’t forget to like, share and subscribe to their channels on YouTube!

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