Connor Franta

Connor Franta

Franta at VidCon 2014
Born Connor Joel Franta
September 12, 1992
Residence Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality American
Alma mater Saint John's University
Occupation YouTube vlogger, Internet personality, entrepreneur
Years active 2010–present
Home town La Crescent, Minnesota, U.S.
Website
connorfranta.com

Connor Joel Franta (born September 12, 1992) is an American YouTube vlogger, Internet personality, writer and entrepreneur.[1][2]

As of March 2015, his self-named main channel on YouTube has more than 4.4 million subscribers. Franta was formerly a member of YouTube group Our2ndLife under the Fullscreen Network,[3] but is now an independent member of the Big Frame network, managed by Andrew Graham.[4]

Franta has recently become involved in various entrepreneurial enterprises, including a clothing line, music curation, as well as a coffee and lifestyle brand named "Common Culture". His debut book, a memoir, 'A Work in Progress, was released on April 21, 2015. [5][6]

Personal life

Connor Franta was born in Wisconsin to Peter and Cheryl Franta, a physician and homemaker, respectively.[7][8][9] Shortly after his birth, his family moved to La Crescent, Minnesota. He has three siblings.[10]

Connor was raised Catholic and attended St. Peter's Catholic School, Hokah, Minnesota, from elementary school through 8th grade.[11]

As a child, he became overweight, leading his mother to sign him up for a YMCA swimming team. He ran cross country while attending La Crescent High School, where he graduated in 2011.[8] He studied business at Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota. In his second year, he added an arts minor, with an emphasis on films.[8][12] As of 2015, he lives in Los Angeles, California.[13]

On December 8, 2014, Franta publicly came out as gay in a YouTube video, stating he has accepted who he is and is "happy with that person".[14] He also spoke on the help he got from others on the Internet, and wanted to give people struggling with their sexuality similar advice.[14] This six-minute long video, titled "Coming Out", has over 7 million views and 700 thousand likes, being the second most viewed video on Franta's channel as of March 10, 2015.[15]

Career

YouTube

Franta (third from left) with other members of Our2ndLife at VidCon 2014

Inspired by other YouTube vloggers such as Shane Dawson and Mitchell Davis, Franta uploaded his first video to YouTube in August 2010.[7] He has more than 200 million views on his channel and over 4.4 million subscribers, making it the 144th most subscribed channel in the world.[15]

In 2014, Franta was nominated for a Teen Choice Award in the "Web Star: Male" category, but lost to Tyler Oakley.[16]

In 2012, he joined collaboration channel Our2ndLife, which helped him become widely known. He announced departure from the group in July 2014 due to his unhappiness in his personal life.[17]

Franta made a cameo appearance in the 2014 YouTube Rewind video, released on December 9, 2014, a tribute to the year's most popular videos on YouTube.[18]

Other projects

Franta celebrated his 22nd birthday by launching a fundraising campaign for The Thirst Project to build wells for people in Swaziland. He set a goal of raising of $120,000 within a month by offering fans incentives such as T-shirts, posters, an acknowledgement in one of his videos and a Skype call with him. Within 48 hours, fans raised over US$75,000 and met the original $120,000 goal in 10 days. By the end the month, the campaign raised over $230,000.[19]

On November 11, 2014, he released a compilation album, Crown, Vol. 1, of songs from his choice of up-and-coming musicians. The album charted on the Billboard 200 and reached number 12 on the iTunes pop charts.[20] Franta plans to expand the Crown brand into other industries.[20] In February 2015, Franta released his own line of coffee, called "Common Culture Coffee".[21][22]

Franta wrote for over a year his debut book, A Work in Progress, which talks about moments from his life since birth and personal stories. It was released on April 21, 2015.[5] Accompanying the release of the book, Franta had a book tour starting in Minnesota, followed by appearances in Houston, Orlando, New York, New Jersey, and Los Angeles.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Weiss, Geoff (December 18, 2014). "How YouTube Megastar Connor Franta Is Channeling His Eclectic Passions into Entrepreneurial Gold". Entrepreneur. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  2. ↑ Franta, Connor (2015). A Work in Progress. Simon and Schuster Publishing. p. 34. ISBN 978-1476791616.
  3. ↑ "Connor Franta Says Farewell to His 2nd Life". TheVideoInk. July 8, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  4. ↑ Haines, Reyne. "Celebrity vs. Social Influencer". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "A Work in Progress". Amazon. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Connor Franta Announces His Latest Secret: 'I Wrote a Book!'". People.com. March 10, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Franta, Connor (March 4, 2013). "Draw My Life". YouTube. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Henry, Ryan. "A Frantastic ride". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  9. ↑ Franta, Connor (August 19, 2013). "Meet My Parents". YouTube. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ Franta, Connor (December 23, 2013). "Meet My Siblings". YouTube. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ Franta, Connor (2015). A Work in Progress. Simon and Schuster Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 978-1476791616.
  12. ↑ Tucker, Adam. "Internet Sensation". Saint Benedict's/Saint John's Magazine (Collegeville, Minnesota, USA: College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University) (Spring 2013): 10–11. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  13. ↑ "YouTube supergroup Our2ndLife is disbanding its channel". DailyDot. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "YouTube star Connor Franta comes out as gay in video". TheGuardian. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "ConnorFranta YouTube Channel Stats, Subscriber Statistics, Ranking". VidStatsX. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  16. ↑ Nordyke, Kimberly (October 8, 2014). "Teen Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  17. ↑ ""Unhappy" Connor Franta Leaves YouTube Supergroup Our 2nd Life". TubeFilter. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  18. ↑ Griffin, Andrew (December 9, 2014). "YouTube Rewind: Vloggers team up to re-create a year of viral videos". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  19. ↑ "How One Guy Used YouTube To Get Thousands Of Teens To Donate $75,000 To Charity". BusinessInsider. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "YouTube star Connor Franta's strange rise on the Billboard Top 200". DailyDot. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  21. ↑ Baladad, Portia. "Connor Franta Launches His New Coffee Line, Common Coffee Culture". AndPop. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Connor Franta Debuts His Own Line Of Locally-Roasted Coffee". tubefilter. Retrieved February 8, 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Connor Franta.