Tyler Oakley

Tyler Oakley
Mathew Tyler Oakley, known as Tyler Oakley, is an American YouTube and podcast personality, humorist, author and activist. Much of Oakley's activism has been dedicated to LGBT youth, LGBT rights, as well as social issues including healthcare, education, and the prevention of suicide among LGBT youth. Oakley regularly posts material on various topics, including queer politics, pop culture and humor...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionYouTube Star
Date of Birth22 March 1989
CityJackson, MI
CountryUnited States of America
Prior to 2015, I had kind of approached every year like, 'Let's hope for the best.' I always made these year-end videos with 100 things I did, and it would kind of build itself up throughout the year. When this year started, it was like I knew the 100 things before I even got to do them.
I feel so lucky to partner with Awesomeness to bring my story to the big screen. I started out making videos as a way to connect and am thrilled by the opportunity to share one of the most exhilarating years of my life.
I always think about the fact that PewDiePie, who has tens of millions of followers, started with zero. All of my favorite creators started with zero. And all it takes is one video to dive deep, and you are officially a YouTuber. So you've got to make that first video. It's not going to be your best, but you will learn as you go.
Every video I make, I want to make sure that it's doing something entertaining or hopefully inspiring or maybe teaching somebody something or sharing my mistakes so that they can learn from them or anything that will make a positive impact in the world.
I knew I could make a living doing my own videos instead of making them for someone else.
I'm usually so in control, especially for YouTube videos.
I have always kept my personal relationships pretty private, whether it's intimate or my family or friends - at least in videos. It's always been something that I've sworn off from sharing online.
I want to meet every person who has watched my videos and stuck around with me. They're the ones who help me achieve everything I've ever dreamed of - that's why YouTube gatherings are the best. Just to share moments with the people who make it all possible - that's what gets my adrenaline going.
The movie was always something that was always kind of like a dream. From the start of making my YouTube videos, I've always been sharing my thoughts or opinions or just updating people on my life, but the movie is more of a behind-the-scenes look at what actually goes into my life.
I remember having 100 views on a video and being like, "I don't have a hundred friends." So that was a moment.
I spend all day replying to tweets and reblogging posts and sharing fan art. I think it's the most important thing I can possibly do, to stay involved in the community as a part of the community, not ahead of the community. I'm very much the same level of them in it.
There's something about YouTube, where you're not being anybody but yourself. You have the opportunity to start as yourself from the very beginning. From the very first video, you choose what you say, and you choose what's right and wrong for your presentation of yourself.
There's no Hollywood tradition of maybe not telling people that you're gay to protect your future ambitions. The YouTube world is a little unprecedented. I think what people are seeing is that the more true to yourself you are, the more an audience will connect with you.
When I first thought about leaving the traditional route of a 9-to-5 career to pursue full-time YouTube, it was terrifying - not many people were doing it. The thought was I have to have money saved up, because this very likely might fail. From the start, I had to give it my all for it to work.