If you don’t know who Hannah Hart is, just picture the smiling-with-sunglasses emoji hugging a wheel of cheese and a bottle of wine. Hannah Hart is a 30-year-old YouTuber (boasting 2.5 million subscribers) currently living in Los Angeles. The comic and self-proclaimed food enthusiast just scored a huge deal with Food Network that will take her on an adventure across America. Hannah currently runs a weekly series on Youtube aptly dubbed My Drunk Kitchen where she gets drunk and films herself making a meal in her own kitchen. Hannah is known for peppering in puns and moral messages in all her MDKs. In one episode of her series, “MY DRUNK KITCHEN: Chicken Stir-Fry!” Hannah struggles through a casserole recipe (while drinking vodka) using the recipe as a metaphor for trusting your friends, family, and yourself. Sounds simple, right?
Not Just Wine and Pasta
Hannah has also accomplished some other simple things like writing a New York Times Best Selling comical cookbook, a collection of narrative essays, and she has starred in multiple independent comedy films with her besties, Youtubers Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart (ever heard of Youtube’s Holy Trinity?). In 2015, Hannah was recognized by President Obama for her work in the LGBTQ community and spoke with the President at the White House abut millennial engagement.
This one isn’t just about wining and dining (wining and filming?); Hannah has used her success on YouTube to talk about major issues including LGBTQ rights, mental health, diabetes, and community activism. She’s worked with amazing groups like “The Trevor Project” and was awarded by GLAAD in 2016 for her contribution to the LGBTQ community. Hannah has created a large community of followers all over the world (Hartosexuals) who volunteer to help their communities on Have A Hart Days. Hannah works to use her platform to “spread service and reckless optimism all over the world”.
Roll Model
Nineties kids have seen enough of the train wreck child stars and failed role models. Even Beliebers have to admit that the Biebs has not been the best role model, while I sob while watching his acoustic cover of “Fast Car“. One commonality amongst all of the homegrown social media stars that are coming to the surface is that they have communities of viewers who have grown with them since the beginning of their career.
These communities share close relationships with their influencer, keeping them to their word and holding them accountable. Often these communities self-police, fighting online bullying, helping those with depression, and spreading knowledge and positive words through the comment section. This accountability and intimacy has created numerous responsible role models that young viewers can learn from.
Hannah will be joining the slew of new media celebs scoring deals from household brands like E! News Network, Bravo, and Ellen due to the giant fan bases they’ve amassed. Friend and fellow YouTuber Tyler Oakley, is a staple of a new media role model coming to the old media space. Tyler has a giant audience boasting more than 8 million subscribers on YouTube. He is also a LGBTQ+ activist, commonly working with The Trevor Project to spread messages about positivity and self care. Tyler has recently teamed up with Ellen Degeneres to work on her digital empire to expand original content online and on TV, including his own online talk show. Just another huge opportunity for a great role model to spread his message about community and positivity.
Here’s hoping Hannah’s show kicks off with a bang and her slightly more mature audience grabs on to the new source of content. Watch Hannah grow in her culinary career while spreading her positive vibes, coming soon on Food Network. Cheers to Food Network for diving into the millennial pool with this awesome collab.