Ever wondered how you get internet famous? Walking red carpets, meeting and interviewing celebs. Thousands of fans screaming your name and wanting your autograph… Well, let me reintroduce you to YouTube; the other other way into the world of showbiz.

Before 2012, most of the big name players on YouTube were all American, but now it’s time to get ready for the British Invasion. The names Tanya Burr, Jim Chapman, Marcus Butler and Zoe Sugg are now starting to ring bells across the web… unless you’ve been living under a big internet rock, of course. Between them, they have over 5 million subscribers and they’ll be able to tell you first hand about their rise to the so called YouTube Celebrity Status. Thanks to the power of social media, a new generation of celebrity has been born. And this wave of British YouTubers are about to go mainstream – FAST. In the space of a year, they’ve quite literally gone from their bedrooms to the red carpet. Just last week, this charming, charismatic group of Brits descended onto the ‘This Is Us’ red carpet amongst the One Direction fans, who all seemed to be screaming and chanting THEIR names.

“But I’ve never even heard of them…!”, I hear you cry…

In the past year, the interest in YouTube vloggers and gurus has reached phenomenal heights, and the level of social influence these new stars have on the entertainment world is starting to make serious waves. The YouTube culture has managed to turn the traditional rules of celebrity onto it’s head,  and at the same time, it seems to be filling a gap that TV or film won’t ever be able to offer. Our vloggers allow viewers to have input on content; it’s more personal, it’s more interactive and it’s certainly more attainable for the average 16 year old from a small village in the UK. In sharing their personal struggles and funny stories, they’re unwittingly becoming someone’s idol.

Today, YouTube conventions such as VidCon and London’s own Summer In The City attract thousands upon thousands of fans, hoping to finally meet their online heroes; they’re also joined by TV Networks and Talent Agencies looking to bring these well known internet faces onto the small screen. Because of this sudden spike in interest, the opportunities for these homegrown stars have arrived alongside their new found fame by the bucket load. Tanya now has her own weekly diary feature in Grazia. Zoe has interviewed One Direction whilst her brother and fellow YouTuber, Joe, was flown out to LA to interview Simon Cowell. Let’s not forget Brit YouTube sensations Dan and Phil, who now have their own show on Radio 1. Oh, and there’s also that tasty little pay packet to go along with all those channel views too.

What’s remarkable about this group of 20 somethings, is that they’ve done it from scratch. No professional camerawork, no editing team. Just themselves. It took a lot of hard work, effort, and a lot of time for our favourite Brit vloggers to get where they are now, so it’s by no means an easy route into the entertainment world. But I guess there has to be a little bit of luck involved too? Remember that viral video, ‘How To Trick Guys Into Thinking You’re Good Looking’? That was made three years ago by Jenna Marbles. It scored 5.3m views in it’s first week and the rest was history. (By the way, Jenna is now the most subscribed woman on YouTube with over 10 million subscribers. Not bad for a day spent in front of a camera.)

Thanks to our new stars, there’s now more opportunities for YouTube personalities than there ever was. If you’re looking for a creative outlet, get a camera and give it go. You never know where your YouTube journey might up.