James Charles Is Launching A Beauty Influencer Series On YouTube
James Charles is scouting rising beauty stars on YouTube with his new reality TV show, set to air exclusively on his YouTube channel in Spring 2020.
According to Insider, the 20-year-old YouTuber, who announced that he will host, direct and produce the show, is on the hunt for make-up-artists who have what it takes to not only produce content but tap into the cosmetic and beauty industry in a way that can draw a following and inspire people.
“Being a superstar influencer takes a whole lot more than just blending eyeshadow, and I can’t wait to find out who has what it takes to make it to the top,” Charles said. “Producing my own show for YouTube is going to be a crazy challenge but I’m so ready — and hopefully the beauty community is too.”
The reality show, developed in partnership with the platform as a YouTube Original, will enlist six established beauty YouTubers to compete in challenges that have yet to be disclosed. The audition asks for a 5-minute YouTube video tagged #JamesCharlesCasting modeled after Charles popular ‘Chit Chat Get Ready With Me’ video, which has over 4 million views.
Prospectives have until November 21 to submit their application, after which, the chosen contestants will be flown to Los Angeles to compete for the grand prize of $50,000.
Charles took to his Twitter to share his excitement about the casting call videos.
I was up until 2am last night watching casting call videos with one the show's judges… all of us the videos have us so excited but there are a few In particular that we love…? keep them coming you guys, you have until Thursday at 11:59PM PST!
— James Charles (@jamescharles) November 18, 2019
The Beauty Guru subreddit was alight with chatter, with makeup enthusiasts weighing in on the concept.
“Didn’t Elle and Blair Fowler do this back in the day? I swear I remember something kind of similar,” asked one Redditor.
“I’m going to hold my judgement [sic] till i’ve actually seen it, he’s not revealed very much right now. I think it’s more interesting than just makeup but we’ll have to see how well the execution is,” posted another Reddit user.
This venture with YouTube Originals is one of the first major forays back into the limelight for Charles, who was embroiled in several scandals earlier this year, including a public dispute with fellow influencer Tati Westbrook, and leaking his own nudes on Twitter after being the victim of blackmail. According to Papermag, the conflict with Westbrook caused a large rift in the online beauty community and led to Charles losing over two million subscribers.
“Most of my career over the past few years has been about me making mistakes and trying to learn and grow from them,” Charles said in a public apology video on his channel. “I haven’t always done the best job of that, I can admit that. But I have always tried.”
