Kris Collins is surrounded by rubber ducks.

It started last summer when fans began sending her ducks. The bath toys arrived by the hundreds, then the thousands. At first it made for , but eventually the gag ran its course and now Collins is stuck living with what she figures is around 5,000 rubber ducks.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know what to do with them,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淗onestly, I have some on my counter right now. TheyB次元官网网址檙e everywhere.B次元官网网址�

This is the surreal life of the Abbotsford native and TikTok star , who has become the most famous Canadian youB次元官网网址檝e never heard of.

In April 2020, Collins was stuck at home unable to operate her hair styling business in the early days of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 COVID-19 lockdown. Her brother suggested she download the video app and within days she was hooked.

CollinsB次元官网网址� first video, which for living unemployed at her parentB次元官网网址檚 home, was posted April 9. She kept it up and was soon updating her feed with a new video every day.

Nearly a year later, Collins has over 23-million followers, posted almost 1,000 videos and is building a new career as a social media comedian.

And if this sounds bizarre, that someone would find stardom while locked down in their parentB次元官网网址檚 basement suite, then itB次元官网网址檚 also not lost on the 24 year old.

B次元官网网址淚f you told me this a year ago I would have slapped you across the face,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 grown. IB次元官网网址檝e created these characters and accumulated this community. It just feels like family now.B次元官网网址�

CollinsB次元官网网址� timing turned out to be impeccable. Her brand of sketch comedy, which relies on simple but well-written re-occurring character, has thrived within the one-minute limits of TikTok videos that viewers have become addicted to during the pandemic.

American comedian went viral with her lip-synching of former President Donald Trump, which led to a Netflix special. found fame as a meme after posting a video of herself drinking kombucha for the first time. Even Hollywood stars such as have embraced the app.

Online personalities finding mainstream success is not a new phenomenon. Canadian launched a YouTube channel in 2010, which has led to a bestselling book and a late-night talk show on NBC.

Darren Blakeborough, an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Fraser Valley, says the accessibility of online platforms and stories like nine-year-old , who was YouTubeB次元官网网址檚 top earner in 2020 with $29.5 million, are a seductive to people who want fame and the wealth that follows.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 easier said than done, but Blakeborough thinks Collins has found success because her comedy is genuine at a time when viewers need a laugh.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e all looking for an escape from whatever this is that weB次元官网网址檙e doing right now,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淭he thing I love about comedy is itB次元官网网址檚 not just an escape. It can be an escape, but it can also joke and critique and interrogate those things that are giving you anxiety.B次元官网网址�

CollinsB次元官网网址� comedy relies on she thinks her viewers will relate to.

ThereB次元官网网址檚 Janet, the tired mom of precocious Riley, and Katrina, who Collins says is inspired by a tough Russian woman whose hair she used to cut. Noisy neighbour Deborah, a more recent addition, is based off an incident when Collins says her real neighbour caught her filming from the roof.

Each character also has a signature prop. Chad, for example, wears a pair of wraparound sunglasses, while the kids each have their own toques to use with a pair of tiny hands. Collins says most of the props she uses have been sent by fans.

B次元官网网址淚 had an optometrist send me like 50 pairs of recycled glasses one time and somebody just knitted me like 20 toques,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚 think thatB次元官网网址檚 so fun that I can use the stuff that my followers think I could use.B次元官网网址�

Her fans havenB次元官网网址檛 just sent props.

In September, Collins was doing a livestream when a fan asked if TikTok was her full-time job. It wasnB次元官网网址檛, she was still working as a part-time stylist, but that night donations started flooding in, which led to a the next day from a visibly stunned Collins.

By December she had enough income to quit cutting hair. TikTok is now her career B次元官网网址� and itB次元官网网址檚 a lot of work.

A typical day for Collins starts with meetings (she recently started her own merchandise company), followed by time set aside to brainstorm ideas. Then she spends hours writing scripts for the videos, which she films and posts every day.

And thatB次元官网网址檚 just for TikTok. SheB次元官网网址檚 also started a YouTube channel and has begun streaming on Twitch as well.

B次元官网网址淚 always looked at people who did this kind of stuff and was like, B次元官网网址楾hatB次元官网网址檚 the easiest job ever.B次元官网网址� This is the hardest job IB次元官网网址檝e ever had,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the coolest job IB次元官网网址檝e ever had, but itB次元官网网址檚 all you. YouB次元官网网址檝e got to put the effort in if you want to succeed. ItB次元官网网址檚 a crazy day that sometimes doesnB次元官网网址檛 end until midnight, but IB次元官网网址檓 so happy doing it.B次元官网网址�

Whereas YouTube and Twitch allow creators to monetize their channels, TikTok doesnB次元官网网址檛 offer that option in Canada.

Creators can, however, make money with sponsorship deals. Collins has worked with shoe and makeup brands and is open to more partnerships, but sheB次元官网网址檚 also leery of advertising that will turn away her audience. It has to feel authentic, or sheB次元官网网址檚 not interested.

B次元官网网址淚 understand a lot of creators need to make money and I completely respect that, and viewers should respect that as well. But there is a point where itB次元官网网址檚 just like, OK, are you on here to make money or are you on here because you enjoy it and you actually like doing this. ThatB次元官网网址檚 where I try to draw the line.B次元官网网址�

Her audience has also respected when Collins has drawn more personal lines as well.

Collins is frank about her mental health, both in conversation and in her videos. Comedy, she says, is a coping mechanism. Sometimes that makes her depression and anxiety of a video. Other times, she has filmed herself .

ThatB次元官网网址檚 led to with her fans.

B次元官网网址淚 have now 23-million people looking at me, waiting for things, hoping that itB次元官网网址檚 going to be good enough,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚 put that pressure on myself. IB次元官网网址檝e made posts where itB次元官网网址檚 just like, B次元官网网址楬ey guys, IB次元官网网址檓 not doing that great,B次元官网网址� and everybodyB次元官网网址檚 like, B次元官网网址楾ake a break.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

But until the pandemic ends, and Collins can actually meet her fans, she has a difficult time make sense of her burgeoning fame.

ThereB次元官网网址檚 no autograph signings, no red carpets, no obvious trappings of her success. Is Collins famous? It probably depends on who you ask, and what apps are on their phone.

B次元官网网址淚 feel like IB次元官网网址檓 just a weirdo in my basement making videos and people are enjoying them,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚 think Angelina Jolie is famous. I think I am internet famous.B次元官网网址�

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| tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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