YouTube’s biggest breakout beauty guru, Michelle Phan, has launched a free program for other beauty entrepreneurs to have access to tools and advice to advance their careers. The program is under the brand Ipsy, which is a monthly beauty product sample service with over 1 million subscribers and more than $150 million in revenue annually.
Ipsy Open Studios will provide those who want to follow in Phan’s footsteps with not just studio space, but audio and lighting equipment, an editing suite and mobile apps and digital tools. Michelle Phan and staff will provide mentoring both at the studio and through Google Hangouts.
Over 1,000 participants so far are vying for spots in the free program, as the platform could be immensely helpful in building important skills and business relationships.
“Those are the people creating the next generation of beauty brands. If we can provide a platform for all these beauty creators as they’re growing up and getting more famous, it builds an affinity between us and them,” said Ipsy co-founder and CEO Marcelo Camberos.
“I’ve built the roadmap for the past eight years for any beauty creator,” said Phan. “It’s something I had to build out, and now I want to go into the next stage of my career and mentor other creators and pave a new road.”
When Phan had started her venture, the YouTube beauty guru as we know it wasn’t a community and brands hadn’t yet conceived of the influence beauty vloggers now hold.
“The sphere of influence is shifting entirely to digital content creators. For years, the beauty brands have been creating their own beautifully produced content and putting it up on YouTube and Instagram, but the problem is no one was watching it. Now, they’re recognizing that Michelle and her peers have the influence and authority,” said Jennifer Goldfarb, Ipsy co-founder and president.
