I, Justine
Justine Ezarik | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 20, 1984 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | YouTuber, internet personality |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | iJustine YouTube channel, lifecasting on Justin.tv |
Justine Ezarik ( ; born March 20, 1984) is an American YouTuber widely recognized as iJustine, whose YouTube channel has amassed over one billion views. She initially attracted attention as a lifecaster through her Justin.tv channel, ijustine.tv. Known as a prominent "lifecasting star" and "new media personality," she consistently uploads content on her primary channel, iJustine.
Ezarik gained global recognition with a viral video in which she analyzed the "300-page iPhone bill" after the first month of usage following the 2007 iPhone release. She ranked among the top 1000 Twitter accounts worldwide, boasting more than 1.8 million followers. Additionally, she portrayed Passion Fruit in the YouTube comedy series Annoying Orange. In 2016, she served as an advisor to Arnold Schwarzenegger on the reality competition The New Celebrity Apprentice. Her television appearances include guest roles on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Minds, and cameos on The Bold and the Beautiful and The Vampire Diaries. Furthermore, she starred in the first and fourth seasons of the YouTube Premium murder-mystery show Escape the Night.
Her content primarily focuses on reviewing technology products, especially those from Apple, such as iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. Ezarik has earned a Webby Award along with two Streamy Awards.
Early life
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Justine Ezarik is the eldest daughter of Michelle Ezarik, a physical education instructor, and Steve Ezarik, a coal miner with Slovak heritage. She completed her studies at Bentworth High School in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 2002. Justine has two younger sisters named Breanne and Jenna.
Early career
Following her graduation from the Pittsburgh Technical Institute in 2004, Ezarik worked in graphic design and video editing before establishing her own enterprise. In December 2006, she became a finalist in the "Yahoo! Talent Show," a competition sponsored by Yahoo! that celebrated outstanding online video content.
In 2007, she appeared as a photojournalist on Spike TV's series The Kill Point and co-hosted episodes of both MacBreak and MacBreak Weekly alongside Leo Laporte.
Ezarik rose to prominence through her iJustine lifecasting channel on Justin Kan's platform Justin.tv, beginning May 29, 2007. As a beta tester, she broadcasted her daily life live using webcam and microphone without compensation. Her reality video blog was the inaugural channel launched on Justin.tv, capitalizing on early viewer interest in technology-centric online media.
When Apple released the iPhone in June 2007, Ezarik covered its launch event at Minnesota’s Mall of America, having been invited by a technology advocate to record her Internet TV show there. She also streamed live coverage of the July 22, 2007 premiere party for The Kill Point.
By October 2007, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal acknowledged Ezarik as one of Justin.tv’s leading lifecasters, underscoring her early achievements in digital content creation and personal branding online.
Extensive 300-page iPhone Invoice Video
In August 2007, she produced and uploaded the video titled "300-page iPhone bill" to YouTube, which rapidly became an Internet meme. The clip exposed unforeseen billing complications following the debut of the Apple iPhone, attracting widespread media coverage due to the length and detail of the bills.
Within just ten days, the video amassed over 2 million views and received international media exposure. By December 2007, its viewership surpassed 8 million across various platforms.
The video earned Ezarik a $5,000 payment from the video hosting platform Revver.
Rise as a Viral Video Personality and Internet Star
On August 28, 2007, Ezarik was featured in Kevin Sites' People of the Web series on Yahoo! News, alongside Justin Kan, founder of Justin.TV. Sites characterized her as "the breakout star of this network," acknowledging her appeal to both tech enthusiasts and general audiences. The interview incorporated live footage from Ezarik’s webcam viewpoint, illustrating the difficulties of constant public attention.
Her appearance on the Yahoo! homepage in September 2007 increased her concurrent viewers to approximately 4,000.[1] At that time, she resided in Pittsburgh and worked as a spokesperson for Councilman Bill Peduto and at Xtrain, a new media training company. By October 2007, media outlets such as the Chicago Tribune recognized her as one of the leading web lifecasters.[2] That autumn, she took part in the first BlogWorld & New Media Expo, promoted as the "World’s Largest Social Media Conference."
By April 2008, Ezarik reduced her lifecasting activities to concentrate on web design and video editing while based in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Utilizing new Nokia technology, she streamed live without needing a computer and continued producing weekly content on iJustine.tv.[3] In June 2008, Intel and Ogilvy & Mather appointed her to a 10-person advisory board focused on social media strategy.[4] Later that year, she relocated to Los Angeles.[5]
Ezarik achieved viral fame with a YouTube clip featuring her ordering a cheeseburger, which garnered 600,000 views within its first week.[5] She crafted the iJustine brand with a wholesome image—avoiding profanity and alcohol—and gradually scaled back lifecasting by early 2009.[6] Initially managed by Richard Frias, she became independent by March 2009 and monetized her presence through conference appearances and online endorsements. Her primary audience consisted mainly of viewers aged between 11 and 18.[5]
In October 2008, she hosted The PluggedIn 5, an online music and lifestyle program produced by PluggedIn.com.[7] That year also saw her starring in AT&T's "Lost in America" advertising campaign alongside blogger Karen Nguyen; however, the initiative attracted only about 31,000 views over two weeks and was deemed underwhelming.[8]
Ezarik appeared in national commercials for Mozy online backup services and hosted online preshows for MTV and Dick Clark Productions.[9] By April 2009, she had approximately 50,000 friends on MySpace, reached Facebook's friend limit of 5,000 contacts, and accumulated around 386,000 Twitter followers.[6][10] By June that year, her Twitter following expanded to 590,000 with 94,000 YouTube subscribers and about 25,000 Facebook fans.[11] She curtailed lifecasting activities due to their toll on her private life.
In mid-2009, Carl's Jr. enlisted Ezarik along with other YouTube personalities to create web advertisements for their Portobello Mushroom Six-Dollar Burger campaign across Google-affiliated platforms.[11] Following the August 6 Twitter denial-of-service attack that year, she was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal regarding user reactions to service disruptions.[12] By December 2009, USA Today reported that Ezarik earned approximately $75,000 annually from YouTube content creation; she had nearly one million Twitter followers and over 300,000 YouTube subscribers with total video views exceeding 64 million.[9] Among her most notable videos was a spoof of "I Gotta Feeling" which attracted around 4.8 million views. Her production setup included a $400 Canon Powershot camera paired with a $12 IKEA green rug used for green screen effects.
On March 1, 2010, she received a nomination for Best Vlogger at the 2010 Streamy Awards.[13] That same year Maxim magazine placed her at #97 on their "Hot 100" list.[14] General Electric engaged her for five videos as part of their Healthymagination campaign which collectively garnered over two million views; she also collaborated with Mattel and Intel.[15] In April 2011 she was nominated for a Webby Award in the Best Web Personality/Host category and won the People's Voice Award in that division.[16]
In November 2013, Ezarik hosted a social media lounge at the Nickelodeon HALO Awards.[17] She earned a nomination at the 4th Streamy Awards in 2014 for Best Collaboration alongside Rooster Teeth and others,[18] and won the Lifestyle category at the 2015 Streamy Awards.[19]
In July 2017, Ezarik signed with talent agency William Morris Endeavor[20] and was recognized among Forbes' Top Tech/Business Influencers that same year.[21]
On March 10, 2019, Ezarik surpassed one billion total views on her iJustine YouTube channel.[22]
On June 13, 2020, together with her sister Jenna Ezarik, she launched Same Brain, a podcast dedicated to technology topics, global news stories, and video gaming culture.[23]
Additional Endeavors
Acting Pursuits
On November 4, 2009, Ezarik portrayed AJ—a sixteen-year-old crime victim—in an episode titled "Users" from Season Eleven of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The subsequent day she competed on the milestone 7,000th episode of The Price Is Right, securing prizes such as a first-class trip to Acapulco, an Apple Mac Pro computer system, a Rolex watch, Viking kitchen appliances set, and a MIDI keyboard. Throughout late 2009 and into 2010 she appeared as a guest on web series including BlackBoxTV Presents, The Station, and Totally Sketch.
She also featured in the November 3, 2010 episode of Criminal Minds called "Middle Men," held a recurring role as Passion Fruit on the YouTube comedy series Annoying Orange, appeared in an episode of The Vampire Diaries in January 2012. From March through May of that year she co-hosted reality television series Escape Routes, during which time she had amassed approximately 1.4 million Twitter followers. Additionally she appeared in season six of The Guild.
After being named "the most influential person online" by Fast Company magazine and ranking sixth on The Daily Beast's Digital Power Index in 2012, she signed with United Talent Agency in early 2013. In that same year Joel Stein from Time included her among the top hundred most influential individuals aged between eighteen and thirty-four. In addition to that recognition,Billboard magazine listed her among its Social Media Stars for the year of 2015. She has also served as host for segments on both E! News and NBC.
Her filmography includes a cameo role as Pam in the comedy feature film The Wedding Ringer (2015), appearances in Syfy’s television movie Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (2016), as well as participation in YouTube Red’s series Escape the Night. On December 1st of 2016 it was announced that she would act as an advisor in the boardroom alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger during the sole season of The New Celebrity Apprentice.
Ezarik holds main character roles on YouTube Red’s murder-mystery series Escape the Night, portraying The Gambler in season one and The Adventurer during season four ("All-Stars"). Her characters were eliminated respectively in episodes three and two.
Literary Contributions
In May 2014 Simon & Schuster's Atria Publishing Group partnered with United Talent Agency to publish works authored by social media personalities including iJustine. Her memoir entitled I, Justine (ISBN 1476791511) was published on June 2nd of 2015. David Zax from Fast Company characterized it as investigative journalism through which Ezarik examined her digital persona to understand her identity.
Podcast Endeavor
Same Brain is a weekly podcast hosted by sisters Justine and Jenna Ezarik. Distributed by Anchor Podcasts and syndicated across platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify,the show covers subjects related to technology innovations,societal news events,and video gaming culture.
Its initial episode originated during April 2020 amid California’s COVID-19 stay-at-home orders while reviewing Apple's Magic Keyboard designed for the fourth-generation iPad Pro. Released as an experimental pilot on June 13th 2020,the podcast received favorable responses leading to its continuation shortly thereafter.
Origins and Development
Prior to this venture Justine hosted MacBreak from years spanning 2007 through 2011.
Inspired by promotional material for Apple's fourth-generation iPad Pro, Justine contemplated launching a podcast. On March 24th 2020,she recorded a mock podcast titled "iQuaranJustine" concurrent with reviewing an iPad Pro device. Subsequently,on April 20th,she taped Same Brain’s pilot episode alongside sister Jenna during their review of Apple's Magic Keyboard accessory released that year.[24]
Distribution Schedule
Episodes are typically released weekly every Saturday; however,the inaugural regular episode aired January 21st 2021 as an exception.
Following a hiatus lasting five months,new episodes resumed release beginning September 16th 2022.
Notable Guests
- Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's Xbox division; appeared initially then again on episodes eight,fourty-three,and fifty-nine.
- Bob Borchers—Apple Inc.'s vice president of product marketing—featured on episode sixteen.
- John Ternus—Apple’s vice president overseeing hardware engineering—appeared on episodes sixteen and seventy-four.
- Tom Green, actor and podcaster; guest on episode nineteen.
- Larry Hryb, director of programming for Xbox Live; featured episode twenty-one.
- Shruti Haldea—Apple's Pro Mac product line manager—appeared episode twenty-two.
- Alex Yu—Apple Mac product manager—also appeared episode twenty-two.
- Justin Roberts, professional ring announcer; guest appearance episode twenty-seven.
- Kenny Florian, retired mixed martial artist; featured episode thirty-one.
- Nicki Sun—hostess and filmmaker—appeared episode thirty-two.
- James Rath—accessibility advocate and filmmaker—guest episode thirty-nine.
- Panos Panay—Windows Chief Product Officer—featured twice on episodes forty-four and forty-eight.
- Breanne Ezarik—Justine’s sister—appeared episode forty-six.
- Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.; guest appearance episode forty-seven.
- Harpreet Singh Rai—CEO of Oura Ring—featured episode fifty-one.
- Ben Moon—filmmaker and author—guest episode sixty-five.
- Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify; featured episode sixty-six.
- Sara Dietschy—a YouTuber/content creator—appeared episode sixty-nine.
- Becki and Chris—filmmakers duo—guests episode seventy.
- Jacques Slade—rapper/actor—featured episode seventy-one.
- Lisa Jackson—Apple's vice president responsible for environmental initiatives—guest episodes seventy-four.
- RJ Scaringe—CEO of Rivian Automotive Inc.—appeared episode seventy-five.
Audience Reception
Same Brain maintains an average rating of approximately four point nine out of five stars on Apple Podcasts based on over fifteen hundred user reviews.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The House That Drips Blood on Alex | Melissa | Short film |
| 2015 | The Wedding Ringer | Pam (Stuart's wife) | |
| Absolute Peril | Jane | ||
| Lazer Team | Vlogger | Cameo appearance | |
| 2016 | Sharknado: The 4th Awakens | Assistant | Cameo role |
| 2017 | A Stork's Journey | Social Media Pigeons |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | A.J. Dunne | Episode: "Users" |
| 2010 | Level 26: Dark Prophecy | Kate Hale | Television short film |
| Criminal Minds | Meredith Joy | Episode: "Middle Man" | |
| The Bold and the Beautiful | Reporter No.3 | Episode: "1.5947" | |
| 2011 | E! News | Herself | Guest host; two episodes |
| 2012 | The Vampire Diaries | Bartender | Episode: "The New Deal" |
| Escape Routes | Herself | Co-host; six episodes | |
| 2012–2014 | 'The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange' | 'Passion Fruit' | 'Main character; fifty-six episodes' |
| 2017 | 'Chopped' | 'Herself' | 'Episode: "Star Power: Web Stars!"' |
| '2018' | 'Drone Racing League' | 'Herself' | 'Guest commentator' |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| '2009–present' | 'Annoying Orange' | 'Passion Fruit / Mandy' | 'Main cast member; sixteen episodes' |
| 2009' | 'Totally Sketch' | 'Herself' | 'Episode: "Behind the Spoof"' |
| 'The Station' | 'Herself' | 'Episode: "Zombies Take Over"' | |
| '2010' | 'The YouTube Assassin' | 'Herself' | 'Episode: "3"' |
| '2011' | 'The Last Moments of a Relationship' | 'Girlfriend' | 'Episode: "Blessed Girlfriend"' |
| 2012' | 'The Tommy Wi-Show' | 'Herself' | 'Episode: "Fight Night Champion"' |
| 'Video Game High School' | 'Bella' | 'Episode: "Shot Heard Round the World"' | |
| 'The Guild' | 'Sabina' | 'Episodes: "Into the Breach", "Occupy HQ"' | |
| '2012–present' | 'YouTubers React' | 'Herself' | 'Various episodes' |
| '2012–2017' | 'YouTube Rewind' | 'Herself' | 'Six episodes' |
| '2012–2013' | 'MyMusic' | 'Hipster Idol' | 'Recurring role; three episodes' |
| 2013' | 'Pancake Manor' | 'Herself' | "" |
| 'Lauren' | 'Annie' | 'Recurring role; two episodes' | |
| '2013–present' | "The Gauntlet" | "Herself" | "Recurring role; six episodes" |
| "2014" | "District Voices" | "Herself" | "" |
| "2015" | "Fight of the Living Dead" | "Contestant" | "" |
| "2016 & 2019" | "Escape the Night" | "The Gambler / The Adventurer" | "Main roles; three episodes (Season One), two episodes (Season Four)" |
| "2016" | "Bad Internet" | "LizzieBeth" | "Episode: 'YouTube Death Battle Showdown'" |
| "2017" | "Good Mythical Morning" | "Herself" | "Episode: 'Strange Lollipop Taste Test ft. Rosanna Pansino & iJustine'" |
| "2017–18" | "Linus Sebastian#Linus Tech Tips" | "Herself" | "Two episodes" |
| 2018" | "Marques Brownlee#MKBHD" | "Herself" | "Episode: 'Naming the new iPhone X? Ask MKBHD V30!'" |
| "Sorted Food" | "Herself" | "Episode: 'Reviewing Potentially TERRIBLE Kitchen Gadgets Ft. iJustine'" |
Awards & Nominations
| Year | Category | Award Name | Outcome | Template:Refh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Best Vlogger | Streamy Awards | Template:Nom | |
| rowspan=2 | 2010 Teen Choice Awards | Choice Web Star | Teen Choice Awards | Template:Nom | |
| Web Personality/Host (People's Voice Award) | Webby Awards | Template:Won | ||
| Best First-Person Series | Streamy Awards | Template:Nom | ||
| Choice Web Star | Teen Choice Awards | Template:Nom | ||
| Best Collaboration – The Gauntlet, Season Two (with Rooster Teeth,Freddie Wong,Greg Miller,and Adam Kovic) |
Streamy Awards | Template:Nom | ||
| Best Lifestyle Series | Streamy Awards | Template:Won | ||
| Best Ensemble Cast – Escape the Night (with Joey Graceffa et al.) |
Streamy Awards | Template:Won | ||
| Vlogger of the Year | Shorty Awards | Template:Nom | ||
| Technology | Streamy Awards | Template:Nom |
See also
Bibliography
- I, Justine: An Analog Memoir authored by Justine Ezarik with C.L. Hargrave; Keywords Press; published in New York (2015); ISBN 9781476791517
External links
- Justine Ezarik's YouTube Channel
- Justine Ezarik's Profile on IMDb
- Justine Ezarik's Discography on Discogs
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- ↑ PR Week, June 27, 2008.
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- ↑ Advertising Age, November 24, 2008.
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- ↑ Streamys.org
- ↑ Maxim (magazine), 2010.
- ↑ Fast Company (magazine), October 25, 2010.
- ↑ Webby Awards
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter
- ↑ Streamys.org
- ↑ Streamys.org
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter
- ↑ Forbes
- ↑ YouTube Channel Stats
- ↑ PCMAG
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