When Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet praised her blog, 12-year-old Brooke Bestul knew she had made it big.
The tween stars in a serialized video blog produced by her twin brother, Bailey. In just under two years, the pair's YouTube videos have received over 60,000 views. What started out as a class project in the fifth grade spiraled into a video diary filled with skits, experiments and whimsy. Brooke says that doing the shows has given her a sense of freedom and allows her to be herself.
But that’s not the way things started. At first, Brooke didn’t want to be in front of the camera at all. When you meet her, you wouldn't think she was shy at all, but despite being exposed to acting and theater by her mother, she was nervous about starring in the videos.
Nowadays, Brooke is at ease with her work. She enjoys incoporating her real-life experiences into the skits and personas she develops. Her favorite character, for instance, is an old lady/grandma who she based on her time spent working in a retirement home.
“It’s lots of fun goofing off and doing skits,” admits the Minnesota native, who dreams of being a veterinarian when she grows up. Brooke and Bailey have been doing the shows for almost two years now with Bailey editing, directing and doing the majority of the behind-the-scenes work and Brooke taking on the role of breakthrough actress.
“It feels good to be seen online every day,” Brooke says. Supportive comments have been pouring in, including the one they received from Kate Winslet, whose children love the show. At first, Brooke didn’t understand how big a deal Kate was, but now she can’t believe her own notoriety. “It was awesome!” she says.
Brooke says that she feels some pressure to keep the show fresh and entertaining, especially with all the press that it’s been receiving, but she doesn’t sweat it. The duo tries to keep the show as updated as possible, with new skits, product reviews and kid-approved hi-jinks. Brooke loves that she and her bro are attracting so much attention. The two plan to continue the show, doing what comes naturally to them and what seems like “fun.”
Interested in seeing their show?
Click here to catch their latest video.