Food & Drink

Seattle’s YouTube Millionaire

Social media is more than a past-time for north Seattle Judy Travis. It's a way of life

By Seattle Mag May 17, 2016

A family is playing with toys in a living room.

This article originally appeared in the May 2016 issue of Seattle Magazine.

Judy Travis is undeniably one of social media’s biggest stars.

The north Seattle resident, who got her start posting amateur makeup reviews and how-tos in 2008 just for fun, has parlayed her passion for beauty products into a career as a “YouTuber.” And it’s a lucrative gig—some reports estimate her net worth at more than $1.5 million. Travis’ perky, open persona netted her It’s Judy Time YouTube channel masses of adoring fans, whose interest in getting to know the woman beyond the makeup prompted her to start a second channel. On It’s Judy’s Life, she shares details of her personal life, including her 2010 surprise engagement to her future husband, Benji, which has received more than 1.1 million views.

The first video of the couple’s now 2-year-old twins, which has 16 million views, is one of the channel’s most popular. Motherhood spurred her to launch, in 2013, a third channel, It’s Mommy’s Life. Her costar in life and on YouTube, Benji, who left his job in 2010 to be the full-time business manager of the Judy media empire, also has his own channel with 345,000 subscribers and has recently launched a new business, Video Influencers, to help others forge YouTube careers. When he spoke to Seattle magazine (Judy was apparently too busy to chat), he admitted that when Judy, a busy University of Washington student at the time, first started vlogging (video blogging), he questioned whether it was a valuable use of her already-stretched time.

“You could even say I was her first hater or the first person to judge her [for her YouTube work],” he says, laughing, “which is ironic, considering now she’s not only my boss, but my whole life is consumed by YouTube and social media.”

Back to Seattle’s Social Media Stars

 

Follow Us

Seattle Launches Public Poetry Campaign

Seattle Launches Public Poetry Campaign

Short poems on sustainability will crop up across the city in April

Poetry installations will appear across Seattle starting April 1 as part of the city’s Public Poetry campaign...

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Seattle's art scene is embracing more voices and viewpoints than ever

Seattle has become something of a hot spot for diversity in the arts...

The Power Of Quitting

The Power Of Quitting

Giving something up is never easy, especially because society rarely rewards such behavior

I’m not a quitter... llustration by Arthur Mount

Selling Seattle

Selling Seattle

New effort from Visit Seattle showcases the city’s stunning beauty

Visit Seattle’s new three-and-a-half-minute destination video is worth bragging about...