One thing you’ll notice from watching Claudia on YouTube is the way she articulates her thoughts, a trait that translates to her casual-speak, making her a very personable and engaging conversationalist. I have known Claudia for years and this has always stuck out to me in her professional and personal life as a reason for her success as it emphasizes what is truly a genuine persona. While Claudia has spent the majority of her career building her YouTube channel, she has recently delved more into acting, with a supporting role in the TV series, T@GGED (alongside Lia Marie Johnson and JC Caylen) as well as her first lead role in the short series The Commute— both AwesomenessTV productions. This marks a massive transition in content from YouTube, where Claudia edits and produces her videos completely, to the bigger screen where the only thing she can control is her performance. And even then, she says, it remains out of her control: “Having to be on set for so long and not being able to see the footage till months later with everyone else is nerve-racking, but at the same time I find that I’m happiest when I’m chasing things that make me nervous. When I’m nervous I know that I care, I care about the outcome and the process leading up to that. That’s why acting will always be a focus of mine because it’s exciting to play different roles— it puts me outside of my comfort zone.” She may consider herself outside of her comfort zone, but her performances in both projects demonstrate her ability to deliver standout performances among the many transitioning from YouTube to acting. And she’s motivated to get better, “I think it’s good to take classes and I have a lot of respect for the craft [of acting]. My brain is a sponge with this and I’m excited to learn more about it and understand it, it’s really fascinating to me.” When I ask if she views movies/TV with this approach, she says “100 percent,” before explaining how she likes to throw herself into the actor’s mindset, predicting how she might deliver a line with the same script. She speaks of acting with the measured obsession of anyone tirelessly devoted to a craft and the many ins and outs it has to master. While her experience with acting has just begun, it’s no surprise she is able to take to it so quickly. Her knack for performing has appeared through her videos, which demonstrate her creativity and ability to tell a story— much like directing or acting. The quality of Claudia’s videos are marked by what is clear commitment to preparing and editing a clear, cohesive story start to finish— something I suggest could bode well for a future in directing. “I like to walk into any situation with an open mindset, I don’t want to close anything off so if the time is right and that sparks an interest in me then hell yeah I’m so down.” And on whether or not she is busy-brained, she says, “Absolutely, I’m always thinking of video ideas or bigger scale stuff.” As Claudia preps her hair for the coming shoot, we chat about her hobbies, like painting and guitar, which she rates her skills at 4 out of 10 (we adjust to 1-10 after she refuses to play). The guitar, she bought on a whim with no intentions of taking lessons. “Here’s the thing,” she reasons, “I wanted a little side activity with no responsibility or have to become amazing at it. It’s kind of something that takes my mind of off things.” If it’s not clear yet, Claudia’s schedule is as demanding as any and especially at her age she values the off-times. Unplugging is a big part of a life spent being present online, she tells me. How does she unplug? “By going on weekend adventures. A few of my friends and I actually this summer we went to this dam where we jumped off cliffs.” This, I interject excitedly as though I’ve debunked her, she vlogged! And although I am right, Claudia says “there’s a difference between being on your phone and reading tweets living through others’ lives, and enjoying the moment, living with the people around you and capturing a photo.”
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What/who inspires you? Music. Any time I’m not feeling inspired I throw on music.
BUG OFF LOOK // + Swimsuit, Mandalynn Swim + Skirt & Jacket, Claudia’s own
Favorite song of all time? “Breezeblocks”. Favorite artist? Lewis Del Mar. Favorite movie? Mr. Nobody If you could have invented one existing *thing*? ...the onion chopper.