Joyce Ilg has been successfully involved in the German YouTuber scene for over a year. Otherwise she works as a presenter and actress, preferably in German early evening series and television films. In the interview, the Cologne native explains what she thinks is good and bad about the YouTube hype, how she makes money with it and whether her name is really Joyce Ilg.
Joyce, you work as an actress, presenter and have a successful YouTube channel. What does a normal weekday look like for you?
That's totally different. My work for the YouTube channel alone involves so many different work steps. I write concepts for half a day, shoot for one to two days, and edit for one or two days. There are days when I just sit at the computer and days when I'm just out and about, for example at some event.
How did you explain to your grandma what you were doing on YouTube?
I never really explained this to her, but she has now found out for herself by watching a lot of my shows. As a YouTuber, you are primarily a video producer, but you have to do all the tasks that need to be done. Therefore, the video may not look totally professional, but it has more authenticity. And that's what makes it so appealing for young viewers.
Do you have a goal with your videos? Do you have a message?
At the beginning I just made the videos to let off steam and have fun. But now I've developed a kind of message: that girls can also make a fool of themselves and do embarrassing things. This is well received by my viewers; they write to me that it gives them more self-confidence.
Does it annoy you that there are so many beauty and make-up videos circulating online?
Personally, I can't do anything with it, even though I really like many of the make-up YouTubers in my private life. I don't think it's important that girls always look super pretty and put together. That's why I don't condemn the make-up YouTubers. You can choose which videos you watch.
What else do you consider when choosing your topics?
I prefer to hold back from polarizing views. I want to use my topics to encourage people to think independently so that they can find their own opinion.
In some of your sketches you criticize how we deal with the internet, smartphones and our time today. How do you see the media change?
I really think about it a lot because it's getting out of hand. Before I joined YouTube, I never posted anything myself. Now I use social media daily because it's part of my job. You have to keep in mind that posts from the internet can no longer be retrieved. I also constantly receive emails, calls and messages that I have to answer immediately. This really annoys me. I've already thought about creating a two-hour slot a day in which I respond to emails and otherwise setting up an automatic email response.
You now earn so much from your YouTube channel that you could live off it. How does this work?
On the one hand, a commercial is placed in front of the videos through which YouTubers earn money. You can also do product placement, i.e. show things in your own video and collect money for it. You have no influence on the advertising that precedes it, but in the video I only show products that I think are good or that I can represent. I get a lot of requests, but I turn down most of them. For example, the one from McDonalds because I'm a vegetarian and therefore don't want to support this company.
The “YouTube star” business model has been heavily criticized recently. Some of them, like the beauty and fashion blogger “Bibi”, present products that they link to under the video, and if they purchase via the link they receive a commission. What do you think of it?
These things remind me a bit of teleshopping: introducing products and immediately stating where you can order them. I do not do things like that. But this is very common among beauty and fashion YouTubers. They're constantly holding products up to the camera anyway - they can't do their make-up without products. I can understand why they link the products, people ask about them anyway. And then why shouldn't they make a deal where she gets a share of the money? That's understandable, but for me it's rather uninteresting.
You link to a clothing brand under your videos.
Yes, this is a label that belongs to my colleague Chris and me. We both design t-shirts that we sell there.
Do you, like many of your colleagues, have management for the YouTube channel?
For me there is no one behind the channel, neither a network nor a management. For now, I decided to stay free here. But that can change at some point.
Is Joyce Ilg actually your real name?
Yes, that's what it says on my ID card too. Ilg is actually a German surname, just very rare. And Joyce chose my mom. She used to be a hippie girl and thought the word “Joy” in the name was so beautiful.
Joyce Ilg has been successfully involved in the German YouTuber scene for over a year. Otherwise she works as a presenter and actress, preferably in German early evening series and television films. In the interview, the Cologne native explains what she thinks is good and bad about the YouTube hype, how she makes money with it and whether her name is really Joyce Ilg.
