Julia Graf for Ringier

I am both proud and very excited to announce my partnership with Ringier Media Group. Starting immediately I will have my own weekly video series with Blick and Blick am Abend where I will feature makeup tutorials in German language.

You can click here to read the official Press Release Statement from Ringier.

For those who are unfamiliar, Ringier is an internationally active media publishing group, and the biggest media company in Switzerland. Based in Zurich, it publishes over 120 newspapers and magazines and has many online platforms, and passed 1 Billion Swiss Franks in sales (about 1 Billion USD) in 2014.

I am beyond thrilled at this new partnership. What does this mean for you? Well, nothing will change as far as my main channel is concerned, I will continue to post videos there on makeup, fitness, and lifestyle as you know it. 

You will, however, have the option of watching an extra video each week - in German language - on the Ringier websites like Blick and Blick am Abend. You can watch my first video online here. I'd be so happy if you left some comments there to show your support!

There's no way to subscribe to the video series like there is on Youtube; however, I will post a link to the new video each week on my social media channels like Twitter and Facebook, so make sure you're following me there to be notified. You can also head to the website each Monday, and my video will be found somewhere on the front page or on your mobile device.

Thanks to Ringier for offering me this wonderful opportunity, and I look forward to seeing you there as well as on Youtube!

Julia Graf in NZZ am Sonntag

Last Sunday I was featured in one of Switzerland's biggest, nation-wide newspapers, the NZZ am Sonntag. The article talks about the importance of online content, and how it has become much more engaging and professionally made. I was interviewed as the main protagonist, and the article talks about what I do on Youtube, how my audience has grown over the years, and how my content has been improved to keep up with the times. Whereas I once started with a cheap web cam, now my videos are on a near professional level.

You can click on the picture to enlarge it, so you can read the article in German. Unfortunately, there is no free online version, as you need a newspaper subscription to access it. I couldn't scan a little bit of the article as the newspaper was too large to fit my scanner, but the main part is there.

You can read more Press about me here.

Julia Graf in Zurich Tagesanzeiger and Der Bund

Back in April I was interviewed for the Zurich Tagesanzeiger, another one of Switzerland's biggest and most widely read papers, especially in Zurich. It was at the same printed in Der Bund, another influential Swiss newspaper. The coolest part: I made it on to the front page of both newspapers with a picture!!

I then had an ENTIRE page in both papers dedicated to my article and a big picture, which is quite lengthy and in depth. I will have to take a picture of the article later, as it wouldn't fit on my scanner.

You can read the entire article online here. Honestly, this article in these two papers caused a slew of other press inquiries which I have posted before this. It was a bit of a whirlwind for me, and quite surprising, but amazing too. Thank you to Angela Barandun for the interview!

Read more Press about me by clicking here.

Julia Graf on Aeschbacher

On June 6, 2013 I was invited as a guest on the most popular Swiss late night talk-show, Aeschbacher. You can think of it as a smaller version of something like Leno or Letterman (much smaller of course, as Switzerland is a small country.) The host Kurt Aeschbacher has interviewed local and internationally known celebrities, politicians, artists, writers, and sometimes just interesting people with a unique story to tell, like myself.

I was invited on the show to basically talk about myself, my success on Youtube, what kinds of videos I make and how I made a career out of it by working together with key players in the industry, what a normal work day looks like for me, etc. Unfortunately there's no subtitles, but I can tell you the interview is very light-hearted and fun. The host as a way of infusing the talks with his own charm and wit, making it entertaining for everyone to watch.

Honestly, this was probably my biggest media appearance yet. The show Aeschbacher is known by everyone in Switzerland, and it's a completely different audience than on Youtube, for example. I was both proud, but also extremely honoured to be asked to come on the show. Kurt Aeschbacher is such a gentleman, and the staff are so professional and made me feel at ease right away. Thank you for having me! It was a wonderful experience.

To see more Press about me, click here.

Julia Graf in Schweizer Familie

I was interviewed and photographed in my new studio for the 27. June 2013 (Nr.26) issue of the Swiss magazine Schweizer Familie. Click on the image to see and read in full size.

For non-German speakers: This article was a short portrait at the very beginning of the magazine (page 9) that gives readers a quick look into who I am, what I do, and how I make my videos. It talks about how I make videos in English and German, how I made a career out of my beauty blog and Youtube channel, and how many people watch my videos.

Thank you for the interview, Schweizer Familie!

To read more Press articles about me, click here.

Julia Graf in 20 Minutes

I apologize in advance for the slew of press articles I'm going to be post on my Blog today. A lot of these are articles that are slightly older, but I never uploaded them here, and I want to have them all present. Maybe some of you haven't seen them yet either, and are interested!

Here I was interviewed for an article on May 2nd, 2013 for the largest daily free newspaper 20 Minuten. Click on the image to read it full size.

For non-German speakers: This article doesn't contain any groundbreaking news that my longtime viewers and readers don't know yet. It basically talks about my Youtube channel, what I do, how many people watch my channel, and how I got started doing videos on there. Nonetheless it was great to have exposure to such a huge readership, because this newspaper is read by basically everyone on the trains, buses and trams in the morning here.

Click here to read more Press articles about me.

My Joiz TV interview

Last evening I had a Live TV interview on Joiz TV, a Swiss television network. What I love about Joiz is that it's focused toward a young and engaged audience, their employees are largely 30 years old and younger, and their shows are all integrated with Facebook, Twitter, online chatrooms and other online content. A perfect platform for me to be introduced to such a great audience!

Here are all the parts of the interview, just click on the link to watch. It's in German, but maybe you can pick up some parts. And thank you so much to everyone who tuned in on TV, online through their website, and who sent in audience questions on their chatroom. Your support was great!

The 30 minute interview was split into multiple parts. Some of the issues that were addressed: Who I am and how did I get into Youtube, why has my channel been so successful, why did I get into makeup and where are my roots from professionally, what my vision is for the future, how do I deal with both positive and negative feedback, what it's like to produce content for Youtube all on my own, how I deal with cosmetic brands, how has my life changed since my Youtube fame.

Thank you to everyone at Joiz for the opportunity!

To see more Press about me, click here.

Press: Ladies Drive interview

I was recently interviewed for Ladies Drive, a business magazine geared towards career women. The article is titled "Live Your Dream" and is a portrait of three women from very different backgrounds and walks of life who have made their dream their reality.

I love this article for a few reasons. For one, it's not specifically about Youtubers and how much we earn, which seems to be the repeating trend with these types of articles (not that I'm not grateful for the press, I am, but it just gets a bit dull.) More so it's about how women can empower themselves to make the most out of their lives, and have their careers go in a completely different direction than anticipated.

I enjoyed reading about the two other protagonists, one is a Tibetan women who was born in Switzerland and worked for 20 years as a financial advisor in a bank, then turned to Tibetan folk singing. The other is about a woman who discovered meditation upon visiting an Ashram in India, and decided to enter a career as a meditation coach. Lastly the article also talks about myself, who started off as a Political Science graduate and suddenly rediscovered myself as a beauty blogger.

Here is the article in full in German, click on full size images to read the text.

Some excerpts I've translated to English:

What experiences have shaped you the most as a person?

 After I graduated from high school and before going to university in Canada I traveled around the world for two years, earned my own money. This really changed me. I became more accustomed to taking risks. Lots of things happen when you travel on your own. This unknown factor to experience something totally new definitely shaped who I am today. Beauty isn't everything to me. I guess it's also quite a contrast to what I do on my channel.

Are you happy and proud of your "pioneer" work on Youtube? 

I'm super happy about everything! I put a lot of work into my videos, I pour my heart and soul into them. My videos can be pretty elaborate to make. Sometimes a 5-minute video is actually a result of 10 or more hours of work. I'm proud of that. If you do something with love and passion, it's a very rewarding experience. It's nearly a full time job by now, I work part-time. Especially answering comments and such on Facebook and Twitter takes lots of time. But that's a part of the whole Youtube experience and I love getting feedback from my viewers. My subscribers know I'm available to them. Of course I don't get paid for that but I enjoy it. It's hard to get back to everybody though because by now I have so many fans who ask questions.

How can we imagine your work environment?

I do everything myself, I'm completely a one-woman show. I record the videos myself, I do all the editing, cutting, photography, and respond to comments myself. The advantage is you have complete creative control and I don't have to share my earnings with a production team. Some Youtubers are doing it that way now but for me it's out of the question right now. I think these kind of videos don't look natural anymore, they just come across as commercials. I don't want that for my channel. I like how personable my videos are and that I can be creative. 

What is your vision of beauty?

Well, there's a really traditional picture of how women should do their makeup - very neutral and toned down, and it should be done to appear attractive to men. What a load of crock! I think each person should present themselves as they wish, and not care so much about what others might think. I don't like these traditional stereotypes at all. As a Blogger I try to present a variety of looks so that everyone might find something they like, regardless of their taste.

Do you think people stereotype you?

I think some people probably think, "Oh she's just another one of those shallow makeup girls, she just cares about what she looks like, what an airhead." I think it's dumb to stereotype people like that. This isn't the only important thing in my life. There's a lot of really young girls nowadays on Youtube who also make makeup tutorials for school makeup and things like that. But just looking pretty isn't going to get you very far in life! Makeup is fun and it's a creative outlet for me, but it's not the most important thing in life to just be beautiful.

How important is it for you to be able to "live your dream"?

Very important! I love what I do, but I haven't set everything in stone for my future. I just try things out and see if it works. In the beginning, I didn't earn a single penny doing this. When the Youtube Partner program started I had no idea where it would take me. But my goal isn't to be super rich, I'm not like that. I know in what direction I want to go but you never know where life will take you. Especially since the Internet is very volatile - what's hip and cool now might be out already next week.

Thank you to Sandra Triebl for the interview!

To see more Press about me, click here.

On TV: Tele Züri

I was recently interviewed for Tele Züri for the program Lifestyle. It's a program about celebrities, noteworthy people in Switzerland, beauty, trends, home decor, etc. The program is then syndicated on TV stations across the country.

The piece was a feature about my Youtube channel's success and the work that I do here. This is the first TV interview where it was a portrait solely about me - I'm really honoured and humbled! Thanks to Roland Kessler for the interview, and to all of you for your ongoing support.

If you'd like to see the interview, I've added in English subtitles so you can understand it.

Or watch it on Youtube here.

For all my previous Press mentions and interviews, click here.

Netzwoche & St.Galler Tagblatt

As you might have seen from my previous post, I was recently invited to hold a Keynote speech at a business networking event in Switzerland.

At the event I was interviewed by 2 journalists, and I wanted to share them with you.

First up a more in-depth interview with the St. Galler Tagblatt newspaper, which you can click to see full size if you want to read it. It is in German, but I will try to translate a few excepts for you this week (too tired right now, it's midnight here and I've worked all day!)

Next I was also published in Netzwoche, which is a magazine focused on IT news, Internet, new Tech releases, etc.

This extensive article reporting on the event and on my Keynote speech can be read online on their website here: Click! 

Again, I will try to translate some excerpts into English for you this week. Thank you to Raya Badraun and Miriam Kalunder for the articles!

See more Press clippings about me here - click

My Keynote at 5 Connect

I was recently invited to hold the Keynote speech at the 5 Connect Event hosted by the Wirtschaftsfrauen Ostschweiz in St. Gallen. It is a business networking association for and by successful women from all sectors - marketing, public relations, business, journalism, law, etc. The theme of the event was "Social Media", and I was invited to share the story of my Youtube successes and blunders to an audience of about 40 members. The event took place in the historic building of the Vadian Bank, and my speech with question and answer period was about 50 minutes long.

I created an extensive Keynote slideshow on my MacBook, during which I detailed what I do on Youtube, Facebook, Blogger and Twitter, the story of my Youtube channel, how it developed and grew over time, and tips for businesses interested in broadening their online reach, what to do and what to avoid, etc.

Be prepared to see some of the most unflattering mid-speech and blinding-full-on-flash photos! Dear god. You have been forewarned.

With Iris Müller - a long-time Subscriber of my channel, business woman, and event organizer

Setting up my Keynote presentation

Hi I'm Julia, and I'm going to talk to you about social media...I iz an Exphert!! :p

Q&A time - more like Deer caught in headlights!!! O.o

Pimp my Presentation - with Apple Keynote!

Looks like I made a new friend! Hello :)

Audience members networking and getting their groove on

OMG I can haz present??? Wheeeee!!! Thanks you, Iris!

Not done yet! Giving an interview to a journalist from the press

OK that was strenuous, I'd better hit the buffet! And no, I didn't hit the dessert buffet 3 times. Nope. Not me! I would never do such a thing...

The presentation was a thorough success, and I am so honored that I had the opportunity to share my experience and tips with fellow successful women. Thank you to the Wirtschaftsfrauen Ostschweiz, and especially Iris Müller for all your support. I had some wonderful conversations, met interesting people, and got great feedback on my Keynote.

Find out more about the Business Women Switzerland network by visiting their homepage here

Berner Zeitung - Swiss newspaper

Back in February I was featured in the Berner Zeitung, the main newspaper for the canton Berne, in which I live. Here is a screenshot of the article, which can also be read online HERE: click!

Well, I don't think I can translate the whole text for you, but maybe some excerpts:

Julia originally studied Political Science in university, and also spent some time as an exchange student at the University of Berne. After graduating, she worked full time for a while, but as her Youtube videos became more successful, she began to focus more of her energy around it. (I currently work part time around my video time)

Some people might think that Julia is a shallow person, due to the nature of her videos. But this estimation is incorrect: "I only became interested in makeup when I was already in university." ... It is hard to have a clear focus in such a fast-changing environment. "Passing 100 Million views will be a big milestone for me, maybe I should have a party," says the young woman.

Thank you Claudia Salzmann for the interview!

Click here to read all previous press clippings.

German TV: Deutsche Welle interview

Back in March I was interviewed for the German TV station Deutsche Welle. Their programming is seen worldwide in many countries, catering mainly to German expats abroad, and is often available on Cable TV. My father even watches it sometimes in Canada!

The interview team flew in from Berlin and came to my humble abode to film and interview me for their piece on Youtube and the success of some Youtube Partners.

Some screenshots from the segment:

I love how they call me an "Internet Millionaire" - hah, I wish! I have no idea where they got that idea from because as a Youtube Partner, I'm never allowed to talk about my Adsense earnings. Take these news reports with a grain of salt, often they are sensationalized somewhat to make them more "wow" worthy for viewers.

The segment aired on TV in March, and is available to view online on their website HERE: Click! It is in German, but it's fun to watch all the same even if you don't speak German.

They did get a few things wrong: I produce on average 2.2 videos per week (not 1) and I do still have another source of income. Oh well...

Thank you to Axel Primavesi for the interview!

Click here to see all my Press clippings

10 vor 10: Primetime News Interview

Back in October I was interviewed by the national Swiss news crew for their evening news called "10 vor 10". It was obviously a huge highlight for my Youtube career, and I've been really impatient to see the finished result. Yesterday it finally aired across the country, and I sat glued to my TV in anticipation.

I recorded and subtitled the interview for you, so if you're curious, take a look!

Thank you to Urs Schnellmann and the team at 10vor10 for the interview, and thanks to all my viewers for your wonderful and continued support of my work on my channel. It's obviously a huge reaffirmation for me to continue working hard on my videos and enjoy this whole experience.

Süddeutsche Zeitung - German newspaper

I was recently interviewed for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of the biggest and most prolific newspapers in Germany. The article is written in German, and discusses the rise and popularity of haul videos on Youtube. I was interviewed for this since my channel is one of the most viewed and subscribed channels in all of Europe. Here are some excerpts which I have translated for you. You can enlarge the picture above full size if you want to read it better.

Julia, aka MissChievous, a citizen of Switzerland, has dark hair and a face like a porcelain doll, and is one of Europe's most successful "beauty gurus", as they are known. Julia has fans from all around the world, she creates beauty videos in German and English language. More than 370,000 people have subscribed to her channel, and her videos have been watched 8 million time. (My note: This is wrong, my videos have been watched over 80 million times!) "My viewers don't want to solely rely on commercials. I give my honest opinions about products, and I look like a regular person, not like a model. I think this is important," says Julia.

She works 20-30 hours per week on her videos, replies to comments and questions, and interacts with her fans. For many viewers, these girls are their role models. But for some, it results in jealousy from viewers, daily insults are very common.

Some beauty gurus become marketing experts, and interact with their fans on many platforms - Youtube, Facebook, Twitter - to increase their reach. They link to their beauty blogs and websites, some even have their own online shops. It becomes much more than simply a hobby: "Things have changed since the brands have noticed the potential of Youtube," says Julia. "The videos have become more professional, less casual, and some viewers have become distrustful. Often I have to assure them that my opinion is not for sale."

The article is quite long so I can't translate the whole text but it's quite well written. Some of my quotes are a bit different than what I actually said.

Thanks to Eva Geilersdorfer for the interview!

Click here to see more press clippings about me.

In Bravo & Israeli newspaper

I'm really not on the ball for publishing where I appeared in the press, so here's a whole slew of them!

In March 2011 my channel was mentioned in BRAVO, a famous German teen trend and celebrity magazine, as one of the Top 10 Youtube beauty channels.

In September 2011 I was featured in an Israeli newspaper (without my knowledge) in an article on Youtube beauty videos. If you can read Hebrew, here is the article (link). Thanks Avital for the translation:

Our best friend: MissChievous

Julia, a normal looking Swiss gal, is an avid pop culture fan who is fast to recreate, at home conditions and with great precision, looks from video clips, movies and magazine productions. With eloquence and captivating attitude Julia doesn't miss any good make up look and she will teach you how to apply make up to look like Katy Perry and Blake Lively did on their last photo shoot.

The atmosphere: fun pop funk and the inspiration sources include Kim Kardashian and Emma Watson on their last premiere. Highly recommended: with all due respect to the Kardashian sisters, this video, where Julia speaks in German (and stumbles upon the products' names), demonstrates the fun vibe of her channel.

LOL what a funny write up! :)

Then today I was featured on OrangeCounty.com also in article about Halloween tutorials. You can check out the full article here (link). My Spider Queen and recent Tinkerbell tutorial are mentioned - yay!

If you want to see where else I have been interviewed or mentioned in the past, click here.

My exhibition at Zurich Design Museum

A while back (in the summer) I told you about an upcoming exhibition at the Zurich Design Museum that my makeup videos were going to be featured in. This is the exhibition:

Well anyhow, I went to see the exhibition twice, but only on the last day did I film. So I'm sorry to say the exhibition has now ended, but here's a quick video to give you a sneak peek into what it was like, and how my work was presented.

I was super happy about this! Many thanks to Renate Menzi, the curator of the Zurich Design Museum for selecting my work to be a part of this.

New York Times feature

Yours truly appeared in the freakin' New York Times print edition, and online! I am so excited! On October 28th I appeared in a short article about Halloween tutorials on Youtube, click on the image for full size.

You can read the online version here. Other Youtube vloggers mentioned include Petrilude and Goldiestarling. Thanks so much to Hilary Howard for the interview, I felt honored to be included. I am pictured in the middle with my Dead Doll Halloween makeup look.

Cleo Magazine Feature

Thanks to two of my Twitter followers for tweeting me pictures of a small feature I had this month in a Malaysian magazine called Cleo, along with other Youtubers. The feature is about vampire-esque makeup videos and three different looks were selected, including mine. They featured my Evan Rachel Wood recreation from her character in True Blood.

If you missed out on that particular video and would like to see it, you can click here to check back on that entry.

For more Press clippings, click here.

Makeup Artist Magazine Interview

I was recently interviewed by Cori Stoddard for Makeup Artist Magazine; the interview is published in the current issue (Nr. 84). Exciting!! For those of you unfamiliar with Makeup Artist Magazine, it is one of the most widely recognized magazines in the industry for makeup artists working in movies, TV, theater and print. They often feature and interview prominent artists, give behind the scenes looks, showcase new products, and contain lots of inspirational images from portfolios. Makeup Artist Magazine are also the driving force behind the International Makeup Artist Trade Show (IMATS), which hosts shows in LA, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver and London.

It was a huge honor for me to be interviewed, along with my fellow colleagues from Youtube and the blogosphere. Others interviewed include Lauren Luke, Elessa from Pursebuzz, Koren from Enkore Makeup, and Lianne from The Makeup Girl.

I've scanned the 2 page article below, I am featured on the second page. Click to see and read it full size.