Ella Snyder, 19, was greeted by a group of friends from Parsons as she walked into Joe Coffee, and ordered a slice of pumpkin bread. “I’ll keep my jacket on ‘cause it’s so cold! Did you know they have the best pumpkin bread here? It’s so good,” she said with a smile, as she sat down for an interview. Snyder had some time to chat in between classes and describe how she handles her multiple responsibilities, including studying photography at Parsons, her job at Brandy Melville, modeling for Hello Models, and her YouTube channel.
Snyder is a vlogger, a fashion influencer, and a YouTuber. She began recording YouTube videos in her hometown of Savin Hill, in Boston, when she was in middle school. It served as an escape for her depression. Now, she considers it “the most consistent thing in my whole life.”
Before starting the channel, she asked for her parent’s permission. They were concerned for her safety but still supported her decision. “None of us thought it’d be where it is today,” she said. Even with a high social media standing and as a YouTuber, she does not share every detail of her life right now. There are some things, she said, “I want to talk about when the time is ready.”
Recently, Snyder hit 30,000 followers on Instagram and currently has more than 91,000 YouTube subscribers. Her channel is a balance between her art, such as her short videos from her portfolio before and during her time at Parsons, and her hobbies, such as storytime videos of significant moments she has experienced and vlogs of her day-to-day activities.
For one of her latest video, My Self Care Nighttime Routine (night in my life), Snyder got paid her month’s rent to talk about a skin care brand for two minutes. “I’m still a struggling New York art student and I got to pay my rent, so occasionally I’ll do a brand deal or a sponsored post,” she said. However, she avoids falling into the traps of influencers with the constant promotion of brands. “I don’t want to come off across as a sell out. That’s one of my biggest fears: seeming inauthentic or like I only do this for the money,” she added.
Snyder sometimes wants to enjoy the money she made for her personal use, not necessarily spend it all on rent. “I really want to buy Margiela boots,” she said with a laugh. “I just wish I could treat myself,” she added. (Snyder bought black Tabi boots last week.)
Going out of her routine can be risky, because maintaining a YouTube channel is a large commitment. Not only does she need time to record the content, whether it is a short vlog or a tour of the place she’s in for the day, she also needs to organize and edit it before posting. “It’s really hard to manage all of it. I have to take a lot of time off from other things to be able to maintain peace within my own life.”
In order to appropriately use her time, she mixes responsibilities. “With YouTube if I’m not doing a sponsored post or a sit down video, I vlog at school, at Brandy or at a shoot just to get two things done at the same time.” But, she is clear that taking care of her health is priority. While she initially guessed that she gets at least seven hours of sleep, she later corrected herself, “Wait, that’s too much. I try to get five or maybe six,” she said.
With her job as product researcher at retailer Brandy Melville, she’s had the opportunity to travel to Shanghai, China. The company paid for all of her expenses so she could design, try on, and sample jeans. The opportunity came about in a time when Snyder was overwhelmed with adjusting to the city after being home in Boston for the summer. Even though it was a drastic decision, she decided to go. Taking a couple of days off from her New York schedule helped her reflect on her purpose of being in New York City.
“That distance helped me prioritize all the things that were on my plate and I was like ‘school has to be my number one priority.’ Modeling and Brandy are not that important to me right now. I’m at school to get an education,” she said.
Snyder has been modeling since she was 16. It began when she took headshots for her best friend and when visiting the agency, she got signed. However, it was very unexpected. “Everyone told me, ‘You’re too short, You’re not special.’” Since the start of the school year, due to the Parsons workload, she has been less active in modeling.
Social media plays a big role in how Snyder’s platform has grown in the past couple of years. “Ella Snyder Fan Accounts” have sprung up on Instagram. Mary Zech, 20, Snyder’s roommate since freshman year, created a fan account as well. “I’m, like, obsessed with Ella,” she said jokingly. Because they saw each other every day, Zech would put up pictures of Snyder cooking or studying in their room. But Zech also experienced the creative and formal side of her roommate. “She is the most motivated person I know.” Zech said, referring to Snyder’s ability to maintain a steady platform and healthy lifestyle.
Walking around campus, Snyder has been stopped by other students to share how she has inspired them to attend The New School. “I’m honored when people come to me, it is something I don’t always keep in perspective,” she said.
Diversifying her passions, Snyder is also taking Intro to Screen Studies at Lang. “It is so fascinating and my favorite class right now.” This complements her secret film obsession. Her favorite film is Spike Jonze’s “Her.” Even though Snyder may be an open book on her social media platforms and channel, few may know her love of film inspires having a YouTube channel. “Film production plays a role into why I do YouTube,” Snyder says. Snyder has videos on her channel of her art portfolios with photography and short animations she has created during her time at Parsons.
She is conflicted over what path she will take when she graduates. She dreams of working in Los Angeles someday but she would also love to be a creative director “of anywhere, really,” she says. Her work as a student, model, YouTuber and content creator, gives Ella Snyder numerous possibilities of where to go.
“I think that what I’m doing by making these videos and modeling and working and school is really just part of The New School culture. We are all struggling, and as corny as it sounds, we are all in this together,” Snyder said.