Forum Views () 
Forum Replies ()  
 
 
Read more with google mobile :
YouTube star Fred won't be changed by fame, says creator  
 
 
 
 
 
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
 
 
 
Asia Pacific
World
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
YouTube star Fred won't be changed by fame, says creator
 
 
  
 
 Reuters - Saturday, September 18
 
 
Send
 
IM Story
 
Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
By Belinda Goldsmith
 
SYDNEY - As YouTube star Fred Figglehorn prepares for his movie debut, his creator Lucas Cruikshank is making sure fame does not corrupt the fast-talking, goofy kid who has won a massive online following.
 
Fred, a high-pitched six-year-old with an alcoholic mother and anger management issues, was created four years ago by 17-year-old Cruikshank who enjoyed making videos and posting them on YouTube.
 
Within a year of the first official Fred video appearing in 2008, the channel featuring clips of Fred ranting to the camera about various issues had over one million subscribers, making it the most subscribed channel on YouTube.
 
The Fred channel now has 1.97 million subscribers, has received over 580 million views, and is listed as the No. 2 all-time most subscribed YouTube channel.
 
Spotting Fred's rising star, cable TV network Nickelodeon contacted Cruikshank and their collaboration led Fred into television, starring in his own movie "Fred: The Movie" that airs on September 18. A DVD release with extra features is set for October 5.
 
"I always dreamt of being an actor TV but I never thought it was possible as I live in the Mid-West and there is not much opportunity for the entertainment business out here," Cruikshank told Reuters in a telephone interview from Columbus, Nebraska.
 
In the movie, Fred, played by Cruikshank, is 15-years-old but still with the mind-set of a six-year-old, the digitally enhanced high voice, and the same unrequited crush on Judy.
 
The film features iCarly's Jennette McCurdy as Bertha, WWE's John Cena as Fred's imaginary dad and Siobhan Fallon as his mother. Judy is played by British teen Pixie Lott.
 
There is talk of a second movie but nothing is yet signed although Cruikshank has signed up for a new TV series with Nickelodeon, "Marvin Marvin," about an alien who does not fit in.
 
Cruikshank said despite Fred's fame, he remains at high school and his parents still insist on homework before he gives time to Fred or acting.
 
Fred has proved lucrative for Cruikshank. Analytics and advertising company TubeMogul estimated the Fred channel on YouTube earned Cruikshank $146,000 in the past year from revenue raised through banner ads served near content, making him one of the top earning independent YouTube stars.
 
"I will not abandon Fred. The movie is the biggest thing I have ever done with Fred and after that it should all fall into place," said Cruikshank. "I am hoping my fans will follow me with a bunch of characters but Fred will always be with me."
 
Cruikshank said the biggest lesson he has learned since Fred hit the limelight was to be more assertive and stay true to the Fred he created.
 
"When you create something by yourself, in your house, but then it gets big, you have everyone telling you what you should do," he said. "You have to know what you want to do with it.
 
"When the Fred videos first started getting popular I was 14 and I didn't know how to handle being in a meeting room with 20 adults and the center of attention. But I got over it and I am more comfortable with it now."
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recommend
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Send
 
IM Story
 
Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
Related Articles
 
 
Polanski's 'Ghost Writer' wins prize at San Sebastian AFP -  16 minutes ago
 
Director says Mexicans being 'hunted down' in Arizona AFP - 2 hours 3 minutes ago
 
Toronto film festival marks turnaround in movie sales AFP - 2 hours 10 minutes ago
 
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - 2 hours 54 minutes ago
 
Freida Pinto plays object of desire in "Stranger" Reuters - 2 hours 54 minutes ago
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
News Search
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Top Stories
 
 
 
 
Busted well to be 'completely sealed' by Saturday: BP
Eurozone trade deficit steady in July
Denmark's TDC sells Swiss offshoot for 2.5 bln euros
City, Liverpool win as Europa League gorges on goals
US toughens demand for China currency action
 
 
 
 More Top Stories »
 
 
 
ADVERTISEMENT
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Most Popular
 
 
 
 
Most Viewed
 
Most Recommended
 
 
 
 
UN scientists say ozone layer depletion has stopped
 
Number of poor in US jumps to record 43.7 million
 
City, Liverpool win as Europa League gorges on goals
 
US toughens demand for China currency action
 
Arctic sea ice melts to third lowest area on record
 
 
 More Most Viewed »
 
 
 
 
 
Climate: New study slashes estimate of icecap loss
 
US pastor puts Koran-burning on hold
 
'Time bomb' superbug requires global response: doctor
 
Japanese rider Tomizawa dies in San Marino Moto2 GP
 
Vitamin B 'could delay Alzheimer's onset'
 
 
 More Most Recommended »
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
 
 
 
 
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
 
 
Stars and latest movies
 
 
Best travel destinations
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
More on Yahoo! News
 
 
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
 
Also on Yahoo!
 
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
 
Site Highlights
 
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
World Cup 2010
Yahoo! News Network 
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy 
- Terms of Service 
- Community 
- Intellectual Property Rights Policy 
- Help
        
    
  
   
 
 
    
   
 
Other News on Saturday, 18 September 2010 Clinton seeks Iran humanitarian gesture on hikers  
NATO chief urges Russia's inclusion under security 'tent'  
U.N. seeks $2 billion aid for Pakistan flood relief
|  
Taliban kidnap candidate on eve of Afghan poll  
Cybercrime is world's most dangerous criminal threat  
Eurozone trade deficit steady in July  
Six men held in Britain over pope visit 'terror' alert  
Poland briefly detains Chechen wanted by Russia
|  
Lebanon tribunal says can hear El Sayed file request  
First rescue drill reaches trapped Chile miners
|  
South Sudan leader warns of violence if vote delayed
|  
Sarkozy draws Germany into Roma row
|  
Afghans head to polls as Taliban threats mount  
Clinton seeks Iran humanitarian gesture on hikers
|  
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary  
Karzai urges Afghans to vote, ignore Taliban  
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon to sell Samsung's iPad rival  
Sony hopes Facebook film befriends fans and Oscar  
Thai 'Red Shirts' rally to mark coup and crackdown  
Hurricane Karl strikes Mexico near shut nuclear plant  
Clinton to attend East Asia Summit in Hanoi  
Rare sighting in Laos of mysterious beast  
Korean singer 'pulled teeth to avoid conscription'  
Prada H1 profits nearly quadruple  
Joaquin Phoenix 'documentary' was faked: Affleck  
YouTube star Fred won't be changed by fame, says creator  
Dell to invest 100 billion dollars in China by 2020  
Bharti picks IBM to upgrade Africa mobile network  
Japan ready to weaken yen again despite criticism  
Thai tussle over 3G mobile auction spooks investors  
Pakistani July/August foreign investment falls 34.1 pct  
Freida Pinto plays object of desire in Stranger
|  
NBA star Nash introduces film on his Canadian hero
|  
Death of a President director takes on slavery
|  
Oprah picks Franzen's novel Freedom for book club
|  
Officials register Putin 2012 websites in election riddle  
Brazilians pay most for new iPhone  
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon to sell Samsung's iPad rival  
Japan suspects cyber attacks amid China row: media  
Cybercrime is world's most dangerous criminal threat  
Iranian and Syrian presidents meet in Damascus  
Sweden's welfare state at heart of final election debate  
Rockets, attacks strike as Afghan poll opens
|  
 seeks to ease tensions with Alibaba  
Rocket attack on NATO headquarters in Kabul: NATO  
First rescue drill reaches trapped Chile miners
|  
Lindsay Lohan fails drug test, faces jail again  
Chechen exile leader freed in Poland  
Security, rain dampen China protests against Japan
|  
Afghans vote amid threats and scattered attacks  
ACS defends takeover bid for Hochtief  
Samsung takes aim at Apple's iPad, iTunes  
Afghans vote for parliament despite some attacks  
Pope decries 'marginalisation' of religion  
Iranian and Syrian presidents meet in Damascus
|  
Obama names Warren to set up new consumer finance body  
Brazil's Rousseff widens lead despite scandals
|  
South Sudan leader warns of violence if vote delayed  
Busted well to be 'completely sealed' by Saturday: BP  
Kenya says world neglecting Somalia security threat
|  
Polls opens for Afghanistan parliamentary election  
Mid-strength typhoon on track to lash Taiwan Sunday
|  
Polling opens for Afghan parliamentary vote  
France defends possible warship sale to Russia
|  
France urges danger zone exit after Niger kidnap
|  
Quake shakes north Afghanistan, no damage reported  
Insurgents fire rockets to disrupt Afghan election  
Protesters stage anti-Japan rallies in China  
Japan press welcomes cabinet but warns on yen, China  
Russell Brand arrested in paparazzi scuffle  
Australian soldiers face violent Afghan protest: military  
Australian yachting race claims life in rough weather  
Ahmadinejad leaves for Syria, Algeria, US  
Sri Lanka begins clearing after blast  
Samsung takes aim at Apple's iPad, iTunes  
Security, rain dampen China protests against Japan  
Karl downgraded to tropical storm  
N.Korea may have hit succession snag: report  
Couple charged in nuclear weapons secrets case  
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary  
Thai 'Reds' head north for coup, crackdown rallies  
New death sparks fresh protests in Indian Kashmir  
Russell Brand arrested in paparazzi scuffle  
Taiwan, China on alert as powerful typhoon nears  
Lindsay Lohan tweets that she failed drug test  
Few in Wash. city are angry at acid hoax woman  
Letterman knew Joaquin Phoenix was faking: writer  
US must free Iranians in return for freed hiker: Ahmadinejad  
Italian politician slams Tarantino's Venice stint  
U.S. scientist charged with peddling nuclear secrets  
Gospel singer Wilson's "Love" still strong  
Darius Rucker readies second country album  
Michael Moore knocks Canadian policy  
Cameras rolled while Fantasia recovered from overdose  
Stewart and Colbert plan spoof of Tea Party rally  
US, Indonesia pledge work on hot-button issues  
Lindsay Lohan tweets that she failed drug test
|  
Russell Brand arrested in paparazzi scuffle
|  
Lady Gaga urges repeal of gay military ban
|  
Letterman knew Joaquin Phoenix was faking: writer
|  
Ricky Gervais at work on new UK series
|  
Stewart and Colbert plan spoof of Tea Party rally
|  
Gospel singer Wilson's Love still strong
|  
Italian politician slams Tarantino's Venice stint
|  
Michael Moore knocks Canadian policy
|  
Pope apologizes for abuse as thousands march in protest
|  
1,000 computer hackers meet in Budapest  
Afghans vote for parliament amid threats, attacks  
Deadly clashes erupt with 'Al-Qaeda' fighters in Mali  
Mauritania says 12 Qaeda members killed in clash
|  
One killed as police open fire on crowd in Kashmir
|  
Six people kidnapped in restive Iran province: police
|  
Sudanese migrant shot dead at Egypt-Israel border
|  
Nigerian leader front-runner as election battle begins
|  
French team probe Rwandan leader's 1994 plane crash
|  
Indian Kashmir death toll tops 100  
English women's football team arrives in N.Korea  
Myanmar 'issues warning to Suu Kyi party'  
Thailand's Thaworn leads at Yeangder golf event  
UK beach clean up attracts thousands  
UK village life 'dying out' as pubs shut  
Toyota 'settles suit' over fatal San Diego crash  
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro  
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found  
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever  
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production  
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time  
AMD to Start Production of piledriver  
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs  
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia  
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air  
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch  
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent  
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up  
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform  
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis  
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets  
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights