Collins Key (born May 9, 1996)[citation needed] is an American YouTuber, entertainer, and magician. As of March 2024, his channel has amassed nearly 24 million subscribers,[2] generating more than 75 million views per month with over 6.7 billion total lifetime views.[2] As a magician, he was a finalist on the eighth season of America's Got Talent,[3] and later toured as part of Demi Lovato's Neon Lights tour.
Collins Key | |
|---|---|
 Key in 2019 | |
| Born | May 9, 1996 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Relatives | Devan Key (brother) |
YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Genres |
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| Subscribers | 23.9 million[1] (March 2024) |
| Total views | 6.71 billion[1] (March 2024) |
| Website | shopcollinskey |
Key created and starred in a campaign for AT&T called The Disappearing Girl,[4][5] for which he received a number of awards.[6][7][8][9] Key has also been nominated for multiple Teen Choice Awards.[10][11]
Early life
editKey was born on May 9, 1996, in Los Angeles, California. His parents are Steven and Anne Key, and he has a younger brother, Devan Key, who he regularly collaborates with on his YouTube channel. At age 13, after doing magic for 9 months, he was accepted into the elite Junior Program at the Hollywood Famous Magic Castle.[citation needed]
Career
editAt 16 years of age, Collins was discovered on YouTube by the producers of America's Got Talent, and invited to appear on their eighth season.[3] Key became the first magician to make the finals of the show. He is often referred to as "Magic’s First Pop Star".[citation needed] In 2013, he toured across the country with America’s Got Talent, visiting 36 cities in six weeks.[12]
In 2014, Collins joined Demi Lovato on her Neon Lights tour,[13] opening for the singer with other acts such as Fifth Harmony, Little Mix, and Cher Lloyd. Each night, Collins hosted and performed magic. In addition, he was asked to present at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards alongside other presenters including Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner.[14]
After his appearance on America's Got Talent, he focused on his YouTube channel, growing from 2 million to 18 million subscribers in two years.[2] He and his brother, Devan Key, primarily upload comedy videos. He also created, produced and starred in web series The Disappearing Girl in partnership with AT&T.[4][5] The series won a Shorty Award,[6] an AdWeek Arc Award,[7] a Cannes Lions Award,[8] and a Streamy Award.[9]
In 2017, Key was the first digital creator given the opportunity to create and produce six weeks of interstitial content for Disney Channel leading into the Fall Season Friday Night Lineup.[citation needed] The same year, he gave a TEDx talk at the University of Santa Barbara about his experiences as a magician.[15]
In 2018, Collins headlined the YouTube FanFest concert in Mumbai, India,[16] and was nominated for Choice Male Web Star and Choice Comedy Web Star at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards.[11] In 2020 he surpassed 22.5 million subscribers on YouTube.
References
edit- ^ a b "About Collins Key". YouTube.
- ^ a b "America's Got Talent Finale: Find Out Who Won!". E! Online. September 19, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Collins Key Debuts Interactive Series For Hello Lab Dubbed 'The Disappearing Girl'". Tubefilter.com. November 4, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ a b Hamedy, Saba (November 3, 2016). "Magician Collins Key searches for mystery girl in new digital series". Mashable.com. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ a b ""The Disappearing Girl" - A YA Interactive Drama Played Out Over Social Media - The Shorty Awards". Shortyawards.com. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Adweek's Arc Awards: Recognizing the Best Brand Storytelling of 2017". Adweek.com. January 15, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Cannes Lions 2017: Design, Media y Product Design". Insights.la. June 20, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "7th Annual Nominees". Streamys.org. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2018 Winners: The Complete List". E! Online. August 13, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Here are the YouTubers who won big at the Teen Choice Awards". We The Unicorns. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ "America's Got Talent Live™ Announces Full Tour Line-up Including Season 8 Winner, Kenichi Ebina". Businesswire.com. September 19, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ "Collins Key brings magic touch to Demi Lovato tour - Globalnews.ca". Globalnews.ca. March 26, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ "Sarah Hyland Is Teaming Up With a Teen Wolf Hunk". E! Online. August 1, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ "Welcome to TEDxSantaBarbara 2017 - Outside IN". TEDxSantaBarbara 2019. Archived from the original on February 10, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ "YouTube sensation and illusionist Collins Key on headlining the YouTube India FanFest". Indianexpress.com. March 28, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019.