Posted by Sue Leonard on Sunday 21st January 2018
When Melanie was young, she wanted to be a teacher, but, being terrible at Irish, she didn’t get enough points in her Leaving Certificate.
“I was really upset,” she says. “I worked in shops, and then I went back to do a PLC course, in order to get into college. I came top in the class!”
“I started YouTubing in my final year in college, as a hobby. I started small, but a video I’d done on acne went viral, getting 18 million views. I launched my channel in 2014 – soon after I left college. If it hadn’t happened so fast, I don’t think I would have done it. It wouldn’t have seemed like a possibility for a job.”
Making the videos helped Melanie work through her anxiety. An award-winning lifestyle YouTuber, Melanie has now reached almost fifty million people. She has also worked on a short film, and would like to do more film work in the future.
“I’d like to work with people in a social enterprise capacity. I’ll try out various things; it’s throwing things at walls to see what sticks.”
Who is Melanie Murphy
Date of birth: 14th August 1989 in North Dublin.
Education: Secondary school in Navan, County Meath. Dublin City University: Education and Training, (1st class honours).
Home: North Dublin.
Family: Dad, Mum and stepdad, sister and brother. Boyfriend, Thomas O’Rourke.
The Day Job: YouTuber, company director and content creator.
In Another Life: “I’d be a really amazing director and actor.”
Favourite Writers: Philip Pullman; JK Rowling; Rupi Kaur; John Green. Tolkien.
Second Book: “It will probably be fiction. I started a novel during my degree, and got 60,000 words in.”
Top Tip: “I don’t write linearly. I dive in and write whatever section I feel like writing that day; otherwise I’d write nothing.”
Web: www.melaniemurphy.ie Twitter: @melaniietweets
The Debut: Fully Functioning Human (Almost) Hachette Books Ireland: €14.99 Kindle: €10.16.
Detailing her life in an online, offline world, Melanie talks about all the issues that effect young women today. She covers everything from beauty to sex, and sexual identity in a chatty and accessible way.
“I hope reading it will help people work through their issues.”
The Verdict: A perfect guide to life for teenagers. Open, honest, and comprehensive.
Published in The Irish Examiner on 9th December.
© Sue Leonard. 2017