Chris Ballinger - Youtubers, Life Achievements and Life

Stardom did not come naturally to Chris. As the boy next door, Chris went to Cal State Northridge for two years before transferring to Occidental college as a junior. By this time Chris was married to his high school sweetheart, Jessica Smith. Although it was never planned, Chris picked up his magical traits in these early years of college itself. A theater major, Chris performed magic tricks on the streets of Pasadena to earn some extra cash. Being a member of the Academy of Magical Arts, Chris did regular shows at restaurants and birthday parties.

Ballinger was fortunate to land a job at Fox studios as a writers’ production assistant for the then popular TV series ‘Bones’. However, two years later, things took a sudden turn with the announcement of the writer’s strike. With a new born in the family, Chris had to come up with a quick alternative to provide for the family.

With interest in magical art, Chris took a job with an online magic retailer. He made more than 1000 YouTube videos in his Santa Barbara studio apartment. His creations were published under the title ‘Magic Geek’ and on the portal JugglingStore.com. It wasn’t long before Chris’s work got recognized and both the digital properties became the No. 4 website for magic in the world.

All was well till 2014, when life took a second u-turn and Chris was laid off from his stable job of 7 years. After some deep introspection, Chris decided to convert his video making skills to a profession. He decided to launch his own YouTube channel where he would post daily videos of his family and magic. There has been no looking back ever since.

Very few of you would know that Chris had created his YouTube channel back in 2013, and his amateur videos had already garnered more than 100,000 subscribers in just 18 months. However, fame and recognition came only in 2014, after Chris got laid from his job of 7 years with an online retailer company.

It was only then, when he decided to fly solo with his YouTube Channel. That time, a father of 3, Chris chose to sell off his house, over picking-up another job. He used the money to build and grow his YouTube channel. It was indeed a tough call very few men can make. And all that hard work eventually paid off. His ‘Jennifer LawrenceMagic’ video was an instant hit on the internet and that made ‘BallingerPresents’ a common household name across America.

Christopher Ballinger was born on 16 March 1983 in California to Tim Ballinger, a sales manager, and Gwen, a homemaker. Chris grew up in a normal family of parents and 4 siblings - Colleen (of the Miranda Sings fame), Rachel and Trent Ballinger. Christopher grew up as just another regular boy from an American family in Santa Barbara. His parents always encouraged their kids follow their individual dreams and aspirations, which further gave way to Chris’s interest in magic as an art.

Chris met Jessica in 1999 and cupid struck almost instantly. The two had a long courtship period of 5 years and they got married on 19th June 2004. Chris and Jessica are blessed with 4 children - Children Bailey (9), Jacob (7), Parker (4) and Duncan (0)

Besides being a successful magician, video blogger, Chris has also been an integral part of his sister and net celebrity, Colleens, journey to fame. He has co-authored the bestseller “Self Help” and penned the script with his sister for her famous YouTube Channel ‘MirandaSings’. Chris added another milestone to his career in 2015 when Netflix signed an 8-episode deal around Colleen’s famous Miranda character entitled ‘Haters Back Off’, for which Chris is a co-writer with Colleen.

While being involved in so many ventures surely contributes to a steady influx of revenue, Chris remains knee-deep and dedicated to his YouTube channel. Chris attributes his YouTube success to consistency and quality of content. Chris makes sure all his videos are about what he and his family loves. He has successfully maintained the fine line between staying true to himself and responding to what his audience wants. Chris is one of the few video bloggers who openly admit that YouTube has been their bread & butter.

A successful YouTuber who has earned the trust and respect of his audience, Chris has some advice for all YouTube aspirants. He says, ‘If you are looking to make a living out of YouTube, the first thing you need is a niche where there is a need for unique content. Second, you need to have confidence and believe in yourself. Finally, follow the 3 C’s - content, creativity and consistency. Without these 3 and a good marketing strategy it will be difficult to gain traction.