Brooke Brodack

{{Infobox person

| name = Brooke Brodack

| image = Brooke Brodack ROFLCon 08.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Brodack at 2008 ROFLCon

| birth_name = Brooke Allison Brodack

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|4|7}}

| birth_place = Putnam, Connecticut, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality =

| other_names = Brooke Alley

| spouse =

| relations =

| years_active = 2005–2018 (New channel is active)

| notable_works =

| known_for = YouTube personality

| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality

| embed = Yes

| channel_display_name = Brooke Brodack

| channel_id = UCO42ciP_nkDcOlATRjLXCqQ

| genre = Vlog

| subscribers = 64 thousand (2014)

| views = ~50 million (2014)

| network =

| associated_acts =

| silver_button =

| silver_year =

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| stats_update =May 4, 2023 }}

}}

Brooke Allison Brodack (born April 7, 1986), known online as Brookers, is one of the earliest YouTubers. Brodack, a receptionist from Holden, Massachusetts, first began uploading short comedy skits to YouTube in September 2005. She was offered a contract from NBC show host Carson Daly in 2006, before YouTubers were able to monetize their videos in December 2007, but nothing came of it. Brodack briefly had the most-subscribed YouTube channel for a period of 43 days from July 3, 2006, to August 15, 2006, during which it became the first channel to reach 10,000 subscribers. It was the first time the most subscribed YouTube channel was officially held by a channel of a female individual. The New Yorker called her "the first real YouTube star," in a December 2006 article.

Brodack moved in with fellow YouTuber iJustine, but afterwards deleted her channel and moved to Vadodara, India. She relocated to Los Angeles in early 2017.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Early life

Brodack was born in Putnam, Connecticut. She has been making videos since she was nine years old.{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Denise |date=June 12, 2006 |title=Carson Daly bonkers for Brookers |url=https://variety.com/2006/digital/news/carson-daly-bonkers-for-brookers-1200337852/ |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=Variety}}{{Cite web |last=Audette |first=Ashley |date=February 12, 2007 |title=Brookers Interview |url=http://www.brookerfanatics.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1425 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209221837/http://www.brookerfanatics.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1425 |archive-date=February 9, 2009 |website=Brookers Fanatics}} Graduating from Wachusett Regional High School, she then attended college at Worcester State College, Quinsigamond Community College and Mount Wachusett Community College, ultimately dropping out of all three. Brodack worked from 2003 to 2006 as a receptionist and hostess at the 99 Restaurant, and she volunteered (2003–2005) for the NEADS program (Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans) in Sterling, Massachusetts.{{Cite web |url=http://www.neads.org/ |title=NEADS |access-date=2007-01-31 |archive-date=2007-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202210714/http://www.neads.org/ |url-status=live }}

Brodack lived in Holden, Massachusetts with her mother and younger sister, working as a receptionist.

Internet success

Brodack began posting her short comedic videos on her "Brookers" YouTube channel in September 2005. By June 2006, she was offered an 18-month development contract from Carson Daly, the host of a late night show on NBC,{{cite news |last=Collins |first=Scott |date=June 19, 2006 |title=Now she has their attention |page=E1 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jun-19-et-channel19-story.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date= |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230113072950/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jun-19-et-channel19-story.html |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |issn=0458-3035}} but nothing ever came of it.{{Cite web |last=Bergman |first=Sirena |date=January 17, 2020 |title=YouTube conquered the world in the 2010s – where does it go from here? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/long-reads/youtube-influencers-viral-videos-zoella-shane-dawson-pewdiepie-a9287761.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 15, 2023 |website=The Independent}} From July 3 to August 17, 2006, her "Brookers" channel was the most-subscribed on YouTube. She was named a "Crossover Star" by The Wall Street Journal on its New Media Power List on July 29, 2006.{{cite news|first= John|last= Jurgensen|title= Moguls of New Media|url= http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115412710465720901-hiirYoCxBOOvXxE_YzhvMJZYBy8_20070729.html|work= The Wall Street Journal|date= 2006-07-29|access-date= 2007-05-20|archive-date= 2007-09-22|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070922083223/http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115412710465720901-hiirYoCxBOOvXxE_YzhvMJZYBy8_20070729.html|url-status= live}}

Brookers directed, edited and performed in her early videos, most of which were set at her family home in Holden, Massachusetts. The New Yorker has called her videos "defiantly madcap."{{Cite magazine |last=McGrath |first=Ben |date=October 8, 2006 |title=It Should Happen to You |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/10/16/it-should-happen-to-you |url-access=limited |access-date=January 12, 2023 |magazine=The New Yorker}} Her single-most popular video, "Crazed Numa Fan!!!!", a lip-sync parody of an earlier Internet meme, Numa Numa Dance by Gary Brolsma (itself a parody of "Dragostea din tei" by O-Zone),{{cite news | first=Jason | last=Feifer | title=Video makers find a vast and eager audience | date=2006-06-11 | publisher=Worcester Telegram | url=http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=//NEWS//1011/FEATURES | access-date=2009-04-03 | archive-date=2009-02-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209011834/http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F%2FNEWS%2F%2F1011%2FFEATURES | url-status=live }} was viewed on YouTube over 8.2 million {{YouTube|N6j475XI1Xg}} times. Her younger sister, Melissa "Missy" Brodack, performed alongside her in many videos, including "Crazed Numa Fan!!!!"{{Cite web |last=Hardy |first=Michael |date=June 27, 2006 |title=The self-made star |url=http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/06/27/the_self_made_star/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 21, 2020 |website=The Boston Globe |via=boston.com}}

Her video "Chips," a spoof suspense drama about eating potato chips, was called "brilliant" by Entertainment Weekly, which has listed it among the "great moments in YouTube history."{{Cite magazine |last=Juarez |first=Vanessa |date=August 18, 2006 |title=How YouTube is changing Hollywood |url=https://ew.com/article/2006/08/18/how-youtube-changing-hollywood/ |access-date=January 12, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}

From August 2006 to April 2007, she played a large role on a Daly-hosted, NBC-sponsored video contest website, It's Your Show TV[http://www.iystv.com/ It's Your Show TV] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210004651/http://www.iystv.com/ |date=December 10, 2006 }}, posting many videos there.{{Cite web |last=Mayberry |first=Carly |date=November 27, 2006 |title=Daly expands domain with Net projects |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/daly-expands-domain-net-projects-144236/ |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} She appeared on The Tyra Banks Show (December 6, 2006), as a judge for a student video competition. In February 2007, she appeared alongside other early YouTube stars in "The Sound of Your Voice," a viral music video for Barenaked Ladies.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoFMRXlNJ6Y | title=Barenaked Ladies - Sound of Your Voice [Official Music Video] | website=YouTube }}

From May 2007 to March 2008, Brookers had her own web channel, brookebrodack.tv, which was offered through www.me.tv, a new service Daly helped to found. She participated in the 777 (July 7, 2007) YouTube gathering in New York City. In November 2007, she released, "Ozzy's Magical Glasses n' Stuff," a viral video advertisement for a live auction of Ozzy Osbourne items on the Auction Network, for which she was paid "a solid five figures" by the Palisades Media Group.{{cite news | title=Crazier Train | date=January 2008 | publisher=OMMA | url=http://blog.guerillaone.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/brookers.jpg | access-date=2009-04-03 | archive-date=2008-02-27 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227152024/http://blog.guerillaone.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/brookers.jpg | url-status=live }}

Later life

From mid-2013 to early 2017, she lived in Vadodara, India, working on video workshop lectures in collaboration with Design Infinium.

As of February 2017, she relocated to Los Angeles.

On July 12, 2017,{{cite web|title=Brookers|website=Socialblade.com|url=https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/brookers|access-date=2017-08-22|archive-date=2017-08-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822093647/https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/brookers|url-status=live}} Brodack deleted her YouTube account. She also deleted her Twitter and set her Instagram profile to private.

In mid-2018, she returned to YouTube on a new{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCokdSAjCSS5MAb2rwnukEjg|title=Brooke Brodack|publisher=YouTube|access-date=September 24, 2018|archive-date=March 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190309071525/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCokdSAjCSS5MAb2rwnukEjg/|url-status=live}} self-titled channel. This channel also no longer exists.

On December 11, 2018, Brodack created a new YouTube channel under her real name. As of March 2025, the channel had 1,870 subscribers.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO42ciP_nkDcOlATRjLXCqQ|title=Brooke Brodack|publisher=YouTube|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-date=July 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706195315/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO42ciP_nkDcOlATRjLXCqQ|url-status=live}}

References

= Books =

{{Cite book |last=Bergen |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yUpTEAAAQBAJ |title=Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube's Chaotic Rise to World Domination |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2022 |isbn=9780593296349}}
{{Cite book |last1=Ezarik |first1=Justine |url=https://archive.org/details/ijustineanalogme0000ezar |title=I, Justine: An Analog Memoir |last2=Hargrave |first2=C. L. |publisher=Keywords Press |year=2015 |isbn=9781476791517 |location=New York |oclc=887849720 |author-link=iJustine}}

= Articles and videos =

{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvzfyCM5pVQ |title=I was the world's first Youtube star: Brooke Brodack |date=February 9, 2022 |last=Flynn |first=Colm |type=Interview |publisher=YouTube |access-date=January 15, 2023}}
{{Cite web |last=Sydell |first=Laura |author-link=Laura Sydell |date=June 28, 2006 |title=NBC Plugs into YouTube's Viral Growth |url=https://www.npr.org/2006/06/28/5516885/nbc-plugs-into-youtubes-viral-growth |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=NPR}}
{{Cite web |last=Leskin |first=Paige |date=May 30, 2020 |title=7 early YouTubers reveal the moments they knew they made it big |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-15th-anniversary-creators-moment-when-they-made-it-big-2020-5 |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=Business Insider}}

External links

[https://www.myspace.com/brookealley Myspace profile]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20151130111847/https://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Brookers YouTube profile, old and terminated channel]

{{succession box

|before=judsonlaipply

|title=Most-subscribed YouTube channel

|years=July 3 – August 17, 2006

|after=geriatric1927

}}

Category:1986 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Holden, Massachusetts

Category:People from Putnam, Connecticut

Category:Actresses from Massachusetts

Category:American comedy YouTubers