Lindsay Ellis

Ellis received her BA in Film Studies from New York University in 2007, followed by an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2011.{{Cite web |title=How YouTube Made a Star Out of This Super-Smart Film Critic |url=https://www.wired.com/story/how-youtube-made-a-star-out-of-this-super-smart-film-critic/ |last=Raftery |first=Brian |date=March 8, 2019 |magazine=Wired |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200504044608/https://www.wired.com/story/how-youtube-made-a-star-out-of-this-super-smart-film-critic/ |archive-date=May 4, 2020 |access-date=August 4, 2019}}

Along with her friends Elisa Hansen and Antonella "Nella" Inserra, Ellis wrote Awoken, a paranormal romance parody of Twilight, about a woman falling in love with Cthulhu, under the alias Serra Elinsen.{{cite web |title=Awoken – Serra Elinsen |url=https://culturefly.co.uk/awoken-serra-elinsen-review/ |last=Kress |first=Melanie |date=October 9, 2013 |website=CultureFly |type=review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017212812/http://culturefly.co.uk/awoken-serra-elinsen-review/ |archive-date=October 17, 2018}}

In 2010, Ellis wrote and directed the documentary short film The A-Word about women's experience with abortion.{{Cite web |title=James Reviews Lindsay Ellis' The A-Word [Film Review] |url=https://criterioncast.com/reviews/james-reviews-lindsay-ellis-the-a-word-film-review |last=McCormick |first=James |date=April 4, 2011 |website=CriterionCast |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008004303/https://criterioncast.com/reviews/james-reviews-lindsay-ellis-the-a-word-film-review|archive-date=October 8, 2017|access-date=August 4, 2019}}

From 2008 to 2014, while also studying for her MFA, Ellis was selected to host The Nostalgia Chick as part of the Channel Awesome production company, a web series based on the Nostalgia Critic. She went on to create over 100 videos as part of the series before leaving in 2014 to focus more on long-form video essays.{{cite web |title= Former contributors allege mismanagement and misconduct at Channel Awesome |url=https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/channel-awesome-sexual-misconduct-allegations/ |last=Schroeder |first=Audra |date=April 4, 2018 |website= The Daily Dot |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190330130625/https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/channel-awesome-sexual-misconduct-allegations/ |archive-date= March 30, 2019 |access-date= October 22, 2018}}

On her YouTube channel, Ellis has frequently made videos about Walt Disney Pictures films.{{cite news |last=Metz |first=Nina |date=October 5, 2017 |title=Video essayist Lindsay Ellis takes on Disney |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-mov-lindsay-ellis-youtube-movie-rev-20171004-story.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited|access-date=October 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211194652/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-mov-lindsay-ellis-youtube-movie-rev-20171004-story.html|archive-date=December 11, 2017}} Other works include "The Whole Plate", a long-running series examining the Transformers film series and the work of Michael Bay, which has received more than 4 million views,{{cite web |title=Bumblebee Peeing on John Turturro Propelled Lindsay Ellis to Film Criticism Greatness [Ep. #41] |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/bumblebee-peeing-on-john-turturro-propelled-lindsay-ellis-to-film-criticism-greatness |last=Zakarin |first=Jordan |work=SYFY WIRE |date=July 16, 2018|publisher=Syfy Wire |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029181849/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/bumblebee-peeing-on-john-turturro-propelled-lindsay-ellis-to-film-criticism-greatness-ep-41|archive-date=October 29, 2019|access-date=October 22, 2018}} and a three-part series about the production of The Hobbit trilogy and its effect on the New Zealand film industry.{{cite news |last=Puschmann |first=Karl |date=April 26, 2018 |title=Is The Hobbit trilogy really that bad? Yes – here's why |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?objectid=12037984 |url-status=live|access-date=October 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504045219/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?objectid=12037984|archive-date=May 4, 2020}}{{cite news |last=Butler |first=Tom |date=April 5, 2018 |title=The Hobbit actor says the films became 'a big punch up, driven by technology' after studio interference |website=Yahoo! News |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/hobbit-actor-says-films-became-big-punch-driven-technology-studio-interference-143702428.html |url-status=live|access-date=October 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525022032/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/hobbit-actor-says-films-became-big-punch-driven-technology-studio-interference-143702428.html|archive-date=May 25, 2018}} Her Loose Canon series explores derivations of literary and film characters over time. Since 2017, her focus on her channel has been on video essays about films. Ellis says she most enjoys thinking about "things that are deeply flawed but have this really interesting potential". Her videos are created with a small team of part-time staff. In addition to covering film topics, she has also created videos on being a YouTube content creator.

Ellis also co-hosts the It's Lit! web series, alongside fellow YouTuber Princess Weekes, for PBS Digital Studios, which explores trends in American literature as a companion piece to The Great American Read on PBS itself.{{cite web |title=The Case for Fan Fiction (feat. Lindsay Ellis and Princess Weekes) {{!}} It's Lit |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdDIMOehLm8 |website=YouTube | date=February 27, 2020 |publisher=Storied |access-date=July 29, 2020}}

The three-part documentary The Hobbit Duology (2018), which Ellis wrote and edited with Angelina Meehan, was a finalist for the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Related Work.{{Cite web |title=YouTuber Lindsay Ellis Has Been Nominated for a Hugo Award for Her Acclaimed Hobbit Duology |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/04/youtuber-lindsay-ellis-has-been-nominated-for-a-hu.html |last=Vorel |first=Jim |date=April 2, 2019 |magazine=Paste |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901182642/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/04/youtuber-lindsay-ellis-has-been-nominated-for-a-hu.html|archive-date=September 1, 2019|access-date=August 4, 2019}}

Ellis was one of the founders of the Standard creator community along with Dave Wiskus, CGP Grey, Philipp Dettmer, and many other creators. Through Standard, she has released most of her content on Standard's Nebula streaming video service, including an extended cut on Tom Hooper's Les Misérables.{{cite web |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/06/10/standard-nebula-youtube-streaming-service/ |title=Creators Can't Always Take Risks With Their Content. That's Why YouTuber Community Standard Built Nebula — A Platform For Its Creators To Experiment. |last1=Hale |first1=James |date=June 10, 2019 |website=TubeFilter |access-date=June 24, 2020}} She releases content early on Patreon, where she has over 9,000 patrons, making her one of the top 50 creators on the platform.{{Cite web |title=Top Patreon Video |url=https://graphtreon.com/top-patreon-creators/video |date=June 23, 2020|publisher=Tubefilter|access-date=June 24, 2020}}

Throughout her career online, Ellis has been subject to multiple campaigns of online harassment.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Alen-p6_ak |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7Alen-p6_ak |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Lindsay Ellis, Video Essayist – XOXO Festival (2019) |date=October 18, 2019 |last=Ellis |first=Lindsay |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Time needed|date=January 2022}} One such campaign occurred after she compared the film Raya and the Last Dragon to Avatar: The Last Airbender on Twitter, which detractors perceived to be a racist generalization of media featuring Asian people. In a 2021 Patreon blog post titled "Walking away from Omelas" (an allusion to the short story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin), she announced her retirement from YouTube and content creation, citing cancel culture and online harassment.{{Cite web |last=Ellis |first=Lindsay |date=December 27, 2021 |title=Walking away from Omelas |url=https://www.patreon.com/posts/60406124 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228021744/https://www.patreon.com/posts/60406124 |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |website=Patreon.com}}

In June 2022, Ellis resurfaced publicly at Vidcon, where she discussed her life following her online retirement and the impact it had on her own mental health. She made the same accusations of harassment.{{Cite web |title=VidCon 22: Former YouTuber Lindsay Ellis says she's learning to live with the trauma of being 'canceled' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/former-youtuber-lindsay-ellis-says-s-learning-live-trauma-canceled-rcna35389 |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=NBC News|date=June 26, 2022 }}

Ellis announced through her Patreon that, while she still intended to never return to YouTube, she would be releasing new content exclusively through Nebula, with her patrons getting free access as a Patreon perk.{{cn|date=July 2023}} In October 2022, Ellis posted her first video essay in nearly one year on streaming platform Nebula, discussing the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.{{Citation |last=Ellis |first=Lindsay |title=Lindsay Ellis — How They Adapted Lord of the Rings (the good one) |date=October 11, 2022 |url=https://nebula.tv/videos/lindsayellis-how-they-adapted-lord-of-the-rings |language=en |access-date=October 12, 2022}}

In 2024, Ellis returned to YouTube, while still continuing to publish video content on Nebula.{{cite web |last1=Ellis |first1=Lindsay |title=My third book Apostles of Mercy is out now so my agent is making me recap my first two |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fEx4YLTp-s |website=Youtube |date=June 3, 2024 |access-date=9 August 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Ellis |first1=Lindsay |title=Lindsay Ellis |url=https://nebula.tv/lindsayellis |website=Nebula |access-date=9 August 2024}}

{{stack|File:Lindsay Ellis 2020 (cropped).jpg}}

In early 2020, Ellis co-founded MusicalSplaining, a podcast in which she, accompanied by director and illustrator Kaveh Taherian, discussed a different musical every two weeks. It was included in O, The Oprah Magazine{{'}}s top 20 new podcasts of 2020.{{Cite web |title=The Best New Podcasts of 2020 to Get Lost In |first=Elena |last=Nicolaou |magazine=O, The Oprah Magazine |date=April 7, 2020 |access-date=July 12, 2020 |url= https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/g32051526/best-podcasts-2020/}}

Ellis' debut novel, Axiom's End, a science fiction novel set in 2007, planned as the first book, of five,{{Cite tweet |number=1750399115568296107 |user=thelindsayellis |title=It is #3 of a planned 5! |first=Ellis |last=Lindsay |date=January 25, 2024 |access-date=January 25, 2024}} in the Noumena series. was published by St. Martin's Press on July 21, 2020, and entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number 7 on August 9, as well as appearing on the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.{{Cite web |title=Video Essayist Lindsay Ellis Announces Her Debut Novel, Axiom's End |url=https://www.tor.com/2019/09/05/lindsay-ellis-announces-her-debut-novel-axioms-end/ |date=September 5, 2019 |website=Tor.com |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428113731/https://www.tor.com/2019/09/05/lindsay-ellis-announces-her-debut-novel-axioms-end/|archive-date=April 28, 2020|access-date=September 5, 2019}}{{Cite web |title=YouTube Media Critic Lindsay Ellis Announces Debut Novel Axiom's End |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/09/06/lindsay-ellis-debut-novel-axioms-end/ |last=Weiss |first=Geoff |date=September 6, 2019|publisher=Tubefilter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306090713/https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/09/06/lindsay-ellis-debut-novel-axioms-end/|archive-date=March 6, 2020|access-date=September 11, 2019}} Ellis was subsequently shortlisted for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, which is given out during the Hugo Award ceremonies.{{cite news |last1=O'Donnell |first1=Emily |title=2021 Hugo Awards Finalists Announced - Comic Years |url=https://comicyears.com/pop-culture/2021-hugo-award-finalists/ |access-date=April 17, 2021 |work=Comic Years |date=April 13, 2021 |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417170831/https://comicyears.com/pop-culture/2021-hugo-award-finalists/ |url-status=dead }} In July 2022, Ellis made a guest appearance on MusicalSplaining. She also appeared in the final episode of the podcast in December 2023.{{Cite web |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cabaret-series-finale/id1497762464?i=1000639716414|url-status=live|title=MusicalSplaining: Cabaret (Series Finale!!) on Apple Podcasts|last= |first= |date=December 26, 2023|website=Apple Podcasts|access-date=December 26, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231226225707/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cabaret-series-finale/id1497762464?i=1000639716414|archive-date=December 26, 2023}}

Ellis grew up in Johnson City, Tennessee. She is bisexual{{Cite web |title=Bisexual Privilege, Bisexual Erasure |url=http://namebrandlindsay.com/2015/06/26/bisexual-privilege-bisexual-erasure/ |last=Ellis |first=Lindsay |date=June 26, 2015|website=Real Name Brand Lindsay [personal blog] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627063813/http://namebrandlindsay.com/2015/06/26/bisexual-privilege-bisexual-erasure/|archive-date=June 27, 2015}}{{Cite podcast|url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ris5hqvVe4dPCJRgH3Ivw?si=nziyfy3xSq6W-8FRvS2x3Q|title=Lindsay Ellis Discusses Bisexual Folks w/ 'Straight Passing Privilege'|website=True Tea|last=Blaque|first=Kat|date=May 24, 2021|access-date=May 25, 2021}} and a vegetarian.{{Cite web |last=Ellis |first=Lindsay |date=November 16, 2023 |title=Lindsay Ellis (@lindsayellis.bsky.social) |url=https://bsky.app/profile/lindsayellis.bsky.social/post/3kebvbud5jk2c |access-date=November 16, 2023 |website=Bluesky |quote=this might be a little 🌶️ hot take 🌶️ but as a long time vegetarian the absolute worst thing about thanksgiving is the over-reliance on celery, the worst vegetable.}} Ellis and her husband Nick Hansen live in Long Beach, California. They wed in 2019 and have two daughters together, born in 2022 and 2024.{{Cite web |last=Ellis |first=Lindsay |date=February 21, 2024 |title=true friendship is overnighting someone several pounds of rice pudding from new york while they are recovering from a c-section. on a related note @bigjoel.bsky.social is a true friend. |work=Bluesky |url=https://bsky.app/profile/lindsayellis.bsky.social/post/3klvxab66bs2y |access-date=February 21, 2024 |via=Bluesky}}

• Noumena series:
• Axiom's End (2020){{cite web |title=How Not To Be Alone in the Universe: Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis |url=https://www.tor.com/2020/07/22/book-reviews-axioms-end-by-lindsay-ellis/ |website=www.tor.com|date=July 22, 2020 }}{{cite web |title=A New Kind of Nostalgia in Lindsay Ellis's "Axiom's End" |url=https://chireviewofbooks.com/2020/07/23/axioms-end/ |website=chireviewofbooks.com|date=July 23, 2020 }}
• Truth of the Divine (2021){{cite news |title=Newly Published, From the Extraterrestrial to East Jersey State Prison |work=The New York Times |date=October 29, 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/books/review/new-this-week.html }}{{cite web |title=Truth of the Divine |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781250274540 |website=www.publishersweekly.com}}
• Apostles of Mercy (2024){{cite book |title=Apostles of Mercy (Noumena, 3) Hardcover – June 4, 2024 |isbn=978-1250274564 |last1=Ellis |first1=Lindsay |date=June 4, 2024 |publisher=St. Martin's Publishing }}{{cite web |title=Noumena #3 Apostles of Mercy Lindsay Ellis |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790939-apostles-of-mercy |website=www.goodreads.com}}

• List of LGBT YouTubers
• ContraPoints
• BreadTube

{{Reflist |refs=

Bestseller lists:

• {{Cite news|title=Combined Print & E-Book Fiction |language=en-US |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2020/08/09/combined-print-and-e-book-fiction/|access-date=August 6, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}
• {{Cite news |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |title= Bestsellers List Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020 By The California Independent Booksellers Alliance |date=August 4, 2020 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-08-04/bestsellers-list-sun-aug-2-2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805031554/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-08-04/bestsellers-list-sun-aug-2-2020 |archive-date=August 5, 2020 }}
• {{Cite news |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |title= Bestselling Books Week Ended July 25 With data from NPD BookScan |date=July 30, 2020 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bestselling-books-week-ended-july-25-11596133891 }}

{{Cite web |url=https://us.macmillan.com/series/noumena/ |title=Noumena |publisher=Macmillan Publishers }}

{{Cite news |last=Yu |first=Alan |title=How psychology is just catching up with the effects of online hate |date=January 16, 2020 |url=https://whyy.org/segments/how-psychology-is-just-catching-up-with-the-effects-of-online-hate/ |publisher=WHYY-FM }}

}}

• {{official website}}
• {{YouTube|u=chezapoctube}}
• [https://nebula.tv/lindsayellis Lindsay Ellis's channel] on Nebula
• {{IMDb name|3805989}}

{{Authority control}}

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