In 2006, YouTube was just eight months old—an untested platform with no playbook for narrative storytelling. Would audiences embrace scripted fiction in a medium built around amateur video? 

To find out, my partners and I created Lonelygirl15, a serialized drama that followed a homeschooled girl as she began to suspect her parents were in a cult. Drawing on my own experiences growing up on a commune, I grounded the story in emotional authenticity and added details that made it feel real. The result? Lonelygirl15 became YouTube’s first viral hit.

• Over 60 million views

• First channel to reach 50,000 subscribers 

• Webby Award for Best Series 2007