photo via Sam Kuhlmeyer
With nearly 100,000 subscribers on his channel “iUpdateOS,” Sam Kuhlmeyer is Bradley’s very own YouTube celebrity.
Kuhlmeyer, a sophomore television arts major, was given his first camera in third grade. He recalled producing “knock-off Saturday Night Live” segments for years. Then in 2013, Kuhlmeyer’s mom allowed him to upload his first video onto YouTube. It demonstrated how to jailbreak the most recent iPhone in 2013.
“Everyone close to me knows that my YouTube channel is the number-one priority in my life,” Kuhlmeyer said. “My YouTube [channel] defines who I am because I put so much time and effort into it.”
He said his channel can be summed up as “Apple news for people who love Apple.”
According to Kuhlmeyer, he spends an average of four to five hours each day creating content for his channel, but that varies depending on Apple releases and events. He researches and jots down information, but his videos are primarily ad-libbed content and opinion. Then, he edits and cuts his videos down from hours of recording into minutes, as well as manages social media accounts, a website and even merchandise for his brand.
Vince Rankin, a sophomore management and leadership major, occasionally helps Kuhlmeyer create videos.
“I have never met someone who comes up with ideas like Sam does,” Rankin said. “And he follows through on almost all of his ideas, no matter how good or bad they are, until he can’t take them any farther.”
Kuhlmeyer said his success has been a “gradual build-up” and credits his time and patience. This past summer, he quit his other jobs to focus on YouTube full-time, making his goal to upload once a day. Since then, Kuhlmeyer said his income has quintupled.
“I’m so grateful to the [YouTube] platform and viewers. 86,000 people had to care enough to click a ‘subscribe’ button,” Kuhlmeyer said. “It’s great to be financially stable in college doing something that I genuinely love.”
Anji Phillips, assistant professor of communication and television arts, has worked with Kuhlmeyer in classes and said he is a driven student.
“He’s highly motivated,” Phillips said. “Every student at Bradley University should be doing what [Kuhlmeyer] is doing – just going after what they want.”
Dave Lennie, director of instructional technology for the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts, said he remembers meeting Kuhlmeyer at auditions for a BUTV news anchor position.
“He just has … ‘it.’ You know it the minute you meet him,” Lennie said. “A class of Sam Kuhlmeyers could conquer the world.”
As for his YouTube notoriety, Kuhlmeyer simply laughs.
“Everyone on YouTube is just a random person making videos,” Kuhlmeyer said. “I’m just a random dude making videos; I’m not a celebrity.”
Upon graduation, Kuhlmeyer said he has high hopes for the future of his channel.
“I want [Youtube] to become my full-time career,” Kuhlmeyer said. “I want to hit a million followers … and I know I’m gonna do it. If other people can hit five million subscribers through reviewing Apple products, I can too.”
