KNYSNA NEWS - Former Knysna local and YouTube sensation Caspar Lee is now one of the top 10 social media stars in the world and has been appointed chief innovation officer for UK-based social media marketing agency Influencer.
A London native by birth, Lee moved to South Africa and Knysna as a child but has been living in London since 2013.
The YouTube personality and vlogger has stolen South Africans' hearts since he created his YouTube channel in 2011, and has since amassed a following of more than 9-million followers across his two channels. He also boasts 3.7-million followers on Instagram and 4.67-million on Twitter.
Influencer is a new, unique data-driven platform that uses big data to connect brands with content creators with a high social media following. The company takes a brief from a brand and matches it to relevant content creators who suit the brand best, whether they cover fashion, technology or food and drink. The platform is the next step in the growing trend for social media marketing and is set to revolutionise the way brands engage consumers.
As CIO, Lee will be tasked with leading the strategic and business direction for Influencer clients, which include Uber, Badoo and Withings. The 23-year-old will be joining a young team; with the average age being 22 and the CEO, Ben Jeffries, just 21 years old.
Says Jeffries, "We are delighted to have such a highly creative entrepreneur on board … As someone who is extremely respected within the social media space, his involvement and investment in the agency is a huge step in our plans to becoming the largest influencer marketing company in the world."
While his career took off on social media, Lee has also tried his hand at acting, featuring in Laid in America (2016), the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2015) and Spud 3: Learning to Fly (2014), to name but a few. In 2016, Lee starred in Joe and Caspar Hit the Road, alongside fellow YouTuber Joe Suggs.
Lee has long since been recognised for his contributions within the social media and entertainment industries. Most notable to date was his invitation by the queen of England to support the Queen's Young Leaders programme in June 2017. In March 2017 he was named one of the top 10 most powerful social media stars of the year.
Lee was asked about his time in Knysna and said he moved to the town when he was 12 and went to school at Oakhill.
"I left when I was 18. It made me incredibly nervous to leave, however I was very excited to be moving somewhere as cosmopolitan as London," recalls Lee.
His fondest memory of living in Knysna was playing hockey with all his school friends.
When Lee did a video of fires in Knysna with his friend Joshua Pieters, also from Knysna, they ended up raising over R300 000, which was donated to people they felt were vulnerable because of the fires.
"Knysna was an incredible place to grow up as it gave me the time and space to do things like start a YouTube channel that I probably wouldn't have done in a more hectic environment."
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