PEOPLE OF INTEREST
ANTHONY INSWASTY
Social media influencer Jessica Harvey purchased her own recording equipment and taught herself how to record, edit and upload her vlogs.
BY RACHEL CUCCURULLO
Growing up in South Florida, Jessica Harvey is the
youngest of three children. Besides her mother,
Harvey was the only girl in the household and
was usually the center of attention.
“I always got attention when I was younger but always
found myself wanting more,” Harvey says. “I would do
things to entertain people like crack jokes or be really loud
so others would notice me.”
Harvey believes this trait helped her become more
confident in front of people. Over the years, she used her
confidence to entertain others.
Harvey participated in chorus, cheerleading and track
throughout middle school and high school, so performing
in front of crowds came naturally. She has also been a
member of her church’s choir and praise team for nearly
her entire life.
“It’s always kind of weird for me because in certain
settings, I will shy away,” Harvey says. “If there’s a stage,
I will gladly go on it, but if I am at a friend’s house and
they ask to hear me sing, I would probably die!”
Video blogging, known as “vlogging,” came into popularity
in the late 2000s. Harvey started to watch popular
hair tutorial videos on websites like YouTube and was
instantly drawn to create her own.
“I thought, ‘Hey, I have my own hair, why can’t I do
this, too?’” Harvey says. “I bought a camera and started
talking to it.”
Of course, there was a learning curve, but with some
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