Collins Key (born May 9, 1996)[citation needed] is an American YouTuber, entertainer, and magician. As of March 2024, his channel has amassed nearly 24 million subscribers,[2] generating more than 75 million views per month with over 6.7 billion total lifetime views.[2] As a magician, he was a finalist on the eighth season of America's Got Talent,[3] and later toured as part of Demi Lovato's Neon Lights tour.
Key created and starred in a campaign for AT&T called The Disappearing Girl,[4][5] for which he received a number of awards.[6][7][8][9] Key has also been nominated for multiple Teen Choice Awards.[10][11]
Early life
Key was born on May 9, 1996, in Los Angeles, California. His parents are Steven and Anne Key, and he has a younger brother, Devan Key, who he regularly collaborates with on his YouTube channel. At age 13, after doing magic for 9 months, he was accepted into the elite Junior Program at the Hollywood Famous Magic Castle.[citation needed]
Career
At 16 years of age, Collins was discovered on YouTube by the producers of America's Got Talent, and invited to appear on their eighth season.[3] Key became the first magician to make the finals of the show. He is often referred to as "Magic’s First Pop Star".[citation needed] In 2013, he toured across the country with America’s Got Talent, visiting 36 cities in six weeks.[12]
After his appearance on America's Got Talent, he focused on his YouTube channel, growing from 2 million to 18 million subscribers in two years.[2] He and his brother, Devan Key, primarily upload comedy videos. He also created, produced and starred in web seriesThe Disappearing Girl in partnership with AT&T.[4][5] The series won a Shorty Award,[6] an AdWeek Arc Award,[7] a Cannes Lions Award,[8] and a Streamy Award.[9]
In 2017, Key was the first digital creator given the opportunity to create and produce six weeks of interstitial content for Disney Channel leading into the Fall Season Friday Night Lineup.[citation needed] The same year, he gave a TEDx talk at the University of Santa Barbara about his experiences as a magician.[15]
In 2018, Collins headlined the YouTube FanFest concert in Mumbai, India,[16] and was nominated for Choice Male Web Star and Choice Comedy Web Star at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards.[11] In 2020 he surpassed 22.5 million subscribers on YouTube.
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