Lisa Donovan

Lisa Donovan
Lisa Donovan photographed by Pippa Lamb in London, 2021.
Donovan in 2021
Born (1980-06-11) June 11, 1980 (age 44)
New York City, U.S.[1]
Other namesLisaNova (on YouTube)
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, actress, YouTuber
Years active2006–present
Known forThe Pattern, Maker Studios
Websitethepattern.com

Lisa Donovan (born June 11, 1980) is an American former YouTuber. She is a founder of Zappin Productions,[2] a production company that specialized in viral videos, as well as the founder and CEO of The Pattern, an astrology-based personality app.[1]

Donovan began her career as one of YouTube's earliest content creators and was subsequently one of the co-founders of Maker Studios, a YouTube video network which was purchased in 2015 by The Walt Disney Company for $675M.[3] The network was absorbed by Disney in 2017 to become Disney Digital Network.

Early life

Donovan grew up in Scarsdale, New York.[4] She was a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder before moving to Los Angeles, California.[5]

Career

YouTube

Donovan made her first YouTube channel in September 2005[6] and uploaded her first video, "Introducing LisaNova," a reel of facial clips in black-and-white accompanied by the Charles Aznavour song Non, je n'ai rien oublié, to YouTube on June 7, 2006.[7] She has parodied a number of celebrities and public figures; her impersonation of Sarah Palin was praised in Wired as "ruthlessly hilarious", and in 2008 Ralph Nader made a guest appearance in one of the skits.[8] In a Forbes magazine article, YouTube founder Chad Hurley highlighted Donovan's success as an example of the changing paradigm of entertainment.[9] Donovan is also a co-creator of the popular YouTube channel 'The Game Station', which led to her co-founding the YouTube network Maker Studios.

Acting

Donovan was one of the first YouTube content creators to cross over to mainstream Hollywood when she was cast on MADtv in 2006.[10] She debuted in a spoof of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she played Salma Hayek, the producer of the ABC comedy Ugly Betty, and Rosie O'Donnell.[11] The episode aired on February 17, 2007. After signing a contract and only appearing in four episodes of MADtv, she left the following season.

In 2015, she played the role of the flight attendant in Jeremy Garelick's The Wedding Ringer.[12]

Maker Studios

Donovan co-founded and served as a board member for Maker Studios, a multi-channel network. Maker Studios was sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2014.[13]

The Pattern

Donovan is the founder and CEO of The Pattern, an astrology-based personality app.[1] In 2021, Donovan announced that The Pattern intends to launch a dating product called Connect.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Pattern, Known for Its "Scarily Accurate" Approach to Astrology, Has Its Sights on Dating". Vanity Fair. May 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Morrissey, Brian (January 1, 2007). "Lisa Nova On The Spot". Adweek. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
  3. ^ "Disney Paid $675M For Maker, Its 10Q Discloses". Media Post. February 12, 2016.
  4. ^ 15 Minutes of Fame: Becoming a Star in the YouTube Revolution by Frederick Levy, P. 75
  5. ^ "Lisa Donovan Joins the Cast of MADtv". January 31, 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
  6. ^ "lisa's channel – YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  7. ^ "Introducing LisaNova – YouTube". YouTube. June 7, 2006. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
  8. ^ Wortham, Jenna (September 2, 2008). "YouTube Comedian LisaNova Packs Heat for Sarah Palin Spoof". Wired.
  9. ^ "YouToo". Forbes. May 7, 2007.
  10. ^ Nova, Lisa. "Lisa Nova". Huffington Post.
  11. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (April 29, 2007). "How YouTube Helped LisaNova Start Her Career". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  12. ^ "The Wedding Ringer". IMDb.
  13. ^ "It's Official: Disney Acquires Maker Studios For At Least $500M". March 24, 2014.
  14. ^ "The founder of The Pattern and its new dating feature, Connect, decodes what's in store for a season of transformation". W Magazine. June 10, 2021.
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