Olga Kay

Olga Kay (born Olga Sergeyevna Karavaeva;[1] Russian: Ольга Сергеевна Караваева; November 20, 1982) is a Russian-American Internet celebrity (mainly known as a YouTube personality), performer and entrepreneur.[2] Trained as a professional circus juggler in her youth, she later moved to acting and video creation. In 2006 she started the YouTube channel OlgaKay, creating shows such as Emo Girl and Olga Kay's Show. Adding channels on gaming and fashion, by 2013 her four combined channels had approximately a million subscribers.

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Sergeyevna and the family name is Karavaeva.
Olga Kay
Kay performing at VidCon 2012
Birth nameOlga Sergeyevna Karavaeva
Born (1982-11-20) November 20, 1982
Crimea, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
MediumVideo blog, television
NationalityRussian, American
Years active1998–present
GenresComedian, writer, director, performer, entrepreneur
Notable works and rolesVideo blog
Websitemooshworld.com

She has appeared in Web shows such as MyMusic and The Annoying Orange, and hosted the Rogue Pictures Web show Tube Top,[3] as well as collaborating with entertainers such as Joe Nation and Shane Dawson.[3]

In 2014, Kay's YouTube Channel was listed on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels, ranked at #47.[4]

In 2014, Kay launched her media and retail company Moosh Walks, to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in her female fan base.[1]

As of March 2016, Kay finalized her naturalization as an American citizen, thus holding dual citizenship.

Early life

Olga Karavaeva was born on November 20, 1982 in Stepne, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Crimea).[5] She performed professionally with a circus in Moscow as a teenager, before moving to the United States to work with the Ringling Brothers Circus.[6]

Career

Performing, internet channels

After settling in Los Angeles, around 2004 she acted and juggled in television shows such as CSI: NY and The Benvenuti Family.[5] She also started attending various YouTube events, co-promoting her online videos with other YouTubers such as Shay Carl, SxePhil, and CTFxC.[7] In 2006[3] she started her YouTube comedy channel Olga Kay,[8] followed in 2009 Olga Kay 2, which focuses on behind-the-scenes videos. Among her recurring shows are Olga Kay's Show[5] and Emo Girl,[3] where she plays a comedic emo version of herself known as Razor Blade.[5] She later developed a third channel, Olga Kay Games, which presents video games in a comedic way.[9]

Her fourth channel Mooshville is focused on fashion and beauty,[10] with the brand name Moosh stemming from a nickname for her cat.[3] Mooshville features What’s in my Purse?, filmed at the YouTube sound stage in Playa Vista, California, and the Pajama Party show, a makeup review show that has had guests such as Hannah Hart, Taryn Southern and Shane Dawson.[10] Moosh is also the name of a custom brand of shoes named Mooshoos, which she created using feedback from fans.[3]

The YouTube channels have approximately 1.2 million subscribers combined, as of July 2015.[8]

On October 31, 2015, Olga started her successful series Will It Juggle?, which she announced at the first annual Stream Con NYC. In the series, she takes viewers' suggestions of items to juggle, usually succeeding due to her circus roots.

Collaborations

Kay has appeared as herself in a number of documentaries and webisodes, including the feature film Butterflies in 2009. In 2011 she had appearances in Shane Dawson TV, JoeNationTV, The Annoying Orange,[5] and in 2012 acted in YouTube's original channel initiative show MyMusic[11] as a raver character.[5] She hosted the Rogue Pictures web show Tube Top, which recognizes the top shows/videos on YouTube.[3]

She appeared in some Your Grammar sucks videos by Jack Douglass and collaborated with him on the short comedy video "Olga Kay: How to control your dreams!" in 2011,[12] and in 2012 Toby Turner starred in a short with Kay entitled "Olga Kay Goes Haywire."[5]

She has performed at VidCon and was interviewed in the podcasts New Mediacracy[3] and Rhett and Link's Ear Biscuits.[13] Brands she has worked with include Microsoft,[14] Ford, Google, Relativity Media, Axe, Capcom, Nintendo, Virgin Mobile, Xbox, and others.[8]

Business

Kay launched Moosh Walks, a media and retail brand that aims to empower young girls through storytelling, primarily about leadership.[15] In 2014, Kay released her first characters as a line of 3D socks.[16] The knee high socks feature numerous character designs and external ears. Kay said she created socks with ears because she didn't want to be another YouTuber with a logo on a T-shirt.[17] Kay immediately recouped her initial investment in manufacturing the socks through a pre-order campaign.[17] Moosh Walks were featured in the style lounge at the 2015 Emmy Awards.[18] As of January 2016, Kay now has unisex socks and baby socks, and is developing pillows in collaboration with Throwboy. In 2017, Kay introduced a new sock character, Mushka, based on her cat and the inspiration for her brand name.[19]

In 2018, Moosh Walks was featured as one of the top women owned business on Amazon.[20]

Filmography

Film and TV
Year Title Role Notes, Episodes
2005 CSI: NY Susan Young / Juggler #2 Episodes "Crime and Misdemeanor" and "Blood, Sweat, and Tears"
2007 The Benvenuti Family Mrs. Avery Television
2008 Spike Guys Choice Herself
2009 Butterflies Herself Feature documentary
2011 Victorious Cat Valentine Episode "Helen Back Again", Ariana Grande's juggling double [21]
2015 Wiener Dog Internationals Darya
2015 Bob Thunder: Internet Assassin Olga Kay

Web
Year Title Role Notes
2009-2011 Olga Kay's Show Herself Kay handles writing, production, and editing on video shorts with Joe Nation, Jessica Lizama, Betsy Ullery, etc.
2009-2010 Emo Girl Razor Blade Kay handled writing, production, and editing.
2009-2010 Shane Dawson TV Dancer, Daisy, Jennifer Episodes "Strip for Your Life," "Movie Freak," "Talking Fruit from Hell"
2010 "Olga Kay's Circus" Herself Short film directed by Andrea Ball, written by Wyatt Pascoe, and produced by Lux New Media
2010 The 2nd Annual Streamy Awards Herself
2011 YouTube Assassin Hypnotized Chick #1 Episodes "Shane Dawson Part 2"
2011 Black Box TV Deumos Episodes "Deumos Kisses"
2011 ExoticJess Helga
2010 The Web.Files Herself Episode "Buzz 2"
2011 JoeNationTV Herself Episode "Shut the Hell Up"
2011 Victorious Cat's Juggling Double Episode "Helen Back Again"
2011 Tube Top Herself Episode "It Factor"
2011 The Annoying Orange Lettuce Episode "Kitchen Carnage"
2011 Corey & Lucas for the Win! Herself Episode "One Perfect Moment"
2012 "Olga Kay Goes Haywire" Herself Video short produced by Roguelife, directed by Damon O'Steen
2012-2013 MyMusic Raver #2 Episodes "Don't Panic! At the Disco", "Mystery Solved!", "Raver Madness!", "Ghosts!!!", "Origins"
2012 Chug, Plug & Review Herself
2013 Tweet Out Herself Episode "Olga Kay"
2013 The Mythical Show Herself Episode "Smosh & Star Trek"
2013-2014 Ladies Of Rap Bill Clinton Robber, Rogue Episodes ''Gotham Sirens,'' ''Marvel Mavens''
2014 Photobomb Herself Episodes #1.2 #1.4 #1.6
2015 Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles Herself 2 episodes
2015 Wrestling Isn't Wrestling Theater Audience Member Short Film
2015 Room Tour Challenge Herself Episode ''Emoji Challenge Ft Olga Kay''
2015 Fight Of The Living Dead Contestant Episode ''Pilot''
2015 Oscar's Hotel For Fantastical Creatures Mo Nay Lisa Episodes ''Hunger Pains,'' ''Death's Hotel,'' ''The Fountain Of Forgetfulness,'' ''Art Attack,'' ''Fishy Business''

References
  1. Wells, Jane (2017-05-24). "This CEO ran away with the Russian Circus, now she wants to be the next Walt Disney". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  2. Klima, Jeff (June 7, 2013). "Quadruple Threats? 5 YouTubers who can 'do it all'". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  3. "Exclusive Interview: Olga Kay (The Olga Kay Show)". Popstar.com. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  4. "The NMR Top 100 YouTube Channels: 50-26!". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  5. "Olga Kay Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  6. Kaufman, Leslie (February 1, 2014). "Chasing Their Star, on YouTube". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  7. Devora, Espree (September 4, 2013). "How to Get YouTube Views and Become a Professional Content Creator". TechZulu. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  8. "Olga Kay Official Channel". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  9. "Olga Kay Games Official Channel". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  10. "Welcome to Mooshville". OlgaKay.com. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  11. Connor Livingston (October 29, 2011). "YouTube expands its exclusive-content drive with 100 new video channels". Techi. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  12. "Olga Kay: How to control your dreams!". WebSeriesToday. March 9, 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  13. "Ep. 68 Olga Kay - Ear Biscuits".
  14. Rios, Alexandro (April 25, 2012). "Microsoft Studios Presents: Arcade NEXT All-Stars". Glitch Cat. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  15. "Moosh Walks Story". MooshWalks. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  16. "Olga Kay Debuts Mooshwalks - New Media Rockstars". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  17. "YouTube Star Olga Kay Can Juggle What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur". Forbes. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  18. "2015 Emmy Style Lounge". The Huffington Post. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  19. "MUSHKA - Nautical Cat Socks". Moosh Walks. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  20. "Women-owned businesses". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  21. "Another Day with Olga Kay - Bombarding the set of VicTORious". www.youtube.com.
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