Collins Key is an American entertainer, actor, host, magician, brand ambassador and former finalist on America's Got Talent. His YouTube channel features comedic content that showcases Key's high-energy personality. As of January 2020, his channel has amassed more than 21.4 million subscribers, generating over 170 million views per month with over 4.2 billion total lifetime views. Key has partnered with major brands such as Unilever, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, and Disney, and also created and starred in the multi-award-winning campaign for AT&T called The Disappearing Girl. He has received a Shorty Award, an AdWeek Arc Award, a Cannes Lions Award, and a Streamy Award, and has been nominated for multiple Teen Choice Awards.
Early life
Key was born on May 9, 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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.
Career
At 16 years old, Key was discovered on YouTube by the producers of America's Got Talent, and invited to appear on their 8th season. Key quickly gained notoriety as the fan favorite and first magician to ever become a finalist. He is often referred to as "Magic’s First Pop Star". In 2013, he toured across the country with America’s Got Talent, visiting 36 cities in six weeks. In 2014, Key joined Demi Lovato on her Neon Lights tour, opening up for the singer with other acts such as Fifth Harmony, Little Mix, and Cher Lloyd during the 30-city tour, performing for audiences of 10,000-15,000 fans. Each night, Key spent 55 minutes on stage performing magic as well as hosting the event. In addition, he was asked to present at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards alongside other presenters including Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner. After his appearance on America's Got Talent, he focused on his YouTube channel, growing from 2 million to 18 million subscribers in just 2 years, with each episode averaging 25 million views over the last two years. He and his brother, Devan Key, primarily upload advertiser-friendly comedy videos. In addition to focusing on his YouTube channel, he has also created, produced and starred in The Disappearing Girl in partnership with AT&T. The social media driven show blurred the lines between scripted and reality, and engaged fans in a social media scavenger hunt that culminated in a live activation on the streets of Los Angeles. The show went on to win a Shorty Award, an AdWeek Arc Award, a Cannes Lions Award, and a Streamy Award. In 2017, Key was the first digital creator given the opportunity to create and produce six weeks of interstitial content for The Disney ChannelTelevision Network leading into the Fall Season Friday Night Lineup. In 2017, he gave a TEDx talk at the University of Santa Barbara about using magic to solve your problems and that the answer to every problem is hiding in plain sight. The video has amassed more than 1 million views on YouTube. In 2018, Key headlined the YouTube FanFest concert in Mumbai, India, which was attended by over 10,000 fans. In 2018, he launched a new merchandise line on his website, which sold out in two hours. In 2019, Key and his brother Devan are returning to traditional media and are Executive Producers on a scripted television show currently in development at Nickelodeon. In 2018, Key was nominated for Choice Male Web Star and Choice Comedy Web Star for the 2018 Teen Choice Awards. In 2020 he has surpassed over 21 million subscribers.
