Anyone can upload a video to TikTokbut few turn viral. And even fewer manage to sustain thousands of views and turn the platform into a source of income. While some charge to teach how to “master the algorithm,” others manage to earn millions without investing a single peso… Just being authentic.
That seems to be the formula Katie Colmillobetter known on social networks as Katie Fanga 19 year old influencer who shares fragments of his daily life with his more than 7 million followers.
That content—capable of sustaining, on average, more than one million views per video— allowed him to generate around four million dollars in collaborations with brands over the last year, a performance that led her to join the list the youngest billionaires under 30 in the world 2025prepared by Forbes.
Today, the life she displays on social networks is divided between trips, plans with friends, recommendations for beauty products of all kinds through her classics. “Get ready with me.”the format that propelled her to fame in TikTok and which consists of getting ready for the day ahead while counting stories of your daily life.
Her routine is one that many girls the age of her followers would like to have. However, just two years ago, the reality of this content creator born in Taiwan She was completely different, even “miserable,” in her own words.
The video that started his digital career
In January 2023, Fang posted a video on the social network titled “POV: They called me from work”where he portrayed an existential crisis while putting on makeup after receiving a call from the cafeteria where she worked as a waitress, on a rainy day that was not her job to cover.
Katie Fang is on Forbes’ list of young millionaires. Photo: @katiefangThe post accumulated 33 million views in just two months and today it exceeds forty.
After that first success, Fang uploaded a makeup tutorial and, shortly after, a video preparing for her sister’s birthday. Both worked.
“I thought, ‘People like watching these videos,’” he said in an interview with Fashion. Since then, he started posting every day and the growth was unstoppable.
How he built his fortune and what is the formula behind his success
As a consequence, the brands did not take long to arrive. First, partnerships with firms such as Glow Recipe y Dior; then, advertising campaigns and even a monthly beauty column in The Cut.
In June 2023, when he was still in his last year of high school in Vancouver and had two million followers, he signed a contract with the agency United Talent Agency.
Katie Fang is recognized on social media for posting beauty content. Photo: @katiefangThat was the starting point for an agenda of collaborations that continued to expand. Worked with Kosas, Caudalie, Make Up For Ever, OGX Beauty, Mugler, Too Faced Cosmetics, Neutrogena and even T-Mobile.
Con Glow Recipea chance recommendation on their networks led to the joint development of a facial routine kit, Get Glowing With Meand also became the face of the line Gentle Exfoliating of Cetaphil.
“I always make sure to be as authentic as possible. Not only for my audience, but also for myself, because I think authenticity is key.”, he claims.
Now, become an expert #WrwmFang explained that success relies on good lighting and something “intriguing” to say in the first five seconds to capture the viewer’s attention.
Thus, Fang went from being a little-known influencer who shared beauty and fashion tips to having her own billboard on Times Squarewhile the number of his followers continues to increase.
When she is not going viral, posing for covers or attending brand events, she is a student of the New York University, city where he bought his first apartment. Before, he had begun his journalism career at University of Victoriaalthough he later turned to business, according to Girls’ Life.
She is not just a young woman who talks to her cell phone: she is a friend of the Olympic gymnast Suni Lee and at the beginning of this year he celebrated in Barbados with Rihanna. A journey that confirms that, in the attention economy, authenticity also matters—and very highly.
