Lauren Kobayashi Riihimaki (born August 11, 1993) is a Canadian
YouTuber known for her video content on the ''LaurDIY''
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel as well as her
vlog
A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...
and
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
content on the ''LaurDIY Vlogs'' and ''WILD 'TIL 9'' channels, respectively.
As of January 2022, ''LaurDIY'' has over 8.5 million subscribers, and ''LaurDIY Vlogs'' and ''WILD 'TIL 9'' have a combined 535,000 subscribers.
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Career
Riihimaki began posting DIY tutorial videos on her blog in her first year of university in Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. She first joined YouTube on December 1, 2011,sewing
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabr ...
videos on the platform. In 2015, she graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
(previously Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
) with a degree in graphic communications management. She won a Shorty Award in the "House & Home" category at the tenth annual ceremony. She also won a Streamy Award
The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The forma ...
in the "Lifestyle" category at the Awards' debut ceremony in 2017.Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is a video on demand service operated by American company Meta Platforms (previously named Facebook, Inc.). The company announced the service in August 2017 and was available to all U.S. users that month. Facebook Watch's original ...
.
In 2017, Riihimaki appeared as The Engineer, in season 2 of the YouTube Premium series, Escape the Night
''Escape the Night'' is an American reality television series created, hosted, produced, and owned by Joey Graceffa that was first broadcast on June 22, 2016, on YouTube Premium. The series follows fantasy plots based on horror and murder mys ...
, created by Joey Graceffa.
In 2019, Riihimaki was announced to host and executive produce a future HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
competition series called ''Craftopia
''Craftopia'' is an American reality streaming television series that premiered on HBO Max on May 27, 2020. In October 2020, the series was renewed for a second season. In August 2022, the series was cancelled.
Premise
''Craftopia'' is a youth-o ...
''.
Personal life
Riihimaki is of Finnish and Ukrainian descent through her father (from whom she inherited her Finnish last name), and of Japanese descent through her mother.
Riihimaki dated Sebastian "Baz" Morris from 2010 to 2015, with the pair remaining friends after they split. Morris died in late May 2020. She started dating fellow YouTuber Alexander "Alex" Burriss, also known as Alex Wassabi on YouTube, in 2015. They broke up in September 2018. Lauren has repeatedly mentioned that they had issues with commitment throughout the relationship.
In 2019, Riihimaki began dating singer and entrepreneur Jeremy Lewis. They met for the first time when she was filming the "Roast Yourself Rap" that was popular in 2015. He worked with her to create her video. She recounts in her podcast (Wild Til 9) that she and her assistant initially thought he was gay.
In December 2022, Riihimaki and Lewis publicized their engagement on social media.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Riihimaki, Lauren
1993 births
Canadian bloggers
Canadian people of Finnish descent
Canadian people of Japanese descent
Canadian people of Ukrainian descent
Canadian YouTubers
DIY YouTubers
Living people
People from St. Catharines
Toronto Metropolitan University alumni
Canadian women bloggers
Women video bloggers