Amanda Golka Shares Her Story, From Theater Kid to YouTube Success With Swell Entertainment
Today, Amanda Golka's beloved YouTube Channel, Swell Entertainment, has nearly half a million subscribers, earning her the nickname of "the big sister of the internet"—and that's taken a lot of hard work in dedication.
Amanda started the YouTube channel more than a decade ago, creating a platform that's all about authenticity and self-expression as she shares her opinions on the topics that matter to her most. Whether she's discussing events, products or trends, film and TV, the variety creator speaks from the heart. She's proved the naysayers wrong to find her niche online, sharing her insights from the perspective of a young woman in fandom spaces and beyond. We had the pleasure of chatting with Amanda to learn all about her history, Swell Entertainment and her hopes for the future in the interview below.
Name: Amanda Golka
IG handle: @luvu2golka
Hometown: Tustin, California
1. Amanda's history with entertainment started when she became a theater kid in elementary school.
"I always wanted to be an actress, but when I was a junior in high school, I fell in love with directing and editing when I took a film class and started my YouTube channel at 16. I don't think I ever had a defining moment. I just always knew I wanted to be in entertainment and content creation is just the route I have pursued it through."
-Amanda Golka
(Photo credit: Ben Cope)
2. The name "Swell Entertainment" doesn't have the more sincere origins.
"It's a little funny, because it stems from me being a sarcastic teenager. It was originally AMG Productions, but then I learned that the name was actually owned by Mercedes Benz and 17-year-old me was worried about getting sued. So my friend suggested I use something with 'swell' in it, since I said it so often to be sarcastic about something annoying or awful happening. Now though, I like it because I have a mini production company, and I like that the name is about something I do versus being about me, if that makes sense. One day I will move on to other things, and Swell Entertainment can continue on as a time capsule of my adolescence and my 20s."
-Amanda Golka
3. Her biggest goal with Swell Entertainment is become a legitimate production company, making original shows and movies.
"For now, I am hoping it influences people to make better choices in their lives, look at how they respond to media and social trends and inform them on events they want to attend. I hope my content helps people look at things differently while still being entertaining. As far as how it's different, honestly because it's me on camera. The only real throughline for my videos is that it's me telling you about whatever my video is about. I am truly a variety creator which gives me copious amounts of freedom with my content."
-Amanda Golka
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4. Her event reviews are some of the most satisfying pieces to create.
"There isn't really anyone who reviews events in the way I am, but it's been great to get people telling me that they started going to concerts or conventions on their own because I inspired them. Or messages saying they had no idea how unsafe a convention they had been going to for years was, but my videos encouraged them to request bag checks or better security for future years. Some events have even taken my recommendations to try and make the events better moving forward, which is great. That's the most satisfying."
-Amanda Golka
(Photo credit: Ben Cope)
5. One of the best pieces of advice she ever received was about understanding her audience.
"Not sure who said this first, but I saw it on social media a year or so ago, and now I say it to every new creator: your friends and family are not your target audience, so don't try to seek their validation. Basically, if you try to only get validation from people in your life before doing content, you will never be successful."
-Amanda Golka
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6. The biggest habit that's gotten her to where she is today is treating YouTube like a job.
"Setting a posting schedule was a game changer. It makes planning, filming and editing much easier to manage when I know I have to have it ready before my Tuesday posting days. I also think still being a student of content is important. Especially for my commentary videos, it's important for me to know who is saying what about who and when. The amount of creators I know who never watch YouTube or TikTok when they aren't posting is crazy to me."
-Amanda Golka
7. One of the most rewarding things about the work she does is simply hearing from her viewers.
"I travel alone for most of my videos, and I have truly loved getting emails and messages from viewers saying I inspired them to go out and travel alone for the first time, or go to an event by themselves when their friends didn't want to go. I also love the comments from artists and people saying I'm their favorite background noise. I explain things a lot and don't use a ton of visual aids, so people can listen to my videos like podcasts."
-Amanda Golka
(Photo credit: Ben Cope)
8. If there's one thing Amanda wants people to know about her, it's that there's more in her future than Swell Entertainment.
"I love writing, acting and hosting. I love my job as a full-time creator, but I would love for this to go back to being my fun hobby one day as I move on to doing other things."
-Amanda Golka
For more on women putting their stamps on the industry, click HERE to read our interview with Lucy Postins, founder of The Honest Kitchen.