Houston Daily

Thousands of students graduate from the University of Houston annually, but few can claim a Creator Award from YouTube. Erica Parkinson, a graduate of the C. T. Bauer College of Business, is one such individual.

Parkinson has managed her family's Brasians YouTube Vlog since 2015. Over the past decade, her channel has garnered over 31.6 million views and more than 151,000 subscribers, with a majority audience in Japan. The channel has published more than 120 videos.

To earn YouTube's Silver Creator Award, creators must surpass 100,000 subscribers.

This achievement is notable for Parkinson, who balanced her studies with work as a bartender and participation in Bauer’s Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship program. This program was rated the top undergraduate entrepreneurship program by U.S. News & World Report in November 2024.

“In the beginning, we were just making videos for fun,” Parkinson said about the early days of her channel. “We really started picking up around Covid time... We now have a full team to do this.”

Parkinson was among 1,344 Bauer students who graduated on May 9 at the Fertitta Center. Although unsure how graduation will affect her YouTube career, she plans to continue posting content.

“It’s going to be hard because my sister is moving away for college — to Sam Houston State University — and I’m trying to move out,” Parkinson said regarding future filming challenges.

The University of Houston interviewed Parkinson about her future and how the Wolff Center prepared her for life after college.

When asked what brought her to UH, she explained that after attending San Jacinto for prerequisites and considering multiple degree plans, she chose business and applied to both UH and UT Austin before deciding on UH due to acceptance into its programs.

Parkinson's involvement with Wolffest began when she volunteered with Backyard Wolves during an entrepreneurship course: “Our team was kind of disorganized... I did my own boba tea vendor and sold these little Japanese pancakes.”

She joined the Wolff Center after being inspired by its motivated community: “It made me feel like I could start a business... It’s something you can actually pursue.”

Brasians originated from hosting a Japanese exchange student who introduced them to YouTube: “When I turned 19... we started with things like visiting Japan.” The channel pivoted in 2020 to focus on family content under its current name.

Using Japanese subtitles helped attract viewers interested in learning English: “We realized if we put these subtitles on... That helped draw more attention.”

Her first video received significant attention due to promotion by their exchange student friend: “In the first week I had more than 30,000 views.”

Challenges include coordinating schedules among family members involved in creating content while maintaining engagement levels: "Coordinating four people... is near impossible."

Looking ahead, Parkinson plans a move to North Carolina where she'll pursue real estate opportunities while continuing Brasians remotely through spin-off series focused on life there: "I plan to post about homesick recipes..."

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.