Connor Franta: American YouTuber, Author & Entrepreneur
Verified Macro Creator — Lifestyle, Writing & EntrepreneurshipYouTuber, Author, Entrepreneur
An overweight kid from a Minnesota YMCA swim team who dropped out of college in 2014 to chase YouTube in Los Angeles — sixteen years and three published books later, he's still posting.
About Connor Franta: American YouTuber, Author & Entrepreneur
Connor Franta grew up in La Crescent, Minnesota, the third of four children, and was an overweight kid whose mother signed him up for YMCA swimming before he became a cross-country runner in high school. He studied business at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, uploaded his first YouTube video in August 2010, and in 2012 joined the collaboration channel Our2ndLife alongside five other creators, which helped his following grow quickly. He left the group in July 2014, citing personal reasons, and dropped out of college that year to move to Los Angeles and pursue YouTube full-time. His main channel peaked at over 5.6 million subscribers in January 2017. He has since built a career beyond video: he co-founded the record label Heard Well in 2015, launched the coffee and lifestyle brand Common Culture, and has published three books — A Work in Progress (2015), Note to Self (2017) and House Fires (2021). A decade after publicly coming out, he marked the anniversary with a reflective video for his audience, and in 2026 he celebrated his channel's 16th year still posting regularly.
Career Journey
Our2ndLife and early YouTube growth
Franta uploaded his first video in August 2010 and joined the six-member collaboration channel Our2ndLife in 2012, which grew his audience quickly before he left the group in July 2014.
Dropping out and moving to Los Angeles
Franta dropped out of college and moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue YouTube full-time, going on to publish his first book, A Work in Progress, the following year.
Heard Well, Common Culture, and peak subscribers
He co-founded the record label Heard Well in 2015 and launched the coffee brand Common Culture; his main channel peaked at over 5.6 million subscribers in January 2017.
Two more books and a 16-year channel
Franta published Note to Self (2017) and House Fires (2021), and continues posting reflective, essay-style videos, marking his channel's 16th anniversary in 2026.
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FAQs
Who is Connor Franta?
Connor Joel Franta (born September 12, 1992) is an American YouTuber, author and entrepreneur from Minnesota, known for essay-style personal videos, three published books, and the coffee brand Common Culture.
Is Connor Franta still active on YouTube?
Yes. He marked his channel's 16th anniversary in 2026 and continues to post reflective, long-form videos alongside running Common Culture.
How can brands work with Connor Franta?
Through his publicly listed business contact, bashley@settebelloentertainment.com, shown on his YouTube channel.
Latest News
In 2026 Franta marked his YouTube channel's 16th anniversary with a reflective video on what he's learned, continuing to post essay-style content alongside running his Common Culture coffee brand.
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