PHOENIX — When Alyssa Eckstein was in middle school, she wanted to be a YouTuber. She made silly videos in her bedroom on a channel that still exists today.
But 12-year-old Eckstein had no idea what was coming her way.
Eckstein and her boyfriend, Cayden Christianson, are now "The Pink Shirt Couple," a pair of digital content creators based in the Valley who promote positivity and being yourself to their over 18 million subscribers on YouTube. And yes, they do wear matching outfits every day.
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Their pink shirts were not always the couple's calling card. Their content creation started when Eckstein and Christianson first started dating. Eckstein said Christianson tried to impress her by solving a Rubik's Cube, and the gesture inspired her to make a now viral video that launched their career.
"Ever since then we were both hooked and we started creating content together," Eckstein said.
The pink shirt came from Christianson, who had a pink polo and began wearing it in videos. After getting positive feedback online, Christianson donated his entire wardrobe, and Eckstein joined in on the fun shortly after.
They began making more videos and just a few months later, in 2021, they began pursuing social media full time. From their current series promoting volunteering during the holidays to their challenges, the pair have 90.3 million likes on TikTok.
Eckstein said when she is going "full force" on content creation, she can have 12 hour days of scripting, filming and editing.
"It really is... an all the time job," Eckstein said. "It is a lot of fun, but I think it is a lot more work than people realize."
That's why Eckstein understands why so many people who create content get creative burnout — she spends a lot of time coming up with creative, original ideas for videos.
But Eckstein said she also loves the analytics side of content creation. She even uses her math degree, she said, to figure out what videos perform best.
In every video, Eckstein said she and Christianson want to promote being yourself to their audience and be great role models for young people.
"I've always been an outcast and I'm awkward and I'm weird," Eckstein said. "My goal is to inspire the young to be themselves. Be awkward, be silly; these days people call you cringey, be cringey! I know I'm cringey."
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