YouTuber Meg DeAngelis Talks Dance Camp Movie

By: Lynn Barker

Dance Camp, one of the new movies made for the YouTube subscription service YouTube Red, stars the popular YouTuber Meg DeAngelis whose channel MayBaby focuses on fashion and lifestyle topics such as Getting Ready in the Morning, 10 Things You are Doing Wrong, etc.

Also starring Viner Jake Paul and actor Nadji Jeter (The 5th Wave, Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2) Dance Camp follows Hunter (Jeter) who gets busted throwing a party instead of tending to his responsibilities. When his mother decides that he needs discipline and he’s assigned to do community service, he ends up at a dance camp filled with eclectic misfits.

Hunter isn’t into camp at all but gets challenged by ego-filled dance crew leader Lance (Jake Paul) so he and another crew decide to take him down. The crew Hunter joins is led by disciplined dancer Cheyenne (Meg) and, of course, opposites attract.

Check out what Meg had to say in our exclusive interview about making the film, doing her blog and much more!

Kidzworld: Girl! You talk sooo fast on your blogs.  Does that come more naturally to you because your character Cheyenne doesn’t do it in the movie?

• Meg: That’s so funny you noticed that! I think I speak faster in my videos than when I’m acting because I’m usually excited to share an announcement or thoughts I’ve had on different subjects with my viewers. When I’m acting, everything is rehearsed and timed out so my style of speaking is more in tune with my character’s personality and the mood of the scene.

Kidzworld: You say in a YouTube video that you are a huge “Harry Potter” fan. How old were you when you read the books and what most attracted you to that series (of films OR books)?

• Meg: I became a Harry Potter fan at a really young age. I used to have my mom read the books to me, and when I got older I would read and re-read the books all the time! I was always so fascinated by the series because it was so different from anything else I’d read or heard of, and the background stories were really interesting. Also, I like that the series incorporates life lessons through different morals.

Kidzworld: How are you like your Dance Camp character Cheyenne and how is Meg very, very different?

• Meg: Cheyenne and I could not be more opposite, which is really funny! Cheyenne can come off as tough and mean while I love meeting new people and I’m super open and bubbly. I would say our similarities are that we’re both really dedicated to our craft, me with acting and YouTube and Cheyenne with dance.

Kidzworld: Is dance a part of your personal past? Did you start dance lessons or performances at a young age? What type or style of dance do you like to do best?  If you personally were in a dance crew, what would you like to name it?

• Meg: Not exactly, I did competitive cheerleading when I was younger, but I’d actually never done dance as a sport before. My favorite style of dance would have to be partner dancing or duets. I like that each dance step, like pushing or pulling away from someone, has a purpose and it all comes together to form a story for the audience. My dance crew would be called the Emoticondas, because I’m obsessed with emojis!

Kidzworld: That’s an awesome name!  Where exactly did you shoot this movie and what, if anything, did the young actors do off set (i.e. dinners, games, visits to local clubs… or was the locale very isolated)?

• Meg: The movie was shot at a camp a little ways outside of Los Angeles. I became super close with the actors, because it really felt like we were at summer camp! We’d hang out and since a bunch of the actors are also YouTubers we had a lot of fun making vlogs together from the set.  
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  Kidzworld: Did you already know Nadji Jeter before the movie? If not, did the filmmakers get you two together to meet and get to know one another or just stick you on set and say “Okay start kissing”.. (awkward!!  haha)

   

  Meg: Nadji and I didn't know each at all until we started dance rehearsals. But we shot the kissing scene on the last day of filming, and I'm sure the directors did that on purpose so we'd have a chance to get to know each.By that time it didn't feel awkward at all! 

  
  Kidzworld: Of the dance crews, who was the big jokester or prankster on set and what did they pull?

   

  Meg: There wasn't really one jokester in particular, but the guys had this thing where they kept sneaking up on each other and flicking each other on the chest. It ended up being really funny, but I was happy I wasn't a part of it!

 

Kidzworld: If a guy you relied upon for a performance just was super late or wasn’t there, would you personally ever forgive him or he’s OUT? (Note: this happens between Cheyenne and Hunter in the film).

• Meg: I’d be so sad! Things happen, so of course I would forgive him. Unless something happened and he had an emergency or something, I think it’s really important to keep your word. Not showing up for a performance or important event is probably the worst thing you could do.

Kidzworld: Cheyenne is super intense about dancing, doing her best and having others do their best. What are you personally super intense about?

• Meg: I think I can be pretty intense about my video editing at times! I pick out the music, write the scenes and edit everything so it makes sense and the comedic timing works. Also I love pretending to disappear, and then poof back into the scene, but these things take time and effort!

Kidzworld: A little background…When did you start your YouTube videos and did you hope they would lead to the “bigtime” in entertainment or no clue that could ever happen?

• Meg: I started my YouTube channel in 2008 as a way to share my cheerleading routines, and it eventually evolved into talking about other subjects like friends, school fashion and so much more! I have always been really passionate about performing and acting, but I hadn’t planned on YouTube channel taking off the way that it did, it was just my platform for self-expression and others identified with it.

Kidzworld: What is a subject for one of your videos that you kind of nixed because you thought it was too weird or risqué or dorky or????

• Meg: I actually recently decided not to try to do beauty tutorials. I love clothes and shopping, but I wouldn’t consider myself a “makeup guru,” so I feel inauthentic teaching people how to put it on. I’ll leave that to the experts!

Kidzworld: Any advice for teens and even tweens who want to start posting videos but aren’t sure if they can do it or should do it?

• Meg: Yes, definitely (do it)! Firstly, I want them to know that they can do anything they set their mind to. Nobody’s videos are perfect when they first start their channel, but you can learn as you go, and there are so many tips on editing all over the Internet. Once you’ve got the editing thing down, make sure your videos include what you’re passionate about, and always be genuine! Lastly - and definitely most importantly - have fun with it!

Dance Camp is now available on the subscription service YouTube Red  

Have Your Say

Are you obsessed with many YouTuber channels? Do you check in on Meg’s channel? Are you a dancer? Get the dish going with a comment.