Seven million subscribers and counting
Summerside family finds Youtube success with their channel, 'Diary of 4'
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – In spring 2019, a Summerside family began uploading videos to Youtube, just to document milestones in the life of their newborn daughter, Ember.
That was almost five years, nearly 2,000 videos and more than seven million subscribers ago.
“Our friends, when we started Youtube, were quite shocked,” said Francis Santiago. “We’re shy people. We’re introverts.”
Since their following swelled, content creation has become a full-time job for Francis and his wife Kristel. Shooting four short videos a day is their goal.
Sometimes, they take inspiration from other creators, putting their own spin on trends. Often, they find a muse while out and about – Ember, 5, is always eager to pitch her own ideas.
“I really love to do videos with my mom and dad,” said Ember.
In September 2018, the couple moved to P.E.I. from Manila, Philippines.
“It’s very busy, fast-paced,” said Francis. “Here is very laid back.”
Kristel added, “It’s a nice place to raise a family.”
GROWING A BRAND
For the first three years, they struggled to crack 1,000 subscribers on the channel – then dubbed "What Ember Loves".
But they persisted, doing it not for recognition, but to share and preserve their family memories.
In March 2022, their second child, Keegan, 2, was born and the channel was put on pause. When they resumed uploading to their page that August, they rebranded as "Diary of 4" and found their niche.
“There was a short video that my sister sent me and told me, ‘Why don’t you try doing this prank?’” said Francis.
“It’s a kid’s prank,” added Kristel. “Let’s see how Ember will react to it.”
The video featured Francis and Ember holding Kit Kat chocolate bars. Francis would move his chocolate in the air, Ember would mimic the movement, bringing her treat close to her father’s face – and Francis would pretend to take a bite.
“That’s the first ever video that got almost a million views,” said Kristel. “We realized that, oh, that’s probably what the audience actually likes to watch.”
After that, they continued filming little pranks and lighthearted skits, and the channel took off.
FUN FOR THE FAMILY
In January 2023, they celebrated 150,000 subscribers. By the end of August, they had cracked one million.
Ember brought the Gold Creator Award plaque they earned from Youtube for the achievement to school for show and tell.
“She said, ‘I told them that someone brought it to our house,’ … and she was referring to the delivery guy.” Kristel laughs as she tells the story. “That’s it. That’s everything that she said.”
Although Francis and Kristel run the channel, it is clear that their five-year-old has the most fun in front of the camera – eagerly smiling and posing for Saltwire.
The family also has a second channel – "Ember and Keegan" – which focuses on the kids. If they grow up and want to continue making videos, they can use the channel. If they decide they want to move away from creating videos altogether, their parents said they will support that choice, too.
MAKING MEMORIES
As of March 4, "Diary of 4" had reached seven million subscribers and accumulated more than 11 billion views on their videos and shorts (quick videos of less than 60 seconds).
Kristel added that she is camera shy; transitioning from being solely behind the camera to sometimes going on screen, was a bold leap for her.
She laughs when she comments that she won’t watch videos featuring her.
While the investment in time and effort to keep their channel growing can be taxing for the Santiagos, none of them would exchange it for anything.
They are making memories as a family – they just happen to share with a few million people.
“What I love about it is I have more time with (our children),” said Francis. “It’s priceless.”