{{short description|American YouTuber}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Lisa Donovan | image = Lisa Donovan by Pippa Lamb.jpg | alt = Lisa Donovan photographed by Pippa Lamb in London, 2021. | caption = Donovan in 2021 | image_size = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1980|6|11}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S.<ref name="van scare" /> | other_names = ''LisaNova'' (on [[YouTube]]) | occupation = Entrepreneur, actress, YouTuber | spouse = | relations = | years_active = 2006–present | notable_works = | known_for = The Pattern, Maker Studios | website = {{URL|https://thepattern.com/}} }} '''Lisa Donovan''' (born June 11, 1980) is an American former [[YouTube]]r. She is a founder of Zappin Productions,<ref>{{cite news | title = Lisa Nova On The Spot | url = http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003526215 | publisher = [[Adweek]] | first = Brian | last = Morrissey | date = January 1, 2007 | access-date = January 4, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155649/http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003526215 |archive-date = September 30, 2007}}</ref> a production company that specialized in [[viral video]]s, as well as the founder and CEO of ''The Pattern'', an astrology-based personality app.<ref name="van scare" />
Donovan began her career as one of YouTube's earliest content creators and was subsequently one of the co-founders of [[Maker Studios]], a YouTube video network which was purchased in 2015 by [[The Walt Disney Company]] for $675M.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/268936/disney-paid-675m-for-maker-its-10q-discloses.html | work=Media Post| title=Disney Paid $675M For Maker, Its 10Q Discloses | date=February 12, 2016}}</ref> The network was absorbed by Disney in 2017 to become [[Disney Digital Network]].
== Early life == Donovan grew up in [[Scarsdale, New York]].<ref>15 Minutes of Fame: Becoming a Star in the YouTube Revolution by Frederick Levy, P. 75</ref> She was a student at the [[University of Colorado at Boulder]] before moving to [[Los Angeles, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.movieweb.com/tv/news/84/17384.php |title=Lisa Donovan Joins the Cast of ''MADtv'' |access-date=July 11, 2007 |date=January 31, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714000738/http://www.movieweb.com/tv/news/84/17384.php |archive-date=July 14, 2007 }}</ref>
== Career ==
=== YouTube === Donovan made her first YouTube channel in September 2005<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/lisa/about|title=lisa's channel – YouTube|work=[[YouTube]]|access-date=December 5, 2016}}</ref> and uploaded her first video, "Introducing LisaNova," a reel of facial clips in black-and-white accompanied by the [[Charles Aznavour]] song ''Non, je n'ai rien oublié'', to YouTube on June 7, 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgMZpHF64K8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/JgMZpHF64K8 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Introducing LisaNova – YouTube|work=[[YouTube]]|date=June 7, 2006|access-date=July 16, 2007}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She has parodied a number of celebrities and public figures; her impersonation of [[Sarah Palin]] was praised in ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' as "ruthlessly hilarious", and in 2008 [[Ralph Nader]] made a guest appearance in one of the skits.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2008/09/lisanova/ | magazine=Wired | first=Jenna | last=Wortham | title=YouTube Comedian LisaNova Packs Heat for Sarah Palin Spoof | date=September 2, 2008}}</ref> In a ''[[Forbes]]'' magazine article, YouTube founder [[Chad Hurley]] highlighted Donovan's success as an example of the changing paradigm of entertainment.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0507/068.html | work=Forbes | title=YouToo | date=May 7, 2007}}</ref> Donovan is also a co-creator of the popular YouTube channel 'The Game Station', which led to her co-founding the YouTube network [[Maker Studios]].
=== Acting === Donovan was one of the first YouTube content creators to cross over to mainstream Hollywood when she was cast on ''[[MADtv]]'' in 2006.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-nova | work=Huffington Post | first=Lisa | last=Nova | title=Lisa Nova}}</ref> She debuted in a spoof of ''[[The Ellen DeGeneres Show]]'', where she played [[Salma Hayek]], the producer of the ABC comedy ''[[Ugly Betty]]'', and [[Rosie O'Donnell]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Andrew |last=Wallenstein |title=How YouTube Helped LisaNova Start Her Career |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/arts/television/29wall.html?ex=1183953600&en=96039ab2953175b5&ei=5070 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date = April 29, 2007 |access-date = July 7, 2007}}</ref> The episode aired on February 17, 2007. After signing a contract and only appearing in four episodes of ''MADtv'', she left the following season.
In 2015, she played the role of the flight attendant in [[Jeremy Garelick]]'s ''[[The Wedding Ringer]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884732/fullcredits/|title=The Wedding Ringer|website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>
=== Maker Studios === Donovan co-founded and served as a board member for [[Maker Studios]], a [[multi-channel network]]. Maker Studios was sold to [[The Walt Disney Company]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/03/24/disney-maker-studios/|title=It's Official: Disney Acquires Maker Studios For At Least $500M |date=March 24, 2014 }}</ref>
=== The Pattern ===
Donovan is the founder and CEO of The Pattern, an astrology-based personality app.<ref name="van scare">{{cite magazine| url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/05/the-pattern-lisa-donovan | magazine=Vanity Fair | title=The Pattern, Known for Its "Scarily Accurate" Approach to Astrology, Has Its Sights on Dating | date=May 19, 2021}}</ref> In 2021, Donovan announced that The Pattern intends to launch a dating product called Connect.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/the-pattern-founder-lisa-donovan-connect-dating-app-summer-romance-astrology-reading | work=W Magazine | title=The founder of The Pattern and its new dating feature, Connect, decodes what's in store for a season of transformation | date=June 10, 2021}}</ref>
== See also == * [[List of YouTube personalities]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Lisa Donovan}} *{{IMDb name|2558689}} *[https://www.youtube.com/LisaNova LisaNova] at [[YouTube]]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Donovan, Lisa}} [[Category:1980 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century American actresses]] [[Category:21st-century American comedians]] [[Category:American businesspeople in the online media industry]] [[Category:21st-century American businesspeople]] [[Category:American people of Guernsey descent]] [[Category:American sketch comedians]] [[Category:American web series actresses]] [[Category:American women comedians]] [[Category:Comedians from New York (state)]] [[Category:Cultural depictions of Sarah Palin]] [[Category:Maker Studios people]] [[Category:Scarsdale High School alumni]] [[Category:University of Colorado Boulder alumni]] [[Category:YouTube channels launched in 2005]] [[Category:YouTube channels launched in 2006]] [[Category:YouTubers from New York (state)]]