Most 17-year-olds spend their days applying to their dream colleges and getting ready for prom, but that is most certainly not the case for Hamptonite Carrie Berk, who already has a life’s worth of accomplishments under her belt as a 17-year-old college freshman. She is a contributing writer for Girls’ Life Magazine, Seventeen Magazine, and StyleCaster, and has been quoted in numerous media as a fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and social media expert.
Berk is a bestselling children’s book author with 21 books to her credit and penned her first book, Peace, Love & Cupcakes, when she was only in second grade. The Cupcake Club series went on to publish 12 books, selling 400,000+ copies worldwide, and becoming an award-winning Off-Broadway show, featured in 2017’s New York Musical Festival. Berk not only co-wrote the script for the play, but starred in it as well, earning her a NYMF award for Outstanding Individual Performance.
She then went on to launch a stunning style empowerment website titled Carrie’s Chronicles in December 2017 about channeling style as a superpower, covering the latest fashion, beauty, food, health, entertainment and places/spaces, with over 500 articles on the site, and continues to create daily content. The site also features a Q&A column containing inspirational interviews with celebrities and creators. Berk utilizes her YouTube Channel Carrie’s Chronicles to showcase her work as talent at BeautyCon, The Radio Disney Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards, JuiceKrate, and more.
Berk’s second six-book series, Fashion Academy, also became an Off-Broadway production at Vital Theatre and is currently licensed worldwide by Concord Music Publishing. Her latest series, Ask Emma (Bonnier Publishing), springs from her boundless imagination and personal experience as a teen lifestyle website creator, experiencing cyberbullying firsthand. Ask Emma launched in 2018 at Book Expo America and BookCon with book three of the series hitting shelves in October 2019.
Her verified Instagram account, @carrieberkk, has a gorgeous feed displaying her lavish lifestyle, amassing over 410k followers, while her verified TikTok Account @carrieberkk regularly goes viral with over 870.9K followers. Berk has collaborated with top fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands including Adobe, Disney, H&M, Dunkin, FabFitFun, Alice + Olivia, and more. She has also served as an on-camera correspondent for TigerBeat and Girls’ Life, covering red carpet arrivals and celeb interviews at the Radio Disney Music Awards, New York Fashion Week, and The Teen Choice Awards.
Berk recently starred as “Karina” in the Brat TV series Stage Fright, airing to the digital network’s 4 million tweens/teen subscribers. You can also watch the show on Brat TV’s YouTube Channel. It’s no wonder Bella Magazine recently declared Berk as “an ambitious and dedicated boss babe,” and The Wall Street Journal dubbed her “a community-minded young creator.”
Along with her seemingly endless list of career achievements at such a young age, Berk serves as a philanthropic teen ambassador for the non-profit No Bully and has made it her mission to encourage tweens and teens to practice empathy and respect among their peers in both everyday life and on social media.
I had the opportunity to speak with the impressive multi-hyphenate to learn more about her successful career, future goals/aspirations, and any advice for those of all ages and backgrounds in the Hamptons.
Congratulations on all of your literary accomplishments and your stunning style blog, Carrie’s Chronicles! What would you say is the key to success at your age?
CB: Hard work and unwavering dedication. I’m constantly challenging myself and pushing my boundaries. One accomplishment only feeds as fuel for the next. I’ve been practicing this mindset since I published my first book at eight-years-old and that, I believe, is the key to success at a young age.
As an activist, which causes mean the most to you?
CB: I serve as a teen ambassador for No Bully, a non-profit organization that teaches kids to practice empathy and respect toward one another from a young age. As someone who was severely bullied throughout my tween and teen years, whether for my sense of style in the school hallways or on social media, this cause is one I hold near and dear to my heart. I am honored to support No Bully in their initiative. A few years ago, I wrote the script for an anti-bullying PSA for the organization, and we gathered several celebrities and actresses to take part in the video. I was very proud with the result of the video—it was a powerful call to end bullying, not today or tomorrow but “right now.”
What are your college plans and career goals?
CB: I am currently in my freshman year of college with a major in journalism and minor in fashion studies. I hope to be an editor-in-chief of a magazine one day!
Have you ever been to the Hamptons? If so, what are your favorite places to dine, relax, have fun, and shop?
CB: I’ve actually spent the past eight months of quarantine out in the Hamptons. Besides relaxing on my patio and going out on runs, I love dining at Sant Ambroeus and 75 Main, and I love to shop at Alice + Olivia and Intermix.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
CB: Here’s where you can follow me on social media:
Instagram: @carrieberkk
TikTok: @carrieberkk
Facebook: Carrie’s Chronicles
Pinterest: Carrie’s Chronicles
Twitter: @carrieberkk
Website: www.carrieschronicles.com