Rosianna Halse Rojas is a writer, video blogger, social media manager and online personality. Rojas is best known for working with vlogger and novelist John Green, initially as his personal assistant, and presently as his producing partner. Regarding her work with Green, Rojas has stated, "The job is varied – books, online video, podcasts, film and television projects, our work with Partners in HealthSierra Leone, a book club – but overall what I’m most passionate about is that every person I work with understands and is enthusiastic about the potential of community to effect change."
She began building a presence on YouTube in 2006, when she registered her account under the username missxrojas. On the account, she would post vlogs about Harry Potter, intellectualism and her personal school life as she studied for GCSE and A Level exams, among other topics. Her videos attracted an audience, and she developed a presence in the Nerdfighteria community. Eventually, in March 2013, Rojas became John Green's personal executive assistant. John Green is one of the two brothers who form the VlogBrothers, a vlogging channel created by the Green brothers, which sprung up the Nerdfighteria community. She would also give a TED talk at TEDx Brighton. She was one of 16 vloggers to be recognised by YouTube's Next program in 2012. Rojas has been described as "a pioneering nerdfighter," by The New Yorker. In 2013, Rojas was one of six fill-in hosts for Green on the VlogBrothers channel, while Green was on paternity leave. Rojas has also served as the editorial director of Leaky News, a Harry Potter fansite. Aside from being involved in Nerdfighteria, Rojas is a personality in YouTube's female community; Rojas identifies as a feminist. Rojas was the moderator of the Sexism on YouTube panel at VidCon 2014. In this field, Rojas has also designed "The Ladies Survey", an online survey about women and the internet. Rojas is also credited with being a writer on the humanities-related courses on Crash Course. In 2017, Rojas was named a Creators for Change ambassador by YouTube.
Life's Library
In 2018, Rojas founded the Life's Library book club with John Green. The book club reads a book approximately every 6 weeks, with online discussion occurring on the Life's Library Discord. Rojas and Green alternate choosing books, with guest curators occasionally making selections. Regarding Life's Library, Rojas has stated:
After the first year we’ve seen a brilliant and engaged community on the Discord, with thoughtful discussions about each of the titles and an excitement and curiosity about finding out more about the text, authors, and similar books. It’s such a positive space on the internet and I feel very lucky to be a small part of it.
Life's Library is free to participate in, with paid subscription options available to receive digital or physical subscriptions, containing additional materials such as a discussion podcast, or a version of the book itself. All profits from Life's Library are donated to Partners in Health Sierra Leone to help reduce maternal mortality.
Podcasts
Rojas hosts a relationships advice podcast titled Make Out With Him with friend Lex Croucher. It is described as "A crushes, dating, friendships and kissing podcast hosted by love amateurs Lex Croucher and Rosianna Halse Rojas." It is currently on hiatus. Rojas also produces the podcasts The Anthropocene Reviewed and Dear Hank & John, both being co-productions of Complexly and WNYC Studios. She featured as a guest host in the episode It's My Soundtrack! when Hank Green was absent. Rojas has also been a guest on three episodes of the popular Harry Potter podcast Potterless.
Film Production
After signing a first-look producing deal with Fox 2000 and Temple Hill Entertainment, Green hired Rojas as a producing partner. Their currently unnamed production company is working with Fox 2000 to produce a film about AFC Wimbledon, a third-tier English soccer team. Rojas is also set to executive produce the upcoming Turtles All the Way Down film alongside Green.
