It’s been six years since Amy Frankel ’13 became an internet sensation, simply by saying “yes.”
In 2012, Frankel was the focus of a lip-synced flash mob wedding proposal that has generated more than 32 million YouTube views so far, and led to worldwide media coverage and an appearance on NBC’s TODAY Show. Her now husband, Isaac Lamb, coordinated the performance with 60 family members and friends to the song “Marry Me” by Bruno Mars. When the song ended, Lamb bent down on one knee with a ring.
Today, Frankel is a post liver-transplant nurse coordinator at Oregon Health & Science University, and active in the Portland theater community as a choreographer and dance instructor. The two married in 2015.
So, what’s it like when your video goes viral overnight?
“I’m still speechless,” says Frankel, who found herself fielding thousands of messages just three days before starting classes at Linfield. “It exploded the moment it was posted. The views went to thousands before our eyes. We heard from people all over the world.”
Her advice to others in the spotlight?
“Stay true to yourself,” she says. “If you get caught up in the hype of everyone trying to capitalize on that moment, then it’s suddenly not genuine anymore.”
– Laura Davis
