Tassie twins Sarah and Ella Fitzpatrick shot to TikTok fame this year as “THE FITZY TWINS” when their news-style videos went viral, clocking up millions of views and giving the world a glimpse into their life living in Hobart.
With the “Fitzy news” content they have become known and loved for, you would be forgiven for thinking these two Tassie girls would feel more at home studying at our media school. But Sarah and Ella are both first-year medicine students.
In fact, their rise to fame on TikTok started when Sarah and Ella needed a break from studying for their UCAT, the test required for entry into the Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine.
“I was getting a little bored of studying. There was so much reading, so I started to do this voice and realised I sounded like a news reader,” Ella said.
“Then we filmed one random video on New Year's Eve down on Elizabeth Wharf with Ella using the newsreader's voice, and it got 500,000 views. That shocked us, but it worked, so we kept doing it,” Sarah said.
Their home city of Hobart is the backdrop for many of their videos, with landmarks like Salamanca markets, Elizabeth Street Mall, and the Menzies building regularly featured.
“I think it’s cool that we get to show off Hobart and Tasmania,” Sarah said.
“When we post videos of Hobart, people always comment on it, saying, 'Oh, is this Hobart?' and 'Hobart is so pretty.'
“It has taken everyone a moment to figure out what we already know: Hobart is amazing,” Ella said.
The twins have racked up millions of views and have over 100 thousand followers on the app, something they still can’t quite believe.
“It is wild,” Sarah said. “It’s bonkers,” Ella said.
“Our most successful video to date has 3.9 million views, and it was just us going around fast food places like McDonald's and Dominoes and saying relatable phrases,” Ella said.
“We love real and raw content, stuff that’s just relatable. We are just being ourselves, so lots of Kmart and study content,” Ella said.
Their university life also features prominently on Fitzy News, offering insights into their experiences and how they manage the balance between content creation and study.
“It’s such an advantage having Ella around because we study together. She is very organised, which helps me stay on track. We bounce off each other,” Sarah said.
“First year of uni has been hard, but so much fun too. The people are so lovely, everyone is so beautiful, and we just struggle through it together,” Sarah said.
“It’s hard to balance TikTok and uni. We try to film content on the weekend and dish it out throughout the week, but it doesn’t always go to plan.
“We’ve been studying anatomy, and that’s been overwhelming, so videos haven’t been very regular,” Ella said.
The decision to pursue medicine was a joint one for the sisters, stemming from their shared love for science during college and their volunteer work at Vinnies, helping vulnerable people.
"Boom, you put them together, and you get medicine," Sarah said.
One thing they were sure about was not wanting to leave each other or Tasmania.
“We are besties for life,” Ella said.
“We thought we’d be ok to split up and go to separate states but, looking back on it, that was a silly idea,” Sarah said.
“I wasn’t ready to leave home or my friends, so we’ve made the right decision to stay.”
The University helped ease their transition, allowing them to make new friends early on through events like med camp.
"At the start of the year, we had a med camp. So, before all the schoolwork started, we went away with other first years on a camp, which was so much fun and allowed us to form connections before starting uni," Ella said.
TikTok has created a space for the sisters to share their lives and provide a break from study, but it hasn’t been without its pitfalls. Trolling and negativity are part and parcel with the app, but Sarah and Ella said you need to be able to brush it off and not let it stop you from showing the real you.
“I think we expected more negativity and hate to our channel than we get,” Ella said. “There are a couple of people that throw comments out there, they aren’t nice, but we try to think of it more as funny and put a positive spin on things.”
“Haters gonna hate,” Sarah said.
“There’s a lot of hesitation when it comes to creating content, but you’ve got nothing to lose,” Ella said. “I love that our videos might make someone smile or laugh. It can be quite a positive space.
“I see people all the time on TikTok who are funnier or prettier than me, but you need to own the version of yourself you put out there.”
So what is next for the Tassie TikTok twins?
“We’ve got plenty more ideas, so the TikToks will keep rolling. I always do the newsreader voice, but I think it’s time that Sarah learned, so that will be our next project,” Ella said.
“We are just enjoying being us and sharing our life and Hobart with everyone,” Sarah said.
Even if you're not a TikTok star, you could still study to be a doctor. Check out our Medicine program for more info.