Becoming the next big face of YouTube is as easy as sitting on your couch, facing your video camera, and pressing the record button.
This is how the road to YouTube stardom began for famous vloggers like Jenna Marbles, Hannah Hart and Philip DeFranco. They simply talked to a camera about whatever they wanted and uploaded the video to YouTube. What’s the secret to their fame and fortune? Subscribers.
It’s simple math: The more subscribers, the more video views. The more views, the bigger the paycheck from YouTube. These artists of the video world earn a massive living from the tallied up number of times an internet user clicks on their video. An article on celebritynetworth.com titled “The 25 Highest Earning YouTube Stars” lays out what each YouTube channel star makes in a year in accordance to overall video views. Hint: it’s a lot.
So whether you’ve considered dropping out of school to pursue your YouTube stardom or you’re just looking for a channel to follow, it’s essential to know that the faces behind the video frame don’t take their jobs lightly. They create videos for the fans and sincerely try to connect themselves to anyone in the world who will listen.
Here are some of the best examples of popular YouTube channels who stand out from the rest.
Julian Smith
Most famously known for his popular videos “Hot Kool Aid” and “Malk,” Julian Smith is an internet favorite of many Dixie State University students.
Rilee Nilsson, a freshman general education major from Salt Lake City, said Smith’s signature humor is how he creates viral YouTube videos with more appropriate humor than you’d see anywhere else on YouTube.
“I like how he makes all of his own original stuff,” Nilsson said. “It’s a unique kind of humor, which makes it hilarious.”
Smith didn’t always think he’d like making videos, but on his personal website he said he’s grown to love story telling. From taking a shower at your friend’s house or talking to a cat, Smith provides fans with many comedy skits and original songs about life’s random quirks.
“His songs are catchy, and I know I can go to his videos for a good laugh,” said Michael Sowell, a freshman general education major from Salt Lake City.
Smith does not rank on the highest paid YouTube stars list, even with more than 1.5 million subscribers, but he remains one of the most liked and recognizable faces to DSU college students.
Vlogbrothers
John and Hank Green are two brothers who live across the country from each other and communicate only through YouTube videos twice a week. They are the driving force behind a nerd-positive culture called the “Nerdfighters” (or “Nerdfighteria”) and have inspired many teens and college students to make their mark in the YouTube world.
Michael Nielsen, a senior English major from St. George, is a long-time Vlogbrothers fan who started his own video series called “Emma Watson Ransom Vlogs” on his YouTube channel. He said the Vlogbrothers continue to be popular because they’ve been around so long, they’re consistent, and they’ve given back to “Nerdfighteria” and the rest of the world.
“I enjoy their intelligent take on pop culture and world events,” Nielsen said. “I mean, they’re nerds, which is oddly attractive, but they are also awesome human beings with much of their focus in life being to prevent ‘world suck.’”
The Vlogbrothers’ channel has attracted more than a million subscribers since its debut in 2007.
Jenna Marbles
Jenna Marbles is the pseudonym name for Jenna Mourey, who currently has more than 12.5 million subscribers to her wildly popular channel.
She is most recognized for hilarious portrayals of what it’s like to be a woman and the major differences between sexes. Naturally, many college viewers like Siarra Schramm, a junior elementary education major from Montgomery, Ala., enjoys Marbles’ unique and contagious humor.
“My favorite video is what girls do in the bathroom in the morning because it’s my life story,” Schramm said.
Marbles is the fourth highest paid YouTube star, which also makes her channel the top female-ran channel on the website.
