If you wanted to watch a video of a cat attacking its reflection, a skateboarder landing flat on his face, or even hear Darth Vader breathe for 10 hours straight, YouTube is the place to be. Watching a harmless three minute video turns into six hours of mindless viewing. But what started as a place to find viral videos has become a new source of entertainment and has gone as far as to provide jobs for creative minds. Since 2005, YouTube has been an outlet for people to express themselves. It has given a voice to those who wouldn’t usually have one. It has changed the game in the entertainment world. All you need is a camera, an idea, and a voice to be heard. That is the beauty of the internet.
What separates YouTube from the mainstream forms of media is the content created by a person is 100% unique to them. They do not conform to the restraints that the television or movie industry put on creators. They have the ability to say whatever is on their mind without anyone controlling them from behind the scenes. Through this honest interaction with the camera, youtubers make a connection with the audience that no movie star or athlete could ever mimic. Their personalities are apparent and genuine, which gives them an almost superior status to Hollywood stars.
Making millions of dollars from the comfort of your living room doesn’t sound like too bad of a gig, right? The only requirement: make a video. If your content begins to bring in an audience, you can be paid anywhere from $100,000 to a few million dollars a year, depending on the success of your videos. It is because of this that people turned a hobby into a well-paying career.
The rags-to-riches success story of Shay Carl is completely attributed to YouTube. He vlogs his family every day, giving a glimpse into the chaotic life of him and his family. He started out struggling to survive financially. As he continued to make videos, his audience grew larger and larger until his channel, The Shaytards, had over 2.6 million subscribers and over one billion channel views as of September 23rd. The popularity of his channel opened new doors in his career. He became a co-owner of the company Maker Studios, and in March of 2014, that company was sold to Disney for a staggering $500 million.
YouTube has been the starting point of many careers. Comedian Grace Helbig got her start on YouTube back in 2010 through the company MyDamnChannel. Her popular channel, DailyGrace accumulated over two million subscribers and 244 million views in three years. Then, due to a conflict of interests, she had to leave MyDamnChannel and in 2014 started her brand new channel It’sGrace, leaving behind her viewers and content. Within 3 weeks of starting her new channel, she surpassed one million subscribers. From the success of her channel, Helbig has since created and starred in her own movie, CampTakota, written her own book, has landed a pilot on E! Network, and is rumored to possibly replace Chelsea Lately on Late Night. None of this would’ve been possible if it weren’t for her content on YouTube, proving how powerful the YouTube community really is.
There are hundreds of YouTube pioneers who are making a name for themselves in entertainment. Personalities like Jenna Marbles, Shane Dawson, Tyler Oakley, Phil DeFranco and so many more have been given the opportunity to let their creative minds show, an opportunity that would not have been possible with traditional media. Hollywood better watch out, YouTube is a force to be reckoned with.