YouTube has come a long way from its humble origins as an (if not the) video sharing platform in 2005. Quickly going from being the originator of a viral trend or two to becoming the birthplace of multimillionaires, it’s more than earned a column in Forbes magazine. While the pandemic has been a slog for most companies and platforms (and an outright nightmare for others), the nature of social distancing cemented YouTube’s place in one’s routine schedule. Most people naturally found it better to binge their favourite content creators as opposed to fiddling their thumbs in lockdown. This article (based on Forbes findings) will further delve into some notable creators, and their achievements over this past year.
Let’s first address people that have kept making it to the top consistently. Jeffree Star, online makeup guru, starts off the top 10 at, well, number 10. His online following of 16.9 million subscribers and 14 million followers on Instagram are easily large enough to dictate his presence on the list. However this, combined with a line of lucrative cosmetic products have definitely raked in the big bucks. Other notable repetitions from last year include; Mark “Markiplier” Fishbach, the gaming-commentary champion who has risen up from #7 to #5 on the list; Dude Perfect, the trick shot gurus who come in at number 3; Rhett and Link, the hosts of the YouTube show Good Mythical Morning at a solid number 4; and Anastasia Radzinskaya, a child vlogger who makes up one of the two foreign entries on our list.
New additions to the top 10 include Stevin John, better known by his online alias of Blippi. Known best for his child-catering educational videos, the creator has profited off of the 10.7 million subscribers on his main channel via both his ad-friendly videos and merchandise. The YouTuber has, however, been involved in a checkered past of off-brand comedy sketches, which apparently haven’t been enough to impede his rise to the top. Another newcomer is YouTube darling David Dobrik. He’s famous for his vlogs, with a rotating cast of individuals known as the “Vlog Squad”, and his high-profile relationship and breakup with fellow content creator Liza Koshy. A Slovak, he makes up the second of our foreign entries.
The number 2 and number 1 on this list are constituted by Mr. Beast and Ryan Kaji respectively. Mr. Beast’s online reputation started with immensely popular challenge videos, and reached unbelievable heights after his Team Trees campaign at the tail end of 2019. A combination of fun videos and immense goodwill made his presence on the top 10 a no-brainer. Finally, Ryan Kaji has held the number 1 spot from 2018. His toy reviews have spawned an empire earning $29.5 million, and there seems to be no slowing down in sight.
Chart: Statista.
Let’s first address people that have kept making it to the top consistently. Jeffree Star, online makeup guru, starts off the top 10 at, well, number 10. His online following of 16.9 million subscribers and 14 million followers on Instagram are easily large enough to dictate his presence on the list. However this, combined with a line of lucrative cosmetic products have definitely raked in the big bucks. Other notable repetitions from last year include; Mark “Markiplier” Fishbach, the gaming-commentary champion who has risen up from #7 to #5 on the list; Dude Perfect, the trick shot gurus who come in at number 3; Rhett and Link, the hosts of the YouTube show Good Mythical Morning at a solid number 4; and Anastasia Radzinskaya, a child vlogger who makes up one of the two foreign entries on our list.
New additions to the top 10 include Stevin John, better known by his online alias of Blippi. Known best for his child-catering educational videos, the creator has profited off of the 10.7 million subscribers on his main channel via both his ad-friendly videos and merchandise. The YouTuber has, however, been involved in a checkered past of off-brand comedy sketches, which apparently haven’t been enough to impede his rise to the top. Another newcomer is YouTube darling David Dobrik. He’s famous for his vlogs, with a rotating cast of individuals known as the “Vlog Squad”, and his high-profile relationship and breakup with fellow content creator Liza Koshy. A Slovak, he makes up the second of our foreign entries.
The number 2 and number 1 on this list are constituted by Mr. Beast and Ryan Kaji respectively. Mr. Beast’s online reputation started with immensely popular challenge videos, and reached unbelievable heights after his Team Trees campaign at the tail end of 2019. A combination of fun videos and immense goodwill made his presence on the top 10 a no-brainer. Finally, Ryan Kaji has held the number 1 spot from 2018. His toy reviews have spawned an empire earning $29.5 million, and there seems to be no slowing down in sight.
Chart: Statista.
