- 4 hours ago
These creators didn't just make videos — they changed the world. Join us as we count down our picks for the YouTubers who completely rewrote the rules of online content! From scientists and educators to pop stars and political commentators, these trailblazers transformed YouTube into a launching pad for something far bigger than anyone ever imagined. Which of these groundbreaking creators is your favorite? Let us know!
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00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those YouTubers that changed the game.
00:09You're incomparable.
00:14Like a...
00:20Number 10. Mark Rober
00:22Rober, who was working at NASA at the time, was first noticed on YouTube with his very first video,
00:27featuring a homemade Halloween costume that made him seem like he had a hole in his chest.
00:39From there, he quickly found a lane with educational science content that often promoted the common good.
00:45His glitter bombs meant to foil parcel thieves and squirrel obstacle courses meant to protect bird feeders are just a
00:51few examples.
00:52His dedication to science and learning led Rober to create the STEM-based company Crunch Labs.
00:57The company, which prominently features in many of his videos, makes science fun for kids and adults alike.
01:03Because by building this super precise little robot, I discovered arcade games like this are pretending to be one thing,
01:08when in fact, they're total scams.
01:10Number 9. Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal
01:13Good Mythical Morning.
01:14Sometimes the internet's a great place to find out whether a restaurant is worth the visit or not, but when
01:20it comes to fast food, people love to complain.
01:23Lifelong friends Rhett and Link spent attentions in elementary school together, and were roommates in college, where they studied engineering
01:30before becoming creators on YouTube together.
01:32They host a number of interconnected channels, the flagship station being Good Mythical Morning, which serves as a morning-style
01:38talk show.
01:39That's right!
01:40In addition to the many channels they host, the pair branched out to podcasts, books, network TV, and even a
01:47dedicated Roku channel.
01:48All this falls under the banner of their company, Mythical Entertainment, as they're also entrepreneurs.
01:54Mythical has even acquired other popular YouTube brands like Hot Ones and Smosh.
01:59Of course, being Rhett and Link, they still provide those creators with creative freedom.
02:03That's kind of crazy.
02:04That is wonderful.
02:06Oh, I really like this now.
02:08Number 8.
02:09Hassan Piker
02:09I think that the Democratic Party is in a state of panic, and this creates maybe an opportunity for them
02:16to never repeat these mistakes ever again.
02:18Hassan first broke through in the landscape of online political commentators as a member of the Young Turks Network on
02:23YouTube and Facebook.
02:25He quickly became popular with left-leaning millennials, particularly with supporters of then-presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
02:31We have escalated into worst-case scenario territory.
02:35Skyrocketing in popularity, partially because of his brash style and good looks, Piker left TYT to launch his own career.
02:42Streaming on Twitch and uploading the streams to YouTube, he gained fame, influence, and maybe even a bit of notoriety.
02:48Piker has received short bans numerous times, but remains one of the web's preeminent political commentators, breaking through to the
02:54mainstream.
02:55We effectively starved out their economy. We destroyed their regular, ordinary people's normal existence in the country. He said it.
03:04His coverage of the 2020 election kept pace with traditional broadcasts in terms of viewership. He even played Among Us
03:10with AOC.
03:12Number 7. Sean Evans
03:14You're watching Hot Ones. It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
03:17Seeking to spice up the somewhat stale format of celebrity interviews, freelancer Sean Evans, along with Chris Sean Berger, created
03:24Hot Ones.
03:25Hard to swallow. And then, this is where I'll just say, be careful around the eyes.
03:30Oh my god, I'm sorry. I know. I know.
03:32The talk show on YouTube asks famous individuals questions as they progressively eat spicier and spicier flavored wings.
03:38I'm doing good. You're doing so good. I don't feel s***.
03:50Did you speak too soon?
03:52The show became an undeniable hit. In an era where traditional TV talk shows were flailing, Hot Ones flourished.
03:58Of course, Evans would appear himself on many of those talk shows, as well as in movies, and he was
04:03even nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Talk Show Host.
04:06Oh, did you hear it?
04:08Oh.
04:10Oh.
04:11This is not happening.
04:12Yeah, it did.
04:12No, it didn't.
04:13It's fine.
04:14The Hot Ones brand has grown as well, receiving spin-offs, co-branded food with the likes of Hot Pockets
04:19and Pringles, and of course, their own line of hot sauces.
04:23Number 6. Dylan O'Brien
04:24Just a kid who loved movies, young Dylan O'Brien started his own YouTube channel, MovieKid826, where he made comedic
04:32shorts and occasionally lip-synced.
04:34The low-rest short comedic beats were a perfect encapsulation of the early days of YouTube, and are quite charming
04:39looking back.
04:40Pull the trigger.
04:41Come on.
04:42Listen to me! You put the gun down now!
04:44Put the gun down!
04:45Shoot me!
04:46Shoot me!
04:47Shoot me!
04:48Shoot me!
04:48I'll just be careful enough to catch the eye of a local producer who cast him in a web series
04:51while O'Brien was still in high school.
04:53This was my game.
04:56Think you can beat me in my game?
04:58From there, he landed a major role in MTV's Team Wolf, immediately placing himself on the map.
05:04He then made the transition to film as the star of the Maze Runner franchise.
05:13Eventually moving out of the YA space, earning acclaim for his roles in films like Saturday Night, Twinless, and Scent
05:20Help.
05:20Yes! See? Bullseye!
05:25Got yourself an admirer there, huh?
05:27Number 5. Markiplier
05:29But I'm back! From where? You don't need to move. You don't get to move.
05:35Mark Fischbach started his foray into YouTube after a tumultuous personal year in 2012, with the intent to make comedy
05:41sketches.
05:42However, Fischbach, or as he was known online, Markiplier, found a niche with Let's Plays for indie horror games like
05:48Five Nights at Freddy's.
05:49He quickly became one of the most popular in the genre on the platform, but had greater aspirations.
05:54Hurry up, Patrick. Patrick, hurry up. Patrick! Patrick, figure it out! It's a corner! Patrick, come on!
06:00He would go on to sign with a talent agency, becoming a voice actor, and even launching projects of his
06:05own on YouTube.
06:06Eventually, he would even independently finance his own film, which he also starred, wrote, edited, and directed.
06:13The film, Iron Lung, is of course based on a game he helped popularize as a streamer.
06:18What's crazy is I already know the next thing that I want to do. I always do. Like, I always
06:24do.
06:25I know what I want to make next before the current one's even done, because I want to take all
06:29the lessons that I've learned and apply it to something bigger.
06:32Number four, Mr. Beast.
06:34I just started this 10-minute timer!
06:36And when it hits zero, that room all the way over there, full of money will explode!
06:40And the only man that can stop it is this man in this straitjacket!
06:43Even for those not on YouTube, it's nearly impossible to escape the reach of Mr. Beast.
06:48Real name Jimmy Donaldson, his channel became the most subscribed one on all of YouTube.
06:52But he didn't stop there.
06:54Would you drop out of high school for $100,000 in cash?
07:02Why not?
07:02Because I can still make money going to college and get a career.
07:05As his reach and means expanded, Mr. Beast increased both his philanthropic efforts, creating viral videos that reportedly cost around
07:12a million apiece to create, and a widespread brand.
07:16A burger chain known as Mr. Beast Burger, chocolate bars called Feastables, and Lunchable-style packs called Lunchly were some
07:22of his tastier ventures.
07:24100% of the money we raise is going to go towards building more wells like you saw in this
07:27video all around the globe.
07:28I know it's weird that a YouTuber has to do all this stuff, but someone's got to do it, and
07:33if no one else is, we're going to do it.
07:34And that's not to mention Beast Games.
07:36The massive game show, inspired by and perhaps missing the point of Squid Game, became a massive hit, and crossed
07:42over with the granddaddy of reality game shows, Survivor.
07:46I think we mix it up for this final row.
07:48Hey, whoever's in the back, just start hitting random buttons.
07:51Alright?
07:53Oh, oh, this is terrifying!
07:55Number 3.
07:56Hank and John Green.
07:57When brothers Hank and John Green teamed up and created the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel, no one could have predicted the
08:03heights they would reach.
08:04Good morning, John.
08:05I am currently standing outside of the old library at Trinity College, Dublin, where I was recently giving a talk.
08:10The regular library is over there, but that's the old library.
08:13The one with the very long room.
08:15And all the very old books.
08:16Using their success on the platform, the brothers have both individually and independently achieved massive success.
08:22Already an author before being on YouTube,
08:24Older brother John published The Fault in Our Stars after joining, which became one of the best-selling books of
08:29all time.
08:30I am in love with you.
08:35You heard me.
08:36Hank, meanwhile, focused on science communication, hosting the channel SciShow, and publishing non-fiction books.
08:42Hi, I'm John Green, and this is Crash Course World History.
08:45Let's begin today with a question.
08:47Why am I alive?
08:49Together, they created the educational Crash Course, founded the online video convention VidCon,
08:54and have led philanthropic efforts, such as the fight against tuberculosis.
08:58Yeah, I think that the people who want that are just, like, incapable of having an idea that is as
09:02good as four foot tall should be tall.
09:05Yeah, I mean...
09:06And actually, maybe I would be good at it.
09:08Oh, Jesus Christ.
09:09Number two, Bo Burnham.
09:11One of the first people to ever become YouTube famous, Burnham became popular under the site's creation in 2006 for
09:18his unique brand of humor.
09:19So hard to be a lizard.
09:25Eventually, he outgrew the platform and began touring with his stand-up,
09:29in addition to selling albums featuring the comedic song that rocketed him to success.
09:33However, he still wasn't done.
09:35You just need to put yourself out there and, like, face your fears and, you know, let people know they're
09:41really you.
09:42And, like, it doesn't matter if you're scared, because everyone's going to be scared.
09:45Burnham stepped away from touring to focus on filmmaking, both as a writer-director with 8th grade,
09:50and as an actor in Promising Young Woman.
09:52I'm calm and collected when you act wild.
09:55I am the adult.
09:57You are the child.
09:58Perhaps his most memorable creation, however, was Inside,
10:02a hybrid of stand-up special and one-man show created as the world was in lockdown.
10:06Welcome to the internet.
10:09Have a look around.
10:11Anything that brain of yours can think of can be found.
10:14We've got mountains of content.
10:16Some better, some worse.
10:18If none of it's of interest to you, you'd be the first.
10:22Hilarious and poignant, it captured how it felt as we isolated ourselves.
10:26It all went a bit crazy.
10:28Don't overthink this.
10:30Look in my eye.
10:31Don't be scared.
10:32Don't be shy.
10:33Come on in.
10:43Before we continue, check out this single from SoundMojo's Audio, Songs from Iran,
10:49reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock, metal, and pop songs.
10:53Check out the full track and album below.
11:09Number 1, Justin Bieber.
11:11A massive pop star with multiple Diamond albums, Grammys, and fame across the globe,
11:16Justin Bieber was once just a Canadian kid singing on YouTube.
11:20By chance, a producer stumbled across Bieber's cover of Neo's So Sick and immediately sought him out.
11:25At just 13 years old, he was flown to Atlanta to record demos and quickly signed a record deal.
11:30You know you love me, I know you care.
11:34Just shout whenever, and I'll be there.
11:38From there, he became a teen sensation, with his song Baby taking the world by storm.
11:50Over the years, his music, his romantic exploits, and his offstage antics have propelled him to being one of the
11:56most recognizable names and faces in the industry.
11:58What you got?
12:01A billion could have never bought.
12:04And it's all thanks to YouTube.
12:06Despacito.
12:07Quiero destinar tu cuello despacito.
12:10Deja que te diga cosas al oÃdo.
12:12Which of your favorite celebrities got their start on YouTube?
12:15Let us know in the comments below.
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