Top 10 YouTube Channels That Turned Into A Business - TopX Ep. 48

- With over fifteen million subscribers to its name you better believe this channel is worth noting. NigaHiga, founded and run by the Hawaiian-born ninja himself Ryan Higa, has come a long way since its humble origins in 2006.
- It started out as a way for Higa and friend Sean Fujiyoshi to perform comedic skits such as “How To Be Gangster” and “How to be Ninja”, and as you can expect, the channel rose in popularity and quality. Higa dropped out of college while studying Nuclear Medicine to pursue his YouTube career full time.
- As his content expanded to encompass rants, collaborations, and other entertaining videos, Higa developed the Ryan Higa Production Company. With a loyal team of co-creators by his side, Higa’s vision endures.

- As a fan of yo’ faces and a connoisseur of news, YouTube personality Philip DeFranco is kind of a big deal. His mix of quick editing and a willingness to address topical events garnered his video blogs the attention of millions... and caught the eye of the network Revision3, a multi-channel network now owned by Discovery.
- What started off as rant videos about current events, spiralled into his own web show where he discusses pop culture and news. Phil eventually decided to drop out of pre-med to pursue his passion for video-making.
- Phil’s growing status and network partnership eventually resulted in him becoming the senior VP of the subsidiary Phil DeFranco Networks and Merchandise in 2013. He also went on to launch the popular YouTube channels SourceFed and SourceFedNERD.
- While some guys may let the fame go to their heads, Phil remains the same easy-going person as in his early days, balancing the responsibilities of business with his own creative desires.

- Initially formed as a talk show for Sirius Satellite Radio, this YouTube-based news channel is now a prominent media enterprise.
- Co-founded by Cenk Uygar, a former lawyer, the Young Turks relies on a format of live-streaming reports on American politics for a few hours each weekday, which are split between breaking news and open discussions of social and economic issues, as well as pop culture trends. The channel’s reliance on topical news and reasonable discourse has earned it quite a following; so much that they launched two original programs on Hulu in 2014.
- The channel is said to have earned about $3 million in 2013, with a third of those earnings coming from subscriptions to TYT network’s website.
- Political commentary shows are a challenging endeavor; but with their large following and continuous expansion, it's clear that The Young Turks are leading the market in the news division on YouTube, as well as for online news in general.

- Affection for, and willingness to critique film can be a worthwhile pursuit in the right hands. And boy, does CinemaSins fit the bill.
- The channel was developed as a co-venture between Jeremy Scott and Chris Atkinson, who met while working at a movie theater and used to make fun of films for fun. These guys are successful because they straddled the line between offering thoughtful commentary on films in their “Everything Wrong With...” series, while also keeping their videos light and humor-centric.
- CinemaSins has since granted the movie-loving duo sufficient resources to move beyond critiquing film with the creation of their two spin-off channels: Brand Sins and Music Video Sins, where they apply the same comedic commentary and nitpicking formula that garnered their first channel its large following. Internet criticism is tricky to master, but we feel Scott and Atkinson’s balance of values has made their particular business one to admire.

- Creators of the hit web series “Video Game High School”, RocketJump comes across as a shining example of self-made success on YouTube. The channel began as FreddieW, named after co-founder Freddie Wong, and played host to a number of low-budget yet well-produced skits... typically involving guns.
- From there, its blend of slick action, impressive special effects and fast-paced humor allowed the channel to progress to “Phase 2” - its re-branding as RocketJump.
- Along with this resurgence came the availability to stream “Video Game High School” on Netflix, as well as an original comedy series, RocketJump: The Show”, developed for Hulu.
- By partnering with Lionsgate and developing content with celebrities from various media, RocketJump has found itself a profitable corner of the Internet.

- The Fine Brothers, Benny and Rafi, certainly have diversified since they started creating online content in 2004. After going to film school and wanting to break into the industry, the brothers realized the potential in online video and planned to build their audience there.
- Their popular “React” video series, coupled with other successful ventures such as their original web sitcom “MyMusic,” has allowed the sibling duo to not only grow their viewership like they originally planned, but granted them the opportunity to launch their own original programs, eventually expand beyond YouTube via their own production company, Fine Brothers Entertainment.
- The brothers’ shared vision and desire to develop content for virtually everyone is inspiring, to say the least. And when we say everyone, we mean everyone – these guys have a Kids, Teens, Adults, and even Elders react series. Nickelodeon even picked up a 30 minute TV version of the show called “React to That.”
- It’s not hard to imagine the Fine Brothers continuing to make YouTube content for years to come. We’re certainly happy about that possibility.

- Through their embrace of the zany and unusual, Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla have made themselves known to the world.
- For these two best friends, making lip-synching videos with their webcam turned into their full-time job. Their main channel, Smosh, specializes in skits and assorted videos, which take advantage of the duo’s varied humorous sensibilities and increasingly high production value to great effect.
- In 2011, Smosh was acquired by the network Defy Media – which has only aided Hecox and Padilla’s efforts to expand further, as they are developing 6 new channels and even released their own movie (Smosh: The Movie) in 2015. Similar to Screen Junkies, Smosh has utilized the resources of their network to grow their brand and maintained their authenticity while taking their comedy to new levels.

- From their humble beginnings seeking an answer to the question “You ever wonder why we’re here?”, Rooster Teeth has grown into a full-fledged production company.
- Since its founding in 2003, Rooster Teeth Productions’ patented mix of pop culture savvy and mature humor has allowed it to branch off down multiple avenues. From their gaming-oriented division “Achievement Hunter” to their various podcasts, there’s no shortage of YouTube content on tap. The company has developed many successful shows, including “RWBY”, an American anime series, and “Red vs. Blue,” a comedy sci-fi series that’s available to watch on Netflix.
- In case all of that wasn’t proof enough of their insane growth, the team went from five guys in an apartment to over one hundred employees in total. Bravo.

- Few channels are as expansive as Machinima Inc., originally developed for... well, machinima, the art of using video game technology to create animated videos. Although Machinima was launched as a website in 2000 for the gaming community, they didn’t start posting videos to YouTube until 2007.
- The multi-channel network has thousands of videos across a variety of channels like Prime, ETC, Sports, and VS as well as videos hosted by their own personalities, like Adam Kovic, Bruce Greene and Steve and Larson.
- Machinima has since expanded across YouTube and to other platforms, specializing in streaming original gaming programming. This includes everything from starting their “Inside Gaming” editorial division where they cover gaming news and reviews, to crafting content for their premium channel, “Machinima Prime.”
- These guys are total pros at highlighting their ingenuity, and continue to demonstrate their urge to keep creating, as well as their desire to entertain.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions:

- Epic Meal Time
youtube.com/EpicMealTime

- LittleBabyBum
youtube.com/LittleBabyBum

- PopularMMOs
youtube.com/PopularMMOs

- Yogcast
youtube.com/BlueXephos

- If Machinima was the company that pioneered the multi-channel network, Maker Studios is the one that took the model and ran with it. The name Maker might not ring a bell to you, but how about Pewdiepie, Markiplier and Timothy Delaghetto? Those are just a few of the talented YouTubers represented by Maker Studios.
- While there is no single channel called Maker, this company is the by-product of its co-founders’ channels. Perhaps you’ve heard of Kassem G, Shay Carl, and Philip DeFranco, to name a few?
- This MCN collaborates with some of the biggest content creators worldwide to help increase their online presence and grow their audience.
- Partnered with over 55,000 creators and with a $500 million sale to Disney on their resume, Maker has completely revolutionized the industry for both the YouTube platform and its personalities. Is it really any surprise they’re our #1?