They’re Ignoring MrBeast’s Rules of YouTube, and Thriving

For a long time, Donaldson admits in a number of podcast appearances, he was afraid of putting anything complex in his videos — what if a viewer didn’t get it and stopped watching? Donaldson might very well be an advertiser’s absolute dream, the logical endpoint of an internet that’s been flattened into a samey, straightforward sludge of optimized ... See more

By focusing relentlessly on the consumers of content, platforms like YouTube were able to build huge user bases and eventually, huge profit-making advertising machines.

For many media brands, the creator economy presents a conundrum — what is the role of brand when audiences increasingly value the intimacy of a direct connection to a human creator?

These creators are a far cry from Hollywood types. But with internet platforms, they can broadcast their knowledge and expertise. They’re also able to better monetize what they know and what they love: before YouTube, MKBHD might have worked as a techie at the Apple Store; now, he employs a dozen people and does tech reviews for 14 million subscrib... See more