If you are obsessed with YouTube, these influencers are definitely worth watching. Most Viewpoint students watch YouTube on the daily and are always looking for new influencers to follow. Here are five famous YouTubers for your consideration, and how they rose to fame.

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg

Account name: PewDiePie

Subscribers: 88.0 million

Age: 29

Category: Game Commentary

Felix is a Swedish YouTuber who started his channel in 2010. While creating his channel, he was earning a degree in technology management, but soon he lost interest in the field and dropped out of school. To support himself, he worked at a hot dog stand and sold prints of Photoshop art projects. On August 15, 2013, he became the most subscribed channel on YouTube. His channel has also become the most viewed channel on YouTube. His most viewed video is titled, “b***ch lasagna,” and has received over 109 million views. While PewDiePie’s channel’s emphasis focuses on game commentary, in most recent years, he has shifted towards comedy and reaction videos. He has won the Shorty Award for Best in Gaming in 2013, the Teen Choice Award for Web Star: Gaming in 2014, and the Shorty Award for Gaming in 2015. Felix makes his makes his intentions clear when he says, “I just want to entertain; that’s my main objective and what comes before everything else.”

Shane Dawson

Account name: Shane  

Subscribers: 21.0 million

Age: 30

Category: Documentaries and Conspiracy Theories

Shane Dawson was born in 1988 in Long Beach, California. Dawson began his YouTube career when he signed up for YouTube in 2008. He focused his early content on Sketch Comedy. He also released 6 songs, such as “Superluv!” and hosted a podcast called “Shane and Friends.” In 2015, Shane shifted his focus to conspiracy theory videos, which proved highly popular among his viewership. Becca Lewis, a political subculture researcher says these videos are popular because, “the more extremist content they make, the more of an extremist and dedicated audience they build.” He has released two New York Times bestselling books titled, IHate Myselfie and It Gets Worse. In 2018, Dawson launched a series of documentaries, investigating the lives of famous YouTubers. His documentaries highlight Jeffree Star, Jake Paul, and the festival TanaCon. His most viewed video is titled, “The Secret World of Jeffree Star,” which is part of his documentary series on Jeffree Star and has 33 million views. Shane received the Teen Choice Award for Teen Star in 2010 and the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Social Media Star in 2018.

Catherine Paiz, Austin McBroom Elle McBroom, Alaia McBroom

Account name: The Ace Family

Subscribers: 15.7 million

Age: Catherine: 29, Austin: 26, Elle: 2, Alaia: 0

Category: Family channel

The Ace Family Channel started in July 2016, after the birth of their first daughter, Elle. Catherine grew up in Montreal, Canada, while Austin lived in Palmdale, California. Catherine and Austin met when Austin played college basketball at Eastern Washington University. While Austin was at college, Catherine was pregnant with Elle. After Austin graduated from college, he stepped away from basketball and the family decided to pursue a YouTube career. The McBrooms daily vlog, but their most popular videos include pranks, such as “BREAK UP PRANK ON GIRLFRIEND!!!” and “EPIC CAR ACCIDENT PRANK!!!” Their most viewed video is named, “THE BEST PROPOSAL OF ALL TIME!!!” amassing 27 million views. The channel has grown massively, and currently has 15.2 million subscribers in just over two years. The family’s channel included Catherine’s pregnancy with her second daughter, and even vlogged the birth of Alaia. Austin’s statement that “you will never fail at things you are truly passionate about,” holds true as their channel continues to expand.

Nikkie de Jager

Account name: Nikkie Tutorials

Subscribers: 11.6 million

Age: 24

Category: Beauty

Dutch YouTuber Nikkie de Jager began her YouTube career in 2008 when she was only 14. One weekend while she was sick, she was watching The Hills and was inspired by Lauren Conrad’s makeup. After searching for videos that recreated that makeup look, Nikkie started her own channel. At first, Nikkie’s fame grew slowly, but eventually she became the number 1 beauty channel in the Netherlands. The first of Nikkie’s videos to go viral was in May 2015 when she posted “The Power of Makeup,” and it has currently amassed over 40 million views. The video was intended to draw attention to the negative effects of makeup shaming and prove that makeup is intended to serve as a fun experience that makes people more confident in themselves. Nikkie appeared in Forbes’ Top Ten Beauty Influencers list in 2017, and has collaborated with brands such as Too Faced, Ofra, and Maybelline. With Nikkie’s ongoing success, she can expect the same high engagement for years to come.

Emma Chamberlain

Account name: Emma Chamberlain

Subscribers: 7.1 million

Age: 17

Category: Vlogging

Emma Chamberlain’s channel is based on comedy and vlogging. Chamberlain originates from the San Francisco Bay area and is currently 17 years old. She started her YouTube account in May 2017 as an escape from a depressing time in her life. Her original videos focus on beauty, health, fashion, and DIY. Chamberlain gained fame when she realized that she wanted her channel to be based off of comedy and vlogging. Her first video to go viral was titled, “The Dollar Store Owes Us an Apology,” and has 3.8 million views. Her most viewed video is titled, “ROAD TRIP TO VEGAS FT. THE DOLAN TWINS AND JAMES CHARLES,” receiving over 20 million views. The YouTuber’s fame came quickly, as she has amassed over 7 million subscribers in a year and a half. Chamberlain’s parents do not take this as a surprise, though, as stated in her Forbes interview, “My family wasn’t shocked by my success, but I was. But they just knew I’d do something in entertainment.” Chamberlain has also received a Streamy Award in 2018 as Breakout Creator. She continues to produce comical videos with high viewer counts.