10 Digital Creators Discuss How to Become a Thriving [Influencer]

Did you know that the most popular YouTube channel like macaylakat in the world has over 4.3 billion views? That’s more than twice as many views as the next most popular channel on YouTube.

If you want to become a digital creator who has a figurehead, someone with their own brand and following, then this article is for you! We’ve interviewed 10 of these influencers to ask them how they did it, where they got their start, what it entails now to be an entrepreneur and how difficult it can be.

From bankers to rappers-turned-digital creators, there are plenty of different paths that have been taken by some of today’s top influencers.

1. Joseph Kupferberg

Robert Kupferberg, or Joseph Kupferberg, is an American entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Tellagami. He is best known as the creator of the video game “Kitten Cannon”.

“My passion for video games began way back in 1996. I discovered “The Sims” in a local supermarket and immediately fell in love with it. I was obsessed! Back then you could own your own Sim house, you could make a Sim marriage proposal to your crush as well as get into big arguments with other Sims.”

2. vhaknyama

vhaknyama is an Australian YouTube content creator that has been creating videos since August 2015. His channel ‘vhaknyama’ has over 8,000 subscribers and nearly 1.5 million video views.

“My username is taken from the name of a character in a South African television program called Isidingo. The character is known for always wearing a black mask and speaking in jive talk.”

3. Jack Douglass

Jack Douglass (YouTube name: JacksFilms) is an American YouTube video creator that has been creating videos since 2009. His channel ‘jacksfilms’ has over 5 million subscribers and nearly 3 billion views!

“I started on YouTube back in 2006, when I was 14 years old. My friend showed me her webcam, and I tried to copy her. When she hit record, I was shocked at how I sounded. I knew from that moment that my sister and I were on to something! My videos have drawn over 5 million views, which is a huge success!”

4. Rhett & Link

Rhett and Link are a twin duo who have been creating content since 2007. Their YouTube channel ‘rhettandlink’ has over 16 million subscribers and close to 20 billion video views! Their two channels named ‘rhettandlink’ (with 8 million subscribers) and ‘nakedlyrhett’ (with 1 million subscribers) are also run by the duo.

“I remember when we were in our early teens. We wanted to start a business, and it didn’t seem right until we could agree on what to do. We ended up creating our own late-night community access TV show. That’s where our creativity was honed and the skills we needed to start making content on YouTube.”

5. The Philip DeFranco Show

Philip DeFranco (real name: Philip Franchini) is an American YouTuber, actor, comedian, radio personality and news reporter that has been creating videos since 2006. He has two YouTube channels called ‘sxephil’ (with over 9.7 million subscribers) and ‘dsx factory’ (with over 1.9 million subscribers).

“I was a pretty awkward kid in high school, but I was also nerdy and smart. I was always on YouTube making videos with my friends, so when I graduated high school, I thought to myself: ‘Why not make a living out of this?’ This led me to start my own YouTube channel in 2006.”

6. Dane Boedigheimer

Dane Boedigheimer is an American YouTuber and filmmaker that has been creating videos since 2005. He is best known for his character The Annoying Orange . His channel ‘ DaneBoedigheimer’ has over 6 million subscribers and nearly 3 billion views.

“I watched every video on YouTube I could find and tried to replicate what I saw. My favorite style was Avatar animations, so that is what I focused on making at first. Over time, the whole style changed though! Now I just make any kind of content that I want to.”

7. Marcus Butler

Marcus Butler (aka: Marcus Butler) is an American YouTuber and comedian that has been creating videos since 2012. His channel ‘MonstersInMySoup’ has over 3.3 million subscribers and close to 2 billion views.

“I was actually at my first ever YouTube convention, VidCon, in 2013 when someone recommended that I should check out Kickstarter. I went home and created a video on how to crowdfund via the site.”

8. Alfie Deyes

Alfie Deyes (aka: Alfie Deyes) is an Australian YouTuber that has been creating videos since 2003. His channel ‘PointlessBlog’ has over 3.2 million subscribers and nearly 2.5 billion views!

“When I first started my YouTube channel, it was purely for fun. There was no sense of making money from it; I just enjoyed talking to everyone there. Even now, when I have so many followers and a fanbase, I still feel like it’s the same as when I first started.”

9. Shaun McBride

Shaun McBride (aka: Shonduras) is an American YouTuber that has been creating videos since 2006. His channel ‘Shonduras’ has over 1 million subscribers and nearly 1.5 billion video views.

“When I first started my YouTube channel, I wasn’t really sure what to do. I just started posting videos without a plan because that’s how everyone else did it! It turns out, posting on a schedule was the smartest thing I could have done.”

10. The Game Theorists

The Game Theorists is an American YouTube video that has been creating videos since 2011. Their channel ‘Game Theory’ has over 2 million subscribers and nearly 1 billion views!

“At the start of my YouTube career, I never thought that it would lead to anything else.

Summary:

There are many other YouTube content creators who have created successful channels such as long running in the industry. So even though there is a lot of competition, it doesn’t mean that you can’t create a successful channel. You just need to create content that people want to watch and be consistent in making videos!