If you’ve been tuning in to any tech or business news in the past week, you’ve probably heard that Maker Studios — a producer of online content — was purchased by The Walt Disney Company for a whopping $500 million.
Maker Studios essentially takes the role of producer for online content creators that choose to work with them. This purchase is amazing for the fate of online content and entertainment. Although creators can already become YouTube partners and get paid for some of the advertising their videos create, and even though many creators have sponsorships, the business move really opens up the possibilities for how much online entertainment can be worth.
For many people, myself included, YouTube takes place of other forms of entertainment such as TV or movies. I rarely find myself watching TV, and when I do it’s usually a Netflix binge (which has decreased since I’ve started watching more and more videos).
I feel myself living vicariously through my favorite daily vloggers (those who film their everyday activities), CTFxC and The Shaytards. Alli and Charles Trippy from CTFxC make daily videos of their lives with their adorable dogs, the trips they take with YouTube and We The Kings (the band Charles plays in) and, more recently, Charles’ battle with brain cancer. The Shaytards follow the larger-than-life family of Shay Carl, one of the creators of Maker Studios. With five children, their videos are full of laughs and cute family moments.
There are YouTube beauty gurus that make a variety of content, ranging from product reviews to tutorials to tips for healthy living. I find it much more useful to see someone talk about their experience with a beauty product and show it than reading a nameless, faceless review online. It’s also fun to see new ways to use products for fresh looks.
Companies such as SourceFed use YouTube as a platform for news reporting. They make several short videos a day about hot topics going around in the news-and-entertainment world, and they show it in a more entertaining way that appeals to a younger generation. SourceFed creator Philip DeFranco also has his own 10-minute show, in which he talks about news, shares funny stories and spotlights positive things. As a journalism major, I really admire the business SourceFed created and the way it’s able to create entertaining yet informative pieces.
A lot of YouTubers have branched out from just making videos on the site. Grace Helbig (known as “It’s Grace”), Mamrie Hart (who makes videos on her channel You Deserve a Drink) and Hannah Hart (who keeps people laughing filming My Drunk Kitchen) recently made the movie Camp Takota, in which they all starred. The film was released exclusively online. And if you’re wondering: Yes, it is hilarious and definitely worth the money.
This is only scraping the surface of the content you can find online. Check out some of the channels. There’s a lot more out there than cats and fail videos.
Sophie Kruse is a sophomore studying journalism and is a writer for The Post. What YouTube channels do you like? Email her at sk139011@ohiou.edu
