MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, became a household name through a combination of innovative content, strategic use of the YouTube platform, and a flair for philanthropy and sensational stunts. While he’s now the face and flagbearer of the most exotic and expensive YouTube videos, there was a time when MrBeast used to struggle to bag a handful of views. At the time of this writing, in December 2023, he now has 223 million subscribers on YouTube.
In 2023, Time named MrBeast one of the world’s 100 most influential people — and rightly so. The YouTuber has an estimated net worth of $500 million and attracts hundreds of millions of views every month from all over the world. But since this wasn’t always the case and he had to grind his way up to the top, let’s find out how exactly Mr. Beast managed to become a household name.
MrBeast First Became Viral for His Counting to 100,000 Video
As a teenager, MrBeast (Jimmy) began his YouTube career with modest ambitions and resources. His early content, starting around 2012 when he was just 13 years old, was quite varied. He experimented with a range of videos, including Let’s Play gaming videos, attempts at viral challenges, and commentary on YouTube itself. These initial endeavors didn’t gain much traction, but they were crucial in helping him learn the ropes of content creation and what it takes to engage an audience on the platform.
Also, unlike the strong CGI and high-end content that we see now — his early videos weren’t polished or highly produced either. They were the work of a young, enthusiastic creator exploring his passion for video creation. Jimmy often discussed topics like the wealth of other YouTubers, how to gain subscribers and other YouTube-centric themes. His subscriber count grew slowly, and his videos, while earnest, didn’t yet have the unique spark that would later catapult him to fame.
However, the turning point came in January 2017 with his “counting to 100,000” video. In this video, MrBeast filmed himself counting to 100,000, a task that took him over 40 hours (though the video was edited down to a more watchable length). This was not a typical viral challenge or high-production content; it was a test of endurance, patience, and a bit of absurdity. The video struck a chord on YouTube, standing out for its sheer outlandishness and MrBeast’s commitment to the task. It rapidly gained views and became the first video on his channel to go viral!
Built a Subscriber Base With More Viral Challenge Videos
The “counting to 100,000” video marked the beginning of his unique style of content creation that was somewhat a combination of endurance, entertainment, and later, philanthropy. From here, his approach to YouTube changed, and he started focusing on more elaborate and challenging videos. The success of the counting video was a crucial breakthrough, providing him not only with a significant increase in viewership but also a clearer direction for his future content. He continued to put more content on his YouTube channel and most of them were different types of challenges that excited an average viewer.
Money Giveaways and Expensive Stunt Videos Is What Helped Him Become a Household Name
After his initial viral success, MrBeast began to incorporate money giveaways into his videos, which significantly boosted his popularity. These weren’t just small amounts; he frequently gave away tens of thousands of dollars, and sometimes even more, to individuals, often in surprising and creative ways. For instance, in some videos, he would walk up to strangers and hand them a stack of cash, or he would challenge people to complete certain tasks for a cash reward. This approach was groundbreaking in the YouTube community, as it was rare to see a content creator giving away such large sums of money.
MrBeast then also began undertaking large-scale, expensive stunts that were both entertaining and awe-inspiring. One notable example is when he bought every item in a store and donated it to a local charity, or the time he organized a real-life recreation of the Squid Game series, investing a significant amount of money to replicate the sets and games from the show for a competition with a large cash prize. Another remarkable stunt was the #TeamTrees initiative, where he aimed to raise $20 million to plant 20 million trees, a campaign that went viral!
MrBeast’s Content Now is a Mixture of High-Stake Challenges, Giveaways, and Unique Competitive Formats
The most recent videos by MrBeast have been a combination of high-stake challenges, inspirational takes, and giveaway videos. For instance, “I Rescued 100 Abandoned Dogs,” “$10,000 Every Day You Survive in a Grocery Store,” and “Survive 100 Days Trapped, Win $500,000,” are some of the titles of his most recent videos. Another recent and rather surprising take was in “I Spent 7 Days Buried Alive,” where the YouTuber actually spent seven days buried alive — his previous best was in another video where he spent 50 hours buried alive.
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