Over the years, YouTube has become my main source of media entertainment. I rarely watch T.V. anymore, and I’m not a huge movie person either….but I do like YouTube quite a bit. I try to keep the list of channels I watch small so I don’t eat up too much of my free time sitting in front of a computer, but I also love discovering new and talented people on the platform. I feel that it’s unnecessary to recommend big names like JennaMarbles or Ryan Higa, so here’s a list of my favorite smaller channels. Hopefully you can discover a new creator to watch!
1. KickthePJ
KickthePJ is the type of person and creator we need to see more of on YouTube. This guy has a crazily huge imagination, which, as a creative person myself, I can really appreciate! He has loads of skits and animations on his channel, as well as a few short films. Most of his work has at least somewhat of a fantasy element with the weirdness factor dialed up to a solid seven out of ten. Don’t worry though, this isn’t the “weird side” of YouTube—KickthePJ’s channel features a good kind of head-scratching strangeness. He also does some more “normal” videos as well….For example, ones of him trying on weird clothing or drawing cartoon characters. This highly creative, funny, wholesome and good-natured creator is the type of person I like to support with my viewership.
2. Danny Gonzalez
You may remember Danny Gonzales from his career on Vine. He runs a commentary channel (a popular genre on YouTube), his being my favorite out of all other commentary channels. Danny mostly makes videos about other YouTube videos and channels, internet/social media stars, and silly phone apps. He’s really great at poking fun at stupid things on the internet without attacking the creator or getting involved in internet drama, which seems to be how many commentary channels thrive (Danny literally wrote a song about this phenomenon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1GXKpDBB6w). He’s known for making songs and raps on his channel to spoof the content he’s discussing, and some of these songs are actually….kinda good? You can also occasionally watch him team up with fellow ex-Viner, Drew Gooden (the man behind the infamous “Road Work Ahead” Vine). I’ve linked a hilarious video they made in which they read weird Craigslist ads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=282lGw6q-SY Below is the most popular video on Danny’s channel at the moment, and definitely one of my favorites….
3. InsaneReader
This one is for the book nerds out there! Yeah, that’s right….I see you! I’ve been watching InsaneReader for probably about a year now, and obviously, as it’s a channel based solely around discussing books, it’s one that is more niche as far as viewership goes. If you want to watch book reviews/discussions and think about what it means to be a reader or creative writer, this is the place for you! Caleb (the young man behind the InsaneReader title) does all these things, but his channel has evolved more recently to include random book-related videos that are totally pointless—as Caleb will be the first to admit—and purely just for fun. For example, this video where he throws a wedding for his books. (Yes, you read that right….A wedding.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpYUFYVRqQY On the flip side, he’s also unafraid to talk about the negative side of popular (often over-hyped) books, and does so in a mature way. Of all the bookish creators on the platform, I find InsaneReader’s content to be the most fresh, entertaining, and insightful at the moment!
4. FanboyFlicks
And now for the movie buffs! FanboyFlicks is a channel that doesn’t post very often (maybe once or twice a month on average), but when he does….you’re in for some laughs! This channel is based around analyzing bad movies. Like, the worst of the worst. And it’s hilarious, let me tell you! There isn’t much that’s better than hearing a guy with a totally deadpan sense of humor over-analyze a horrendous movie for half an hour. His humor may not hit with everyone out there, but I laugh out loud at the deadpan sarcasm every time. I applaud FanboyFlicks for dedicating hours of his life to watch these bad films for our entertainment in getting to see him rip them limb from limb. Here’s one of my favorite reviews of his:
5. Cody Ko
Cody Ko has a similar vlogging style to many other YouTubers, but, as far as I’ve seen, he’s easily one of the most funny in his category, and his channel is growing rather quickly. Like Danny Gonzalez, Cody comments on various aspects of internet culture, particularly popular internet trends—social medias, phone apps, YouTube fads, popular (or weird, or stupid, or downright cringey) YouTube channels, internet games, music, and the like. He has an extremely sarcastic style and is not afraid to tell it like it is. He pokes fun at things by making them seem over-the-top and sometimes integrates these silly pop culture trends into his humor (speaking ridiculous slang, for instance), which only adds to the comedic effect. You can catch him doing a popular series on his channel called “That’s Cringe,” in which Cody partners up with his buddy, Noel Miller, to roast other YouTube channels’ content.
And two channels that nearly made the cut:
~You Suck at Cooking
~Julien Smith