Sean Evans, Rhett & Link and Marques Brownlee Celebrate 20 Years of YouTube at SXSW: ‘Everyone Comes to YouTube and Then Everything Grows'
The Variety Podcasting Brunch presented by YouTube at SXSW featured creators Sean Evans, Rhett McLaughlin, Link Neal and Marques Brownlee discussing their video content amidst YouTube's 20th anniversary.
The discussion, moderated by Variety's Clayton Davis, was a live taping of the Variety Awards Circuit podcast. Evans spoke about his YouTube series 'Hot Ones,' which features celebrity guests answering questions while eating chicken wings. McLaughlin and Neal explained the process of hosting talk show 'Good Mythical Morning,' and Brownlee described his approach for the tech-focused 'WVFRM Podcast.'
The speakers broke down how they navigate YouTube. For Evans, the platform was key to getting a show like 'Hot Ones' off the ground.
'I think what's amazing about YouTube and having the show on YouTube was that it wasn't a big hit at first. And who knows if we were on a network or it was a more traditional TV show, maybe 'Hot Ones' would've been canceled before it got a chance to find itself,' Evans said.
Brownlee pointed out that as YouTube has grown, creators have been challenged to find niches and make content that can draw in viewers through a particular angle. Creators benefit as a whole when specific audiences form — 'I think the rising tide lifts all ships thing is true,' Brownlee said.
'It's sort of organically finding someone who hasn't been spoken to yet and speaking to them and bringing them on YouTube and creating an audience that gravitates towards that thing. So everyone can do that. And everyone comes to YouTube and then everything grows,' Brownlee said.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More
What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
26 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
‘Lilo & Stitch' cruises to No. 1 again; John Wick spinoff ‘Ballerina' dances to 2nd place
In the box office showdown between a deadly assassin and a chaotic CG alien, 'Lilo & Stitch' still had the edge. The Disney juggernaut celebrated a third weekend at the top of the charts, while the John Wick spinoff 'Ballerina' did not jeté as high as expected. According to studio estimates Sunday, 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' earned $25 million from 3,409 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. Several weeks ago it was tracking to open in the $35 to $40 million range, but that was adjusted down several times. Ultimately, it still came in lower than forecasts. The movie, directed by Len Wiseman, makes a sideline character out of Keanu Reeves' John Wick and focuses on Ana de Armas. It takes place during the events of 'John Wick 3.' The box office performance is a bit perplexing result considering that 'Ballerina' got good critic reviews and audience exit polls. Conventional wisdom would say that word of mouth might have given it a boost over the weekend. But, recently, opening weekend isn't the end all that it used to be. 'Ballerina' could be in the game for the long haul. 'Even though its part of the John Wick franchise, it's playing like a true original. And that's not a bad thing,' said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 'This was not a movie that was ever going to open like a 'Mission: Impossible' or another huge franchise.' The Lionsgate release, a Thunder Road Films and 87Eleven Entertainment production, had a hefty production price tag reported to be in the $90 million range. But much of that cost has already been offset by foreign pre-sales. Internationally, it earned $26 million from 82 countries, bringing its global opening to $51 million. As the first spinoff, it's the second lowest opening of the five-film franchise – above only the first film which opened just over $14 million in 2014, which does not account for inflation. The franchise overall has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. Dergarabedian added that the R-rated 'Ballerina' could also be positioned for a strong second weekend, when it goes up against family-targeted 'How to Train Your Dragon.' First place once again went to 'Lilo & Stitch,' which added another $32.5 million in North America, bringing its domestic total to $335.8 and global tally to $772.6 million. In just 17 days, it's already made more domestically than the live-action 'The Little Mermaid' did in its entire run ($298 million). 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' slid to third place with $15 million, bringing its worldwide total to $450.4 million. 'Karate Kid: Legends' earned $8.7 million to take fourth place. And 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' rounded out the top five with $6.5 million. The new Wes Anderson movie 'The Phoenician Scheme' expanded beyond New York and Los Angeles to 1,678 theaters nationwide. The Focus Features release starring Benicio del Toro made an estimated $6.3 million and landed in sixth place. The R-rated anime 'Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye' also made the top 10 in its first weekend. The GKIDS release made $3.1 million from 1,080 theaters. Overall, the box office is up over 26% from this point in 2024. With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'Lilo & Stitch,' $32.5 million. 2. 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,' $25 million. 3. 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,' $15 million. 4. 'Karate Kid: Legends,' $8.7 million. 5. 'Final Destination: Bloodlines,' $6.5 million. 6. 'The Phoenician Scheme,' $6.3 million. 7. 'Bring Her Back,' $3.5 million. 8. 'Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye,' $3.1 million. 9. 'Sinners,' $2.9 million. 10. 'Thunderbolts,' $2.5 million.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Lilo & Stitch' Earns Third Box Office No. 1 With $32.5 Million Weekend
Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch' will take the No. 1 spot at the box office for a third weekend, earning $32.5 million and fending off Lionsgate's 'Ballerina,' which is underperforming with a $25 million start. 'Lilo & Stitch' is continuing its push to leg out to the $1 billion mark, currently standing at $335.8 million domestic and $772 million worldwide. Its legs will be challenged next weekend by the arrival of another remake: Universal/DreamWorks' 'How to Train Your Dragon.' 'Ballerina,' a 'John Wick' spinoff starring Ana De Armas, is opening below projections of a $30 million start, with its $25 million opening roughly a third of the $73.8 million opening of 'John Wick: Chapter 4' in 2023. While Lionsgate says they are in line to turn a profit on the film thanks to foreign presales that allowed it to recoup a substantial portion of the film's $80-90 million budget, 'Ballerina' risks being squeezed out by the summer competition despite positive audience reception, which includes an A- on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 76% critics and 94% audience. Some of that competition is coming from Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' which is providing similar action-packed thrills to a predominantly male audience that overlaps with 'John Wick.' The final 'Mission' film earned $15 million in its third weekend, bringing its total to just shy of $150 million domestic and $450 million worldwide as it continues on the trajectory of its 2023 predecessor, 'Dead Reckoning.' Sony/Columbia's 'Karate Kid: Legends' is in fourth with $8.5 million, a second weekend drop of 58% from its $21 million opening for a lackluster $35 million 10-day total against a $45 million budget. In a narrow race for the last spot in the top 5 are Warner Bros./New Line's 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' in its fourth weekend and the wide release opening of Focus Features' 'The Phoenician Scheme.' Currently 'Bloodlines' has the edge with $6.3 million as it stands with a franchise-best domestic total of $123.5 million. Right on its tail is 'Phoenician Scheme' with $6.25 million from 1,678 theaters. The start for Wes Anderson's latest film is below the $9 million of his 2023 predecessor, 'Asteroid City,' while the film's B- CinemaScore is below the B earned by 'Asteroid' two years ago. Finally, Neon released last year's TIFF Audience Award winner, 'The Life of Chuck' in limited release in 16 theaters this weekend. Directed by Mike Flanagan and based off a short story by Stephen King, the film earned $216,000 for a per theater average of $13,500. The post 'Lilo & Stitch' Earns Third Box Office No. 1 With $32.5 Million Weekend appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Lilo & Stitch' cruises to No. 1 again; John Wick spinoff ‘Ballerina' dances to 2nd place
In the box office showdown between a deadly assassin and a chaotic CG alien, 'Lilo & Stitch' still had the edge. The Disney juggernaut celebrated a third weekend at the top of the charts, while the John Wick spinoff 'Ballerina' did not jeté as high as expected. According to studio estimates Sunday, 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' earned $25 million from 3,409 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. Several weeks ago it was tracking to open in the $35 to $40 million range, but that was adjusted down several times. Ultimately, it still came in lower than forecasts. The movie, directed by Len Wiseman, makes a sideline character out of Keanu Reeves' John Wick and focuses on Ana de Armas. It takes place during the events of 'John Wick 3.' The box office performance is a bit perplexing result considering that 'Ballerina' got good critic reviews and audience exit polls. Conventional wisdom would say that word of mouth might have given it a boost over the weekend. But, recently, opening weekend isn't the end all that it used to be. 'Ballerina' could be in the game for the long haul. 'Even though its part of the John Wick franchise, it's playing like a true original. And that's not a bad thing,' said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 'This was not a movie that was ever going to open like a 'Mission: Impossible' or another huge franchise.' The Lionsgate release, a Thunder Road Films and 87Eleven Entertainment production, had a hefty production price tag reported to be in the $90 million range. But much of that cost has already been offset by foreign pre-sales. Internationally, it earned $26 million from 82 countries, bringing its global opening to $51 million. As the first spinoff, it's the second lowest opening of the five-film franchise – above only the first film which opened just over $14 million in 2014, which does not account for inflation. The franchise overall has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. Dergarabedian added that the R-rated 'Ballerina' could also be positioned for a strong second weekend, when it goes up against family-targeted 'How to Train Your Dragon.' First place once again went to 'Lilo & Stitch,' which added another $32.5 million in North America, bringing its domestic total to $335.8 and global tally to $772.6 million. In just 17 days, it's already made more domestically than the live-action 'The Little Mermaid' did in its entire run ($298 million). 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' slid to third place with $15 million, bringing its worldwide total to $450.4 million. 'Karate Kid: Legends' earned $8.7 million to take fourth place. And 'Final Destination: Bloodlines" rounded out the top five with $6.5 million. The new Wes Anderson movie 'The Phoenician Scheme' expanded beyond New York and Los Angeles to 1,678 theaters nationwide. The Focus Features release starring Benicio del Toro made an estimated $6.3 million and landed in sixth place. The R-rated anime 'Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye' also made the top 10 in its first weekend. The GKIDS release made $3.1 million from 1,080 theaters. Overall, the box office is up over 26% from this point in 2024. Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'Lilo & Stitch,' $32.5 million. 2. 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,' $25 million. 3. 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,' $15 million. 4. 'Karate Kid: Legends,' $8.7 million. 5. 'Final Destination: Bloodlines,' $6.5 million. 6. 'The Phoenician Scheme,' $6.3 million. 7. 'Bring Her Back,' $3.5 million. 8. 'Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye,' $3.1 million. 9. 'Sinners,' $2.9 million. 10. 'Thunderbolts,' $2.5 million.
