Latest news with #Smosh
Business Insider
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Meet the CEOs behind YouTube's biggest stars
Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox might be the faces of the YouTube comedy collective, Smosh, but behind the cameras, someone else helps run their 64-person team. Padilla and Hecox named Alessandra Catanese, Padilla's longtime manager, CEO in 2023. This allowed the pair to focus on the creative side of their YouTube channels. Catanese handles the company's day-to-day operations and overall business strategy. "I certainly don't believe that every creator needs a CEO, but I do believe not every creator is a CEO," Catanese told Business Insider. Smosh isn't the only creator-led operation to put an outside executive in a top role in the past few years. In 2023, the popular sports creator Jesser hired Zach Miller, a Spotify and NBCUniversal alum, as its first president. In 2024, YouTube's most-subscribed-to creator, Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson, hired Jeffrey Housenbold to lead his company as CEO and president. Donaldson is among a generation of YouTube creators who came to fame at a young age. He didn't attend college or even work a regular job before he got into content creation. Leaders from the outside can help creators like MrBeast fill skills gaps and build teams as they look to rival Hollywood studios. Some of the biggest YouTubers are now leaning on CEOs, presidents, and other C-suite executives to help them make smart business moves and manage sprawling production teams. They're tapping execs from talent management firms, Hollywood, and creator economy startups. "A lot of creators have reached a scale where they know they need more operating support," said Sean Atkins, CEO of Dhar Mann Studios. Atkins, a former MTV exec, joined the company from creator Dhar Mann last year. The new class of YouTuber chief executives is helping creators build teams, develop M&A strategies, raise funding, or weather growing pains. Timothy Salmon was promoted last year to president of CatFace, the company behind YouTuber Aphmau, who has 23.6 million subscribers and makes videos about Minecraft. Salmon joined the company in 2018 and has a background in post-production for TV and film. He helps manage a 93-person team in Austin, freeing up creator Jessica Bravura to focus on creative tasks, like writing scripts and planning videos. He keeps the team on top of YouTube's ever-shifting algorithm. "YouTube is an ever-evolving beast," Salmon said. "If you're not flexible and you can't adapt, it will leave you behind." Catanese, meanwhile, works from Smosh's Los Angeles office, where she spends most of her time meeting with staff or business partners. She has helped Smosh hire to adapt to TV screens and cash in on YouTube's battle with streamers. Catanese elevated Kiana Parker to the role of executive vice president of programming, overseeing this strategy for Smosh. Atkins, who works from New York and LA, studies the Dhar Mann audience. He analyzes metrics like viewership, watch time, and click-through rates and uses them to evaluate the company's strategies. "I wake up in the morning, and I immediately look at the numbers," Atkins said. He also oversees operations, such as hiring, and new brand initiatives, like touring and M&A. In February, his team hired a chief strategy officer to work alongside Atkins on sourcing, negotiating, and structuring potential M&A deals. Meanwhile, creator group Dude Perfect brought on former NBA exec Andrew Yaffe as CEO late last year. He helps hire talent in front of and behind the camera, build partnerships with brands, and manage the long-term strategy. Housenbold, the CEO of Beast Industries, is leading MrBeast's company as it raises fresh capital. Housenbold has compared the company to Disney for the next generation when pitching prospective investors, as Business Insider previously reported. Some creators are reluctant to cede control For a creator, bringing on a CEO or president also means letting go of some control. "It's hard because creators come from an industry rooted in doing it all by themselves," Catanese said. At the end of the day, their name and brand are on the line. Salmon at CatFace said there have been times when the broader team was set on a strategy, like a brand deal or how a sponsor was presented in a video, but the creator said it didn't feel right. "Working with content creators can be very fascinating, frustrating, exciting, and exhausting," Salmon said. "This company is a representation of who they are. It's understandable that they're picky about the brand and how it's seen." But the biggest risk to a creator business is burnout, and CEOs and other executives can help take some of the pressure off creators. "I always tell creators to build systems and teams around them so that they can continue to scale without burning out," Atkins said. "The No. 1 thing I see for a lot of creators is that they've done everything in the past, so they continue to try to do everything themselves without taking a break." Part of a CEO's job is making creators feel comfortable that they're not going to mess with what's working. For most creator businesses, the creator is at the center of the content, and it really doesn't work without them. "Let's not forget who built this," Atkins said. "My job is to enhance it, not to change it."
Egypt Today
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Egypt Today
How Online Communities Teach Sympathy and Understanding POVS
One of the things I love doing in my spare time is watching YouTube. It doesn't matter what the content is, such as movie analysis, stand-up comedy, fashion, etc., but watching Reddit stories has taken up most of my time. I spend all of my time watching the entirety of Smosh's Reddit stories, even the ones I've seen before, call me boring, I don't care. Brimmed with their humor and different but interesting takes, what I've learned from Smosh and other channels that do such things, like Two Hot Takes, is the importance of seeing things in a different light. I'm guilty of having my preconceived notions and biases when it comes to someone telling me a story and asking for a piece of advice, and as much as I like and attempt to be objective, sometimes I fall into the trap of siding with my friend and forming an allegiance. What these Reddit stories and online communities exist on Facebook in the form of private groups, WhatsApp channels, or Twitter discussions on a phenomenon have taught me is: A) See beyond the text. B) Be aware of the language used in the post or how the person telling the story is using specific words. C) Not everyone has the same thoughts as you. So I'd like to share my opinion on how social media's online community can be beneficial and teach you something along the way. So, based on my experience being chronically online, I found that despite being isolated in real life and feeling like we are not heard if we speak up about the problems we face to our trusted friends, we find solace with strangers. What I saw is people seeking unbiased, objective answers to their problems, without feeling shame or judgment. People are lured to using social media to air their problems or situations because of the anonymity provided to them; even if the problem seems small, it's about being supported, feeling seen, and seeing things clearly. Another thing that I've learned along the way is how I jump the gun completely and rely on emotions only instead of seeing the full picture. For example, watching these Reddit stories on Smosh or reading a member's post on a Facebook group about someone telling their story and instantly, i side with the original poster, as I let myself be in their shoes and see things from their point of view, I forget about the other side and dismiss how the words were used. What people online have taught me is to read between the lines, balance between emotions and facts, and always remember that to each story there's her side, his, and the truth, so I take a step back and try to listen and read more, instead of stating my opinion. The more I read stories posted online and saw tweets on situations that people went through, seeing their words and feeling pierced my eyes and my heart, I became more sympathetic, less judgmental, and more open, we are all human, faults and all, to see people coming online to tell their tale and look for solutions instead of being a bystander, really made me more compassionate, eager to help, and be more kind. Sure, social media has its flaws, but there's undeniable benefit and beauty to it. The community it provides for the lonely, the unheard, and the broken who seek help and compassion is truly remarkable. Whether it's a simple ask,l ike a woman asking which dress to wear when meeting her date, a girl trying to figure out which college she enrolls in, or a man bonding with other guys over their love for soccer or games that lead to years of friendship. The right online community builds trust, transparency and teaches people.
