Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.

The popular mobile title Clash of Clans has recently crossed our radar thanks to a series of widely-distributed ads from its developer, Supercell. The pocket strategy game’s YouTube influence, however, goes beyond official videos. There are also many creators who attract large audiences as they attempt to crash enemy forts. One of those creators is Godson. With his lively narration and fun editing style, Godson (who is partnered with BroadbandTV on YouTube) has used Clash of Clans to propel himself past one million subscribers on YouTube. Here’s what he had to say about it:

Tubefilter: How does it feel to have one million subscribers? What do you want to say to your fans?

Godson: It feels amazing to have one million subscribers. I would say to my fans what they always say to me: I love you!

TF: Why did you decide to focus on the game Clash of Clans on your channel?

GS: In order to focus more on school and work, I got rid of my consoles and all my games. All I had left was mobile. I thought it was safe to play Clash of Clans, thinking that I wouldn’t get addicted. I was definitely wrong.

TF: Would you ever consider doing videos about other video games?

GS: I have actually created videos about other games. However, as mobile gaming is currently growing, I try to play games similar to Clash of Clans that I can introduce my audience to.

TF: What’s been your favorite part about making Clash of Clans videos?

GS: My favorite part about making Clash of Clans videos is definitely the editing. I also find it rewarding to be able to utilize my talents to create entertaining videos for my fans. I don’t think I’ve seen any other creator with a style quite like mine.

TF: How long does it take you to come up with an idea for a video and execute it?

GS: The ideas for my videos come pretty fast, I feel I’m able to come up with something creative for each one. The editing however is another story. Being able to execute what I had originally envisioned can take 6-10 hours of editing.

TF: Your most popular video shows 300 golems and 300 giants in a big gameplay session. Why do you think that one was so well-received?

GS: The gaming community is typically interested in videos that demonstrate things normally not possible to do in a game. That particular video was popular because I was able to meet with the developers of Clash of Clans and use their hardware to attack with an insane amount of troops, something that other Clash of Clans players wouldn’t be able to do.

TF: Do you play any other games outside of YouTube? What’s one of your recent favorites?

GS: I have played other games outside of YouTube. I’m a big fan of the Metal Gear and Halo series.

TF: If you could collaborate with any other YouTuber on a video (whom you haven’t already), who would it be and why?

GS: I would love to collaborate with PewDiePie and Markiplier. Combining their audiences with mine could be highly entertaining for the entire community. I’m also inspired by their work ethic. They both post videos twice a day and I’m a fan of their comedic styles.

TF: What’s next for your channel? Any fun plans?

GS: My plans for the future are to do more Facecams as well as higher quality edits for my videos. Given the support and love from my growing audience, it’s what they deserve!

On Deck (channels that will soon reach one million subscribers): MAHOTO, twaimz, Shirin David

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Millionaires, News by Sam Gutelle
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One of AOL’s original web series is back for another season. The media giant released the first episode of Park Bench with Steve Buscemi season two on June 18, 2015, with special guest star Robert Smigel as Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.

In Park Bench’s premiere episode for season two, actor Steve Buscemi receives the call from AOL that his show has been picked up for another season. His celebration is cut short when Triumph starts insulting the web series and offers Buscemi advice on how to host. After relocating to a New York City park bench, Triumph simply returns to hurling insults instead of offering hosting tips.

AOL first announced Park Bench back in April 2014. The series did well with both fans and critics, even garnering an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Short-Form Nonfiction Program in 2014. AOL renewed Park Bench in April 2015, and released the first episode two weeks early on June 4 exclusively on Roku platforms.

You can watch the first episode of Park Bench season two on AOL On or AOL’s YouTube channel. New episodes will be released every week on Thursdays.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, News by Bree Brouwer
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For nearly a decade, Michael Buckley has offered up pop culture commentary on his YouTube web series, What The Buck. Now, in his next endeavor, Buckley is dishing out a different set of opinions. He will star as the male lead in a new cast of Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man, which opens off-Broadway on July 2nd.

In Sex Tips, Buckley plays the titular gay man, who provides advice for a woman (played here by Anneliese van der Pol, best known for her role in That’s So Raven). The play, which unfolds as a raunchy comedy, opened at New York’s 777 Theatre in 2014. Buckley’s version will run for four shows, on July 2nd, 3rd, 10th, and 11th. Once it wraps up in New York, Sex Tips will head to Provincetown, Massachusetts, spending a week in the beach town famous for its LGBT culture.

For Buckley, Sex Tips is a return to a stage career that served as his passion before he started making vlogs on YouTube. We asked him a few questions about his upcoming role:

Tubefilter:  What made you decide you want to get more involved in theater?

Michael Buckley: My first love was the stage. I did theater my whole life during school, through college and beyond. I always loved it but then as a grown up with a full time job, I was too busy. Then as a YouTuber, I was offered things here and there but nothing was the right fit. I have always wanted to return to doing theatre and this was the perfect opportunity.

TF: How did you land this particular role?

MB: They had seen me on YouTube and emailed my agent. I read the script and it said “DAN – a gay man” and I thought “I got this!” I feel very lucky that this happened. I never had the courage to go on auditions and endure all the constant rejections that actors endure so this is definitely a lucky break for me!

TF: Who are you using as inspiration as you prepare for the role?

MB: Meryl Streep. Always. Beyonce. Always. Uhm. No one to be honest, maybe a little Lisa Kudrow! Yeah that is probably my inspiration! That said. I have not rehearsed yet. So once I start rehearsing, I might have some new inspirations! Patti LuPone? I really hope at some point I stop the show and scream “START TAKING PICTURES!!!!!”.

TF: How do you think your career on YouTube has set you up for this next step?

MB: Wow. My first thought is not really because live performing is so different than first person talking to a camera. But YouTube has really prepared me for everything. The attention, the lack of attention, the success, the failures. All moments in my YouTube career have helped shape me and give me a very thick skin! Also this is a fast talking comedic show, so in a way I have been practicing this for the past 10 years!

TF: What do you ultimately hope to accomplish through Sex Tips?

MB: Great question. For me, I really needed this right now. I am 10 years into my YouTube career and I was itchy to try something new, to challenge myself in a different way. I really hope this leads to more live performing, either more theatre or one man shows I have been writing for years. I really look forward to people coming to the show and meeting people who watch my videos outside the atmosphere of YouTube conventions. I am very excited about the whole experience! And spending time in NYC and getting to the show for a week in Provincetown is just icing on the cake!

Tickets for the show are available from the Sex Tips website.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Even though Jurassic World was released on June 12, 2015, YouTube’s obsession with Chris Pratt is still going strong. Over the last week, several creators such as Caspar Lee and Michael Stevens (aka Vsauce) have sat down with Pratt to talk about everything ranging from his favorite inside jokes to his recent role in the dinosaur-filled flick.

A June 15 video from Lee, who boasts over 4.6 million subscribers on his channel, features the YouTube star and Pratt answering questions based on the “best friend tag.” Lee treats Pratt like his best friend, even though the movie star points out they only met three-and-a-half minutes before. The duo discuss (albeit awkwardly) their favorite body parts about each other, and their least favorite aspects of each other’s characters.

Stevens took a different approach with Pratt’s interview. The Vsauce host, who has over 8.9 million subscribers on his main channel, decided to investigate the science behind Jurassic World with Pratt, even teaching the Hollywood celebrity about dinosaurs’ ancestry for good measure. Stevens also met with paleontologist Jack Horner, advisor for all the Jurassic films, to dig deep into the truth of dinosaur-related questions such as what we’re really burning for fuel in our cars (hint: it’s not real fossils).

And these are only some of the most recent YouTube videos featuring Pratt filmed at YouTube Space LA. The Jurassic World star was prank interviewed by Smosh, who asked Pratt to do things like drink from a water bottle while his tongue was shaped like a straw. Pratt was the victim of yet another joke courtesy of Poland’s Sylwester Wardega (aka the “Spider Dog” guy); the prankster had friends dress up in dinosaur costumes and scare the actor as he walked down a hallway.

As the hype around Jurassic World dies down, YouTube videos featuring Pratt may become fewer and far between. But there’s always plenty of promoting for Pratt to do surrounding the 2017 release of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, so we’ll see which YouTube channel the actor turns up on next.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, News by Bree Brouwer
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When YouTube celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this year, one achievement it noted was its ability to serve as a home for citizen journalism. Over the past decade, eyewitnesses to major world events have used video cameras and cell phones to film their surroundings, and when they go to share their clips online, those eyewitnesses more often than not choose to upload to YouTube.

With that in mind, YouTube has launched a trio of projects, all of which are dedicated to citizen journalism. Most significantly, it has announced YouTube Newswire, a channel that provides a selection of videos about the top news stories of the current moment. In order to curate this selection, YouTube has teamed up with Storyful, an agency that searches for news videos from around the social web.

Before YouTube presents these videos to its viewers, it must first verify them, and that’s where the second project comes in. In the fall, a new site will introduce the First Draft Coalition, a group of journalism experts who will dedicate themselves to the verification of user-generated news videos. The Coalition won’t be the first team to support that mission, but it will be one of the best. Its members have devoted a lot of ink to the topic of eyewitness journalism, and YouTube shared a few of their collective writings through a Medium collection.

With its third project, YouTube is extending its user-generated news video efforts worldwide. It has announced the WITNESS Media Lab, a collaboration with Storyful and a half-dozen other news organizations. WTINESS “will produce a series of in-depth projects that focus on human rights struggles as seen from the perspective of those who live, witness, and experience them,” according to a blog post from YouTube. Up first is a project about the impact eyewitness video has on the discussion of police brutality in the United States.

Additional information about all three of these projects can be found in YouTube’s introductory blog post.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, News-Current Events, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
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Wendy’s will promote its new premium drinks through none other than a live stream hosted by Rhett & Link. The fast food chain partnered with the YouTube duo, who boast over 3.4 million subscribers, to promote its #SipMeUp campaign via a fan-centric, personalized live streaming experience on June 18, 2015.

Rhett & Link fans can visit the #SipMeUp portion of Wendy’s official site and answer questions about their favorite colors, food, and music. Once users have submitted their responses, they’ll wait their turn to be connected to a live stream chat with Rhett & Link. While fans are waiting, the YouTube duo will be creating and performing live, customized 30- to 60-second skits or songs based on the previous fan’s questionnaire answers, before moving on to the next fan’s skit.

The #SipMeUp live stream doesn’t stop there. Once fans are done with their live chat, they’ll be sent a link to their personalized skit recording, addressed from Rhett & Link, which can be shared on social media. Wendy’s believes all the video sharing will spread the #SipMeUp campaign even further across the internet.

Wendy’s marketing agency VML told Adweek the goal with the live streaming session is to create as many videos for fans as possible. “It’s going to be pretty fast and furious,” explained VML’s group creative director Chris Corley.

To supplement the #SipMeUp live stream with Rhett & Link, Wendy’s will broadcast its first-ever Periscope video from within the YouTube duo’s studio. Fans will be able to tune in to Wendy’s Periscope feed and see Rhett & Link developing the custom skits, changing costumes, and practicing the performances before talking to fans on the live chat.

This is not the first collaboration between Wendy’s and Rhett & Link. Previously, the YouTubers created the music video “Just Being Honest,” where they break into song and admit all their lies after hearing two women in a restaurant talk about honesty. The video was a branded content piece for another of Wendy’s drinks, the Honest Tropical Green Teas.

You can visit sipmeup.wendys.com for your chance to talk to Rhett & Link and get a personalized skit from the Good Mythical Morning hosts.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, News, Rhett & Link by Bree Brouwer
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On YouTube, Colleen Ballinger is best known for portraying Miranda Sings, a satirical YouTuber who has become a star in her own right. For her latest series, however, Ballinger is looking to outdo her most famous character–at least temporarily–to provide a suite of makeup tips. She has teamed up with The Collective Digital Studio (CDS) for How To Makeup, in which both she and Miranda (who have more than 6.7 million YouTube subscribers between them) provide cosmetic tips for viewers.

In How To Makeup, Ballinger begins in the spotlight, but Miranda herself is a major character in the series as well. The first episode begins as the two women gather their respective posses in a gym, where they stand as bitter rivals. We then flash back to a scene in a cupcake shop, where Ballinger provides some makeup tips to a trio of guests: Her mom, Glozell, and Kota Wade.

While this episode focuses on Ballinger, Miranda will soon have her say as well. She will offer her own makeup tips in episodes that will alternate with Ballinger’s. A representative for CDS teased a tug-of-war battle between the two personas: “Think anything you can do, I can do better.”

How To Makeup is particularly significant for Ballinger. As she mentions multiple times during the series’ first episode, she considered attending beauty school before she ever started smearing lipstick on her face as Miranda.

In total, How To Makeup will run for six episodes. New installments will arrive each Friday on I love makeup., the beauty channel CDS launched in 2013 alongside cosmetics guru Bobbi Brown.

Filed under: MirandaSings, The Collective Digital Studio by Sam Gutelle
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Nest has a new security camera product to show the world. To that end, the home automation company has partnered with YouTube celebrities Lewis Hilsenteger (aka Unbox Therapy), Justine Ezarik (aka iJustine), and Devin Graham (aka Devinsupertramp) to promote its new Cam device through live streams.

Nest’s Cam security device replaces the company’s previous Dropcam product. Cam streams in 1080p to mobile phones so home owners can easily monitor their home’s safety. The device can also back-up recordings to the cloud for consumers to view later, and has night vision capabilities.

Hilsenteger, Ezarik, and Graham will all use Nest’s Cam to live stream some of their daily lives for their subscriebrs. Hilsenteger will use Cam to broadcast a feed from his production studio, while Ezarik will utilize the camera to present live streamed events on her channel. Finally, Graham’s stream will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at one of his popular action video shoots.

According to Variety, the Google-owned Nest might expand its partnership to other YouTubers in the future. The home device company may announce more details in the future.

No details have been announced for when Hilsenteger, Ezarik, and Graham’s live streams will be available.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, iJustine, News by Bree Brouwer
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Hulu has tapped a major Hollywood celebrity for its upcoming series The Way. Aaron Paul (of Breaking Bad fame) is joining the Hulu original series as both a lead actor and producer.

The Way centers on one family’s involvement in a cult-like religious movement as they deal with issues like power, marriage, and the idea of going after the life you want to live. Paul will play opposite lead actress Michelle Monaghan as her husband, Eddie Cleary. Eddie will question all he’s come to believe when his faith is challenged at its core.

Hulu announced The Way back in March 2015. Executive produced by Michelle Lee and Emmy-winner Jason Katims, The Way was written by Jessica Goldberg (of Parenthood fame). Hulu’s original series is produced by Katims’ True Jack Productions and Universal Television.

Paul is not the first big-league Hollywood actor to join one of Hulu’s original programming projects. Another of the platform’s upcoming series, based on Stephen King’s novel 11/22/63 and produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, has hired James Franco to play the lead role of high school teacher Jake Epping.

Hulu will release The Way sometime in the winter of 2015.

Filed under: Articles, Hulu, News by Bree Brouwer
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In four months, the YouTube Kids app has already been installed millions of times from the App Store and Google Play. At the same time, though, the family-friendly app has drawn criticism from children’s advocacy groups, which have lodged two major complaints against it: First, in April, they wrote to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about branded content on the app, which they believe is “deceptive and unfair” for young viewers. Then, in May, a second letter cited inappropriate content the groups claim to have found on the app.

The FTC has received these complaints, and now, one of the Senators in charge of the government agency is taking action. Bill Nelson (D-FL), who serves on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (which has jurisdiction over the FTC), has sent a letter to Google CEO Larry Page inquiring about the ways YouTube gathers and screens videos for its kids’ app.

In his letter, Nelson applauds “the company’s efforts to create appropriate venues for children, who increasingly use online services for educational and entertainment purposes.” At the same time, he expresses concern about the kid-friendly nature of the app, writing that “any such service must take great care to ensure that children are not unnecessarily exposed to inappropriate content, especially since parents may rely on the very notion that such a service is “for kids” and, thus, safe for their unfettered usage.” He then lays out a series of questions for Google, all of which can be read in the full text of his letter, which has been distributed online by TechCrunch.

Google hasn’t yet responded to Nelson’s letter, but if the company’s previous responses to these complaints have highlighted how easy it is to flag videos that may be inappropriate. “We appreciate people drawing problematic content to our attention, and make it possible for anyone to flag a video,” a YouTube spokeswoman said the last time this controversy hit the news. “Flagged videos are manually reviewed 24/7 and any videos that don’t belong in the app are removed.”

Nelson’s letter is separate from the FTC’s formal inquiry, which it is undergoing simultaneously to the Senator’s personal investigation. As TechCrunch notes, the FTC has not yet issued a status report regarding its progress on this issue.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, YouTube Kids by Sam Gutelle
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Welcome to the Fund This column! Each week, we’ll look at a planned web series or other online video project currently in search of funding on crowdfunding sites. We’ll tell you what the series is all about and explain why it is worth your money. Do you have a project that’s currently being crowdfunded? Contact us to let us know and we may feature it in upcoming installments and check out previous installments right here.

Project Name: Ms. Guidance

Asking For: $35,000 on Kickstarter

Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $11,515

Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 22

Description: Van Hansis and James Ryan Caldwell are taking aim at the culture of the East Coast upper crust. They are the creators of Ms. Guidance, which follows a failed actress as she returns to the boarding school where she received her education.

The protagonist of Ms. Guidance is a woman named Jenny Bump. Despite her somewhat adorable name, she is a self-absorbed egotist filled with vanity. As she returns to the stuffy place where she spent her formative years and takes up a guidance counselor position, she continues to think of herself and her potential career in show business. Her interactions with students and colleagues, as seen in the Ms. Guidance pitch video, often consist of two self-important sniping at each other.

Hansis and Caldwell have shot three episodes. With the money they hope to raise on Kickstarter, the plan to produce three more, resulting in a full, six-episode first season.

Creator Bio: Hansis is an actor who has appeared on TV and made an impression on the web with his series EastSiders. Caldwell, the writer of Ms. Guidance,  caught the attention of the New York Times with his 2012 play Fantasy Artists.

Best Perk: The $50 package includes a personalized haiku from Caldwell. According to the campaign’s Kickstarter page, Caldwell “has possibly the most beautiful handwriting in the world. Seriously.”

Why You Should Fund It: Both Hansis and Caldwell have proven themselves to be talented artists, but with this project, Hansis in particular is drawing from his real-world experience. He himself attended the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, which serves as both the inspiration and shooting location for Ms. Guidance‘s fictitious Loch Hill School for the Arts.

At the same time, Hansis and Caldwell are hoping to approach their series in a way that will appeal to a large audience–not just those who will get the jokes about ritzy performing arts schools. “Ms. Guidance is about what happens when your life doesn’t turn out the way you expected it to,” says Caldwell in the pitch video, “which is everyone’s life, really.”

Oh, and it looks funny. That’s important, too.

Got a crowdfunding campaign you’d like to see featured in Fund This? Be sure to contact us here.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Fund This, Kickstarter, News by Sam Gutelle
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Vox Entertainment has a new executive to head up operations. Vox Media‘s online video division, formed only a few short months ago in March 2015, has hired Erica Winograd as its new Head of Development.

Winograd is the first major hire at Vox Entertainment, and she’ll be charged with creating new, original programming for over-the-top and linear distribution. Winograd will also be responsible for growing Vox’s existing portfolio of web series, which currently includes shows like Try Hards (for its lifestyle and fashion site Racked) and Courageous Leaders.

“I’m tremendously excited to have Erica join Vox Entertainment to lead our development projects,” said Vox Creative Director and VP of Vox Entertainment Chad Mumm, as reported by StreamDaily. “Her experience bridges the worlds of digital and linear programming in a completely unique way.”

Winograd comes to Vox Entertainment from FreMantleMedia North America, where she was the executive director of digital content. The new Vox executive worked with FreMantle’s digital studio Tiny Riot! to develop content with the creative team and brand partners. Winograd will start her new position with Vox Entertainment on June 22, 2015.

Filed under: Articles, News, Vox Media by Bree Brouwer
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