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 creator has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments here.
This installment of YouTube Millionaires is brought to you by creator fintech company Karat Financial.
Kory Little is no stranger to Tubefilter. In September 2021, we caught up with him for our other weekly column, Creators on the Rise, since his YouTube channel had leapt from 100,000 subscribers to nearly 400,000, and from 7 million views a month in July to more than 170 million in August.
Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories
Now, just a few months later, his channel’s verging on one million subscribers, and his channel has generated over 675 million lifetime views.
For Little, this steady growth is a sign that once he graduates from Navarro College, thus finishing his turn on its prestigious cheerleading team (the star of Netflix‘s docuseries Cheer), he should be going into full-time content-making. And those who’ve watched Little’s content–a blend of high-octane athletic challenges filmed with his team–will know that when he decides to do something, he decides to do it big.
That’s why Little’s making post-graduation plans to acquire a content creation center similar to Dude Perfect‘s headquarters. Until then? He’s balancing classes, two daily cheer practices, and making content across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
We’ll let him tell you all about it below.
Tubefilter: So first, welcome back to Tubefilter! Has anything changed since we last spoke? What’s been happening?
Kory Little: Thank you! Since the last time we spoke, I just keep on the grind. I’ve been focused on creating and posting great content for everyone to enjoy, while also focusing on graduating college and keeping up with everything that’s going on in my life.
Tubefilter: How does it feel to hit one million subscribers? What do you have to say to your followers?
KL: Never in a million years would I have thought I’d hit one million subscribers on YouTube! It feels like a dream to say that I am a “YouTuber.” I would like to say thank you to every single person who has subscribed to my channel, and I cannot wait to start posting long-form video challenges! I have some amazing ideas in store (especially while out on the “CHEER” tour this spring/summer).
Tubefilter: For those who aren’t familiar with you, give us a little bit of your background. How did you get into cheerleading, and how did you end up with Navarro Cheer?
KL: It all started seven years ago, when my sister had me watch her cheer practice. At the time, I was on a travel league baseball team. I really enjoyed watching my sister and her team, so I decided to start tumbling, which then led me to become a cheerleader. After winning the world championships in 2018, I started looking into colleges. That is when I found out about Navarro. I applied, I was accepted, and now I’m proud to say that this is my second season with this wonderful team.
Tubefilter: You post content across multiple platforms. How’s that strategy working for you? Do you find it tough to balance?
KL: Sometimes finding the time to create different videos for different platforms is difficult. Especially with my school and cheer schedule. I work hand in hand with my team at The Network Effect to build a diversified content mix across all short-form platforms. When filming challenges, we often film more than one at a time, so we can guarantee a continuous and steady flow where I have built audiences. I feel as though once I graduate, things will get a bit easier!
Tubefilter: Since season 2 of Cheer has aired now, are you able to talk about your experiences with the show? What was it like?
KL: Yes! Being around huge cameras and the Netflix crew was kind of stressful. At first you habitually have to watch what you say and do, but after a while, it was like they weren’t even there. The experience of being filmed every day was amazing, especially as it was able to capture such talented athletes AND pure moments. It’s one of the best things to happen for the cheerleading community.
Tubefilter: Last time we chatted, your challenge videos were doing really well. Have you had any new kinds of content take off? Are there any new kinds of videos you’re getting into or would like to get into making?
KL: I love to create “crazy” challenge videos with my crew from Dallas. Since I have been super busy lately with school/Navarro Cheer, I haven’t had the time to drive back and forth as often as I would like. However, once I graduate, one of my goals is to buy a warehouse to film, produce, and create.
Tubefilter: What have you learned as a creator over the past year or so? Any wisdom you can share with us?
KL: Over the last few years, I have learned that is not about how many followers you have or the amount money you make, but to focus on the things that bring you the most joy and happiness. It is so important to spend time with family and friends, as they are the ones who make you the happiest.
Tubefilter: What does the average day look like for you right now? How do you split your time between school, cheer, content, and life outside of all those things?
KL: An average day for me: I wake up and shower to get ready for cheer practice, then after cheer I grab a bite to eat with teammates, go home to shower/change, log on to my computer to finish any homework due that day, and then get ready for another practice. After my second practice, I film a video or two with my teammates! Time management is one of the hardest things for me to truly master, as I feel like I have so much to do….with so little time.
Tubefilter: Do you have any cool projects coming up that you can talk about? Any other plans for this year?
KL: I am graduating this year which is super exciting. My plan is to move to Dallas and hopefully buy a warehouse that I will turn into a creative space to create all content. Kind of like the Dude Perfect HQ. I’m currently looking at a few locations just a few miles away from theirs!
Tubefilter: What’s your favorite part of being on YouTube?
KL: My favorite part about being on YouTube is probably the creative community across the platform. The new content being created every minute of every day fuels my imagination to create even crazier content!
Tubefilter: What do you hope people take away from your content?
KL: I hope people will smile and laugh while watching my videos and learn that with training and practice, anything and everything is possible.
Karat Financial is building better financial products for creators. Karat’s first launch is a business black card that provides better limits & rewards based on social stats- used by creators like Alexandra Botez, 3LAU, and Graham Stephan. Karat is backed by cofounders of Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube. DM @trykarat on Instagram and mention YouTube Millionaires for priority access.
