YouTube Shorts star Zhong signs with UTA (Exclusive)

Zhongni Zhu has mastered the art of the short-form comedy sketch. Now’s he getting new representation.

The 22-year-old creator, who is known as Zhong across his social channels, has signed a deal with the Beverly Hills-based firm UTA. As a United Talent client, Zhu will expand beyond the digital channels that have brought him millions of subscribers and billions of views.

Zhu, like so many short-form creators, got his start on TikTok. His funny, energetic clips quickly built him a following, but he rose even higher after he started uploading his vertical videos to YouTube Shorts. His audience there has now eclipsed his fanbase on TikTok; his YouTube videos reach 19.7 million subscribers and have pulled in 11.9 billion lifetime views.

His addictive, quick-hitting videos often earn him high placements in our U.S. Top 50 charts. In the most recent version of those rankings, the Zhong channel placed 38th, with 114.6 million weekly YouTube views. Much of Zhu’s viewership comes through his most-popular videos, including his all-time most-watched YouTube upload. That clip, titled “only best friends would do this for each other

,” has picked up a whopping 271 million views all on its own.

Thanks to his success on YouTube Shorts, Zhu has been able to draw attention to his long-form content as well. He often creates challenges for himself by limiting himself to specific colors of clothing or attempting dozens of TikTok life hacks in a single video.

With UTA’s help, Zhu will continue to expand his presence both online and off. In an email to Tubefilter, a UTA rep cited consumer products and licensing, live events and touring, podcasting, and publishing as four areas where Zhu could soon make moves.

UTA works with many of the top creators in the online video industry. The agency’s recent signees include a quintet of prominent food influencers and a pair of up-and-coming VTubers.