YouTubers get their start in many different ways, but each year there are a handful of influencers who stand out because of their unique approach to the platform. In 2019, there were a lot of new faces that made a career for themselves.
1. MrBeast
The gaming community is made up of some of the highest subscribed content creators on YouTube. This year, MrBeast, Jimmy Donaldson, has made his mark on the gaming community. Donaldson is no stranger to the platform and has been making videos since 2012. This year, the rising gamer became known for his work outside of YouTube.
In October 2019, Donaldson teamed up with Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer, to launch a project called #TeamTrees. Its goal was to raise $20 million for tree planting by Jan. 1, 2020. Every dollar equaled one tree. By Dec. 19, 2019 the original goal was surpassed. This is just one of the many charitable stunts Donaldson has done this year.
For the holidays, he gave away over 10,000 toys to children in need across the country, and food and supplies to homeless shelters. It is estimated that Donaldson has given away $1 million in donations over the year. He also held a YouTubers-only gaming event that featured 39 of the most popular gaming YouTubers.
The 39 individuals went head-to-head in a real-life version of the battle royal game “Apex Legend.” The winner of the game was awarded $200,000. Overall, Donaldson has been able to use his influence to promote positivity within the YouTube community. Today, he has around 28 million subscribers and over 4 billion views.
2. Angelika Oles
With the rise of new channels comes a load of new drama. Angelika Oles is a British YouTuber who posts weekly videos on different topics and issues within the YouTube community. Fans have fallen in love with her carefree attitude and her determination to deliver YouTube news in an entertaining yet informative way.
The full-time university student is also not afraid to speak her mind and give her opinion on the stories she talks about. Oles created her channel in 2017; however, it didn’t gain a massive following until 2019. She started gaining subscribers as she began talking about mainstream influencers, more specifically the controversial TikTok star Danielle Cohn, and the ACE family YouTube channel. From there, she expanded her channel to other big-name stars such as Emma Chamberlain, Jaclyn Hill, Shane Dawson and more.
What makes her stand out from similar channels is in how she reports her news. There is a lot of personality in her videos, making fans feel like they’re listening to a friend rather than a YouTuber. She’s also managed to stay out of scandals, which has been tough for “tea channels” because of their negative rep within the YouTube community. Nevertheless, she has made an impact on the YouTube community. Today she has around 423,000 subscribers and over 4 million views.
3. Morgan Adams
Vlogger Morgan Adams has changed the way people look at social media influencers. Adams is a lifestyle vlogger who is unapologetically honest about her life. Videos, such as “Why I’ve Never Had a Boyfriend,” have captured the attention of millions of people and launched her YouTube career. The social media influencer also has an amazing personality that makes people want to continue to watch her videos.
In 2019, Adams shared her insecurities on Shane Dawson’s channel. Dawson talks to Adams about the culture shock she went through since moving to Los Angeles and her sponsored brand trip, where she said that she felt pressured to get injections and other cosmetic surgery work done in order to fit in. The Denver native stated how uncomfortable she felt hearing about the work other influencers had gotten done and the amount of success they’ve received post-procedure.
She opened up about how prior to moving to LA she was never exposed to this industry of facial and body work and she felt that she had to get something done in order to gain a following. This is something that a lot of new influencers face when they further their careers. The pressure to get lip injections or plastic surgery is heavily present in the industry and a lot of young, up-and-coming YouTubers, such as Adams, fall victim to it.
The 21-year-old YouTuber exposed this practice and encouraged her fans to only get work done if it makes them feel confident, not because they were pressured into it. Her channel grew massively, proving that her fans were coming back for her and her personality. Today, Adams has 3.2 million subscribers and over 180 million views.
4. Caitlyn Rae
Caitlyn Rae made her dream come true by moving to Hawaii in early 2019. Rae took her followers on this trip with her, which gained her an even bigger following. The 19-year-old vlogger and her best friend moved to the island with the hopes of having a great few months before having to come back to the mainland.
However, what started off as a dream come true quickly became a nightmare once Rae’s best friend, Caitlin Calhoun, caught a rare life-threatening disease causing her to go home early. This was one of the major reasons Rae cut her trip short, but along with this was an issue that came up between her and her host, Jeff.
Rae never addressed what happened between her and Jeff but did admit something happened. Fans have been with Rae through her Hawaii journey and fell in love with her carefree attitude. Since coming back to the mainland in April, Rae hasn’t stopped vlogging and her life has only gotten crazier. Her vlog showcases how crazy her life is and how she’s doing now that she’s moved to LA.
Rae is honest about situations in her life and opens up to her fans about what’s going on, which is another reason she’s gained a massive following. Her vlogs are natural, which is something that isn’t seen as much anymore on the platform. When vlogging first became a form of content on YouTube, the videos were much more raw and natural. However, as the platform grew, vlogs became more staged. Rae’s vlogging and editing style resembles old school YouTube. She’s shown that this style of vlogging does still work, which will hopefully lead more YouTubers to take this approach in the future. Today, she has around 300,000 subscribers and over 18 million views.
These influencers have successfully gained a following by being nice and just being themselves. With the new year just starting, there is no doubt that these YouTubers are going to take their career to the next level. I can’t wait to see who might join them.
