I grew up before the internet, so I instinctively think of entertainment as books, movies, and tv programs written and performed by professionals and distributed by corporations. But there's a whole world out there of short form, amateur videos that I had no idea existed.
The first two episodes of his Hulu series, Matthew Beem Creator Essentials, introduced me to more multi-million subscriber Internet stars.
Episode 1: Matthew renovates iShowSpeed's tour bus, and adds a secret room so he can spy on the dude as he...um...does things. He's discovered almost immediately, but still, I have to wonder, what was he hoping to see?
IShowSpeed, real name Darren Jason Watkins, Jr. started with gaming, and moved into livestreaming and rap music, gaining 53 million subscribers. He has livestreamed in 67 countries. The Speed Goes Pro tour ended with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
Plus he's won about a dozen Streamer Awards. And posted pictures of his d*ck. Maybe that's what Matthew wanted to see in his secret room.
In Episode 2. Matthew and his crew do some home improvement projects for his internet star friends:
A custom dog house for Salish Matter, who started with posts about her daily skincare routine, gaining 3.5 million subscribers. She started her own skincare brand at age 16, and also posts about gymnastics and family "matters" with her father, Jordan (here being pranked by another youtuber).
Next Matthew and his crew create a gaming room for the Costco Guys, including mock-ups of their Juiceful packages, a giant chocolate chip cookie, and the world's biggest Pokemon card.
More after the break