California is a global creator economy hub.
Dozens of creator events take place here every year, and hundreds of creator-centric businesses are based here, from talent management agencies to video editing companies.
Most importantly, California is home to thousands of influential influencers that aspiring content creators can look up to and take inspiration from. And: There are plenty of fan and creator events where they all meet.
Here are the most famous YouTubers in California.
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To begin with, the most famous YouTuber based in California is Markiplier, aka Mark Edward Fischbach (33). Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, he now lives in Los Angeles.
Markiplier’s channel is most famous for his play-throughs of indie horror and survivalist games. Recently, he has also produced a series of YouTube Originals videos, including a choose-your-own-adventure story in A Date With Markiplier and In Space With Markiplier.
Another ultra-famous YouTuber based in California is Zach Hsieh (24), better known as ZHC. He launched his YouTube channel back in 2016, while he was a student of the School of Visual Arts in New York
Originally, ZHC went viral for his tutorials on various drawing techniques and hyperrealistic re-drawings of art. Now, he’s also branched out into giveaways, contents, and stunt-philanthropy. In 2021, he hosted the second season of the YouTube Originals show Instant Influencer.
Collins Key (23) launched his YouTube channel at 16 to showcase his talents as a magician, uploading videos of card tricks and levitation.
After an appearance on America’s Got Talent, Key focused on his YouTube channel, diversifying his video content. Now he regularly posts challenges, pranks, and life hacks.
Mark Rober (42) is a former NASA engineer and Apple product designer whose YouTube channel focuses on popular science and engineering projects.
While working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he created several viral videos on topics such as fluidized sand and water purification.
One of his biggest hits was a video in which he developed a device to catch porch pirates using a glitter bomb.
Rober has collaborated with other notable YouTubers such as PewDiePie and TV personalities like Jimmy Kimmel.
Brian Rafat Awadis (25), better known by his YouTube handle FaZe Rug, launched his channel back in 2012, focusing on Call of Duty gameplay. In 2013, he was invited to join the e-sports organization FaZe Clan, of which he has since become a co-owner.
These days, FaZe Rug’s content focuses on challenges and prank videos.
Brent Rivera (24) first became famous on Vine, then launched his career as a YouTuber and TikTok influencer.
His content is focused on vlog-style videos documenting his journey as a teen and young adult, and lately challenges and experiments such as extreme blind dating.
Cadence (25), aka CookieSwirlC has built a wildly successful YouTube channel around videos of Roblox gameplay and toy-centered content. Franchises she has covered include Monster High, Barbie, Frozen, and My Little Pony.
Like Rivera, David Dobrik originally launched his influencer career on Vine. In 2015, he created his wildly successful vlog-style YouTube channel. These days, his content is centered around challenges and prank philanthropy, from surprising his assistant with a puppy to a world-record foam experiment.
In addition, Dobrik has appeared on film, podcasts, and network television such as Nickelodeon and the Discovery Channel.
Lilly Singh (33) launched her YouTube channel Superwoman in 2010. She posts vlog-style videos as well as music, comedy content, and parodies. Many of her videos feature her parents’ characters.
Singh owns her own production company, Unicorn Island Productions, and has partnered with brands like Pantene shampoo and Calvin Klein.
She also hosted the NBC late night talk show A Little Late with Lilly Singh and wrote several books, including How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life and Be a Triangle.
Matthew Michael Thomas Smith, known as Dang Matt Smith on YouTube, gained popularity on Vine before launching his channel. He posts videos every day, with content varying from scary videos and skits to riddles and gaming-related clips.
Finally, this list wouldn’t be complete without a mention of one of the most famous YouTubers in California who is, unfortunately, no longer around.
Technoblade, whose real name was Alexander, ran a hugely successful Minecraft gameplay channel and was involved in the Dream SMP server.
He died in June 2022 of metastatic sarcoma, after posting a farewell message to his followers. Before his death, he raised several hundred thousand dollars in donations via his channel for the Sarcoma Foundation of America.
The top Californian YouTuber is Markiplier, who runs a play-through channel. He has more than 30 million subscribers. Apart from his own channel, he has also produced several YouTube Originals videos.
The three most famous Californian YouTube channels are Markiplier (33+ million subs), ZHC (24+ million), and Collins Key (23+ million).
Apart from having a large population of digital natives, California is also an entertainment hotspot (think Hollywood) and a tech hub (think Silicon Valley). Hundreds of businesses make the state a creator economy hotbed that has launched the careers of quite a few star YouTubers.
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