How old was MrBeast when he started his YouTube channel?

Jimmy "MrBeast" has established a vast empire. From his YouTube channel to fast food and consumer products like chocolates and toys, he turned his online platform into a corporate entity. Every journey has its start, and Jimmy's was on Minecraft. The oldest video available on his channel was a Minecraft parody of the horror movie Saw uploaded in February 2012.

MrBeast was 13 years old when he joined YouTube and started uploading videos. Like most kids his age, he loved video games, especially Minecraft, Pokemon, and Call of Duty, which were the main themes of his content back then. Little did he know that these videos would snowball into the beginning of an extraordinary career that would eventually revolutionize the platform.

The first video uploaded on MrBeast's channel was a Minecraft Saw parody, uploaded in 2012 and recorded using Bandicam (Image via MrBeast/YouTube)

We look at MrBeast's early beginnings and how he got to where he is now.

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Path to viral success

Jimmy initially started his channel under the username “MrBeast6000.” It featured gameplay videos that slowly transitioned into commentary with gameplay in the background. These early videos were far from the high-budget productions he's known for today.

In an interview with Creative Disruption, Jimmy spoke about his early days, claiming he thought he made great videos back when he was 14.

"The sooner you learn how to make good, great videos that people actually want to watch, the sooner you'll get views. I think it's the biggest takeaway because, when I was 14 I thought my videos were the best in the world. They weren't, they're terrible, many people [were] making way better videos than me but I didn't think that." (Timestamp: 15:24)

MrBeast remained dedicated to understanding the platform, studying the success of other creators, and consistently uploading content. This commitment laid the groundwork for the achievements he would eventually earn. In 2015, Jimmy recorded a video, addressing his future self. It was set to be released five years from then, in 2020:

"If I don't have a million subscribers [in five years], my entire life has been a failure".

In October 2020, Jimmy had over 44 million subscribers on his channel, so it's safe to say he obliterated the goal his high-school self set for him.

Starting his YouTube career at such a young age gave MrBeast a significant advantage. It allowed him to experiment with different types of content and develop his unique style over several years.

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First breakthroughs

For the first few years, Jimmy’s channel grew slowly. He experimented with content ranging from Let's Plays to reaction videos, trying to find a niche that resonated with viewers.

An example of his experimentation with content was when he uploaded a video titled I Hate Pewdiepie!!!!!, he explained the title was just clickbait.

"I don't actually hate PewDiePie, I just wanted to see how many people would click on this video because I put a hateful title towards him".

As of this writing, the video has nearly 3 million views, proving his clickbait strategy worked.

However, it wasn't until 2017, when Jimmy was around 19, that his channel started gaining significant traction. This was when he posted his first viral video, where he counted to 100,000, a task that took him over 40 hours to complete. The video’s absurdity and his determination captured the internet’s attention, marking the beginning of his rise to fame.

After this video became viral, MrBeast shifted his content strategy and made philanthropic videos and large-scale stunts. One of his earliest instances of giving away money was when he tipped the deliverymen who brought him pizza $10,000.

These types of videos became the catalyst for the Jimmy we see today, considering nearly all of his videos nowadays involve some form of giveaway, whether it's huge sums of cash or extravagant gifts.

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The state of MrBeast in 2024

MrBeast's early start also instilled in him a relentless work ethic and a willingness to take risks—traits that have been instrumental in his success. From the early days of creating content with little to no budget to orchestrating massive, multi-million-dollar productions.

Although he has seen much success, 2024 has been difficult for the YouTuber, with multiple allegations being charged against him. It started with former associate Ava Tyson being accused of grooming minors; as this story came out, allegations of a toxic work environment and employee mistreatment also came to light.