5 Best Movies Directed by Former Youtubers
Next to funny animal videos and makeup tutorials, Youtube is known for being the home of the aspiring filmmaker. Whether they make sketch comedy, movie reviews, or podcasts, many creators are open about their aspirations to make feature films instead of internet content. But few ever manage to make the jump. So few in fact that it wasn’t all that easy to populate this list.
Sure top creators like Logan Paul, Shane Dawson, and Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla from Smosh have starred in low-budget comedies aimed at their fans, but here we’re talking Youtube creators that have made the jump into the director’s chair.
5. Brigsby Bear (2017)
Brigsby Bear is an infectiously positive movie. While not much can be said about the plot without spoiling it (this is definitely a movie best watched blind), it manages to balance funny and heartwarming in a way that few other movies do. The film is the directorial debut of Dave McCary, and stars Kyle Mooney, who make up half of the sketch comedy group Good Neighbor Stuff. The group found success on early Youtube posting short sketches.
McCary also had his hand in other early Youtube sensations, directing 33 episodes of Epic Rap Battle of History, with an average view count of around thirty million per episode. But the pair didn’t stick around Youtube for long, they leveraged their early success into jobs at Saturday Night Live, where McCary was a writer and director from 2013–2019, and where Mooney is still a cast member.
4. Arctic (2018)
Arctic is an intense survivalist drama starring Mads Mikkelsen. Stranded in a polar hellscape after a plane crash, Mikkelsen must trek through the treacherous landscape in hope of rescue. Such a serious and thrilling film couldn’t be more out of left field compared to the Youtube content director Joe Penna used to make. For years Joe Penna was a Youtube tour de force, posting videos to over two million loyal subscribers under the name Mystery Guitar Man. He gained a massive following posting tightly edited music content and creative animations. He was even commissioned to produce and star in a nationally syndicated McDonald’s commercial.
Penna put his Youtube career on hold to shoot Arctic, but it all turned out to be worth it. Bleecker Street picked the film up for distribution right after it’s premiere at the 2018 Cannes film festival.
3. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Coming out eight years after the first Cloverfield film, 10 Cloverfield Lane was not a sequel that many people were expecting. Despite this, it ended up a surprise hit, raking in over $110 million at the worldwide box office and scoring positive reviews from fans and critics alike.
Another surprise is that such a success was director Dan Trachtenberg’s feature directorial debut. He began his career directing commercials for huge brands like Lexus, Nike, and Coke, and also directing and hosting video podcasts on Youtube. But Trachtenberg’s big break came after he directed Portal: No Escape, a fan film that when posted to Youtube amassed over 25 million views.
2. Shazam! (2019)
As one of the most successful DC films, Shazam! needs no introduction. And to aspiring filmmakers, neither does director David F. Sandberg. Sandberg’s career represents a best case scenario for any wannabe blockbuster director. Sandberg first gained attention when he began posting animations on Youtube in 2006, which allowed him to make a living as a full time animator for hire. But things reached another level in 2013 when Sandberg started making small horror shorts in his Swedish apartment with his wife. His second short was Lights Out, which quickly became a viral sensation and led to Sandberg being whisked away to Hollywood to turn the short into a feature, produced by no less than horror icon James Wan. Lights Out success at the box office led Sandberg to direct Annabelle: Creation. When Annabelle became an even bigger hit, Sandberg was pegged to direct his biggest film yet, Shazam!. And it must have gone okay, because Sandberg is also helming the upcoming Shazam! 2.
Unlike others on this list, Sandberg still regularly posts to his Youtube channel. He’s posted behind the scenes featurettes for every feature film he’s directed, including a five part behind the scenes on Annabelle: Creation. This year he’s even found time to return to his roots and direct two more horror shorts. Sandberg also uses his platform on Youtube to post memes he’s edited out of his own movies, and can you really ask for anything else?
- Eighth Grade (2018)
It’s a testament to the career of Bo Burnham that many forget he rose to fame through Youtube. Posting comedy songs from 2006–2010, Burnham amassed views and followers in the millions, and kick-started a successful standup comedy career. But after experiencing debilitating anxiety that resulted in panic attacks on stage, Burnham decided to step back from performing and make yet another career transition. Fusing his deep feelings of anxiety and experience with being a kid who’s life is lived on the internet, Burnham wrote and directed Eighth Grade.
The film follows Kayla, a thirteen year old navigating the last week of middle school. It manages to be extremely relatable and funny, and went on to critical and commercial success. It was nominated for 77 different awards, with Burnham winning best first screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards, and best original screenplay at the Writers Guild of America Awards.
