The Secret Company That Owns 30% of ALL YouTube Subscribers

Summary

Night Media, founded by Reed Dutcher, has become YouTube's largest management agency, representing creators like Mr. Beast and Ryan Trahan. Starting with Dude Perfect in 2014, Dutcher leveraged his NFL sports agent background to secure sponsorships, despite brands' initial skepticism. The agency's success with Mr. Beast, who grew from 1 million to 13.8 million subscribers in a year, solidified its reputation. Night Media expanded with a $20 million investment fund, Night Ventures, to support creators in launching consumer startups. In 2022, a $100 million investment allowed for an in-house studio and further expansion, shaping the future of content creation and turning YouTubers into cultural icons.

Takeaways

• 😀 Night Media is the largest management agency on the internet, with a significant portion of YouTube's subscriber base under its management.
• 🏆 The company was founded by Reed Dutcher, who transitioned from being an NFL sports agent to recognizing the potential in online content creation.
• 🤝 Dutcher's first major success was with Dude Perfect, leveraging his NFL connections to secure sponsorships when YouTube creators struggled to do so.
• 💼 Night Media's approach involved more than just securing sponsorships; it aimed to partner with creators to significantly grow their channels and audiences.
• 🚀 The story of Mr. Beast's partnership with Night Media illustrates the company's willingness to take risks on creators with high growth potential.
• 📈 Mr. Beast's growth from 1 million to over 13 million subscribers within a year validated Night Media's strategy and risk-taking.
• 💼 Night Media's expansion included signing other major creators and eventually launching a $20 million investment fund called Night Ventures.
• 💼 The investment in Night Media grew to $100 million in 2022, enabling the company to provide even more resources to creators, including an in-house studio.
• 💡 Night Media's success with Mr. Beast's businesses, such as Beast Burger and Feastables, demonstrates the potential for creators to expand into mainstream businesses.
• 🌐 The company is shaping the future of content creation, with YouTubers becoming new celebrities and expanding into businesses beyond the platform.
• 📊 Despite Mr. Beast ending his exclusive contract with Night Media, the two entities maintain a partnership, reflecting the ongoing influence of the agency.

Q & A

What percentage of YouTube's subscriber base is accounted for by a single company mentioned in the script?

The script mentions that one single company accounts for 30% of the entire subscriber base on YouTube.

Who is the founder of the company that has become the largest management agency on the internet according to the script?

The founder of the company, which is now known as night Inc, is Reed Dutcher.

What was Reed Dutcher's profession before he founded night Media?

Reed Dutcher was an NFL sports agent before he founded night Media.

How did Reed Dutcher initially approach Dude Perfect for representation?

Reed Dutcher crafted a compelling email and reached out to Dude Perfect, who at the time had about 2 million subscribers.

What was the challenge faced by YouTube creators in 2014 regarding sponsorships?

In 2014, it was impossible for creators on YouTube to get sponsorships because brands did not see YouTube as a serious platform yet.

How did Reed Dutcher leverage his NFL agent background to secure a deal for Dude Perfect?

Reed used his expertise and connections from being an NFL agent, along with case studies and data, to convince Callaway golf to sign a 3-month partnership with Dude Perfect.

What was the name of the streamer that Reed Dutcher approached after Dude Perfect?

Reed Dutcher approached the streamer known as Typical Gamer from Justin.tv.

Who is the 'little guy' from North Carolina that night Media took a risk on, as mentioned in the script?

The 'little guy' from North Carolina is Mr. Beast, who had about 1 million subscribers when night Media first took notice of him.

What was the controversial video concept that Mr. Beast wanted to do with night Media, and what was the outcome?

Mr. Beast wanted to make a video where they fired a gun at 1,000 magnets to see if they could stop a bullet. Despite concerns about gun-related content, the video went on to get 57 million views in 3 days.

What significant investment did night Media receive in 2022, and how did they use it?

In 2022, night Media received an investment of $100 million, which they used to skyrocket their Venture Capital fund and provide bigger resources within their investments, including an in-house studio for producing content.

What is the current status of the relationship between Mr. Beast and night Inc according to the script?

Mr. Beast has ended his contract with night Inc, but they left on good terms and will continue to have an ongoing partnership, just not a fully exclusive one.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 The Rise of Night Media and Its Impact on YouTube

Night Media, founded by Reed Dutcher, has become the largest management agency on YouTube, representing a significant portion of its subscriber base. Dutcher, initially an NFL sports agent, recognized the potential of online content creation and approached Dude Perfect, a YouTube channel with 2 million subscribers at the time. Despite initial skepticism from brands, Dutcher leveraged his sports industry connections to secure Dude Perfect a sponsorship deal with Callaway Golf. This success allowed him to establish Night Media and attract more creators, including Mr. Beast, who had a vision for rapid growth. Dutcher's strategic approach and belief in Mr. Beast's potential led to a fruitful partnership, propelling both Night Media and Mr. Beast to new heights in the YouTube ecosystem.

05:01

🚀 Mr. Beast's Meteoric Rise and Night Media's Expansion

The partnership between Night Media and Mr. Beast was pivotal for both parties. Mr. Beast, with his ambitious content plans and data-driven approach, was a high-risk but high-reward investment for Night Media. Despite concerns from the industry, Night Media's support helped Mr. Beast achieve his goal of reaching 10 million subscribers in under a year, far exceeding expectations. This success attracted more creators to Night Media, expanding their roster and influence on the platform. In 2021, Night Media launched Night Ventures, a $20 million investment fund aimed at supporting creators in launching consumer-facing startups, further solidifying their role as a catalyst for growth in the creator economy.

10:02

🌐 Night Media's Continued Dominance and the Future of Content Creation

Night Media's influence extends beyond talent management, as they have played a significant role in shaping the future of content creation on YouTube. With an investment of $100 million in 2022, they expanded their venture capital fund and resources, including an in-house studio for content production. This has allowed them to support creators in building businesses and brands beyond YouTube. Mr. Beast's ventures, such as Beast Burger and Feasta Burger, have been successful case studies of this strategy, generating substantial revenue. Night Media's approach has helped bridge the gap between online platforms and mainstream culture, positioning YouTubers as new-age celebrities with the potential to expand into various business ventures. The company continues to control a vast network of creators, indicating their ongoing role in shaping the landscape of digital content and influencer marketing.

Keywords

💡Night Media

Night Media, rebranded as Night Inc, is the largest management agency on the internet, managing a significant portion of YouTube's subscriber base. The company is known for representing top YouTube creators and helping them grow their channels and brands. In the script, Night Media is highlighted as the agency that took a risk on Mr. Beast, providing him with funding and strategic support to achieve massive growth in subscribers.

💡Content Creation

Content creation refers to the process of producing various forms of digital content, such as videos, blogs, podcasts, and more. In the context of the video, content creation is the core activity of YouTube creators, and Night Media plays a pivotal role in helping these creators produce content that attracts viewers and sponsors.

💡YouTube Creators

YouTube creators are individuals who produce and upload content on the YouTube platform. The video discusses how Night Media has managed to sign on and represent some of the most popular YouTube creators, such as Mr. Beast and Dude Perfect, helping them to grow their audiences and monetize their channels.

💡Sponsorship

Sponsorship in the video refers to the financial or in-kind support provided by brands to content creators in exchange for product placement or promotion within their content. The script explains how Night Media leveraged its founder's connections to secure sponsorships for creators, which was initially a challenge due to brands not taking YouTube seriously.

💡Brands

Brands are companies or products that are promoted within the content created by YouTube creators. The video script discusses how Night Media worked to change the perception of brands towards YouTube, demonstrating the platform's potential for successful marketing campaigns and securing sponsorships for their creators.

💡Talent Management Agency

A talent management agency is a company that represents and manages the careers of artists, performers, and other creative professionals. In the video, Night Media is described as the largest talent management agency on the internet, focusing on digital content creators and providing them with business and representation services.

💡Venture Capital

Venture capital refers to the financial investments made by firms or individuals in startup companies and small businesses that are believed to have long-term growth potential. In the script, Night Media raises venture capital to fund their operations and to invest in consumer-facing startups created by their creators, like Mr. Beast's businesses.

💡Influencer

An influencer is an individual who has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience. The video highlights how Night Media's creators, as influencers, are leveraging their online presence to expand into businesses and mainstream media.

💡Growth Strategy

A growth strategy in the context of the video refers to the methods and plans used by Night Media and its creators to increase their subscriber base, views, and overall brand presence on YouTube. The script details how Night Media helped Mr. Beast and others to implement data-driven content strategies to achieve rapid growth.

💡Mainstream Media

Mainstream media refers to the traditional mass media platforms such as television, newspapers, and radio. The video suggests that Night Media is helping to bridge the gap between online content creation and mainstream media, as their creators are becoming cultural icons and expanding their influence beyond YouTube.

💡Revenue

Revenue in the video refers to the income generated by YouTube creators and their associated businesses. The script mentions how Night Media's creators, especially Mr. Beast, have been able to generate substantial revenue through their online presence and business ventures, highlighting the financial success of content creation.

Highlights

Night Media is the largest management agency on the internet, accounting for 30% of YouTube's subscriber base.

Founder Reed Dutcher transitioned from an NFL sports agent to YouTube management, identifying a gap in representation for online creators.

Dude Perfect, with 2 million subscribers, was the first major client for Night Media, marking a significant breakthrough.

Reed Dutcher used his NFL connections to secure sponsorships for YouTube creators when brands were skeptical of the platform.

A successful 3-month partnership with Callaway golf served as proof of concept for Night Media's business model.

Reed moved to Dallas to be closer to Dude Perfect, officially founding Night Media, now rebranded as Night Inc.

Night Media expanded by partnering with creators like Typical Gamer, aiming to grow channels beyond sponsorships.

Mr. Beast, with 1 million subscribers, was a risky but ultimately rewarding investment for Night Media.

Despite skepticism, Mr. Beast's growth to 13.8 million subscribers validated Night Media's approach to creator management.

Night Media's $20 million investment fund, Night Ventures, supports creators interested in starting consumer-facing startups.

In 2022, a $100 million investment allowed Night Media to expand resources, including an in-house studio for content production.

Mr. Beast's ventures, Beast Burger and Feastables, generated hundreds of millions in revenue, showcasing Night Media's impact.

Night Media's influence extends beyond YouTube, helping creators transition into mainstream businesses and media.

The end of Mr. Beast's exclusive contract with Night Inc marks a shift to a non-exclusive ongoing partnership.

Night Inc continues to manage thousands of creators and billions of subscribers, shaping the future of content creation.

Aspiring YouTube creators can access a free boot camp for growing their channels, offered by a Night Media representative.

Transcripts

there's one single company that accounts

for 30% of the entire subscriber base on

YouTube with creators like Mr Beast Ryan

Tran and Kai satat and hundreds more

under their belt night media has quickly

become the largest management Agency on

the internet here's just a short list

right now of some of the creators that

they're confirmed to be managing let's

take a look at how they accomplish this

and how they're taking steps to almost

single-handedly control the future of

YouTube The Story begins in 2014 when

founder Reed Dutcher who was an NFL

sports agent at the time would get

introduced to his younger cousin's

favorite YouTube channel Dude Perfect

after being stuck in the sports industry

for a while he started to realize online

content creation was rapidly outpacing

traditional media but no one on YouTube

was making proper businesses or being

represented at the level that these NFL

athletes or Pro celebrities were there

was a huge opportunity so he spent some

time crafting a kickass email and

reached out to Dude Perfect who at the

time had about 2 million subscribers and

to his surprise he got a response back

in the next 10 minutes to set up a call

but this was a huge shock to have also

quickly he had to immediately figure out

what kind of value he could bring to the

Dude Perfect team and when he started

talking to them the situation became

very clear remember this was 2014 back

then it was impossible for creators on

YouTube to get sponsorships because

Brands didn't really see YouTube as a

serious thing yet but using his

expertise and connections from being an

NFL agent he put his reputation on the

line with absolute confidence for the

boys to guarantee them results and Dude

Perfect decided to give him a shot and

although he had found the big

breakthrough that he was looking for

there was only a limited time to make

this a reality he really had to prove

himself here or it was just all going to

fall apart so he started with the

friends and brands that he had already

worked with and built good relationships

with from his time as an NFL sports

agent and prioritizing the brands that

would be a natural fit for dude

Perfect's content he met with one of his

friends from a company called Callaway

golf and it was tricky because just like

all the others the golf company did not

believe in YouTube at all but Reed

really pulled out all the stops here as

he brought tons of case studies and data

to overwhelmingly prove that dude

Perfect's promotion was going to be a

success and eventually they signed a

starter deal for a 3-month partnership

and with this proof of concept Reed knew

that this was a once in a-lifetime

Opportunity so we dropped absolutely

everything in his life and immediately

moved to Dallas where Dude Perfect was

based out of and so began the founding

of night Media or as it's rebranded to

today night Inc however it wasn't going

to be so simple sure he had gotten one

really good deal and the company had

been founded but dude perfect wouldn't

be able to commit to him just like that

it was only one deal after all so while

his main focus would be working for Dude

Perfect directly in the meantime he

would work to expand and grow Knight on

the side as he built up his proof of

result and success with content creators

and while Dude Perfect wasn't

technically a part of the night roster

just yet Reed was able to use them as a

success story when talking with other

creators and negotiating with more

Brands so in a bid to expand his roster

further he next went to just finding

creators that he already liked watching

and the next one was the streamer known

as Typical Gamer from Justin.tv which

would later rean into the twitch.tv TV

that we all know today and this time

Reed decided to reach out to him with a

much more serious offer to work together

the goal being this time not just to get

a couple sponsorships or a little bit of

a side income but to really partner

together and completely blow up his

channel from dumping months of hard work

into this Creator he was able to hugely

blow up and gain major notoriety in the

content creator Community as a talented

manager and through this he was able to

establish his reputation as a proper

manager rather than just an agent who

would get sponsors for creators and this

more involved Style would allow him to

pick up even more creators in the future

by 2017 Knight had been built into

something quite notable with dozens of

creators ranging from a few hundred

thousand or even multi-millions of

subscribers with a few massive outliers

as well and Dude Perfect would also sign

on as a fully proper client too and then

everything changed once one little guy

that was making videos in North Carolina

found out about them at the time Mr

Beast had only about 1 million

subscribers Mr Beast knew deep within

his soul that he could take things to 10

times the level that they were at but

but there was a problem he needed

funding without proper funding Mr Beast

couldn't realize his content dreams and

over time as they talked more and more

night media would really fall in love

with the way that Mr Beast approached

content and the way his mind worked he

had been making a huge effort to work

with stats data and analytics and was

Hardcore numbers oriented and showed

incredible potential and creativity with

his content plans and strategies however

when talking to their friends and other

agencies about Mr Beast everybody

thought that night media was just

absolutely crazy for even considering

him in the first place I mean how could

someone promise going from 1 million to

10 million subscribers in under a year

and more it was completely unheard of

but with all the data and overwhelming

evidence our founder Reed decided to

take the risk and convinced his managers

and other team members to take on Mr

Beast as a client but that was only

going to be the beginning after all

night media could help Mr Beast but if

he was burning through money that

quickly the risk was immense even if

they could secure him sponsorships the

chances that a Creator who Conta and

centered around giving away as much

money as possible would Crash and Burn

was well over aund times bigger risk

compared to working with someone that

was completely safe like Dude Perfect it

was a huge risk and at the time really

just about nobody agreed with the

direction that Reed was taking the

company but with how intricate and

passionate Mr Beast was being with

YouTube Reed knew that he had to make

this opportunity work no matter what and

they would both begin to enter a

contract together where Knight would

help Mr B secure funding for many

different things and help improve his

content and it quickly became obvious

that a creat like Mr Beast who actively

burnt through as much money as possible

was going to be an amazing asset but

also an extremely dangerous one so in

order to curb the risk night media

decided to look for some outsourced

funding because after all at this time

they were no longer some chump little

organization they had dozens of

multi-million subscribed creators on

their roster and they were already

starting to be a part of the Forefront

of YouTube KN would then begin reaching

out to multiple Capital companies and

investors in order to find people who

would help fund night media but also Mr

Beast who would be their Cornerstone

moving forward but raising funds really

takes a lot of time they needed to get

people on board and test things out and

have a ton of case studies in order to

really show companies how promising it

was going to be so in the meantime Reed

started working with Mr Beast on his

videos for the first video they worked

on together in depth Mr Beast wanted to

make a mythbuster type video where they

would fire a gun at 1,000 magnets to see

if those thousand magnets could stop a

bullet but as you can imagine there was

a lot of concerns with this type of

content advertisers on YouTube just flat

out did not want to sponsor videos where

guns were involved in any way and while

it was true that guns were often used in

mainstream media content the reality was

YouTube was being held to a different

standard and mainstream Creations like

movies often had a much more

professional and regulated environment

for those types of dangerous situations

however Mr Beast insisted that they

posted the video no matter what I mean

after all they had already finished the

video anyway and there was no harm in at

least just posting the video without a

sponsor on it and when Mr Beast posted

the video everyone was absolutely

shocked as it went on to get 57 million

views in just the next 3 days it became

one of the fastest growing videos ever

at the time as I'm sure you know with

all these Brands and companies

everything goes out the window once the

money's involved and this would land

them at the top of the attention list

for Brands and sponsorships moving

forward and this is where things began

to heavily change for night media

through dozens upon dozens of videos

with Mr Beast the views he would rake in

through the night partnership was

absolutely insane and Mr Beast would

actually hit that 10 million subscriber

goal in one year that he said he would

initially when talking to Reed in the

first place and in fact he far surpassed

it hitting 13.8 million subscribers by

the end of the year and knight's massive

Financial Risk as well as the sheer

confidence in Mr Beast as a Creator

landed them in a position to now be

managing the fastest growing Creator on

YouTube along the way night media would

continue to expand their roster and get

their hands on a ton of other creators

so we're also growing at a fast pace

creators like Matt Stony zhc and Ryan

tranne and with this Knight was actively

obtaining the largest creators on the

platform and in 2020 night would also

sign on massive creators like dream

unspeakable and so many more others it's

really such an incredible list and of

course Mr Beast would yet again continue

to grow to new heights as a Creator and

helping take Knight to the next level so

in 2021 the media company would launch a

$20 million investment fund which was

known as night Ventures and the goal was

to focus on YouTubers and creators that

were interested in creating consumer

facing startups which would then also

have access to running promotions from

the talent within night media and this

was going to be absolutely huge for the

creators who wanted to grow their brands

make advertisements and grow their

compan companies they had such a huge

roster of creators in a huge variety of

different niches that the reach that

night media had was unlike anything else

in the industry however the reality was

they were only going to continue getting

even bigger and this is where their

platform takeover really began because

in 2022 night media would receive an

investment of $100 million and using

that they were able to Skyrocket their

Venture Capital fund and provide much

bigger resources within their

Investments including an in-house studio

for producing content this way night was

was leading the space not just as a

talent management agency but also as a

fuel source for creators who were

wanting to create businesses and with

their help Mr Beast founded Beast Berger

as a ghost Kitchen in February 2020 and

Feasta BS in January of 2022 and over

time with just these two businesses

alone they had begun raking in hundreds

of millions of dollars of Revenue every

year and if they could do this with just

even a few more creators it was going to

be an easy job to take things even

further so they did just that with nigh

in creating content for an inside look

into Feasta bles and they also continue

to acquire other talent agencies and

expand their roster and night ink is

only just starting to shape the future

of content creation YouTube has finally

reached a point where its most popular

creators are becoming the new

celebrities and the future of those

content celebrities is expanding into

mainstream businesses and media that

reach much further Beyond than just the

platform itself after all as a popular

influencer you have an outstanding

Advantage when it comes to starting a

new business from day one due to your

existing brand you can set up to sell

literally millions of something even if

it's super saturated like we've seen

with chocolate bars or other snack

companies and due to their brand they

also get a much bigger Advantage when it

comes to their popularity for networking

getting investors hiring and building

really strong teams and as we're seeing

with Mr Beast Ryan Tran and many others

it looks like Knight is helping YouTube

to finally bridge the gap between being

just a popular online platform to one of

the Pinnacles of modern-day culture

recently Mr Beast has somewhat ended his

contract with night Inc actually but

they both left on good terms and

representatives from Knight have said

that they will continue to have an

ongoing partnership with Mr Beast moving

forward just not a fully exclusive one

as Mr Beast and his respective companies

are reportedly pulling about $600

million per year in Revenue right now it

seems that Jimmy maybe just wants to

expand his Partnerships and have more

options to bring on new and more

companies to help him build his future

and today night Inc continues to control

thousands of creators accounting for

quite literally billions of subscribers

and one thing is for sure certain Knight

is pioneering the future of content

creators and as you see YouTubers

pushing for these streamer deals making

their own companies building Brands you

can be certain that night Inc is behind

the scenes orchestrating everything from

the shadows and real quick if you're an

aspiring YouTube Creator interested in

getting some help with growing your

YouTube channel I'm hosting a completely

free YouTuber boot camp this week where

I'll take you through the best

three-step process to go from 0 to

10,000 subscribers within the next 45

days again it's literally free you can

access it at the link in the description

and thanks for watching