Michelle Phan Shares Her 6 Favorite Influencers, From Penguinz0 to Mina Le
source link: https://www.businessinsider.com/michelle-phan-chooses-favorite-youtubers-influencers-kane-pixels-naomi-cannibal-2022-11
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1. Bald and Bankrupt, a travel vlogger in the vein of Anthony Bourdain
Name: Benjamin Rich
Account moniker: Bald and Bankrupt
YouTube subscribers: 3.7 million
Phan calls Rich, better known to his 3.7 million subscribers as Bald and Bankrupt, one of the best travel creators working on YouTube – a high distinction in a crowded field.
"Most travel videos you see, they have a crew that follows them," Phan said. "But he reminds me a little bit of Anthony Bourdain – like the rawness. He's just filming himself."
Rich visits far-flung and potentially dangerous places in a way that humanizes local neighborhoods and habitants, Phan said. He also delves into the history of the places he visits.
"When he was in Russia, he was lost and there was an older lady who welcomed him into her home," Phan said. "She gave him a homemade meal, and the next day he went into town to buy a bunch of stuff for her as a gift. So wholesome, so cool, so daring."
2. Penguinz0, a veteran streamer and online-news commentator
Name: Charlie White
Account moniker: Penguinz0
YouTube subscribers: 11.6 million
"Someone who I think is doing YouTube so well, like incredibly well, is Penguinz0," said Phan, who's been watching the creator for roughly three years.
The streamer and commentator, whose real name is Charlie White, uploads almost daily and comments on online-news stories.
"He's almost like a Joe Rogan, but he's not interviewing anyone. He's talking about everything – anything that's trendy, that's cultural, that's happening at the moment," Phan said. "What's so cool is that his audience, they're helping him co-create and feeding him cool content ideas."
Phan finds White's success – to the tune of 11.6 million subscribers – all the more impressive because he's creating videos in his bedroom.
"I f-cking love MrBeast for what is he doing," Phan said of the YouTuber's blockbuster-sized productions. But White, a homebody, has entered a kind of "flow state" by finding a content format that aligns with his lifestyle, she said.
3. Kane Pixels, a 17-year-old short-form horror filmmaker
Name: Kane Parsons
Account moniker: Kane Pixels
YouTube subscribers: 1.9 million
Seventeen-year-old Kane "Pixels" Parsons is composing short films on Unreal Engine, a video-game engine developed by "Fortnite"-maker Epic Games. Many of his films are in the horror genre, though he's also created fandom content around the anime, "Attack On Titan," of which Phan is a fan.
"They're short-form movies that are normally around like Creepypasta legends, like urban legends," Phan said.
Parsons' nine-minute short film, "The Backrooms (Found Footage)," has amassed a staggering 40 million views.
"Nine minutes of this is scarier than any other Netflix horror movies I'm watching," Phan said. "He's an incredible storyteller. I keep telling people, Netflix should hire this guy to direct their next movie."
4. Mikayla Nogueira, TikTok's wholesome beauty guru
Name: Mikayla Nogueira
TikTok followers: 13.6 million
"Maybe I'm just old school," Phan said of TikTok, "but I just prefer YouTube. TikTok is great for trends, but I don't find myself connecting with creators like I do with YouTubers."
When it comes to the beauty genre, however, Phan calls Massachusetts-based TikToker Nogueira "a shining example of what has been missing on YouTube beauty content."
"A lot of it was drama the past few years, and Mikayla just makes it about beauty again," Phan said. "She makes it about fun and discovery, and she makes it more wholesome."
Nogueira, known for reviews and tutorials, rose to fame for her signature Boston accent and sunny disposition, with 13.6 million TikTok followers to date.
5. Mina Le, whose video essays sit at the intersection of fashion and film
Name: Mina Le
YouTube subscribers: 1.2 million
"Another wonderful YouTuber that I think is just killing it, she goes by Mina Le," Phan said.
Le's channel houses video essays that sit at the intersection of fashion and movies, including "Rating Disney Princess Dresses on Historical Accuracy" and "TikTok is Kind of Bad for Fashion."
Subject-matter experts like Le are "able to articulate these thoughts and concepts so that the people who are watching it are equipped now with those notions too," Phan said. "If they have a debate or discussion, they can reference these people."
6. Naomi Cannibal, who posts weekly hot takes on pop culture, celebrities, and music
Account moniker: Naomi Cannibal
YouTube subscribers: 46,000
Cannibal is another video essayist who Phan favors. The creator, who does not disclose their real name or show their face on camera, shares weekly hot takes on pop culture, celebrities, and music.
"She's definitely gonna hit half a million by next year if she keeps up with this," Phan said. "She's talking about things where it's like, I never heard of that."
With just 46,000 subscribers so far, Cannibal's popular video titles include "Teairra Mari: The Girl Who Was Almost Rihanna" and "Baby Phat: The Story of A Ghetto Fabulous Empire."
The channel falls into a larger trend of indie creators becoming their own news outlets, Phan said.
"[Creators] have to stay current to feed the algorithm," she said. "And so they need to know what's happening on the pulse."
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