If you have children or know anyone under the age of 10, then you’ve probably heard of Ryan’s World. Ryan Kaji is an 8-year-old YouTuber who began opening toys on his YouTube channel at the young age of 3. Since then, he’s accumulated a following of 23 million subscribers and earned the title of the highest-earning YouTuber for two years in a row.
According to Business Insider, after one of Ryan’s videos went viral in 2015, Michael Bienstock, of the influencer-focused wealth-management company Semaphore, reached out to his parents to discuss capitalizing on the success of his brand. This partnership resulted in securing Ryan’s own line of toys, clothing, gaming apps, a deal with Hulu, and a show on the beloved children’s television station, Nickelodeon.
Ryan’s channel earned $26 million over the course of a year, surpassing his previous earnings of $22 million. Dude Perfect, came in at second place with $20 million and in close competition is 5-year-old Anastasia Radzinskaya, whose channel earned $18 million.
The digital streaming space continues to prove that there’s unlimited earning potential for newcomers and existing creatives to obtain success in untraditional ways.