YouTube is a fantastic platform that allows anybody to upload a video and attempt to connect with others around the globe. Sometimes, some of these videos become extremely popular and go viral. While most of these cyber-stars are often one-hit wonders and are never heard from again, others continue to produce enough successful content to eventually become a household name. Donut Media is a perfect example of the latter.
For those of you who don't know, Donut Media is a YouTube channel that is devoted to providing "all types of car people" with knowledge of all things automotive. The account stays relevant by releasing fresh content that covers a number of topics on an almost daily basis. Essentially, no matter whether it's explaining how an F1 engine is built or providing an informative recap on the Ford Mustang, you can rest assured that Donut has you covered.
Today, almost every video that comes out of Donut's YouTube channel is an instant success. Some of these clips are able to fetch millions of views in just a couple of days. Things sure seem to be looking up for the guys and girls back at Donut!
But where did all of this success begin? And how did they get to where they are now? If you're interested in learning a little more about the humble beginnings of Donut Media, here's your chance to hopefully have some of your questions answered.
Here's a quick history lesson of how Donut Media became the YouTube giant it is today.
Their First Big Hit Was Two Grannies, One Lamborghini
Donut Media was founded by Matt Levin, Ben Conrad, and Nick Moceri in 2015. Originally, the channel was made up mostly of random car-related videos that pertained to a wide variety of topics. Videos like that of "Donuts In Your Dad's Pickup Truck" and "Making A Burrito (At 100 MPH)" were able to net anywhere from 80,000-200,000 views. Despite these modest views (not bashing these videos), it wasn't until "Two Grannies, One Lamborghini" came out in 2016 that the channel would achieve viral status.
Basically, the video follows grandmothers Audrey and Peggy as they take a Lamborghini Murcielago for a spin around LA. Throughout the video, they wave, make jokes, and just have a good time while they drive a very fast and very expensive car. Since its debut, the clip has racked up a whopping 10,384,720 views and can be credited with putting Donut Media on the virtual map.
"Up To Speed" Made Donut What It Is Today
Despite Donut Media gaining internet fame relatively early on in life, it wasn't until after the first-ever "Up To Speed" came out (in 2017), that the channel really found its stride. The show is hosted by James Pumphrey and provides an all-encompassing synopsis of various cars, brands, and car movements. Since the show's debut, all of its episodes have consistently netted millions of hits.
The shows' breakout success resulted in a major reconstruction of the way Donut delivered content. Instead of uploading random videos to YouTube on various days of the week, the channel began to create new shows that focused on specific aspects of the automotive world. These shows were then dropped on specific days of the week, at consistently scheduled times.
They Have Assembled Quite A Cast And Offer Plenty Of Shows
Today, there are a number of fantastic shows on Donut Media, each with an equally likable host. Examples include Nolan Syke's' "Wheel House", Jeremiah Burton's "Bumper to Bumper" (B2B), Zach Jobe's' "Money Pit", and James Pumphrey's other show "D-List". Oftentimes, hosts will partner with another host to create a video, as exemplified in the video down below.
At the end of 2019, Donut Media created a spinoff channel titled "Donut Podcasts." Each webisode is typically hosted by Nolan, James, and their colleague: Joe Weber. Unlike their other videos, episodes can be about almost anything related to the automotive world, not just specific themes. Another difference is the fact that this content can be accessed on platforms other than YouTube (Spotify and Apple Podcasts).
They Have Won A "Streamy" Award
Luckily for the guys and girls back at Donut, their hard work (both on and off the camera) has been recognized over the past few years. That is because Donut Media was nominated two times for the coveted YouTube Streamy Awards, once in 2018 and once in 2019. Despite missing out in 2018, the team was able to redeem itself and score its first Streamy Award in 2019. As you can tell by both James' and Nolan's faces pictured above, they were quite happy with the outcome.
Before we conclude, it is worth mentioning that these is so much more to Donut Media's history than what has been presented thus far. Discontinued content like that of "Science Garage" and the controversial show: "Versus," are noticeably missing from the list. Other talking points include their sponsorship deal with NASCAR and Techstar Ventures.
Who knows? Maybe, we'll get lucky, and they can give us a quick history lesson themselves of how they came to be!