Creators On The Rise: For 17-Year-Old camman18, YouTube Shorts Is The “Revolutionary” Platform Turning Content Creation Into A Career

Welcome to Creators on the Rise, the place—in partnership with world creator firm Jellysmack—we discover and profile breakout creators who’re within the midst of extraordinary development. 


camman18 began his YouTube channel with 40 movies and a hunch.

The 17-year-old creator (who goes by simply his first identify, Cameron) was already a shortform content material creator by the point YouTube launched its TikTookay competitor Shorts. He joined TikTok in 2020, and swiftly discovered a large pocket of fellow Minecraft followers blissful to tune in for his near-daily uploads.

But even whereas efficiently amassing an viewers of 1.2 million followers on TikTookay, Cameron saved his eye on YouTube. Like a lot of Gen Z, he grew up watching content material on the world’s largest video sharing website, and Minecraft, whereas not at all times the loudest recreation on YouTube (ahem, you, Fortnite, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Among Us), has steadfastly remained its hottest, with droves of devoted viewers.

Cameron knew, nonetheless, that viewers being current didn’t essentially imply they might watch his movies out of the tens of millions upon tens of millions of Minecraft uploads. He additionally knew that making an attempt his hand at YouTube meant he must transition to long-form content material–one thing that might contain studying an entire new set of expertise, and would imply splitting his time away from TikTookay and his burgeoning Twitch channel (43.8K followers).

Then, earlier this 12 months, YouTube solved these issues for him.



Shorts, Cameron says, is the platform’s “most revolutionary addition” to this point–one which, no less than for him, is the important thing to lastly establishing a presence on YouTube.

As quickly as Shorts launched extensive, he put collectively a technique: He took 40 of his hottest TikToks and scheduled them to add on his YouTube channel. One per day, day-after-day, at 10 a.m., for 2 months. He’d heard YouTube’s algorithm was a infamous cavern of secrets and techniques that judged channels and creators in accordance with a set of thriller protocols, however didn’t consider the trail to success could be that onerous to untangle. He figured if he uploaded consistently and persistently, with content material that appealed to a gentle viewers, he’d do exactly tremendous.

And he was proper.


Cameron’s channel took off after he started importing content material to YouTube Shorts in April. Monthly viewership knowledge from Gospel Stats.

Cameron’s unique 40 uploads collectively netted greater than 100 million views. So, when the 40 days was over, he saved going. To date, he’s uploaded 89 movies which have collectively introduced almost 400 million views and boosted his channel to just about a million subscribers.

Challenge-oriented movies like Minecraft, But You Can’t Touch The Color GreenMinecraft, But I Can’t Press Space, and Minecraft, But You Can’t Touch Water have confirmed his hottest, with 17 million, 14 million, and 11 million views, respectively, however Cameron’s movies total have persistently earned seven-figure viewership, with only some clips bringing fewer than a million views.

For now, Shorts helps Cameron construct the foundations of a content material profession together with his shortform repertoire (and should, because of YouTube’s newly launched $100 million fund to pay Shorts creators, begin to generate income for him). In the longer term, he says, he hopes to attempt his hand at long-form content material–however total, “I see myself doing precisely what I’m doing for so long as persons are watching.”

Check out our chat with him under.

Tubefilter: Tell us a bit about you! What’s your identify? Where are you from? What did you do earlier than making a YouTube channel?

camman18: My identify’s Cameron and I’ve lived in Texas my complete life. I’m solely 17, so I’m nonetheless in highschool, and have been watching YouTube for about half of my life.

Tubefilter: How did you uncover your love for Minecraft, and why did you resolve to make Minecraft-themed movies? When and why did you begin a YouTube channel?

camman18: I began enjoying Minecraft approach again in 2010, when my brother received it. After watching him, I began enjoying, and have just about been enjoying since, which means effectively over half my life, I’ve been enjoying the sport–so it solely made sense to make movies of the sport I knew most about. I began my TikTookay account virtually precisely one 12 months in the past when that is going up, however solely began taking it significantly beginning January of 2021. In April, I began my YouTube channel with movies I made for TikTookay.

Tubefilter: You simply began importing content material to YouTube in April, and your movies took off on Shorts instantly. Was there a selected video that went viral and actually kicked issues off? What do you assume made that video significantly fashionable?

camman18: When I began my YouTube channel, I devised a technique. I had round 40 of my highest-quality TikTookay movies, and scheduled them to exit day-after-day at 10 a.m. earlier than importing a single video. This meant that from April to June, I virtually didn’t contact my YouTube channel, and the uploads went out persistently. This meant that there wasn’t actually a “blow-up video,” and as soon as the algorithm acknowledged my consistency, I used to be awarded.



Tubefilter: What function has YouTube Shorts performed within the development of your channel? Do you assume Shorts presents creators benefits that YouTube predominant doesn’t?

camman18: YouTube Shorts is unquestionably probably the most revolutionary addition to YouTube since its creation so far as accumulating views, however it’s a lot completely different than long-form content material. In my few months of importing, I’ve virtually gained 1,000,000 subscribers, which is extraordinarily fast in comparison with YouTube predominant, however it comes with some down sides. When gaining viewers by YouTube Shorts, they’re much less interactive together with your different social medias (Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, and so forth.), as a result of there may be much less of a connection as a result of most viewers not even having a single watch hour to their identify.

Tubefilter: Can you speak a bit bit about your manufacturing course of? How lengthy does it take you to create the common video?

camman18: Depending on the kind of video I make, the manufacturing course of often consists of writing a script, recording myself studying the script, recording gameplay, and enhancing and posting. This might in all probability take solely three to 4 hours if I’m absolutely concentrated, however often movies end up higher whenever you allow them to sit for some time, so it’s often about 5 hours of labor unfold throughout a pair extra hours.

Tubefilter: Why does making brief movies enchantment to you? Would you think about making longer-form content material, or is shortform the place it’s at?

camman18: I positively wish to make long-form content material sooner or later, as a result of that’s the way you create extra of a reputation for your self, however proper now it might appear silly due to the sheer numbers of subscribers I’m gaining is surpassed by only a few within the Minecraft subgenre.

Tubefilter: Has your current engagement uptick modified something for you professionally? Do you’ve any new plans or objectives in your content material profession? Is content material a full-time pursuit for you proper now?

camman18: It’s really humorous as a result of I’ve in all probability gained probably the most reputation I ever have within the final two weeks, regardless of being out of city and never posting any content material. I’m not gonna change a lot about my life as of now since I’m simply 17, simply gonna attempt to hold sustaining the channel.

Tubefilter: What’s your favourite a part of making content material as an entire?

camman18: My favourite half about making content material might be seeing how good I could make a video and what number of views will end result from it. Most individuals assume that there’s some kind a secret YouTube algorithm that it’s important to examine for years to determine, however it’s actually not that difficult. Better content material = extra views, and I take a look at it as type of a online game making an attempt to prime my high-score with every video.

Tubefilter: What’s subsequent within the instant future for you and your channel? Where do you see your self in 5 years?

camman18: I feel I see myself doing precisely what I’m doing for so long as persons are watching, and once they cease, I’ll adapt by doing issues like switching to long-form content material. I feel one of the essential issues about being a content material creator is having the ability to rapidly adapt to the panorama.


Jellysmack is the worldwide creator firm that detects and develops the world’s most gifted video creators. The firm’s proprietary video optimization expertise and knowledge drive social viewers development, unlocking new income streams and amplifying monetization.

Currently residence to over 150 influential Creators together with PewDiePie, MrBeastBrad Mondo, and Bailey Sarian, Jellysmack optimizes, operates, and distributes creator-made video content material to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTookay, Twitter, and YouTube. Jellysmack-managed content material boasts 10 billion world month-to-month video views and a cross-platform attain of 125 million distinctive U.S. customers, making it the most important U.S. digital-first firm in month-to-month social media viewers.

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