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MrBeast On His Own
Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, YouTube’s top creator, is undergoing some adjustments. A year ago, he stated that the pace of his videos will slow as he experimented with a new editing style. That hasn’t happened yet, but a new Semafor report suggests that MrBeast’s desire to shake up his managing method may become a reality after all, as he departs from his long-term management.
According to a May 6 article, two sources in MrBeast’s camp have told the website that the 25-year-old YouTuber is leaving his high-profile talent management company, Night Media. The YouTube star and Night Media, formed by talent manager and investor Reed Duchscher, have been collaborating since 2018, when he was looking for help monetizing his channel, Duchscher stated in a September 2022 YouTube video about managing the YouTuber. However, he has apparently informed Night Media that their long-term collaboration has come to an end. They’re splitting up, with him intending to collaborate with talent agencies throughout the entertainment sector.
What Caused This?
According to the people Semafor spoke with, Donaldson’s once-positive working relationship with Duchscher shifted after the former asked the latter to oversee his Feastables snack brand, and tensions arose due to Duchscher’s refusal to relocate his operation to Greenville, North Carolina, where Donaldson is based. According to Semafor’s Max Tani, while Donaldson wishes to collaborate with a variety of talent management firms, some may be hesitant because MrBeast has a reputation for being a difficult client.
Kotaku has contacted MrBeast and Night Media for comment.
What His New Content is Going To Look Like
It’s unclear what this breakup means for MrBeast’s YouTube videos, but he did give an idea of where he was a year ago. MrBeast announced in January 2023 that he will be slowing down the pace of his videos. While no rationale was given at the time, he clarified in March 2024 that he wanted to “focus more on storytelling” so that scenes breathed and he yelled less, imploring his fellow creators to “get rid of the ultra fast paced/overstim era of content” because it “doesn’t even work.” Since then, as detailed in a Polygon story published around the same time, several of his films have grown in length and popularity.
He still uploads short 10-minute videos with him yelling immediately at the beginning to get your attention, but he’s now dabbling with longer-form content, with one of his longest lasting 40 minutes. Now that MrBeast is supposedly divorcing Night Media, we’ll probably see more of these from him: Longer videos with more storyline and less overstimulation.
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