YTOTW: The Fine Bros, The YouTube Channel With Over 2.9 Billion Views
In this week's YouTuber Of The Week, we take a closer look at The Fine Bros, known for their sitcoms, series, and videos all on the wonderful world of YouTube.
By Darian Goh — 27 Apr 2015, 03:38 PM
How do you get to 2.9 billion views on your videos in just a few years? Just ask Benny and Rafi Fine, better known as the Fine Bros
The brothers started out making videos as early as they can remember and began uploading feature films on to their website and MySpace before migrating to YouTube in 2007
The brothers made their big break with their React series. "Kids React", a show about kids reacting to viral videos also earned them a special Emmy Award in 2012.
Following the success of "Kids React", the Fine Bros expanded their series to "Teens React", this time showcasing reactions from teenagers
Besides the React series, the Fine Bros also launched MyMusic, a sitcom about a music company and their executives. As of today, the show has 45 million views. Crazy!
The brothers are not always behind the camera. In the series "Spoilers", both Benny and Rafi break down YouTube, movies, and series spoilers all in a nifty summary
The Fine Bros currently have over 500 videos on their channel, excluding the ones they have on their other ones. It's no wonder people call them the grandparents of YouTube!
We’ve been called uncles,” said Rafi Fine, one-half of the Fine Brothers. “Grandparents, I guess now.”
“I prefer uncles to grandparents,” said Benny Fine, his brother and the other half of the team. Whether they’re uncles or grandparents, Rafi and Benny (29 and 31 years old, respectively) -- the hardworking, constantly creative Fine Brothers -- are already elder statesmen in the YouTube universe. They’re looked up to not only because they consistently make entertaining and innovative online videos, but because they’re generous with their time shepherding young talent through the minefield of unfair creative contracts. Talent management isn’t any friendlier, it seems, just because it’s now online.
With their knowledge, they aim to nurture and help out younger talent in the YouTube scene so that they can not only be good video makers but also smart entrepreneurs
Even though getting started on YouTube is a lot easier than getting started on television -- all a person needs is a video camera and an internet connection -- getting attention is another matter. Online networks help a fledgling show get viewers by putting it in front of an established audience. That’s gold to young talent, and often they’ll sign too much away in an effort to get there.
“A lot of these networks try their best to get these people to not even show their contracts to lawyers. Like it’s part of their business practices to try to get them to sign it without showing a lawyer. There’s various things that are going on -- such as 50 percent ownership over a channel -- that we’re very much trying to make sure that people understand that they need to be very careful when they come to networks,” Rafi said. “We do believe that the future is with these networks. But the networks have to be far better at giving good deals and being good partners for these rising stars.”
So if you'd like to see these "grandparents" and their content, go have a look at their channel here