The seven-year-old YouTuber who made $11mn reviewing toys
Forbes recently released its list of the world's highest-paid YouTube stars of 2017. In the eighth place is Ryan ToysReview, which earned $11mn this year. But there's more to the channel than its high earnings: the host, Ryan, is just seven. The channel first went viral in July'15, when Ryan reviewed a "GIANT EGG SURPRISE" box containing over 100 toys from Pixar's "Cars".
How did the little child start his own channel?
The story began when Ryan, then four-years-old and a fan of toy reviews, asked his parents why he also couldn't do the same. In March'15, his parents started his own channel. "We didn't know you could make money from it," they said. It took him four months to get noticed. Since then, they upload videos daily, where Ryan unpacks several toys and reviews them.
Ryan ToysReview has been bigger than YouTube legend PewDiePie
Here's what Ryan's "success" means: Ryan ToysReview has been ranked the most-viewed channel in the US, bigger than PewDiePie and 'The Tonight Show'. He has over 10.1mn subscribers and his own Android app. His most famous video has almost 800mn views. In fact, he's so successful that his mother quit her teaching job to work for him, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Pocket.watch signs second major long-term deal with Ryan ToysReview
In September, the family struck a deal with Pocket.watch, which has granted them an equity stake. The company will produce apps, merchandises and content themed on the channel. It will have the rights to sell ads, branding and integration opportunities on behalf of Ryan ToysReview.
The family apparently guards Ryan against the fame
The family seems to take care to ensure the success doesn't get to Ryan's head. It has kept its identity private, though there are reports they reside in Southern California. They say the money he's earning is being put into a college fund for Ryan and his two sisters. They will only be allowed to access it at 22, provided they have full-time employment.
But there are several reasons to worry
Over time, Ryan's videos have taken a commercial turn: today he flicks through several toys in each video; many of them aren't even related to toys. Each description links to a number of brands. Even as corporations make money off Ryan's video, there are no rules to govern his "job". Interestingly, his sisters made their YouTube debut when they were just weeks old.
