I love YouTube, it has replaced cable in my house. And so I came up with a list of my favorite YouTubers. I included the link to their channel in their title and embedded a sample video if you’re looking for a quick preview.
Science Communication Channels
These are channels that give out really entertaining science explainers. I could watch this stuff all day.
1) VSauce
He hasn’t posted many videos lately, but every video he does post is mind-blowing. You’ve probably seen him already, but if not, definitely check it out.
2) Veritasium
Another must-watch. As far as I’m concerned, all science communication channels are a must watch. Still, Veritasium is one of the best at it. I feel personally inspired by his videos to become a better creator.
3) Tom Scott
What a Monologist. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any YouTuber do what Tom Scott can do in one take. Tom Scott could teach a master-class in long-winded explainers. His videos are educational, inspirational, and entertaining.
4) Answers With Joe
Joe does a ton of awesome explainer videos on an assortment of science topics. You can tell a ton of research went into each and every video. I love the elegant simplicity of his format.
Fun Cool Factoids Channels
These channels are still in the explainer category as far as I’m concerned. But, their exact topics are a little bit vaguer than the science channels above.
5) Johnny Harris
Johnny Harris’s channel is so much fun. It’s hard to classify him. Johnny ranges from talking about why he hates American breakfast, to making maps in Premiere, to Switzerland. All I can say is that every video is a joy to watch. Johnny’s the king of YouTube as far as I’m concerned.
6) OverSimplified
Oversimplified does animated history explainers in a fun, watchable, and overly simplistic way. Each video’s amazing. Watch the one above, and you’ll be hooked.
7) RealLifeLore
You ever wonder how many Toyota Corollas would be the equivalent size of a whale? This is your guy—just a ton of interesting random factoids in a video after video. I absolutely love it.
8) Polymatter
Polymatter’s videos are a little bit random. They tend to be technology and/or China-based. But, they’re all well done and an interesting watch for sure.
9) John Michael Godier
John Michael Godier is a sci-fi writer going over a sci-fi perspective on our universe’s latest discoveries. You didn’t realize you wanted to see this before, but you do.
Music Channels
10) Walk Off The Earth
You start watching this channel, and you’ll never stop watching this channel. The videos this band makes are insane. I’m continually impressed with the talent and thoughtfulness it must take to create even one of these.
11) Sock Puppet Parody.
If you’re not going to watch a bunch of sock puppets do over the top heavy metal music videos covering songs from the 90’s, you probably don’t have a soul. This is worth a watch for at least 2-3 minutes.
Strange Original Channels (But Worth It)
These channels don’t have peers because they’re so bizarrely unique. That said, they’re all extremely entertaining if you haven’t seen them yet.
12) Tier Zoo
Tier Zoo ranks real-life animals into tiers as if he had to play as one of the animals in a video game. It’s surprisingly fun to watch.
Tech Review / Filmmaking Channels
13) Potato Jet
There are many channels out there that are about how to make better content or reviews of the latest camera gear. My personal favorite is Potato Jet, he’s the man.
14) Peter McKinnon
Peter McKinnon brings energy to the coffee montage space that’s tough to match. Ha seriously though, Peter McKinnon’s fun to watch and makes filmmaking topics a lot of fun. I really enjoy him.
ASOIAF Theory Channels (Game of Thrones)
15) Preston Jacobs
This channel’s not as much for show watchers as it is for book readers. That said, if you just got done reading the book for the first time, this is a real treat. Preston Jacobs has noticed so much more about this book series than you could ever hope to. I found his channel endlessly entertaining as he points out the countless things I missed in the 7,000 pages that is ASOIAF.
16) The Order of the Greenhand
Bit of a will-they won’t-they vibe from this channel as the couple who created it broke up half-way through filming (this is why you should never have a business partner). That said, these two both know these books inside and out. They also caught a ton of stuff that I didn’t when reading the series. I find it endlessly entertaining to realize these things after the fact.
17) Alt-Shift-X
Alt-Shift-X’s videos are a lot more friendly for show watchers. Alt-Shift-X explains what the hell is going on in this series in a simplistic way that’s fun to watch.
Business Channels
18) Shaun Poore (AKA Me, the author of this blog post)
I don’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the other creators on this list. They’re my heroes, and they’re better than me at this. That said, my channel’s awesome; check it out. I get into all sorts of digital business related topics.
19) Income School
This guy blogs. Or these guys blog I should say. They’re a bit folksy and I wouldn’t take their investment advice. But, if you’re looking to get into content marketing via blogging there’s currently not a better source of information out there. With so many fake gurus out there it’s nice to see a couple of guys who actually do the thing it is that they’re teaching others to do.
Honorable Mention: My Top 12 VR Videos!
You will need to purchase a virtual reality headset (like a Quest 2) to fully appreciate these videos. That said, if you have a VR headset, my list of the best 360° videos is definitely worth checking out!