Jimmy Donaldson, also known as Mr. Beast, got his start on YouTube back in 2012 and ever since then he and his friend group have received a good deal of attention. The channel’s rising number of viewers and supporters continues to increase as they currently have a subscriber count of over 93 million. His videos consist of expensive stunts and challenges that give back to his local community in Greenville, North Carolina. Donaldson is able to follow through with his philanthropic videos with the support of large brands such as Current and Honey who usually sponsor and pay for the videos.  

Will Maeder (11) enjoys watching the Mr. Beast channel and how they prioritize combining fun challenges with compensating the individuals within their community for videos. 

“I think it’s cool that he gives not just his friends, but his supporters the chance to participate and win money. He is able to inspire many of his viewers as he donates a lot of his proceeds from sponsors to buying items for charities and for people in need of help,” Maeder said. 

Mr. Beast has the goal to make the world a better place and has done so by organizing the Team Trees and Team Seas projects with Mark Rober along with his own charity that he created back in 2020 called Beast Philanthropy. With Donaldson’s efforts Team Trees raised over 20 million dollars to plant 20 million trees throughout the United States and Team Seas raised over 30 million dollars to remove pollution from the world’s waters and clean beaches. His videos always have a reason to donate some money whether it means flying out his fans for challenges, involving the local community, doing large giveaways on YouTube, or finding charities in need.  

John Rhoden (12) keeps up with some of Mr. Beast’s videos and thinks he is able to connect with a younger audience in an interesting way while pushing to improve the environment and how people treat each other.  

“The thing I enjoy the most about Mr. Beast is his selflessness; he is always willing to pay things forward and help the next person. I really enjoy how his videos are comedic and entertaining, but also help people out in the real world, his philanthropic side is also great to see in terms of helping people and the environment,” Rhoden said.  

Donaldson mentions in his videos how since the start of his channel that he always wanted to be himself in the content he created and does what pleases him. This mentality of Mr. Beast went back to the days when his channel was struggling to go viral in college, yet he decided to continue working and improving his channel. 

Emory Butehorn (11) finds it insane how Mr. Beast is able to pursue his dreams while finding creative ways to give back to the community. 

“I believe he is a great influencer and philanthropist that people look up to, and always is willing to help people in need. He is a YouTube icon that portrays how wealth can be used in ways that make a lasting impact in the lives of those in need,” Butehorn said.