YouTube Stars Sean Evans, Rhett and Link Want Emmy Nominations

In a special live taping of Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast at SXSW, some of YouTube’s most influential creators sat down to discuss the platform’s evolution as it approaches its 20th anniversary this April.

Joining the conversation were Sean Evans, Host of “Hot Ones” and Chief Creative Officer, First We Feast; Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, Hosts of “Good Mythical Morning” and Founders, Mythical Entertainment; and Marques Brownlee, Host of “Waveform Podcast.” Each reflected on their unexpected journeys to digital stardom and the changing landscape of content creation.

YouTube, which now boasts over 1 billion monthly active podcast users, has become a dominant force in digital entertainment, allowing creators to build careers outside of traditional media. But for these panelists, success wasn’t always the plan.

“I personally have no idea. I’ve done so many laps around any expectation I ever had for myself and crashed through all of these ceilings,” Evans admitted. “I never dreamed that it would be on camera and that we’d have this talk show that has somehow broken containment and made it this far, even to the cover of a magazine this time around.”

McLaughlin and Neal, known for their quirky experiments and lighthearted approach to entertainment, had a less conventional vision of their future careers. “Where we come from, the idea of an entertainer was this guy that came to our middle school dances and he could do magic, but he was also a DJ,” McLaughlin joked. Neal added, “I also wanted to be a weatherman. I mean, I saw him on television every night, and when the state fair came to town, he was a celebrity there.”

For Brownlee, his YouTube success was always rooted in a love for technology. “I was always into tech. I went to school for tech,” he said. “I thought I’d be the person managing creators for a company. But this new thing has been doing really well, so that’s where I’m at.”

Video podcasts have emerged as a dominant format, helping creators grow their audiences beyond traditional audio platforms.

Brownlee, whose “Waveform Podcast” explores tech in a more conversational setting, explained, “I quickly learned how terrible discoverability is with audio-only podcasts. So the natural thing to do was, ‘Okay, we’re going to do YouTube, we’re going to obviously put this on YouTube, it’ll be a video show.’ And it’s gone every bit as great as we expected.”

For McLaughlin and Neal, the podcasting boom has changed how people consume entertainment. “When we first started, we were like, ‘You can’t go over three minutes.’ And now, if you’re going to take the time to make a video, why would it only be three minutes? It’s a completely different world,” McLaughlin noted.

Evans, whose “Hot Ones” format thrives on visual reactions to spicy wings, credited YouTube for allowing the show to find its audience. “Who knows if we were on a network or if it was a more traditional TV show, maybe ‘Hot Ones’ would’ve been canceled before it got a chance to find itself,” he said. “We weren’t bound by anything. It could just be our own creativity expressed through the videos that we were making.”

Despite their dominance in digital entertainment, YouTube creators have only recently begun attempting to break into awards conversations. Evans’ “Hot Ones” was submitted for consideration in the talk series category at the Emmys last year, while “Good Mythical Morning” competed in the short-form category. They both will be following suit for this upcoming season.

Evans believes it’s only a matter of time before award shows fully recognize YouTube’s cultural influence. “When you look at the guests that we book, when you look at the size of the audience that we’ve built, when you look at the show’s place in culture, it’s absolutely worthy of comparison with all these shows that do get nominated,” he argued.

McLaughlin pointed out the discrepancy in how online content is valued. “If you look at where brands are putting their money and the way that they value a set of eyeballs watching ‘The Tonight Show’ versus watching ‘Good Mythical Morning,’ it still doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “One of the reasons for that is brands and culture look to the Academy to know what they think is cool.”

Neal added, “If you look at the numbers, we’re exceeding those of late-night shows in the 18 to 34 demo. We’re exceeding them all combined.” Brownlee believes. the industry needs to catch up. “A lot of the questions I have are just, ‘What does the Emmy actually mean? What is the definition of what deserves to be awarded?’ Because, whether you look at the numbers or just the connection that people have, we’re in the same category,” he said.

Before wrapping up, the group offered words of wisdom for those hoping to break into content creation. “I would just say only do it if you have a pathological pull or drive to do it,” Evans advised. “If you’re trying to make money, trying to be famous, you’ll get so burned out by it.” Neal took a more critical view: “The fact that ‘content creator’ is the number one thing kids want to be — I don’t necessarily think that’s a good sign for our culture. We need creators, but we also need people building bridges and things, not just making more content.”

McLaughlin and Neal closed with an analogy that sums up the challenge of longevity in digital media. “Once you’re there, it’s kind of like being on a treadmill,” McLaughlin explained. “Burnout is when you turn the treadmill up too high and you can’t keep pace. You have to find a balance.”