Influencer Evan Lee, a.ok.a EvanTube, and his household amassed fairly a following within the early days of YouTube — and earned a staggering amount of cash throughout the peak of their fame.
In accordance with a report printed by The New York Times on Sunday, April 27, early YouTube creators may earn cash through a portion of the income created from adverts that ran subsequent to the movies or through model offers and sponsorships. For the Lee household, community Maker Studios helped Evan’s dad, Jared Lee, increase YouTube views by producing concepts and sharing analytics. Maker would additionally supply EvanTube as a model accomplice in an effort to generate a number of income streams.
Jared instructed the outlet that the household was incomes between $1 million and $2 million a yr after they had been at their hottest.
Evan, now 19, rose to stardom in October 2011 when his freelance videographer father created a house video of the Indignant Birds online game made out of modeling clay. The video in the end reached 11 million views — and the remainder was historical past. Evan’s youthful sister, Jillian, additionally began appearing in videos.
Jared claimed to the outlet that some months EvanTube grossed $100,000 from Google adverts alone.
When Evan was 9 in 2014, EvanTube amassed 1 million subscribers. The subsequent yr, EvanTube allowed the household to ascertain a household belief, financial savings, 529 school funds and Coogan accounts — in addition to Roth I.R.A.s., which Evan and Jillian already had. Per the course of accountants, the household bought a $3 million, six-bedroom, seven-bathroom dwelling.

Evan, now 19, mirrored on asking his dad and mom questions on cash all through his childhood and famous that if he didn’t work on YouTube, the household “most likely wouldn’t have been capable of afford” personal school.
Evan shared that he ultimately “realized there isn’t any manner we might have made that a lot cash until my dad and mom had been concerned.” He added, “An 8-year-old, 10-year-old, doesn’t have the thoughts to maintain a profitable YouTube channel, generate that revenue, work with manufacturers. But when I used to be faraway from the equation, there wouldn’t be a star.”
Evan in the end pressed pause on EvanTube on the finish of his highschool profession in June 2024, earlier than he pursued school on the Loyola Marymount College in Los Angeles.
“I actually recognize you guys watching the movies over time,” he mentioned on the time. “I get thousands and thousands — or possibly, I don’t know, thousands and thousands — however a ton of feedback of you guys saying, ‘You had been my childhood.’ It’s actually appreciated. Thanks guys a lot for watching all my movies. I hope you guys will assist me and my future initiatives, no matter I do sooner or later.”