The YouTube entertainment sensation Dude Perfect began as a simple backyard video in 2009 and has become a successful multimillion-dollar brand.
Key Details
- Since Dude Perfect’s original trick-shot video nearly 14 years ago, the group has shared increasingly difficult and creative trick shots.
- These stunts have gained the group 58.9 million subscribers. In all, Dude Perfect’s channel has more than 15 billion views on YouTube.
- The original group of five has expanded to more than 20 employees. Last year, it made nearly $25 million in revenue, The Wall Street Journal reports.
- Following the YouTube channel’s initial fame, the company has worked to diversify and expand its business, reaching into clothing, food, television, and—most recently—a theme park.
Why it’s news
Dude Perfect’s brand has grown into a successful business. In addition to ad revenue from YouTube videos, the company sells merchandise to fans along with brand deals from Nerf and Columbia Sportswear. Dude Perfect also has a brand deal with canned bean company Serious Bean.
The group has also branched into television deals with a TV show on Nickelodeon along with hosting “Thursday Night Football” for Amazon. Dude Perfect also has a series of mobile games that have millions of downloads.
Now, Dude Perfect is diversifying again by investing in a new Texas theme park and company headquarters. The 30-acre park will cost the company around $100 million and take two years to complete.
“We don’t want our business to be reliant on how many times we’re in front of the camera. At some point, we will not be making videos as consistently as we are now,” original group member Coby Cotton explains.
After YouTube’s parent company Alphabet reported declining revenue for the second time, many content creators have looked to diversify their income. Advertising revenue is also shrinking somewhat on platforms like YouTube, adding to creators’ urgency to diversify.
The planned theme park, dubbed Dude Perfect World, will include attractions related to Dude Perfect’s popular trick shots, such as spinning basketball hoops and robotic goalies.