Michael Stevens (YouTuber)
{{Short description|American YouTuber (born 1986)}}
{{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{BLP primary sources|date=August 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox YouTube personality
| name = Michael Stevens
| image = Michael Stevens VidCon 2016.jpg
| caption = Stevens at VidCon 2016
| birth_name = Michael David Stevens
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|01|23}}
| birth_place = Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
| education = Blue Valley High School
University of Chicago (BA)
| residence =
| spouse = {{marriage|Marnie|2016}}
| children = 1
| occupation = YouTuber
| website =
| channel_handle = Vsauce
| years_active = 2007–present
| genre = {{Flatlist|
- Educational film
- popular science
- educational entertainment
}}
| subscribers = 24.2 million
| views = 6.1 billion
| stats_update = May 17, 2025
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
}}
| silver_button = yes
| gold_button = yes
| diamond_button = yes
}}
Michael David Stevens (born January 23, 1986) is an American educator, public speaker, entertainer, and editor best known for creating and hosting the education YouTube channel Vsauce. His channel initially released video game-related content until the popularity of his educational series DOT saw discussions of general interest become the focus of Vsauce, encompassing explanations of science, philosophy, culture, and illusion.{{cite web|url=http://faze.ca/youtube-creator-vsauce-michael-stevens/ |title=Meet The Man Behind Vsauce: Michael Stevens |publisher=Faze Media |author=Kate Vickery|date=2015 |access-date=2016-09-02}}
As the host of Vsauce, Stevens has become one of the most successful YouTubers (with over 24 million subscribers and over 5 billion views), as well as a leading figure in the internet-driven popularization of science and education.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/10/what-can-teachers-learn-from-youtube/381887/ |title=What Teachers Can Learn From Vsauce's YouTube Show |magazine=The Atlantic |author=Jessica Lahey|date=2014-10-28 |access-date=2016-09-02}}{{cite web |url=http://wmeimgspeakers.com/speaker/michael-stevens#tab-biography |title=MICHAEL STEVENS: YouTube sensation aka Vsauce |publisher=WME IMG Speakers |access-date=2016-09-02 |archive-date=November 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103220723/http://wmeimgspeakers.com/speaker/michael-stevens#tab-biography |url-status=dead }} By October 2014, his Vsauce channel had nearly 8 million subscribers and 700 million views. In 2017, he created and starred in the YouTube Premium series Mind Field, and presented the nationwide educational stage tour Brain Candy Live! alongside Adam Savage.
Early life and education
Stevens was born on January 23, 1986,{{Cite web |last=Stevens |first=Michael |date=December 9, 2017 |title=I'm Michael Stevens! Ask me about Mind Field (or anything else)! |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/vsauce/comments/7iogcp/comment/dr075gm/ |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=Reddit}} in Kansas City, Missouri. His mother worked as a teaching assistant, while his father was a chemical engineer.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} The family relocated to Stilwell, Kansas, in 1991. Stevens graduated from Blue Valley High School, where he developed a comedic personality, as well as a passion for knowledge, participating in informative speech and drama club programs.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} He then graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in psychology and English literature.{{cite web |url=http://www.thetvfestival.com/speaker/michael-stevens/ |title=MICHAEL STEVENS A.K.A VSAUCE |publisher=Edinburgh International Television Festival |date=2015 |access-date=2016-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929000550/http://www.thetvfestival.com/speaker/michael-stevens/ |archive-date=2017-09-29 |url-status=dead }} As an undergraduate, Stevens became interested in video editing, having viewed a re-cut trailer of The Shining.{{cite web|url=http://www.sixtysymbols.com/videos/vsauce.htm |title=Meet Vsauce |publisher=Sixty Symbols |author=Brady Haran|date=2013-03-02 |access-date=2016-09-02}}
Career
=YouTube video editing and ''Barely Political'' (2007–2010)=
First going into YouTube as the user CamPain 2008, he began using superimposition and dubbing to produce short comedic films about candidates in the 2008 United States presidential election.{{cite web|url=http://teneightymagazine.com/2015/06/07/michael-stevens-spilling-the-sauce/ |title=MICHAEL STEVENS: SPILLING THE SAUCE |publisher=TenEighty Magazine |date=2015-06-07 |access-date=2015-09-28}}
Stevens' online content attracted the interest of Ben Relles, who invited him to become a member of the online comedy group then known as Barely Political. He moved to New York City in 2008 and gained employment with both Barely Political and Next New Networks.
=Early ''Vsauce'' (2010–2012)=
{{Main|Vsauce}}
Stevens launched the Vsauce channel in 2010.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.adweek.com/news-gallery/technology/10-viral-content-creators-who-electrify-fans-millions-165991 |title=10 Viral Content Creators Who Electrify Fans by the Millions |magazine=Adweek |author=David Gianatasio |date=2015-07-19 |access-date=2016-09-02}} Initially, it featured many contributors, with a heavy focus on video game culture. Several distinct series emerged, many of which were hosted by Stevens, including V-LIST (video game-related lists), IMG (featuring viral images), D. O. N. G. (Do Online Now, Guys, showcasing various online games and tools) and LÜT (showing nerdy and interesting products available online).{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
However, it was Stevens' educational content that attracted the most attention. He says he was inspired to create scientific videos by Paul Zaloom's work on Beakman's World.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hClQ-OER3Y |title=IAMA: Michael Stevens of Vsauce |publisher=YouTube |author=Reddit |date=2014-04-29 |access-date=2015-09-28}} Stevens realized that his most popular content tended to incorporate more serious real-world concepts, often exhibiting interdisciplinarity. Notable examples include: "What is the resolution of the eye?"; "What is the speed of dark?";{{cite magazine|url=http://digiday.com/publishers/secret-sauce-behind-youtube-giant-vsauce/ |title=The secret sauce behind YouTube giant Vsauce |magazine=Digiday |author=Eric Blattberg |date=2014-12-04 |access-date=2016-09-02}} "Why is your bottom in the middle?"; and "How much money is there in the world?"{{cite web|url=http://www.thechildrensmediaconference.com/blog/2015/07/02/opening-keynote-michael-stevens-all-change-report/ |title=Opening Keynote, Michael Stevens: All Change? – Report |publisher=The Children's Media Conference |author=Simon Bor |date=2015-07-02 |access-date=2016-09-02}}
Later in 2010, Stevens launched two related channels, named Vsauce2 and Vsauce3, which eventually attained the sole hosts/producers Kevin Lieber and Jake Roper, respectively.{{Cite web |date=2013-10-29 |title=Vsauce, Vsauce2 & Vsauce3 – YouTube Channels « Dave Metzener's Weblog |url=http://metzener.com/2013/03/31/vsauce-vsauce2-vsauce3-youtube-channels/ |access-date=2024-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192207/http://metzener.com/2013/03/31/vsauce-vsauce2-vsauce3-youtube-channels/ |archive-date=October 29, 2013 }} By 2011–12, most content relating to internet and video game culture was delegated to these two channels, leaving the original Vsauce channel hosted and produced solely by Stevens, and devoted to educational discussion.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} Most videos are titled with a question, which Stevens answers or discusses at length, covering relevant tangents from any educational field that appeal to general interest.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
{{Blockquote|text=I don't want to just create things that are me reading a Wikipedia page, I want them to be a journey – a logic train that makes you go "Oh wow, where are we going today?"|author=Michael Stevens|source=TenEighty Magazine, 2015}}
=Google, TED talks and science education collaborations (2012–2016)=
In 2012, the year after Next New Networks was acquired by Google, Stevens also began working as a content strategist for Google in London. His role focuses on Google's YouTube platform, including meeting with fellow content creators to optimize their videos' effectiveness.
He presented two TED talks in 2013: "How much does a video weigh?" at the official TEDActive,{{cite web|url=https://www.ted.com/speakers/michael_stevens |title=Michael Stevens: YouTube educator |publisher=TED (conference) |date=February 2013 |access-date=2015-09-28}} and "Why do we ask questions?" at TEDxVienna.{{cite web |url=http://www.tedxvienna.at/blog/michael-vsauce-forgotten-questions-answered-on-youtube/ |title=MICHAEL "VSAUCE": FORGOTTEN QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON YOUTUBE |publisher=TEDxVienna |author=Sophie Lenz |date=2013-09-05 |access-date=2016-09-02 |archive-date=December 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221162714/http://www.tedxvienna.at/blog/michael-vsauce-forgotten-questions-answered-on-youtube/ |url-status=dead }} He has also spoken at events for Adweek, VidCon,{{cite web |url=http://vidcon.com/speakers/michael-stevens/ |title=MICHAEL STEVENS: Vsauce |publisher=VidCon |date=2016 |access-date=2016-09-02 }}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} MIPTV Media Market,{{cite web|url=http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2013/03/28/miptv-to-showcase-youtube-originals/ |title=MIPTV to showcase YouTube originals |publisher= Broadband TV News|author=Robert Briel|date=2013-03-28 |access-date=2016-09-02}} the Edinburgh International Television Festival, and for Novo Nordisk as a diabetes educator.{{cite web|url=http://www.tubefilter.com/2014/10/22/novo-nordisk-michael-stevens-vsauce-diabetes/ |title=Novo Nordisk Taps Michael Stevens Of Vsauce As A Diabetes Educator |publisher=Tubefilter |author=Sam Gutelle|date=2014-10-24 |access-date=2016-09-02}} In 2015, he appeared at the YouTube Fan Fest in Toronto.{{cite web |url=http://streamdaily.tv/2015/03/31/google-sponsors-first-north-american-youtube-fanfest/ |title=Google sponsors first North American YouTube FanFest |publisher=StreamDaily |author=Nick Krewen |date=2015-03-31 |access-date=2016-09-02 |archive-date=August 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826123801/http://streamdaily.tv/2015/03/31/google-sponsors-first-north-american-youtube-fanfest/ |url-status=dead }}
Through his work with Vsauce, Stevens has collaborated with and appeared alongside prominent individuals within the scientific community. These include Bill Nye (on "Why did the chicken cross the road?"),{{cite web|author=Amanda Walgrove |url=http://whatstrending.com/2012/09/chicken-cross-road/ |title=Vsauce And Bill Nye Dissect The Classic Joke, 'Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?' |publisher=What's Trending |date=September 17, 2012 |access-date=April 29, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928060415/http://whatstrending.com/2012/09/chicken-cross-road/ |archive-date=September 28, 2013 }} Derek Muller (on quantum randomness),{{cite web |url=http://veritasium.com/education/what-is-not-random/ |title=What is NOT Random? |publisher=Veritasium |author=Derek Muller |author-link=Derek Muller |date=2014-07-16 |access-date=2015-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012080009/http://veritasium.com/education/what-is-not-random/ |archive-date=2016-10-12 |url-status=dead }} Jack Horner and Chris Pratt (on dinosaur studies and Jurassic World),{{cite web|url=http://www.cnet.com/au/news/chris-pratt-jack-horner-crack-dinosaur-mysteries-in-vsauce-video/ |title=Chris Pratt and paleontologist Jack Horner crack dino mysteries |website=CNET |author=Anthony Domanico|date=2015-06-19 |access-date=2016-09-02}} and David Attenborough (in an interview about Planet Earth II).{{cite web|url=http://laughingsquid.com/michael-stevens-talks-with-sir-david-attenborough-about-storytelling-animals-and-technology/ |title=Michael Stevens Talks With Sir David Attenborough About Storytelling, Animals and Technology |publisher=Laughing Squid |author=Lori Dorn |date=2016-11-09 |access-date=2016-11-13}}
=''Mind Field'' and ''Brain Candy Live'' (2016–present)=
In 2016, former MythBusters co-host Adam Savage stated that he would join Stevens on a stage tour in 2017.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/awards/mythbusters-adam-savage-jamie-hyneman-tested-vsauce-1201838798/ |title='Mythbusters' May Be Ending, But Star Adam Savage Sees New Beginnings |work=Variety |author=Paula Hendrickson |date=2016-08-17 |access-date=2016-09-02}} Later in the year, Stevens published a video to Vsauce announcing that he and Savage will visit forty cities across the United States in early 2017 to present Brain Candy Live. The tour has been described as a live science-based stage show that is "between TED Talks and the Blue Man Group".{{cite web |url=http://nerdist.com/adam-savage-talks-up-new-science-tour-brain-candy-live/ |title=ADAM SAVAGE TALKS UP NEW SCIENCE TOUR BRAIN CANDY LIVE! |work=Nerdist News |author=Blake Rodgers |date=2017-01-08 |access-date=2017-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129121243/http://nerdist.com/adam-savage-talks-up-new-science-tour-brain-candy-live/ |archive-date=2017-01-29 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/news/ct-brain-candy-live-coming-to-chicago-20161024-story.html |title='Brain Candy Live!' coming to Chicago |work=Chicago Tribune |author=Morgan Greene |date=2016-10-24 |access-date=2017-01-23}} A second United States tour was scheduled for March–May 2018.{{cite web|title=Don't miss: 'Brain Candy Live' with Adam Savage (Tested, Mythbusters) & Michael Stevens (Vsauce) / Boing Boing|url=https://boingboing.net/2017/11/02/adam-savage-brain-candy.html|website=boingboing.net|date=November 3, 2017|access-date=5 November 2017}} However, due to scheduling problems, the tour was cancelled and has not been held since. It has never officially been stated whether it will ever return.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
Stevens partnered with YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium) to create and host Mind Field, which premiered in January 2017 through YouTube's paid streaming service on the Vsauce channel (all episodes have since been made available for free to non-premium subscribers, however there is some bonus content that requires a subscription to watch). Each episode of the educational series explores a different aspect of human behavior, by hearing from and conducting experiments on Stevens and guests.{{cite web|url=http://www.tubefilter.com/2017/01/12/vsauce-trailer-youtube-red-mind-field/ |title=Vsauce Drops Trailer For YouTube Red Series 'Mind Field', Premiering Jan. 18 |work=Tubefilter |author=Geoff Weiss |date=2017-01-12 |access-date=2017-01-23}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7416521/youtube-mobile-live-streaming-new-original-series |title=YouTube Announces Mobile Live Streaming, New Original Series |magazine=Billboard |author=Dan Rys |date=2016-06-24 |access-date=2017-01-23}} Stevens said that he had "pitched Mind Field to many television networks and it [had been] rejected".{{cite web|last1=Oravecz|first1=Nora|title=How Vsauce's Michael Stevens Disruptive Pitch Finally Got Approved, and Led Him to His Top Series, Mind Field|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-vsauces-michael-stevens-disruptive-pitch-finally_us_5a3428cce4b0e1b4472ae636|website=Huffington Post|access-date=22 December 2017|date=15 December 2017}}
In 2019, Stevens changed the name of the DONG channel to D!NG to avoid demonetization from YouTube's new policies on advertiser-friendliness.{{cite web|last=Garcia|first=Elijah|date=May 14, 2019|title=Vsauce Experimental Channel Changes Name From 'DONG' To 'D!NG', Fearing Demonetization|url=https://mammothgamers.com/2019/05/vsauce-experimental-channel-changes-name-from-dong-to-dng-fearing-demonetization/|access-date=28 July 2019|work=Mammoth Gamers|archive-date=October 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010164553/https://mammothgamers.com/2019/05/vsauce-experimental-channel-changes-name-from-dong-to-dng-fearing-demonetization/|url-status=dead}}
Personal life
In 2016, Stevens married Marnie and moved to Los Angeles.{{Cite tweet |number=759434936558489600 |user=tweetsauce |title=UPDATE: I got married!!! The awesomest person in the world now calls me her husband :) I love you, Marnie!!!}}{{cite web |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BAkT83rtCHw/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BAkT83rtCHw |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=limited|title=Michael Stevens from Vsauce on Instagram |date=2016-01-15 |access-date=2016-10-21 |quote=I've moved to LA! There's still a lot to do before I'm totally 'moved', but I'm already holding brains, hanging out with @jakerawr, AND ready to film my next ep! }}{{cbignore}} They had a daughter in August 2019.{{cite tweet|title=Hey Vsauce! Maeve here!|user=tweetsauce|number=1162053900427415552|date=15 August 2019}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role |
|---|
| 2012
|Dark Matters: Twisted But True |Himself |
| 2013
| Himself (as science journalist) |
| 2014
| Super Brainy Zombies | Michael |
| 2014{{cite magazine|url=http://newmediarockstars.com/2014/06/blinding-us-with-science-vsauce-drops-knowledge-bombs-on-jimmy-kimmel-live/ |title=Blinding Us With Science: Vsauce Drops Knowledge Bombs on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' |magazine=New Media Rockstars|author=Evan DeSimone |date=2014-06-18 |access-date=2015-09-28}}
| Himself |
| 2016{{cite web|url=http://2paragraphs.com/2016/08/who-is-guest-judge-michael-stevens-on-battlebots/ |title=Who Is Guest Judge Michael Stevens on 'BattleBots'? |author=2Paragraphs |date=2016-08-03 |access-date=2016-09-02}}
| Himself (as judge) |
| 2017–2019
| Himself |
Awards
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|user=Vsauce|title=Michael Stevens}}
- {{IMDb name|5955634}}
- [https://www.ted.com/speakers/michael_stevens TED Speaker profile]
{{Subject bar|Education|Internet|auto=yes}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Michael}}
Category:American emigrants to England
Category:Educators from Kansas
Category:Educators from Kansas City, Missouri
Category:American expatriates in the United Kingdom
Category:People from Stilwell, Kansas
Category:American science communicators
Category:University of Chicago alumni
Category:American YouTube vloggers
Category:Educational and science YouTubers