[Captions by Y Translator] [Music]
[Music]
Guys, we did it!
10 million subscribers.
I started this channel back in 2010,
and back then, I only started it as a place to upload videos
of projects that I was working on.
See, back in 2008-2009, during the recession,
there was a lot of real estate foreclosures,
and talks of depression, and I wanted to be the guy
who would be prepared for any emergency.
So, I was taking apart microwaves,
and playing with electronics.
To just try and figure out how a society worked,
and how to reverse engineer that at home.
And, so my YouTube channel was really just a place to start
uploading videos that I was making as I was tinkering with these things.
Some people wonder where the name 'The King of Random' came from,
and it really was from a person called Mike Lyman,
a friend of my brother's, who just always happened to be there
every time I was coming over to show my brother the new thing that I had made.
He just look at me and say like, "Dude, you're like the King of Random,"
and that name, you know, it kind of stuck.
I kind of liked it.
I kind of didn't,
but when I originally started my YouTube channel,
because I didn't have a purpose in it,
I didn't know what username to come up with,
and so some of you subscribers who've been around since the beginning
might remember the channel name was actually 01032010814,
which seems like a totally random number.
But literally, that was the date and time that I started my YouTube channel.
It was January 3rd, 2010 at 8:14 in the morning.
So that was my channel name, and unfortunately, at that time,
I could not go back and change my channel name,
so I was stuck with it.
But then, Google+ came along,
and I could create a Google+ page and change my name, and so
the only available name that I could change it to that wasn't already taken
was 'The King of Random.'
So, that's where 'The King of Random' came from.
That's why we've been 'The King of Random' ever since.
[Music]
A few of you have been asking to meet The King of Random team.
Well, we've seen your comments, so let me go ahead and introduce you to them.
Of course, I'm Grant.
For some of you new subscribers, you may not know who I am.
I started this channel originally, and dedicated seven years of my life to it.
>> I'm Nate.
I build things, and then I film them?
>> I'm Mark.
You guys may know me, I've been working on the channel for almost two years now.
>> Risking personal safety.
>> Yeah, I'm the videographer.
>> I'm Richard,and I'm the one doing the animation.
>> I'm Hunter, I edit the videos,
and I manage the post-production team.
>> Hey guys, I'm Josh, and I do some of the graphic design,
and video editing for the channel,
and I kind of run the social media as well.
>> I'm Lean.
I edit the videos.
I also made the intro stickers.
>> I'm Dan.
I edit videos and work on special effects.
>> Guys, we're here in Alaska right now.
I'm with my wife, and we're watching this from Alaska, rolling over right now.
10 million, it's incredible.
>> It's amazing.
>> That was big jump.
>> 992.
>> We got 8 subscribers left. >> 8 more to go!
>> Here we go!
>> Come on. Come on.
Come on. Come on.
Come on.
>> Yeah! >> 993.
We're here with Grandpa.
Got my wife. >> Hi!
>> A couple of my little boys.
We're in Alaska.
We got six subscribers left to go. >> Six to go.
Six to go.
>> It's at 994. We just have six more.
This is intense.
This is crazy.
I'm so excited.
>> Come on. Come on, people.
>> Oh, they're just leaving us hanging.
>> Subscribe.
Subscribe.
>> 995.
So close. >> Five more.
Five more.
Oh, we lost one.
>> Jamin, you gotta come see this.
997, three more.
Just three more.
>> Three. Just three more.
>> Just three more guys.
>> Oh, that was a big jump down.
>> Now, six more.
>> Come on you guys, you can do it!
>> 995.
>> Okay, what's next?
>> Oh! >> Oh. Snap!
>> Do it! Do it!
>> That's it. >> That's it.
>> That was amazing!
>> Whoa!
>> We did it. >> 10, 000, 022.
>> We love you guys. 10 million subscribers.
That's amazing! >> Thank you!
Thank you!
In 2012, I decided to try a quest.
A quest for discovery,
and this was a hundred projects that I wanted to do
to reverse engineer society.
You know, whether it's based on electronics, magnets,
purifying water,
using sunlight to, you know, melt steel or concrete,
or cook food or things of that nature.
I was gonna make 100 videos based on self-reliance,
mechanical engineering, principles of physics,
and really do it as a learning process for myself.
I wanted to teach myself how these things worked,
and once figured it out,
turned it into video, and put it on this YouTube channel.
Now, fast-forward about three years, because it took three years
for me to finish making those hundred videos,
and by then, I think our channel had four million subscribers.
We'd been featured on Dr. Oz.
>> This is why you are The King of Random.
>> Good Morning America.
We've had episodes put on the Discovery Channel,
and it's really just opened so many doors.
When I look at that number, it was fantastic.
But it didn't really click for me until I started going outside,
you know, going shopping, or going to the places I'd always gone.
But now, people are starting to recognize me.
Ask for my picture, ask for my autograph,
and I tell you, that felt really weird.
Because who am I?
I'm just a guy in my basement, playing with stuff,
and people are asking for my autograph.
So that was a really crazy shift that happened about
two and a half years ago.
>> Alright guys, pizza's here.
Looks pretty impressive.
>> It's actually really big.
I mean, that's my hand to scale, and we're counting on you guys to polish this off.
>> Especially you Josh, it's all yours.
>> I'm the current host of The King of Random,
and I also do most of the researching, prototyping,
and building for all of the projects.
>> And he is really good.
I don't think I could have found anybody better to fill this role.
He has exceeded my expectations.
Nate, you make me very proud.
>> Oh, we needed that face.
So, when we're getting ready for a shoot,
I always try to think of like all the options of shots I can get,
and what will look best to make these videos stand out.
I love doing epic shots, like with the flamethrower,
showing the flames, and the different colors like when it goes green, or...
I'm like not an on-camera person.
>> [inaudible]
>> I love it when you guys comment on like,
really awesome shots that are in videos.
It just makes me feel better that I've done a better job.
>> One thing that gets me really excited at work is knowing that I have to be
more creative, and random in my outputs.
>> So, I've been working at The King of Random
for about a year and a half now,
and I've edited I think 292 videos.
>> You know, I really try to have fun with the social posts.
The things on Instagram, stories and all that.
I try to put little Easter eggs, or a little fun elements in them
for you guys to see and find.
>> I get excited when I get the chance to work on a weapons project,
or when I get the chance to add some special effects.
>> I get excited when viewers catch the Easter eggs that we
editors put in the videos, and make fun of them in the comments.
>> For example, on the colored hydrophobics sand video,
there's two frames where it flashes a certain somebody's face,
but reading the comments on that video, there was a lot of people that caught it,
and it was really fun to go through and read all of those.
>> I think one of the funniest comments I ever saw was,
I was scrolling through, and somebody left this comment like,
"We don't miss you at all Grant, because Nate is actually better than you anyway."
I literally like laughed out loud, and did one of those rolling
on the floor laughing kind of things, like not really, but...
That actually made.. >> Somersaults.
>> That was a defining moment.
I was like, yes!
Great job, Nate.
I'm proud of you buddy.
>> I also really loved seeing when you guys have tried out
something that I showed you how to do.
I love looking at Instagram and Twitter posts showing
projects that we taught you about.
>> Funniest comment I've ever read is probably the running gag
of "Do A DIY lightsaber" comments.
>> Some of the comments I thought were funny are when
you guys thought that I was Grant's wife,
or that Grant's wife was the videographer.
But it was actually just me the whole time,
and you could see like my reflection in Grant's sunglasses.
It was was actually me so...
>> And we're doing a giveaway.
In celebration of this 10 million subscriber milestone,
we are giving away an iPhone X to one of you.
There's only two things that you need to do to qualify.
One, please be a subscriber of the channel,
'cause after all, it is the subscribers who made this milestone possible.
And number two, share one of our videos.
You can go back through any one of our 700 videos,
and just scroll down right under it,
click the share button, and then copy that link,
and paste it anywhere around the internet you want.
That can go on Twitter.
That could go on reddit.
It could go on Pinterest, whatever is your favorite platform.
Go ahead and share one of our videos, then click the link
in the description of this video to submit your name and qualify for entry.
This phone's going to one of you, and if you're not a fan of the iPhone X,
I have included the gift receipt so you can take it back,
get the money back, and buy something that you love.
>> What's up guys?
Josh here, jumping in for a quick second to tell you about this special
shirt we're launching to celebrate this awesome milestone.
It's only gonna be available for 72 hours after this video launches,
so, if you want one, click the link in the description to get yours.
Once that 72 hours is up, it's over.
It's done! We're not making any more.
So, again, click the link in the description to get yours now.
>> There are a couple things we're hoping to bring online pretty soon.
One is bringing in a female co-host.
We're hoping to bring a female maker onto the show to bring a little more
spice and variety, and a unique perspective.
We're also gonna be doing King of Random rewind series,
where we compile a bunch of our best videos down into one video,
and for the next 10 months,
we really want to give away some big-ticket items to you guys.
We want to give away video cameras, drones, 3D printers, Nintendo Switch,
iPhones, Galaxy S9s, all those things.
It's going to be coming to you as a subscriber appreciation,
because we want you to know we love you.
We really do appreciate you.
You are part of the community that's making this whole thing possible,
and it's just one of our ways of trying to give back.
We have done a couple of update videos kind of explaining the transition,
but there's still a lot of people out there wondering "What happened to Grant?"
"Where's Grant?"
And I'm here.
I'm here with my team.
>> Oh Grant!
Important question, yeah.
Are you now, or have you ever been in jail?
>> That's a very good question.
Perfect.
Okay, great.
Alright, we're gonna jump on Instagram here, and answer some questions live.
We are now live.
What's up Instagram?
I got Nate over here.
>> I'm in a massage chair for some reason so...
>> I don't know.
There's probably like 30 or so man-hours in one video.
>> It's actually closer to 50.
We have about six... >> Fifty.
>> We have six full-time employees on the production team
working eight hours a day to make a video.
So we have a pipeline, so we're constantly producing kind of
like production factory, if you will.
But every video has six different people working on it,
and that's not even including me.
But it averages out probably about 50 hours per video.
>> There you go.
>> Yeah, that's kind of a funny story.
Like if you remember back to when we were pouring silicone on a chicken,
which seemed like a totally random idea at the time.
I needed a lot of silicone to do that.
I reached out to Keith, who was roommates with Nate,
and Nate was working at the place where they do a lot of casting,
so I believe I officially met Nate when I picked up the silicone for that video.
>> I helped him out with a little bit of that,
and then I started following the channel more,
and when he announced that he was looking for an assistant,
I applied along with many other people.
>> The honest answer guys is I have been behind the production.
I've been guiding the team's making it happen.
We literally have a list of like a thousand project ideas
that we're working through,
so there's a lot of back infrastructure stuff
that you don't see behind the scenes to make all this work.
To be in the videos on top of that would just be crushing.
And I have had a lot of fun in the videos,
but it got to a point where I just needed to step back and take a break.
Some personal time.
I have four boys and a family.
Not Nate, but he's like family.
And I just want to spend some time with them.
My place right now is to be a Dad, to be with my kids,
and then to guide the teams from behind the scenes.
For me, I'd say the most difficult project
that I've worked on was the mini metal foundry.
It's probably one of the videos that our channel is most known for,
because at the time, there were no videos on the internet
showing people how to melt down metal.
There were no metal foundries.
I spent six months prototyping different recipes.
After filming, there was you know 150 hours of work between filming,
scripting, editing, and all the post-production work as well.
So, that video was like seven months in the making, which you know,
was one of my most difficult, but honestly, one of the most rewarding
because that entered us into the metal melting age, which has been significant.
>> For me, it's a little interesting because the most
difficult things that I've worked on, you probably haven't seen
because there are some that I'm still kind of stuck on.
There are projects that I'm still trying to work out
how best to make them really function.
I really like to make a sort of DIY version of a fully
functional grappling hook launcher.
That's tough.
I've got some other ideas of what I want to try, but I'm not there yet.
In terms of things that I've completed,
one of the most intense was also just about my first one,
the giant like 6-foot super soaker.
The massive super soaker,
the idea where we were copying what Mark Rober did,
and we backed it off just a little bit so we could keep his title.
But the enormous super soaker, that was very intense.
That was working for like 10 to 15 hours a day for almost a week.
It was just a lot of work in a short period of time.
It was also very hot out, but it turned out so good.
I love that thing.
>> Our production schedule is about a month ahead.
So, what we're filming today will probably be a released in about a month.
If you're following us on Instagram, and watching the stories,
you might get some behind-the-scenes glimpses
to projects that'll be put out about a month from now.
>> The important question, yeah.
Are you now or have you ever been in jail?
>> That's a very good question.
So yeah, I know there's articles online that said I got arrested.
I got put in jail.
I got charged with felonies.
Most of that is actually fake news.
I've been here the whole time.
I never got arrested, never went to jail,
and most of the stuff written in those articles wasn't true,
and the people who wrote the article is no longer work for the company.
So, we're in the process of trying to get that pushed out of the way,
but I will say, there were charges pressed against me by somebody who
filed a complaint to the police, and there was no investigation.
They just filed charges, so I did have to go to court.
I went through the legal system, and the charges were dismissed.
So, everything is good, but it was kind of a traumatic experience to go through.
It ruffled our feathers a little bit.
Nobody likes being falsely accused,
and there's still stuff all over the internet, kind of putting a little bit of a damper
on our name right now.
We've tried really hard to do everything right.
We're still trying to everything right, but here I am.
I mean, my position right now is to support this team.
I mean, you're working with some of the best guys I've ever met,
and so I'm kind of at the head I guess.
The captain of the ship, you could say.
Just trying to steer it in the right direction.
You know, I'm testing the winds.
I'm trying to feel how things are going,
and make sure that what we're focusing on
isn't so much YouTube trends or algorithm.
We're not chasing views.
We're not doing anything other than trying to produce
content that we're absolutely passionate about and that we love.
I want to let you know that because this is a subscriber milestone,
I tried really really hard to get a list
of all the subscribers names to put in this video.
I've been asking YouTube for months to send me a list of all 10 million
subscriber names, and apparently, there have been a lot
of technical issues doing that.
We didn't realize how much data 10 million names takes up in a spreadsheet.
In fact, we tried a sample with a hundred thousand,
and with all the rendering issues and trying to convert to a format
that would work in videos,
we were spending days and days just try to get a hundred thousand to work.
And to put things in perspective,
10 million subscribers is 100 lists of 100,000,
which is incredible.
It would have taken probably months to compile,
and make something like that work.
But it was in our heart, in our interest
to try and put you in the video.
If I could have put your name in this video, I would have.
Because this subscriber milestone is all about you.
You are-- You are one of the 10 million, and that means a lot.
>> We now have ten million--
Ten hundred sparklers.
We thought it'd be kind of fun to celebrate with sparklers,
so we picked up a box of a thousand of them.
We're gonna place them in a 1-0-M, and light them off with a flamethrower.
[Music]
When I started this channel, I in no way expected anybody
else's life to be better for it.
I was only doing it for myself.
But it only took a couple of years for me to realize that there actually
are people behind the numbers.
You're behind the numbers.
You're sitting on the other side of this computer screen.
We're having a conversation.
That makes sense to me now.
>> Guys, thank you.
This has been super awesome.
I love doing this.
I've always liked making stuff, building stuff, and now, I just get
to do this for you guys,
and having you involved makes it so much better.
>> I appreciate you guys.
You guys are awesome.
You guys make me be able to have my job.
>> I just want to thank you guys so much for supporting the channel.
For liking our videos, for subscribing.
We love what we do, and we hope that you guys love it too.
>> And where it goes from here, I don't know.
Our mission is to continue making high-quality content that inspires you,
and really just brings knowledge, and the freedom and the joy
of tinkering, and making things to the entire world.
[Music]