I've heard lots of my friends say that they've gotten bored of YouTube. In fact, I've been guilty of saying the same until I realized that it wasn't YouTube I was getting bored with but watching the same people over and over again. After a year of diving deeper and deeper into recommended and suggested videos, I think I can safely say that I'm definitely not bored anymore. There are so many interesting things and people to watch if you know where to look for them. Thus, I thought I'd share 12 hidden gems I found on YouTube to start anyone off on their own journey to find new content and sources of entertainment.
Chris Fleming
Chris Fleming is a hilarious comedian on YouTube who seriously deserves more subscribers than he has. His videos and jokes making fun of people, from urban farmers to mall couples, are so funny because they're all scarily accurate. He has truly mastered the art of imitating the pretentiousness, stupidity and oddities of different people we see every day who try too hard to be someone.
If you like his sense of humor and ridiculously absurd similes, check out an enormous series he did a few years ago called "Gayle," where he plays the role of an insane, borderline psychotic mom who lives with her dysfunctional family and passive aggressive frenemies. Eventually, you begin to fall in love with all the characters and laugh as he pokes fun at different types of people you see in your typical, suburban community.
GOBELINS
This channel is definitely a hidden gem. "GOBELINS" is a French art school that posts animated shorts on their Youtube. Considering these were made by students, the quality of work, the art styles, the storylines and the animation are absolutely amazing and very professional in every one of their films. I recommend checking them out and getting lost in the videos on their channel! In just a few minutes, they manage to pack very deep themes and beautiful artwork into their pieces, leaving a big impact and a craving for more.
Peekaboo Parrots
"Peekaboo Parrots" is such a nice, wholesome channel to watch when you're feeling down or you need to cheer up. Starring a male Lutino Indian Ringneck named Bowie, two Pacific Parrotlets named Smoky and Kool-Aid and a dog named Pai Mei, you eventually begin to know and love every one of the pets on this channel. My favorite is Bowie because he has such a cute, kooky, sweet voice and happy personality. Even the most cold-hearted people will melt after they hear him say, "Beep, beep, beep!"
Royal Opera House
To my pleasant surprise, I recently found out that the "Royal Opera House" has a YouTube channel! Here, you can view and appreciate some of their best ballet performances along with their best dancers. In addition, they also offer insights, information and behind-the-scenes looks into the preparation and work needed to showcase these ballets.
And if dancing isn't your thing, never fear! They also have opera performances and really cool orchestra videos as well. All of their videos are such good quality and really allow you to focus on what you're watching instead of pixelated figures or shaky recordings.
I've watched a lot of their content, and I've been wowed at all of the amazing dancers and singers there. One of them is Marianela Nuñez who, if you couldn't already tell from the video, is absolutely stunning in "Giselle."
Great Big Story
Since I first subscribed to them a few years ago, "Great Big Story" has really gained a lot of popularity. Nevertheless, I thought I'd include them in this list for the people who haven't heard of them yet. "Great Big Story" is a media company that creates short videos telling the stories of people, places and animals around the world. From whimsical, trivial facts to hard-hitting issues, they tackle almost any topic with professional cinematography and high-quality videos. You almost always learn something new from them when a video pops up in your inbox. Thus, they're a good channel to add to your subscriptions or scroll through in your free time.
briandavidgilbert
Perhaps one of my favorite channels from this list, "briandavidgilbert" creates goofy, silly, hilariously random videos and jingles that always make me laugh or smile. It's a shame all his videos are so short considering I've watched all of them four times, and I still want more! In addition to his short, witty videos, his series "Dances Moving!" also shows that he's capable of exploring serious topics and lending us insight into his life and struggles. I love his sense of humor and who he is as a person. I think anyone who checks out his channel will too!
Viakavish
I honestly don't know who this person is. All I know is one day, they showed up in my recommended, I clicked, and I immediately fell in love. With cute, simplistic animations and an even cuter accent that I have no idea where from, his videos are funny, random and sometimes, surprisingly profound.
zefrank1
"Zefrank1" is a genius who makes a series called "True Facts," where he teaches you about science and somehow manages to make it funny. I absolutely love his sense of humor and his ability to make fun of nature. If school were this hilarious, I'd actually want to wake up at 7:30 a.m. every day. I think his videos are great at teaching people while keeping them entertained with brilliant and witty jokes. Zefrank is undisputedly one of the true masters of edutainment.
TwoSetViolin
I absolutely love "TwoSetViolin." I think they're hilarious YouTubers who are spreading awareness of classical music by making it more funny and relatable rather than serious or professional. Plus, their editing makes the videos 500 percent better. For people who don't play an instrument or for newcomers, their inside jokes and fancy musical terms may seem confusing at first, but any person trying to imitate a fish with their violin is pretty funny no matter what degree of musical education you have.
Deep Look
I first stumbled across "Deep Look" while looking for videos about tumbleweeds. Needless to say, their video has helped me become an expert. In addition to tumbleweeds, Deep Look also makes videos about insects, birds, plants and basically anything small that gets commonly overlooked. Their short, detailed, fun, whimsical videos never fail to teach me, make me smile and instill a sense of wonder about the world.
Louie Zong
Louie Zong is a guy who makes cute little animations and pretty good music. I really admire his creativity and artwork. His music often manages to catch sentimental and somewhat melancholic emotions while bringing a wistful smile to your face. I definitely recommend checking out his channel!
HarvardTHUD
You know Boomwhackers, those plastic tube things we had to hit in elementary school? Well, they're back in "HarvardTHUD" except they sound a hundred times better than how they did when you tried to play them. In addition to "Africa" by Toto, I've seen them play "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Sweet Child Of Mine" on their Youtube channel. To actually recreate a complete song and make it sound good with an oversized straw takes a lot of talent, if you ask me. I have mad respect for them.