YouTube Age: Meet the Content Creators Making Waves in Europe

Content creators are increasingly moving into the traditional film and TV space, with YouTube serving as a major catalyst. Deadline is drawing attention to established and emerging European creators. Last summer, the global independent box office was set alight by two YouTubers in their twenties: Cry Barker's low-budget horror film […]

Content creators are majorly moving into the traditional film and television space, with YouTube being a major driver. Deadline brings to your attention established and emerging European creators.

Last summer, the global indie box office was set on fire thanks to two twenty-something YouTubers: Carrie Barker's low-budget horror film Obsession and Kane Parsons' low-budget psychological thriller Backrooms combined to gross nearly $1 billion at theaters worldwide. Finally, Hollywood seemed to have succeeded in bringing Gen Z — and older generations — back to theaters. Related News Anthony Zwicker leaves 'CSI Man' behind with unveiling of true crime show.

Not only did Barker and Parsons become the youngest two directors in film history to top the US box office in their respective opening weekends — Barker is 27 and Parsons is just 21 — but the stats prove something more precise: YouTube really is a breeding ground for crossover talent that can pay off big. Watch on Deadline

"Top creators are already working as next-generation studios," said Pedro Pina, YouTube's vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Just a few weeks ago we saw filmmakers walking the red carpets and showing their work at prestigious film festivals in Venice and Cannes. Alongside the best of traditional cinema, it proves that great storytelling is great storytelling, wherever it starts. One big change is that talent no longer needs to wait in boardrooms to get a license. "On YouTube, creators give themselves the green light."

Creators benefit from a direct, two-way relationship with their audience, something that's incredibly valuable and, Pina adds, that "real, personal connection" is what makes the entertainment world tick.

"Beyond originality, creators have an agile, data-driven approach to production that doesn't conform to traditional TV cycles," he says. A creator is basically a storyteller and data scientist rolled into one. After the camera goes off, they go into the YouTube studio to analyze the retention curves second by second, read community feedback, and iterate on the format, tone, and speed for the next upload. Forward-thinking broadcasters willing to experiment and adopt this agile approach will see benefits in reach and revenue.

But YouTube is vast and discovering the right talent can be difficult, so we've put together a curated selection of established and emerging European talent moving into the traditional film and TV space, and hear what they have to say about why now is a great time to be in the content creation space.

British YouTuber and comedian Max Fuchs, who first launched his channel in 2017, is best known for his viral stunts, cheeky pranks and large-scale social experiments. Some of his most famous feats include placing a "Welcome to Luton" sign near Gatwick Airport - two British airports more than 50 miles apart - to confuse landing passengers, as well as infiltrating and competing in the Mr. Universe bodybuilding competition by exploiting the lack of strict entry requirements.

In 2025, he completed a stand-up comedy world tour called Loophole, performing 72 shows in 13 countries. His YouTube channel has 5.2 million followers. When she spoke to Deadline, she was recently filming the BBC's quiz show Mastermind, where she was a contestant and also appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in the UK.

When pressed about the shifting power of YouTubers in more traditional media spaces, Fuchs says that "we've seen this coming for years."

"This is nothing new for builders," he says. There have been waves of creators who have come in and out of the space and made millions of dollars and retired, but now it's a cultural thing. "YouTube is taken more seriously."

Referring to the success of Barker and Parsons, Fuchs says their success is because "they had the opportunity to fail and build things through trial and error on YouTube." It is the only place in the UK that is a training ground for new talent. In those days it was children's TV or children's radio, but now - with radio and local broadcasting budgets shrinking - you have to have a name for something big now. There is no other outlet for new talent except online. You are the master of your own destiny and you can fail and you can try things.

In 2021, Forbes France included him in its annual 30 under 30 list for cinema and entertainment, and the following year he started hosting the podcast Canapé Six Places. She collaborated with Adidas and released a line of sneakers, wrote a best-selling book titled Always More, was a guest judge on Drag Race France, and launched her own lifestyle and fashion brand, Hôtel Mahfouf. In 2022, he made history as the first French content creator invited to the Met Gala.

German comedian Torge Oelrich, better known as Freshtorge, started making videos on YouTube two decades ago from his hometown of Wesselburen, Germany. Comedy sketches and a wide range of fictional characters have made him one of the most successful German-language YouTube creators.

Before becoming a full-time entertainer, Ulrich trained and worked as a teacher. He has since worked as an actor, writer and voice actor, appearing in German projects such as 2015's Look Who's Back and 2020's Potato Salad 3: The Musical.

Citing his favorite sitcom Little Britain, he admits the series probably couldn't be made today because of its borderline offensive humor. The BBC recently removed some of the sketches from iPlayer. He emphasizes the importance of paying attention to content, as audiences often respond quickly in the comments section.

"For me, as a comedian and when I'm writing my scripts, I have to think about my humor not being offensive," he says. "You have to be really careful not to hurt anyone."

He is working with German publisher ZDF on Battle of the Flags, an adventure reality competition show he created and stars in. Belgian distributor Primitives will present the format to buyers at MIPCOM this year. Created in partnership with production company Roses Are Blue to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their YouTube channel, the show combines the world of expansive outdoor gaming with strategy, technological innovation and immersive visual storytelling.

But outside of television, Ulrich admits he loves the freedom and speed of being able to connect directly with his audience through YouTube and other forms of social media.

“In a traditional space it sometimes takes years to turn your idea into reality, whereas when I upload my content and designs, I can do it right from my home.

"The most important thing is that I can wake up in the morning, have an idea and upload the video at night so I can react faster to what's happening in the world," he adds. With big TV companies it can take years.

Although founded in Montreal, Canada, members of Yes Theory have diverse cultural backgrounds, with founders from Sweden, Egypt, the United States, and Canada. Founded in 2015 by Thomas Bragg, Matt Dodger, Ammar Qandil, and Darin Amreh, the group gained attention through their videos about travel, adventure, and the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Beirut and Paris.

Content often includes spontaneous journeys, unusual challenges, and interactions with strangers around the world. They became famous for their slogan "seek discomfort" which encourages people to step out of their comfort zones and embrace new experiences.

"Creators can move much faster than traditional TV and stay relevant to a culture that's evolving at an increasingly rapid pace," Bragg told Deadline. Creators have also learned to tell high-quality stories on much smaller budgets, often wearing many hats—from talent, producer, director, and editor. "Serving as a vanguard means they can add a personal touch to every part of the process, ultimately making their stories feel more personal and accessible."

"This is where the strength of a community is measured," he says. A vertical niche of 20,000 passionate people is much better than a less focused project with 200,000 followers.

"What I love most about YouTube is the freedom to choose topics, formats, duration and tone that is hard to find elsewhere," he continues. I like the freedom with the resources and expertise of institutions like Netflix or the big studios to think bigger about production, writing and formats. I consider those creatures to enhance creativity."

"Traditional media doesn't always fully understand the storytelling of every video," Kramling says. A YouTube video is essentially a story, and the better it performs, the more engaging the story is likely to be. I also think traditional media, and people in general, underestimate the thought behind every headline, thumbnail, and concept. "All of this has been carefully thought out to create the best possible packaging for the story."

Polish internet personality Natalya Sisic has grown to become one of the top content creators in Poland. Having initially established her presence on TikTok, she focused on lip syncing, dancing and covering music videos with ambitions to break into the music industry. Her boyfriend and manager Jarek Kostrzewa, then working at Universal Music, helped her experiment with comedy and different types of content before the pair experimented with News na dziż, a highly successful daily news format aimed at a young audience.

"During the pandemic, we saw how much misinformation was being spread online, and we felt it was the perfect moment to take what we've learned over the years and create something more meaningful," he says. That's when we came up with the idea of News na dziś." He continues: "We don't think it's really about competing with traditional media. We're doing something different. Creators understand the audience on a very personal level. We're in direct contact with our audience every day, so we can quickly see what they care about, what they don't understand and what makes them stop scrolling. Traditional media sometimes forgets. that people don't consume information like they did 10 or 20 years ago.

Elena Herraiz Medina, whose online management is Linguriosa, started creating content on YouTube in 2019. Originally, the videos were designed for people looking to learn Spanish as a foreign language and understand grammar topics. After uploading videos mostly about breaking down different Spanish accents, he gained an influx of native Spanish-speaking followers.

He has since hosted the Spanish public television game show Cifras y letras – the Spanish version of the UK's long-running quiz show Countdown, on channel La 2 – and has also hosted the science and humanities podcast Tú de ciencias y yo de letras (literally "You're a science expert and I'm an expert").

"The main difference between traditional media and content creators is that traditional media always associate professionalism with hard seriousness," he says. "Typically, there are strict rules about how to dress, speak and behave, all of which are much more formal than the expected authenticity on social platforms.

"With the rise of artificial intelligence, content that feels raw and human, proving that what you're watching came directly from a real person and not a machine, has become extremely valuable. The less emotional the content, the more deeply it connects with a real audience. This is why social media is so powerful: people connect much more with the creators themselves than with traditional media personalities."

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