One of YouTube’s most popular channels is breaking up - and what it means for aspiring content creators

A juggernaut of online entertainment and one of YouTube’s oldest ‘hit’ channels, the digital media company known as Smosh is entering a new phase as one of its co-founders leaves the company.

After more than a decade of online dominance and amassing more than 22 million subscribers and 6 billion views through projects ranging from music videos to sketch comedy, co-founder Anthony Padilla has decided to part with the media brand he helped create back in 2002.

When articulating his reasons for leaving, Padilla’s main message seemed to be that the creative freedom he sought could no longer be found with Smosh, which has now become a global digital brand, not just an independent YouTube channel.

"Smosh being part of a company, [it] has put all of my creative decisions through a filter - of what is appropriate for the Smosh brand, as deemed by the company." - Anthony Padilla 

While there have been many before him who have left companies to pursue individual interests, Padilla’s reasons for leaving speak to a broader problem for aspiring content creators and entrepreneurs: how to balance creative freedom and personal interests with an expanding presence and growing brand?

Leadership

As brands grow, control inevitably expands beyond one single individual. This applies to independent companies as well. While it’s unavoidable that responsibilities will ultimately be divided among multiple people, this can also result in a decrease in autonomy and creative freedom as decision-making becomes centralized and further removed from employees themselves.

Strong leadership is essential in order to ensure that efficiency is maximized, however, overreaching can result in the opposite as well - less creative and original thinking. As brands expand and the number of people in a company grows, it is also important to provide a space where individuals can flourish and maintain a sense of autonomy and independence in order to continue to create and innovate.

Vision

Where is the company going? This question is crucial, not just for content creators, but for most employees as well. In Smosh's case, one can see the gradual evolution in the vision for the company through the content created. 

(Source: YouTube)

(Source: YouTube)

While Smosh’s later videos are clearly of better visual quality, many lack the originality of those created from 2006 to 2012, prior to Defy Media's acquisition of Smosh. As the Smosh brand continued to grow and add new channels such as Smosh Games, ElSmosh, and Shut Up! Cartoons, it was no longer a sole YouTube channel for sketches, but quickly becoming a house of brands/branded house hybrid – responsible for developing apps, games, and growing the brand as a whole.

Company and brand expansion often require sacrifices to be made, in terms of individual control and freedom. However, for digital media companies founded on the concept of creative freedom, it may be a better decision to work with content creators on projects that are not necessarily tied to a central brand. If not, the expansion of a company could all but destroy the very originality and ingenuity that allowed it to gain popularity in the first place.  

Final Thoughts

Padilla’s departure from Smosh show the consequences of maintaining a high profile brand. While global recognition is among the many perks, large brands (especially those of media organizations) can result in the loss of autonomy and creative freedom within the company itself.

While continuing to grow and expand is essential for a company to stay ahead of competitors and dominate a market, creative freedom and individuality cannot be ignored. Without giving creators and employees the space to work and innovate, even the most powerful brand can eventually fall apart from the inside. 

---

Erwen (Alex) Zhu is a Junior at the University of California Berkeley and writes as a millennial voice for marketing, social media, entertainment, politics, and cultural impact.

Enjoyed this piece? Follow Alex on Twitter and LinkedIn. If you liked what you read, please share, like, and comment. #StudentVoices