These 10 YouTube Stars Broke Out In April
Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
When Jamel Ajib was 13, he got hooked on YouTube videos of people backflipping on trampolines. The clips inspired the Clovis, Calif., native to try the tricks himself—and even though it took a while to land his first flip, he’s stuck with the hobby over the last five years.
Now 18, Ajib is the one performing flips, pranks and other stunts on YouTube, racking up more than 826,000 subscribers on the most popular of his multiple channels. And according to new data from Santa Monica-based Famous Birthdays, Ajib—who also goes by Juju—saw his popularity surge during the month of April.
“It's just nice to have this cool opportunity,” Ajib told dot.LA of his career in the creator economy. “Definitely super thankful for that.”
Famous Birthdays, which launched a decade ago as a sort of Wikipedia-for-internet personalities, ranks online influencers based on activity on its platform, which it says is visited by tens of millions of users monthly. Using that data, Famous Birthdays identified Ajib as one of 10 YouTube stars who jumped highest in its rankings last month; his ranking rose from no. 7,726 on April 1 to no. 2,467 as of May 6.
The rankings—largely driven by search queries on Famous Birthdays’ website—are an indicator of fan engagement and a real-time measure of popularity and culture, Famous Birthday founder Evan Britton previously told dot.LA. The company sells its data insights to social media platforms, talent agencies and brands looking for clues about influencers on the rise.
Ajib started making videos in 2018 on a backyard trampoline with his little brother, Nidal. The videos have since grown into more elaborate productions, with Ajib taking his flip “challenges” to eye-grabbing locations like massive trampolines and indoor sky-diving machines. He edits clips and writes scripts himself—often plotting to have his 11-year-brother beat him in a challenge to keep audiences guessing.
“We can get a lot of retention in the audience because it's really cool when me and my little brother challenge each other,” Ajib said. “If I won everything, it's not cool. No one is going to like it. No one is going to watch…But when they see a little kid [win] they’re like: ‘Oh, shoot. This is crazy.’”
When asked why interest in his videos is on the rise, Ajib guessed it might be because he records his flip clips in public locations. He said many kids recognize him at trampoline parks and ask for photos, with word of mouth spreading and others looking him up online.
Ajib, who just moved to the Dallas area, is now making flip videos full time and generating revenue from YouTube ads. But like other creators, he’s exploring new ways to make money. He recently bought property in Texas and wants to build a gym where people can do their own flips and work out. Eventually, he’d like to sell merchandise, too.
Here are 10 YouTube stars that had breakout months in April, according to Famous Birthdays (list sorted by highest jump in ranking):
- McKenna Walker posts videos about hygiene, beauty and fashion. May 6 ranking: 22,143. (April 1 ranking: 38,749.)
- Tonio shares videos about the NBA2K video game franchise. May 6 ranking 10,483. (April 1 ranking: 19,721.)
- Gawr Gura is known for sharing anime content. May 6 ranking: 24,458. (April 1 ranking: 29,937.)
- Juju Ajib makes flip and stunt videos with his brother Nidal. May 6 ranking: 2,467. (April 1 ranking: 7,226.)
- Michelle Khare initially became popular as a pro cyclist and BuzzFeed video producer before gaining a following on YouTube. May 6 ranking: 3,650. (April 1 ranking: 8,382.)
- Micah Morris is a professional golfer who shares tips and highlights on YouTube. May 6 ranking: 7,051. (April 1 ranking: 11,588.)
- Harjit Bhandal is a filmmaker and vlogger who makes relationship videos with his fiancé. May 6 ranking 7,712. (April 1 ranking: 11,956.)
- Dawood Savage is a comedy content creator and social media personality. May 6 ranking 3,302. (April 1 ranking: 7,129.)
- Denitslava is a makeup artist. May 6 ranking: 3,908. (April 1 ranking: 7,704.)
- Jeremy Hutchins is a YouTube star who posts videos of pranks, stunts and funny scenarios. May 6 ranking: 332. (April 1 ranking: 384.)
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Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
