Few people have the cultural clout of Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson. Despite recent controversies involving accusations of bullying and safety risks on his latest show, the 26-year-old YouTuber remains arguably the biggest name on the platform and has managed to ride a wave of popularity to turn producing videos online into a $700 million business.
How he does that has remained relatively impenetrable—until the publication of a leaked document given to new hires in his production company. The 36-page document contains details about Donaldson’s business ethos, and could go some way to explaining his success. Here are seven key takeaways from the document.
1. Keep a simple goal
Donaldson has made his name thanks to his YouTube presence, and so he’s abundantly clear about what should be all his employees’ north star throughout their roles. “Your goal here is to make the best YOUTUBE videos possible,” he writes. “That’s the number one goal of this production company.”
2. Be willing to break rules
The company values creativity over traditional media approaches, even if that’s not the classic way of doing things. “Idc [I don’t care] how traditional media does things,” he titles one section. “This is not Hollywood and I do not want to be Hollywood.”
3. Presenteeism isn’t important
Many business leaders worry about the rise of “presenteeism,” where workers turn up to work but don’t actually produce anything. Donaldson would rather they spent less time on his projects, if it meant they were more productive. “The Amount of hours you work is irrelevant,” he writes. “At the end of the day you will be judged on results, not hours. We are a results based company.”
4. Always be iterating
The company encourages constant innovation and improvement. “We must always be improving and innovating,” he writes. “The camera angles need to always get better, the pacing, the story, the jokes, the color, the lighting, the music, the props, the people, our framing, our ideas, literally everything must always be improving and innovating.”
5. Don’t exist in a vacuum
As you’d expect for a popular culture titan, those who work for Donaldson have to be clued into current trends. But it’s a mantra other businesses could follow. “UNDERSTAND CULTURE,” one section is titled. “You. Can’t. Get. Inspired. By. Things. You. Don’t. Know. Exist.”
6. Shatter hierarchy
One of the key messages Donaldson has for his staff is that the opportunities for growth and progression are high in his firm, an attempt to keep morale high and maintain staffing levels. “There is infinite room for you to grow here. This isn’t a stepping stone, this is your final destination. We will win and we are going to build something amazing,” he writes.
7. Creativity matters more than cash
Businesses need to be focused on the bottom line, but for a YouTube-based organization, the money can’t flow without creativity. “Creativity Saves Money,” Donaldson writes. “People always assume money is the answer and if we just spend more money we can give Jimmy what he wants. Which is wrong, creativity is the answer.”
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