Welcome! We’re an educational YouTube channel made up of entertainment enthusiasts with backgrounds in game design, television production, literature…
4.6M
Subscribers
366K
Views a video
8
Videos in 30 days
YouTube Directory
Top Video Essay YouTubers
The 39 biggest video essay channels from our searches of YouTube, ranked by subscribers. We searched YouTube in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. Each card shows how many views the channel gets on a typical video and how many videos it posted in the last 30 days. Our searches found 39 video essay channels with 50,000 or more subscribers, and this page lists the largest.
39channels ranked on this page
39video essay channels found
254Kmedian views a video here
Last updated 39 channels, ranked by subscribers
The Nerdwriter is a video series about art and culture.
3.2M
Subscribers
155K
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
3.Every Frame a Painting
@everyframeapaintingTaylor & Tony are brewing up something new. Stay tuned. We returned in late 2024 for a limited series featuring brand new video essays, followed by a…
2.3M
Subscribers
1.2M
Views a video
3
Videos in 30 days
Hello and welcome to Defunctland! Defunctland is a YouTube series dedicated to pop culture history, with a focus on extinct theme park and themed ent…
2.2M
Subscribers
3.9M
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
For sponsorship inquiries - For other messages -
2.1M
Subscribers
2.9M
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
YouTuber, ex-philosopher.
1.9M
Subscribers
5M
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
Horror History character analysis and deep dives. Created by Zac Morris. New horrors every week. (Assuming we both survive.) 💀 CZsWorld Series: ↔ Hor…
1.8M
Subscribers
366K
Views a video
7
Videos in 30 days
I'm just a gal who likes fashion and movies.
1.8M
Subscribers
790K
Views a video
7
Videos in 30 days
I believe that a more informed audience raises the bar for storytelling. That examining the techniques used to tell great stories makes your own writ…
1.5M
Subscribers
271K
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
10.Jacob Geller
@jacobgellerTalking about video games, history, politics, empathy, and more — typically at the same time, always unpredictably. For more info, visit my website:…
1.4M
Subscribers
715K
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
Booking video essay channels on YouTube?
We source, negotiate, contract, pay and track. You approve every step and only pay for videos that go live.
11.Jenny Nicholson
@jennynicholson1.4M
Subscribers
4.8M
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
Video essays and shorts by cultural critic Jonathan McIntosh that investigate meaning and messages in popular media Help me make more videos!
1.2M
Subscribers
263K
Views a video
4
Videos in 30 days
Dan Olson is an Alberta based documentarian making videos on a broad range of subjects rooted in stories and how they reflect and shape the world aro…
1.1M
Subscribers
2.8M
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
A place for everything evil in pop culture and history! For sponsorships please contact:
999K
Subscribers
130K
Views a video
5
Videos in 30 days
15.Big Joel
@bigjoelIt's me, Big Joel. For business inquiries, you can e-mail me at . For sponsorship inquiries, you can also email my management:
823K
Subscribers
1.1M
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
CinemaStix is a series of filmmaking stories & video essays, with a focus on popular & classic movies. Hey, I’m Danny Boyd! CinemaStix is an independ…
725K
Subscribers
650K
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
Pretty much the Terrence Malick of YouTube. All videos directed by Patrick Willems Send any mail to: Patrick Willems P.O. Box 380333 Brooklyn, NY 112…
660K
Subscribers
500K
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
(^з^)-☆
628K
Subscribers
456K
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
I'm Andrew Rakich, a filmmaker with an interest in history. I always cite my sources. Atun-Shei Films is primarily viewer supported. If you enjoy my…
560K
Subscribers
17K
Views a video
9
Videos in 30 days
20.Innuendo Studios
@innuendostudiosI make video essays about games, web culture, and social politics.
545K
Subscribers
94K
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
Booking video essay channels on YouTube?
We source, negotiate, contract, pay and track. You approve every step and only pay for videos that go live.
21.Broey Deschanel
@broeydeschanelWelcome to my channel! I post monthly videos on a mixture of film analyses, retrospectives, politics and just absolutely overthinking anything to do…
517K
Subscribers
280K
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
Actor | Writer | ABBA Fan | Union Man
320K
Subscribers
170K
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
23.Omar Ilyas
@omar-ilyasI analyze your favourite characters, TV episodes, cartoons, and movies. (Sometimes I write books and music too :p) FOR BUSINESS INQUIRIES:
274K
Subscribers
861K
Views a video
8
Videos in 30 days
Deep dives into your favorite creator's video process. Join our free Patreon for full episodes, 10k+ creator community, monthly newsletters & creator…
244K
Subscribers
254K
Views a video
5
Videos in 30 days
25.Sloan Stowe
@sloanstoweWhere I turn my ADHD hyperfixations into analyses on tv and film :)
197K
Subscribers
638K
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
26.Girl On Film
@rachellydiabWelcome to Girl on Film. Want to support the channel? I now have a patreon! brand enquiries: (spam will be immediately blocked - I am not in need of…
180K
Subscribers
214K
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
Just like you, stories are everything to me. On this channel I love to analyze some of the most popular movies and tv shows and why they’re great or…
178K
Subscribers
95K
Views a video
3
Videos in 30 days
Slightly-haunted video essays about the internet, memory & the things we've left behind. (Before that, it was cats.)
174K
Subscribers
160K
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
Hey there! I analyze and discuss anime pretty in depth here! Usually darker-themed anime, but we have a good mix of everything from shounens to even…
161K
Subscribers
24K
Views a video
2
Videos in 30 days
Hi! I'm Kitty Monk and I'm here to talk to you about shows, cartoons and movies! While I like the vast majority of these episodes or products, I do t…
136K
Subscribers
15K
Views a video
15
Videos in 30 days
Booking video essay channels on YouTube?
We source, negotiate, contract, pay and track. You approve every step and only pay for videos that go live.
Mini-documentaries on films without the clickbait negativity 🙃 Welcome to Frame Voyager, where we create thoughtful mini-documentaries and video essa…
129K
Subscribers
48K
Views a video
0
Videos in 30 days
My caretaker said if I started a YouTube channel he’d smash my face on the keyvsdhjog
119K
Subscribers
67K
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
If you are a fan of film and the art of storytelling, this is the channel for you.
111K
Subscribers
12K
Views a video
1
Videos in 30 days
Hey, I’m Brittany Simon. I explore philosophy through pop culture, breaking down introspection, extrospection, and everything in between. From realit…
107K
Subscribers
13K
Views a video
15
Videos in 30 days
35.blyoof
@blyoofstrange video essays Head of Tazuna Investigation Task Force Anime and Gaming Channel Haru Urara #1 I draw sometimes
102K
Subscribers
593
Views a video
15
Videos in 30 days
This channel is about shipping, bad summaries, and out of pocket commentary. I overthink about fictional characters, rant about questionable writing…
101K
Subscribers
103K
Views a video
3
Videos in 30 days
YO! I’m Dylan the Knight Owl. I make videos about weird, interesting, creepy, or cool stuff from around the internet. I also talk about films and vid…
82K
Subscribers
23K
Views a video
2
Videos in 30 days
You ever tired of all the negative discourse surrounding television today? Well, then you are absolutely welcome here, where I only talk about the th…
63K
Subscribers
50K
Views a video
8
Videos in 30 days
Welcome to **Rise & Fall**—where history's greatest civilizations, empires, kingdoms, companies, technologies, species, and ideas come to life throug…
56K
Subscribers
236
Views a video
15
Videos in 30 days
Want YouTube creators for your brand?
We find video essay channels that fit your brief, agree the price with each creator and track every video. You approve each step.
How this list is built
We searched YouTube in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia in October 2026. We ran 509 search terms and read the related videos of 1,213 channels we picked by hand. A channel is on this page when the search that found it was about video essay and its name, its description or our review of its videos matches the subject, or when we picked it by hand for this subject. We list the 39 largest by subscribers. Nothing here is paid for, and a place on the list is not a recommendation: it is the top of the list by size.
We leave out channels that belong to a company, a media brand, a game, a sports league or a shop, and channels that are not in English. Subscribers, views a video and videos in the last 30 days are the channel’s public figures on the day we found it. Views a video is the median of the channel’s last 15 long videos, or of its Shorts when it has posted no long video.
If your channel is listed and you want it changed or removed, email hello@sup.co and we’ll act on it fast.
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American YouTubers40British YouTubers40Canadian YouTubers40Australian YouTubers40Free tool:
YouTube Money CalculatorThe data
Download the video essay channels on this page
Every channel on this page, with the subscriber, views and upload figures behind the ranking. Take it into a spreadsheet, or cite it. We only publish what is on the page: no email addresses and no rates.
| Measure | On this page | All our YouTube lists |
|---|---|---|
| Channels ranked hereWe found 39 video essay channels with 50,000 or more subscribers and list the largest | 39 | 2,682 across our YouTube lists |
| Median subscribers | 545K | 979K |
| Median views a video | 254K | 102K |
| Median videos in 30 days | 1 | 8 |
Download 39 channels (CSV)
Free to use and republish with credit to sup.co. How we measure ›
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
These answers are worked out from the 39 channels shown above, so they change when the data does.
How many video essay channels are on this page?
This page ranks 39 video essay channels from our searches of YouTube in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. We found 39 with 50,000 or more subscribers, and list the 39 largest, ranked by subscribers. Our searches reach the channels YouTube showed for our search terms, so a big channel they did not reach can be missing.
How big are these channels?
The median channel on this page has 545K subscribers. Of the 39, 13 have between 1 million and 10 million and 26 have fewer than 1 million.
Who are the biggest video essay channels?
Extra History (@extrahistory) has the most subscribers on this page, with 4.6M. Subscribers are not the same as reach, though. ContraPoints (@contrapoints) gets the most views on a typical video here, at 5M. The median across the page is 254K views a video.
What does "views a video" mean?
It is the median number of views on the channel's last 15 long videos, or on its Shorts when it has posted no long video. A median is the middle value, so one viral video does not lift it. On this page it runs from 236 to 5M. For a brand it is a better guide to what one sponsored video might reach than the subscriber count.
How often do these channels post?
The median channel here posted 1 video in the 30 days before we read it. 13 channels posted four or more, about one a week or more. 11 channels posted none in that time. A channel that posts often has more slots for a sponsor.
Where are these channels from?
Of the 39 channels here, 27 give the US and 2 Canada as their country on YouTube, and 10 give no country. The country is a setting each channel chooses, so it says where the channel says it is from, not where its viewers live.
How do I work with these YouTubers?
Sup runs creator campaigns for brands on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. We find the channels that fit your brief, agree the price with each creator, handle the contract and the payment, and track every video. You approve each step. Request a demo and we will show you which channels fit your brief.
Where does this data come from?
We searched YouTube in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia in October 2026. We ran 509 search terms and read the related videos of 1,213 channels we picked by hand, then read each channel's public figures from YouTube on the day we found it. No channel paid to be listed, and there is no survey or panel behind these numbers. You can read how we measure on our methodology page.
Booking video essay channels on YouTube?
We source, negotiate, contract, pay and track. You approve every step and only pay for videos that go live. Creators matched to your brief in 6 hours.
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