YouTube has been around for 20 years now and within that time it has created a library of over 14 billion videos. It is a great platform for creators who want to show off their hauls, travel excursions or just vlog about their lives. But in all of that, there are also budding filmmakers who want to create things for the larger screen. These visionaries cut their teeth on bite-sized content and eventually ventured out into the more complicated world of Hollywood productions.
We have gathered a list of some of these enterprising filmmakers in various stages of their careers. Take a look at their YouTube channels and consider subscribing to them because the revenue they get supports the bigger picture.
Chris Stuckmann: Shelby Oaks
Stuckmann has been around for a while on YouTube. He mostly does movie reviews, but sometimes makes commentaries about the industry as well as updates to his personal life. He has gained the respect of other horror channels even if they don’t agree with his opinions.
Stuckmann’s movie Shelby Oaks has been in development for a while. It recently made its premiere at last year’s Fantasia International Film Festival where it got good to average reviews. With his commitment to the art and studious attention to detail and style, Stuckmann is a young moviemaker to keep an eye on.
Phillips might be the king of low budget horror movies in the independant space. He has been a YouTuber for a while, but has found time to create some of the most insanely WTF movies you have ever seen. You almost need to be a fan of these types of films to appreciate them, but what is more impressive is his tenacity. For example he managed to get Eric Roberts and Tuesday Night to appear in his film Amityville Bigfoot an ultra low budget horror comedy which looks like a guerrilla production along the Los Angeles river.
He is currently working on Desert Fiends 2 which you can have a cameo in if you contribute to his crowd funding request. If you’re not interested in his movies, watch his channel for the physical media hauls he does every week.
Danny and Michael Philippou (RackaRacka): Talk to Me
Perhaps the best rags-to-riches story from YouTube creators are the Philippou twins whose 2023 movie Talk to Me became a bonafide box office hit. Their channel has over 6.8M subscribers although their last post was made a year ago. The directors wrapped filming of their latest horror movie called Bring Her Back. As for a sequel to Talk to Me, they recently reported that they are working on a script. However, they say a prequel has already been made.
Mark Fischbach (Markiplier) Iron Lung
Fischbach is a very popular YouTuber mostly known for his indie horror game streams. Currently, he is making a movie based on the video game Iron Lung. He keeps his over 37M subscribers informed about the complications with the film’s production while still maintaining his content which he describes as ranging, “From quality content to meme-able garbage, from scary games to full-on interactive movies you’ll find it all. You will, actually. I have over 5000 videos so I’m sure there’s something you’d like.” Fischbach also starred in the Amazon 2024 series Edge of Sleep.
Andrew Rakich (Atun-Shei Films) The Sudbury Devil
Andrew Rakich is a filmmaker “with an interest in history.” His movie 2023 movie The Sudbury Devil is available to stream on Tubi, Prime Video, and Apple TV. He also just released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray version of the film: “In the late 17th century, two Puritan witch hunters travel to a small Massachusetts town investigating rumors of devil worship, and are irrevocably transformed by the ungodly forces they encounter.”
Rakich has even filmed an in-depth analysis of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. If you like a little history lesson with your horror then Rakich is your guy.
Joe Penna (MysteryGuitarMan) Stowaway
Penna hails from São Paulo, Brazil. He has done commercials, shorts, and music videos. Recently he co-produced Anna Kendrick’s serial killer true crime movie Woman of the Hour for Netflix. But Penna is no stranger to the streamer. In 2021 he directed Stowaway, a sci-fi thriller also starring Kendrick. His channel features funny videos, behind-the-scenes footage, and offbeat shorts. He is also a musician, as his handle implies, so there are some videos of him playing various instruments.
David F. Sandberg (Ponysmasher)
Like the Philippou twins, Sandberg started on YouTube and other social media platforms. In 2013 he directed a short titled Lights Out. It became an internet sensation with people sharing it web-wide. He created a string of shorts until 2016 when Lights Out became an acclaimed full-length film he also directed. From there, Sandberg entered the Conjuring universe with Annabelle: Creation and then the DC Universe with Shazam!
His YouTube channel features most of his short films as well as some behind-the-scenes videos of his features. This week he posted the trailer for Until Dawn, his latest directorial offering.