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Marques Brownlee

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Marques Keith Brownlee (/mɑːrˈkɛz ˈbraʊnli/; mar-KEZ BROWN-lee; born December 3, 1993), also known professionally as MKBHD, is an American YouTuber and professional ultimate frisbee player,[4] best known for his videos reviewing technology devices. As of November 2024, he has more than 19 million subscribers across all channels and 4.95 billion total video views. In 2013, Vic Gundotra, a former senior vice president of Google, called Brownlee "the best technology reviewer on the planet right now".[5] At the 10th Shorty Awards in 2019, he was named "Creator of the Decade"[6] The former name of his YouTube channel is a concatenation of MKB (Brownlee's initials) and HD (for high definition).[7] With New York PoNY, he is the 2022 WFDF World Champion in the Open Category for ultimate Frisbee.[8]

Marques Brownlee
Brownlee in 2021
Personal information
Born
Marques Keith Brownlee

(1993-12-03) December 3, 1993 (age 30)
Maplewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Other namesMKBHD
EducationStevens Institute of Technology (BS)
Occupations
Websitemkbhd.com
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2008–present
Genres
Subscribers19.6 million (main channel)
19.95 million (combined)[b][1]
Total views4.56 billion (main channel)
4.95 billion (combined)[a][1]
100,000 subscribers2012
1,000,000 subscribers2014[2]
10,000,000 subscribers2019[3]
Last updated: November 14, 2024
Brownlee's logo

Online career

Brownlee joined YouTube on March 21, 2008.[1] He first started uploading videos in January 2009, while still in high school, about new products or reviews of products he already owned.[9][10] He produced his first videos through screencasting.[10][11]

Brownlee's reviews have been promoted by review sites. Engadget promoted the site in January 2012 when they featured his tour of the then-new cloud storage service called Insync.[12] In November 2013, one of Brownlee's most viral videos was posted based on the LG G Flex, where he performed various scratch tests to demonstrate the self-healing ability of the device.[13][14] In December 2013, Brownlee did an interview with Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside.[15][16]

Brownlee's video review and scratch test of a rumored 4.7-inch sapphire display for the iPhone 6, uploaded July 7, 2014,[17] gained immediate popularity, being featured on sites such as The Verge,[18] HuffPost,[19][20] CNET,[21] Time Magazine,[22] and more.[23][24] As of November 2024, the video has gained over 9.2 million views on YouTube and has had over 60,000 likes.[17]

In December 2015, Brownlee interviewed professional NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant.[25] During one of the 2016 Democratic presidential primary debates that was cosponsored by YouTube, Brownlee asked the candidates, by video, whether tech companies and the government can find a middle ground over encryption while considering rights to privacy and national security.[26]

In April 2018, Brownlee won Shorty Awards Creator of the Decade.[27] In August 2019, Brownlee began co-hosting a technology podcast, Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast.[28] that is commonly referred to as Waveform or WVFRM. The podcast is focused on product reviews and interviews with figures influential in the technology industry.[28]

Retro Tech is a YouTube Original series produced by Vox Media Studios starring Brownlee which was published on December 2, 2019.[29] In the series, Brownlee interviews fellow YouTube creators and celebrity guests and discusses iconic pieces of technology from the past which have had a major impact on modern life and culture.[30]

Brownlee reached 10 million subscribers on December 18, 2019,[3] making MKBHD one of the most-subscribed-to technology-focused YouTube channels.[31] As of November 2024, his main channel has more than 19.6 million subscribers and 4.561 billion total views. His secondary channels (WVFRM Podcast, 438 thousand subscribers; Auto Focus, 1.08 million subscribers; The Studio, 977 thousand subscribers; Waveform Clips, 487 thousand subscribers; MKBHD Shorts 647 thousand subscribers) add an additional 3.52 million subscribers and approximately 394.75 million views.

In December 2020, he was honored in the Forbes 30 Under 30 listing in its social media category.[32] In April 2023, Brownlee collaborated with footwear brand Atoms to create the high-top Sneaker 251, named after the duration of his first YouTube video.[33] In February 2024, he joined everyday accessories company Ridge as a board member and chief creative partner.[34]

In May 2024, Brownlee gave a commencement speech at his alma mater, Stevens Institute of Technology, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of business administration.[35]

Controversies

Panels

In September 2024, Brownlee launched Panels, an iOS and Android app for browsing and downloading hand-picked wallpapers. The app drew widespread criticism from the tech community, mainly for its implementation of a subscription model ($12/month or $50/year) that was deemed too overpriced. Other common points of criticism included the presence of in-app ads (for free users), its overall lack of quality, privacy concerns and allowing AI-generated art to be included on its wallpaper portfolio.

He later addressed the criticism, significantly reducing the pricing and fixing most of the other problems.[36][37][38]

Speeding

On November 11, 2024, Brownlee published a sponsored review for a DJI action camera that attracted significant backlash regarding a point-of-view shot of him driving at 95 mph (150km/h) in a neighbourhood that had a speed limit of 35 mph (60km/h). It was also noted that the speedometer was blurred, leading to speculation that Brownlee had deliberately tried to hide the fact. The driving part of the video was later retroactively removed.

According to New Jersey laws—the state in which the footage was shot, Brownlee's actions cannot single-handedly constitute a reckless driving charge. However, this was his biggest controversy, with several Internet celebrities and news outlets putting his morals into question. Brownlee issued an apology on Twitter admitting to his mistakes, leading to mixed responses.[39][40]

YouTube channels

 
Brownlee speaking at Web Summit's Collision conference in Toronto, 2023
  • Marques Brownlee – Brownlee's main channel
  • The Studio – behind-the-scenes secondary channel[41]
  • WVFRM Podcast – technology podcast[28]
  • Waveform Clips — short highlights of Waveform podcast discussions.
  • Auto Focus – car-focused channel[42]
  • MKBHD Shorts

Personal life

Marques Keith Brownlee[43] was born on December 3, 1993,[44] and grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey. He attended Columbia High School, graduating in 2011, and studied at the Howe School at Stevens Institute of Technology, where he majored in business and information technology.[7][45] Brownlee graduated in May 2015 and became a full-time YouTuber. His videos were produced at his apartment until he moved out in 2016; he now works out of a studio in Kearny, New Jersey.[46]

Ultimate Freisbee Association

Brownlee is a professional ultimate frisbee player for the New York Empire of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA),[47] who were the UFA champions in 2019, 2022 and 2023.[48] Brownlee previously played for the Philadelphia Phoenix (2017) and Garden State Ultimate (2015–2017). Other previous team engagements include the now-defunct New Jersey Hammerheads, a team belonging to the UFA, and the New York Rumble, which was in the now-defunct league Major League Ultimate.

On July 31, 2022, Brownlee won the WFDF World Ultimate Club Championship with New York PoNY.[49]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Views, broken down by channel:
    • 4.3667 billion (Marques Brownlee)
    • 64.100 million (MKBHD Shorts)
    • 57.613 million (The Studio)
    • 77.854 million (WVFRM Podcast)
    • 92.434 million (Waveform Clips)
    • 102.831 million (Auto Focus)
  2. ^ Subscribers, broken down by channel:
    • 19.6 million (Marques Brownlee)
    • 647 thousand (MKBHD Shorts)
    • 877 thousand (The Studio)
    • 438 thousand (WVFRM Podcast)
    • 487 thousand (Waveform Clips)
    • 1.08 million (Auto Focus)

References

  1. ^ a b c "About Marques Brownlee". YouTube.
  2. ^ Brownlee, Marques (February 12, 2014). 1,000,000!. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b Brownlee, Marques (December 18, 2019). 10,000,000!. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "League Players". AUDL. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  5. ^ Yu, Roger. "20-year-old YouTuber is tech reviewing star". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  6. ^ "Creator of the Decade". Shorty Awards. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Gundotra, Vic (August 3, 2013). "+Marques Brownlee is the best technology reviewer on the planet right now. You might want to follow him. Watch him practice his craft below". plus.google.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013.
  8. ^ "Familiar faces dominate at WFDF World Ultimate Club Championships 2022". World Flying Disc Federation (Press release). July 31, 2022. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  9. ^ "Stevens Student's First Million: Tech Reviewer's YouTube Following Reaches Major Milestone". Stevens Institute of Technology. February 13, 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "The Tato Show: After Hours – Episode 2". droidlife. January 24, 2013. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2014. We will also have a very special guest, Mr. Marques Brownlee who runs the YouTube channel MKBHD
  11. ^ Wei, Will (November 21, 2014). "How A 20-Year-Old College Student Became 'The Best Technology Reviewer On The Planet'". Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  12. ^ Cooper, Daniel (July 18, 2019). "Insync: Wave 'Bye, Bye, Bye' to Dropbox". Engadget. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  13. ^ Souppouris, Aaron (November 20, 2013). "Watch LG's new flexible phone heal itself after a knife scratch". Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  14. ^ "MKBHD Goes Hands-on With LG G Flex Self Healing Back, Even Takes a Knife to it". droidlife. November 19, 2013. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  15. ^ Petrovan, Bogdan (December 6, 2013). "Motorola CEO talks about Project Ara, wearable devices, and Moto X". Android Authority. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  16. ^ Buckley (December 7, 2013). "Motorola's modular phone prototype is almost ready, final product might be sold on Moto Maker". Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  17. ^ a b Brownlee, Marques (July 7, 2014). iPhone 6 Sapphire Crystal Display!. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2018 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Savov, Vlad (July 11, 2014). "This flexible sapphire display for the iPhone 6 might be real". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024. The original panel was obtained by Apple sleuth Sonny Dickson, who then provided it to Marques Brownlee, the author of the exhaustive test video above. The crystal-clear display is bent and scratched to extremes, but survives the onslaught unscathed. Subsequent to posting the video, Brownlee has expressed to The Guardian his belief that the screen is "100% an Apple part," which Professor Alford supports by noting that its material behaved the way he would expect a sapphire display would.
  19. ^ Hiscott, Rebecca (July 11, 2014). "Apple Patent Hints The 'iPhone 6' Will Be Made Of Indestructible Glass". HuffPost. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024. The patent award comes amid rumors that the front panel of Apple's next phone, which may or may not be called the "iPhone 6," will be built with a super-durable substance known as sapphire glass. Tech vlogger Marques Brownlee on Monday uploaded a YouTube videodemonstrating just how unbreakable iPhone's sapphire-glass front could be. Brownlee scratched it with a knife and a set of keys and bent it to more than 90 degrees under his shoe, all without leaving a mark.
  20. ^ Hiscott, Rebecca (July 8, 2014). "This 'iPhone 6' Screen Looks Nearly Indestructible". HuffPost. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024. Marques Brownlee, a popular YouTube host who was once called "the best technology reviewer on the planet" by a Google executive, purportedly got his hands on a front panel from the so-called "iPhone 6."
  21. ^ Whitney, Lance (July 11, 2014). "iPhone 6 sapphire screen video seems legit, expert says". CNET. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024. Marques Brownlee/YouTube/screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET
  22. ^ Newman, Jared (July 8, 2014). "Apple's iPhone 6 Will Probably Have an Unscratchable Screen". TIME. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2023. In a video on YouTube, Marques Brownlee demonstrates what is apparently a front panel from the iPhone 6, straight off Apple's assembly lines. He bends the panel under his sneaker, stabs at it with a knife and scrapes at it with a set of keys, yet the display seems no worse for the wear. He also notes that the glass measures 4.7 inches diagonally, marking an increase in screen size from the 4-inch iPhone 5S.
  23. ^ Andronico, Michael (August 15, 2014). "Here Are the Features Shoppers Want Most in an iPhone 6". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024. The iPhone 6 could be hitting shelves in as soon as a month, and all Apple diehards have their own personal wish list for the device. Some want a bigger screen, while others desire a sharper camera, but above all else, it seems fans are absolutely clamoring for the near-indestructible sapphire display that the iPhone 6 is rumored to sport.
  24. ^ Smith, Dave (July 21, 2014). "Here's What Happens When The iPhone 6 Meets Sandpaper (Hint: It's Not Good)". Business Insider. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024. Earlier this month, Marques Brownlee, who posts tech reviews and explainers on his popular YouTube channel, showed off the alleged front panel for the next iPhone, presumably called iPhone 6. Brownlee said he obtained the part from the prolific Apple leaker Sonny Dickson.
  25. ^ Smith, Dave (December 15, 2015). "Kobe Bryant discusses how technology has changed over his 20 years in the NBA". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  26. ^ "CHS Grad Marques Brownlee Asks Question at Democratic Debate". The Village Green. January 18, 2016. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  27. ^ "YouTuber Marques Brownlee Talks Ten Years of Tech". NPR.org. August 21, 2019. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  28. ^ a b c Alexander, Julia (August 9, 2019). "Marques Brownlee launches a new tech podcast called Waveform". theverge.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  29. ^ Spangler, Todd (April 19, 2019). "YouTube Orders Marques Brownlee 'Retro Tech' Original Series". Variety. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  30. ^ Ackerman, Dan. "Marques Brownlee explains why he's diving into the Retro Tech you love". CNET. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  31. ^ "Marques Brownlee Monthly YouTube Statistics". Social Blade. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  32. ^ "Forbes 30 Under 30 2021: Social Media". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  33. ^ Neelakandan, Laya (April 25, 2023). "YouTuber Marques Brownlee gets into the sneaker game with high tops for Atoms". Fast Company. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  34. ^ Sternlicht, Alexandra (February 22, 2024). "In a 'great signal for creators,' YouTube star Marques Brownlee adds a corporate gig to his résumé at accessories company Ridge". Fortune. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  35. ^ Zhao, Claire (May 25, 2024). "YouTube star MKBHD becomes MKPHD". Fast Company. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  36. ^ Roth, Emma (September 25, 2024). "Marques Brownlee says 'I hear you' after fans criticize his new wallpaper app". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  37. ^ Peters, Jay (October 12, 2024). "Marques Brownlee says 'we failed on the price' with Panels". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  38. ^ Merritt, ByMatty. "Tech reviewer MKBHD's Panels app is a dud". Morning Brew. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  39. ^ Shakir, Umar (November 13, 2024). "MKBHD got himself in trouble again". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  40. ^ "MKBHD apologizes after speeding 96 mph on 35 mph road in deleted YouTube scene". Dexerto. November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  41. ^ "Marques Brownlee Opens Second YouTube Hub 'The Studio' For Behind-The-Scenes, Vlogs". Tubefilter. July 27, 2021. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  42. ^ McElligott, Suzanne (April 27, 2023). "MKBHD's Take on the Hyundai Ioniq 6". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  43. ^ Brownlee, Marques Keith [@MKBHD] (December 18, 2019). "More incredibly, though, we finally actually did it. 10,000,000 of you subscribed to the channel. So there it is. It's my Dad's middle name too. And his Dad's. We're all MKBs, I'm just the first HD one 🤓" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 13, 2024 – via Twitter.
  44. ^ Brownlee, Marques Keith (December 3, 2011). MKBHD Update 7.0 (Video). Event occurs at 0:47. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024. So, today is my 18th birthday.
  45. ^ Fisher, Michael (October 25, 2013). "Pocketnow VIP, episode 3: meet Marques Brownlee from MKBHD! – Pocketnow". Pocketnow. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013.
  46. ^ Exposing MKBHD's Fake Videos (Studio Tour). Linus Tech Tips. May 9, 2017. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via YouTube.
  47. ^ Yang, Avery (July 24, 2019). "Famous Tech YouTuber Has Side Gig as Ultimate Frisbee Pro". NBC New York. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  48. ^ Rubin, Alex (August 28, 2022). "New York Empire Caps Off Undefeated Season With Second AUDL Championship". Ultiworld. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  49. ^ Strod, Jesse (August 2, 2022). "WUCC 2022: PoNY Get Revenge on Ring in Gold Medal Match (Open Division)". Ultiworld. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
 
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