【Watch Leverage Online】

YouTube isn't the same website it was 20 years ago,Watch Leverage Online and creators Hank Green, Rosanna Pansino, and Dr. Sandra Lee (aka Dr. Pimple Popper) know that better than most.

The three creators, who have been on the platform for 18, 15, and 14 years, respectively, reflected on how their process and understanding of content creation has evolved over the years during their VidCon 2025 panel "YouTube Legends: The OG Creators Who Paved the Way."

"Being an OG creator just means you're a fighter," Pansino said. "And we have fought every algorithm change, and Adpocalypse, since 2008 and continue to do so."

When they started on YouTube, no one expected that finding an audience could lead to a career, brand deals, or a book deal.

The moderator of the panel, Kali B. (otherwise known as FunkyFrogBait), started on YouTube in 2021. "The landscape has changed so much because of that, because of the direct work that you guys have done," they said, citing the opportunities offered to successful creators these days by media institutions beyond YouTube. "You turned something that was, 'Well, of course no, you can't do that,' to 'Yes, this is the obvious next step.'"

So, what did these creators face that put them into the position of paving the way? Here's what the panelists had to say.

YouTube was more of a passion project than a career

Because YouTube launched as a platform to casually share videos, people didn’t flock to it to build careers. Lee said she posted her first blackhead extraction videos because she thought they might be interesting. Then, she discovered the pimple popping community on Reddit.

"I posted my videos there, and they loved them," she said. "And I was like, I could be their queen."

Green put it succinctly, saying, " When we started, there was no way to make money and there was also no status tied to it." He would later explain why that was part of the appeal: “Nobody [was] getting paid well, but everybody's together, loving it, and community, it turns out, is more important for happiness than money. I miss those days when I was making $20,000 a year with a bunch of nerds who didn’t expect that it would ever become a cultural force or phenomenon,” Green said. “But I’m also very happy that there is an opportunity for really talented people who would never be able to have creative careers, to have those careers now.”

Brand deals weren't part of the deal

Brand deals may be common these days, but there was backlash when Michelle Phan, a popular beauty creator at the time, posted one of the platform's earliest brand deals.

"People were mad at us for getting sponsors at VidCon," Green chimed in. "And I was like, 'You guys. They're paying for your tickets.'"

While sponsorships and brand partnerships are a huge part of the creator economy, once upon a time, people were even more suspicious of brand involvement than they are these days.

Pansino offered some advice for creators that shows just how much the landscape has changed: "As you are financially able, diversify. And just get as many multiple revenue streams going as possible."

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Traditional media didn't understand YouTubers

Pansino recalled being perceived as "weird" back when she started YouTube. "When I started, journalists and news media and outlets — just to excuse my French — they just treated us like dog shit because we were the newest celebrity."

Pansino encountered this treatment when she was seeking her first book deal — the publishing company initially lowballed her. " I knew that book was gonna become a New York Times bestseller. I knew my analytics, and they were offering me peanuts," she said.

Green had a similar story of a company that pitched a show to him and his brother, John Green. The brothers weren't thrilled with the premise, and even less thrilled with the offer they received by email. " They sent us how much they'd pay us to host the show. And I replied to John, 'This number is missing at least one zero.' And it turned out I replied to all, and then they wrote back and they said, we can talk about that." Green declined the offer, " because if you just low-balled me an order of magnitude, I never wanna talk to you again."

These days, it's hard to imagine a world where brands don't see the value in working with digital creators. As Pansino reflected on all the barriers that no longer exist, she reminded the audience, “We took a beating to open those doors, so walk through them. And keep kicking those doors down," she said.

Mashable will be live at the Anaheim Convention Center this week, covering VidCon 2025. Check back in the days ahead at Mashable.com, where we’ll be talking to your favorite creators, covering the latest trends, and sharing how creators are growing their followings, their influence, and making a living online.