My Love Letter to YouTube at 20: How It Changed Everything

Author

Shira Lazar
February 16, 2025

There’s something ironic about catching up on SNL’s 50th-anniversary live show clips on YouTube—while the platform itself is celebrating is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary. A full-circle internet moment.

That’s two decades of cat videos, viral stunts, TED Talks, political meltdowns, and countless hours of MrBeast watch time. YouTube started as a dating site (seriously—Tune In, Hook Up was the pitch), pivoted into a chaotic video free-for-all, and somehow became the biggest media empire in the world. Bigger than Netflix. Bigger than prime-time TV. Bigger than Hollywood.

Let that sink in.

For years, traditional media execs dismissed YouTube as a playground for amateurs. Now, their former audience is streaming YouTube on the same screens where cable and broadcast once ruled.

I’ve seen this shift firsthand.

How YouTube Changed My Career

In 2008, I was interviewing celebrities on my Nokia phone and posting the videos to YouTube—before the platform became the giant it is today. That early experimentation led to CBS News in 2009, where I carved out a beat in digital culture, and eventually, I found myself as the red carpet interviewer at the first-ever VidCon.

There was a feeling that something special was happening— A movement. I’m grateful I followed my intuition.

Before I knew it, I was getting exclusives with early YouTube stars like Double Rainbow Guy and Antoine Dodson. My interviews were being recommended next to theirs, and suddenly, I had found my place on YouTube.

That experience paved the way to creating Partners Project—a digital-first version of Inside the Actor’s Studio, but for YouTubers.

From there, I launched What’s Trending, the first-ever livestreaming show about social media news and culture, debuting in 2011. A year later, thanks to the support of Ben Relles (who was at YouTube at the time), the platform invested in What’s Trending to take it daily.

I went on to be part of YouTube’s annual Brandcast event—even introducing Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Lion) in front of the industry’s top advertisers. I also hosted their first live coverage from the Sundance Film Festival and had a residency at YouTube Space LA.

There is no doubt, that I wouldn’t be where I am today without YouTube.

These days, my content thrives on other platforms too like Instagram and even LinkedIn, but YouTube was my launching pad—and still remains a core focus for What’s Trending. I also have some upcoming plans around my own channel, so stay tuned! Because here’s the thing: While other platforms struggle with monetization, YouTube still has the most consistent revenue model for creators.

And it’s only getting stronger.

YouTube Didn’t Just Compete With Hollywood—It Replaced It

YouTube moved faster, cheaper, and with more raw energy than any legacy media company ever could. It created stars before Hollywood knew what to do with them. It built billion-dollar businesses on the backs of everyday people filming in their bedrooms.

Now, those same creators are running full-fledged studios, producing content that rivals major networks.

Dude Perfect. Hot Ones. MrBeast. Chicken Shop Date. These aren’t just YouTubers anymore. They’re new media moguls.

Meanwhile, traditional TV is in crisis. Ad revenue is cratering. Viewership is splintering. Streaming was supposed to be the answer, but even Netflix is sweating over YouTube’s dominance. Because YouTube isn’t just another channel—it’s all the channels. Every niche. Every genre. Every demographic. And unlike Hollywood, there are no studio execs or outdated contracts standing in the way.

The platform is evolving—leaning into AI, making it easier to translate videos into multiple languages (40% of dubbed video watch time now comes from non-native speakers, per YouTube CEO Neal Mohan’s latest annual letter to the community). It’s expanding into sports, live events, and podcasts. And it’s swallowing ad dollars that used to go straight to network TV.

The Future of Media Is Creator-Led

This isn’t just about YouTube’s success.

It’s about what it tells us about media itself: Video won.

Short-form, long-form, interactive—it doesn’t matter. Audiences want content on demand, from voices they trust. Not from studio execs. Not from news anchors. But from creators.

TV had a good run. But YouTube won the future. And it’s not giving it back.

As Mohan puts it:

"Creators are becoming the startups of Hollywood”, and “It’s still the very early stages of what creator-led startups will achieve, and we’ll be there to support them at every step of the journey.”

And honestly, he’s right. We’re still just scratching the surface of what creator-led media can do.

But let’s be clear—this isn’t the first time YouTube has promoted creator-led businesses. In 2011, YouTube made a historic bet on creators by investing in creator-led channels. Then, in 2017, it doubled down with YouTube Originals, an attempt to bring Hollywood polish to digital-native storytelling. Those experiments had mixed results—but this time, it feels different.

Now, the creator space isn’t just evolving—it’s thriving. Audiences aren’t waiting for this shift. They’re already there.

The last 20 years changed everything. The next 20? It’s going to be even bigger.

This next wave of creator-led media will birth new stars, new storytelling formats, and new (hopefully) billion-dollar businesses—not just from traditional celebrities, but from everyday creators who are redefining what media looks like.

We’re not just watching history unfold—we’re shaping it.

And that’s the most exciting part.

Other headlines to check out:

AI

Creator Economy

Web3

Gentle Reminder 🙏

Sometimes the pinging and checking in to get work going can get tiring.

But, I also have to remember that all of us are so busy, not to take it personally and to just keep going…

Remember, I'm Bullish on you!

With gratitude,