Influencer Evan Lee, a.k.a EvanTube, and his family amassed quite a following in the early days of YouTube — and earned a staggering amount of money during the peak of their fame.
According to a report published by The New York Times on Sunday, April 27, early YouTube creators could earn money via a portion of the revenue made from ads that ran next to the videos or via brand deals and sponsorships. For the Lee family, network Maker Studios helped Evan’s dad, Jared Lee, boost YouTube views by generating ideas and sharing analytics. Maker would also offer EvanTube as a brand partner in an effort to generate multiple revenue streams.
Jared told the outlet that the family was earning between $1 million and $2 million a year when they were at their most popular.
Evan, now 19, rose to stardom in October 2011 when his freelance videographer father created a home video of the Angry Birds video game made out of modeling clay. The video ultimately reached 11 million views — and the rest was history. Evan’s younger sister, Jillian, also began appearing in videos.
Jared claimed to the outlet that some months EvanTube grossed $100,000 from Google ads alone.
When Evan was 9 in 2014, EvanTube amassed 1 million subscribers. The next year, EvanTube allowed the family to establish a family trust, savings, 529 college funds and Coogan accounts — as well as Roth I.R.A.s., which Evan and Jillian already had. Per the direction of accountants, the family purchased a $3 million, six-bedroom, seven-bathroom home.
Evan, now 19, reflected on asking his parents questions about money throughout his childhood and noted that if he didn’t work on YouTube, the family “probably wouldn’t have been able to afford” private college.
Evan shared that he eventually “realized there is no way we would have made that much money unless my parents were involved.” He added, “An 8-year-old, 10-year-old, does not have the mind to keep a successful YouTube channel, generate that profit, work with brands. But if I was removed from the equation, there wouldn’t be a star.”
Evan ultimately pressed pause on EvanTube at the end of his high school career in June 2024, before he pursued college at the Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
“I really appreciate you guys watching the videos over the years,” he said at the time. “I get millions — or maybe, I don’t know, millions — but a ton of comments of you guys saying, ‘You were my childhood.’ It’s really appreciated. Thank you guys so much for watching all my videos. I hope you guys will support me and my future projects, whatever I do in the future.”
