Ryan Higa has 12.4m YouTube subscribers, and soon his own mobile apps to reach them.
Comedian Ryan Higa, make-up artist Michelle Phan and boy-band Boyce Avenue are among YouTube's most popular stars, with 12.4m, 6.6m and 5.8m subscribers respectively on their channels.
Now they're among the first YouTubers to partner with a new US-based startup called Victorious, co-founded by YouTube's former head of creator development and management, to launch their own mobile apps.
The company, which says it will run apps for emerging YouTubers as well as established stars on Google's video services, is hoping to tap into the heavy mobile habits of the young fans who watch these channels.
'Half of YouTube's audience comes from mobile devices, and we have seen creators building big audiences on platforms like Instagram and Vine too,' Victorious chief executive Sam Rogoway told The Guardian.
'Increasingly, the smartphone is becoming the first, if not the only screen for the millennial generation. We think apps can connect creators more directly with their fans, and open up new revenue streams.'
Victorious' chief creative officer is Bing Chen, a well-known figure within the YouTube creator community, who resigned in May from his role at YouTube leading its partner programme for YouTubers.
Chen told The Guardian that Victorious is aiming to help YouTubers build their own 'hub' for their keenest fans.
That strategy has been tried in the past for established artists and celebrities by companies like Mobile Roadie and Backplane. The former's service has been used by apps for stars including Adele, Taylor Swift and Madonna, while the latter runs Lady Gaga's Little Monsters community.
'YouTube is an incredible platform, especially for the mass market. What we are doing is highly complimentary: it provides an outlet for a deeper super-community of fans, which doesn't exist on most social networks,' said Chen.
'We think that fans are creators. Each of the apps will be a social network, a community around content, where fans can do much more than just like and comment. They'll be able to express themselves in different ways, including photos, videos and GIFs.'
Victorious execs Bing Chen and Sam Rogoway.
Victorious may be perceived as a threat by some of the multi-channel networks (MCNs) that specialise in signing up YouTubers, helping them to develop their audiences, and make money on and off YouTube.
Some, like Maker Studios, tend to launch their own technological tools for their clients. Victorious isn't an MCN - at least, not yet - but working with it may loosen the ties between YouTubers and their current MCNs: if they choose to leave, they'll still have their mobile apps.
That is not part of Victorious' public pitch. 'We think we're very complimentary to MCNs, because we're focused exclusively on building really amazing technology, and a platform on which creators can engage with their superfans,' said Rogoway.
'MCNs have a lot to do, and while some have played with technology, it's really technically challenging to build an expensive, beautiful app. Our exclusive focus on technology makes us a nice partner for MCNs, and we're working very closely with several of them.'
Chen said Victorious will provide detailed analytics to its clients on how their fans are using the apps, which will be available for Android and iOS devices. The first will be released in the autumn, with more stars beyond Higa, Phan and Boyce Avenue set to be announced.
'Between now and September we'll be working with dozens of the world's biggest digital luminaries. These digital creators are self-made businesses: they truly are the full C-level suite of CEO, chief financial officer, chief marketing officer and chief creative officer,' said Chen.
'And this digital economy is growing rapidly: in the last year alone, the number of YouTube channels that got over 100,000 and over 500,000 subscribers actually doubled.'
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