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Drew Gooden (YouTuber)

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Drew Gooden
Gooden in 2019
Personal information
Born(1993-10-26)October 26, 1993(age 30)
North Carolina,U.S.
OccupationYouTuber
Spouse
Amanda Murphy
​
(m.2019)​
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2016–present
Genres
  • Commentary
  • comedy
Subscribers4.25 million[1]
Total views884.47 million[1]
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers2017
1,000,000 subscribers2018
Last updated:July 18, 2024

Drew Gooden(born October 26, 1993) is an AmericancommentaryYouTuberand comedian who makes comedic videos, mainly oninternet cultureandpop culture.HisYouTubechannel has over four million subscribers. Before YouTube, Gooden was aVinerbest known for his "Road Work Ahead" Vine. He often collaborates with fellow YouTuberDanny Gonzalez;the two went on their We Are Two Different People Tour in 2019. In 2021, Gooden won theStreamy Awardfor Commentary.[2]

Personal life

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Drew Gooden was born on October 26, 1993,[P 1]inNorth Carolina,and has lived inOrlando, Floridasince moving there at a young age.[3][P 2]Growing up, Gooden wanted to write forSaturday Night Live.[4]

Gooden met Amanda Gooden (néeMurphy[P 3]) in 2015 after she commented on one of his Vines and they started along-distance relationshipfor over a year.[P 4]The two got engaged in 2016[P 5]and married on March 10, 2019.[P 6]

Internet career

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Vine (2013–2017)

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Afterdropping outof community college two times and takingimprovclasses, Gooden joinedVine,a six-second video platform, in 2013. Gooden's videos ( "Vines" ) were shortcomedy sketches—his first viral Vine depicted aVenn diagramof him and his favorite shirt, which both had in common a "mortal enemy" inJeff Daniels.He described Vines as spontaneous, "the video equivalent of atweet".[2]

Gooden created what would become his most popular Vine in 2016. On the way to work inArizona,he asked his girlfriend to record him driving past a"Road Work Ahead" signand saying, "Road work ahead? Uh, yeah. I sure hope it does."[2]Thememe[5]would later be described as one of the "most recognizable videos on the internet,"[6]althoughThe Atlanticalso called it "passably funny".[7]Gooden remained known for the Vine several years later, calling it his "catchphrase" and sellingmerchandisebased on it; he was recognized atVidConas the "Road Work Ahead guy". He also found it annoying and wanted to separate himself from the video. According to him, the Vine was never as popular when Vine was still active but spread through Vine compilations onYouTube.[5]

Gooden appeared in the Vine-produced web seriesCamp Unplug(2016), where he first met fellow VinerDanny Gonzalez.By the time Vine closed in January 2017, Gooden had amassed several hundred thousand followers. Besides a small Twitter account, he had no other online followings and decided to migrate toYouTubealongside many other Viners.[2][8]

YouTube (2017–present)

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Danny Gonzalez(right) and Gooden (left) on their "We Are Two Different People" tour in 2019

Gooden experimented with different formats and types of videos. As he had wanted to transition to longform content, Gooden's initial idea was to create longer comedy sketches that were similar to his Vines. He eventually settled on being a commentary andreactionYouTuberand his following slowly began to rise again.[2][9][10]Gooden's breakout video was a highly critical review ofJake Paul's live show, uploaded in June 2018. Unlike his other videos, which then averaged one hundred thousand views, the review was viewed four million times in one month.[9][11]He reachedone million subscribersin October 2018.[P 7]

Gonzalez also started a commentary channel on YouTube and the two began traveling to appear in each other's videos, becoming close friends. Gooden said that making videos with Gonzalez was more enjoyable becausethey did not require a script.Arunning jokebetween their fans is that they pretend to confuse the two YouTubers together, but as of 2023 neither comedian appreciates this joke.[2][12]This inspired their We Are Two Different People Tour in 2019, with YouTuberKurtis Conneras a guest star. The tour, with music, effects, and theatrical elements interspersed with sketches and comedy routines, was their first majorlive performanceand ran from September to October.[13][14][15]The two also released aparody songcalled "We Are Not the Same Person" to promote the tour.[P 8]

Gooden was a Featured Creator at the 10th Annual VidCon.[16]Three years after starting YouTube, Gooden began creating content full-time.[2]In 2021, he won aStreamy Awardin Commentary.[2]Gooden was nominated in the same categorythe next yearbut lost to Gonzalez.[17]

Content and reception

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Gooden is a commentary YouTuber. His videos mainly consist of "deep dives" into YouTube,internet,andpop culture.[2][10][18]Gooden frequently discusses the difficulties internet celebrities such asLilly Singh,Jake Paul,andLogan Paulface in breaking into mainstream media.[4][19][5]He also coversTikTokcreators and makes comedic summaries of poorly received movies.[20][10]

His videos contain comedic elements[10]and comedy sketches, and are usually filmed in his house.Pastedescribed his videos as his "own comedic version ofinvestigative journalism".[18]He often shares his personal experiences in his videos,[5]and discusses how online trends may be harmful, such as when he examines dangerous videos on YouTube aimed at children. Gooden was criticized by Kaitlyn Tiffany ofThe Atlanticfor an advertisement in the middle of one of his videos, but he has said that he is careful not to behypocriticalas he has criticized celebrities for excessive advertising.[7][18]

Roles

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Year Title Notes Ref.
2016 Camp Unplug Vineseries [21]
2020 The Pleasure Is Ours Debut episode [22]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Result Ref.
2021 Streamy Awards Commentary Won [2]
2022 Streamy Awards Commentary Nominated [17]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ab"About Drew Gooden".YouTube.
  2. ^abcdefghijRosenblatt, Kalhan (January 18, 2022)."Confidence to shine: Drew Gooden says Vine came around right when he needed it".NBC News.Archivedfrom the original on September 14, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 14,2022.
  3. ^McKenney, Kelcie (October 2, 2019)."YouTubers Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden visit KC Friday on their We Are Two Different People Tour".The Pitch.Archivedfrom the original on December 30, 2019.
  4. ^abAndrews, Travis M. (September 2, 2021)."Influencers are failing to break out in TV and movies. Can Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae beat the curse?".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on December 18, 2022.RetrievedDecember 12,2022.
  5. ^abcdSung, Morgan (July 8, 2018)."How Drew Gooden rebuilt his online identity after Vine died".Mashable.Archivedfrom the original on October 19, 2020.
  6. ^Mendez, Moises II (November 1, 2022)."Years After Its Demise, People Still Love Vine, Which Is Why It Could Never Work Now".Time.Archivedfrom the original on December 11, 2022.RetrievedDecember 11,2022.... that led to some of the most recognizable videos on the internet: 'Road work ahead, uh yeah, I sure hope it does'...
  7. ^abTiffany, Kaitlyn (December 24, 2019)."Why Kids Online Are Chasing 'Clout'".The Atlantic.Archivedfrom the original on December 30, 2019.
  8. ^Wong, Wilson (January 17, 2022)."A look back at Vine — the six-second video app that made us scream, laugh and cry".NBC News.Archivedfrom the original on December 17, 2022.RetrievedDecember 12,2022.
  9. ^abWinkie, Luke (March 2, 2021)."One Viral Moment: 9 Drama Commentary YouTubers on Their Breakout Videos".Vulture.Archivedfrom the original on December 6, 2022.RetrievedDecember 11,2022.
  10. ^abcdDodgson, Lindsay (December 21, 2019)."20 YouTube channels you should really subscribe to in 2020".Insider.Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 18,2020.
  11. ^Sung, Morgan (June 12, 2018)."YouTuber hilariously breaks down Jake Paul's disaster of a live show".Mashable.Archivedfrom the original on August 8, 2021.RetrievedDecember 11,2018.
  12. ^Catching up with Drew Gooden,retrievedDecember 26,2023
  13. ^Wynne, Kelly (September 5, 2019)."Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden talk tour, comedy and YouTube careers".Newsweek.Archivedfrom the original on January 16, 2020.
  14. ^Guzman, Richard (September 23, 2019)."Why these YouTube stars are going from the internet to real life".The Orange County Register.Archivedfrom the original on December 11, 2022.RetrievedDecember 11,2022.
  15. ^McDaniel, Taylor (September 11, 2019)."YouTubers Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden captivate fans on comedy show tour".The Oakland Post.Archivedfrom the original on September 14, 2019.RetrievedDecember 12,2022.
  16. ^Weiss, Geoff (April 3, 2019)."Brent Rivera, Colleen Ballinger To Attend 10th Annual VidCon As Featured Creators".Tubefilter.Archivedfrom the original on December 11, 2022.RetrievedDecember 12,2022.
  17. ^ab"12th Annual Winners".Streamy Awards.December 4, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2022.RetrievedDecember 5,2022.
  18. ^abcWilbur, Brock (September 9, 2019)."Drew Gooden and Danny Gonzalez: The John Olivers of YouTube Culture".Paste.Archivedfrom the original on June 10, 2020.
  19. ^Dodgson, Lindsay (December 12, 2019)."YouTube stars rarely break into mainstream entertainment despite being worshipped by millions of fans. Here's why they might be better off online".Insider.Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2023.RetrievedDecember 12,2022.
  20. ^Manavis, Sarah (May 21, 2019)."The unstoppable rise of TikTok moms".New Statesman.Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 4,2023.
  21. ^Weiss, Geoff (June 27, 2016)."Vine Premieres Its First Long-Form Original Series, 'Camp Unplug', Starring Lauren Giraldo, Cody Ko".Tubefilter.Archivedfrom the original on December 4, 2019.RetrievedOctober 7,2022.
  22. ^Brown, Abram (October 26, 2020)."The Many, Many Lives Of Cody Ko, One Of The Internet's Original Stars".Forbes.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2022.RetrievedOctober 4,2022.

Primary sources

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  1. ^Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (December 21, 2015)."FYI, my birthday IS on my profile, but only I can see it. I don't need a bunch of randoms knowing my birthday"(Tweet).RetrievedDecember 1,2022– viaTwitter.
  2. ^Gooden, Drew;Johnson, Jarvis Allen;Cope, Jordan Adika(September 9, 2020)."We Are All The Same Person (w/ Drew Gooden)".YouTube.Sad Boyz Podcast. Event occurs at 35:45–35:54.Archivedfrom the original on May 31, 2022.
  3. ^Gooden, Drew (December 7, 2017)."Vine: Where Are They Now?".YouTube.Event occurs at 31:50.Archivedfrom the original on December 16, 2022.RetrievedDecember 21,2022.
  4. ^Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (February 15, 2018)."Happy Valentine's Day. To celebrate this pretend holiday fabricated by big corporations in order to sell more chocolate, Amanda and I filmed a long podcast where we talk about how we met and how we made it through a year and a half of long distance. Enjoy"(Tweet).RetrievedDecember 12,2022– viaTwitter.
  5. ^Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (October 27, 2016)."Last April a girl commented on one of my vines. She lived 2000 miles away. Now we are engaged & live in the same house. All because of @vine"(Tweet).RetrievedDecember 12,2022– viaTwitter.
  6. ^Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (March 10, 2020)."A year ago today I got married and it was the only time I've ever cried. Isn't that crazy? I had never cried before this and I definitely haven't cried since. Anyway happy birthday to my marriage"(Tweet).Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2021 – viaTwitter.
  7. ^Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (October 12, 2018)."I can't believe i just hit ONE HUNDRED SUBSCRIBERS are you kidding me??? thx y'all"(Tweet).RetrievedDecember 12,2022– viaTwitter.
  8. ^Gonzalez, Daniel;Gooden, Drew (May 19, 2019).We Are Not The Same Person (MUSIC VIDEO ONLY)(Video).Archivedfrom the original on September 4, 2022 – via YouTube.

Further reading

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