The Hungry Birds YouTube channel is a popular channel known for eating challenges and mukbang videos. With over 16 million subscribers, Hungry Birds has become one of the biggest food channels on YouTube. But who is the owner and creator behind this viral channel?
The Origin of Hungry Birds
The Hungry Birds YouTube channel was created on June 7, 2017 by a man named David Martin. David had always been a big foodie and enjoyed trying new restaurants and cuisines. After watching many food and eating challenge videos on YouTube, he decided to create his own channel.
David came up with the name “Hungry Birds” because he wanted a fun and catchy name related to food. He also occasionally wears a bird hat in his videos as part of the “Hungry Birds” brand.
For the first few months, David filmed videos in his small home kitchen. His early videos featured massive homemade hamburgers, giant pizza challenges, and hungry bird mukbangs. The amateur production quality and David’s energetic personality quickly attracted views and subscribers.
Growth of the Channel
By early 2018, the Hungry Birds channel had over 500,000 subscribers. David was able to quit his day job and focus on YouTube full-time. With his growing income, he invested in better camera equipment and transformed a room in his house into a professional studio.
In the summer of 2018, Hungry Birds reached 1 million subscribers. By this point, each video was getting millions of views. Popular early videos included a 10,000 calorie ice cream challenge, 6-foot burrito mukbang, and jumbo sushi train video.
In 2019, Hungry Birds continued growing exponentially. The channel hit 5 million subscribers by the end of the year. David began hiring a small team to help film and edit. This allowed him to produce even more creative content.
Hungry Birds YouTube Stats
| Year | Subscribers | Popular Videos |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1,000 | Homemade hamburgers |
| 2018 | 1 million | 10k Ice cream challenge |
| 2019 | 5 million | 6-foot burrito mukbang |
Recent Videos and Content
From 2020 onward, Hungry Birds continued innovating with new food challenges, mukbangs, and cooking videos. Some popular recent videos include:
- Giant 100 lb burger challenge
- Eating a bucket of candy
- Making a pizza cake monstrosity
- 30,000 calorie spicy ramen mukbang
- Cooking a deep fried turkey
The channel now uploads several videos each week across a range of food content. While the core focus is on eating challenges, the channel has branched out into cooking tutorials, restaurant reviews, and travel vlogs.
Hungry Birds Community
In addition to the food content, fans love the Hungry Birds channel because of David’s energetic and engaging personality. He often live streams challenges to interact with fans in real-time. David also responds to comments and makes an effort to build a community around the channel.
There are many inside jokes and catchphrases from David that have become staples with loyal Hungry Birds viewers. Fans feel like they are part of an exclusive club. This highly engaged community is a huge reason why Hungry Birds continues to be one of the top channels in the competitive food genre.
Hungry Birds By the Numbers
| 16 million | Subscribers |
|---|---|
| 6 billion | Lifetime views |
| 5 million | Facebook followers |
| 2 million | Instagram followers |
Business and Revenue
With over 16 million subscribers, it’s estimated that Hungry Birds generates millions in ad revenue each year. The channel likely makes at least $3-5 million annually from YouTube ads alone.
However, YouTube ad revenue is just one income stream. As a mega influencer, Hungry Birds also earns big sponsorship deals. Companies like GrubHub, Pepsi, and local restaurants pay Hungry Birds to promote their products in videos.
The channel has also successfully sold its own merchandise. From t-shirts and hats to bird plush toys, merchandise provides another revenue stream for the thriving business.
While Hungry Birds keeps its exact revenue numbers private, it’s clear that David has built a highly successful and profitable media company. The Hungry Birds brand has become massively popular with a loyal audience.
Future Goals and Direction
As of 2023, Hungry Birds continues uploading multiple videos per week and engaging with fans. In a recent interview, David discussed his plans to expand the channel:
- Increase food travel content by visiting restaurants around the world
- Host more collaborative challenges with other big YouTubers
- Launch new cooking and recipe videos
- Start a competitive eating league
David also has discussed opening his own Hungry Birds restaurant at some point. This would allow fans to directly engage with the brand in real life.
While he remains focused on YouTube, David is open to launching Hungry Birds TV shows or streaming programs. With YouTube continuing to thrive as a platform, the possibilities seem endless for this hungry bird.
Conclusion
The Hungry Birds YouTube channel has become a massively popular food channel, amassing over 16 million subscribers. It was created in 2017 by David Martin, who sought to share food challenges and mukbangs with a growing audience.
Thanks to David’s engaging personality and community building, Hungry Birds has some of the most loyal fans on YouTube. The brand now generates millions in revenue through ads, sponsorships, and merchandise sales.
While its origins were humble, Hungry Birds has grown into one of the top food entertainment channels. It will be exciting to see what new food challenges and content this big hungry bird comes up with next.
