SCAMMED: On November 7 2018, Defy Media announced they would be closing their doors immediately, leaving hundreds of people without jobs.
By Clare O’Brien, Staff Writer
Since the popular entertainment website YouTube was founded in 2005, it has grown into one of the main sources of entertainment for people of all ages. As YouTube blossomed, other media networks grew in order to help creators and brands within the YouTube community. Defy Media was one of these networks, owning the two influential YouTube brands, SMOSH and Clevver. The network was also a Multi-Channel Network (MCN) whose purpose is to work for personal creators on the YouTube platform. A MCN is built to help creators acquire brand deals, grow their channel, and pay the creator from their videos. In return, the creator will give the MCN a percentage of the money they earn per video. When Defy Media closed, they left their partners confused, bitter, and out of money just in time for the holiday season.
After the company closed, many YouTube influencers spoke out about their mistreatment under the network, such as Anthony Padilla, Lily Marston, Shane Dawson and many others. Defy Media claimed one of the main reasons for their immediate closing was “market conditions” which left people confused because the statement was broad and lacking in substance. Anthony Padilla, one of the creators of SMOSH, spoke out about his experience with the company on his YouTube channel. He claimed that when he sold his million dollar channel SMOSH to Defy, he sold it for stock, meaning the only way he could make money from him the sale was if the network went public. The network never became public, meaning Padilla essentially sold his million dollar brand for nothing. Padilla also claims Defy Media paid the workers little to no money for several highly profitable projects. Many YouTube video creators under Defy Media were also never payed. Hank Green, a former managed partner, claimed they owed him two months of ad revenue but the network stated that the payment would arrive on Friday only to have the network shut down. Chad Wild Clay was a creator who received 421 million views on his and his wife’s content but received no money from the network. Sadly, Green and Clay are only two of many creators who had their money stolen from them by Defy.
As if all of this information was not unprofessional enough, the company barely notified their business partners of their closing. The hundreds of people working at the channels SMOSH and Clevver that created the videos were out of jobs without any prior warning. Lisa Schwartz, a creator on YouTube, stated she found out about the company closing via a Tubefilter and not from the company itself. Other influencers, such as Ryland Adams, claims Defy Media notified him a few days after they announced their closing to the public. So far no one has stated they were warned of the closing of the company.
The YouTube community, creators and fans alike, have taken a stand against the company. One of the most popular influencers on YouTube, Shane Dawson, tweeted “[I]’ve been keeping my mouth closed on this topic for a LONG time but seeing so many people i love be f[**]ked over has ripped my mouth wide open. [S]o to the people who were in charge why don’t u do the right thing for once and give these people answers and try to help?” This tweet and several others compiled caused fans and influencers to come together and attempt to fix the problem at hand. Other influencers followed Dawson’s lead to speak out against the company and fans were informed of the situation. The company has yet to make any further claims, leaving people in the dark searching for a way to save their livelihoods.