PAUL LOGAN WENT VIRAL on New Year’s Eve after he uploaded a video to YouTube about his trip to the Aokigahara “suicide woods” in Japan, in which he can be seen interacting with a guy who appears to have recently committed himself by hanging.
But the “shock and awe” for which Logan later apologised is par for the course for Logan and his younger brother Jake, who have become YouTube sensations in recent years thanks in large part to their antics.
The brothers, who have over 28 million subscribers between them, were viral sensations on the short-lived video platform Vine thanks to the popularity of their zany activities and stereotypically bro-ish personas.
After that, the two friends left their hometown of Westlake, Ohio for Los Angeles in search of opportunities to further their already successful social media business.
Find out more about Jake and Logan, the people at the centre of the newest online uproar, and their backgrounds here.
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The Two Brothers Approach Expanding their Online Sphere of Influence in Different Ways.
Jake Paul, the younger brother of Logan Paul, has stated his goal of being a “Dr. Dre of social media” to the New York Times Magazine. Logan has stated his goal of becoming “the biggest performer in the world” to Business Insider. Accordingly, in January of this year, the younger Paul brother launched a talent label named Team 10 with the intention of fostering talent among young aspiring web stars.
Team 10’s success attracted significant investors, who spawned a merchandising line (Fanjoy.co), which in turn attracted an army of loyal admirers, who were known as “Jake Paulers” or the “Jake Paul Army.” (The “Logang” is the name given to Logan’s supporters.)
Since becoming well-known, the brothers have diversified into various areas of the entertainment business.
Before Disney Channel parted connections with Jake in July, he was a regular on the show Bizaardvark. The decision was made after Jake’s viral comedy song “It’s Everyday Bro” reached No. 2 on iTunes in May and solidified his reputation as a divisive social media celebrity.
It’s every day bro, with that Disney Channel flow” and “And if it weren’t for Team 10, then the U.S. would be terrible” are just two examples of the incoherent and boastful lyrics that have prompted YouTube vloggers to post their own videos explaining why they don’t like the song.
Both Rebecca Black’s “Friday” and Justin Bieber’s “Baby” were cited as inspirations for this song.
The Brothers’ Videos Typically involve Pranks, Dramatic Situations, or the Setting of Things on Fire.
Jake and Logan’s online world is fraught with conflict, whether it’s their sibling rivalry or their fake connection with Erika Costell, the “matriarch” of the Team 10 crew and a YouTube personality in her own right.
Aside from their parody music videos, their most popular content consists of videotaped scenarios in which the brothers cause mayhem, à la Punk’D, or attempt Jackass-style stunts, such as tying firecrackers to a friend’s leg or breathing a fire ball made of dish detergent, butane, and cornflour.
As a result of their antics and blogging, the Logan brothers have amassed a net worth of around $11.5 million; each Logan makes easily $150,000 per Facebook post for brands like Hanes and HBO, and $80,000 per sponsored post on Instagram;
and Logan is currently ranked No. 4 and Jake is ranked No. 7 on the list of YouTube’s highest paid stars.
In a video posted in June, Jake said that he had grown up in the spotlight without the benefit of role models and apologised for the offence he had caused with his antics.
In the same month, he and the YouTuber with whom he’d been feuding, Logan, released an apology rap duet called “I Love You Bro,” which has received over 100,000 views.
The recent apology for Logan’s video showing a body in the Aokigahara forest came in two waves: the first was a note he posted to Twitter, which was widely panned for being self-promoting and insincere, and the second was a video he shared on YouTube, which was better received but also struck a too-little, too-late vibe.
