YouTube has taken over the world — well, at least the digital world. With influencers buying Lamborghinis with only pennies, like user MrBeast, and celebrities infiltrating the website, YouTube has never been more insane or powerful as it is today. One of YouTube’s first superstars, Shane Dawson, who now has just under 19 million subscribers, has shaped the ever-changing trends of YouTube since day one. 

He started out as a parody filmmaker and is now a documentary genius, racking up an average of over 15 million views per video. His series are something fans binge-watch like Netflix shows or reality TV, because, in a way, his series are their own versions of reality TV.

Dawson created several series in the last year. His first few series dove into his personal life and past, such as his first one which is about his first love and his second series which is about his relationship with his dad. These two series got fans invested into his life more than long-term fans had ever been in the past.

Dawson’s YouTube history is one of the most impressive to date. He has transformed and stayed relevant as a creator throughout the last 10 years.

He has a special way of making serious situations feel lighthearted yet still meaningful, which creates the quintessential documentary. Each documentary is about six to eight episodes long, each being a little under an hour.

People began calling Dawson “YouTube’s therapist” whenever he started making documentaries on some of YouTube’s biggest names, such as Trisha Paytas, Jeffree Star and now Jake Paul.

Jake Paul is undeniably one of YouTube’s biggest stars with just under 17.5 million subscribers. He has made a controversial name for himself over the last few years after setting his pool on fire and jumping on news vans for videos. He runs a YouTube group called “Team Ten,” which is a group of influencers who give Paul 10 to 20 percent of their YouTube earnings.

In return, Paul manages them and helps them gain their followings, which makes them more money. Many of Team Ten’s members have left the group and claimed Paul took advantage of them for money and was even physically abusive. In Dawson’s recent documentary on Paul, titled “The Mind of Jake Paul,” some of the former Team Ten members share their side of the story.

Jake Paul’s older brother Logan plays a significant role in many of Jake’s controversies. Logan himself is no stranger to drama. In December 2017, Logan uploaded a video in the Suicide Forest in Japan and featured the body of a man who had just hung himself. Though the video was quickly taken down just a few hours after it was posted, Logan faced the deserved consequences of his disrespectful actions. Many people still associate Jake with Logan’s multiple controversies.

In Dawson’s series, he highlights the detrimental effects Jake’s family has had on him. The series gives Jake the chance to speak his truth on his many scandals, such as his breakup with fellow influencer Alissa Violet. Violet and Jake’s toxic relationship was hidden from fans until Jake kicked her out of the Team Ten house in February 2017 and she made a video exposing him for allegedly dragging her down the stairs and cheating on her.

Since that video was posted to her channel, the two have kept quiet about the situation, but the silence was finally broken in Dawson’s series. Violet said the same thing she did in her video about being kicked out while Jake finally speaks on the heartbreaking truth of the drama.

Dawson’s series gives Jake the chance to be vulnerable and real for once, which is a side of him that he never shown in his own videos. Many people were frustrated when Dawson announced that he was doing a series with Jake. Fan’s of Dawson said Jake didn’t deserve a platform to speak on when he has hurt so many people, but after the first video came out in September, fans realized there was more that met the eye to Jake Paul.

The series is worth a watch and maybe even a thumbs up. Dawson clearly puts his all into his videos and is breaking boundaries for all YouTubers.