YouTube Channel Breakdown: There’s Nobody Quite Like Dan Mace, Bru

Dan Mace Youtube channel

Highlights

Dan Mace is a South African-born filmmaker creating unique, creative films that are unlike anything else on the platform
In this article we take a look at what’s propelled him to such great heights, as we closes in on 1 million subscribers
From his past experience in the industry to hilarious collabs with Casey Neistat, there are several key ingredients to his success
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It’s safe to say that these days, more than ever, YouTube feels like a crowded space. It can seem a little saturated, with dozens of successful creators all following the same, proven formula, covering the same topics that have been covered a million times before. That’s not to say they’re bad videos, and you shouldn’t watch them. It’s just…it can get a little boring, right? Where’s the fresh blood here? Where’s the differentiator?

Allow me to introduce you to Dan Mace. There’s nobody quite like this quirky South African filmmaker. Even if you wanted to try and emulate him, it’s near impossible. He is a man on a mission, constantly breaking boundaries and keeping us all on our toes with what he’ll get up to next. If you want originality and uniqueness in a YouTube Channel, Dan Mace is the one to watch. Here’s how he forged his way to a successful career on YouTube in his own, very unique style.

At a glance

Dan is a 32-year-old South African-born filmmaker with a professional directing and producing background. His YouTube channel has over 780,000 subscribers, all tuning in to watch his videos about…well, anything! It’s hard to put Mace into one labeled box. Through different original series and one-offs, his videos cover topics such as travel, personal vlogs, music, exploring creativity and seemingly any idea he can think of. 

Here’s what he has to say in the about section of his channel: 

about dan mace

Sounds like a winning formula!

Nobody makes films like Dan Mace

It’s not all that often that you can point to a creator on YouTube and confidently say that they don’t remind you of anyone else – that they are solely creating in their own, unique way. The beauty of YouTube is that you can be inspired by so many other creatives out there. So naturally, when you enjoy a video, you may want to copy some of what made it so good in your own videos.

But Dan Mace genuinely stands out as someone who’s truly forged his own style in his own way. His films are uniquely “Dan Mace,” which makes them so special. Nobody else can create quite like he does. He is exceptionally unique to the point where it’s like having his trademark or fingerprint on every video he puts out. This ensures that his audience keeps on coming back for more because they simply can’t watch this type of content anywhere else.

One minute, he might be creating a series for DiscoveryPlus, and the next, he’s recreating The Weekend’s “Blinding Lights” with a bunch of bricks (yes, really. It has 1.7 million views). You never know what he’s going to do next, and that’s exciting.

As one commenter rightly points out in this video: “This, right here, your level of commitment, is why you’re so unique.” Hard to argue with that! A key part of Dan’s uniqueness is the extraordinary lengths he goes to create these films.

Past expertise and experiences serve him well

Naturally, it helps that Dan has been an accomplished filmmaker for a long time. He’s been making videos since school, and his resume is well stacked. Before YouTube, Dan spent a decade as a filmmaker, directing several short films such as “The Sound of Silence”

He also worked with multiple brands on marketing campaigns with large budgets and collaborated with the likes of Al Gore, CNN, Great Big Story, Red Bull and more. I mean…just take a look at his first TV commercial:

It’s clear that Dan is no novice, and while there are no requirements for starting a YouTube channel (that’s the beauty of the platform), it’s certainly helped Mace to have this strong style and voice already well established in his work. Did we mention he’s won multiple awards, including 3 Young Director Awards at Cannes Lions, an African Cristal Film Grand Prix, multiple Ciclope Africa Editing Craft awards and SHOTS Magazine’s “Hot Shot’ Director of the Year? Unsurprising, really.

He doesn’t shy away from the tricky stuff

Part of Dan’s unique style is that his videos are often very raw and gritty. He doesn’t shy away from the tougher stuff, and in many cases, he actually embraces the difficulties of filmmaking and makes them the focal point of his videos.

As filmmakers, we can all suffer from things such as creative blocks and other failures and setbacks. So it’s comforting to know that one of the best in the business also goes through the same things as us. By being open and honest in his videos on these topics, he connects with his audience on a much deeper level because he’s one of us – a genuine, vulnerable creator with flaws and challenges just like everyone else. As he states in the intro to this recent video, “I can confidently say that 99% of all creatives experience this feeling.”

A special bromance

And that last video leads us nicely into our last point: the bromance with Casey Neistat. It’s not a secret that collaborating with other YouTubers is a key part of growing any YouTube channel, but Dan and Casey’s relationship is a lot more than that. You can tell that they’re truly best friends and that none of what you see on screen changes when the cameras are switched off.

There’s always something fun about watching your favorite YouTubers collaborate and create with each other, and there’s no doubt that by being within Casey’s sphere, Dan has inevitably won himself some viewers. For over a year, he worked with Casey on a number of infamous Neistat vlogs covering the 368 era.

The boys have been back together in recent weeks, creating more content in an apparent move going “back to their roots.” A good old-fashioned vlog in Dubai!

This is a friendship that will long outlast YouTube. It’s clear that they never intended to collaborate for the sole purpose of gaining more viewers – they just wanted to hang out. We hope to be graced with plenty more of these fun videos from both of them.

Subscribed?

So, are you subscribed? Dan Mace is a true innovator, and that’s what makes him such a compelling watch. You never know what you’re quite going to get every time there’s a new upload, and that’s what keeps us clicking for as long as YouTube is around. Right now, Dan is busy uploading his latest series with DiscoveryPlus, and we can’t wait to see what he gets up to next!

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Josh Edwards is an accomplished filmmaker, industry writing veteran, storyteller based in Indonesia (by way of the UK), and industry writer in the Blade Ronner Media Writing Collective. He's passionate about travel and documents adventures and stories through his films.

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