Ray William Johnson

Ray William Johnson makes videos online. He became very famous on YouTube. His show was called Equals Three. It was one of the most watched shows. Many people liked to watch it.

Ray also makes music. He helped start a cartoon band. The band is called Your Favorite Martian. They make many funny songs. Some of his songs have millions of views.

Ray makes many kinds of things. He writes stories for the web. He also acts in movies. He even makes shows about real crimes. He loves to create new things for his fans.

Ray William Johnson is a famous person on the internet. He is best known for his YouTube channel. His main show was called Equals Three. It was very popular. In 2013, the channel had over 10 million subscribers. It also had more than 2 billion views. For a long time, it was the most watched channel on YouTube.

Ray also makes music with a cartoon band. The band is called Your Favorite Martian. He helped start this group with Jesse Cale. The band has released 60 songs. Many of these songs have millions of views.

Ray does many different jobs. He makes scripted shows for the web. One show is called Riley Rewind. It is about a teen with special powers. He also acts in movies. He was in a film called Who's Driving Doug. Ray even has a production company. It is named Mom & Pop Empire. He uses this company to make documentaries and other films. Today, he also shares stories about real crimes on social media.

Ray William Johnson is a well-known internet celebrity. He became famous for his YouTube channel and a web series called Equals Three. This show was very popular with many viewers. In 2013, his channel reached over 10 million subscribers. It also earned more than 2 billion views. For 564 days, it was the most-subscribed channel on the site. This was a huge achievement in the early days of online video.

His work involves many different creative steps. He started by posting video blogs while in college. Later, he moved from his New York City apartment to a studio in California. He signed a deal with Maker Studios to work on a professional set. He also founded his own company called Equals Three Studios. This allowed him to create many different shows. He even made a Spanish version of his series called Igual a Tres.

Johnson's career has a long history starting in the late 1990s. He grew up in Oklahoma City and graduated from high school in 1999. He studied history at Columbia University before starting his video career. He began posting to his main channel in April 2009. By 2011, he was the first person to reach five million subscribers. He later left Maker Studios in 2012 to start his own studio. He officially ended his time hosting Equals Three in March 2014.

He has worked on many specific projects with big numbers. He co-founded a cartoon band called Your Favorite Martian with Jesse Cale. This band has released 60 songs since 2011. Their song "Orphan Tears" has 48 million views. As of December 2025, the band has 3.81 million YouTube subscribers. He also made a scripted series called Riley Rewind. That show got 10 million views on Facebook. He even acted in the 2016 film Who's Driving Doug.

Today, his work connects to many parts of modern media. He uses his production company, Mom & Pop Empire, to make documentaries. He also works in music with albums like Fat Damon. He has even appeared in commercials for DiGiorno pizzas. Recently, he has moved into sharing true crime stories on social media. This shows how much internet creators can change their work over time. He continues to find new ways to reach his audience.

Ray William Johnson is a prominent American internet celebrity. He is best known for his eponymous YouTube channel and his web series, Equals Three. This channel became a massive part of early digital culture. In 2013, the channel reached 10 million subscribers. It also surpassed 2 billion total views. For a period of 564 days, it was the most-subscribed channel on YouTube. This era marked a major shift in how people consumed media online.

Johnson's career followed a clear path of professional growth. He began by posting video blogs during his college years. Initially, these videos reached only about thirty followers. In April 2009, he launched his main YouTube channel. He originally produced content from his apartment in New York City. Later, he moved to Culver City, California. There, he signed a deal with Maker Studios to work on professional sets. This move allowed him to expand his reach and production quality.

His work includes several distinct types of media. He created Equals Three, a series that became a cornerstone of his career. He also co-founded Your Favorite Martian, an internet cartoon band. This musical project features animated characters and edgy lyrics. Johnson also explored scripted storytelling with Riley Rewind. This series followed a teenager with time-shifting powers. It premiered on Facebook in 2013 and gained 10 million views. He even ventured into traditional acting and film production.

History shows how Johnson navigated the business side of the internet. In 2012, he left Maker Studios. He did so because of disagreements over contract terms. The new contract would have limited his access to AdSense revenue. It also would have required him to give up 50% of his intellectual property rights. In response, he founded Equals Three Studios, formerly known as Runaway Planet. This allowed him to maintain control over his creative work. He officially ended his role as the host of Equals Three in March 2014.

Specific numbers highlight the scale of his success. His cartoon band, Your Favorite Martian, has released 60 songs since 2011. One of their most popular songs, "Orphan Tears," has 48 million views. As of December 2025, the band has 3.81 million subscribers on YouTube. The band also maintains 296,547 monthly listeners on Spotify. His scripted series Riley Rewind totaled about 50 minutes across five parts. These figures demonstrate the massive global audience he commanded.

Johnson has engaged in various notable professional projects. He acted in the indie film Who's Driving Doug, released in 2016. He also appeared in advertisements for DiGiorno pizzas. In 2015, he co-founded the production company Mom & Pop Empire. This company worked on the film Manson Family Vacation, which Netflix later distributed. He also released a music album titled Fat Damon in 2018. More recently, he has transitioned into sharing true crime stories on social media.

Today, Johnson's work connects to the broader landscape of modern media. He bridges the gap between internet content and traditional industries. His production company works on documentaries about cable television monopolies. He has even had television concepts purchased by networks like FX. His career shows how digital creators can move into film, music, and news. By using different platforms, he continues to evolve his brand. He remains a significant figure in the history of online entertainment.