Dwayne Johnson has a calendar full of high-profile projects — from his HBO comedy, Ballers, to upcoming films like Fast 8 and the Baywatch movie — but he will be squeezing in time for YouTube videos as well. The Rock has launched a new YouTube channel to reach digital content-loving fans.
“The Internet is an awesomely cool and wonderfully deranged place and we’re fired up to have to fun!” wrote Johnson in a post on his Facebook page announcing the launch. He included a video to kick things off — a comical fictional adventure through the strange world of the video-sharing website. In it, he tried to “learn the art of thy Tube” with help from some of its biggest stars.
The channel will feature videos from Johnson and longtime manager Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions and Studio71 and tap into his audience in new ways. Johnson told Variety that YouTube is “a very cool space to play in,” especially given that it allows for real-time “feedback and response from [the channel’s] audience.” Johnson starred in his launch video, but viewers can expect unknown talent to be introduced as well.
The decision to launch the channel shows recognition of how big user-generated content has become in recent years. There’s proof in the launch video itself; Johnson’s co-stars — Lilly Singh (also known as Superwoman), Grace Helbig, Gigi Gorgeous, Roman Atwood, Flula Borg, Markiplier, King Bach, Laur DIY, and Alexx Wassabi — all gained popularity through their own videos.
With Johnson’s massive online following, it seems likely that his channel will generate buzz as well. “It always felt extremely natural for us to be vertically integrated,” said Garcia, according to Variety. Johnson’s legions of fans can “bring incredible leverage to the digital space,” she added.
