Tested.com (often simply called Tested) is a website and

YouTube channel YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in San B ...

that focuses on

maker culture The maker culture is a contemporary subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture that intersects with hardware-oriented parts of hacker culture and revels in the creation of new devices as well as tinkering with existing ...

and technology. The company was started by Will Smith and Norman Chan in 2010, with ''

MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television series created by Peter Rees (producer), Peter Rees and produced by Beyond International in Australia. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast in ...

'' hosts

Adam Savage Adam Whitney Savage (born July 15, 1967) is an American special effects designer and manufacturer, fabricator, actor, educator, television personality, and producer, best known as the former co-host, with Jamie Hyneman, of the Discovery Channe ...

and

Jamie Hyneman James Franklin Hyneman (; born September 25, 1956) is an American special effects expert who was co-host of the television series ''MythBusters'' alongside Adam Savage, where he became known for his distinctive beret and walrus moustache. He ...

joining the company in 2012. The channel has since been rebranded to Adam Savage's Tested, with Hyneman and Smith both no longer involved.

History

Making the move from

Maximum PC ''Maximum PC'', formerly known as ''boot'', was an American magazine and website published by Future US. It focuses on cutting-edge PC hardware, with an emphasis on product reviews, step-by-step tutorials, and in-depth technical briefs. Compon ...

, Will Smith and Norman Chan joined

Whiskey Media Whiskey Media was an American online media company founded independently by '' CNET'' co-founder Shelby Bonnie in 2008. It was the parent company of Tested, Screened, and Anime Vice, and the former parent company of '' Giant Bomb'' and Comic Vine. ...

in 2010 to launch Tested.com. The move allowed Smith and Chan to create content for all forms of technology, rather than being limited to

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

s. Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman joined the website in 2012. Hyneman left the company in early 2016. After the end of the pair's show ''MythBusters'' early that same year, Savage increased the amount of content he was producing for the YouTube channel and the site. In April 2016, Will Smith left Tested to start his own company, Foo VR. In 2016, Savage and Chan performed live stage shows titled "Tested the Show: Journeys". Some of the shows also featured Simone Giertz and chef

J. Kenji López-Alt James Kenji López-Alt (born October 31, 1979) is an American chef and food writer. His first book, '' The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science'', became a critical and commercial success, charting on the ''New York Times'' Bestselle ...

. In 2019, Tested launched a collaboration with

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

brand Oculus. The project included episodic experience in which the user was virtually placed next to a maker as they constructed a build, and featured

Rick Lyon Richard S. Lyon (born February 25, 1958) is an American puppeteer, actor, and puppet designer and builder. He has worked for The Jim Henson Company as one of the operators of Big Bird. He appeared on Broadway theatre, Broadway originating the ro ...

Griffon Ramsey Griffon E. Ramsey (formerly O'Connell; born April 23, 1980) is an American chainsaw carving artist known for her pop-culture wood sculptures which have appeared at the Australian Chainsaw Carving Championships and the Butler Chainsaw Carving Invit ...

, and Savage, among others. Adam Savage now serves as editor-in-chief of Tested, with the YouTube channel being renamed to "Adam Savage's Tested". Videos on the channel now focus on Savage constructing costumes and props in his workshop, as well as visiting film studios or collaborating with other makers, among other activities. Savage has visited

Boston Dynamics Boston Dynamics, Inc., is an American engineering and robotics design company founded in 1992 as a Research spin-off, spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Boston Dynamics has been owne ...

to interact with their robots on multiple occasions, including constructing a

rickshaw Rickshaw originally denoted a pulled rickshaw, which is a two- or three-wheeled cart generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also known as pedicabs or tr ...

pulled by

Spot Spot or SPOT may refer to: Places * Spot, North Carolina, a community in the United States * The Spot, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia * South Pole Traverse, sometimes called the South Pole Overland Traverse People * Spot Coll ...

. Several videos on the channel feature Savage donning

cosplay Cosplay, a blend word of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and Fashion accessory, fashion accessories to represent a specific Character (arts), character. Cosplayers often i ...

that conceals his identity and walking across comic convention floors. Savage described Tested as a "vehicle for promoting the joy in making things. I use that term as broadly as possible, whether it’s photography or film or music or theater or costume or setting up a shop, outfitting a car." In 2019, Savage and Tested were nominated for "Best Web Personality/Host" at the

Webby Awards The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...

and was the People's Voice Winner in the category of "How-To & DIY (Video Series & Channels)". In 2020, Savage and Tested were an Honoree in the category of "Best Web Personality/Host".

References

{{reflist YouTube channels Websites YouTube channels launched in 2010