Shay Carl Butler (born March 5, 1980),
known professionally as Shay Carl, is an American
YouTube personality. He has three YouTube channels, two of which ("shaycarl"
and "SHAYTARDS"
) have over three million subscribers. Butler and
Corey Vidal developed a documentary called ''Vlogumentary'' on a $200,000+ budget that was funded with an
Indiegogo campaign and raised by mostly from his viewers. ''Vlogumentary'' was released on April 20, 2016.
''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' called Butler one of the "most successful video entrepreneurs on YouTube"
and in 2011 ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' featured Butler's production company
Maker Studios.
Early life
Shay Carl Butler was born on March 5, 1980, in
Logan, Utah
Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The 2020 census recorded the population was 52,778. Logan is the county seat of Cache County and the principal city of the Logan metropolitan area, which includes Cache County and Franklin ...
, to Carl and Laurie Butler.
Butler is the oldest of four children. His siblings Casey, Carlie, and Logan are all active in the YouTube community. Casey Butler
(caseylavere) is married to Kayli Butler
(HeyKayli) and Carlie Wood
(CarlieStylez and WhatsUpWoods) each have over 500,000 subscribers on their YouTube channels, while Logan Butler
(LoganMckay55) has just under 400,000. At the age of four, Butler's family moved to
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, and subsequently to
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...
. After graduating from
Highland High School, Butler served a full-time, two year
mission in
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
,
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
and
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
for
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
.
He briefly attended
Idaho State University
, mottoeng = "The truth will set you free"
, established =
, former_names = Academy of Idaho(1901–1915)Idaho Technical Institute(1915–1927)University of Idaho—Southern Branch(1927–1947)Idaho State ...
, but dropped out to start working on his own.
Prior to appearing on YouTube, Butler installed
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
countertops for a living and worked as a
school bus driver.
He also worked as a radio DJ for
Z103.
YouTube popularity
Butler became more popular on YouTube after
Philip DeFranco watched one of his videos and gave him a
shout-out
Name-dropping (or name-checking or a shout-out) is the practice of naming or alluding to important people and institutions within a conversation,. story, song, online identity, or other communication. The term often connotes an attempt to impress ...
. The shout-out resulted in a rise of Butler's subscribers and a friendship with DeFranco. By working with other YouTubers at ''
The Station'', Butler more than quadrupled his subscribers.
Butler later joined the YouTube
Partner Program and co-founded
Maker Studios.
In November 2009, he collaborated with
Midi Mafia to create a
flash mob at
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood International Inc. (stylized as planet Hollywood, planet Hollywood observatory and ph) is a themed restaurant chain inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood. The company is owned by Earl Enterprises corporation. Earl En ...
in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
In 2009, Butler's "SHAYTARDS" channel won "Best YouTube Channel or Personality" at
Mashable
Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005.
History
Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
's 3rd annual Open Web Awards.
In 2013, the same channel was one of the nominees in the "Best Non-Fiction or Reality Series" category of the
3rd Streamy Awards
The 3rd Annual Streamy Awards was the third installment of the Streamy Awards honoring streaming television series. The awards were held on February 17, 2013, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California. It was hosted by the founder of ...
.
Butler and his wife, Colette, run a podcast called "When the Kids Go to Sleep", where they interview YouTubers and celebrities such as
Terry Crews
Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former American footballer. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/ CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jeffords in ...
and
Bas Rutten. In February 2013, actor
Matt Damon made a guest appearance in one of Butler's vlogs after he and Damon had collaborated on a video to promote a
Water.org
Water.org is an international nonprofit organization that helps people living in poverty get access to safe water and improved sanitation through affordable financing. This organization was founded by Matt Damon and Gary White.
Water.org current ...
project.
Butler sometimes creates
sponsored videos, in which he promotes
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
s or companies in exchange for financial benefits,
including with
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
,
Foot Locker
Foot Locker Retail, Inc. is an Americans, American sportswear and footwear retailer, with its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and operating in 28 countries.
Although established in 1974, and founded as a separate company in ...
,
Kia
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
and
Skype
Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...
.
In 2014 the Shay Carl YouTube channel was listed on
New Media Rockstars
''NewMediaRockstars'' (''NMR'') is an online magazine which was launched in December 2011 and primarily covers YouTube performers, entrepreneurs, and artists with videos and interviews. In 2013, ''NewMediaRockstars'' closed because of lack of fund ...
Top 100 Channels, ranked at #31.
In late 2015, Shay, along with his 12-year-old son Gavin, wrote a lifestyle, self-help book, ''Fat Dad, Fat Kid''.
On September 28, 2016, Butler announced that he would suspend the Shaytards
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel for one year on March 5, 2017, which was the date of his 37th birthday.
On February 12, 2017, Butler announced he would be leaving YouTube for the time being. In his announcement on his Twitter page, Butler said that due to alcoholism, his "purpose is to rehab". ''
International Business Times
The ''International Business Times'' is an American online news publication that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on busi ...
'' ran a story about Carl allegedly exchanging sexual messages through Twitter with an adult
webcam model named Aria Nina.
The Shaytards channel became active again in March 2018 with a video where Shay and his wife Colette talk about their relationship and the YouTube channel, and the family announced they would start uploading videos again, but would "take it one day at a time" and not commit to a daily vlog schedule. In the following videos, Shay has been openly talking about going to addiction meetings and working on his and Colette's relationship.
Butler has a chapter giving advice in
Tim Ferriss' book
Tools of Titans.
Personal life
Butler married Colette Crofts ("Colette Kati") in January 2003. The couple have five children: Gavin, Avia, Emmi, Brock and Daxton. His family is known as the "Shaytards" and as "YouTube's first family".
Butler stated that much of his children's lives have been recorded and distributed in public.
Butler's son, Brock, has been noted as the internet's "first
Truman baby" as his life has been documented since birth. His daughter, Emmi, was featured on the front cover of
James Blunt
James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount; 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After l ...
's album ''
Some Kind of Trouble''.
Butler's other daughter, Avia, released the song "Forever Love" on June 12, 2014.
In 2014, Butler bought a property extending 1000-acres in
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...
. In 2016, he purchased the nearby
Pebble Creek Ski Area in Inkom, Idaho.
Butler lost 112
lbs (50.8
kg) in the space of a year and subsequently ran three
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
s, one of which he ran with
motivational speaker
A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk.
Motivational speakers ca ...
Dave Ramsey
David Lawrence Ramsey III (born September 3, 1960) is an American personal finance personality, radio show host, author, and businessman. An evangelical Christian, he hosts the nationally syndicated radio program ''The Ramsey Show''. Ramsey has ...
, with whom he is good friends.
Butler documented his weight loss journey on his "ShayLoss" channel.
YouTube channels
Butler has two YouTube channels. His "shaycarl"
and "SHAYTARDS"
channels have over one million and five million subscribers, respectively. For his "shaycarl" channel, Butler frequently works with
celebrities such as retired
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Natio ...
and retired
mixed martial artist Bas Rutten.
Involvement with Maker Studios
Butler originally moved out to Los Angeles in 2009 to form the company
Maker Studios, along with friends and fellow YouTubers
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
and Ben Donovan, Dan Zappin, Philip DeFranco and
Kassem Gharaibeh
Kassem Gharaibeh ( ar, قاسم الغرايبة; born October 10, 1983) is an American Internet personality and host of ''Attack of the Show!'' His YouTube channel Kassem G hosts several hundred videos, most notably the ''California On'', ''Goin ...
. Maker's programming is divided into four networks: "Men", "Women", "Family", and "Entertainment".
These four networks include "The Mom's View", which Butler's wife Colette appears on regularly as a part of the weekly "Mom's View Talk Show".
Maker Studios was sold to
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
for $500 million on March 24, 2014.
During its 25th season, ''
America's Funniest Home Videos'', whose YouTube channels are being managed by Maker Studios since January 2014,
will promote its brand via two
web series, one of which will be created by Butler.
Awards and nominations
;Awards
* 2009 Mashable
Open Web Awards
Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005.
History
Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
'' Best YouTube Channel or Personality'': SHAYTARDS
* 2014 4th Streamy Awards ICON award
(
entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
category)
;Nominations
* 2013
3rd Streamy Awards
The 3rd Annual Streamy Awards was the third installment of the Streamy Awards honoring streaming television series. The awards were held on February 17, 2013, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California. It was hosted by the founder of ...
''Best Non-Fiction or Reality Series'': SHAYTARDS
Filmography
* 2009 ''
The Station'' (web series; 5 episodes) as Randy and Shay
* 2010 ''
The Annoying Orange'' (web series; 2 episodes) as Cabbage (voice) and Shay Red
* 2011 ''
No Ordinary Family
''No Ordinary Family'' is an American television series that aired on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada. The one hour science fiction comedy drama was produced by ABC Studios for the 2010–2011 television season. The series ran from ...
'' (TV series; 1 episode) as Security Guard
* 2012–2013 ''
MyMusic
''MyMusic'' is an American web transmedia mockumentary sitcom created by the Fine Brothers that premiered on April 15, 2012 on the MyMusicShow YouTube channel. The series follows a group of co-workers that are employed under a music production com ...
'' (web series; 3 episodes) as Hipster Metal
* 2015–2016 ''
Wonder Quest (web series)'' (13 episodes) as Heinous (voice)
* 2016 ''
Studio C
''Studio C '' is an American sketch comedy television show created by Matt Meese and Jared Shores. Produced by BYUtv, the show aims to be clean, family-oriented comedy for a national audience.
The show traces its roots to the Brigham Young Uni ...
'' (TV series; 1 episode) as Johnny "The Vlogfather"
Butler has also done
voice acting
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
work for Cartoonium's ''Shaybeard'' online cartoon series, which features Butler as a
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
.
He also co-starred in a public service announcement of the Adopt the Arts Foundation.
See also
*
List of YouTubers
YouTubers are people mostly known for their work on the video sharing platform YouTube. The following is a list of YouTubers for whom Wikipedia has articles either under their own name or their YouTube channel name. This list excludes people who ...
*
Maker Studios
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carl, Shay
1980 births
American Internet celebrities
Latter Day Saints from Idaho
Living people
Video bloggers
Maker Studios people
American Mormon missionaries
20th-century Mormon missionaries
Idaho State University alumni
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Latter Day Saints from Arizona
Latter Day Saints from California
Mormon missionaries in Barbados
Mormon missionaries in Trinidad and Tobago
Mormon missionaries in Guyana