Yes Theory

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Yes Theory
Website	yestheory.com
YouTube information
Also known as	Project 30 Generation Y Not
Channel	YesTheory
Years active	2015–present
Genre	Vlog Comedy Motivation Travel
Subscribers	7.11 million[1]
Total views	824 million[1]
Network	Vertical Network
Creator Awards 100,000 subscribers 2016 1,000,000 subscribers 2018
Updated: November 25, 2021

Yes Theory is a digital media brand built around a YouTube channel founded by Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil, Matt Dajer and Derin Emre. Yes Theory first gained national media attention in November 2015 with their message of inclusivity in the wake of terror attacks in Beirut and Paris.^[2] They have been featured in a range of national and international media.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Their content has been praised as experiencing foreign cultures in "a fresh and authentic way"^[7] and "consistently radiating positivity and promote living life with an open mind, exactly what YouTube and the world needs."^[8] The Yes Theory brand revolves around the group's mantra of "Seek Discomfort", a phrase also featured in the group's clothing brand.

Background[]

Thomas Brag was born on 9 July 1993 in Paris, France, to Swedish parents. He received his BA degree from McGill University, where he majored in entrepreneurship. He also spent a semester at Draper University and later interviewed its founder, the billionaire venture capital investor Tim Draper. Before YouTube, Brag would make short skits with his second cousin, Warrick Rhode, when they got to see each other. This gave him the skills necessary to make and edit YouTube videos.^{[citation needed]}

Matt Dajer was born on 28 March 1992 in New York, and grew up in Paris and Greenwich, Connecticut. He also has connections to Puerto Rico on his father's side. Dajer also obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from McGill University in 2014.^{[citation needed]} Dajer announced in a YouTube video on February 25, 2021, that he no longer plans to appear in the group's episodes but continues to work on the brand.^[9] He is also currently writing the Yes Theory book.

Ammar Kandil was born on 28 April 1994 in Sadat City, Egypt and spent his early life there. He enrolled in the African Leadership Academy in South Africa. In 2011, during the Egyptian revolution, he studied at Quest University on a scholarship.^[10] In 2021, he became a Saint Kitts and Nevis citizen and acquired the passport of the nation becoming a dual citizen of both Egypt and Saint Kitts and Nevis.^[11] This will allow him to travel to over 150 nations around the globe and not miss any further Yes Theory adventures,^[12] as well as avoid the compulsory military draft for men aged 18 to 30 in Egypt.

Derin Emre was born in Turkey and co-founded Yes Theory, initially taking the role of cameraman. He left Yes Theory in 2017 because of a passport issue but occasionally visits the team and has been featured in videos since.^[13]

The Yes Theory team has expanded since its inception, introducing a team of editors, Tristan Kevitch, Thomas Dajer (Matt's brother), Bryce Pery and Cam Peddle. The brand additionally employs a team to manage their Seek Discomfort clothing and merchandise brand.

History[]

The group met in Montreal, Quebec, and started to work together on their first video series in the summer of 2015.^[14] Yes Theory began as a series of challenges organized by Dajer and Brag (with help from Kandil and Emre), filmed in Montreal, in the summer of 2015, a project initiated by Brag under the name "Project 30".^[14] At the time, they were all sleeping on a friend's sofa in Montreal. Thomas and Matt had briefly met before in McGill University. They came into contact with Ammar at a party after he told Thomas his plans of climbing the Pyramids of Giza. Derin was the last to join the group that summer. Each challenge was designed to push the group outside of their comfort zone.^[15] By the end of the month, the group only had around 2,000 subscribers. Their name was then changed to 'Generation Y Not'.

Near the end of 2015, Yes Theory received an offer to relocate to Venice, California, and be paid to make videos by Snapchat subsidiary . As part of one of their first stunts, they successfully approached the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, for a Christmas card, which they sold for charity with proceeds going to Syrian refugees. Trudeau commented at the time "great stuff around diversity".^[16] After their success and viral hit, Yes Theory was awarded a budget to make their first 30 videos. In January 2016, the group travelled to the Caribbean to continue their media endeavors.

In May 2016, the group moved to Venice, California, after being signed to Vertical Networks, to a house they often referred to as the '506' and featured heavily in their videos, and they changed their name to 'Yes Theory'.^[when?] Since then, that house has been demolished, and the group was forced to relocate. The current 'Yes House' is located nearby in Venice.^{[citation needed]}

YouTube content[]

After moving to Venice, California, and being signed to Vertical Networks, they went on a series of international trips.^[timeframe?] They gained media attention in London by welcoming British people at Heathrow Airport with hugs, described in the press as "truly heartwarming".^{[citation needed]}

Other activities they have embarked on include taking an Irish girl on a last minute trip to Japan, who said of the experience "they try to connect to people around the world and let them know that they're not alone and bring people together".^{[citation needed]}

In September 2018, their challenge to get American actor and media personality Will Smith to bungee jump from a helicopter over the Grand Canyon was taken up by Smith.^[17]

In October 2018, they orchestrated a viral stunt of what appeared to be Justin Bieber eating a burrito sideways.^[18] In reality, the group flew a Justin Bieber look-alike named Brad Sousa out to Los Angeles and fabricated the entire scene.^[19][20] It was actually Yes Theory's friend Conor who posted the video to the subreddit 'r/mildlyinfuriating'.

In February 2019, they released Frozen Alive, a feature-length documentary about endurance athlete Wim Hof. This was following a visit to Poland and spending four days with Hof, learning his method and ascending a mountain, all while bare-chested and bare-legged in temperatures as low as −20 °C (−4 °F), as an endurance feat.^[21] This was their first long-form documentary.

In September 2019, they released , a feature-length documentary about their adventure through the Guatemalan jungle to visit El Mirador and climb the previously unrecorded La Danta pyramid.^[22]

In September 2020, Ammar released his autobiographical documentary in partnership with Google.

Awards and nominations[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website