Amazing YouTube Channels You Should be Watching

YouTube has had a surge of popularity over the last few years. It has proven to be such a force that many mainstream companies utilize the video hosting website for not only additional income stream, but also for promotion in the age of mobile and internet entertainment. How many seventeen year olds know the legacy of Johnny Carson and Jay Leno of The Tonight Show? Not a lot, but Jimmy Fallon's knack for short-skit entertainment and the recent fantastic push of the show's YouTube videos have undoubtedly brought The Tonight Show to many young eyes. The channel has millions of views, and rightfully so.

More interestingly, though, is the DIY nature of YouTube that brings countless opportunities to people of all backgrounds. There are comedians, filmmakers, pranksters, DIY-ers, chefs, makeup artists, and nerds alike who have promising careers from making online video content through YouTube.

Here are some of the best YouTube channels for quality content and entertainment. I'll be touching all genres, different style creators, and different types of content.

This is one of the channels that I can get lost in. The Hollywood Reporter is a respected publication that focuses on the making of movies and TV. It often reports on directing, skill of acting, show runners, and writing. It's not a tabloid and doesn't include "how I got my body back" puff pieces. This respectability flows over into it's YouTube channel. I particular love the "Roundtable" series where there is a group of actors, writers, show runners, producers, etc. that are interviewed as a group. It's really interesting to see the different answers and perspectives of some of your favorite stars, and also the respect they have for one another. I particularly love to see them asking each other questions. There is often a younger, newer presence and a few more experienced, making for a great dynamic and great insight. They also interview behind-the-scene faces that you won't recognize, but you'll know their body of work. This is also an interesting perspective that isn't often seen or understood by people outside of the business.

My favorites I've viewed are the 2013 Movie Actress Roundtable because Emma Thompson is hilarious, Lupita Nyong'o is a dream, and the admiration you could see for Oprah Winfrey is palpable. It was just a super interesting thing to watch. I also thoroughly enjoyed the 2014 Television Actor Roundtable. The questions the younger actors asked Matt LeBlanc (who had enormous success with Friends, and has a Golden Globe winning role as himself on Episodes) and William H Macy (who is a very respected mostly film actor with a long career). The comradery and willingness to appreciate other actors and actresses is really fun to watch.

These are long one hour interviews, which replaces some of my TV time for the week when I have the chance to watch. They also publish shorter clips and interviews of one on ones with people in the business, as well as a group of people promoting a particular piece of work. If you have any interest in movies or television, I highly recommend.

This channel is for the nerd crowd. It was recently relaunched with a daily schedule, and it looks like it's some high quality content. It was formerly strictly one girl doing standard talk-to-the-camera videos, and was great, but now there are crazy camera tricks and edits and amazing quality. This one looks like it's going to continue to be a great watch. The insane production quality of this Harry Potter Wand Tutorial is so outstanding. I'm not personally a gamer or cosplayer, and don't immerse myself in that culture, but I still enjoy watching her videos. There is an endless amount of gaming channels out there if you're someone who is interested in that.

This is a perfect example of an incredible YouTube trend, which is a high quality right to the punch short. Most videos I watch are under ten minutes.

Grace Helbig was my first realization that people can launch careers from YouTube. She makes videos Monday-Friday. They are generally her just talking to the camera. They're not anything deep or thought provoking and is often times awkward and weird. What they will do is make you laugh. They're generally pretty short, under five minutes, and is just a small dose of happy throughout your day. I particularly like when she makes videos with her friends.

(I also included a video to the right on Mamrie Hart's channel that features Grade of it'sGrace and Hannah Hart. These three together will make you laugh, I promise.)

As mentioned above, The Tonight Show posts previews and clips daily from the prime time late night television powerhouse. Many go viral. I'm personally so thankful for this channel because otherwise I wouldn't have ever seen Emma Stone lip sync. I would've included it on this list if it had been the only video they uploaded, to be honest.

There are many "YouTubers" out there that are considered vloggers. Vlogging is basically carrying around a camera on your daily activities and filming yourself. It's kind of a self filmed reality show. There are many out there that are insanely popular and great, like the Shaytards- who are often dubbed the "first family of YouTube," but my personal favorite is Louis Cole, or FunforLouis. He is a traveler and goes to the most insane places on the most amazing trips. He's also got a really great heart and likes to help people. His sincerity and love of life really shine through.

There is an emormous Beauty subculture attached to YouTube, similar to gaming. Pretty much anything you could ever want to know about skincare or makeup is available in some type of video form. There are endless tutorials, reviews, first impressions, and "hauls."

My favorite channels are Kandee Johnson and Pixiwoo. I love Kandee Johnson because beyond being a makeup artist (with some amazing transformations!) she is so uplifting. Her personality just screams "smile." She makes talking about eyeliner completely joy filled, somehow.

I also supremely love Pixiwoo. They are sister make up artists who do great tutorials on both daily wearable makeup and some extreme looks. Even though I don't plan to ever turn into Miss Argentina (I'm not that talented), it's so fun to watch.

Tell me, do you watch YouTube?

Magen is a blogger living in Chicago. Visit her blog here for travel and Chicago tips. You can chat with her on twitter here.