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Sparta and The Mean Kitty YouTube channel by Cory Williams

Updated on October 10, 2011
A screen grab of Sparta, the mean kitty from TheMeanKitty channel on YouTube owned by Cory Mr. Safety Williams
A screen grab of Sparta, the mean kitty from TheMeanKitty channel on YouTube owned by Cory Mr. Safety Williams

7.6 million channel views and rising! If you still haven't come across this sensation feline on YouTube named Sparta then you've missed out on a YouTube viral video which some even call a revolution. Since 2007, Sparta, the mean kitty on YouTube has been bringing smiles on faces across the world with his antics, courtesy of his owner Cory Williams aka Mr. Safety. Sparta is cute, Sparta is funny, Sparta is infectious and TheMeanKitty channel on YouTube is a great business idea.

Cory has made such a simple concept saleable, popular and viral. But before we take a look into what has made Mr. Safety and his feline friend so popular, let's find out who are Sparta and Loki.

Who is The Mean Kitty Sparta?

Sparta aka the Mean Kitty is a 5 year old Egyptian Mau breed loves to scratch, fight, wrestle, crunch out toys, stalk and play fetch like a dog. He was born in Los Banos, CA to a family that didn't have room for him. The little girl from the family went around the neighborhood crying and asking if anyone wanted him. Sparta was give shelter by Steve and Bennie, Cory's friends, only to be spotted by Cory when he visited their place. There was no looking back once Cory and Stephanie adopted Sparta and he moved in with them at their place in Thousand Oaks, CA. He's been reining the minds of feline lovers through their YouTube channel ever since.

Who is Loki?

Loki is a white cat, who was brought is as Sparta's playmate in 2008 from a rescue center in Newbury Park, California. Cory amusingly mentions that Loki is a 'half cat half monkey'. He loves playing with all kinds of toys, being spanked, traveling, being the center of attention and hanging upside down! Although Mean Kitty Sparta ranks much higher in terms of popularity on the web, Loki makes for a great companion.

Who is Cory Mr. Safety Williams?

Cory 'Mr. Safety' Williams is obviously, the affable owner of Sparta and Loki. Cory is also the narrator-director of The Mean Kitty channel and SMP films that produces it. Cory is often dubbed as the first YouTube personality who forayed into film acting without the aid of an agent. While Mr. Safety first started working on streaming online videos in 2005, he was particularly well known for posting original tracks on MySpace. In fact, he is the first video blogger to receive corporate sponsorship, with MySpace sponsoring him on a cross-country tour. He has also been mentioned in The New York Times as being one of YouTube's top earners, with half of the profits coming from YouTube ads while the other half come from sponsorships and product placements within the videos. More than all of this, Cory Williams is genuine and he loves his cats. He always says that the cats have adopted him instead of vice versa and that he makes videos to remind us all that pets aren't just a piece of furniture in our homes, even though they can look that way sometimes'. Ain't that lovely?

5 reasons why The Mean Kitty is famous and Cory Williams is the entrepreneur that the internet had been waiting for

1) Simple Concepts

The amazing thing about The Mean Kitty videos is that they're based on an extremely simple, no-frill concept. Whether it is the kitties checking out Cory's new house, Sparta yawning in slow motion, Sparta boxing, Sparta sitting in the sink, Sparta chasing the laser pen, Sparta checking out his play tree or Sparta and Loki just sitting and being, they can bring a smile on your face in no time. The videos are made up of just a few shots of the kitties in motion, accompanied by Cory narrating the situation of the movie in the start. There's no gimmickry, no frills, no deception – just pure feline fun that's sure to squeeze out an 'Awwww' from your mouth.

2) Storytelling

What's so special about The Mean Kitty channel the other cat videos don't have? That's the million dollar question, isn't it? It's a psychological fact that humans instantly get tuned into a piece of narrative which is presented in the form of a story. Every time a video begins, Cory introduces the situation and edits the kitties' movements in such a way, that it conjures up a story. And every video posted after that builds on the character of the cats, although they are not necessarily sequels. When Sparta was diagnosed with Leukemia, Cory made a video without Sparta and giving a short narration of what was happening.

3) Involving the audience

Cory Williams takes The Mean Kitty channel on YouTube to the next level by involving his audience and taking them on an interactive journey. For example, Cory did a series in which he asked viewers to send in toys that Sparta would like to play with. The toy with which Sparta liked the most would be featured in a video, along with the person who sent it. He also did a series called How to annoy your mean kitty in which he asked viewers to post their own cat videos as replies to his own.

4) The finishing touches

Sure, Cory William's videos are not completely amateurish and that's what makes him different from the thousands of 'cute cat' videos that are floating around on YouTube. Cory uses a good camera, an editing suite and uses background music to make his videos mini movies. With the aid of external characters like his partner Stephanie, a pet psychic, his friends Shay Carl, funny subtitles and speech bubbles for the kitties, he makes The Mean Kitty channel a fun experience.

5) Plain old hard work

The reason why Cory Williams has turned out to be a successful Internet entrepreneur amongst millions others in the world is that there is a certain consistency with which he posts the videos. The top notch quality and the innovative quotient of the content he maintains each time and the bucket of patience he has helps too. No one gets 2 million views overnight. The kind of labor Cory must have put in to photograph his pets in motion and to start off with an idea, which at that time had a completely uncertain future, is commendable. Leveraging on the stupendous success of the Mean Kitty Channel on YouTube, Cory Williams also promotes is own production house SMP films, 3DGameReviews and DudeLikeHella alongside other pet product companies like Pet Centric.

The Mean Kitty Song

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