Creator, Innovator and Entrepreneur
Engineering Content to Go Viral
Carter Sharer (MCS 2016) thought after he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University he’d be making robots or working on self-driving cars. Instead, he’s making wildly successful videos that engage millions of viewers worldwide.
Featuring oversized toys, wacky endurance competitions with big prize money, funny gimmicks, adventures, harmless-but-hair-raising stunts and his car collection, Carter’s YouTube videos are joyful, imaginative and popular.
Carter has more than 10 million subscribers on @CarterSharer and millions more for his channels devoted to shorts, his vlog and other affiliated creators.
Behind the scenes, it’s not all fun and games. There is some serious science behind it.
The strategy to become popular relied on his knowledge of algorithms and solving difficult problems that he also utilized while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a self-designed major of mechatronics, robotics and automation engineering.
“I applied those lessons to reverse-engineer entertainment,” Carter says. “I methodically went through aspects of video engagement because YouTube is just an algorithm, and I wanted to figure out how it worked. We cracked the code and had explosive growth.”
Today, his channel is just one of the entities that comprise his content creation company, Team RAR. The company focuses on making “Rare and Ridiculous” social media for various Team RAR channels or clients.
“I created a whole business model by bringing in other people, training them on the skills to share my success and jump-start other careers,” he says. “I’m driven by a need for pushing the boundaries and a love for thinking outside the box.”
Story by Elizabeth Speed