Bret “Hoodie” Numedahl has always known he wanted to make videos. Long before he worked behind the scenes on some of YouTube’s biggest channels, he uploaded RuneScape music videos and silly skits from his mom’s basement—driven by the thrill of creating something that could instantly reach people worldwide. The platform was new, the rules were unwritten, and the only barrier to entry was imagination.
Those early days sparked something that never left: a deep belief in the power of accessible content. Inspired by creators like Markiplier, PewDiePie, and Jacksepticeye—who built massive fanbases just by playing games and being themselves—Hoodie realized that the magic wasn’t just in the games, but in the ability to connect with people through storytelling. That realization became the foundation of his game channel.
The name “Hoodie” started out as a simple, easy-to-pronounce alias, but quickly became a full-blown identity. “Now, people only use my real name when I visit my mom or fill out government forms,” he jokes. Online and in meetings, he’s just Hoodie—a name that now carries weight in both the creator and production worlds.
While Hoodie eventually moved into high-level roles with creators like MrBeast—where he helped lead strategy for MrBeast Gaming and later took on a key production role with Beast Games—his personal channel has his core creative philosophy: the game is the vehicle, not the story. His goal isn’t to explain the latest updates or spotlight obscure mechanics—it’s to use games as a canvas for universally understandable, wildly entertaining ideas. Think: “Every explosion you survive earns you $10,000”. You don’t need to know anything about Minecraft to follow that premise—you just need to want to see what happens next.
This clarity-first approach extends to every part of Hoodie’s content creation process. While many assume YouTube success is purely data-driven, Hoodie sees it differently: “At the end of the day, all you really need to do is make people want to watch.” For him, it starts with a great title—something exciting, simple, and intriguing. After locking in the creation, he cross-checked the data and heune the idea. Sometimes, that means tweaking a concept from “100 Boys vs. 100 Girls” to “100 Kids vs. 100 Adults”—a slight shift that could make a big difference in performance.
Audience connection is central to Hoodie’s process, too. Whether inviting factual challenges or watching reaction videos after a new upload, he values community feedback and sees it as part of his ongoing improvement. And when it comes to staying consistent without burning out, he credits teamwork, trust, and intentional rest: “Relying heavily on my team and trusting the people I work with—that’s how I avoid burnout.”
Still, his biggest challenge? Time. “There’s never enough of it,” he says. “I’d spend a year on a video if it made sense, but usually I can make something great in a month and be just as proud.” That balance—between ambition and efficiency—is something he’s refined over years of experience.
Looking ahead, Hoodie’s goals remain the same as they’ve always been: keep pushing boundaries, telling great stories, and making videos people want to watch. Whether producing unscripted million-dollar competitions or designing a challenge inside a video game, Hoodie’s approach remains grounded in creativity, clarity, and connection—which sets his channel apart.