YouTuber squad Dude Perfect scores US$100 million-plus investment

The family-friendly collective will use the funding from Highmount Capital to grow its sports-adjacent brand beyond traditional channels and build out its management team. 
April 10, 2024

Taking a page from the MrBeast playbook, American sports and comedy group Dude Perfect—which has built one of the biggest kids and family brands on YouTube—has scored a massive win for the creator economy by securing a nine-figure cash injection.

Best known for its elaborate sports-related trick shot videos on YouTube and other platforms and channels, the group will use the US$100 million-plus investment from private equity firm Highmount Capital to fund new projects and build out its management team and slate of creative partnerships.

The deal comes as Dude Perfect is putting the finishing touches on its new headquarters in Frisco, Texas. The huge space will provide a hub for content creation, gaming, podcasting and community events with sports personalities, while also housing a retail store, according to a press release.

The Dudes—Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert, Tyler Toney and brothers Cory and Coby Cotton—uploaded their first trick shot video in 2009, when they were students at Texas A&M University. Since then, Dude Perfect’s YouTube channel has amassed more than 60 million subscribers, and its social media fan base now exceeds 100 million followers.

Looking to build out its eight-and-up audience, the brand diversified to traditional kids television with The Dude Perfect Show, which premiered on CMT in 2016 and then was picked up by Nickelodeon in 2017 for two more seasons.

More recently, Dude Perfect launched an ad-supported streaming service in 2023, featuring interactive episodes and user-generated trickshots from fans. And it partnered with ESPN Films on the 30 for 30 documentary Dude Perfect: A Very Long Shot, which is set to premiere later this month at the Dallas International Film Festival.

The brand also boasts a minority ownership stake in Premier League soccer club Burnley F. C., as well as a growing CP program encompassing everything from live events to toys, food and beverage products, books, mobile games and board games.

Dude Perfect is not the first creator group or influencer to receive a windfall of traditional investment. In March 2023, MrBeast—the number-one YouTuber among kids ages seven to 12—struck a content deal with Amazon that’s reportedly worth US$100 million. And that same month, British YouTube group Sidemen inked a multi-million-pound deal with UK firm Viewture to grow its Gen Z-focused brand.

About The Author
Jeremy is the Features Editor of Kidscreen specializing in the content production, broadcasting and distribution aspects of the global children's entertainment industry. Contact Jeremy at jdickson@brunico.com.

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