Yes Theory is a YouTube channel created by four friends who believe in saying ‘Yes’ to everything to live without regrets. The content on the channel mainly consists of cinematic vlogs and documentary-style videos revolving around travel adventures in which the main crew connect with locals and finds ways to enjoy their time in a certain area.
They want to unchain people to get out of their comfort zones and live a more fulfilling life. They do this by creating content, tools, and spaces for people to connect and seek discomfort together. They are more than just a YouTube channel, they are a philosophy, a way of life, and a community.
Beginning of Yes Theory
Yes Theory was founded by four friends; Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil, Matt Dahlia, and Derin Emre, who wanted to say yes to everything and live a life with no regrets.
They started their YouTube channel in 2015, originally as Project 30, and then changed their name to Generation Y Not, and finally to Yes Theory. Since then, they have grown to over 9.3 Million subscribers and have done many amazing things, such as bungee jumping with Will Smith, hunting Nepal’s mad honey, and hitchhiking across China.
During the initial days when they started their YouTube channel called Project 30, their first video was ‘Project 30: Day 1—Asking Strangers to Dance in Montreal‘ which was uploaded in 2015.
In this video, the four founders of Yes Theory challenged themselves to approach random strangers on the streets of Montreal and ask them to dance with them. The video showed their rejections, successes, and interactions with people from different backgrounds and cultures.
In Project 30, they had a goal of launching a series of 30 videos in 30 days, each with a different challenge or adventure that pushed them out of their comfort zone.
When their first video received over 100,000 views, it was a positive sign for them and that’s how the journey of saying yes to everything continued.
In 2016, the group changed their name to Yes Theory when they moved to Venice, California to sign with Vertical Networks.
Seeking Discomfort
Yes Theory is based on their philosophy of “Seeking Discomfort: The theory behind saying yes.” In their YouTube channel, they use storytelling, cinematography, and humour to create engaging and inspiring videos that showcase their adventures and challenges around the world.
They also involve their audience and strangers in their content, creating a sense of community and connection. They aim to empower people to live a more fulfilling life by stepping out of their comfort zones and learning new things.
In 2018, they launched a video where they bungee jumped with Will Smith from a helicopter over the Grand Canyon. The video was about a challenge that Yes Theory issued to Will Smith on his 50th birthday, to face his fear of heights and do something epic. Will Smith accepted the challenge and invited Yes Theory to join him in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The video shows the preparation, the emotions, the adrenaline rush, and the reactions of Will Smith’s family and friends. This is the most-liked video on their YouTube channel where they secured over 50 million views.
The message they all try to spread via their YouTube channel is, “The world is not as scary as you think. People are not as different as you think. And you are capable of so much more than you think.”
Launching their clothing brand
In May 2018, they launched their clothing brand named ‘Seek Discomfort‘. The brand features its motto of seeking discomfort on various products, such as hoodies, t-shirts, hats, and accessories.
The brand aims to be a reminder of what matters most in life and to inspire people to challenge themselves.
They have their own website for their clothing brand that features their products, their story, and their community of seekers. They also have a travel website where you can find some special offers and travel deals.
Philosophy of Yes Theory
They believe that life’s greatest moments and deepest connections exist outside your comfort zone. That’s why they came up with a channel where you can challenge yourself to do things outside your comfort zone.
It is like breaking the barriers of fear that live inside you. That’s how they came up with the philosophy of seeking discomfort which means to challenge yourself to do things that make you uncomfortable and push you to grow and learn.
This was the story of four friends who wanted to unite people on one line of bravery and their journey to success of running a unique YouTube channel “where you dare to say YES to every challenge”— so do you dare?
“Don’t let fear stop you from living the life you’ve always dreamed of.”
