About Michael Groth

In 2009 at the age of fourteen, I started my YouTube channel MandJTV. Throughout high school, I made random videos about whatever I thought would be funny. Some examples include a rap battle between a football fan and basketball fan, a Doctor Who parody, and a Batman-spoof superhero named Raccoon Man.

In the summer of 2013, shortly before starting college at Rice University, I discovered Pokémon content on YouTube. I’d loved the franchise since first grade, but it had never previously occurred to me that I could make videos about it. I shifted my video focus immediately. One of my first Pokémon videos “How Old is Ash Ketchum?” went on to be my first to surpass 1 million views a few months after its release. From that point on, Pokémon videos became my bread and butter.

2016 was a huge year for Pokémon and thus me: Pokémon Go enraptured the world, and Pokémon Sun and Moon released. I capitalized on the hype, and at the start of my final year at Rice, I decided that once I finished school, YouTube would be my full-time job. In the spring of 2017, I graduated from Rice with a BS in Mechanical Engineering then promptly became a full-time creator. I still am one today.

In the years since, I have evolved my content, created new channels, grown my company and team, and become a better entertainer. I am an expert in YouTube strategy, but I have not allowed the chase of ever-higher numbers to stifle my creativity. I love what I do, and I am grateful many others love it too.