How Michelle Khare has redefined content creation

YouTube has revolutionized the entertainment industry by breaking down traditional barriers and empowering a new generation of creatives. Michelle Khare, a Dartmouth graduate and successful YouTuber, embodies this shift. Khare, known for her long-standing YouTube presence and successful docuseries “Challenge Accepted”, is celebrating the release of her new feature-length episode, “Challenge Accepted: 90 Day Black Belt.” The episode documents her journey to earn a black belt in taekwondo within 90 days, under the guidance of Grandmaster Simon Rhee, despite having no prior training. In this interview, Khare shares her inspiring story, discussing the motivations and challenges that have shaped her career and her vision for the future of digital content creation.

How did you originally decide to get started on YouTube?

I have always known since a young age that I wanted to be a part of the entertainment industry and throughout college, I had the opportunity to intern at a couple of traditional studios and I really enjoyed that experience. But something that I saw in general with the studio system was a lot of barriers to entry. There's a lot of waiting until your moment and kind of hoping and praying that someone above you sees your potential and extends a hand down. I was excited about YouTube because I could learn by doing, rather than waiting on someone else to believe in or green light my ideas.

What does YouTube offer that other traditional media can’t?

I am a consumer of YouTube and for many years I was inspired by a lot of great creators before me to try it out. “Challenge Accepted” specifically is something that I'm really really excited about and excited that it lives on YouTube because YouTube has provided me the opportunity to grow through experience, grow my team and create a business that has evolved into a production where we make half hour to full hour length docuseries episodes that may or may not have ever been greenlit for traditional TV.

To me, having the opportunity to have your work out there is so much better than going through years of development on a show and then a pilot and then hoping the pilot gets picked up and then hoping there's a season two or three. I like the flexibility and I like the speed of YouTube a lot. I didn't want to wait for somebody else to believe in the idea. I just wanted to do it because time is so precious.

How do you think about longevity in the entertainment space?

You have to be comfortable in the discomfort and willing to evolve. In general when you have a career in anything related to pop culture you have to be willing to adapt with culture. You have to be willing to also take risks within that culture and where I think people lose longevity is when they become uncomfortable with that concept and try less in that regard.

Hollywood has been reluctant to accept digital creators. Are you hopeful that we’ll see a shift in perception about creators as legitimate creatives?

I think that it is difficult for humans in general to accept change. We're very resistant to change and so I can understand when something new and shiny comes around the block it can be a difficult thing to accept. I think that the viewers will speak for themselves and where they choose to spend their time. The data shows that YouTube is killing it on the Nielsen ratings and that connected TV is one of the top platforms that people are engaging with content and to me that's exciting because it really brings an opportunity for more collaboration between would have previously been two bifurcated Industries. And to me, I hope that we can all see each other as people who are trying to create content that inspires and entertains people. So for me, it's just a matter of time and I look forward to the day when that barrier is fully gone.

What is one of the ways you would like to see traditional media better recognize digital creatives?

When we look at award shows like the Oscars, the Emmys, and the Peabody, there have been content creators who have broken through in those award shows previously, but for me, I'm really excited for a day when we see a lot of diversity in the nominees and attendees of those events. If these award shows are meant to celebrate pop culture, it is a much wider vision and much bigger story than what's currently being shown at the award shows. I would love to see Amelia Demoldenberg nominated in the talk show category. I would love to see “Hot Ones” win an Emmy. I would love to see Rhett and Link get nominated and win as well. I root for them because we're on the same platform and I also root for them because I think their shows are fantastic and they shape culture and they engage with people in unique and special ways that other shows have yet to do. I get excited for the day when I see all of those names nominated, but at the minimum where I find great solace is that all their shows are already doing the work intended and impacting people en masse, and that in my opinion is the beauty of YouTube.