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Toby Turner
Turner at VidCon in 2012.
Personal information
Born
Toby Joe Turner

(1985-03-03) March 3, 1985 (age 39)
OriginNiceville, Florida, US
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
Websitetobyturner.com
YouTube information
Also known asTobuscus
Years active2006 (2006)–present
Genres
Subscribers6.3 million (Tobuscus)
2 million (TobyTurner)
6.9 million (TobyGames)
Total views1.2 billion (Tobuscus)
355 million (TobyTurner)
1.9 billion (TobyGames)
NetworkMaker Studios
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers2008 (Tobuscus)
1,000,000 subscribers2012 (Tobuscus)

Last updated: July 26, 2016

Toby Joe Turner (born March 3, 1985), also known by his stage name Tobuscus, is an American Internet personality, actor, comedian and musician. Originally from Niceville, Florida, he currently resides in Los Angeles and is best known for his YouTube videos, as well as a number of television and film roles. As of July 26, 2016, Turner has a total of over 15.3 million subscribers and over 3.6 billion video views over his three YouTube channels.[1][2][3]

Early life

Turner was born in Mississippi and grew up in Niceville, Florida.[4] He attended the University of Florida, and having an interest in filmmaking, graduated with a degree in telecommunication production.[5] Toby's mother later took out a loan and bought him a camera, an act he appreciated helped begin his YouTube career.[6]

Career

YouTube

Toby Turner has become a popular personality on YouTube, achieving his early notability through his Tobuscus channel, and later through his secondary vlogging channel, as well as his gaming channel. Aside from these channels, Turner also worked with Philip DeFranco on Like Totally Awesome (LTA) and Cute Win Fail, after befriending and being employed by DeFranco.[7][8] LTA was a gaming and review channel that ran during the late 2000s and early 2010s.[9]

In July 2013, Turner signed with YouTube multi-channel network Maker Studios.[10]

Main channel

Toby Turner first joined YouTube on May 14, 2006, when he created a channel under the name of "Tobuscus".[1] The first video that remains on the channel is a sketch based on the 2006 film Click.[11] One of Turner's earliest popular videos is "Don't Tase Me, Bro!", a remixed recording of the University of Florida Taser incident in which his classmate Andrew Meyer was stunned with a taser gun by a police officer.[12] Interviewed about the video by MTV, Turner explained that, after watching the clip, "as soon as [he] heard [Andrew] yelling, [he] knew it would fit in a hip-hop song", and that he "wanted to give [Andrew] the profits" from sales of related merchandise.[12] The Tobuscus channel has since continued to focus on comedic skits and animated sketches. Turner's Literal Trailers series is one of his most popular, earning him mainstream recognition from CBS News, who described his rendition of the Dead Island trailer as "amazing" and "hilarious",[13] and Wired, who praised Turner's Literal Trailer of Iron Man 3.[14]

Vlogging and gaming channels

In April 2009 he began using his "TobyTurner" channel to upload daily unedited vlogs, which he dubbed "lazy vlogs." Later in July 2010 Toby registered his fourth (third in use) YouTube channel under the name "TobyGames",[3] designating it for a new series of comedic Let's Play videos. The channel has featured playthrough videos of numerous games since its inception, including the long-running Minecraft and Happy Wheels series.

Collaborations

Turner performing with Jack Douglass at VidCon 2012.

In addition to producing his own original content over three channels, Turner has worked together with a wide range of other YouTube personalities on various projects. In 2009 he performed a guitar collaboration with Joe Penna (MysteryGuitarMan) using two separate videos played simultaneously;[15][16] in 2010 he made an appearance on the fifth episode of The Annoying Orange, titled "A Cheesy Episode";[17] in early 2011 he worked with iJustine on a number of LittleBigPlanet 2 Let's Play videos;[18] since 2011 he has worked on many projects with Jack Douglass, including parody "Tobjackscus",[19] sketch "Dubstep Tobuscus",[20] and music videos "Take Off Your Clothes (Like Scarlett Johansson)",[21] "Razors in Your Apple (On Halloween)",[22] and "The Valentine's Day Song";[23] and in 2012 he starred in a short with Olga Kay entitled Olga Kay Goes Haywire.,[24] as well as starring in an episode of the YouTube series, "Retarded Policeman". Tobuscus has also appeared alongside notable celebrities on several occasions, including the music video for the song "Whistle While I Work It", featuring Chester See and Wayne Brady,[25] as well as starring in a three-parter YouTube series "Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles" to promote the film Terminator Genisys. A range of well-known personalities were involved in the series, including Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, and YouTube stars such as Lilly Singh, Olga Kay, Sean Klitzner, Epic Lloyd, The Warp Zone, and Kevin Lieber.[26][27][28]

Aside from these works, Turner has also presented a web series called CuteWinFail, created by Turner and co-produced with Philip DeFranco and his production company FishBowl Worldwide Media, since its inception in October 2010,[29] although in November 2012 his involvement ended after 100 episodes of the show.[30] He also works as a host on Tagged, a gaming-themed YouTube series produced by NODE Studios,[31][32] and plays the Satan character in the Fine Brothers web series MyMusic.[33]

Film and television

Turner's first feature-length film role came in 2010 romantic comedy film New Low, in which he played stand-up comedian Dave, the best friend of main character Wendell played by writer, producer and director Adam Bowers.[citation needed] The film was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010, before it received coverage at the Austin Film Festival in October and at the Glasgow Film Festival the following February, and was later released on DVD in 2012.[citation needed] Later, in 2012, he starred in psychological horror film Smiley, written and directed by Michael Gallagher and starring fellow YouTube partner Shane Dawson.[34] Turner will also star in the upcoming film The Great Gilly Hopkins, set for release in 2015.[35]

From 2012–2014, Turner starred in the Cartoon Network animated series The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange. Turner played Nerville, the only human character who can interact with the fruits.[36][37]

Other work

Aside from video production and other entertainment, Toby Turner – who is described on his official website as a "viral marketer ... [and] consultant for viral video and social media platforms"[38] – has worked with a number of major companies on advertising campaigns, including NBC, Disney, and others.[39] Among his online commercial credits are adverts for Fox crime drama series Lie to Me, footwear manufacturer and retailer Timberland, snack food product Pop-Tarts, and social network aggregation website Ouibox.[citation needed]

Toby has also secured hosting roles for a number of events and series, including reporting on the Toshiba "Set Me Free Tour" for MTV in August 2009[40][41] and presenting holiday special web shows for Comedy Central, Spike and VH1.[39] In December 2012, Turner was nominated for the award of Best Host at the 2013 Streamy Awards,[42] although eventually lost out to KassemG.[43]

In May 2013, Turner set up a fundraising campaign on crowdfunding website Indiegogo for an iOS (and later Android) game based on his Tobuscus Adventures YouTube series, called Tobuscus Adventures: Wizards!.[44][45] The fundraiser surpassed its goal of $240,000 within two days.[46] The game features Turner as main character Tobuscus as he fights off hordes of zombies to get to the Wizard of Darkness.,[44][47] and also cameos Gabe Hohreiter as Gabuscus, and Turner's dog Gryphon.[47] The game was later released in March 2015 for iOS and will later be released for Android.[48][49] Before its release, Toby also revealed that a second, albeit smaller game, was in development at the same time and based on the popular sandbox game Minecraft, titled "Mine The Diamond", which was later released in June 2015 for iOS.[50][51]

In May 2014, Turner signed a three-book deal with Tegen Books, an imprint of Harper Collins, to help create an illustrated journal-style series based on Tobuscus Adventures. The first book will be published in the fall of 2015, with the following two set to release in summer 2016 and winter 2017.[52]

Personal life

Having begun his video-making career in Niceville, Turner moved to Los Angeles in 2008, where he resides with his dog Gryphon.[39]

Filmography

Besides his primary YouTube career, Turner has also been featured in various other media roles:

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2012 New Low Dave Lead role
Smiley Mark Supporting role
2015 The Great Gilly Hopkins Ticket Agent Post-production
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Stranger Things Father Michael Hutchins Pilot episode
Listen One episode
2012–2014 The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange Nerville Series regular
2015 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Game host Episode: "Intimidation Game"
Web
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Russian Recommendations Roman Video shorts
2010 True Stories from My Crappy Childhood Himself Video short
The Annoying Orange Cheese One episode
BlackBoxTV Keith One episode
2012 Olga Kay Goes Haywire Himself Video short
MyMusic Satan Series regular
FART with Toby Turner – Retarded Policeman #34 Himself Video short
2013 Dead Island: No Retreat Sam Video short
Ear Troll (w/ Tobuscus) Ear Troll Video short
Whistle While I Work It Himself Music video
2015 Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles Himself/T-1000 Video short
Video games
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Tobuscus Adventures: Wizards Tobuscus (voice) Also creator
Mine The Diamond Tobuscus (voice) Also creator

References

  1. ^ a b "Tobuscus". YouTube. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  2. ^ "TobyTurner". YouTube. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "TobyGames". YouTube. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  4. ^ "Toby Turner". VidCon. September 25, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  5. ^ Shelby Webb (May 15, 2012). "UF grad gains popularity on YouTube". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved February 21, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Driver, Ben. "Toby Turner Crying (FULL CLIP)". YouTube. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  7. ^ DeFranco, Philip (October 5, 2010). Exhausted DeFranco Answers Yo Questions :). The Vloggity. YouTube. Event occurs at 2:45. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  8. ^ Menegus, Bryan (April 12, 2016). "Another Prominent YouTuber Has Been Accused of Rape". Gizmodo. Retrieved April 12, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (January 13, 2010). "Philip DeFranco Brings Together Aspiring YouTubers for Like Totally Awesome". GigaOM. Retrieved April 12, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Cohen, Joshua (July 11, 2013). "YouTube Network Maker Studios Signs Toby Turner And His 10.5+ Million Subscribers". Tubefilter. Retrieved November 23, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ What I'd do with the remote from Click... Tobuscus. YouTube. June 23, 2006. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Montgomery, James (September 21, 2007). "'Don't Tase Me, Bro!': Remix, T-Shirts Help Tasered Kerry-Speech Agitator". MTV. Retrieved February 20, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Goodman, Will (February 23, 2011). "Literal "Dead Island" trailer: This time with singing & LOLs (Video)". CBS News. Retrieved February 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Wallace, Lewis (November 9, 2012). "Literal Iron Man 3 Trailer Makes Fun of Tony Stark's Woes". Wired. Retrieved February 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "Guitar: Double Battle!". Toby Turner. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  16. ^ Guitar: Double Battle. MysteryGuitarMan. YouTube. March 10, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  17. ^ Annoying Orange: A Cheesy Episode. Annoying Orange. YouTube. March 5, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  18. ^ Slapping Sacks! Little Big Planet 2 – Episode 3 (feat. Tobuscus). iJustine's gaming channel!. YouTube. February 20, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  19. ^ Tobjackscus (Tobuscus Parody). Jacksfilms. YouTube. May 9, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  20. ^ Dubstep Tobuscus. Jacksfilms. YouTube. August 22, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  21. ^ Take Off Your Clothes (Like Scarlett Johansson). Jacksfilms. YouTube. September 26, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  22. ^ Razors in Your Apple (On Halloween). Jacksfilms. YouTube. October 28, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  23. ^ The Valentines Day Song. Jacksfilms. YouTube. February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  24. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2138062/
  25. ^ Driver, Ben. "WHISTLE WHILE I WORK IT (Chester See feat. Toby Turner with Wayne Brady)". YouTube. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  26. ^ Driver, Ben. "Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles Part 1". YouTube. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  27. ^ Driver, Ben. "TERMINATOR GENISYS- Youtube Chronicles Part 2". YouTube. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  28. ^ Driver, Ben. "Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles Part 3". YouTube. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  29. ^ Liz Shannon Miller (October 1, 2010). "Vin di Bona, Phil DeFranco, Toby Turner Team for CuteWinFail". Gigaom. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  30. ^ Joshua Cohen; Sam Gutelle (November 30, 2012). "CuteWinFail Fires Toby Turner". Tubefilter. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  31. ^ Samantha Berley (July 16, 2012). "Freddie Wong, Toby Turner, Corridor Digital Collab on New YouTube Channel for Collective". Tubefilter. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  32. ^ Michelle Jaworski (July 17, 2012). "YouTube superstars team up for NODE gaming channel". Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  33. ^ "Tobuscus as Satan". Fanpop.
  34. ^ Andy Greene (November 5, 2012). "Synchronicity Entertainment Debuts with 3 New Horror Films on Slate". Famous Monsters of Filmland. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  35. ^ Driver, Ben. "The Great Gilly Hopkins". IMDB. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  36. ^ Joshua Cohen (April 22, 2012). "'The Annoying Orange' TV Series Fills Out Human Cast". Tubefilter. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  37. ^ Bill Keveney (June 25, 2012). "'Annoying Orange' joke is on Cartoon Network". USA Today. Retrieved February 20, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ "About". Toby Turner. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  39. ^ a b c Kristina (August 11, 2011). "Meet Toby Turner: A YouTube Sensation". Spreadshirt. Retrieved February 21, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  40. ^ "Toshiba Laptops & MTVN Set Me Free!". MTV. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  41. ^ Bridget Flynn (August 8, 2009). "MTV event attempts to rally Normal". Pantagraph.com. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  42. ^ Sam Gutelle (December 17, 2012). "The Nominees for the 3rd Annual Streamy Awards Are..." Tubefilter. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  43. ^ Sam Gutelle (February 18, 2013). "Online Video's Brightest Stars Win Big at Streamy Awards". Tubefilter. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  44. ^ a b Turner, Toby. "Help Bring Tobuscus Adventures: THE GAME to PC!". Indiegogo. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  45. ^ Gutelle, Sam (May 21, 2013). "Toby Turner Seeks $240,000 on Indiegogo for 'Tobuscus Adventures' Game". Tubefilter. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  46. ^ "YouTube Star Paves Way For Future Crowdsourcing". PRWeb. May 23, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  47. ^ a b Klima, Jeff (May 21, 2013). "Toby Turner Starts Indiegogo Campaign For A 'Tobuscus' Video Game". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  48. ^ Driver, Ben. "TOBUSCUS GAME IS NOW AVAILABLE!". YouTube. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  49. ^ Driver, Ben. "Tobuscus Adventures: Wizards". iTunes. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  50. ^ Driver, Ben. "FREE iOS GAME!: MINE the DIAMOND". YouTube. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  51. ^ Driver, Ben. "Mine The Diamond". iTunes. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  52. ^ Driver, Ben. "YouTube Star Toby Turner Turns Web Series into Three-Book Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 4, 2015.