Since 2011, YouTube prankster Vitaly Zdorovetskiy has become a video juggernaut. With 2 billion (that’s billion with a “b”) views across platforms, his smiling face and frosted tips have been seen by the equivalent of more than a quarter of the world’s population.
Known far and wide by his branding-ready first name, Vitaly first came to online prominence in 2012 when a couple of video pranks he filmed — one in which he pretended to be a zombie in Miami and another in which he was arrested for pretending he and an unsuspecting bystander were going to be blown up by a briefcase bomb — shot his YouTube channel into the stratosphere. He quickly had millions of subscribers and tens of millions of views.
Then, Vitaly hit upon an extremely successful strategy in 2014 for maximum exposure: invading the field or court of major sporting events. The first was the 2014 World Cup Final in Rio de Janeiro. He would later crash the 2016 NBA Finals and the 2017 World Series.
Soon enough, he gave his newly birthed subscription site, VitalyUncensored.com, a major shot of adrenaline when his then-girlfriend ran on the pitch at the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final in Madrid wearing a Vitaly Uncensored swimsuit. Three quarters of a billion people saw his website logo emblazoned on a gorgeous woman live and in real time. His mom almost got away with doing the same at the 2019 Cricket World Cup Final in London, but was stopped before she made it on the field in similar attire.
Meanwhile, as he became increasingly concerned with the SFW content restrictions of YouTube — amidst inconsistently applied demonetization enforcement that has irked numerous creators on the platform — Vitaly decided to double down on his VitalyUncensored.com efforts. Appearing with scores of adult stars via massively viewed videos rife with NSFW pranks, his fandom flourished more than ever.
After all, the world of adult fit seamlessly with Vitaly’s fun-loving, Hollywood-by-way-of-Miami-beach vibe, and viewership numbers on the new vertical skyrocketed. Now, he is focusing on transforming himself into a veritable modern day Hugh Hefner, surrounded by gorgeous women, the trappings of a luxurious playboy lifestyle and a keen understanding of influencer culture.
To chart out his gameplan for such a rapidly expanding online empire, XBIZ hopped aboard a babe-filled digital yacht for this exclusive interview.
XBIZ: Tell us about your professional background before you became an online personality.
Vitaly: Hahaha! I wouldn’t say it was professional at all but I was a waiter for five years. The minute I hit 3,000 subscribers on YouTube I ripped my tie off and quit on the spot. At the time, I thought I was famous. That day, moving forward, I just never gave up and really worked my ass off so I never had to go back to a shitty job.
XBIZ: What led you to become a YouTube personality and start integrating adult stars into your content?
Vitaly: I first thought of becoming a YouTube personality because I saw a bunch of people using the platform to get discovered. Specifically, people like Justin Bieber and others. I’ve been a clown since the day I was born and throughout school I was known as the dumb popular kid. I was always cracking jokes in class. At the time I was really into skateboarding and used to film all my tricks. My first thought was, why don’t I start talking shit for a living on YouTube and it worked.
As for transitioning into adult, I had already become known on YouTube for being the best at picking up girls with the most ridiculous pick-up lines. I have tons of videos where I go up to girls and would say things like, “Hey girl, your hair looks like a broom. Can I mop my floor?” Believe it or not, most of them would laugh and still give me their number.
As YouTube started to crack down more on the content they allowed and monetized on their site, I realized I couldn’t make the content I wanted and get paid what it was worth through YouTube anymore. Doing my own site was an easy decision and making it NSFW just made sense to me as a way to entice people to pay for it.
XBIZ: How did you grow your substantial social media following, maintaining high engagement levels while adhering to terms of service?
Vitaly: Not giving up. Honestly, I worked my ass off to grow everything and get to where I am now. I realized I always had to push the limits and go all out. I’ve been to jail 14 times for my pranks, my longest sentence was two months. I had already gained quite a bit of fame and followers from YouTube, but what really set me apart was the big events. That kind of publicity is just the cherry on top for a lot of really hard work.
Currently, I am running a contest on my social media for some fans to win a trip to Miami to party with me. Running contests and constantly responding to my fans keeps engagement high. I always tell people to tag friends in my photos to win free access to the site too. As far as staying clean on the TOS on Instagram, you just have to be smart about it and not push the envelope too much. People that find your profile and are interested will find the site without having to post anything stupid that could get your account in trouble.
XBIZ: What have been a few of your most successful stunts, pranks and episodes?
Vitaly: A couple of things come to mind. My first super successful prank was the “Gold Digger Prank” that got 30 million views in a day. I did a prank where I pretty much tried to pick up a girl, she says no to me, then I walked up to a Lamborghini and she changed her mind.
Streaking the World Cup Final in 2014 was one of the bigger things I’ve done. 1.5 billion people were watching that live. Of course, most recently, my beautiful ex-girlfriend streaked in a Vitaly Uncensored bathing suit during the UEFA Champions League Final that was viewed by 700 million live. That was the first major stunt I had done for VitalyUncensored.com, so it was a huge boost for the site and brand.
XBIZ: Discuss how you monetize your site, VitalyUncensored.com, and the ways it has evolved over time.
Vitaly: Huge shoutout to my amazing and unbeatable team at Mr. Skin. Austin, Sam, Skin … I love you! Working with those guys has helped really take things to the next level. Without going into too much detail, we have raised pricing 200 percent in the past year and have rebuilt the site.
Adding in a one-click integration with cams has been a nice constant stream of revenue as well. I think overall, though, being more consistent with releasing my content and upping the quality of what I put out has been a major help for retention.
I have some huge plans for 2020 and all I gotta say is that I’ll be the biggest adult paysite in less than two years. Bet on it.
XBIZ: How else do you generate revenue streams and which seem to be the largest?
Vitaly: Facebook money. I average 300 million views per month on a really high CPM. Unlike YouTube, they still pay for my content. You can do the math, but it's still my largest source of revenue right now. VitalyUncensored is quickly catching up though.
XBIZ: You're no stranger to getting in trouble for pranks — how do you ensure you can wriggle out of consequences with the authorities or minimize them?
Vitaly: I’ve been arrested so many times I don’t think about it anymore. I just go out there and do it. I really believe that if people live with fear, they really aren’t living. My advice to people always is, “Do it now, worry about it later.”
XBIZ: Recently, you have launched a campaign to become the "new Hugh Hefner." What does that mean to you and how do you hope to cultivate that reputation?
Vitaly: Playboy and Hugh Hefner were the most iconic adult brand/person combo worldwide. There’s a real opportunity for me to become a more modern version of that with a new generation of people. What print was for older people is what YouTube is for younger people. I just feel like I now have the perfect platform and fan base to build a brand and persona like he had.
XBIZ: As we head into 2020, what were the biggest highlights of the past decade for you, personally and professionally?
Vitaly: My life has changed so much and I have everything I dreamed of. All I care about is that I can provide food for my family and that my family never has to work a day in their life. That being said, I never will be satisfied and obviously will continue to work my ass off.
I inspire people around the world with the fact you can come from nothing and be something. I was just a Russian immigrant who moved to this country with no English and now I’m seriously living the American dream. More than anything, that’s the biggest highlight, both personally and professionally for me.
XBIZ: Any major ambitions for the coming year?
Vitaly: So many amazing things lined up in the next few months. I wish I could share more but shit is about to be next level. For right now, it's for me to know and everyone else to witness.