Minnesota and Midwest reference · Originally published on Josh Liljenquist’s website. KitGlade hosts this edition. Original authorship, publication dates and sources are credited below.
Source-backed creator research · unranked
How Minnesota Creators Got Their Start
This directory compares the earliest public work, retained coverage or documentation, and supported breakthrough milestones for 20 Minnesota-linked creators. It does not assign a universal “became famous” date.
The activity date and the source publication date answer different questions. The retained reports, institutional profiles and platform records below may document earlier activity retrospectively; they do not establish each creator’s first-ever press coverage. “Source date not recorded” means the frozen dataset has no date for that source, not that no date exists.
20 qualified records18 dated starts2007–2021 dated-start range
Start, coverage and breakthrough are different facts
A first upload is not automatically a breakthrough, and an account-creation date is not automatically a career start. Each record uses only the precision supported by its sources. Two records retain an undated start rather than a manufactured year.
What the qualified records show
These are descriptive counts for this reviewed dataset, not estimates for all Minnesota creators.
Static chronology
The chronological view uses the earliest supported year. Jimmy Darts is placed at his first dated 2020 kindness-video milestone because the year of his earlier uploads is not established. Dillon White remains in the undated group.
- Adam YoungEarliest documented activity
Uploaded homemade Owl City recordings to MySpace from Owatonna.
- Tay ZondayEarliest documented activity
Uploaded his first YouTube video in February 2007 while a University of Minnesota doctoral student.
- Connor FrantaEarliest documented activity
Posted his first YouTube video while attending high school in La Crescent.
- Abraham PiperEarliest documented activity
Began the 22 Words web-publishing project; later shifted into short-form commentary.
- Justin FlomEarliest documented activity
Used online card-trick and visual-magic videos to extend an existing live-performance career.
- Food DollsEarliest documented activity
Alia and Radwa Elkaffas launched their first food-video page.
- Andy GeorgeEarliest documented activity
Moved the How to Make Everything documentary concept onto YouTube.
- CboysTVEarliest documented activity
The Cormorant-area group began publishing motorsports and stunt videos on YouTube.
- Yung GravyEarliest documented activity
Quit his job to focus on rap and uploaded his first tracks to SoundCloud.
- Zach JohnsonEarliest documented activity
Began publishing Millennial Farmer videos from the family farm near Lowry.
- Josie LewisEarliest documented activity
Shared a time-lapse process video, then began publishing daily.
- Snake DiscoveryEarliest documented activity
Emily Roberts began publishing reptile-education videos under the Snake Discovery identity.
- Squirmy and GrubsEarliest documented activity
Shane and Hannah Burcaw launched their relationship and disability-storytelling channel.
- Grant CollinsEarliest documented activity
Began combining orthodontic education and entertainment on TikTok in spring 2019.
- Josh LiljenquistEarliest documented activity
Josh’s published biography says his creator work began in 2019 during his Minnesota State University, Mankato period.
- Jimmy DartsFirst dated breakthrough
His first kindness video in 2020 drew 50,000 views; another reached one million a few months later.
- Amber EstensonEarliest documented activity
Launched the That Midwestern Mom social accounts.
- Kenny JaryEarliest documented activity
A neighbor created the Patriotic Kenny TikTok account and began posting scooter-centered videos.
- John O'SullivanEarliest documented activity
Started One Minute Tours as a short-form extension of his Minnesota walking-tour work.
- Dillon WhiteStart date not established
Began DadChats after a student introduced him to TikTok; the retained source does not establish an exact start year.
Alphabetical creator directory
Ordering is neutral by public name or surname and is not a ranking.
Showing 20 of 20 records.
CboysTV
Cormorant area
- Earliest documented activity
- 2016 · The Cormorant-area group began publishing motorsports and stunt videos on YouTube.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Minnesota Star Tribune documented the group’s roots and channel growth in 2021.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Audience and channel growth · The friends’ recurring motorsports format developed into a large creator-led channel.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Grant Collins
Rochester
- Earliest documented activity
- 2019 · Began combining orthodontic education and entertainment on TikTok in spring 2019.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry profiled the Rochester creator-practitioner in 2023.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Audience and channel growth · The institution described The Braces Guy account as viral while documenting its public reach.
Retained sources: University of Minnesota School of Dentistry OFFICIAL INSTITUTION ·
Jimmy Darts
Walker
- Earliest documented activity
- Date not precisely established · Started uploading YouTube videos while growing up in Walker; the retained source does not give an exact year.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Minnesota Star Tribune documented his creator chronology and national public work in 2026.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Audience and channel growth · His first kindness video in 2020 drew 50,000 views; another reached one million a few months later.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Read the detailed profile or timelineAmber Estenson
Frazee
- Earliest documented activity
- 2021 · Launched the That Midwestern Mom social accounts.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Minnesota Star Tribune profiled her Frazee-based work in 2024.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Viral video or post · Several videos went viral; a Thanksgiving Costco video had reached roughly 30 million views by the 2024 profile.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Justin Flom
Eden Prairie
- Earliest documented activity
- 2013 · Used online card-trick and visual-magic videos to extend an existing live-performance career.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Minnesota Star Tribune documented the online expansion in 2014.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Mainstream and television crossover · A card-trick video and related clips widened his audience beyond live magic.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Food Dolls
Eden Prairie
- Earliest documented activity
- 2015 · Alia and Radwa Elkaffas launched their first food-video page.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Minnesota Star Tribune documented the sisters’ history and later food-media business in 2025.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Viral video or post · An oven-baked spaghetti video in August 2021 marked the point when the project’s reach accelerated.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Connor Franta
La Crescent
- Earliest documented activity
- 2010 · Posted his first YouTube video while attending high school in La Crescent.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Minnesota Star Tribune profiled his Minnesota beginning and public career in 2015.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Audience and channel growth · The high-school video blog passed one million subscribers by 2013.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Read the detailed profile or timelineAndy George
Minneapolis
- Earliest documented activity
- 2015 · Moved the How to Make Everything documentary concept onto YouTube.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- Tubefilter profiled the channel and its development in 2019.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Viral video or post · The “How to Make a $1,500 Sandwich” video brought wide attention to the from-scratch format.
Retained sources: Tubefilter CREATOR-INDUSTRY REPORTING · How To Make Everything on Patreon OFFICIAL CREATOR · Source date not recorded
Yung Gravy
Rochester
- Earliest documented activity
- 2016 · Quit his job to focus on rap and uploaded his first tracks to SoundCloud.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- SoundCloud’s editorial series later documented the platform-led origin; Minnesota reporting separately supports his Rochester relationship.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Music and chart crossover · “Mr. Clean” gained traction on SoundCloud before later label and chart recognition.
Retained sources: SoundCloud OFFICIAL PLATFORM PROFILE · Source date not recordedMinnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Kenny Jary
Mahtomedi area
- Earliest documented activity
- 2021 · A neighbor created the Patriotic Kenny TikTok account and began posting scooter-centered videos.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- Stars and Stripes later documented the account’s public rise and veteran-support work.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Viral video or post · The scooter videos went viral, and an initial replacement-scooter fundraiser drew more than $110,000 within weeks.
Retained sources: Stars and Stripes INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Zach Johnson
Lowry area
- Earliest documented activity
- 2017 · Began publishing Millennial Farmer videos from the family farm near Lowry.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Minnesota Star Tribune documented the channel’s origin and growth in 2022.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Audience and channel growth · A September 2017 harvest video caught on, establishing the repeatable farm-video format.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Josie Lewis
Northern Minnesota; based in Saint Paul
- Earliest documented activity
- 2017 · Shared a time-lapse process video, then began publishing daily.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- Bethel University documented the account’s growth and wider creative work in 2019.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Viral video or post · The account grew from several hundred followers to more than 100,000 within three months.
Retained sources: Bethel University OFFICIAL INSTITUTION · Josie Lewis OFFICIAL CREATOR · Source date not recorded
Josh Liljenquist
Fairmont; currently based in Chaska
- Earliest documented activity
- 2019 · Josh’s published biography says his creator work began in 2019 during his Minnesota State University, Mankato period.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Mankato Free Press independently documented his creator work in July 2020.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Independent public-work documentation · No single breakthrough date is asserted. Later reporting separately documents the development of community-support and human-interest work.
Retained sources: Josh Liljenquist FIRST-PARTY BIOGRAPHY · Source date not recordedMankato Free Press INDEPENDENT REPORTING · Axios Twin Cities INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Read the detailed profile or timelineJohn O'Sullivan
Twin Cities and statewide
- Earliest documented activity
- 2021 · Started One Minute Tours as a short-form extension of his Minnesota walking-tour work.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- MPR News profiled the format in August 2022 after he had been publishing it for more than a year.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Local place-series recognition · The repeatable one-minute local-tour format expanded beyond its original marketing purpose.
Retained sources: MPR News INDEPENDENT REPORTING · Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Abraham Piper
Minneapolis
- Earliest documented activity
- 2010 · Began the 22 Words web-publishing project; later shifted into short-form commentary.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- A 2021 Minnesota Star Tribune profile documented the web business and TikTok growth.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Audience and channel growth · Short-form commentary beginning in 2020 developed a large TikTok audience.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Snake Discovery
Woodbury and Maplewood
- Earliest documented activity
- 2017 · Emily Roberts began publishing reptile-education videos under the Snake Discovery identity.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- Woodbury Magazine documented the project’s 2017 online start and Maplewood operation in 2024.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Audience and channel growth · The education channel expanded into a creator-led reptile education organization and zoo.
Retained sources: Woodbury Magazine INDEPENDENT LOCAL PROFILE · Explore Minnesota OFFICIAL STATE TOURISM · Source date not recorded
Squirmy and Grubs
Minneapolis
- Earliest documented activity
- 2018 · Shane and Hannah Burcaw launched their relationship and disability-storytelling channel.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Minnesota Star Tribune documented their Minneapolis-based operation and public recognition in 2019.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Audience and channel growth · Candid interabled-couple storytelling developed into a large online audience.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Dillon White
Woodbury
- Earliest documented activity
- Date not precisely established · Began DadChats after a student introduced him to TikTok; the retained source does not establish an exact start year.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- A 2026 Minnesota Star Tribune profile documented the Woodbury family-comedy operation.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Viral video or post · A dog video reached about 20 million views within its first 30 days, according to the profile.
Retained sources: Minnesota Star Tribune INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Adam Young
Owatonna
- Earliest documented activity
- 2007 · Uploaded homemade Owl City recordings to MySpace from Owatonna.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- The Guardian reconstructed the project’s online origin and label-era expansion in 2010.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Music and chart crossover · The 2009 single “Fireflies” carried the internet-originated project into international chart recognition.
Retained sources: The Guardian INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Read the detailed profile or timelineTay Zonday
Minneapolis
- Earliest documented activity
- 2007 · Uploaded his first YouTube video in February 2007 while a University of Minnesota doctoral student.
- Retained coverage or documentation
- TIME later documented the upload sequence and its place in early internet culture.
- Breakthrough or wider recognition
- Viral video or post · “Chocolate Rain,” uploaded April 22, 2007, became an early viral-video landmark and led to national television appearances.
Retained sources: TIME INDEPENDENT REPORTING ·
Read the detailed profile or timelineMethod and evidence boundaries
A record requires a meaningful earliest creator or public-internet milestone plus independently or institutionally documented coverage, breakthrough work, or wider recognition. Creator-controlled evidence is labeled and is not converted into independent corroboration.
Josh Liljenquist follows the same rule: 2019 is a first-party start statement, July 2020 is the first independent creator profile retained here, and no single unsupported breakthrough date is assigned.
Download the public JSON dataset. Last verified September 21, 2026.