Back in 2014, Buzzfeed dominated YouTube, churning out dozens of videos each week that consistently went viral. The creative forces behind those hits — writers and video producers alike — quickly became internet stars. Among them was Ryan Bergara, who carved out his niche with Buzzfeed Unsolved, a hit web series that explored unsolved true crime cases.
Like many of his Buzzfeed colleagues, Bergara eventually left the company to forge his own path and gain creative ownership. In 2019, he co-founded Watcher Entertainment alongside fellow Buzzfeed alums Shane Madej and Steven Lim. More than five years later, Watcher has grown into a thriving platform, and Bergara is still diving into unsolved mysteries and the paranormal with Madej and Lim by his side.
At VidCon 2025, we caught up with Bergara to talk about his viral beginnings, building Watcher from the ground up, and the advice he has for creators just starting out.
Do you remember your first viral video?
It was my first video on Buzzfeed, and weirdly, it was a taste test — mothers and daughters trying tequila together. My boss had a box of tequila lying around, and for some reason, a lot of moms were visiting their daughters at work that day. So I was like, "Would you guys like to try these tequilas in pairs?" That was my magnum opus right there.
What was the catalyst for realizing that it was time to go out on your own and make content without the backing of a big media group?
Just the ownership of the content. A lot of the things that we do at Watcher have their own voice and the way that we do them. And I had made a big show at BuzzFeed called BuzzFeed Unsolved, and it started my career. I owe almost everything to that, but one thing I didn't have with Buzzfeed Unsolved was ownership of the content. So it made sense to go out and create something of my own and see what happens there, and have full ownership for better or worse.
I remember my first Buzzfeed Unsolved video — it was the Elisa Lam video
That was actually the first Unsolved video that went viral. And I just remember going to sleep, and I woke up the next morning, and it had millions of views, and I thought my phone had glitched or something. That was wild and terrifying and fun and really kicked things off.
So you have this trajectory of working at BuzzFeed and then going out on your own. What were the challenges of starting Watcher?
Honestly, all the business aspects of it. I came from a place where a lot of things were taken care of for us, and I was only tasked with leading the creative team and making Unsolved. Then with Watcher, there are other things you need to do, running a business and being a boss, which I'm figuring out on the fly to this day.
What has the experience been like growing an audience? Was it all at once, or was there a slow and steady buildup?
I would say it was a slow and steady build. A large part of that was because we had a very close-knit, friendly, and fun community that has slowly snowballed over time. Then, we did things like a post-mortem, where we could actually talk directly to the audience and get feedback on the show. We continue to do that at Watcher with Ghost Files Debrief.
You and Shane Madej have been making ghost and unsolved content for years. How are you keeping things fresh while still honoring what fans love?
For a second, I thought you said me and Shane have been making ghosts.
Yeah, you guys have been making up ghosts for years.
No, I thought you meant we were, like, making ghosts from scratch, killing people, yeah? Which I didn't realize I was out there.
Well, it's now breaking news at Mashable.
But sorry, what was the question?
You guys have been making this content for years. How are you keeping it fresh?
I mean, that's always the tough thing. As a content creator, if you have a format or a show that really catches on there, you do still have to change it up.
Even this next season of Ghost Files, we're trying to do that, scaling it down, trying to make it a little bit more isolated and personal feeling. You just take the feedback from the audience and do what you can, while still trying to honor what you're trying to do. It's a fun puzzle to figure out.
Have you experienced significant slumps in content creation? How have you overcome that?
For every content creator, especially anybody who works on the internet, there is a burnout that comes with it. There's the mental treadmill of a weekly release on YouTube, and that comes with the territory — a small price to pay for an otherwise pretty fun, rewarding life.
Anytime there has been a slump, I come back to the audience. Sometimes people come up to me on the street and they'll say how much our very silly ghost hunting show helped them get through a very tough time in their life, and that means a lot to me. And the bonus is that I actually enjoy doing the content as well. But the support of the fan base is one of the things that helps you pull through.
And do you have any advice for creators who are just at the start of their careers?
Just keep making things. The biggest hindrance for me was getting a little too precious at times. Just be a little bit more open to making mistakes and figuring things out on the fly because that's where you figure out your voice. If you try and make everything immaculate and very planned out, you stifle that accidental creativity. Leave room for moments of inspiration, and the best thing to do is just keep trying it and doing it.
