● Rec Scene 04 · The story so far
Not normal
since 1990
new york, the 368 years
Dan Mace is a filmmaker, YouTuber and director from Cape Town, South Africa.
Over more than a decade behind the camera he has directed over 100 commercials, music videos, documentaries and short films across six continents, and built an audience of over 31 million subscribers between his own channel and Beast Philanthropy’s, and over a billion views.
He started in commercials, and won three Cannes Lions Young Director Awards, the first South African to do it. Then, on a hike up a mountain in Cape Town, Casey Neistat asked him to move to New York and help build 368 and the daily vlog. He went, and became Casey’s creative partner.
His own channel followed: songs played on bricks and hair ties, a gang lord as a tour guide, an escape from an Indonesian prison, and The Bru Show on Discovery. In 2023 MrBeast made him Chief Creative Officer of Beast Philanthropy, where he and his team made 30+ films and won two Shorty Impact Awards.
Dan writes, produces, directs and edits most of his own work. He founded JOE Films and ALL OF US Studios in Cape Town, and he gives away what he knows: a free three-hour masterclass, and the sound packs he cuts with.
31M+
YouTube subscribers in total, across his own channel and Beast Philanthropy
1B+
views on his own channel and the Beast Philanthropy films he made
100+
commercials, music videos and documentaries
6
continents shot on
3×
Cannes Lions Young Director Award — the first South African to win three
● Chapters
01 · 2012 — 2015
Press play
A kid from Cape Town with a camera, shooting adventure films across Angola, Namibia and Mozambique and uploading them to a brand-new YouTube channel.
02 · 2015 — 2017
Dan the Director
Commercials for Tusker, Vodacom, Hunter's and Capitec. Three Cannes Lions Young Director Awards, the first South African to win three.
03 · 2016 — 2018
The Casey years
A hike up a Cape Town mountain with Casey Neistat, the godfather of YouTube, ended with an offer: move to New York, help build 368 and make the daily vlog. He went.
04 · 2019 — 2022
The Bru Show
Back home in Cape Town, the channel became a TV show: The Bru Show on Discovery. A truck turned into a camera, a hijacked cinema, a gang lord as a tour guide.
05 · 2023 — 2025
Beast Philanthropy
Chief Creative Officer of MrBeast's charity channel. Antarctica, 30+ films and two Shorty Impact Awards.
● The godfather of YouTube
“I left my fast growing trajectory in the traditional world and took the biggest gamble in my career (thank god I did take Casey up on his offer).”
Dan, on moving to New York to work with Casey Neistat
Read: 10 lessons from Casey →Awards
- Young Director Award ×3Cannes Lions
- Grand PrixAfrican Cristal Festival
- Shorty Impact Award ×2Shorty Awards, Los Angeles
- Editing CraftCiclope Africa
- BronzeThe Loeries
- Ad of the MonthCreative Circle
Most asked
Where is Dan Mace from?+
Cape Town, South Africa. He lives between South Africa and the USA.
How did Dan Mace start working with Casey Neistat?+
In 2016, on a hike up a mountain in Cape Town, Casey asked Dan to leave commercials, move to New York and help him build 368 and make his daily vlog. Dan became his creative partner, and Casey has been a mentor and friend ever since.
What did Dan Mace do at Beast Philanthropy?+
He was Chief Creative Officer of MrBeast's charity channel from January 2023. He and the JOE team planned, shot and edited its films, which won two Shorty Impact Awards in 2023.
What does Dan Mace edit with?+
Adobe Premiere Pro.
Does Dan Mace teach filmmaking?+
Yes. His three-hour masterclass, How to Master the Art of Filmmaking, is free on YouTube, and his sound packs are at danmacemasterclass.com.
How do I work with Dan Mace?+
Email gabe@danmace.com.