How LaurenZside Turned Gaming Videos Into a Multi-Business Creator Brand
LaurenZside turned a gaming YouTube channel with 10M+ subscribers into a multi-business creator brand spanning merchandise, publishing, podcasting, sponsorships, and social media. Her growth comes from a consistent “cute but creepy” identity that carries across projects like Z SIDE® merch and the Going Under graphic novel. Her strategy shows how creators can diversify revenue by expanding a recognizable brand rather than launching disconnected products.
LaurenZside has spent over a decade building a recognizable gaming brand on YouTube. Her content has evolved over the years, but the personality, humor, and creative style behind it have remained consistent. That consistency has led to projects beyond YouTube, including LaurenZside merch and her Going Under graphic novel.
In this breakdown, we'll look at LaurenZside's background, how her Creator business has expanded over the years, the strategy behind LaurenZside merchandise, and the different parts that make up her business today.
LaurenZside: Quick Bio Stats
Who Is LaurenZside? From Vlogs to One of YouTube's Biggest Gaming Creators
LaurenZside launched her YouTube channel in 2007, initially sharing vlogs and comedy skits before stepping away to focus on college.
After graduating, she discovered gaming commentary videos and noticed there weren't many women creating that type of content. Encouraged by her husband, Bobby, she returned to YouTube in 2013 with a new focus on gaming.
Over the following years, LaurenZside became known for videos centered around horror games, The Sims, Minecraft, and internet challenges.
Today, she has grown into one of YouTube's biggest gaming Creators, with millions of subscribers. Although she's expanded into other creative projects over the years, gaming content remains at the center of her brand.
The Strategy Behind LaurenZside's Growth
LaurenZside built her channel around entertaining ideas. Instead of relying on gameplay alone, many uploads begin with a simple premise that sparks curiosity.
Videos like "I Tried Working as a Landlord in The Sims 4...but I Belong in Jail" and "DO NOT Download These Cute Games...They're Actually Haunted!" tell viewers there's a story waiting to unfold before they even press play. The game provides the setting, while Lauren's reactions and commentary keep people watching.
LaurenZside also developed recognizable content pillars that viewers know they can come back to. The Sims challenges, horror games, creepy indie titles, bizarre simulators, and internet-inspired gaming videos all fit naturally on the same channel.
Her visual identity strengthened that consistency. Across her YouTube channel, social media, and later creative projects, Lauren leaned into a playful "cute but creepy" aesthetic.
Collaborations gave the channel another boost. Regular appearances with Creators like LDShadowLady, Joey Graceffa, iHasCupquake, and Dangthatsalongname introduced LaurenZside to overlapping gaming communities while creating group dynamics that viewers came to enjoy.
How LaurenZside Makes Money Beyond YouTube
LaurenZside has built a business that doesn't depend on a single source of income. Over the years, she's expanded into brand partnerships, publishing, podcasting, and merchandise. Each supports the other, giving fans multiple ways to engage with her work.
YouTube Is Still LaurenZside's Biggest Growth Channel
YouTube is where most people discover LaurenZside.
With more than 10 million subscribers, her channel generates advertising revenue while continually introducing new viewers to her videos. Her mix of The Sims, horror games, indie titles, and internet-inspired content gives YouTube's recommendation system a steady stream of searchable and shareable videos.
The channel also drives demand for everything else she launches. Whether she's releasing a new project or announcing a collaboration, YouTube is where millions of fans hear about it first.
Brand Partnerships Fit Naturally Into the Content
Sponsored content is another important part of LaurenZside's business.
Over the years, she's partnered with companies including Adobe, Disney, and Google. Her Everything is Creepy podcast has also featured sponsors such as Factor and Zocdoc.
These partnerships fit naturally because they complement an audience that's already highly engaged with digital entertainment. Rather than relying on sponsorships as the foundation of the business, Lauren uses them to support a Creator brand that's already driven by her own content and creative projects.
Going Under Expanded LaurenZside's Business
One of LaurenZside's biggest expansions came in 2025 with the release of Going Under, her debut graphic novel.
The project allowed her to enter publishing while staying true to the themes fans already associated with her work. In an interview with YouTube, Lauren said Going Under grew from the "cute but creepy" style that had already become a defining part of her channel, expanding that creative identity into a graphic novel.
Publishing an original graphic novel also creates a revenue stream that's independent of video views. It gives existing fans another way to support her work while introducing LaurenZside to readers who may not have discovered her through YouTube.
Every Platform Has a Different Job
Although YouTube is LaurenZside's largest platform, she doesn't rely on it alone.
Instagram, TikTok, and her secondary YouTube channels each serve a different purpose. Some keep fans updated between uploads. Others highlight short-form moments, announce new projects, or direct people to longer videos.
Together, these platforms help Lauren stay connected with her audience throughout the year while supporting launches across the rest of her business.
LaurenZside's Merch Strategy
LaurenZside's merch stands out because it turns moments from her content into something fans can actually own. Her store focuses on designs that capture the humor, characters, and visual style viewers already associate with her videos.
The Store Reflects LaurenZside's Creative Identity
The first thing that stands out about LaurenZside's merch store is its consistency.
Products like the Cupcake Queen collection, Sprinkle apparel, glow-in-the-dark designs, and Z SIDE® branding all reflect the same playful "cute but creepy" aesthetic that runs throughout her videos. Even without Lauren's name, many longtime viewers would recognize the style.
The Designs Come From the Content
LaurenZside's merch designs pull directly from recurring themes, characters, and inside jokes from her videos. The store turns recognizable moments into wearable designs. Fans can immediately connect each piece to something they've seen, making the products feel more personal and tied to her content.
Limited Collections Keep the Store Fresh
LaurenZside regularly introduces new collections instead of keeping the same catalog available year-round.
Her 10 Million Celebration collection is a good example. She turned it into a product launch that gave fans another way to celebrate it with her.
This approach gives people a reason to revisit the store while making each collection feel more special than permanent products.
What Creators Can Learn From LaurenZside
LaurenZside's business offers several lessons for Creators looking to build a brand that can grow beyond content. Here are some of the biggest takeaways:
1. Build a creative identity before expanding into new products
One reason Going Under felt like a natural next step is that LaurenZside had already spent years building a recognizable creative style. The graphic novel didn't introduce a new direction. It gave fans another way to experience a world they already understood.
For Creators, this is a reminder that products tend to perform better when they build on an existing identity rather than introducing one from scratch.
2. Own a style, not just a niche
Gaming is one of YouTube's biggest categories, but LaurenZside didn't stop at being a gaming Creator. Her audience associates her with a specific tone that's funny, slightly creepy, and full of unexpected twists.
Styles are harder to copy than niches. Thousands of Creators can play the same game, but very few can recreate a recognizable point of view.
3. Give your audience familiar building blocks
LaurenZside's videos change from week to week, but the channel always feels familiar. Fans know they'll see horror games, The Sims, bizarre simulators, or strange internet discoveries presented in a way that matches the brand.
That balance between familiarity and variety keeps a channel from feeling repetitive while giving viewers a reason to come back.
4. Expand into categories that strengthen the brand
Every successful Creator faces the question of what to build next. LaurenZside's answer wasn't to launch unrelated businesses. She expanded into publishing, podcasting, and merchandise, all of which reinforced the same creative direction.
The strongest Creator businesses usually grow through connected ideas. Each new project should make the overall brand stronger rather than pulling it in a different direction.
5. Build a brand people can recognize anywhere
By the time someone sees LaurenZside merchandise, a social media post, or the cover of Going Under, there's a good chance they'll recognize who it's from without reading her name.
That's a valuable position for any Creator. Recognition starts to come from visual identity, recurring themes, and creative consistency.
Conclusion
LaurenZside's business shows what can happen when a Creator builds more than a successful YouTube channel. Over time, she's created a recognizable creative identity that naturally extends into books, merchandise, and other projects her audience is excited to support.
More Creators are following a similar path. Instead of treating every product as a separate business, they're building brands that can grow across different formats while staying true to the ideas that attracted their audience in the first place.
The platform may introduce people to your work, but your brand is what gives them a reason to keep coming back. The stronger that brand becomes, the easier it is to create new opportunities wherever your audience chooses to follow.
Connect with LaurenZside
Richard is Head of Organic Growth at Fourthwall, with 14+ years of experience in the creator economy and ecommerce. He’s built businesses across the spectrum—from print-on-demand stores to custom cut-and-sew clothing lines, as well as selling digital products. He helps creators navigate merch strategy and build sustainable businesses.
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