Donut Media began in 2015 as an effort to make automotive content accessible to a broad audience. A viral 2016 video brought early attention; the recurring series Up to Speed, launched in summer 2017, helped turn that attention into a recognizable slate of shows. Recurrent Ventures acquired Donut in 2021, when the company had expanded into podcasts, merchandise, and collectibles. A later distribution milestone came in 2026, when Tubi began streaming HiLow.
How Donut Media began
Ben Conrad, Matthew Levin, and Nick Moceri founded Donut Media in 2015 as a multi-platform company focused on making automotive content accessible to more than specialist enthusiasts. Its early identity was built around videos that could introduce car culture through approachable stories and entertainment.
The 2016 viral breakthrough
Recurrent Ventures’ 2021 acquisition announcement says Donut first rose to fame with the 2016 video “Two Grannies, One Lamborghini”, which it reported had 10.5 million views. That figure is the acquiring company’s retrospective account, not an independently verified measurement: Recurrent Ventures’ November 9, 2021 announcement.
How one-off viral videos became a slate of shows
Up to Speed made the format recurring
Donut launched Up to Speed in summer 2017. The series explored the history and significance of iconic cars, giving viewers a repeatable format rather than a single viral premise. Recurrent said in 2021 that the series helped Donut’s audience grow by 439 percent in 2017. That is the company’s reported figure and attribution, not an independently verified audience calculation.
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Distinct shows broadened the subject matter
By the time of the 2021 acquisition announcement, Donut’s documented programming included several recognizable formats:
- Up to Speed: stories about the history and cultural significance of iconic cars.
- Money Pit: project-car content.
- HiLow: a comparison of less expensive and more expensive parts.
Recurrent described seven additional YouTube series beyond the named shows, along with two podcasts. Those counts reflect the company’s November 2021 snapshot, not a verified current lineup.
What Donut looked like when Recurrent acquired it
On November 9, 2021, Recurrent Ventures announced that it had acquired Donut Media. The acquisition announcement portrayed Donut as a larger entertainment business, not only a YouTube channel: it cited more than 30 full-time staff members, merchandise, car collectibles, and a wholly owned collectibles brand called STOCKY. Recurrent said STOCKY had secured nearly half a million dollars in pre-sales. These are all figures and descriptions from the buyer’s announcement at the time.
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The announcement also reported Donut’s audience figures as 78 million monthly video views, 5.8 million YouTube subscribers, 4 million Facebook followers, and 1.2 million Instagram followers. These are historical company-reported numbers from November 2021; they should not be read as current platform counts.
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Leadership and the stated rationale
Recurrent said co-founder Matthew Levin would remain involved in day-to-day leadership and also take on the role of Recurrent’s senior vice president of video, overseeing its video strategy. In the announcement, Levin described the decision as a search for a partner that valued Donut’s creative voice and culture. Recurrent CEO Lance Johnson said the company intended to provide more resources and apply what he called its “Recurrent Playbook.” Those statements describe the parties’ rationale at acquisition; they do not establish how creative control or resources changed afterward.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Donut before and at the 2021 acquisition
| Aspect | Before the acquisition announcement | Company snapshot at acquisition |
|---|---|---|
| Content model | Early viral videos, followed by recurring programming such as Up to Speed, launched in summer 2017. | Multiple YouTube series, including Up to Speed, Money Pit, and HiLow; Recurrent also reported seven additional series and two podcasts. |
| Business activities | The founding description emphasizes accessible automotive content. | Recurrent reported more than 30 full-time staff members, merchandise, car collectibles, and the STOCKY brand. |
| Ownership and leadership | Founded by Ben Conrad, Matthew Levin, and Nick Moceri. | Recurrent announced its acquisition; it said Levin would stay in day-to-day leadership and oversee Recurrent’s video strategy. |
| Audience figures | Not stated as a comparable pre-acquisition figure in the cited announcement. | Recurrent reported 78 million monthly video views, 5.8 million YouTube subscribers, 4 million Facebook followers, and 1.2 million Instagram followers in November 2021. |
The comparison shows a documented expansion in formats and business activities by the acquisition announcement. The available figures do not establish a measured post-acquisition change in audience, programming quality, or creative control.
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A later distribution marker: HiLow on Tubi
Recurrent’s news listing reports that Tubi began streaming HiLow on May 27, 2026: Recurrent Ventures news. This is evidence of a later distribution outlet for that series only. The listing does not establish the geographic availability or current catalog status, and it does not say that Donut’s entire catalog moved to Tubi.
What the documented history does—and does not—show
The clearest supported arc is from early viral automotive videos to recurring formats, then to a broader slate and business at the time Recurrent announced its acquisition. The 2021 announcement is the main source for the founding, programming, audience, and business details; it is a first-party account from the buyer and is promotional in nature. Contemporaneous trade coverage of the acquisition was also published by Tubefilter.
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