Editor's note: This story has been adapted from a feature originally published by Y Magazine.
Mark Rober has always had a thing for pranks. From serving vinegar to his sister as a boy to making a contraption to access a friend’s Nintendo 64 in college, thinking outside the box seems to come naturally to him.
For most people, shenanigans like these usually don’t continue into adulthood—but in Rober’s case, it’s made him a YouTube star.
Today, the Latter-day Saint engineer’s channel has nearly 20 million subscribers, and the feats he has pulled off are impressive: glitter bombs hidden in porch-pirated packages, a Jell-O-filled swimming pool, and the world’s largest Nerf gun are just a few of the things he’s dreamed up.
The Latter-day Saint and Brigham Young University graduate has also had an impressive career outside of pulling pranks, including working on the Mars Curiosity rover at NASA and virtual reality for self-driving cars for Apple. So not only are his YouTube videos creative, but he has the expertise needed to accomplished his latest and greatest. A new feature at Y Magazine highlights Rober’s career and success, which has earned the attention of people like Jimmy Kimmel. In fact, Rober and Kimmel are even working on a new Discovery Channel show together.
But one of the best things about Rober’s line of work? There are limitless possibilities.
“That’s the cool thing about being an engineer,” Rober told Y Magazine. “You can just will something into existence.”
Learn more about Rober and watch some of his YouTube videos at Y Magazine.
