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Gohar Khan Gohar Khan At just 10 years old, Gohar Khan hit "record" on his first YouTube video. Like many young creators of his generation, he started with Minecraft walkthroughs, earning a modest $10,000 to 20,000 in ad revenue while still in middle school. Few could have predicted that those early uploads would ignite a journey culminating in 10 million followers across platforms and a freshly launched production studio, all before his 25th birthday.
"I started making YouTube content when I was really young," Khan recalled during a recent presentation. "I made my way into the traditional Minecraft phase that many YouTubers go through. I feel like it's sort of a rite of passage.
" After pausing his creator work to focus on academics, ultimately securing admission into MIT for computer science and business, aided by a slate of extracurricular achievements, Gohar rekindled his passion for content creation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sent home during his senior year, he casually posted TikToks hinting at his MIT background. The response was immediate.
"A few of those videos hinted at the fact that I went to MIT," he explained. "A lot of the questions were, 'How did you get in? Do you have any advice?' As I started responding to those comments, my account quickly became an admissions account." By the time he graduated, Khan had amassed 200,000 to 300,000 followers.
It was at that moment he made a life-altering decision: forgo the traditional path of software engineering, to his mother's initial dismay, and go all-in on building a career as a content creator. The Inflection Point: Betting on Short-Form Content Gohar's first breakout moment came not from long-form YouTube videos but from his strategic embrace of YouTube Shorts. Initially reposting TikToks to Shorts in 2021, he endured months of modest traction until October, when one video exploded, drawing nearly 15 million views in a single day.
"It almost felt as if someone at YouTube's headquarters had pushed a button to just activate my channel," he joked. Since then, Khan’s "Gohar’s Guide" brand has become a leading example of short-form storytelling. By balancing educational content with strong narrative hooks, he turns traditionally "boring" subjects like taxes, study tips and insurance into viral content.
His videos, typically around 30 to 40 seconds, often open with a highly relatable visual or scenario before transitioning into advice. "If your goal is to drive growth, the most important thing is to not assume anything about the viewer," he advised. "Craft every second of the content, because in shorts, the user’s constant temptation to scroll is always there.
" Gohar’s focus on visual storytelling, with an emphasis on color, movement and simplicity, is another critical factor behind his viral success. In a recent presentation, he shared examples like using food props ("people love looking at food") or setting up a relatable conflict within seconds to immediately engage viewers. A Solo Operator, Scaling Thoughtfully Until late 2024, Gohar managed his business entirely solo, supported only by remote virtual assistants.
His revenue breakdown reflects the new playbook for successful creators: roughly half from brand partnerships, a quarter from YouTube AdSense and a quarter from his educational consultancy, Next Admit, which he co-founded. "Shorts have been the largest revenue driver for my overall business," he shared. "Last year, half of my company's revenue came from short-form sponsorships.
" In 2025, Gohar is moving into a new phase of growth. He recently completed the buildout of his first professional studio in Connecticut, featuring multiple sets including a nostalgic 90s-style classroom. This milestone also allowed him to make his first full-time, in-person hire, a production assistant to help bring more ambitious content ideas to life.
"I'm thrilled to share that my studio build is complete! This feels like a momentous milestone in my YouTube journey," he wrote when announcing the move. For years, he had deconstructed his own bedroom and slept on the living room couch to make room for filming equipment. "As the son of first-generation immigrants, I'm grateful that my parents embraced my unconventional vision," he shared.
"Sacrificing their own comfort to help shape Gohar's Guide into what it is today." The Next Decade: Journalism, Innovation and Bigger Dreams Despite reaching milestones that many creators only dream of, Gohar feels he is barely scratching the surface. The next chapter involves a shift toward more journalistic and investigative storytelling, covering topics far beyond study tips.
"For the longest time, my videos have just been talking head advice behind a table. But now, I’m investing more in immersive storytelling," he said. "I want to appear in different scenes, tell stories in more dynamic ways.
" He is also leaning into AI tools to supercharge his creative process, using them to brainstorm and refine video scripts more efficiently. "Through constant iteration with AI, I essentially came to a collection of titles I'm going to be running with this month," he shared. And he is thinking long-term.
Rather than chasing ephemeral trends, Gohar is building infrastructure for longevity, including his own studio, a growing team and a diversified portfolio that includes consulting, education, and media partnerships..
