Adande Thorne

Last updated

Adande Thorne
Thorne in 2016 (cropped).png
Thorne at the White House in 2016
Personal information
Born (1980-07-10) July 10, 1980 (age 44)
Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago
NationalityTrinidadian, American
Occupation(s) YouTuber, animator, comedian, actor
YouTube information
Also known assWooZie
Channel
Years active2006–present
Genre(s)Comedy, vlogging, animation
Subscribers7.75 million [1]
Total views1.42 billion [1]
Associated acts Michelle Phan
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg100,000 subscribers2007
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg1,000,000 subscribers2013
Last updated: August 3, 2023

Adande Thorne (born July 10, 1980), [2] [3] better known by his YouTube username Swoozie (stylized as sWooZie), is a Trinidadian-American YouTube personality, animator, comedian, and actor. [4] [5] [6] As of August 2023, his YouTube channel has over 1.4 billion views. [7] In 2015, he signed with the Creative Artists Agency. [8] [9] In January 2016, he was one of three people who interviewed President Barack Obama during a YouTube livestream. [10]

Contents

As a professional gamer, Thorne competed in Dead or Alive 4 for the Los Angeles Complexity in the Championship Gaming Series and the reality series WCG Ultimate Gamer . [11]

Early life

Thorne was born in Trinidad and raised in Diego Martin, Trinidad. His parents both attended Pace University. Two years after Thorne was born, his parents had a second child: his younger sister Njideka (Deka). He and his family later moved to the United States. During middle school, Thorne attended a religious private school. [12] Thorne transferred back to the public school system in the 10th grade, where he attended West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Florida, where he grew up. [13] During this time, his friends called him "Swoosh" because of his preference for Nike clothing, whose logo was the Swoosh. This nickname later morphed into "Swoozie". [12]

During high school, Thorne was employed at Disney's Hollywood Studios in order to support his gaming hobby. [12]

Thorne applied to Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD) and California Institute of the Arts because of his interest in animation but was rejected from both. [12]

Career

Thorne's interview with President Obama

Gaming

After Thorne worked at Disney, he was a lifeguard at Hard Rock Hotel. During this time, he became very successful at the video game Dead or Alive 3 and garnered an online reputation. [12]

Because of his notoriety, Thorne was asked to compete in the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) by DirecTV. He was later drafted by the Los Angeles Complexity team and played for one season but remained on the show as an on-camera personality for season two. His work on the CGS got him work shoutcasting for various events and later got him cast in WCG Ultimate Gamer. [2] [14] [15]

YouTube

Thorne began uploading vlogs onto YouTube to keep his friend and co-workers updated about his travels while he was competing in CGS. [16] [17] Later, he and YouTuber Michelle Phan did a collaborative video, which propelled his subscriber count. They had become acquainted through a mutual acquaintance at RCAD, where Phan was attending. [18] Because of this growth, YouTube sent Thorne a $1600 gift-card to purchase camera equipment. [12]

Thorne ran the gaming YouTube channel "Press Start" with Phan, last active in December 2011 as of December 2020. [19]

In 2017, Thorne hosted the shoe design competition web series, Lace Up: The Ultimate Sneaker Challenge, on YouTube Red. [13] [20]

As of August 2023, his YouTube channel sWooZie which he started on February 8, 2006, has over 1.42 billion views and 7.7 million subscribers. [7]

Acting

Thorne had a minor role in the film The Space Between Us (2017).

Personal life

Thorne's grandmother is Chinese Trinidadian and Tobagonian. [21]

Thorne is a Christian. [21]

Awards and nominations

YearNominatedAwardResult
2016 Streamy Awards AnimatedWon

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter Garden, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Winter Garden is a city in western Orange County, Florida, United States. Located 14 miles (23 km) west of Downtown Orlando, it is part of the Orlando metropolitan area. The population was 46,964 as of the 2020 census.

Dead or Alive is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo. The gameplay of the series is primarily composed of fast-paced hand-to-hand combat in a 3-Dimensional playing field that began with the first game released in 1996, followed by five main sequels, numerous updates, spin-offs, printed media, a film adaptation, and merchandise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grubby</span> Dutch professional esports player (born 1986)

Manuel Schenkhuizen, better known as Grubby, is a Dutch internet personality and former professional esports player. He competed in the real-time strategy genre, predominantly playing Warcraft III (WC3), Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne and Starcraft II. Grubby is one of the most successful WC3 players of all time, as an Orc player, having won more than 38 LAN tournaments, of which six were World Championships. His command over the Horde placed him early enough among the elite of the WC3 players, while his clash with Jang "Spirit Moon" Jae-ho rewarded him with a legendary status among the fans of the game. Grubby is known for being part of some of the most successful WC3 teams in history, namely the British 4Kings. Later teams include the Danish MeetYourMakers and the North American Evil Geniuses. Grubby is widely regarded as one of the greatest Orc players of all time. Grubby is now a popular full-time streamer on Twitch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickelodeon Studios</span> Former production studio and attraction

Nickelodeon Studios was a production studio and theme park attraction run by the television network Nickelodeon at Universal Studios Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masahiro Sakurai</span> Japanese video game designer (born 1970)

Masahiro Sakurai is a Japanese video game director and game designer best known as the creator of the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. series. Apart from his work on those series, he also led the design of Meteos in 2005 and directed Kid Icarus: Uprising in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaton (gamer)</span> Swedish esports player and manager

Emil Pathric William Christensen, also known as HeatoN, is a Swedish esports manager and former professional Counter-Strike player, who played as captain of the gaming team Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP). HeatoN was the manager of NiP up until October 2018 when he decided to part ways with the organisation to focus on his own brand. He is widely considered one of the best Counter-Strike players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kat Gunn</span> American professional esports player, cosplayer and television personality (born 1988)

Katherine Gunn, also known by her online alias Mystik, is an American esports player, cosplayer and television personality. She won the second season of WCG Ultimate Gamer in 2010 and also competed in the Championship Gaming Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Arteaga</span> American professional esports player

Vanessa Arteaga, also known as just Vanessa, is a former professional video game player who plays fighting games. She is from California. Arteaga was the first pick in the draft of the Championship Gaming Series video game league list of players, excelling in the area of fighting games such as Dead or Alive 4. In the 2007 Championship Gaming Series Season, Vanessa went undefeated leading San Francisco to win first place in the Dead or Alive 4 Female Individual season. In the 2008 Championship Gaming Series Season, San Francisco Optx with a team of NinjaCW and Vanessa Arteaga finished 2nd to the Birmingham Salvo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Plott</span> American esports player and commentator (born 1986)

Sean Saintmichael Plott, better known as Day[9], is an American esports commentator, player, event host, streamer and game designer. Plott is best known for his contributions in the professional StarCraft scene, where he regularly appeared first as a player and later as a commentator and host at various tournaments for the game for many years. He has also played other competitive games such as Magic: The Gathering, Hearthstone, and Dota 2. For the latter, Plott co-hosted The International 2017, the game's premier tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Grimmie</span> American singer and YouTuber (1994–2016)

Christina Victoria Grimmie was an American singer-songwriter, actress and YouTuber. In 2009, she began posting covers of popular songs onto YouTube. After releasing her debut EP, Find Me (2011), her YouTube channel reached one million subscribers. After she reached two million subscribers, she released her debut studio album, With Love (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PewDiePie</span> Swedish YouTuber (born 1989)

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, is a Swedish YouTuber known for his comedic videos. Kjellberg's popularity on YouTube and extensive media coverage has made him one of the most noted online personalities and content creators. He has been portrayed in media as a figurehead for YouTube, especially in the genre of gaming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syndicate (Internet personality)</span> English YouTuber and Twitch streamer (born 1993)

Thomas George Cassell, known online as Syndicate, is an English YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Regarded as one of the earlier known gaming personalities, his videography consists of Let's Play videos on Call of Duty and Minecraft. Born in Manchester, Cassell had passion for a career in the gaming industry, which he started by purchasing gaming equipment using his money from McDonald's. On 3 September 2010, Cassell registered his gaming channel "TheSyndicateProject", where he found success and an online community. His prominence online was recognized by Call of Duty publisher Activision and multi-channel network (MCN) Machinima, where he signed to the network to monetize his content. Cassell's channel achieved substantial growth, passing one million subscribers in June 2012 and one billion views in late 2013. He further expanded his career into livestreaming on Twitch, hosting the same commentary over his gameplays. His Twitch channel became the first to reach one million followers in August 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marques Brownlee</span> American YouTuber (born 1993)

Marques Keith Brownlee, also known professionally as MKBHD, is an American YouTuber, influencer, and professional ultimate frisbee player, best known for his videos reviewing technology devices. As of November 2024, he has more than 19 million subscribers across all channels and 4.95 billion total video views. In 2013, Vic Gundotra, a former senior vice president of Google, called Brownlee "the best technology reviewer on the planet right now". At the 10th Shorty Awards in 2019, he was named "Creator of the Decade" The former name of his YouTube channel is a concatenation of MKB and HD. With New York PoNY, he is the 2022 WFDF World Champion in the Open Category for ultimate Frisbee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike LaBelle</span> American professional esports player

Michael LaBelle, is a web-based entertainer, video producer, and a professional FIFA player for New York Red Bulls, previously known by the pseudonyms michs09 and Dirty Mike. He is known mostly for providing tips via nontraditional methods through YouTube and Twitch outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MatPat</span> American YouTuber (born 1986)

Matthew Robert Patrick, better known as MatPat, is an American semi-retired YouTuber and internet personality. He is the creator and former host of the YouTube series Game Theory, and its spin-off series Film Theory, Food Theory, and Style Theory, each analyzing various video games, films alongside TV series and web series, food, and fashion respectively. Each of the different series is posted on individual channels, each named after the respective series. In addition to the creation of his channels, MatPat narrated the majority of the videos that are presented on his channels before his departure on March 9, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domics</span> Canadian YouTuber (born 1990)

Dominic Panganiban, better known online as Domics, is a Filipino-born Canadian YouTuber, animator, and cartoonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Sanders (entertainer)</span> American internet personality

Thomas Sanders is an American singer, actor, voice actor, scriptwriter and internet personality made famous by Vine and YouTube. He is best known for his YouTube channel and Vine career, which lasted from April 2013 until the social media site was shut down by Twitter in 2017. After the shutdown of Vine, he continued releasing videos across various social media sites. Sanders creates long videos on YouTube, while simultaneously posting shorter videos in the style of Vine to Instagram, Tumblr, TikTok and Twitter. His work consists of comedy sketches, pranks, stories, singing and civil rights activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipsy</span> Beauty subscription service

IPSY is a beauty membership service.

Andrew Neeme is an American professional poker player and poker vlogger from Michigan, United States. He is known for popularizing the "meet-up game" in which he announces on social media where he plays and searches for other players interested in playing in the game. On January 3, 2022, Andrew Neme announced that he has become part owner of a card room in Austin, Texas, with fellow Vloggers Brad Owen and Doug Polk.

References

  1. 1 2 "About sWooZie". YouTube.
  2. 1 2 Ruby, Aaron (17 June 2007). "Ready to fight to the virtual death". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  3. ↑ sWooZie (10 July 2014). "Thanks for all the heart felt birthday wishes guys! When I get back in the country, party at Chuck E Cheese and you're all invited!". @swooz1e. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Busdeker, Jon (27 January 2015). "Catch Up with Busdeker: Swoozie, star twitch streamer". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  5. ↑ Watercutter, Angela (27 May 2011). "Slick HTML5 App Muro Animates Super Stick-Figure Videos". Wired. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  6. ↑ Sentinel, Orlando. "Catch Up with Busdeker: Swoozie, star YouTube vlogger". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 "sWooZie". YouTube. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  8. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (6 April 2015). "CAA Signs YouTube Animator Swoozie (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  9. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (6 April 2015). "Adande "Swoozie" Thorne Is Latest YouTube Star To Join CAA". Tubefilter. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Newcomb, Alyssa (15 January 2016). "Meet the YouTube Stars Who Will Interview President Obama". ABC News. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Downie, Heather (16 July 2008). "E3: Pro Gaming. Hopes to Hit Mainstream". ABC News. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thorne, Adande (6 June 2013). "Draw my Life ✎ sWooZie". YouTube. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  13. 1 2 Boedeker, Hal (17 November 2017). "YouTube star 'sWoozie' is from Central Florida". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  14. ↑ Kurek, Mary (17 November 2010). "Cashing in on Gamer Celebs". Casual Connect. Fall 2010: 20–23 – via Issuu.
  15. ↑ Meisner, Andrew (21 January 2010). "sWooZie - Syndicate Interview Series". Complexity Gaming. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  16. ↑ Valdez, Chris (1 May 2014). "Local You Tube vlogger Adande Thorne aka ( Swoozie ) hits 2 million subscribers". The Hawkeye. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  17. ↑ "Interview with Swoozie - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 8 January 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  18. ↑ Michelle Phan and sWooZie (how we met), 21 September 2011, retrieved 3 February 2020
  19. ↑ Michelle, Bijou (8 January 2012). Interview with Swoozie (Video).
  20. ↑ Montes, Patrick (7 September 2017). "YouTube Red Announces 'Lace Up: The Ultimate Sneaker Challenge'". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  21. 1 2 Baluch, Ali; Ali, Asif (22 May 2017). "swoozie talks about intervewing with obama, taking pictures with fans & his work ethic". the apartment with asif and baluch (Podcast). Retrieved 3 February 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.