Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 22, 2026

Ben Relles

Ben Relles is an entrepreneur and creator. He is the Founder and CEO of Make Believe, a company developing interactive video products and formats. His career in video started with the viral Obama Girl video in 2007.

Last revised
Jul 22, 2026
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≈ 3 min
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Ben Relles
Born1975 (age 50–51)
Wisconsin, United States
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison, Wharton School of Business
OccupationCEO of Make Believe

Ben Relles is an entrepreneur and creator. He is the Founder and CEO of Make Believe, a company developing interactive video products and formats.1 His career in video started with the viral Obama Girl video in 2007.

In 2007, Relles founded the comedy channel Barely Political, whose content has been reportedly viewed over 2.5 billion times. The channel “rose to prominence” with the "Obama Girl" series of videos.2 During his tenure, the network’s shows included The Key of Awesome, Super Therapy, and Auto-Tune the News.3 He developed the Vsauce network with Michael Stevens. As of 2026, the network has a combined 7 billion views on YouTube across Vsauce1, Vsauce2, and Vsauce3.

In 2011, while serving as Vice President of Programming at Next New Networks, Relles joined YouTube when the company and the channels Relles started were acquired.4 In 2014, Relles joined the YouTube Originals program as Head of Comedy. In this role, he oversaw development of new content from several high-profile comedy figures, including Kevin Hart and Rhett & Link.4

In 2020, Relles created the Good to Vote program to drive voter registration, and then partnered with HeadCount.org on the initiative.,56 To date, the program has registered over 400,000 voters by working with content creators and music artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande and Harry Styles. The program continued for the 2022 midterms and in the 2024 election.

After his time at YouTube, Relles worked with LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. In 2024, they worked together to create Reid AI, a “digital twin” of Hoffman. Reid AI was reportedly trained on 20 years of Reid’s content, including his books, podcasts, and interviews.7 Relles has given keynotes alongside Reid AI at multiple events, including the 2025 Silicon Valley Video Summit. That same year, Reid AI won the Webby for Best Use of AI in Video and Film.8

Relles received his MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School of Business.9

References

References

  1. Weprin, Alex (2026-05-21). "A YouTuber Turned Tech Exec Is Making a Big Bet On AI-Powered Interactive Entertainment (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  2. Woodson, Alex (2007-10-17). "Obama Girl's latest crush: Scannell's online startup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
  3. "Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, and more parodied in another hilarious 'Key of Awesome' spoof: Watch it here". EW.com. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
  4. Spangler, Todd (2019-04-09). "YouTube Jumping Into Interactive Programming, Led by Originals Exec Ben Relles". Variety. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
  5. Narducci, Marc (2020-10-29). "This Upper Dublin High School grad is using his Hollywood connections to get people registered to vote". Inquirer.com. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
  6. Gardner, Chris (2020-09-15). "Shaved Heads, Co-Star Reunions and Swearing Tutorials: Inside the Starry "Good to Vote" Campaign". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
  7. "Reid Hoffman's digital twin to give keynote at video summit | AV Magazine". Retrieved 2025-11-10.
  8. BASIC®. "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
  9. "Ben Relles". Wharton Magazine. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
External links