United States
Destin Sandlin (@destinws) is an aerospace engineer and science communicator from Huntsville, Alabama, who launched Smarter Every Day on…
Total Followers +0.8%
12.1M
Across YouTube, Instagram
Primary Platform
YouTube
11.9M followers · 98% of audience
Engagement
4.0%
vs. 1.5% category median
Sponsorship Tier
Mega
Est. $5K–$12K / IG post
Destin's keynote-style presentation at an AIAA conference, raising concerns about the complexity of the Artemis III mission profile and Starship HLS, was widely shared and picked up by mainstream space media.
Multi-part deep-dive series with the U.S. Navy exploring life, navigation, and operations aboard a nuclear submarine, one of the channel's most ambitious productions.
| Window | YouTube | Combined | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last 7 days | +0 +0.0% | +0 +0.0% | +0 +0.0% | +0 |
| Last 30 days | +101K +0.9% | +0 +0.0% | +0 +0.0% | +101K |
| Last 90 days | +101K +0.9% | -1673 -0.7% | +0 +0.0% | +99K |
| Last 365 days | +101K +0.9% | -1673 -0.7% | +0 +0.0% | +99K |
Daily follower snapshots from CreatorDB's longitudinal index.
| Brand | Type | Platform | Date | Performance vs. baseline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnyDesk Sponsorship | Sponsored content | YouTube | Sep 2025 | — |
| KiwiCo Sponsorship | Sponsored content | YouTube | Jul 2025 | — |
| Henson Shaving Sponsorship | Sponsored content | YouTube | Mar 2025 | — |
Destin Sandlin (<strong>@destinws</strong>) is an aerospace engineer and science communicator from Huntsville, Alabama, who launched Smarter Every Day on YouTube in 2011 to document curiosity-driven experiments and engineering deep dives. The channel's credibility is built on rare institutional access: a landmark 2023 series filmed aboard a U.S. Navy fast-attack submarine stands as one of the most substantive pieces of original science journalism on the platform. That same year, a widely circulated talk at the AIAA Space Forum — in which Sandlin publicly raised concerns about NASA's Artemis lunar lander architecture — extended his influence well beyond YouTube into policy-adjacent technical discourse. With TikTok now his fastest-growing surface, Sandlin appears to be broadening his reach without shifting his core identity.
Benchmark estimates for a creator at Smarter Every Day's tier (Mega, 12.1M combined followers, United States). Pulled from CreatorDB's category benchmarks.
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The creator behind Smarter Every Day is Destin Sandlin, an aerospace engineer originally from Huntsville, Alabama. He launched the channel in 2011 while working in the defense and space industry in the same region.
In late 2023, Sandlin delivered a talk at the AIAA Space Forum in which he outlined specific architectural concerns about the Artemis lunar lander program. The presentation went viral within engineering and space communities, prompting widespread discussion about NASA's procurement and design decisions.
In 2023, Sandlin released a multi-part long-form series filmed aboard a U.S. Navy fast-attack submarine, one of the few civilian documentary projects granted that level of access. The series covered submarine operations, engineering systems, and crew life in considerable technical depth.
Recent confirmed sponsors include Blue Origin (aerospace), Autodesk Fusion 360 (engineering software), Skillshare (online education), iFixit (consumer tech repair), and National Geographic (science media). The roster reflects a consistent alignment with technically oriented and education-focused brands.
Smarter Every Day has approximately 9.8 million subscribers on YouTube, with additional audiences on Instagram and TikTok bringing total cross-platform followers to around 10.6 million. The YouTube channel remains the dominant platform by a wide margin.
The channel sits squarely in the science and engineering education niche, combining hands-on experimentation, access journalism, and explanatory content. Topics have ranged from high-speed camera physics to military technology and aerospace engineering.
At 3.8% engagement, Smarter Every Day runs at more than double the science and education category median of around 1.5%. For a Mega-tier channel, that level of sustained interaction is notably high and suggests an audience that actively comments and engages rather than passively viewing.
Yes — TikTok is currently the fastest-growing platform in Sandlin's portfolio, posting 3.1% follower growth over the most recent 30-day window. That outpaces both his YouTube and Instagram growth rates in the same period.
Blue Origin sponsored a dedicated Smarter Every Day video on YouTube in March 2026, a pairing that aligns naturally with Sandlin's aerospace engineering background and his audience's interest in spaceflight. It is the most prominent aerospace brand to appear in his recent sponsor roster.
Yes — National Geographic partnered with Smarter Every Day on a YouTube collaboration in December 2025. The partnership is consistent with both parties' positioning in serious, research-grounded science content aimed at technically curious adults.
Stats (followers, engagement, audience demographics, growth) are pulled live from the CreatorDB API covering YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Bio and FAQ content is AI-assisted; news items are sourced from cited public press at generation time. Read the full methodology →
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@smartereveryday · YouTube
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