Denis Kopotun
Denis Kopotun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 5, 1996 |
| Alma mater | University of British Columbia Okanagan (dropped out) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
| Known for | YouTube content creation; Denis and Me |
| Website | denisdaily |
Denis Kopotun, also known as Denis Daily and Denis, is a Canadian YouTuber and content creator based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is known for his Roblox and Minecraft gameplay videos, and is the creator of the animated children's television series Denis and Me. He was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Media list in 2023.[1]
Early life
[edit]Kopotun began posting videos online at age 11 as a creative outlet.[2] He has described an early interest in creating things, beginning with claymation stop-motion as a child.[2] He is from a Ukrainian family.[3]
He enrolled at the University of British Columbia Okanagan but dropped out[3] to pursue content creation full time.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]YouTube
[edit]Kopotun rose to mainstream audiences through Roblox and Minecraft gameplay videos on YouTube, where he goes by the name Denis Daily. By the time of his Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition in 2023, he had drawn more than 9 million subscribers on the platform.[3] As of 2022, he had made approximately 5,000 video postings, with his most popular video reaching 30 million views.[2]
During his Roblox gameplay, Kopotun developed original characters, including a cat companion called Sir Meows A Lot, who was featured in his series Denis and Me.[2]
On December 16, 2023, under the video, "My Next Chapter", Kopotun announced his departure from content creating, stating that his focus is shifting towards Roblox game development. Since then, Kopotun has not uploaded any video.
The Pals
[edit]The Pals was an American, Canadian, and English YouTuber group active from 2012 to 2019, consisting of five members: Denis (DenisDaily), Sub (SubZeroExtabyte), Alex (AlexCrafted), Sketch (Sk3tch), and Corl (CorlHorl). The group was known for their collaborative content primarily based on Roblox and Minecraft, gaining millions of subscribers across their individual and shared channels.
History
[edit]The group's shared YouTube channel was originally created by Sub on January 24, 2012, under the name "MayaTOOTS", before being renamed to "SubZeroExtabyte" and later "The Pals". Sub and Sketch initially used the channel to post Minecraft machinimas and animations. Sketch later departed to pursue his own channel, and the channel lay dormant until Sub returned on March 12, 2016, introducing new members Denis, Alex, and Corl. Sketch rejoined the group in September 2016, at which point the group shifted its focus predominantly to Roblox content, though they also produced the Minecraft series PalsCraft.
Corl's removal and disbandment
[edit]In early 2019, Corl came under criticism after responding to a fan's supportive message on Twitter (now known as X) with a dismissive and rude reply. The group asked Corl to issue an apology, which he refused, and he was subsequently removed from The Pals. Denis publicly announced Corl's departure on February 25, 2019.[4] Following his removal, Corl posted photographs of himself holding a shotgun to Twitter in July 2019, which proved highly controversial before being deleted.
The group's last upload was on February 21, 2019. On June 28, 2019, Denis announced via a community post on The Pals' YouTube channel that the group was officially disbanding, with all remaining members going on to pursue independent YouTube careers.
Reunion
[edit]On June 28, 2021, the second anniversary of the group's disbandment, Denis shared a screenshot of himself, Alex, Sketch, and Sub together on the Minecraft Time SMP server, creating speculation of a reunion. On July 1, 2021, the four briefly appeared together in Minecraft Time SMP Episode 23, though Denis then clarified that this did not indicate a reformation of the group.
Denis and Me
[edit]Denis and Me is an animated children's television series broadcast on WildBrain's Family Channel. It is produced by Headspinner Productions of Toronto and animated at Cartoon Conrad in Beaverbrook, Nova Scotia.[2]
The series originated from characters Kopotun developed while playing Roblox, specifically Denis and his cat sidekick Sir Meows A Lot.[2] Headspinner Productions president Michelle Melanson was introduced to Kopotun's content through co-creator and showrunner Diana Moore, whose son was a fan.[2] Kopotun records his dialogue from a home studio in Vancouver.[2]
The show reached its second season as of 2022, with four 11-minute specials beginning to air in February 2022 as a test toward longer episodes.[2] The animated YouTube channel associated with the series had accumulated nearly 400,000 subscribers and over 22 million views across its first two seasons.[2] A merchandise line was also launched in connection with the series.[2]
Business ventures and philanthropy
[edit]Kopotun serves as CEO of Denis Entertainment.[3] He has volunteered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, organized a charity livestream that raised over $50,000 for war relief efforts.[3]
Recognition
[edit]In 2023, Kopotun was included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Social Media category.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Forbes (January 1, 2023). "Denis Kopotun". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Derdeyn, Stuart (March 18, 2022). "Denis and Me creator builds career with Roblox". Vancouver Sun.
- ^ a b c d e f Forbes (January 1, 2023). "Denis Kopotun". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
- ^ "What Happened to 'The Pals'? Inside the Drama That Broke Them Apart". Distractify. 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2026-06-22.