Hank Green facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hank Green
Green in 2023
Born	William Henry Green II (1980-05-05) May 5, 1980 (age 45) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Alma mater	Eckerd College (BS) University of Montana (MS)
Occupation	YouTube vlogger entrepreneur podcaster producer TikToker author musician comedian
Years active	2007–present
Notable work	Vlogbrothers Crash Course SciShow An Absolutely Remarkable Thing A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor Dear Hank & John
Spouse(s)	Katherine Green ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	1
Relatives	John Green (brother) Sarah Urist Green (sister-in-law)

Hank Green (born May 5, 1980) is an American YouTuber, science communicator, author, comedian, and business owner. He makes videos for the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers with his older brother, author John Green. Hank also hosts popular learning channels like Crash Course and SciShow.

Hank has supported important causes and created many other YouTube channels and podcasts. He has also released music and become very popular on TikTok. With his brother John, Hank helped start VidCon, a huge meeting for online video creators and fans. They also created the Project for Awesome, an annual online charity event.

Hank co-created The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012–2013). This web series was a modern version of Pride and Prejudice told through video blogs. It was the first web series to win an Emmy. Hank also helped start DFTBA Records, a company that sells merchandise. He also co-founded DFTBA Games and Pemberley Digital. Pemberley Digital makes video blog versions of classic books.

Green started an environmental technology blog called EcoGeek. This blog later became Complexly, a company that makes online videos and audio. Hank was the CEO of Complexly until late 2023. He also hosts the podcasts Dear Hank & John with his brother and Delete This with his wife. Another podcast he hosts is SciShow Tangents.

Hank's first novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, came out in 2018. Its sequel, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, was published in 2020. Both books became New York Times Best Sellers. In 2023, Hank was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer. Because of this, he stepped down as CEO of his companies. While recovering, Hank started performing stand-up comedy about his experience.

Early Life and Learning

William Henry Green II was born on May 5, 1980, in Birmingham, Alabama. His family soon moved to Orlando, Florida, where he grew up. He finished high school in 1998. Then, he earned a degree in Biochemistry from Eckerd College. He later got a master's degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana.

During high school and college, Hank designed websites for himself and others. His first website in 1994 was about Mars Pathfinder Mission. Later, he made IHateI4.com, about a highway in Florida. This website got attention from local news. Hank continued to be a web developer when he moved to Montana. He made websites for schools and environmental groups.

While in graduate school, Hank started "EcoGeek." This was a blog about new technologies that help the environment. EcoGeek grew into a big environmental publication. Hank has written about environmental issues for many well-known places. These include Scientific American, The Weather Channel, and The New York Times.

In the mid-2000s, Hank wrote for Mental Floss. He also helped write one of their books, Mental Floss: Scatterbrained.

YouTube Channels and Shows

As a Host

Vlogbrothers Channel

Green talking to the camera in a 2016 Vlogbrothers video

From January to December 2007, Hank and his brother John started a video blog project. It was called Brotherhood 2.0. The brothers agreed to only talk through daily video blogs for a whole year. They shared these videos on their YouTube channel, Vlogbrothers.

In 2008, John and Hank met their fans, known as "Nerdfighters." The first meeting had almost 100 people. Later, they were invited to Google's office to talk about their project. They also met about 400 young adults at a library. The brothers then went on a tour to 17 cities. During this tour, Hank released his first album, So Jokes.

The Green brothers have been interviewed on PotterCast. They have also been speakers at the Harry Potter fan convention LeakyCon. The Brotherhood 2.0 project helped the brothers talk more often. Before the project, they only talked once or twice a year. Now, they talk almost every day. They continue to post videos on Tuesdays and Fridays. Their videos cover many topics, from current events to jokes. As of January 2025, they have posted over 2,300 videos. The channel has more than 3.84 million subscribers. Their videos have been watched over 1 billion times.

Crash Course Learning Videos

In 2012, Hank and John created the educational YouTube channel Crash Course. This was part of YouTube's plan to fund new channels. The channel offers many courses based on high school subjects. It started with series on Biology and World History. John said that Crash Course is meant to get kids excited about learning. It is not meant to replace school materials. Their goal is to create videos that help with classroom learning. They hope the channel will one day cover all high school subjects.

The two brothers first hosted the channel. Hank taught science courses, and John taught history. The channel has since added new hosts like Craig Benzine and Phil Plait. It has also launched new courses like Astronomy and Physics. A separate channel, Crash Course: Kids, started in 2015. It has science videos for younger children.

Crash Course has been praised by students and teachers. It has received grants from Bill Gates. It also works with PBS Digital Studios to make more series. Most of its funding comes from viewers who support it on Patreon.

SciShow Science Channel

Hank Green started the science YouTube channel SciShow in 2012. Like Crash Course, YouTube first funded it. The channel has videos about science topics like chemistry and biology. It also features interviews and trivia shows with experts. Hank said that SciShow aims to make science easy to understand. He wants to show that science is not always difficult. SciShow is meant to add to traditional education. Hank's goal is to be good at making videos so teachers can be good at other things.

Hank Green is the main host of SciShow. Michael Aranda also hosts, and Lindsey Doe and Emily Graslie sometimes appear. A spin-off channel, SciShow Space, started in 2014. It covers space topics and is hosted by Hank, Reid Reimers, and Caitlin Hofmeister. A third channel, SciShow Kids, began in 2015. It is for children aged 3 to 6. In 2017, SciShow Psych launched. It is hosted by Hank and Brit Garner. They teach about the human brain and provide clear psychology information.

SciShow has been promoted on billboards and TV commercials by YouTube. The channel has been called "informative, casual, and funny."

Other Channels Hank Hosted

PBS Eons is a channel that Hank Green hosts. It started in 2017. It tells the history of life on Earth, from the very beginning to the last Ice Age. As of June 2023, Eons has over 2.6 million subscribers.

Journey to the Microcosmos started in 2019. Hank Green hosts it. It explores the tiny world of microscopic things. Topics include bacteria and tardigrades. Bizarre Beasts started in 2020. It makes videos about unusual animals. Hank Green hosts it with Sarah Suta.

As a Producer

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was a web series created in 2012 by Hank Green and Bernie Su. It was a modern version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The story was told through vlogs. The series stars Ashley Clements and Mary Kate Wiles. The channel has over 160,000 subscribers. Hank also helped write the series. He also produced other series like Welcome to Sanditon (2013) and Emma (2014).

In 2012, Hank featured Emily Graslie in a Vlogbrothers video. She was a museum assistant and showed Hank many specimens. Fans liked her, so she got her own YouTube channel, The Brain Scoop. The series started in 2013. The Field Museum of Natural History later took over The Brain Scoop.

After Crash Course and SciShow became popular, Hank and his brother worked with Mental Floss. They created a YouTube channel based on the magazine. The first series, The List Show, features John sharing interesting facts. The channel also has Big Questions, hosted by Craig Benzine. Hank produces these series and sometimes hosts The List Show.

In 2014, Hank worked with Animal Wonders Inc. This group helps rescue animals and teaches about them. They launched a new YouTube channel called Animal Wonders. It is hosted by Jessi Knudsen Castañeda. The channel shows many animals from the center. It also gives information on pet care and animal behavior.

How to Adult was an educational channel that taught life skills to young adults. The Green brothers produced it. The series started in 2014 and ended in 2018.

Hank also produced the morning show, Cereal Time. It started in 2015 and was hosted by Charlotte McDonnell and Jimmy Hill. The show featured them talking over breakfast. It went on a break in 2016.

Other Media Projects

Music Albums

Green (right) playing guitar with Rob Scallon at Vidcon 2014

During the Brotherhood 2.0 project, Hank started writing and performing songs. His songs include "I'm Gonna Kill You" and "What Would Captain Picard Do?". His first popular song was "Accio Deathly Hallows". It was featured on YouTube's front page before the last Harry Potter book came out. It has been watched over two million times.

Hank's first album, So Jokes, was released in 2008. He has released four more albums since then: I'm So Bad at This: Live! (2009), This Machine Pwns n00bs (2009), Ellen Hardcastle (2011), and Incongruent (2014). The last one was with his band, Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers.

Novels

Hank Green's first novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, was published in 2018. It is a science fiction story about a young woman who becomes famous after finding an alien structure. The book became a New York Times Bestseller. The sequel, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, was released in 2020. It also made the New York Times Bestsellers list. When signing books, Hank often draws a symbol called the "Hanklerfish." It looks like an anglerfish.

Podcasts

In 2015, the Green brothers started a weekly podcast called Dear Hank & John. Delete This was launched in 2018. In this podcast, Hank and his wife Katherine talk about Hank's Twitter posts. SciShow Tangents, also launched in 2018, is a "knowledge showcase."

TikTok Videos

In 2019, Hank Green started making videos on TikTok. He has become very successful there. The New York Times called him a "top creator" on TikTok. As of June 2023^[update], he has over 7 million followers. His videos are mostly educational, funny, and about social topics. After a TikTok video spoke positively about his book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, his book sales on Amazon went up a lot.

In 2021, Hank announced he would donate his TikTok Creator Fund earnings to the First Nations Development Institute. In 2022, Hank made a YouTube video criticizing TikTok. He said that as TikTok gets more popular, creators earn less money from the Creator Fund.

Comedy Shows

In 2023, after his cancer diagnosis, Hank Green started creating a stand-up comedy show about his illness. He performed an early version of the show in his hometown of Missoula in July. He also performed in upstate New York in October.

Companies, Events, and Helping Others

Complexly Company

In 2016, Hank's company EcoGeek was renamed Complexly. Complexly is the main organization that produces most of Hank's YouTube shows. It also manages other shows, podcasts, and projects.

Project for Awesome

In 2007, Hank and John started an annual charity project called the Project for Awesome (P4A). During this event, YouTube users make videos to promote charities they choose. The event usually takes place in mid-December. The amount of money raised each year has grown. In 2021, the event raised a record $2,368,016.

DFTBA Records

DFTBA Records is a company that sells merchandise online. Hank Green and Alan Lastufka started it in 2008. The name "DFTBA" stands for "Don't Forget to Be Awesome." It started as a music label for YouTube stars. Now, it mainly sells merchandise for popular YouTubers like Hank and John Green, Rhett and Link, and CGP Grey.

The company's goal is to help talented YouTube artists share their music and products. It aims to connect a bigger audience with the artists. Besides music albums, the website sells T-shirts, accessories, and posters.

DFTBA Games

In 2015, Hank Green announced plans for a game company called DFTBA Games. He launched the first project, Wizard School, in September 2015. Wizard School is a card game about going to "Wizard School." This project received all its funding on the same day it launched.

VidCon Event

VidCon is an annual meeting about online video. It first took place in 2010. Hank and his brother John started VidCon because the online video community was growing. Hank said they wanted to bring as many online video creators and fans together as possible. It is a celebration with performances and parties. It is also a place to discuss the growth of online video.

The event attracts many popular YouTube users and their fans. It allows the community to interact. The event also has a conference for people and businesses working in online video. Since it started, the number of people attending VidCon has grown each year.

Subbable Funding Platform

After two years of funding Crash Course and SciShow with YouTube grants, the Green brothers wanted a more stable way to fund their projects. In 2013, they launched Subbable. This was a platform where people could make monthly donations to creators. In return, they would receive special benefits. Among the first creators on Subbable were the Green brothers' channels and YouTubers like CGP Grey.

In 2015, Patreon, another similar platform, bought Subbable. Subbable's creators then moved to Patreon.

NerdCon: Stories Event

After VidCon's success, Green started a new event called NerdCon: Stories in 2015. This event focused on all types of storytelling. The first NerdCon: Stories was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It had about 3,000 attendees. Guests included Hank and John Green, authors, performers, and musicians.

The second NerdCon: Stories took place in 2016.

Subscription Services

In 2020, Hank and his brother John started the "Awesome Socks Club." This is a monthly subscription service where members get a pair of socks designed by artists. All profits after taxes are given to the charity Partners in Health. As of March 2022, the Awesome Socks Club had 45,000 members.

In 2022, the brothers started the "Awesome Coffee Club." It has the same business model as the sock club. The coffee is ethically sourced. As of August 2022, the Awesome Socks Club had over 40,000 subscribers. The Awesome Coffee Club had over 10,000 subscribers.

Political Events

In 2022, Hank Green hosted his first event for a political candidate. He interviewed Democrat Monica Tranel. She was running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Montana. He hosted a second event in Bozeman, Montana.

Personal Life

Hank Green lives in Missoula, Montana, with his wife Katherine Green and their son.

Hank was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2003. He was also diagnosed with a learning disorder as a child. He thinks this is likely ADHD. When asked about his beliefs, he said, "I don't believe there's a God, but I'm not comfortable saying that there is no God."

In May 2023, Hank announced he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. This is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. He received encouraging letters from President Joe Biden and NASA administrator Bill Nelson. Three months later, he announced that his cancer was in "complete remission" after treatment.

Works

Books

• An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018)
• A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (2020)
• The Book of Good Times (2024)

Other Writings

• Foreword to Pride and Prejudice (2014 Lizzie Bennet Diaries edition)
• A Supplementally Useful Publication (2020)
• "A Naturalist on Hoth", From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (2020)
• "Bonker Doesn't Die" (2021 Project for Awesome short story)

Filmography

Discography

Hank Green discography

Hank Green
Releases
↙Studio albums	4
↙Live albums	1
↙Extended plays	1

Studio Albums

Live Albums

Compilation Albums

Singles

Other Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Hank Green para niños

• List of YouTubers