[1][2] At around the same time, Doug Walker began posting several satirical video reviews of films and other media on YouTube under the screen name of "Nostalgia Critic".

Walker's channel had its content withdrawn from YouTube following complaints from 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate over alleged copyright infringement.

However, due to continuing issues, Walker decided to leave YouTube altogether and create the website That Guy with the Glasses, with Michaud acting as webmaster.

In December 2008, Walker appeared in a commercial for the PBS documentary Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America, performing a series of brief imitations of famous comedians, from Charlie Chaplin to Stephen Colbert.

The performers received $1,000 and, with instruction from Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, recorded a commentary for the film Batman Forever.

[1][9] The success of his shows has allowed Walker to make a living performing and to quit his previous job as an illustrator, as well as pay the salary of Ellis, the site's co-founder and COO.

[2] He told The New York Times, "My company has a lot of growing up to do, but I believe that sometime in the next one to two years someone will create that one series that gets everyone talking... [and attract audiences] to the endless options of online video.

Channel Awesome's ability to attract a significant audience with a low expenditure was proclaimed to have an effect on video entertainment production.

On June 28, 2012, Channel Awesome content producers Walker, Lindsay Ellis (The Nostalgia Chick; no relation to Mike Ellis), Brad Jones (The Cinema Snob) and Todd Nathanson (Todd in the Shadows) signed exclusivity deals with Blip,[11] which directly hosted most TGWTG and Channel Awesome programming until it was shut down in August 2015.

[12][13] The deal did not affect the appearance of the producers' videos on TGWTG, and would assist the increase of budget of the four series, as well as provide technical improvements.

In January 2015, four of the site's long-time associates departed, including Andrew Dickman, Kyle Kallgren (Oancitizen),[17] Allison Pregler (Obscurus Lupa) and Phelan Porteous (Phelous).

[21] Jose "Angry Joe" Antonio Vargas hosted the leading video game review show on the site.

It generally consisted of reviews by Vargas stating his honest opinions of current releases of video games, mixed with sketch comedy.

[29][30] The Cinema Snob stars Brad Jones as a pretentious art critic who watches and comments on obscure exploitation films and pornography, the majority of which were released between the late 1960s through the early 1990s.

During the event, calls were taken, prizes were awarded to people who donated large sums of money and videos featuring the talent on the site were aired.

Ellis, Michaud, Rob Walker, and content producers Noah Antwiler (The Spoony One), Kyle Kallgren (Oancitizen and Brows Held High), Lewis Lovhaug (Linkara), Todd Nathanson (Todd in the Shadows), Paul Schuler (Paw Dugan) and Joe Vargas (Angry Joe) all traveled to Washington, D.C. to represent Channel Awesome and support freedom of speech on the internet.

In March 2018, several former producers alleged, via a series of Twitter posts, mismanagement and mistreatment by members of Channel Awesome's upper management, including the Walker brothers and Michaud.

She further alleged that due to her and Lovhaug's protests over the scene's content, Doug Walker rewrote it so the implication of assault was less implicit.

Over twenty former producers and employees, along with two individuals whose identities were kept anonymous, provided various allegations in the document, including poor communication and management, verbal abuse and bullying, and sexual harassment and misconduct.

[41] On that and the following days, more producers, including Omar Ahmed (Yomarz),[42] Nash Bozard,[43] Mathew Buck (Film Brain),[44] Tony Goldmark (Some Jerk with a Camera),[45] Elisa Hansen (Maven), Brian Heinz (The Last Angry Geek),[46] Leeman Kessler (Ask Lovecraft), Heather McDonald (Calluna),[47] Dominic Smith (The Dom),[48] Luke Spencer (Rocked) and Chris Stuckmann,[49] left Channel Awesome, with some citing their dissatisfaction with the company's response to the controversy as their reason for doing so,[43][48] lowering the number of producers for the website from forty to about ten by April 5.

Titled "Our Response", the post was intended to refute the "most egregious" of the allegations made by former producers, Holly Brown and Jane Doe, who are described within it as "disgruntled individuals with vindictive intentions".

[51] Within 48 hours of the response's posting, nearly all of Channel Awesome's remaining producers, including long-time veterans Joe Vargas (Angry Joe),[22] Bennett White (Bennett the Sage) and Lawrence Simpson (MasakoX), as well as Gaming Wildlife,[52] Bargain Boy, Ryan Molina (Battle Geek Plus),[53] Timid Jester,[54] DToons Productions (maker of the series Toons These Days)[55] and Eric Rodriguez (Blockbuster Buster),[56] also left the website.