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Mr. Beat

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Matthew Alan Beat (born November 6, 1981), better known online as Mr. Beat, is an American internet personality, educator, and author. Originally a social studies teacher in Kansas, Beat began publishing music videos and live performances of his band Electric Needle Room on YouTube in 2006. He moved to the Mr. Beat account in 2009, and began uploading two years later.

Mr. Beat
Beat c. 2023
Born
Matthew Alan Beat

(1981-11-06) November 6, 1981 (age 44)
Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Alma materEmporia State University (MA)
OccupationsSocial studies teacher, YouTuber
Spouse
Shannon Beat
​
(m. 2005)​
[‡ 1]
Children2
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2006–present
GenresPolitics, history, geography
Subscribers1.38 million
Views373.1 million
Last updated: June 4, 2026
Websitewww.iammrbeat.com

Beat's videos focus on politics, economics, geography, and history, primarily in the United States. Beat is a Fellow at the Dole Institute of Politics, where he is a regular speaker. He has authored two books: The Power of Our Supreme Court (2023), and Mr. Beat Presents... The Ultimate American Presidential Election Book: Every Presidential Election in American History (2020/2024).

Early life

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Matthew Alan Beat[‡ 2] was born on November 6, 1981[‡ 3] in Topeka, Kansas and was raised in the town of Augusta, Kansas,[1] graduating from Augusta High School in 2000.[2] Beat has stated he was raised Catholic.[‡ 4] He graduated from the University of Kansas in 2004 and the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2009 with degrees in journalism and education, respectively. He received a Master's Degree in history from Emporia State University in 2017.[citation needed]

Educational career

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Until 2021, Beat was a high school social studies teacher, teaching at Blue Valley High School[3] in Overland Park, Kansas and eventually Tonganoxie High School[4] in Tonganoxie, Kansas. While at Tonganoxie High School, Beat and his students petitioned then U.S. President Barack Obama to visit the school in 2015, but the effort was unsuccessful.[5] In 2021, Beat left classroom teaching to pursue a career as a full-time YouTuber.[6]

YouTube career

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Beat's first YouTube channel was for his band Electric Needle Room, which he founded with his brother, Steven. The band is named for a joke in The Simpsons episode "Little Big Mom". He began posting live performances and music videos from the band in 2006, though the band itself formed in 2005. Electric Needle Room continue to perform live and release music regularly.[citation needed]

Beat's best-known and most popular channel was created in August of 2009. Originally named "Mr. Beat's Social Studies Channel", it was later shortened to "Mr. Beat". Beat posts various videos on the channel relating to United States government and history - especially regarding United States presidents. He has created several video series, such as Compared, Supreme Court Briefs, and Presidential Elections In American History, the latter of which was compiled and published as a book in 2020,[7] with an updated version covering the 2020 and 2024 elections having been released in 2024.

Beat is known to be an enthusiast for the history of the U.S. presidency, with songs about all of the former presidents and a series chronicling every presidential election in American history. He also occasionally creates historical parody songs and original history songs for Electric Needle Room, an indie pop band that Beat plays in, occasionally with other people.[‡ 5] Additionally, Beat runs a second channel, "The Beat Goes On" where he mainly focuses on videos on other topics such as music, films, and cultural trends.[‡ 6][8] He also co-hosts the podcast "Jobsolete" with Helen Hong which explores jobs of the past.[‡ 7] Mr. Beat has been critical of conservative YouTube channel PragerU and has made videos reprehending it, including a 7-hour livestream.[‡ 8] When doing another livestream on the two-axis political compass chart, he identified himself as a left-wing libertarian.[‡ 9] Beat has publicly acknowledged that his personal views may influence his content, and has expressed concern about what he sees as a tension between widespread access to information and public resistance to critical thinking.[‡ 10] In his YouTube Shorts, Beat has openly criticized the second presidency of Donald Trump, while stating that he aims to maintain a more neutral tone in his long-form videos.[‡ 11][‡ 12][‡ 13][‡ 14][‡ 15] He collaborated with the highest-subscribed channel MrBeast in 2026, creating a video on the history of YouTube and joking about name similarities.[‡ 16]

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In January of 2022, Beat livestreamed himself calling the office of every Senator in the United States, an endeavor which took eleven hours.[‡ 17] Beat likewise called the office of every United States Representative in a livestream that October, which took him nine days.[‡ 18] In both livestreams, the purpose of Beat's calls were to gain support for election reform, with his October livestream focusing on the Election Day Holiday Act (HR222), a bill introduced in the 117th Congress by Rep. Anna Eshoo to make Election Day a federal holiday in the United States.[9]

Though Beat received personalized responses from several members of the House and Senate, specifically Senator Cory Booker, who sent Beat a personalized video response,[‡ 18] Beat ultimately stated "this experience has been a total letdown and has made me question our representative democracy".[‡ 17]

On January 1, 2026, Beat posted a video on his social media channels stating he would be emailing U.S. representative Tracey Mann every day until he received a reply.[‡ 19] Beat's specific inquiry to the representative regards Mann's stance on expanding the size of the House of Representatives. Beat has encouraged his followers to write to Mann or their own lawmakers regarding House expansion, stating "I want to make a difference ...because I am worried about the future of our country."[10] In March 2026, Mann responded to Beat, but disagreed with his request.[‡ 20]

Beat has interviewed multiple government officials, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom,[‡ 21] Senators Jeff Merkley[‡ 22] and Cory Booker,[‡ 23] as well as Congressmen Adam Smith[‡ 24] and Sean Casten, the latter of which he called his "new favorite congressman" at the time.[‡ 25] In his interview with Newsom, Newsom noted his attempts to contact his congressmen, and supported his goal.[‡ 21]

Personal life

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He has a wife, Shannon, and two children,[‡ 26] as well as a brother, with whom he maintains the music-oriented channel Electric Needle Room.[4] Beat currently lives in Lawrence, Kansas.[citation needed]

Bibliography

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  • Beat, Matt (2024) [2020]. Mr. Beat presents...The Ultimate American Presidential Election Book: Every Presidential Election in American History (1788-2024). ISBN 979-8309998395.[7]
  • Beat, Matt (2023). The Power of Our Supreme Court: How Supreme Court Cases Shape Democracy. TMA Press. ISBN 978-1684810673.[11]

References

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  1. ↑ Schneider, Tyler (July 25, 2023). "Lawrence YouTuber, Mr. Beat, releases a new book on the history of the Supreme Court". The Pitch. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  2. ↑ Augusta Schools USD 402 - Augusta High School's Post on Facebook. Posted August 29, 2025. Accessed February 23, 2026.
  3. ↑ Brown, Emily (April 8, 2011). "Rockin' to the beat — Teacher utilizes music talent to maximize student learning - BV Tiger News". Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "KC's got the Beat, thanks to Tonganoxie High teacher". tonganoxiemirror.com. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  5. ↑ Stern, Melissa (February 16, 2015). "Local teacher and students petitioning to meet President Obama". FOX4KC. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  6. ↑ "This area teacher has quit his job as his new career as a YouTube celebrity takes off; speaking at Watkins tonight". LJWorld.com. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Spacek, Nick (August 10, 2020). "YouTuber Mr. Beat's guide to the history of presidential elections is a charmer". The Pitch. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  8. ↑ Dorn, Lori (May 9, 2022). "A Brief But Detailed Recounting of Pink Floyd's Tumultuous History". Laughing Squid. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ Rep. Eshoo, Anna G. [D-CA-18] (January 6, 2021). "Text - H.R.222 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Election Day Holiday Act of 2021". www.congress.gov. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  10. ↑ Glenn, Michael (February 10, 2026). "Lawrence creator Mr. Beat seeks to expand U.S. House with silence from Rep. Mann". The University Daily Kansan. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Kansas-based YouTuber Mr. Beat explores how the Supreme Court shaped democracy". KCUR. Retrieved January 6, 2025.

Primary sources

In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

  1. ↑ "x.com". X (aka Twitter).
  2. ↑ Beat, Matthew Alan [@beatmastermatt] (November 4, 2022). "My legal name is Matthew Alan Beat and I started my channel before Mr. Beast" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ The American Presidential Election of 1984. October 7, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via YouTube.
  4. ↑ Every President's Religion. April 30, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ "The Beat Goes On". themusicblogthing.com. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  6. ↑ "The Beat Goes On - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  7. ↑ I'm in a new podcast!. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ A History Teacher Reacts to PragerU Videos for 7 Hours Straight. September 17, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ Have Mr. Beat's Political Views Changed?. October 30, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2026 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ Beat, Matt (December 5, 2025). You're no expert, so shut up – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ Beat, Matt (May 2, 2025). Trump Doesn't Understand the Declaration of Independence – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ Beat, Matt (September 24, 2025). An authoritarian cult leader who happens to be president – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ Beat, Matt (February 8, 2026). Why are there not more investigations into the Epstein Files? – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ Beat, Matt (March 26, 2026). Yes, We're the Baddies – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ Beat, Matt (May 11, 2026). My video aged like milk – via YouTube.
  16. ↑ Beat, Matt; MrBeast (April 10, 2026). The Actual Reason YouTube Started (Feat.@MrBeast) – via YouTube.
  17. 1 2 Mr. Beat (May 13, 2022). I called every U.S. Senator in the country. Here were the responses I got. Retrieved March 24, 2026 – via YouTube.
  18. 1 2 Mr. Beat (October 28, 2022). I called every U.S. Representative in the country. Here were the responses I got. Retrieved March 24, 2026 – via YouTube.
  19. ↑ I'm emailing my Congressman everyday about this one issue. Retrieved March 24, 2026 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "76 days later, my U.S. Representative finally responds to me". March 17, 2026 – via YouTube.
  21. 1 2 Beat, Matt; Newsom, Gavin (February 25, 2026). "Mr. Beat Interviews Governor Gavin Newsom" – via YouTube.
  22. ↑ "Mr. Beat interviews U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley". December 16, 2025 – via YouTube.
  23. ↑ "Mr. Beat interviews U.S. Senator Cory Booker". December 16, 2025 – via YouTube.
  24. ↑ "Mr. Beat interviews U.S. Representative Adam Smith". March 25, 2026 – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ "Interviewing My New Favorite Congressman". February 9, 2026 – via YouTube.
  26. ↑ Who Is Mr. Beat?. August 12, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via YouTube.
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