Vintage Beef

Daniel Martins, or VintageBeef, as he is known online, is a YouTuber with over 1.5 million subscribers. He was born in Toronto in 1981 to Portuguese immigrants who settled in Canada in 1975. His parents were farmers, his father from Azambujeira dos Carros and his mother from Roliça. Martins grew up between Toronto and the family’s land outside of Bombarral, in central mainland Portugal, where he lived for a few years as a child and now visits regularly. He attended Senhor Santo Cristo Catholic School and Pope Paul Separate School, along with Portuguese school for six years. He later completed a degree in sociology and a double minor in Portuguese and philosophy at the University of Toronto.  

Since starting his YouTube channel in April 2011, VintageBeef has become one of the Portuguese individuals with the most followers online anywhere. The name “VintageBeef” was inspired by his time working as a butcher at Loblaws. He is most famous for his Minecraft “Let’s Play” videos where he comments on his gameplay, similar to a commentator at a sports game. Once his channel started garnering a large following, he decided to make YouTube his full time job. His success on YouTube has drawn sponsorships from major companies such as Microsoft. He also creates and sells his own merchandise and collaborates with other YouTubers. Martins also has a vlog, where he gives his fans insight into his private family life. In his Let’s Play channel and vlogging, Martins usually references his Portuguese background.