Jordan Matter is an American photographer, author, and YouTuber born on October 6, 1966, in New York City.
He comes from a celebrated artistic family and built a career spanning portrait photography, bestselling books, and a YouTube channel that grew to over 37 million subscribers.
His Dancers Among Us photography series became a New York Times bestseller in 2012 and helped launch one of the most-followed photography channels on the internet.
Who is Jordan Matter?
Jordan Matter is an American photographer, YouTuber, filmmaker, and author best known for his Dancers Among Us photography series and his popular family YouTube channel.
He grew up in New York City in a deeply artistic family and went on to become one of the most recognizable content creators in the United States.
Before reaching a massive online audience, Matter built a respected career as a professional photographer in Manhattan. His portrait and headshot work gained him clients in the modeling and entertainment industries.
Matter’s YouTube channel launched in 2011 and grew through his signature “10-Minute Photo Challenge” series and family challenge videos featuring his daughter, Salish. By 2026, the channel had crossed 37 million subscribers and accumulated billions of views.
In September 2025, Matter and Salish co-founded the skincare brand Sincerely Yours, which launched exclusively at Sephora and sold out all products within an hour of launch.
In February 2026, he and Salish signed an exclusive creative partnership with Netflix to develop scripted, unscripted, and animated series.
Early Life of Jordan Matter
Jordan Matter grew up in New York City, immersed in an environment shaped by art, film, and photography from an early age.
His grandfather, Herbert Matter, was a celebrated Swiss-born American photographer and graphic designer who contributed work to Vogue, National Geographic, and projects connected to President Kennedy.
Jordan spent time as a child in his grandfather’s darkroom, watching photographs develop, and fell in love with the process.
His father, Alex Matter, worked as a film director, and his mother, Paula Feiten, was a successful model who worked for the Ford modeling agency. After his parents divorced, Jordan lived with his father in Malibu, California for a period.
As a boy, Jordan was shy and reportedly faced bullying. Despite that, he channeled energy into sports, particularly baseball, and later into theater and performance work in school.
Jordan Matter Age
Jordan Matter is 59 years old as of 2026, born on October 6, 1966. His zodiac sign is Libra.
He launched his YouTube channel at age 44 in 2011 and went on to become one of the oldest creators ever to surpass 10 million subscribers. By 2026, he had built one of the top family entertainment channels on the platform.
Jordan Matter Ethnicity and Nationality
Matter holds American nationality, born and raised in New York City. His ethnic background is Caucasian.
His family heritage is deeply rooted in art and design. His grandfather, Herbert Matter, was Swiss-born, which gives Jordan a mixed Swiss-American artistic lineage. That background directly shaped his visual sensibility and his lifelong connection to photography.
Jordan Matter Height and Weight
Jordan Matter stands 5 feet 8 inches tall, equivalent to 1.73 meters. His weight is not publicly confirmed.
Matter maintains an active physical lifestyle, which is reflected in the high-energy content he regularly produces on YouTube. He has participated in athletics throughout his life, from playing Division 1 college baseball to performing gymnastics alongside his daughter in videos.
Jordan Matter Education
Matter attended the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, where he majored in theatre arts. He also played Division 1 baseball as a second baseman during his time there.
It was at the University of Richmond that he met his future wife, Lauren, in a French class. After graduating in 1991, he initially pursued acting before discovering his true calling in photography.
His theatre training later proved valuable in his photography career. Understanding performance and movement allowed him to direct subjects naturally, a skill central to his Dancers Among Us work.
Jordan Matter Career
Early Photography Career
After graduating from the University of Richmond, Jordan Matter first tried his hand at acting in New York City. He appeared in television productions including Law & Order in 2000 and Law & Order: Criminal Intent in 2003, but found the work unfulfilling over time.
Matter’s shift into photography happened gradually, sparked by encounters with the work of legendary French photojournalist Henri Cartier-Bresson.
He began taking headshots for actor friends, and his natural-light outdoor technique quickly drew attention from agents and talent representatives.
His headshot business grew fast in Manhattan. Media outlets including NBC, CBS, the BBC, and MSNBC all profiled his work during this period.
Supermodel Tyra Banks interviewed him, and he appeared on The Today Show, boosting his public profile significantly before his YouTube career began.
Dancers Among Us and YouTube Breakthrough
Matter launched his YouTube channel in 2011 to document his photography process and creative work. Early videos focused on behind-the-scenes footage and dance photography.
His landmark project, Dancers Among Us, began in 2009 when he started photographing professional dancers in mid-movement at ordinary public locations while dressed in street clothes.
The series captured joy and spontaneity in unexpected settings across New York City and beyond.
Dancers Among Us was published as a book in 2012 and became a New York Times bestseller. An exhibition of the photographs appeared at the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul in 2013 and later at the Hudson River Museum in 2015.
Matter followed Dancers Among Us with two more books. Dancers After Dark explored a more dramatic nighttime aesthetic. Born to Dance, published in 2018, featured young dancers and also became a New York Times bestseller, with his daughter Salish appearing on the cover.
His YouTube channel accelerated in growth through his “10-Minute Photo Challenge” series, where he created compelling photographs within strict time limits.
The format proved irresistible to audiences and demonstrated his technical skill in an accessible, entertaining way.
He collaborated on videos with major social media names including Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, Maddie Ziegler, and JoJo Siwa.
Recent Work and Netflix Partnership
By the time Salish Matter joined her father’s videos around 2018, the channel’s content began shifting toward family challenges and adventure videos. The two filmed an adventure together every Saturday for years, uploading the results weekly.
Guest appearances from celebrities including MrBeast, Paris Hilton, and Khloé Kardashian helped the channel reach tens of millions of new viewers.
In September 2025, Jordan and Salish co-founded Sincerely Yours, a teen skincare brand launched exclusively at Sephora across 384 US stores.
The launch event at New Jersey’s American Dream Mall drew approximately 87,000 fans, shutting down the venue within hours. All products sold out within one hour of going on sale.
In February 2026, Netflix announced an exclusive multi-project creative partnership with Jordan and Salish Matter. The deal covers scripted, unscripted, and animated series starring Salish, as well as consumer products and experiential offerings.
Netflix also confirmed it would stream the family’s existing YouTube content archive later in 2026.
Jordan Matter Books
Matter published three photography books that gained wide recognition. Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday (2012) became a New York Times bestseller and launched his global reputation as a dance photographer.
Dancers After Dark followed as a darker, evening-set extension of the original series.
Born to Dance (2018), his second New York Times bestseller, featured child dancers and gymnasts performing in public settings and included Salish on the cover.
Jordan Matter Awards and Recognition
Matter and Salish won the Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Creator Family together in 2024. In 2025, Salish also won the Kids’ Choice Award for Female Creator of the Year as an individual honoree.
Jordan Matter has been profiled by major media outlets throughout his career, including NBC, CBS, the BBC, and MSNBC. His Dancers Among Us work received gallery exhibitions in South Korea and the United States.
Jordan Matter Wife
Matter met his wife, Lauren, during their time together at the University of Richmond, where they were both students. Lauren studied to become a veterinarian.
The couple married on May 22, 2002 after dating for several years following graduation. Lauren Matter has appeared in Jordan’s content over the years, though she maintains a lower public profile than other family members.
Jordan Matter Children
Jordan and Lauren Matter have two children. Their son, Hudson Matter, was born in 2005, and their daughter, Salish Matter, was born on November 29, 2009.
Both children have grown up in front of the camera through their father’s YouTube channel. Hudson developed his own interest in photography and maintains his own YouTube presence. Salish became a major content creator in her own right, winning the 2025 Kids’ Choice Award for Female Creator of the Year at age 15.
Salish also co-founded the Sincerely Yours skincare brand and signed a Netflix development deal alongside her father in February 2026.
Jordan Matter Net Worth
Jordan Matter’s estimated net worth is $10 million as of 2026. His income spans several streams built over more than a decade of creative work.
YouTube ad revenue from his channel makes up a meaningful portion of his earnings. His channel has accumulated over 12 billion lifetime views, generating consistent ad income alongside brand sponsorship deals with major companies.
Book royalties from his two New York Times bestsellers, Dancers Among Us and Born to Dance, add to his income. Photography clients and his professional headshot business in New York City also contributed revenue during the earlier years of his career.
The 2025 launch of Sincerely Yours, co-founded with Salish and backed by Strand Equity, represents a significant new business venture. The brand launched in 384 Sephora stores nationwide and sold out within its first hour.
The February 2026 Netflix deal adds another income stream through content licensing, consumer products, and production fees for the family’s new scripted and unscripted series.
Jordan Matter Social Media
Matter maintains an active presence across multiple platforms. On YouTube, his channel at @jordanmatter has surpassed 37 million subscribers.
He posts regularly on Instagram at @jordanmatter and on TikTok at @jordanmatter. His official photography website at jordanmatter.com showcases his professional portrait and dance photography work.
The Bottom Line
Jordan Matter’s YouTube channel crossed 37 million subscribers in 2026, supported by over 12 billion lifetime views and a Netflix development deal signed in February 2026.
He studied theatre arts at the University of Richmond and played Division 1 college baseball before discovering photography in his 30s, a late start that led to two New York Times bestsellers and one of the largest photography channels on the internet.
In September 2025, he and Salish launched the Sincerely Yours skincare brand at Sephora, selling out within an hour at a mall event that drew roughly 87,000 fans. Jordan’s work continues to expand across publishing, streaming, and consumer products.
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