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Mari Takahashi is a Forbes "Top Influencer in Gaming" and an award-winning host with a taste for adventure.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Mari grew up as a competitive dancer and began her career as a full-time prima ballerina at the age of 17. Mari transitioned from professional dancer to YouTuber in 2010 when she met Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla of the widely popular sketch comedy channel, Smosh. Shortly after he was onboarded as the third cast-member of the group, Mari self-produced, edited, wrote, and hosted a one-woman-show series, Smosh Pit Weekly, which ran for 4 years and amassed over 120MM+ views. With gaming on the rise, Mari co-founded the sister channel, Smosh Games, in 2012. During her 10-year tenure with Smosh, Mari won a Webby, two Streamy Awards, and produced and starred in shows like Maricraft (47MM+ views), Super Mari Fun Time, and Operation: Open World, which bridged gaming with adventurous travel.
In 2020, Mari served as the correspondent on Polygon's Speedrun show on Quibi, playing games and interviewing folks like Kevin Smith, Terry Crews, and Jordan Fisher. In addition to digital media credits, Mari has made appearances on Disney XD and Popular Science and was also a contestant on CBS's 33rd season of Survivor. Mari credits the iconic video game heroine, Lara Croft, for inspiring many of her adventures including summiting Kilimanjaro, ice-climbing in the Cordillera Blanca, and stunt training, leading her to host shows while riding camels in Egypt and even flying in zero gravity!
Mari owns and operates a production studio that has created commercial content for Microsoft, Amazon, Warner Bros., NASA, and Playstation, as well as original independent short films. Her philanthropic work has allowed her to work directly with The Planetary Society, ESA, and the Ad Council in advocating young girls to pursue careers in STEM. Mari leads a high-octane geek lifestyle and continues to promote balance in gaming and movement across various social media platforms (2MM+).
