Arin Hanson, born January 6th, 1987, to Lloyd and Maurette Hanson, showed early signs of a passion for animation by creating animated shorts for the website Newgrounds.com. His work, characterized by a trademark sense of humor and animation style, became part of the website's history, often tied to Newgrounds' rise in popularity in the early 2000s.
Hanson's rise didn't stop with The Awesome Series, as he branched out to other projects, including the satirical anime parody series Girlchan in Paradise, a collaborative feature with his friend and fellow animator Joshua Tomar. He also hosted Sequelitis, a show sharing his views and opinions on game design, which was posted on YouTube, marking the animator and Internet personality's transition to the video-sharing site.
Arin became engaged to YouTuber and model Suzy Berhow, whom he frequently asserts is a major factor in what drives him.
In 2012, Hanson's popularity surged as he teamed up with fellow YouTuber Jon Jafari to co-host the video game-based web series Game Grumps. The show was an instant hit, garnering a large fan base within weeks and becoming one of YouTube's staple web series.
With Hanson as 'Grump' and Jafari as 'Not-So-Grump', the two would banter, debate, and philosophize through video games, delivering Hanson's trademark 'zany' sense of humor, which thrived on Jafari's own insertion. The two formed a friendship, frequently helping and advising each other on projects outside of Game Grumps, with Hanson earning a guest appearance in Jafari's own web-show JonTron.
As their popularity grew, the two kept down to earth, frequently thanking fans for support, admiring the resulting fan art and animations, and promising to keep the show at the utmost quality.
By 2013, it was notable that the show had taken its toll on the duo's own singular creative work. Jafari and Hanson's solo videos had become a rarity, with the 'PokeAwesome: Getting A Gym Badge' episode of The Awesome Series premiering two years after its preceding episode 'PokeAwesome: Just A Pokemon Battle'.
In June of that year, Jafari decided he wanted to pursue other projects and so left the show in the 'Ode to Jon' episode. Rather than end the show, Hanson brought in Dan Avidan to take his place. The fan base was quick to accept Avidan into the role due to the new dynamic he offered with Hanson, and Game Grumps successfully continued through its first year anniversary.
As Game Grumps' popularity grew, Hanson produced a new show under the Game Grumps name titled 'Steam Train', hosted by Dan Avidan and Ross O'Donovan. The show began with a rocky start but soon grew to be equally as popular as Game Grumps.
