About
Trevor Martin and Chelsea Kreiner, the creators behind the aspirational travel channel "Trev and Chels," represent a strong example of digital reinvention. With a portfolio of YouTube channels commanding a combined audience of millions, they have built a polished, brand-safe empire around luxury cruises and theme park adventures. But behind the sun-drenched vlogs lies a more complex history, one rooted in the volatile world of online gaming and a landmark regulatory action by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that forever changed the rules of influencer marketing. Their story is not just one of success, but of a strategic and carefully executed pivot from a controversial past to a lucrative, corporate-approved future.
Trev and Chels: History and Growth
Trevor Martin's career began long before the "Trev and Chels" brand existed. In 2010, he established himself as a dominant force in the gaming community under the alias TmarTn, building a massive following with commentaries on the Call of Duty video game franchise. His rise was meteoric. By January 2014, at just 21 years old, Martin had already attracted nearly two million subscribers and secured brand deals with industry giants like Astro Gaming and Coca-Cola. He was an archetype of the new digital entrepreneur.
The narrative shifted in 2015 when he met Chelsea Kreiner. A year later, on February 21, 2016, the duo launched the "Trev and Chels" YouTube channel, signaling a new direction. While Martin's gaming channels remained active, this joint venture began to explore lifestyle and travel, laying the groundwork for a significant brand evolution. The couple's personal journey mirrored their channel's growth; a February 2022 video announced their engagement during a lavish trip to the Maldives, followed by a wedding trailer released in March 2025, cementing their image as a partnered entity.
Trev and Chels: Content and Style
The creators' content portfolio reveals a deliberate strategy of audience segmentation. Martin's original gaming channel, @TmarTn, which focused on highly edited Call of Duty guides, is now largely dormant—a legacy asset from a previous era. His active gaming presence is consolidated on @TmarTn2, a channel with over 5.5 million subscribers that employs a more sustainable, daily "Let's Play" format across a diverse range of titles from NBA 2K to Hogwarts Legacy.
The flagship "Trev and Chels" channel operates in a different universe. Characterized by high-production value and an upbeat, aspirational tone, its vlogs document luxury travel experiences, from exclusive cruise ship suites to theme park explorations. This is where their joint brand identity is most carefully cultivated. Further diversifying their setup is the @SuperCooper channel, a family-friendly destination for content about their two dogs, Cooper and Koda. This channel was spun off from a popular series on Martin's gaming channel, "Super Cooper Sunday," demonstrating an ability to identify and scale successful content concepts for new audiences.
How Trev and Chels Make Money
The couple's operations are formalized under a corporate entity, TmarTn Holdings Inc. The name itself suggests the business structure was built upon the foundation of Martin's solo gaming success. Their monetization model has matured from ad revenue to a business-to-business strategy centered on high-value corporate partnerships. There is no evidence of an active merchandise store or direct fan-funding platforms like Patreon, indicating a clear focus on corporate clients over direct-to-consumer sales.
The cornerstone of this strategy is a deep, long-standing partnership with Royal Caribbean. Since 2017, Martin and Kreiner have held the official title of "Royal Ambassadors," a role that provides them with early access to new ships and itineraries in exchange for promotional content. Their network of disclosed collaborations also includes major brands in the travel and hospitality sectors, such as Universal Studios, Disney, and the Soneva resort group. Martin's past business ventures are also a matter of public record; he was the co-founder and President of CSGO Lotto, Inc., and held a minority ownership stake in the esports organization Team Envy.
Trev and Chels' Collaborations
While the partnership with Royal Caribbean is their most significant professional relationship, their videos often feature a recurring network of fellow travel creators, including Alex Ojeda, Lindsjay, Kenivk, and Blakeoftoday. These collaborations serve to cross-pollinate audiences within the niche travel vlogging community and reinforce their status as central figures in that space.
Trev and Chels: Public Reception and Controversies
The most defining event of Trevor Martin's career was the 2016-2017 scandal surrounding CSGO Lotto, a gambling website tied to the video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Martin, along with his business partner Thomas Cassell ("Syndicate"), heavily promoted the site through YouTube videos with sensational titles like "HOW TO WIN $13,000 IN 5 MINUTES," showcasing massive winnings to their young audiences. They failed to disclose the crucial fact that they were the President and Vice President, respectively, of CSGO Lotto, Inc., the company that owned the platform.
The deception sparked a firestorm, leading to an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. On September 7, 2017, the FTC announced its first-ever enforcement action against individual social media influencers for deceptive endorsements. The settlement (File No. 162 3184) did not include a monetary penalty but imposed a strict, 20-year consent order requiring Martin and Cassell to "clearly and conspicuously" disclose all material connections with endorsed products. The scandal also revealed Martin was a minority owner in Team Envy, which issued a statement to distance itself from the controversy. This case was a watershed moment, establishing a legal precedent that held individual creators directly responsible for transparent endorsements and catalyzing the widespread adoption of disclosure tags like #ad and #sponsored. For Martin, the incident appears to have been a powerful catalyst for professionalization and the strategic pivot toward the transparent, brand-safe content that now defines "Trev and Chels."
Trev and Chels: Philanthropy
In October 2021, the duo leveraged their platform for a positive cause by participating in the #TeamSeas fundraiser, a global campaign led by YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober to remove 30 million pounds of trash from the world's oceans. Trev and Chels published a video titled "Trev and Chels Join #TeamSeas," showing themselves conducting a beach cleanup. Their video also served to highlight the corporate social responsibility of their main sponsor, noting that Royal Caribbean had pledged $100,000 to the initiative. The act was a savvy alignment of their brand, their primary partner's interests, and a globally recognized philanthropic effort.
Trev and Chels Today
Today, Trevor Martin and Chelsea Kreiner operate as premier influencers in the lucrative travel sector. Their channel is a polished hub of aspirational content, seamlessly integrated with corporate partners. This current brand identity was forged in the crucible of a major public controversy that redefined an industry. Their evolution from a pioneering gamer embroiled in a landmark FTC case to one half of a brand-safe travel duo reflects a shrewd understanding of the creator economy—one that rewards the ability to adapt, professionalize, and build a brand that corporate America is willing to buy into.