Kane Parsons
American YouTuber and filmmaker (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kane Parsons (born June 18, 2005), also known as Kane Pixels, is an American YouTuber, composer, filmmaker, and visual effects artist. In January 2022, Parsons began publishing the viral web series Backrooms, based on the creepypasta of the same name, to his YouTube channel. He directed a film adaptation, Backrooms (2026), which was released by A24 to critical and commercial success. At age 20, Parsons became the youngest director to have a film debut at number one at both the domestic and global box offices, with Backrooms grossing over $394 million worldwide.
Kane Parsons | |
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Parsons in 2026 | |
| Born | June 18, 2005 Petaluma, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Genres | |
| Subscribers | 3.55 million |
| Views | 392 million |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
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| Last updated: August 6, 2026 | |
Early life
Kane Parsons was born on June 18, 2005,[2][3] and grew up in Petaluma, California.[4] He has a younger brother.[5] His father, Michael Parsons,[6][7] is a visual effects artist and his mother is a therapist; they divorced when he was seven years old.[8] Parsons attended Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School.[9]
Career
2020–2021: Early work
In 2021, Parsons adapted the anime and manga series Attack on Titan into animated short fan films, which present the series' events in the style of historical war photography. The shorts were praised by various publications for their horror elements and faithfulness to the original series.[10][11][12]
2022–present: Backrooms
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Parsons became interested in the Backrooms,[13] a fictional location which originated from a 2019 creepypasta.[14][15] Parsons was disappointed in the quality of related Backrooms content that was circulating online at the time, stating "there was definitely no real presence of high fidelity content being made".[13] He used Blender to produce a short film inspired by the Backrooms, which he released on his YouTube channel on January 7, 2022, under the name The Backrooms (Found Footage).[13][15][‡ 1] The video grew in popularity[13][14] and Parsons produced further installments in what became an ongoing web series.[10] The series incorporates the fictional Async Research Institute, an MRI manufacturer and research lab which Parsons had originally conceived as the focus of an unrelated project.[13][16]
Within a month of the release of Found Footage, Parsons was contacted by numerous studios regarding a feature film adaptation.[17][18] He was scouted by Lucas Ford, an assistant at 21 Laps Entertainment in charge of "flagging interesting material and creators".[10][19] Parsons' parents joined him for his initial Zoom meetings with studios.[5] In February 2023, the film adaptation was announced as a joint production between A24, Chernin Entertainment, Atomic Monster, and 21 Laps Entertainment, with Parsons directing in his feature directorial debut.[10]
The film, titled Backrooms, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, was released in May 2026[20] to critical praise.[21][22][23] Backrooms was also a commercial success,[24] grossing $382 million worldwide.[25] At 20 years old upon the film's release, Parsons became the youngest director to have a film open at number one at the North American box office,[26][27] surpassing 27-year-old Josh Trank with Chronicle (2012).[28] He also became the youngest director in A24's history.[29][30] Media publications compared Parsons with Curry Barker—whose 2025 film Obsession played in theaters concurrently with Backrooms—and David F. Sandberg, as all three began directing short films released on YouTube before directing Hollywood feature films.[31][32] The film had a special extended edition in theaters called Everything Must Go Edition with bonus footage. The bonus footage was also released on YouTube.[33]
In May 2026, Parsons confirmed that the Backrooms web series would continue.[17] In early June, Deadline Hollywood reported that Parsons was searching for a screenwriter to collaborate on a sequel to the film,[34] though Parsons denied this. He expressed interest in developing a Backrooms television series.[35]
2023–2024: The Oldest View
On March 18, 2023, Parsons began releasing his mystery thriller web series The Oldest View on YouTube.[‡ 2][36] The series revolves around a YouTube vlogger named Wyatt discovering a staircase leading into an underground mall.[36][37][38] In June 2026, Parsons stated he would be interested in directing the film adaptation of the video game Portal.[39]
Personal life
In early June 2026, shortly after the release of his film Backrooms, Parsons spoke out against the usage of generative artificial intelligence in filmmaking in an interview with The Australian, stating: "If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me". He further added that even though AI could help make some VFX tasks less laborious, "right now it's difficult to discuss objectively because there's so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening".[40][41]
Filmography
Feature film
As of 2026, Parsons has directed 1 full-length narrative film.
Web series
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Composer | Actor | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2021 | Project 209 | Yes | [‡ 3] | |||
| 2021 | Attack on Titan (Historical Footage) | Yes | No | Yes | No | [11][‡ 4] |
| 2022–present | Backrooms | Yes | Cameo | [14] | ||
| 2023–2024 | The Oldest View | Yes | [36] | |||
| 2025 | People Still Live Here | Yes | No | [‡ 5] | ||
