Mr. Beat

Matthew Alan Beat^{[‡ 2]} was born on November 6, 1981^{[‡ 3]} in Topeka, Kansas and was raised in the town of Augusta, Kansas,^[1] graduating from Augusta High School in 2000.^[2] Beat has stated he was raised Catholic.^{[‡ 4]} He graduated from the University of Kansas in 2004 and the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2009 with degrees in journalism and education, respectively. He received a Master's Degree in history from Emporia State University in 2017.^{[citation needed]}

Until 2021, Beat was a high school social studies teacher, teaching at Blue Valley High School^[3] in Overland Park, Kansas and eventually Tonganoxie High School^[4] in Tonganoxie, Kansas. While at Tonganoxie High School, Beat and his students petitioned United States President Barack Obama to visit the school in 2015, but the effort was unsuccessful.^[5] In 2021, Beat left classroom teaching to pursue a career as a full-time YouTuber.^[6]

Beat's first YouTube channel was for his band Electric Needle Room, which he founded with his brother, Steven. The band is named for a joke in The Simpsons episode "Little Big Mom". He began posting live performances and music videos from the band in 2006, though the band itself formed in 2005. Electric Needle Room continue to perform live and release music regularly.^{[citation needed]}

Beat's best-known and most popular channel was created in August of 2009. Originally named "Mr. Beat's Social Studies Channel", it was later shortened to "Mr. Beat". Beat posts various videos on the channel relating to United States government and history - especially regarding United States presidents. He has created several video series, such as Compared, Supreme Court Briefs, and Presidential Elections In American History, the latter of which was compiled and published as a book in 2020,^[7] with an updated version covering the 2020 and 2024 elections having been released in 2024.

Beat is known to be an enthusiast for the history of the U.S. presidency, with songs about all of the former presidents and a series chronicling every presidential election in American history. He also occasionally creates historical parody songs and original history songs for Electric Needle Room, an indie pop band that Beat plays in, occasionally with other people.^{[‡ 5]} Additionally, Beat runs a second channel, "The Beat Goes On" where he mainly focuses on videos on other topics such as music, films, and cultural trends.^{[‡ 6][8]} He also co-hosts the podcast "Jobsolete" with Helen Hong which explores jobs of the past.^{[‡ 7]} Mr. Beat has been critical of conservative YouTube channel PragerU and has made videos reprehending it, including a 7-hour livestream.^{[‡ 8]}

Government-related activites

In January of 2022, Beat livestreamed himself calling the office of every Senator in the United States, an endeavor which took eleven hours.^{[‡ 9]} Beat likewise called the office of every United States Representative in a livestream that October, which took him nine days.^{[‡ 10]} In both livestreams, the purpose of Beat's calls were to gain support for election reform, with his October livestream focusing on the Election Day Holiday Act (HR222), a bill introduced in the 117th Congress by Rep. Anna Eshoo to make Election Day a federal holiday in the United States.^[9]

Though Beat received personalized responses from several members of the House and Senate, specifically Senator Cory Booker, who sent Beat a personalized video response,^{[‡ 10]} Beat ultimately stated "this experience has been a total letdown and has made me question our representative democracy".^{[‡ 9]}

On January 1, 2026, Beat posted a video on his social media channels stating he would be emailing U.S. representative Tracey Mann every day until he received a reply.^{[‡ 11]} Beat's specific inquiry to the representative regards Mann's stance on expanding the size of the House of Representatives. Beat has encouraged his followers to write to Mann or their own lawmakers regarding House expansion, stating "I want to make a difference ...because I am worried about the future of our country."^[10] in March 2026, Mann responded to Beat, but disagreed with his request.^{[‡ 12]}

Beat has interviewed multiple government officials, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom,^{[‡ 13]} Senators Jeff Merkley^{[‡ 14]} and Cory Booker,^{[‡ 15]} and Congressman Sean Casten, the latter of which he called his "new favorite congressman" at the time.^{[‡ 16]} In his interview with Newsom, Newsom noted his attempts to contact his congressmen, and supported his goal.^{[‡ 13]}

He has a wife, Shannon, and two children,^{[‡ 17]} as well as a brother, with whom he maintains the music-oriented channel Electric Needle Room.^[4] Beat currently lives in Lawrence, Kansas.^{[citation needed]}

• Beat, Matt (2024) [2020]. Mr. Beat presents...The Ultimate American Presidential Election Book: Every Presidential Election in American History (1788-2024). ISBN 979-8309998395.^[7]
• Beat, Matt (2023). The Power of Our Supreme Court: How Supreme Court Cases Shape Democracy. TMA Press. ISBN 978-1684810673.^[11]