Background and Early Career

Matt Granite, known professionally as The Deal Guy, has established himself as one of YouTube's most prominent consumer advocates and deal-finding specialists. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Granite moved to the United States for graduate school and initially pursued a career in traditional journalism.^[1] After what he describes as failing as a White House correspondent, he transitioned away from conventional journalism to focus on his passion for finding bargains and helping consumers save money.^[2]

Granite holds a Master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, which he completed in 2007.^[3] His educational background in journalism provided the foundation for his later success as a content creator, allowing him to bring professional broadcasting skills to the digital space.

Professional Broadcasting Career

Before becoming a full-time YouTube creator, Granite built an extensive career in traditional media. He worked as a multimedia journalist for WKYC-TV in Cleveland, where he hosted the popular "Ways 2 Save" segment on the morning show.^[3] His role expanded beyond local television when he became a national consumer reporter for TEGNA Broadcasting, producing content that aired on ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates across the country.^[3]

Granite's work in traditional media earned him recognition within the industry, including an Emmy Award in 2014 for Television Newscast in the Morning/Daytime category for markets 1-20.^[3] He also contributed to USA Today as a content contributor from 2014 to 2016, creating series like "Save of the Day" and "Work Your Perks" for the publication's Money and Travel sections.^[3]

Local Media Recognition

During his time at WKYC, Granite became known for his energetic presentation style and thorough research approach. Cleveland Magazine profiled his work process, noting that he puts "six months of research in for each product" and uses a proprietary algorithm he developed to track the lowest prices and sales patterns.^[4] His dedication to verifying deals extended to calling warehouses across the country to check inventory levels, ensuring products wouldn't sell out after his segments aired.^[4]

YouTube Success and Channel Growth

The Deal Guy launched his YouTube channel on May 10, 2014, and has since grown it into one of the platform's most successful shopping-focused channels.^[5] As of June 2025, the channel has amassed 2.82 million subscribers and over 413 million total video views.^[6] The channel has published over 1,597 videos, demonstrating consistent content creation over more than a decade.^[5]

Granite's approach to YouTube content centers on helping viewers navigate major retailers and find legitimate deals. His videos typically focus on specific stores like Costco, Dollar Tree, and various warehouse clubs, providing insider tips and highlighting products that offer exceptional value.^[2] Recent video performance shows strong engagement, with some videos receiving over 1 million views within months of publication.^[6]

Content Strategy and Audience Engagement

The Deal Guy's content strategy emphasizes community interaction and responsive programming. Granite uses YouTube's Community tab to poll viewers about topics they want covered and thumbnail preferences, making his content creation process highly audience-driven.^[2] He describes his approach as being "reactive rather than proactive," allowing subscribers to explain their purchasing problems and then working to address those needs in upcoming videos.^[2]

The channel's content particularly focuses on warehouse club shopping strategies, with Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's being frequent topics of interest for viewers. Additionally, there's growing interest in content about dollar stores like Dollar Tree and Dollar General, where Granite showcases products that cost significantly less than comparable items at other retailers.^[2]

Amazon Live Platform

Beyond YouTube, Granite has established a significant presence on Amazon Live, where he hosts daily broadcasts sharing sales and savings opportunities with audiences.^[7] He began this role in May 2017 and maintained it through May 2021, serving as both a show host and consumer expert on the platform.^[3]

Granite distinguishes between his two platforms, explaining that YouTube serves as his primary venue for helping people budget before purchases, while Amazon Live connects with consumers during their shopping process.^[2] He describes YouTube as his platform for building community bonds, while Amazon provides opportunities to connect with individual consumers in real-time.^[2]

Amazon Influencer Program Participation

Granite was among the early participants in Amazon's Influencer Program, which provides select content creators with vanity URLs where they can curate recommended products and earn commissions.^[8] At the time of his program participation, he reported having "just shy of half-million followers across all of my social media pages," with YouTube being his primary engagement platform.^[8]

Personal Philosophy and Approach

Granite's content is built around his core belief that "you can live your entire life paying less than half price on almost any purchase."^[2] He describes his mission as helping people "live a five-star life on a one-star budget" and finding their "inner frugality."^[2] This philosophy extends to his personal life, where he reports never paying for shipping, frequently using coupons, and not paying for cable television for over a decade.^[4]

His approach to deal-finding involves extensive research and verification processes. During major sales periods like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, Granite reports barely sleeping for three months as he works to identify legitimate deals while filtering out misleading sales claims.^[2]

Business Growth and Professional Representation

In 2025, The Deal Guy signed with WME (William Morris Endeavor), the Beverly Hills-based talent agency, for representation in all areas.^[7] This partnership represents a significant step in his career expansion beyond traditional content creation platforms. The signing reflects his growing influence in the consumer advocacy and live shopping space.^[7]

Revenue and Performance Metrics

Analytics platforms estimate The Deal Guy's YouTube channel generates between $1,900 and $11,400 in monthly earnings, with annual estimates ranging from $117,100 to $2.6 million.^[5]^[9] The channel has shown consistent growth, with subscriber increases of approximately 70,000 from November 2024 to February 2025.^[5]

Recent performance data shows strong video engagement, with the channel receiving over 12 million views in the past 90 days and adding approximately 20,000 new subscribers monthly.^[6] Individual videos regularly receive over 40,000 likes on average, indicating strong audience engagement with the content.^[5]

Personal Life

Granite is married to his wife Jacqui, whom he met in early 2001 after 17 years of dating before their marriage.^[10] In January 2018, he announced during a live television segment that they were expecting their first child, a daughter.^[11] According to available information, the family also includes a son named Riley, though specific details about his birth have not been widely reported.^[10]

The Deal Guy

The Deal Guy

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