Exclusive: Channel update – what I've learned after 2 months full time

Thank you for sharing. Just know that when we do something without the expectation of any reward (such as when we post a video that may or may not get demonitized or well received) this keeps us humble and honest. Life is not about the highs or lows, but the dedication and devotion to those pursuits most worthwhile. Yonatan Gordon

I am quite late to this video but I wanted to share my appreciation for this channel. I got interested by your Star Trek takes but quickly noticed your salient and deep deconstruction and analysis of topics I usually didn't care for or didn't know I cared for until I saw your videos. I think it is quite fascinating that seemingly mundane topics can have such interesting origins and backgrounds. I love to learn and do so watching your videos. Please keep it up and do not worry about the occasional dip in views. A varied portfolio of topics will always attract a varying amount of interest. - Alex

+1 on wanting to see more videos on writing, making videos and your process.

I just want you to know that I literally signed up for patreon solely to support you and you alone to show my appreciation for the amazing work you do.

I love your channel. Are you open to collaborations? I am a PhD (UC, Berkeley) linguist with a background in classics. I would love to share (privately or otherwise) my thoughts on why I consider Nolan's Odyssey a failure. All the best

Appreciate you keeping it real Andrew! Some of the questions that you're asking about your channel really show your passion and commitment towards it. As someone who started an art journey recently, I really relate towards having an emotional attachment to criticism and metrics towards your work, especially when you've put a lot of time in it's creation. For me, every video you've made articulates the idea behind it brilliantly, and that's where I'm amazed and look up to you for content that resonates beyond the amount of time it plays on screen.

Taking the plunge into full time content creation is terrifying, I also found myself constantly checking my phone when I was out to look at my channel analytics, but as time went on I really only look at thumbnail and title tests over the first day than at my channel analytics as a whole. I tuned into your channel from the video you did on Chrono Trigger and have watched everything you've put out since then. My advice as a fellow full timer would be to keep making videos about what interests you and find a way to market it so that lots of other people are interested in it as well. The A/B thumbnail and title test is your friend, but I'd limit it to 2 options each test rather than the full 3 as I find you get better data when there are fewer options. And don't be afraid to try different topics and genres now and then, it's always scary moving into territory outside of your niche but I've found success (and failures) in covering things not necessarily expected of me. Going to wrap it up here otherwise this could become a novel, looking forward to your next upload.

I'm late to this. I will reiterate what others are saying, how wonderful your videos are, and how valuable your perspective is. But namely I wanted to say that Iwould totally pay more for what you are already offering! As someone who also has a patreon: seriously, charge more money. Keep it up. - Yochai

Missed this update when you released it, and feel deeply grateful for how you are handling the more "value extractive" aspects of creating and tending to a channel like yours. My hope is that you will find ways to *bring value* and then experience that your patrons are rewarding you accordingly. Having a sane voice that speaks to the process of *building and appreciating* narrative structure is so valuable to me. The (human) world *IS* a world of story. Every institution I am participating in (money, education, the healthcare system, having a mortgage, etc.) is all built on "stories", and there is an art of storytelling where the elements "come true" (for everyone involved), and those stories *work* in the long term. And then there are stories that are "too good to be true" (for at least some people involved), and those inevitably lead downhill. Seeing that, for your own channel, you can tell the difference is a great piece of evidence for me that I "bet on the right horse" so to speak ;)

Just one small anecdotal data point: I didn't have an opportunity to watch The Odyssey for a week or two until after it came out, and I didn't watch your video until I had because I didn't want it to color my own first impressions. I know how important that first hour/day/week is for a video, and it was a bummer seeing the video sit in my queue for days without being able to comment or smash that like button. All of this is to say that I think your instinct for patience is a good lesson learned.

This was a wonderful summarization of your feelings! As someone who's trying to get her own project to work and figure out Patreon as well, this has been heartening to hear. I will say, while the storytelling aspect drew me in, as someone who wants to get better at it, I really enjoy the nontraditional avenues of storytelling, like music or marketing! I love how much of a breadth you give to "storytelling". At the end of the day, I'm just happy to be here and see whatelse you got for us!

If I remember correctly, I made my own tier and already donate above the current max tier amount. I think I might be unusual—I don’t expect anything in return for more support. Your art is my reward, and you are doing a great job!

Thank you for saying "no thanks" to sponsorships. Earlier today I downvoated another's video, and left in the (Youtube) comments, '"No one can serve two masters"; the concept of sponsers is caustic.' What I'd prefer for you instead is apparently what other(s?) have mentioned, to just add a higher-pay tier. Put the PAY into PATREON, you know.... :)

You mentioned once in a previous video that you know and anticipate that certain videos (like the ones on language, social media, music, etc) won’t perform as well on the channel as some other videos (like the ones that are re some popular movie franchise) and that it’s an uphill battle to get people to click on those but that you still want to do those kinds of videos. Just wanted to drop in and drop my two cents by saying that those kinds of videos (the less popular ones regarding other less traditional topics) are what I love most about the channel and I really look forward to them! Thanks for this awesome channel!

Creator merch idea: a book of scripts of your essays, along with a thumb drive of the resulting videos. I've ordered prints of a few books of my own various ramblings from Lulu.com, and, if you've never done so before, holding a physical book of one's own authorship in one's own hand is pretty dang cool. :)

I totally agree with you. I don't watch your channel for movie reviews, but for the cultural commentary, and I especially enjoyed the videos about Meta's narratives. More of that, please!

The theme here seems to be integrity of self and integrity of your perceived self. "Art as expression, not as what it contains" is a line that came to mind while listening to this. I agree, follow your heart and have courage. Cheers!

Andrew. When someone asks you if they can give you more money. You. Say. Yes. (I trust that you get the movie reference.) I'm glad you finished by acknowledging the advice to follow your heart/interests. I'm confident that I can say for many of the people here: we live vicariously through your content. It's what we would do if we were brave enough or had the time. But I'm sure most of us are already swamped with family and career responsibilities. So, do what you love to do, because we all love your work. The people who support you here are part of your tribe. When you feel self-doubt, remember that we don't expect you to *wow* us with every bit of content you make. We're not here for that. You only need to be a member of the tribe that reflects back what we're already thinking. And yes, I personally would love to hear what you have to say about the creative writing process.

I must say I’m also not sure what this channel is exactly about — I struggle to explain it to the people I recommend it. But, I can tell you _what it really is_: It is important. It is a very important channel. At least to me. I don’t know can explain it very well, but I feel like if we all consumed more of this type of reflective, well thought out, critical, non-partisan content, we — all of us in the world— would be in a better position. I think we need more of this in the world. That’s why I am proud and thankful to be a humble patreon of you work. Thanks!! Greetings from Spain Alex

I love your videos about storytelling and the narratives created by companies, society, and advertising. They’re so insightful, and you give me lots of inspiration and new perspectives that I can bring into my teaching as an upper secondary school teacher. :)

I agree with deeper reflection over quick reaction. I like your videos more than those on other channels because you wrestle with big questions using modern media, rather than just talking about a movie. I think that's what contributed to the Dune video's success; it (and all of your videos) is not just saying "I did/didn't like this movie/show" but talking about what the movie/show says about something important. Sponsored videos are often a necessity, but I'd rather not see BetterHelp or other questionable companies. I'd be open to trying a book club or another tier-level perk on Patreon.

Love these updates, and 100% keep following your heart! The Dune video was awesome, as was the recent one on Animal Farm. I can't wait to check out the new video on writing once it's out 😊 Also, just as a random idea when it comes to higher tiers for Patreon and other kinds of content, I wonder if doing a longer-form podcast miniseries might be a good fit (and be a little less hard to produce, though I bet not easy either!). I'd definitely be down for that at a higher tier! Keep up the awesome work, your integrity and passion are truly a breath of fresh air in the sea of content creators who do not always have their viewer's best interests at heart.

I enjoy your content a lot so when you opened your patreon I was delighted to join. The copyright stuff is probably going to be a constant thorn in your side, considering how you present your content. Really annoying, because it should clearly fall under fair use. I did disagree with you somewhat on the odysseus video but only because I personally think they didnt do him justice. I think however that a lot of the people who downvoted were there because of the silly culture war people started over a casting that didnt matter at all in the movie. Which is a shame. I think you presented your points well (as usual).

Thanks for sharing your insights on your journey as a Content Creator :-) Regarding finding your channel identity, I think it's just there, before your eyes: it's the product of your expertise and whatever subject your mind gets caught by. I think this is what is emerging from this thread of comments :-) I do have a related suggestion, tho, something that has been in the back of my mind since your video on the Renaissance painting was out, propelled by another patron's comment (@ebsi): why don't you put your mind at work on subjects/content that you normally don't consider? I've come across this random comment on Reddit "I think Heated Rivalry is so good because the most unserious man alive picked up a book from one of the least serious genres of literature and decided to take it more seriously than anyone could have ever imagined" and ADHD must have been kicking harder that day and so that led to think about Tolkien with Fantasy and Austen with Romance(?) and that to the consideration that great stories and great storytellers might be hiding where no one is looking for :-D There, I've said it. I love the idea of a book club and @nothingtosay's idea of a support and discussion space with other creators. I also second what @DJ says, though. The Odyssey: I agree with you, film reviews is not what I'm looking for, and yet your video about The Odyssey was great nonetheless. But I do think that the Dune's video is more aligned with what I like the most. I've been so thrilled by the success of that video and the amount of subscribers it has brought to the channel. I was so upset when it was demonetised, but all's well that ends well. I'm looking forward to your series of videos about the art of writing! In the meantime: take care!

Storytelling has been a integral part of the human experience probably for as long as there has been language or the ability to dip a stick in mud and create art. The Odyssey (which is a poem not a book!) is for us in the West one of the foundational stories, from which so many others come, so I understand why you were attracted to an immediate review. I agree that you don't need to be a movie reviewer, but in time, the more interesting story might be the story around the story and how the film might eventually sit within our broader cultural narrative. Stories are the way we learn about ourselves and imagine what it is to experience the world in other ways. We've looked to films, books and art for this in the past, which are still important, but if we follow the money, there are stories being told by Meta and others whose narrative is a bit more elusive, so cast your net wide! As you have already realised, being authentic to that little spark within us flows into everything we create. So more of the same please!

Your channel is the best thing I've found on Youtube in a long while (right next to Angine de Poitrine's KEXP live performance -- I was so psyched to see them pop up in your video about AI and creativity!). I wish I had something more substantive to say than keep doing what you're doing, but... keep doing what you're doing! And I would love to see some focused content about writing and the writing process. I've also really enjoyed your videos about music and soundtracks. I'd love to see you dig into that more as well.

Let people decide if they want to give more on Patreon. Don’t worry too much about justifying the perks.

I’m a storyteller. I’ll watch any video if yours that focuses on the mechanics of story telling. Book references appreciated. I love your grasp of the craft of storytelling. That’s why I not only subscribed but signed up to your patreon.

you think a lot. this is both a strength and hindrance. I know because I have that too. this might not be helpful but don't be afraid to throw more shit at the wall to see what sticks. there is perhaps space for both: the next-day review and then maybe after a second viewing, a more thoughtful & analytical video essay weeks or months later (which can be in part informed by your first impression - the comparison would be interesting). with that said, I am fully behind the type of guy who wants to stick to his principles. it's inspiring. for that reason you've secured my support indefinitely.

“The Art of Storytelling” captures exactly what I’d like your channel and content to explore: what makes a good story, what makes a bad one, and how different forms of storytelling work. The painting video was great, as were “Dune’s Horror” and “Meta’s Story.” But you could also explore the many other uses of narrative. Take propaganda: Bernays, Lippmann, Chomsky, and others. What stories did the Nazis, Zionists, Maoists, Americans, and Bolsheviks create and tell their populations to persuade people to do things they otherwise wouldn’t do? You could then move into marketing. What stories do brands create about themselves and put into the world to distinguish themselves from their competitors? Think Byron Sharp. That connects to your Apple and Meta content. Another example is Mark Zuckerberg’s recent essay, “The Future Is for Everyone.” What effect is he trying to create? What strategies does he use, and why does the essay succeed or fail? “AI” is another story that venture capitalists are trying to sell. But it’s facing pushback: people don’t like the data centers, they don’t see how AI benefits them, and they wonder whether it’s just another tool for the techno-oligarchy.

For a long time I've wanted to do a video(s) about "12 O'Clock High" Your Dune video inspired me to compare the two but after many hours of work I gave up (but hope to again). For now, what occurred to me during that is you're a very good storyteller, and really care, which I believe comes across. But almost everything you talk about is post 2000. I'm 65, so my reference is around 1939 to late 1990s. It goes back to the 30s for me because as a child I watched a lot of movies on TV. Your generation wasn't forced in that take-it-or-leave it entertainment choices ;) Anyway, what fascinates me about your Dune video is how you read Dune, or don't read it from the perspective of when it was written. So I wonder, have you not watched many old movies, or you have and have no interest, or believe your audience has no interest? The spice is oil and the sand is the Middle East. There are so many parallels to today (because same issues as when Herbert wrote book). When it comes to storytelling, pre-2000 movies used dialogue, lighting and camera angles in a way that made for a kind and depth of storytelling that's rare these days. Each scene in 12 O'Clock, for example, is a masterpiece in storytelling to me. The closest thing recently is "Better Call Saul", but of course their subject matter is different. Another person here agreed with a comment I made on something so I believe we are roughly the same age. So there are at least 2 people interested in looking at movies across a wider generational period. Indeed, what I enjoy about your videos is how some of your, um, loves are incomprehensible to me ;)

The copyright thing is such a mess, and sounds pretty scary when this is your livelihood. I am sending good vibes that you are able to continue doing this fulltime. As a budding YouTuber, it would be interesting to know the details of how you deal with copyright strikes (dispute and appeal process), as well as some technical specifics of how you make your videos. Maybe that could be an upper tier thing? Support and discussion with other creators? I find that this endeavor can be so isolating. Either way, keep doing you. All of the great characters in the stories you cover face adversity and grow. If we apply those lessons, our path becomes more clear. Cheers!

One of themes I got from this video is that you’re struggling with your channel’s identity. And I agree that the channel's identity is not a movie review channel. For what it’s worth, I prioritized watching The Odyssey when I saw that you had posted that video because I wanted to hear your thoughts about it. I'll just be honest: The Odyssey was fine. I didn't love it or hate it. And your video about it was also fine. A week later, I had dinner with some friends, and I often get to tell them about important culture things that I learned from your channel. But this time, I felt like what I wanted to say about The Odyssey wasn't really worth talking about. And I'm not entirely sure why. So, when you started talking about the identity of your channel, it got me thinking about what I think the identity of your channel is. Here's my personal take: Your channel highlights the storytelling aspects of our culture that make the art, and music, and entertainment that we consume truly great. And the flip side of that coin: you also identify why sometimes those attempts fail. For me personally, your video essays often make for really great conversation pieces when I hang out with my friends. You have an insightfulness about storytelling that really resonates with me. But I'm unable to articulate it the way that you can. It's your super power, and it's why I'm here.

With regard to picking the right sponsorship, I think you should follow the same guidelines as when picking a video topic: make it something you really enjoy/love.

I love this channel and I support it because I want it to continue to exist. I don't give a hoot what the topic du jour is because I trust you to pick good ones. Keep up the great work.

Hi Art, thank you for the heartfelt discussion of your own journey. I have some responses. 1. I liked your Odyssey video. I also think people decide not to watch reviews so they can avoid spoilers. I saw the movie opening night as well, so I watched it. If I had not, I would not have. 2. Your Dune video caught my attention because you used the word horror to describe transport. That is a great, mysterious hook. Once I started watching, I realized I know all this already and stopped watching. 3. I like your deep dives, your effort to be objective about the subjective, your mellow delivery, and your comic timing. That’s the Art of Storytelling. 4. A higher tier could involve some live event with you. That might sound like it doesn’t scale, but I think what the event is could be an inspiration pipeline. You could do a live event on things that interest you but aren’t what you want to make a video about, or at least not yet. The next time you have an itch to review a movie, you could do a live chat. And if something interesting comes out of that chat, you can use that for a future deep dive. That way we contribute to you directly. You don’t have to walk the content treadmill alone. Sincerely, Zedbot 4096

A couple of thoughts from a new Patreon subscriber: 1) Your instinct to turn down gambling/crypto ads is very wise. Please keep that up! 2) Part of the reason why I loved the Dune video was because I’m not a huge fan of horror, but I am fascinated by why it’s popular. Combining Dune and horror was a brilliant angle because it was unexpected and piqued my curiosity. Also, as someone who has seen the Dune movies but never read the books (I will soon I promise) it was accessible to me. 3) I love your balance of positivity and negativity. Every once in a while you’ll have a video that’s mostly negative, but I like how you’ve kept it mostly positive. It makes your critiques hit harder. Love your channel. Keep it up!

I came for the original content. I’ll stay for more of the same. Be you!

I haven’t watched the Odyssey video because I want to wait until after I’ve seen the movie. Maybe others skipped it for the same reason. That said, I do think there is enormous benefit to taking time to process and not posting in a reactionary way. That approach will help you retain the quality of your content which will attract an audience over time. I’m here for the deep dives into storytelling, wherever it exists. Literature, film, ads, cultural narratives, I like that you cover it all and I REALLY appreciate the research and thoughtful analysis. I would almost urge you away from writing craft—only because there is so much of it out there already and it could potentially water down the essence of what you’re doing here. But, if you went that way for your own joy and expansiveness, that would be amazing too. I’ve been self employed for 6 years. For me, the fixation on data (any data that hints at whether or not what I’m doing is sustainable and / or that might indicate the best direction to take as I move forward) has never gone away. Maybe some people get to a better place with it. Personally, I just accepted it as a reality. The more difficult side of a professional path that most can’t handle. I remember the benefits my work life provides me that most workers will never know. Freedom means living with a constant existential discomfort (that fluctuates in intensity) around unstructured, self-directed choice. I continually work at increasing my strength to stand in it. It’s analogous in my mind to building core strength 😂 like I’m standing in a current and not letting it push me one way or another. Anyways, don’t know if that helps. But something tells me you’ve got what it takes. Trust yourself.

If I had to guess on why Dune and Star Trek have been your most popular videos is that you you’ve taken an IP with rabid fans, and have given them something new to think about… and you pick a very narrow topic to hone in on. For a casual fan this might not resonate, but for an obsessed fan, it feeds that hunger. It allows for a richer appreciation of something we already love. And that is reflected in all your work - the dissection of a small detail that gets overlooked by everyone else. I would also guess that a lot of your audience enjoys this as well. Zooming in on the little details that reveal how much care was taken into each and every choice that an artist made - because in the best stories - nothing is arbitrary. That being said, I don’t think you have to stick to popular IP in order to make great videos - but easier said than done for someone that needs views to put food on the table. I hope that you continue to love what you do and I continue to look forward to hearing your perspective on a wide range of topics.

I definitely agree and that you should just follow your interest and find the stories that mean the most to you and make them. you just can’t go wrong

I don’t have anything insightful to say, but I do commiserate with you. It’s not easy to make original, interesting content in the oversaturated reality that is YouTube. I was pretty annoyed to find out the Dune video was demonitized, don’t people realize how much it hinders creativity to do that kind of thing?? It’s isn’t as if you’re taking revenue away from WB. Anyway, I think your last few videos have been really interesting (the odessey, the meta one, and the dune one, the apple advertising one). I would love to see more stuff like that and I would also be interested in a writing/ the creative process series for sure.

Found myself getting more and more jaded with online media criticism then I stumbled upon your channel and it was a breath of fresh air. Thank you for deciding to pursue this considering all the stress that comes with it. The care and effort you put into your work is seen and we need more of it in this space. Thank you for contributing!

Speaking of video games. You're probably wise to steer away from them as a sponsor. Game ads are usually not great. That said, I think there are some games that would be really interesting as subject matter for a deep dive on their stories. Especially talking about how interactivity necessarily shapes the narrative.

"I think people like being surprised when I post something that is not what they expected." I think this is key. I follow several channels focused on writing and storytelling analyses and originally expected similar content from you, but whereas they never really surprise me, you frequently come up with something different and totally unexpected. And I have come to really enjoy and appreciate that. I have said this before, but it bears repeating: you have a real knack for taking a topic that I think will be quite boring and turning it into something incredibly engaging and interesting. Also, one note as a patron. I am on Patreon as both creator and patron. As a creator, I am always worried that I am providing too little content and my patrons are dissatisfied, and as a patron, I sometimes feel this way about people that I am supporting here, or was supporting in the past. So I just wanted to say that this is probably the happiest experience I have had as a patron so far and I feel very good about supporting your channel. Keep up the good work!

Crafted, even manipulative, narratives are very much an issue of storytelling. Your insight in this area is a big part of what got me hooked in the first place

Thanks for sharing. I heard a CEO yesterday say that the biggest lesson from a decade spent building a successful subscriber-dependent company was, "Don't fight churn."