I’m looking for some small content creators who’s content has not been influenced by the potential of making money. In the early days of YouTube there was mostly trash, but then a few small channels started using formats, using specific styles and actually standing out above a pile shit.
I used to love how these creators made their content for their viewers, they were so very different from anything we had in those days. Things have changed, I get it, everybody and their dog are trying to make money on the internet. Content creators need to pay bills, feed families and maintain/improve their quality. Honestly, I get it. But it sucks, I feel like 90% of the content I come across are contractually based to release at a specific time or interval. Meaning content creators are just milking their audience and sponsors. I’m not saying this type of content isn’t good, it’s just how it feels 10x less genuine and from the heart of the creator. (I feel LTT belongs in this category as well) It feels like cable television with extra steps and a personal algorithmic touch.
What people tend to forget is how little resources you need to make good quality content on youtube. It’s never been easier to just start recording on our 4K+ smartphones. Yet, it’s never been this hard to consistently find early internet ethos content creators.
So Lemmy, can you tell me about some small content creators whichhave the passion and drive we used to see?
I’ll leave a few channels here which I enjoyed the most this past month.
Nokeric - Of the rails sketches
Joel Haver - Short sketches but also long form deep thought (Larger channel)
He has a patreon now but still no ads:
https://youtube.com/@primitivetechnology9550?si=lBWNPNLZowdKKR6i
Just a guy in the woods building shit from nothing, without tools. It kicked off a lot of similar channels that were obviously using tools.
I love these videos so much and cannot recommend them enough. No narrative, no music, no ads, just well placed camera shots to make the whole thing self explanatitory. I feel like I have learned so much from him and I have never heard his voice.
Yeah, he’s really good. He’s an Aussie fella, named (funnily enough) John Plant, although I guess that could be a pseudonym. I like his content and style so much, I really wanted to somehow pay him for the hours of enjoyment I’ve gotten, so I bought his book. Really good read.
I sort of like Mr. Chickadee for the same reason. No talking or flashy gimmicks, just hand tools and the sounds of nature.
No ads? I got an ad on the first video I opened.
No sponsored ads in his content - he can’t control if YouTube shows you an ad.
I mean he can, anyone can choose to not have their videos monetized on YouTube. I assumed that’s what that whole point was in reference to.
My take was that it was the fact that he doesn’t do sponsorship, so you never have your content interrupted by them crapping on at you about NordVPN.
If you’re at all into Minecraft, EthosLab is the gold standard for low-key, super interesting, and not driven by money videos. He’s not small, but he’s worth mentioning in case anyone hasn’t heard of him.
Get your snacks!
His minecraft series is the longest series I’ve ever watched. I’ve been watching since the Chocolate Island and Sgt Spaz days. So good.
I was going to suggest Direwolf20 for the exact same reasoning
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Absolutely agree. He’s one of the channels I’ve watched for the longest. Been subscribed since probably 2011 or so. His videos are just so wholesome and it always makes my day when he uploads. Absolutely recommend if people are into minecraft survival content.
My channel is not very good 😅 but I make videos just because I love talking about old video games and want an excuse to talk about them more. New videos come out every Tuesday and Saturday because that’s when my co-host is off of work and can watch them with her mom. 🙂
Nothing wrong with a little self promotion! I do enjoy channels like The Retro Future as well, I’m sure I’ll enjoy yours as well.
My kinda content! Giving you a follow!
Haha Thanks!
Beau of the fifth column does 3-10 minute videos doing political analysis in what looks like a garage.
He said on a longer FAQ video that he’s set things up to hide his channel’s income from himself. He draws a salary that’s enough to take care of his family, but he doesn’t know how much more the channel earns – he doesn’t want his content to be influenced even unconsciously by which videos The Algorithm say paid better.
Beau is a good one!
All of them with sponsorblock, which you then whitelist based on tolerability and quality.
I find that most content producers don’t really actually let the sponsors get in the way of content in any capacity other than quantity (as in they produce too much for the channel’s good). There’s a small number of exceptions, but those usually stink enough that you spot it a mile away, and most of them intentionally. This isn’t TikTok or Insta, Creators actually do want you to know when they didn’t make something out of their own accord.
Some try to be more subtle with their one-off events… And into the blacklist they go back when they do. Unfortunately one of those was Kurszgesagt a month ago, with their blatantly biased and fearmongering video on Bioweapons, which was largely based on one non-scientific source. Funny enough, they did seem to a leave a hard to notice hint that the video was off, I mean, aside from the content. The hint was that: The video had no birds. You know, their mascots.
+1 to sponsor block. It’s a game changer in today’s YouTube.
That being said, it is still frustrating that most YouTubers nowadays censor the fuck out of their videos in fear of being cancelled by the YouTube algorithm or the sponsors. I appreciate when I come across a channel that still has the balls to say “fuck” or use normal words that people now suddenly view as “trigger” words like “kill” or use a squirt gun without censoring it.
I don’t mean that every video needs to be laden with profanity and shock content, but just that I want it to be normal, relaxed, and genuine. Not some stupid squeaky clean version of content that only 10 year old children in Catholic school are allowed to watch. I’m a grown ass adult goddamnit.
Cold Ones is a bit of an obnoxious channel, but I appreciate that they don’t bend to the will of YouTube’s stupid censorship for the most part.
Generally though I prefer to watch reaction YouTubers. Sixteenleo has fantastic long form content (hour+ long videos) doing deep dive reaction videos. He doesn’t have a loud, obnoxious vibe that many channels do either. I like his relaxed vibe and long form content.
Them being sponsored is not the issue here, contrary to popular belief, you can actually be sponsored AND unbiased. But listen to many different creators and you’ll notice a trend in burnout, chasing the next viral video, having to meet deadlines for sponsors, etc. All these things can and will deteriorate the viewing experience.
I follow plenty of creators, doing so full-time and only with the support of their fans, it’s a well thought out, proven system and it works. Almost all of them started before any monetisation was possible as well. It’s amazing how something like that is even possible.
All that being said, there’s a definite decline in passion and drive across the board. I still enjoy all the new produced content, but in the same way I enjoy a movie or TV show. Much less in a “we’re a community of like minded people” kind of way.
My problem with sponsorship isn’t about bias, it’s about annoying sponsored segments.
“Hello. My name is, your host, … The Crafsman.”
The CrafsMan SteadycCaftin is the most chill, honest, and entertaining crafting/toymaking/music-making channel anywhere.
There’s some outstanding science content out there. My newest find is Three Twentysix, a 2.5k-subscriber chemistry channel. I’ve already learned some new stuff from him that I hadn’t seen from The Professor or Nile Red.
I have a big list of favorites that I’ve shared recently, really solid creators, but that’s my hot tip for the day.
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https://piped.video/channel/UCtESv1e7ntJaLJYKIO1FoYw
https://piped.video/channel/UCFhXFikryT4aFcLkLw2LBLA
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Good suggestion, thanks! Edutainment is very hot right now, honestly the future of education in some ways.
If you want more chemistry stuff check out Prussian Blue. His videos are pretty funny and kinda feel like Mr. Green in more serious.
Amateur Chemistry is also pretty funny although his videos are more amateurish
Also ThyLabs. His videos are pretty high quality.
I have to tell you about Bobby Broccoli. He makes high quality videos about fraud/scandals in science. All his videos are well researched and have a unique style you won’t find anywhere else on the internet. One of his recent documentaries (about fraud in stem cell/cloning research) was so good, Netflix straigt up copied it
And his style is so damn good with a single uniform Blender image that grows as the story develops. It’s destined to be copied by other video editors in the next few years.
Hell yeah, love that guy
Hbomberguy and MattKC come to mind for me. Also, but this is very niche, most of the Brickfilming scene still feels this way, there’s just no money to be made in there.
Prozd and Magic the Noah.
Prozd is mostly “Here’s a boardgame i reviewed. Now look here’s a skit!”
Magic the Noah just bullshits around coming up with boardgames that he forces other small content creators to play.
Removed by mod
I mean yes. Ofc. But that is how it always has been. He was a VA before he started youtube. But the format and the irregularity of when he posts is not of the money making kind.
I think sponsored content is impossible to get away from but prozd has mostly stayed the same since he started youtube.
ProZD has been arround! Definitely enjoyed him, I’ll check the other channel out as well, thank you.
I’m not sure all of these are really small content creators and completely sponsor free but here it is:
YT channel on STEM and making sciency stuff: https://youtube.com/@TechIngredients?si=ic6g-uCLEWXO4DWu
Random technical stuff : https://youtube.com/@TechnologyConnections?si=sz-Gwfgo0gMN3vOG
All things space genuine expert: https://youtube.com/@scottmanley?si=MzE-v1thBOwrvmBf
Great computer stuff: https://youtube.com/@Computerphile?si=S2Ju7aLhViNw5sd8
Not so unnecessary inventions: https://youtube.com/@UnnecessaryInventions?si=O9iy4OVVbhJj6-kE
Some scottish guy researching odd history stuff: https://youtube.com/@CalumRaasay?si=UqgnEsN0YkU7YZuR
This guy sounds ! https://youtube.com/@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER?si=9lN-vhpOO-twS6pi
Pretty random list, I just like very different kind of things :)
But I’d say most of the above are passionate people and mostly without ads or sponsors etc.
LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER is honestly one of the best channels I’ve found this year, the guy’s energy is amazing, and the journey of his organ is definitely worth watching. I’ll check out the other channels for sure!
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Cody’s Lab. He’s been on YouTube for a very long time, never seen him have ads or do sponsors or anything. He also frequently gets screwed over by YouTube due to his content (lots of chemistry) but has always managed to keep making videos.
Big fan as well!
Yes. He said youtube hasn’t paid him in a very long time
Hardly a small channel, but VlogBrothers still make videos like it’s 2008. They don’t even ask you to like, comment, and subscribe, never mind mid-video ad reads for World of Warships or Scottish Titles.
And they have figured out how to have enough. So much of their stuff sends all the profits to charity.
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Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source, check me out at GitHub.
One of my favorites is Atomic Shrimp. He does his own thing creating videos on weird stuff he loves doing. Videos include scambaiting, reviewing cans of strange foods, nature and slowtv videos, cooking meals from ingredients bought with limited budgets and rules, food, gardening, and crafting experiments, cheap dropship item reviews, etc.
I’ve never seen a sponsored ad from him and he avoids using clickbaity thumbnails and titles. His content isn’t for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoy watching all the random shit he does.
Edit: also, I just read over his channel description, he blatantly says he does not accept any offers for sponsorships, paid ads, product placements, etc. Definitely fits your “not for the money” question! :)
First name that came to mind when I saw the thread title. His new Weird Stuff in a Can episode was a fun journey.
Project Farm is probably the foremost tool/gear testing and review channel. No sponsors, he always buys what he tests with his own money, and all of the testing ideas come from the community. This dude is one of the hardest working content creators and makes great videos that serve a valuable purpose.
