How We Built a $150 Million Streaming Platform with $100,000

Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/w...
Watch the Logistics of X: nebula.tv/thel...
Watch Jet Lag: The Game at / jetlagthegame
Buy a Wendover Productions t-shirt: standard.tv/co...
Subscribe to Half as Interesting (The other channel from Wendover Productions): / halfasinteresting
KZbin: / wendoverproductions
Instagram: / sam.from.wendover
Twitter: / wendoverpro
Sponsorship Enquiries: [e-mail]
Other emails: [e-mail]
Reddit: / wendoverproductions
Writing by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation led by Josh Sherrington
Sound by Graham Haerther
Thumbnail by Simon Buckmaster

[@MinuteEarth]

The Insane Logistics of a Creator-Run Platform

[@Themrfuzzypants]

Peak title

[@10tothe10088]

Been waiting for a Wendover video about videos for a while 😂

[@JewFroBro]

MinutePhyics and MinuteBody are on Nebula, but when MinuteEarth?

[@astrumespanol]

😂

[@fyt54321]

Nebula eventually turns into Discovery Communications TLC History Science channels one way or another ... then new seasons of "Nebula presents Ancient Aliens" and "Nebula Pawn Stars".

[@Bayoll]

It has come full circle Sam is doing a video essay on himself This is peak wendover

[@zdtvcomet]

But.... He's not an airplane! This is outrageous!😁

[@namenamename390]

@@zdtvcomet Imagine if he filmed this on an airplane, in a cramped economy seat with random other passengers next to him lol

[@joostvhts]

@@zdtvcomet I also missed a significant amount of bricks

[@alexk8599]

And of course it started with planes

[@vrclckd-zz3pv]

Twice As Interesting

[@JakoZestoko]

I think Nebula is proof of how much people hate ads and just want to support creators directly instead. I get spared my time and sanity, and the creator gets way more than they ever would from me watching advertisements. Win-win.

[@JordanPeace]

This is the biggest thing, especially now that sponsorships in videos are so prevalent and getting more and more intrusive (2-3 minutes instead of 30-60 seconds, having crucial plot points of the video be interspersed within the ad read so you can’t just mindlessly skip past it, etc.). Having a space that is free from ads where you also know that you’re benefiting the creator directly (and significantly more than if you signed up for some random subscription service or mobile game or bought some cheap mass marketable product that has next to nothing to do with their content) is such a nice way to operate a curated streaming platform that also allows creators to explore higher budget video concepts than they otherwise would. Truly the best experience for everyone involved

[@the.abhiram.r]

the only issue is that some people physically can't afford to pay them directly. for example, i am a college student and i probably won't be able to afford such a service for a while.

[@JakoZestoko]

@@the.abhiram.r I mean, I too am a student (and have been for a while) with very very low net income, but even for me $30 a year is laughable compared to my other expenses. That price to not see ads is a no brainer for me.

[@sonydee33]

Meanwhile they relied heavily on KZbin sponsors and ads to promote nebula.

[@180_S]

But the rest of the internet says otherwise

[@Slackarius]

Out of all the things Nebula has brought to me, my favorite is getting to see Ben and Adam running wild and free out in the world.

[@domacenoviny]

Jetlaaag. Can't wait for next Wednesday 😅

I am a follower of everything Sam does since the 2017-18 era (back when the channel was significantly smaller - and there was just one channel), but now, after a long time of trying, I finally convinced my wife to watch Jet Lag with me - she reluctantly agreed, as a favor to me. After the first episode (I chose season 5), she was so hooked that we breezed through the rest of the season in less than 3 evenings and will watch the other seasons soon too. Well done Sam, Adam, Ben and everyone on the staff!

[@zsoltpeterdaniel8413]

​@so you wife just watched Ben getting drunk repetately /s

[@AdamIannazzone]

@@shadownetzero1914 Amy's not real. Amy can't hurt me

[@tsuchan]

On a few occasions, I've spent hours looking on Nebula for good creators. I have to say that I have never become a long-term follower of any channel I didn't first first find on KZbin though. Nothing I've found in Nebula searches has ever captured my interest.

[@Zveebo]

I know this is a story that will probably never be told, but I’m super fascinated by why CGP Grey and Kurzgesagt dropped out after having been the key movers behind Nebula and Standard in the early days!

[@Pykenike1]

Yes, me too. Fan of cgp gray especially and i truly hope he comes back to nebula one day. Probably won't though, who wants to go back to a company that you sold yourself before it was successful?

[@Zveebo]

@@Pykenike1 Yeah, I think there’s pretty much zero chance of him coming back now. He didn’t just leave as the major co-owners, he (and Kurzgesagt) took all their content off the platform too. So there was obviously some sort of major split.

[@TS6815]

realistically.... just look at the patreon numbers. Through all of this, Kurz and Grey would have been complete whales in the space compared with all the other creators. Likely the same reason Tom Scott never jumped on... they're independently successful on their own

[@Zveebo]

@@TS6815 Maybe, though that doesn’t really work with them being the key drivers behind it for the first couple of years. Certainly though, they don’t *need* it in quite the same way - Grey in particular has a pretty sweet deal in which he rakes in huge amounts of cash while spending most of the year not working and barely bothering to produce videos even for the rest. Though I suspect it’s probably more money and personality related - Grey and Dettmer are both famously pretty awkward characters and difficult to work with.

[@personzorz]

I'm pretty sure it's them prostituting themselves before big business interests to make them look good in their videos, which the big business interests will only be interested in with very large viewership numbers

[@RealEngineering]

A trip down memory lane 🥲

[@zyansheep]

Thanks Mr. Engineering!

[@dirkeisinger4355]

sidenote: while i.m happy to pay for nebula, the overall UX on nebula is that okay, but i still use youtube to watch the same creators 95% of the time (and given the number of comments by other nebula subscribers here, i.m not alone)

[@internet_userr]

​@@dirkeisinger4355NGL I use KZbin cuz it has much more creators who upload much more regularly.

[@Random_dud31]

​@@internet_userr and its free

[@sibu7]

@@dirkeisinger4355 Since there are no ads on Nebula, I don't think they care too much that many people still watch most videos on KZbin instead of Nebula. In fact, I think they potentially even generate more revenue this way, as you already paid them for the Nebula subscription and you still watch the sponsorships on KZbin videos. I watch most videos on KZbin too, except exclusive content that is only on Nebula and Jet Lag The Game, where I can watch new episodes 1 week early.

[@anarchyelite9338]

Wow. Transparency… what a breath of fresh air. With sooooo much obvious B.S. out there and people dancing around stuff, it’s so nice to just hear genuine honesty and on a very intriguing subject that no one ever discusses.

[@Serpolinidate]

Yep, so very true

[@samplautz5586]

Transparency is exactly why they are successful. It’s amazing that if you don’t take advantage of people and just give people awesome content with no strings, you grow exponentially

[@K..C]

@@samplautz5586ikr who would have thought that a good product at a good price would sell well. I just wish big companies would learn about such groundbreaking methods as well…

[@Nixontheman]

The actual reason Nebula works is the price, that and an appreciation for the creators who gave us such great content for free for so long, (Mustard, Real engineering, RLL and even you Sam) we are happy to support you.

[@craigslist6988]

tbh I wonder if they realize that. Nebula is just a great way to let people pay a very reasonable amount to support people they wanted to support but didn't have quite the right context or excuse to. So it's easy to sign up and call it donating to the content creators (critically, the content creators actually do effectively make a lot from it, it's not all getting drained off by middle men, so it is an effective way to give support), and if you use the service on top of that then that's a great bonus. I think it's important they understand that because it does affect the future strategy. For example, until they have a much higher draw it would be a mistake to do like Joe Rogan did and move the bulk of their content exclusively behind a paywall, I.e. to Nebula. Even though it sounds like people would be drawn even more to it, I think instead they would lose people who prefer watching on yt but subscribed to donate/support. The current model of additional content just makes a lot more sense.

[@mvadu]

Exactly.. I signed up for Curiosity bundle two years ago, but on my LG tv I don't even have a watch Nebula. But that was okay since it was me paying to creators for their effort than skipping ads. I did enjoy the Curiosity part of the deal thoroughly as well since they had an app.

[@Alexrocksdude_]

I won’t be renewing my nebula subscription when it expires because the cheap bundle with curiosity stream is no longer active.

[@Rebasepoiss]

The regular price is 5 bucks per month, I believe. I pay € 8.5 for KZbin premium and this includes KZbin music. Price-wise it doesn't really make sense.

[@Nixontheman]

@@craigslist6988, I agree.

[@DomBurgess]

I've worked at Nebula almost 4 years now, great to be a part of such a positive success story. Awesome to see it summarised so well, thanks Sam!

[@saddish2816]

Dom???

[@DomBurgess]

@@saddish2816 Yes?

[@Wimbold]

When are you going to start accepting PayPal as a payment option?

[@whosjulez1157]

When do you tackle user convenience?

[@BobbyVans-hf8mq]

This company is part of that other company where the guy from Cleveland basically took a train to LA and started his first company that’s portfolio runs itself

[@scottmadison4380]

Wow. I am surprised-not-surprised at how many of these creaters I recognize on sight. Just everyone who makes informational videos who have good ethos and content. I am downright *PROUD* to be supporting Nebula (and curiosity stream!)

[@shafu0x]

I agree but you always had youtube premium if you don't want to see the ads on yt.

[@thermoflaskcat121]

Agreed

[@KarolYuuki]

Right? It's crazy how it's a very specific niche. Most of the channels I already watched one day just started to make nebula ads. I was recognizing everyone on those pictures hahaha

[@AliceYobby]

Knowing that Sam owns a $150 Million company makes it much easier to root against him in Jet Lag now. I really saw him as an underdog 😭

[@DanielReibold]

a part of it ...

[@DavidHanks90]

He owns a part of of a company valued at $150 mil. That doesn't mean that he has that much money or that he could even get that much if he "cashed out" of his ownership stake. I'm sure he's not hurting for money, but he's not unbelievably rich or anything. At least not yet lol

[@jujhar.]

That doesn't mean he has 150 mill in the bank bro. He owns a PORTION of the company and even if the company was sold he'd get only 50 percent of his portion.

[@swecreations]

@@jujhar.50% is for the creators. He is a creator *and* an owner. He'd get a part of the 50% share reserved for creators *and* a part of the 50% share reserved for owners.

[@thermoflaskcat121]

I agree

[@kimw3284]

I had been seriously considering subscribing to Nebula for a while and this video pushed me over the edge. It was fascinating to understand how it came to be and how it supports creators in ways that KZbin and other streaming platforms don't. I'm really happy to be able to support so many of my favorite creators with my subscription. Well done Sam and team!

[@Pistolita221]

It's also the only place Lindsay Ellis publishes videos now. Nebula has a lot of great exclusives.

[@whosjulez1157]

We seriously need to rethink the word "support"

[@UndecidedMF]

Love this. You all have built something incredible. Well done.

[@pyropulseIXXI]

They've built pure crap; I don't know a single person that has ever paid for Nebula

[@holdengohs6997]

@@pyropulseIXXIust cuz you don’t know anyone doesn’t mean people don’t. They have data lol

[@penguindiego]

​@@pyropulseIXXI get off mate.!!

[@JennyMDMA]

​@@pyropulseIXXIThis is pretty sad self-burn.

[@pyropulseIXXI]

@@JennyMDMA You people pay for a shit service; that is what is sad CONSOM MOAR AND GET EXITED FOR MORE CONSOOOOMING

[@dand5829]

So you guys know, Sam did this when he was about 20 years old. Huge props for that

[@noob.168]

That's old. People back then had children at age 12 and died at 25.

[@nefariousyawn]

And he hasn't aged a day since then! It's pretty incredible what this guy can do.

[@ShinyWasTakenTwice]

@@noob.168 What? Back when? 12 has never been a common age for child birth let alone standard, also even in the poorest places in the worst times odds are if you made it to 20 you where probably gonna make it to 30 at least.

[@prdproductions]

@@noob.168 That's literally not true at all lol. Infant mortality is the reason for low average lifespan. People had much longer lifespans if you made it past childhood

[@virathdealwis5312]

​@@noob.168where are you getting that nonsense from?? High infant mortality brings down the average, but realistically if you live to 10 you'll live to 20, to 30, 40 etc. Plenty of records of people in their 70s and 80s

[@EEVblog]

Well done. Makes us full time electronics KZbinrs look like a bunch of amateur hacks. Guilty as charged, of course.

[@philosophy_bot4171]

Beep bop... I'm the Philosophy Bot. Here, have a quote: "Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man" ~ Dostoevsky

[@taavi948]

Sad that nebula sucks and crashes all the time

[@davak72]

@@taavi948 Really? I mostly want comments, but it works fine for me

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

Why aren't you on Nebula, Dave? They're sorry Dave, they can't let you do that?

[@flymypg]

I'd LOVE to see Dave make videos in a glitzy studio wearing a button-down shirt! Just to see how many videos would be made before his head explodes.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

When creators would say "OUR new streaming service", I rolled my eyes at the wording. Lo and behold, now I see it actually WAS created by creators and that's seriously awesome! I'm happy you've shared this origin story, it makes the service a lot more human and approchable. Here's to more of its success! 🎉

[@tsuchan]

What gets me is how many creators say "MY streaming service". Why do they say that?

[@a-r]

​@@tsuchanI've never heard anyone say that, but in this case it's because Sam was part of creating Nebula.

[@tsuchan]

@@a-r Ho yes.... TechAltar/Friday Checkout guy (I particularly remember) did that on every video when I was subscribed to it.

[@Speedster___]

@@tsuchanit’s to appeal to fans who support the creator. It’s a way to direct fans that they have a connection to it besides being paid for an ad roll

[@tsuchan]

@@Speedster___ Hmm, is it? To me, "OUR streaming service" sounds very engaging; but "MY streaming service" when it was a lie eventually pissed me off enough to subscribe from TechAlter/FridayCheckout channels. (Who likes being lied to?) The other gripe I had was claiming "special price of $15 a year" or "special price of $12 a year" when it turned out to be one-year offer and then continue at a $20 a year. It's not that I minded $20 a year, I just hate being misled in adverts and left feeling like a gullible twat.

[@KawazoeMasahiro]

I'm an OG Nebula subscriber. I absolutely love what you guys made. I remember hearing about it in the very early days, and opt-into a yearly subscription when Adam did their first bundle push. I didn't subscribed because of Curiosity Stream, but because that's he's the first that really managed to explain the idea. There are two aspects of the platform that I think would need to be improved for it to be a full KZbin replacement for me: The first one goes without saying. Lately, I've been catching myself watching Nebula creators on KZbin more and more, simply because I happened to get their video recommended to me while I was watching other people's videos. I follow so many creators that it can get hard to remember on which platform I want to watch their content, and the relentless KZbin algorithm really doesn't help with that. This is happening mostly because I am watching more and more small creators will video of less than 50k views on average; and these people aren't on Nebula. I have to watch them on KZbin, and KZbin _knows_ me. Even if I unsubscribed from Adam Neely years ago in favor of their Nebula content, it still promotes their video to me because it knows I will end up watching them. The second one is, from my understanding, somewhat of a controversy. Nebula, as a streaming platform, is a lot closer to Netflix than to KZbin. It's about getting videos from creators to viewers. There isn't any social network presence over there. This means that, ironically, I have to write this comment for a video I watched on Nebula on KZbin, of all places! This means Nebula is an awful place for tons of creators who relies on audience interactions to build up their videos. I'm thinking about gaming audiences like those from the Hermitcraft community, review and news channels like Gamers Nexus, or other smaller creators that are still trying to understand what their viewers like about them. I am aware of the difficulties that comes with running a social network, specially when it comes to dealing with the various app stores insane requirements. I wouldn't wish you the Floatplane treatment for anything in the world. That stuff is hyper customer hostile. However, I feel like it might be time to take the plunge. It's just sad that Nebula isn't the place for everyone that KZbin is, because it means that I still need to use KZbin, and pay for KZbin Red to make it palatable, which I hate doing more and more, and it all spirals into me using Nebula less than I want to. I cannot believe I am the only one in such a situation, and I really hope that you'll find a solution to this problem.

[@MaulikParmar210]

What they need is cash to develop. Creating a streaming platform on 3rd party is very easy, most of revenues are chewed up supporting infrastructure rather than improving it. They may have good cash run in the pandemic, but that was a one-time thing. Google, on the other hand, owns full vertical and horizontal integration of platform and data. Reaching those levels is beyond anyone's capability unless people stop using YT and start alternaitves. People who use YT premium won't miss much, honestly. Creators have a choice. Only thing nebula did was to change on how YT treats their content creators, but they eventually expose themselves even more on a free to watch platform. Afterall, creators only make money when YT does. Maintaining gigantic infrastructure is not something your average data centre provider can do it all ocmds down to runtime costs and generated value when it comes to streaming paltforms. Besides they seem overwhelmed already from this scale. It's hard to calculate that without future cashflow they will burnout within a year that too with very small funds compare to what actual startup needs. P.S. fix typos

[@IroAppe]

Great summary! Nebula isn't a KZbin alternative, and I question how they'd even think about that. KZbin is social, and that's an essential difference. When I'm watching a video, I can communicate and exchange thoughts and emotions with other people about that content - that's what makes KZbin special. And unless other services start to adopt that social component, I will never view them as an alternative. Because it's just static watching, like on Netflix. There is no interaction. I get how annoying people are and how much work it is. But there is just something missing on platforms where you can merely consume, and not participate. I am so used to exchanging my thoughts with others, that even on static video platforms there are moments where I want that exchange. But especially at the end. Often I go to KZbin to specifically find a reaction to that content to find that exchange. But it's an additional effort and overall just not the same.

[@ooooneeee]

Agreed, nebula badly needs commenting, discussions, forums, something anything where I can interact with other viewers and the video creator.

[@beatm6948]

That would be great, but do keep in mind forums require moderation, which is often a BIG undertaking.

[@Owlr4ider]

@@beatm6948 Forums don't require moderation. Moderation is a tool that is commonly used, yes, but it isn't mandatory. I do agree with you though that if you choose to go with moderation you can't half arse it, you have to go all in, which is indeed a BIG undertaking. The thing is you don't actually have to do it. Especially on a platform like Nebula which attracts a certain type of people, which is the exact opposite type of the typical trolls/flamers/etc that require said moderation in the first place. I mean sure, if you go without moderation you need to have a thick skin and a high tolerance level for the inevitable obscenities as these will occasionally happen, there's no way around that. However when those instances are few and far between and there isn't anyone pouring oil onto the fire these instances die down as quickly as they pop up, which ultimately make them a non issue. Special snowflake type people aside, if you're such a special snowflake than no, a no moderation social platform will definitely not be for you... Whether you're a creator or a customer.

[@ThePaulMcBride]

I've been a subscriber for several years and it is so great to see how well Nebula is doing. I'm a software developer and would love to work on something like this. An industry where and a company where when the company does well, everyone does. Congrats!

[@TheKeeperofChaos]

Next up: the insane logistics of an insane logistics Wendover video! No but for real, this was another great watch, and I do appreciate what Nebula is as a platform and a vision. So thank you Sam, and all other creators involved!

[@Robin_Goodfellow]

I'll tell you what sold me on Nebula: it was realizing that most of the creators I watch made content there. There is value in having multiple creators from a particular interest niche on the platform. I will also mention that the low review score for your Android app scared me away for a long time, too. I know you have no control over what reviewers say, but it's worth knowing that they had a pretty big effect on my decision making process. I'm glad I finally got over it and downloaded the app though, because I personally have no real complaints about it.

[@mr.boomguy]

Haters be haters. Perhaps they didn't realize it was subscripsion based? Or perhaps while it was still young?

[@Robin_Goodfellow]

@@mr.boomguy maybe. I definitely think it's underrated at the moment.

[@sylvy16]

yes this is one of the main selling points. jet lag alone is worth 5$ a month but also having wendover and many others i follow for that same price is incredible.

[@zimbu_]

I saw a lot of complaints about the app defaulting to 1080p even when the internet connection is either not fast enough or not reliable enough. I think they could benefit from prompting the user to add a review after they've finished watching their tenth video on the app or something, the review score would go up if they got users with nothing else to say than "works fine" to leave reviews instead of just those who are experiencing an issue and leave a review to inform what the issue was.

[@KalebPeters99]

I've found the android app experience pretty poor as well. I don't know if it warrants the 2.4 rating, but it is one huge reason I still prefer KZbin.

[@CheeseWithMold]

I think the biggest reason behind 27:17 I think is because literally everyone is just so tired of big no-faced companies selling stuff. When presented with an opportunity to support someone who you've been watching for months or even years, and by KNOWING that the money is going to THEM, you're much more willing to actually hand over the cash. Even if the service might have a couple bumps in the road. As a happy customer, I wish much success to Nebula and hope you don't eventually go down the path that so many other companies do where you put profit over the content and more importantly over the person WHO'S GIVING YOU THE MONEY!

[@morganburt2565]

y’all and crash course have such interesting and ethical business strategies! the thing that got me to sign up was, yes, the originals, but also the fact that creators can make what they want and get paid for it. worth the cost to see my favorite artists full potential. and then on the other side of the coin (hehe), crash course figured out a way to make basic knowledge free! i don’t know the exact details but i know a solid amount is made through donations from patreon to the crash course coin. either way, glad to see the people i want to get paid paid and the knowledge i want free is free :)

[@garethx12]

I thought I would watch a lot of Topic too, so I signed up. Its ran its course, so I mostly watch Nebula too, but I do like Topic.

[@suomeaboo]

What a face reveal (at least to me), and such an amazing story! I pretty much grew up on the educational side of KZbin, and have been hearing about Nebula for the last 4 years. This video might actually convince me to subscribe and see what you and all the other creators I follow have to offer there firsthand. Thank you for your efforts.

[@whydoineedausername1386]

Nah, he did a proper face reveal on a second channel years ago. Then showed up again on Tom Scott's Money and is now all the time on Jet Lag

[@suomeaboo]

@@whydoineedausername1386 Makes sense. It's just my first time seeing what he looks like.

[@tsuchan]

@@whydoineedausername1386 First time for me to see. But he looks cooler now than in any of the photos shown in the video.

[@xaf15001]

It was kinda surprising knowing the man that makes brick jokes in HAL is one of the co-founders of Nebula.

[@TheAuraEngineer]

Same, I love the education side of yt, my fav part of yt so this platform is very convincing

[@curiousfirely]

I love seeing this as the inheritors of vlogbrothers. Hank and Jon built the path through the wilds of early internet video, and this is the next step. Building a viable business, but with a community and creator centred ethos.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

And, of course, it'll come full circle when Hank and John unveil their own streaming service on which they release their new series, Sixteen Weeks to Glory, in which they finally box each other. [podcast ref]

[@CMVBrielman]

Congrats to Isaac for being the pioneer! He’s why I’m a Nebula subscriber.

[@ChrispyNut]

Ditto

[@languist]

I've actually never tried Nebula before, so I'm curious to see how it's like.

[@jonjohns8145]

Who else but a futurist would be first .. 😄

[@raifikarj6698]

​@@languistif you are avid educational video watcher it's worth it. Here the thing because much of the video was exclusive content they are all in high quality and because the small number you can basically watch all backlogs in short time rather than KZbin where you need to watch their video constantly if not then you need to rummaging hundreds of their backlog weekly uploads.

[@dogcarman]

@@languistLike KZbin but without ads and with a consistently high content quality. Oh, and downloads included. ❤

[@JusDoc]

I'd be really curious for CGPGrey and Kurzgezagt's 2 cents on this business model. Clearly they're doing quite well and are fully successful with their current system, but I wonder how they feel about Nebula these days, and what their big concerns were back when they sold in 2020.

[@user-uv2cp1qd1j]

For obvious legal reasons this video glossed over that. But I’m intrigued too. Maybe pre covid Nebula’s revenue was only.. okay? The huge boost from lockdown was absolutely unprecedented, and they’re probably kicking themselves

[@TheKeeperofChaos]

Kurz maybe, but personally I'm not too interested in CGP Greys take on it given some of his own scummy practices (striking reactors, paywalling comments, hiding old bonus videos behind a paywall, etc)

[@JZH10000]

​@@TheKeeperofChaos please elaborate? What did he do exactly?

[@MetDaan2912]

@@TheKeeperofChaos There is nothing wrong with striking reactors since they literally steal market share from a video they have nothing to do with by watching it like any other person. It's just theft.

[@freewyvern707]

​@@TheKeeperofChaosyou have an issue with Grey paywalling bonus videos? I presume you much despise the practice of Nebula Originals then?

[@Patterrz]

This is an awesome setup you've all made! It's clear you're super passionate about making it work and providing content that is worth the sign up price. I've been influenced i'm gonna check it out

[@benr10]

As someone who's been around since the early days of Wendover it truly is heartwarming to see all of the success that you and your fellow creators have had. Thank you for making such great content!

[@tsuchan]

Yes I agree with this. I'm glad they've had success.

[@justinkoster4417]

It’s crazy everything sam has accomplished and he’s only in his mid 20s. I’ve been watching many of the nebula creators on KZbin and on nebula for years and I happily pay for the subscription

[@Nooticus]

This ^ he's a huge inspiration to me!

[@sirBrouwer]

plus the fee is dirt cheap. $12,- a year for both Nebula and Curiosity stream the price never changed from the get go for me.

[@joemamaisfat]

This feels like the only ad I want to watch that’s 28 minutes long. Fucking love that platform, I watch Mustard and Real Engineering there too!

[@Alex-js5lg]

I watched a 15 minute ad from Boston Dynamics about their robot dog. Once in a while, an ad is just interesting enough to be engaging.

[@TrevelyanOO6]

I have Nebula, but I rarely use it. I almost always watch videos via KZbin. On reason is community features. Nebula has no comments, no good discovery or recommendations. e.g. Other users who watched this also watch that by this other creator. There’s no rating system (hate that yt now hides thumb down). For a long time Nebula lacked speed control, adding that at least let me consider watching exclusives, I’ve gotten too use to 2x. I’m glad to hear that the venture is going so well.

[@susannicky]

Inflation is far more harmful to individuals than a collapsing stock or property market because it directly affects people's cost of living, which they immediately feel. It is not surprising that the current market sentiment is extremely pessimistic. In today's economy, assistance is critical if we are to survive.

[@graywilliams_77.]

If you lack market knowledge, your best bet is to seek advice or support from a consultant or investing coach. Contacting a consultant may sound simple, but it's how I've managed to stay afloat in the market and increase my portfolio to roughly 65% since January. It is, in my opinion, the best way to get started in the industry right now.

[@eoghan.]

something about companies being clear and open just instantly makes me want to support them! i have subbed a few times on and off, mainly to watch specific videos, but this video has convinced me to sub for the year! thanks for the great videos

[@chuckiexx]

Same here. Looking forward to supporting ethical decisions to feed the creators that make the platform rather than the exec's that try to squeeze every penny. Also.. Quality over quantity

[@InvaderMik]

I’m an annual subscriber, and I find that the limiting factor for going to nebula is the lack of a comment section on each video. Every time I watch on your site, I find myself saying “wow, that was an interesting video! I wonder what people are talking about?”. Then I come to KZbin to read the comments. But then… why didn’t I just watch the video on KZbin?

[@commisaryarreck3974]

Comments might scare off the advertisers or people who prefer echo chambers

[@sylvy16]

@@commisaryarreck3974 but they don’t have advertisers on nebula. it’s viewer funded. comments may be removed to create any hostile environments, but i still wish they were there

[@alexlevin5099]

I think that I first joined Nebula after Real Engineering showed the first episode of the Logistics of D-Day on youtube, and that was the push to sign-up for the Curiosity Nebula bundle. I'm genuinely thrilled to have been using Nebula for years, because I really appreciate the high-quality educational content everybody on there puts out, and this seemed like a small way I could give thanks to all of you. Thank you so very much to everyone involved for making this awesome product happen, and also to Wendover specifically for this really nice behind the scenes backstory. P.S. I love that Nebula does not have a lot of features such as likes and dislikes and whatnot, my personal sole exception being that I miss having a queue function, mostly for playing videos to fall asleep too. Thanks again for believing in Nebula far enough for it to get the growth well deserved!

[@joshuathomas512]

Dave is the genius here for making a company for smart content creators with those smart content creators

[@jordanvanslingerland6881]

I’ve been using Nebula for a couple of years now and it’s the place I go for content I know is always gonna be good. The awesome creators behind it having a platform to break KZbin’s monopoly is darn awesome. Cool video Sam!

[@fredkelly6953]

Isaac was the first creator to bring Nebula to my attention and it's actually his voice in my head that I hear doing the promotion. From there an easy 80% of my you tube content is on Nebula and even though I haven't joined for the obvious "why pay for it when..." this video has convinced me Nebula is something worth supporting and your discount is the catalyst so I've just signed up for a year. It looks like reams of content and I'm here for it, ctrl d, let's go.

[@adriancastellanos5335]

Idk why this made me cry. Maybe it’s because you’ve all taught me so much and kept me so entertained and I’m so happy to see you all have the success you deserve.

[@jonanolakers1567]

Did I just watch a 28 minute sponsor ad and enjoy every minute of it?

[@nickfosterxx]

Wish I could interact with Nebula creators with comments, questions or upvotes. That must have been an interesting meeting where you all decided that was not a good idea. And seven months on, how are things going now? Thanks for a great video, learned a lot, terrific writing.

[@LaughingOrange]

I don't think all others have failed. Linus Tech Tips has Floatplane, which is their own version of Vessel, and it is apparently a financial success. The big differences from Nebula is that creators (except LMG) don't own the platform, and each creator requires their own subscription. Floatplane does not see Nebula as a competitor, mostly due to the different business models, and Patreon is their real competition. Floatplane used the same "start small" mentality, but to them going under was not an option as they would never invest more than what LTT and eventually their own revenue was able to foot. Floatplane doesn't have outside investors, so I'd argue their model is was risky, but Nebula obviously made it too.

[@-ragingpotato-937]

Floatplane is not a Vessel replacement because of the crucial change that in Floatplane you pay for each individual creator you want to watch, it's not like Nebula or Vessel that you pay one fee and get access to all the creators on the platform, it's most definitely more of a "Patreon with video capabilities" where you subscribe to a person in particular. Its targeting a different audience. Nebula is an entertainment platform that offers access to more high-quality original content, targeting general consumers who just want more of the same. Floatplane meanwhile is more of a fan engagement platform that offers behind the scenes, extended cuts, and so on.

[@MartinNelson]

Floatplane is also vastly less technologically sophisticated. They're so busy trying to monetise that they have sacrificed functionality which they get pulled through the ringer on a LOT. In truth the fact is having been created at around the same time, a lot of people have commented on and follow both services. My belief though is that while they operate on fundamentally different models, Floatplane's days are numbered. The cost proposition during an emerging cost of living crisis that appears to be developing into a full blow recession...well...Floatplane and it's offerings is a lot more expensive. Compound this with how few creators actually offer things through Floatplane...basically, you're supporting just the one organisation - LMG. Until the C-suite of LMG actually look outside their little silo I fear that they'll continue under too many misapprehensions. Their model is just fundamentally broken imo.

[@Pistolita221]

Demolition ranch started bunker branding and built a mansion probably as a tax write-off and is now renovating an amusement park to host events and stuff. It's not a tech start up, but he's definitely successfully diversifying. Bunker branding does a lot of merch production for other yt channels.

[@whembree]

Vimeo OTT is also still going strong, they're the backend of a lot of OTT channels that are out there today

[@sinewave999]

Floatplane is NOT a financial sucess. It stays afloat and provides more money per view than youtube, so it stays. The real way LTT makes more money off their videos was their huge push to get their audience to stop using adblock and pay for youtube premium instead. many many many people gloss over this but there's a considerable amount of youtube premium watchers on the LTT channels

[@tHebUm18]

As an OG Nebula subscriber, love this! Thank you to everyone involved in the Nebula effort to get content creators out from under the thumb of corps profiting off their work!

[@Nation2706]

I'm not yet a Nebula subscriber but I feel every video I watch makes it harder to stay away. I love Jetlag and your logistics videos are some of my favorite so that new series is seriously tempting me. I'm sure I'll be a subscriber before the end of the year at this rate.

[@techny3000]

I like that Nebula succeeded Its content is very interesting, and I love that creators were seen as partners, rather than a product

[@2_obsessed]

Signing up for nebula has been one of the best things I've ever done. Any time I'm bored or looking for something to watch, I know Nebula will have something. Its honestly incredible!

[@ForeignManinaForeignLand]

Most meta video on Nebula at the moment

[@alexfoster6718]

I appreciate the transparency you gave to all the viewers and subscribers. Not only was it informative, but showed the true passion of all the creators involved.

[@kofManKan]

I'm a subscriber to Nebula & CS for over a year. Happy with it. Well done peeps!

[@GoldenDragon1999]

Prior to this video , let alone the title, Ive always doubted Nebula's success. Ive watched through the whole video, and Im mad impressed. This just gets my blood boiling in an inspiring way, it makes me want to go start something up too. I may not be a creator, but Ive recently had enough experience that I also don't seem to belong in "corporate world", I feel like this video has contributed to my path on doing something for myself.

[@majorfallacy5926]

I've always been a bit suspicious about the marketing since Nebula is advertised like a coop when it isn't one, so this video helped clear that up and made me consider subscribing. That, and the awesome privacy policy.

[@siddhantagarwal8553]

Hey Same! Been a Nebula sub for around half an year now and I have to say I have to say even though my Jetlag Wednesdays are pretty exciting, I have one important feedback for how it could be better. The exploration part of the platform is just non-existent. I literally never watch something on Nebula unless its a specific creator I know is up there and and mostly if I know their upload schedule (like Jetlag wednesdays!) since its all just chronological on the home screen. If there could be some way I get recommended good videos from creators I don't even watch right now, I know I'd just use it so much more. Thanks for this video was curious about this - a happy sub!

[@blava3155]

Really inspiring story! Just be aware that the service could be very slow in implementing much needed and easily created solutions like their subtitles' size which is enormous and takes too much of the screen. We have been asking Nebula to change the size of the subtitles for 3 years at this point and they done nothing about it.

[@KevinJDildonik]

Service is a scam. Nebula and Curiosity Stream are owned by multimillionaire venture capitalists, not small creators.

[@ZecVitaly]

Thats cool bro

[@creesch]

In general it still puzzles me how the platform is supposed to work. There is no real interaction (no comments) or discovery and it seems like most creators basically expect you to be on youtube and only view the exclusives on nebula.

[@krissp8712]

@@creesch I enjoy the adless viewing, it's the only way I can get through short HAI videos, where the percent of the video that's an ad read goes too high for me to tolerate.

[@TheNobody1324]

@@creesch Most of them use Reddit for comments. Which was a bit of a problem during the Reddit blackout

[@DroneQuadcopter]

I looove JET LAG so much and this look behind the curtain of how Nebula and Jet Lag started is amazing....

[@kolofre]

The main way i watch youtube is via recommended videos through the algorithm. Nebula doesn't seem to have something like this. When I visit the categories, its just a wall of videos of different quality and different topics. I haven't tried the site yet, but that is something that you need to work on, because as a user, I don't want to have to "work" to find videos I like. That's why KZbin is so great.

[@xenotiic8356]

I think part of the reason it succeeded so well was because of the ownership structure: by making it a co-op, it means everyone under Nebula feels reason to care about the future of the company beyond a paycheck, even if their % of ownership/revenue is smaller.

[@saxassoon]

I love SFIA! I didn't realize he was the OG promoter, but he was the one that I for sure was willing to support with a Nebula subscription. So excited to see a peak behind the scenes of how it came to be

[@0xTJ]

At first I was sceptical of how interesting this video would be, but I quickly got really into it! It's very nice to hear a story like this, of passionate people working to make a platform that can support both themselves and other creators, and be a great experience for subscribers!

[@jasiekzar]

I watched Sam's videos from the very beginning and remember ones with shitty sound and graphics that looked like they were made in paint. They were awesome back then and they are awesome now. Wendover, HAI and extremities are the only channels I watched from the very beggining and never got bored watching. Thank you for making my life richer with this content ❤.

[@tsuchan]

"shitty sound and graphics that looked like they were made in paint"... I just love this comment. I may not have seen those videos but... I love the comment.

[@joshua_lee732]

This is actually the sales pitch I needed from Nebula.

[@erics.9814]

Well Mr.... I feel compelled and in the need to show the appreciation I have towards your Wendover Production. I am not a person that writes a lot, but here you go.... I, by no means have the access to Nebula for different reasons, but I can tell you that you have in me a walking billboard that goes around everyone that I have known thru my years of life, recomending your channel. I have seen all your videos since your inseption in KZbin. You have made one old geek very happy. I feel I have grown with you guys, and I also need to thanks all those content creators that you have shone your light to. The hours of learning and entertainment that I have enjoy from you guys are priceless. I sincerely hope the best to you and all your helpers, and I hope your growth does not stops here. A smart guy that knows how to concur with other smart guys to propel smart and enticing video productions! You really do not know how scarce you are. Again keep doing what you doing, I am very proud to have humans like you in this world! Thanks Eric

[@zakkvanish3668]

I came to Nebula through Real Life Lore mentioning the Curiosity Stream bundle at the end of the video. Never really used CS though. Sometimes I grew somewhat frustrated with the low streaming speed of Nebula but I never regretted subscribing. In my opinion KZbin has way too much a monopoly on streaming nowadays.

[@DatCarguy]

Sam, Good for you & your whole team. It makes me so excited to see YOU small creators be successful and create legitimate businesses. I've never met you, but I'm still proud and a little jealous of your success! Wishing you even greater success in the future! As a fellow Coloradan who is in/around DIA all the time, It would be a pleasure to run into you someday!

[@DutchBarracuda]

Long time listener, first time caller, well done Sam and everyone at Nebula.

[@cameronlandin1984]

This man really made a half hour ad about himself

[@ReedClanton]

Lol, and I watched it

[@Olufemii]

Freakin proud of you dude. Nebula is awesome!!

[@tntero]

Most of the content I watch is still on youtube, 2/3 years after originally signing up for Nebula/Curiosity Stream. I mostly watch videos from my PS4 and there's no Nebula app and I don't think there will be one, but from day 1, for the low cost I was paying, it just felt worthwhile to support creators that way, so even though I rarely use the platform, I'm happy to keep paying for it to support it because I believe in the idea. Thanks for creating this and I'll see you here or there, or anywhere

[@tjay84]

You are such a great storyteller Sam! You’ve earned all your success and I wish for even more in the future.. Greetings a long time Nebular subscriber ;)

[@adrielsebastian5216]

Probably the most meta Wendover episode yet 👏🏾

[@Speedster___]

No airplanes

[@officialmcdeath]

@@Speedster___ planes implied in the global travel animations and the St Helena runway diagram \m/

[@Wilder941]

I'd love to know more details on what happened with Cody's lab not being on nebula. I remember it making a bit of noise back in the day but I don't think there was ever a public conclusion.

[@___Me_]

Really happy you guys made it, we need more of these bottom-up initiatives! Took the Curiosity str. + Nebula combo a few years ago. CS didn't stick, but Nebula has everything I like in one place. Big shout-out to all the 'Logistics' vids and Mustard's top notch visualisations !

[@erikharaldsson2416]

I still have my bundle deal, but I really only use the Nebula part.

[@sumitshresth]

You are the main reason why I love nebula so much. I was thinking of canceling my subscription last year, but then I saw your amazing documentary on the Colorado problem. It was so well done and informative that I decided to keep supporting Nebula.

[@thomas_delaney]

I subscribed to Nebula because I was absolutely hooked on Jetlag and wanted to see it early. Once on the platform, I was open to the abundance of amazing video content. Premium content keeps us coming!

[@tj_mora]

I wish you discussed how your business model will ensure that your company will keep on producing quality content far into the future. The original founders will eventually retire from creating content and if you don't offer new creators a good deal that will make them money, they won't join or stay with your company. Your own success is amplified by the fact that you're kinda a co-founder with a lot of stakes in the company. The new creators that join your service don't have that much stake, if at all, that I think they don't have enough incentive to stick with your company long-term.

[@piedpiper1172]

Mustard and Paper Skies seem to really like Nebula, and neither are founders/major owners. I think Nebula offers more creative freedom and extra money to creators. It seems to be enough for them.

[@SpektrikMusic]

​@@piedpiper1172 mustard originals is great

[@garethx12]

When he was talking about the idea that creators got a "share" of the company I was wondering how that worked in perpetuity and how they attracted new creators. Im mostly curious why people are still at KZbin because of how bad I hear the reimbursement is and fear of having your channel deleted because the algorithm thinks you said a bad word.

[@SpektrikMusic]

@@garethx12 because KZbin has a bigger audience

[@garethx12]

@@SpektrikMusic ?

[@PMitchell106]

I was subscribed to curiosity stream and nebula, but I found I kept watching the videos on KZbin (even with ads) anyway. Ended up canceling after the price shot up from the promotional rate I had in the first year. Glad to support content creators, but I wasn't getting any value out of the service myself, so I'll continue to support with ad revenue 👍

[@5pac3man]

Extremely good content regarding monetization, CAC, etc. Thanks so much for this. It would be great to understand how much revenue or other value comes from selling subscribers personal information and related data to third parties, as described in your privacy policy. That never gets covered.

[@_aullik]

In the beginning at 1:43 you said that "all others have failed". After Vessel went under, LTT (or LMG) created Floatplane and this platform is also going strong as of right now.

[@FHL-Devils]

I have a Nebula subscription, but there are three things that keep me coming back to KZbin: 1) The lack of a viewing queue. Yes, there is 'watch later', but that's not really a queue, and even that is much more clunky than KZbin's 'queue window' 2) No comments section. Yes, moderation is a hellscape of lost revenue, but if I can't engage on one platform, but have the *option* to on another, that's where I'll be 3) Content. I have ~60 channels in my subscriptions, and only ~5 of them are on Nebula. The only Nebula-exclusive content I watch is TL;DR News. So I guess in a way, I'm your perfect customer. I have an account, and plan to remain a subscriber in order to support the applicable creators, but take very little as far as bandwidth and support. Ultimately I'm treating Nebula as a form of Patreon - which I'm sure is both a positive and negative. You're getting the income, but not for what the platform was designed for.

[@marketplacegold1540]

I had a Nebula membership, it's quite good. I'll offer a bit of constructive criticism, *Nebula lacks diversity.* Diversity of worldview: close to a 100% of Nebula creators had the same bland, hoping-to-not-get-canceled, neoliberal worldview.

[@jessbuildstech]

The radical transparency is fantastic, thank you (and well done).

[@thomasmizrahi]

Wow, it's insane what Nebula has gotten to. I remember trying the free trial years ago and I ended up scraping it because videos would only play in real time at, at most, 240p (at least here in Argentina). Hope that has improved, I might give it another shot

[@Damemer]

That was inspirational. Well done on building something outstanding. 💚

[@VinayShah]

The year is 2023 and now the entire video is a Nebula ad

[@_thereswaldo]

Off-brand AVICII is doing some amazing work here on KZbin and with Nebula. Wow.

[@streetfutsalking4814]

VIDEO IDEA. How the firework industry works. I have always wondered how these shops operate year round and still put on the biggest sale ever leading up to the Fourth of July

[@StephenLee529]

Love that you shared the journey. I didn’t know how Nebula worked. I support it and use it .

[@jdmanning7]

Never fully realized how young Sam is

[@DanBujo]

I'm very happy for your success! I haven't been a Nebula sub before but I'm considering it now because it's so full of great content and people. Props for not going for the quick cash. You have a winning idea and people are supporting it. You might not be able to buy a yacht, 10 supercars and a multi-million dollar mansion the very next day (like people that just sell off a business instead of standing by it) but in time it's definitely a possibility.

[@bazoo513]

This was _extremely_ interesting - I think I need a rewatch with subtitles on and an occasional pause to digest all the weirdness of mechanics of sponsorships and other ways of revenus creation in this corner of creative universe. (BTW, I subscribed using one of those early promotions for the insanely discounted CS/N bundle, and I have been renewing ever since.)

[@SidenoteChannel]

Wow. What a story! Congratulations to you all.

[@summersky77]

It's not a $150 million streaming platform, nor does it provide the experience of one. I had subscribed for a about a minute, but I never renewed nor did the ONE other person I knew that had subscribed as well. Simply, we ran out of content to watch and it really did feel stale and slim pickings. Nobody outside these communities even knows it exists and I'd argue it hasn't caught on for a reason. This is a fantastic KZbin channel. Stop watering down the content and wearing yourselves thin. This is always the point where things go south. You really think you can go toe to toe with Google? Have fun.

[@Gfynbcyiokbg8710]

You clearly don't have a clue what you are talking about

[@summersky77]

@@Gfynbcyiokbg8710 You clearly have your head in the sand. Or up your ass. Either way, time will prove you wrong.

[@flashoflight8160]

I am a subscriber and I feel the same way. Most of the content is not that great. The CEO of Nebula gives me the creepy vibes with the heavily censored Nebula subreddit. Censoring constructive criticism on the bad content does not make it good content. Instead, Nebula needs to clean house. You can get through all of the A-/A/A+ content in a month. The rest of it is not worth an annual subscription.

[@Justgoodvids]

I hate the that creators upload their normal content and exclusive content on nebula. It makes the exclusive content hard to find

[@jstnrgrs]

I signed up for Nebula a few years ago, abd I'm happy to have done so. I do find that I still tend to watch on KZbin when a video is available on both platforms. It took a very long time befire i could watch on Roku (which is how i watch most videos), and even now that I can, the front end just isnt as good at giving me the videos I want as KZbin is. I'm not going anywhere as a subscriber, but I do suggest continuing to improve your front end and video recommendations.

[@owenhorn7548]

this

[@politicscommentator]

DT needed to keep attacking the Terran army once it is clear that Terran has no more scans.

[@alpang6161]

For years while i was in college i was so absorbed in watching tgese educational youtubers but didnt have the extra cash to pay for Nebula. Now that I've graduated i couldn't be happier to see Nebula absolutely thriving and finally being able to afford the service. Love the creators, the passion, and the content.

[@Hav3nMaina]

Sam is the reason I signed up for Nebula

[@madman10340]

I love this, creator made platform preforming amazing and listening to its subs and adapting and changing to what people who pay for the service would think.

[@riprex1157]

I had no idea that Grey was even part of this story! This does explain a lot of collabs in the past number of years. Not that im complaining :P

[@Mystik3eb]

Wow. What a hell of a story. I wonder how Kurzgesagt and CGP Grey feel about leaving the company now. I wonder if they would want back in. I wonder if they would be welcomed back in. I wonder if Nebula is reaching out to more KZbin creators to add to their roster. I miss the CuriostyStream partnership. Getting both services for so damn cheap was an amazing deal.

[@sylvy16]

as many others have said, cgp and kurzgesagt are doing pretty well for themselves without nebula. they both have many millions of subscribers so i’m kinda happy they are not on nebula, cause all the other creators have thousands of subscribers not millions. i feel like many smaller creators would lose out in that case due to their videos taking up most of the attention

[@Mystik3eb]

@@sylvy16 I dunno, I can't help but feel that having more well-known and well-respected names drawing viewers to the platform is a good thing for the platform and the other creators. But eh.

[@SayYourSomething]

They got rid of the partnership???

[@prakharsinha4976]

Kudos! Not every channel can afford to hire a treble winning premier league footballer to narrate their videos.