Hey, We’re Colin and Samir, YouTube creators and podcasters that break down the latest news in the creator economy from a creator's perspective. We have a long history building communities and brands through digital content. New episodes of The Colin and Samir show go live every Monday morning at 9AM EST on Spotify and YouTube.com/ColinandSamir.
How a YouTube Doc Rewrote the Hollywood Playbook
Today on The Colin and Samir Show we speak with filmmaker Owen Reiser. When he realized his work in nature documentaries was drying up, he decided to make his own. The result was Listers , a two-hour birdwatching documentary he made with his brother. It cost him $16,000 and he uploaded straight to YouTube with the ads turned off. It reached millions of people, built a community around his work, and created an interesting revenue model for films on YouTube.
We talk with Owen about how he pulled it off, how much he made, why he turned down Hollywood offers, and what Listers says about the future of filmmaking on YouTube.
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