NerdSync
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actual big update about NerdSync
🕑 Added 2021-09-22 22:05:56 +0000 UTCHey, everyone. Just wanted to say thanks for all the kind words on my recent update, and to give you all further updates about what’s going on.
a big change
If you didn’t know, in 2019 NerdSync was acquired by the SuperCarlinBrothers who are other YouTubers in the nerdy fandom space. Under them, I produced some of my favorite videos like why Captain Marvel changed the Skrulls, how Mysterio changed my life, the tragedy of Thor, Captain America and politics, the genre of Scooby-Doo, history of Bob Ross, and every video I’ve made this year so far. Some of my best and highest quality videos I’ve ever made thanks to them giving me a proper budget for props and providing me with fantastic gear to film my stuff with.
But as of this past week, we NerdSync and SCB have mutually parted ways. I am back to doing NerdSync as a one-person-show (but also with help from my partner Emily). This decision has provided me with a lot of excitement for what the future of NerdSync will be, while also a lot of anxiety over the fact that I simply will not be able to match the quality of videos I have been producing lately. For example, working from my little one-bedroom apartment again means I won’t be able to build a cool set to film on, the audio quality might be echoey with all the high ceilings and hardwood floors, and our giant windows means I won’t be able to control lighting as much as I’d hope. Plus, I just won’t have access to that very expensive camera and lens setup I’ve been filming on this past year.
As someone who likes to play around with lighting, frame really interesting shots, and toil over audio until it sounds as perfect as I can get it, this will likely be a trying time for me as I figure out how to continue to make videos that look and sound and feel the same quality as what I’ve been making lately. So I guess I just wanted to give you a heads up that there will be a fairly significant fidelity drop over the next few months of videos until we can save up enough to wrangle together better equipment. It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that your support here on Patreon means so much to me as I’m striking out solo again. Thank you!
what’s next?
So, I don’t think I’ll be able to make any videos in September at all, which sucks, but I hope to come back with 2-3 videos in October. I know I made it a Patreon goal that if we hit 600 Patrons, I’ll make videos all October about Scooby-Doo, but tbh I’m just going to do that anyway. You all seem to like it when I talk about Scooby-Doo, and I like talking about it. I think more than anything, I want to take advice from other YouTubers I look up to and “follow the joy” so to speak. Right now, I could use an excuse to dive deep into stuff that makes me happy.
Emily and I have even talked about doing a Patreon special offer in October where new and existing supporters get access to a handful of Scooby-Doo commentary tracks. Like, listening to me and Emily watching through and commenting on the live-action movies, Zombie Island, and a handful of episodes across the cartoon shows. A lot of people have asked for a commentary track from me for Monsters Unleashed, but I figured we could do a whole bundle of them to drive more Patreon support and to reward all of you with something fun for already being here.
I’ve got a lot of videos planned for the rest of the year. Jury’s still out on if I will be able to actually do them on time, but I will try my best. I would say probably don’t expect a consistent release schedule for videos, though. I want to give myself maybe two and a half weeks to work on stuff. Still 2-3 videos per month I hope. And above all, since I’ll be working at home now, I still would very much like to force myself to not work weekends. I want to try and make sure I have some healthy boundaries.
a new (or, rather, additional) home
I’m having to update this update in real-time almost because just the other day, I had a phone call with one of the owners of Standard.tv to get my videos on their streaming service, Nebula. If you’re not familiar with Nebula, it’s basically a streaming site for all the coolest YouTubers who make video essays about film, technology, and philosophy. So many rad creators are over there already, and I’m excited to join them! All my YouTube videos will also be available on Nebula in the near future, and watching on Nebula is just another way to help support my stuff.
So in the near future if you see me shilling for Nebula in brand deals, now at least you know why haha.
other stuff?
Time for a little good news, bad news.
Bad news is that all of those new merch ideas I had been teasing these last few months likely won’t happen, unfortunately. I made up designs and I was really excited about them, but it’s just not in the budget now that I’m independent again. I hope one day to make some more cool pins and shirts and notebooks for you all, but those have to be put on hold indefinitely. Although, with the help and resources of of Standard, I hope to launch some merch next year that will be some of the best stuff I’ve made yet for you all!
Good news is that I have a brand new podcast that we’re hoping to launch next month. We’ve already recorded over 15 episodes and I’m in the process of editing them, but I hope you like it! It’s very different from anything I’ve made before, so if it doesn’t interest you, that’s totally fine. I hope you give it a chance, though! It’s a podcast where a historian buddy of mine (Tristan from Step Back History) and I debunk the terrible conspiracy theories from Ancient Aliens one at a time. It’s a ton of fun and I learn a lot about history every week. The show is called It’s Probably (not) Aliens!, and we hope to launch it on October 5th with at least 5 episodes fo you to listen to immediately everywhere you get podcasts.
Expect more live streams as well. I’ve been slacking on those since August, but I want to do more of them. I think it’s a great way to build the community and I also just like doing them. In fact, the next live stream I’ll be doing is DMing a one-shot for the At Home Comic Con on Sunday the 26th at 11:30pm Eastern! Follow the AHCC twitter account for more info about that!
see you soon
That’s all I can think of right now, but if you have any questions or comments, please let me know down below. As you can expect, I am experiencing a lot of anxiety and facing a lot of uncertainty about the future, but thanks to your support and generosity and kindness, I can at least start to come up with a plan. Just bear with me over the next few months as we get things sorted out. Videos might be mostly voice-over, b-roll might be filmed on my phone, etc. We’re not starting from nothing, but we’re still working up to where we were, and it’ll take time. I hope at least you’ll see that the passion and interest in what I’m discussing video-to-video won’t decrease.
Thanks for all the support here on Patreon and for even watching my videos at all. You’re the reason I’m able to keep doing this. Genuinely. Thank you 💜
- Scott
Comments
Michael Lipinski
As someone who has followed your channel and your Patreon for years, I'm not here for the fidelity or the consistent video release schedule. I'm here because of you. You have interesting videos that delve deep into topics that I see no one else even scratching the surface of, topics I would never even know about. While I can understand your concern that the video or audio quality will drop, honestly, the quality I care about is your writing. That can't be taken away so I'm not worried. On a side note, you beat that Bob Ross documentary by over 6 months. I watched it by myself and loved it. I decided that I should show it to my GF, who doesn't regularly watch YouTube. She's a graphic designer and was an art major in school. She LOVED it and could tell you were genuinely having fun learning to paint. She could not stop talking about how much she was enjoying your video, how your sense of really growing to love art was obvious, and her own experience with noticing things that she never saw before after becoming more involved with her art. She was also thrilled that you didn't reveal your art at the end and couldn't understand how anyone would insist they see your art. She insisted we start watching more of your videos. That's the quality that people come for.
Nishith Thakkar
Hey Scott, First of all, Thank You for the update. I have been an ardent follower of Nebula and standard.tv and am glad to see you join the family. There is a wonderful pool of folks on there and I hope you find more followers from there. And the podcast feels definitely like something I would subscribe from day one. Can't wait till it is live. Regarding the other news, I understand you take great pride in the production quality of your videos and the Skrulls one definitely felt quite cinematic along with the ones following it. But the production quiality wasn't the only thing that made those videos noteworthy, it was also your storytelling which you have honed over the years. I look forward to the new setting you have for the videos. Please don't over-work yourself trying to get to the same values on a more limited budget and tech. Sending lots of Love, Nish
