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— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Crash Course Gets Overwhelming Viewer Support

This week, Hank and John Green’s Crash Course YouTube education channel released its 2023 Crash Course Coins, a limited collection of physical coins fans can buy to support the channel’s production of new (and free) education videos on subjects from Spanish to botany.

How’d the launch go? Two days after the coins went on sale, the majority were sold out. So far, viewers have purchased over $300,000 worth of coins.

FYI: Most of Crash Course’s budget comes from Patreon and these coin campaigns, without which “the course wouldn’t be possible,” John Green in a recent video.

Zoom out: Earlier this month, Hank Green (who typically acts as CEO for the Green Brothers’ many business verticals, including DFTBA and Complexly) stepped out of his leadership roles following his cancer diagnosis. His brother John has stepped in.

The positive reception of the coins is not just a reflection of viewers’ support for Crash Course’s mission to make education more accessible, but also a show of support for the Green brothers as people during this tumultuous time.

Sidemen Continue to Expand Physical Footprint

Popular England-based YouTube group The Sidemen are quickly scaling their fast food restaurant chain, Sides, with the opening of 10 new brick-and-mortar locations by the end of the year.

The group already had two Sides locations in London. This expansion will include new physical locations in both North England and Scotland, according to Tubefilter.

Context: Sides started as a virtual, delivery-only restaurant in 2021 with a menu featuring fried chicken, jalapeno poppers, onion rings, and more.

After a successful first year, the group opened its first retail location in Wembley, London, steps away from the city’s famous soccer stadium.

Looking ahead: In May, the Sidemen agreed to a “multi-million-pound” upfront financing deal to help expand their IRL footprint. Sides appears to be a main focus of that deal: The Sidemen plan to open 200 new locations (including some in the United States) over the next 10 years.

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How we brought the Press Publish store to life

We often get asked, “How did you make it as creators?” Our answer is almost always the same: We just kept pressing publish.

The profound impact of those two words—Press Publish—inspired us to create a brand around the feeling. With the words “Press Publish” on a hat or shirt, you could connect with your community, showcase your creator identity, and remind yourself that those ideas you have are worth sharing.

But creating a brand that says all that effectively isn’t easy—we’re talking printing, shipping, fulfillment, customer service, returns…the list goes on. To make it work? We needed some help.

Read about our experience with Fan of a Fan—the brand factory powering creator brands for Yes Theory, Kelly Wakasa, Airrack, and more.

British #BookTok Creators Form a Creator House…

…and no, it’s not a new reality TV show from Netflix.

This summer, six creators (who are all active contributors to the #BookTok community on TikTok) will live together in a seaside house, creating content around upcoming titles from book publisher and house organizer Simon & Schuster. Featured creators will include British reviewers and curators like Booked Up and Library of Lina.

Big picture: As we’ve covered before, #BookTok has reshaped the publishing industry dramatically. Simon & Schuster’s creator house is the latest example of how publishers are finding creative new ways to reach audiences.

🔥 Press Worthy

• BruceDropEmOff moves to Kick.

• Brad Leone releases a trailer for his YouTube channel.

• Yes Theory’s Project Iceman starts streaming this weekend.

• Nicole McLaughlin is releasing a book.

• Dude Perfect goes on tour this month.

• Smooth Media launches a fractional COO service for creators.

• Click this link and claim your Shop Cash gift to spend anywhere in the Shop app. There’s limited availability, so grab your blue cap now…

📚️ Thank You For Pressing Publish

The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.

• Read: GQ’s Zach Baron profiles the very offline Ryan Gosling on how his personal life has shaped his acting career.

• Watch: Painting creator Gawx explores art through travel on his second channel.

• Listen: Need to spruce up your playlist? The All Songs Considered podcast has got you with the best new music out today.

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