Good morning. Yesterday, Michelle Khare released season seven of her Challenge Accepted YouTube show featuring an hour-long episode with Legal Eagle. The task? Learn how to become a defense lawyer in one day before a murder trial. We won’t give away the ending, but we will say Khare’s impersonation of Jack Nicholson from A Few Good Men is pretty convincing…you can't handle the truth.

— Hannah Doyle 

How American High Launches TikTok Comedians

For years, aspiring comedians have followed a standard path: move to New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago; rise through the ranks of a competitive improv troupe; and audition for SNL. But American High and other comedy groups like it are offering an alternative route to success as a digital short-form sketch comedy crew.

Here’s how it’s changing the game for comedy creators →

Context: Since 2014, American High has operated as a production company with the goal of creating what it calls the “next generation of iconic high-school films.” 

• With several feature films under its belt, American High launched American High Digital in November 2022, creating short-form content aimed at high schoolers. 

• They’ve since expanded with four social channels: American High, College Life, Barely Adult, and Unhirables, each targeting different demos from teens to young adults.

How it works: The sketch comedy group operates out of American High’s headquarters in Syracuse, NY. Cast members receive salaries, housing, and a platform to launch their own comedy careers in exchange for about 15 videos per week.

We spoke with former member Hyde Healy about how American High Digital has aided his career as a budding comedian. 

• Prior to joining American High’s cast, Healy had a small following and little experience making online content. 

• “They just kind of plucked me from the unknown and they put you in front of millions of people per week,” Healy said.

Big Picture: Healy got exposure to over 8 million followers in his year with American High, laying the foundation to start his own solo career. Now, with hundreds of millions of views and 400K followers on his personal accounts, Healy has nailed his own sketch comedy production. “[American High] showed me how it’s possible to make a living independently with my own videos,” he said. 

This incubator model has worked for other cast members, too: Syracuse student Julia DiCesare gained over 700K followers working with American High, and experienced comedians Grace Reiter and brothers Aidan and Ryan Micho added to their already-successful résumés in their time with the group.

Secrets of a 5-Year-Running Ringer Podcast

Reality star turned podcast creator Rachel Lindsay is about to hit five years of co-hosting Higher Learning, a twice weekly podcast with broadcaster Van Lathan that covers news, politics, and Black culture on The Ringer Podcast Network. 

During SXSW, Lindsay shared her perspective on running a 500+ episode podcast with staying power →

Build out a universe. Lindsay often brings other Ringer podcast hosts and producers on the show. “Our producers and managers all grab a mic—we give them segments and they have nicknames…fans of the show ask for them and it’s collaborative in that way,” Lindsay told us.

Prioritize video. Lindsay and Lathan were early adopters of video, recording the podcast on Zoom in 2020 and often in-person today.

“To use the camera as a co-host has really taken the podcast to another level,” Lindsay said. “And then to hear our audience say ‘I love when I saw Van do this or Rachel do this.’ They’re not just saying what they hear—they feel us in a different way because they’re able to see us.”

Find the right partners. Lindsay operates as an independent contractor with The Ringer, which has helped her make podcasts her primary source of income (she’s also an attorney and a small business owner). 

“I feel very valued there, and I didn’t always feel that as a lawyer or reality show contestant,” Lindsay said. “I was able to choose if I wanted to be paid one way or the other. They didn’t tell me ‘this is how it’s going to be’ [...] I hope to be doing this for a long time and I see podcasting as the foundation of what I do.”

YouTube Reveals Creator ‘Shows’ for Episodic Content

Later this year, YouTube creators will be able to organize their videos by seasons and episodes, with a similar look and feel to PrimeTime Channel show homepages on YouTube TV. 

According to Digiday, it’ll be a “sleeker and more intuitive” experience than the current Playlist feature.

Big picture: The new features are a part of YouTube’s larger push into streaming dominance as more viewers watch on TVs. Creators are positioning themselves accordingly—consider Rhett and Link’s Wonderhole premiere and Kinigra Deon's YouTube series like Slide and Prom Queen Rivals.

👀 Creator Moves

• Mythical is hiring an assistant editor for its social media and marketing team.

• Sara Renae Clark is seeking a graphic designer to shape her social media, website, and products.

• Sam and Colby are hiring a marketing video editor to cut trailers for social media.

Looking to bring on new team members? You can post opportunities on our (free) job board here.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Dude Perfect and Mark Rober are discussing streaming shows with Netflix, the WSJ reports.

• Business creators are 2x more likely to earn $10K+ per month—get the blueprint in Teachable’s webinar series. It starts tomorrow.*

• Ryan Trahan is hosting a Joyride pop-up in NYC at the end of the month.

• NPR releases the top 10 finalists for its college podcast creator competition.

• Netflix and Apple's social teams read Geekout. Shouldn't you? Stay ahead of trends—Subscribe for free here.

• Beast Games opens up casting for season two.

• Comedy creator Steven He is starring in a TV show, Doctor Doctor, streaming on AppleTV and Prime Video.

_{*This is sponsored advertising content.}