Good morning. As the bar for high-quality YouTube video essays (spanning topics from how to build a road to unpacking Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto fraud) continues to rise, we’ve been wondering: What turns a video essay into a full-fledged documentary?

This question has spurred debate in the Publish Press newsroom—some argue it’s multiple POVs and expert interviews, while others believe it’s all in the archival footage.

Got a take? Hit reply to let us know what you think!

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Gaming Creator Jabrils Tops Charts with Debut Manga

Gaming and software development creator Jabril “Jabrils” Ashe spent nearly four years writing and designing a manga comic book with the help of an illustrator—and his self-published first edition, HAXWARE: Paragon, reached the No. 2 spot on top manga platform Manga Plus Creators’ (MPC) trending charts last week.

“Everyone and their mother has a t-shirt…no disrespect, but I wanted a stronger merch item, and manga is that,” Ashe told us.

The backstory: Ashe said that he’s a “lifelong” fan of popular Japanese media like manga and anime. In 2019, he decided to spend less time on his YouTube channel (where he documents the process of developing video games for 500K subscribers) and more time learning how to create an anime cartoon show.

But as Ashe soon found out, animation can be expensive. One studio quoted him at roughly $500,000 for a single 30-minute episode.

So Ashe pivoted, working with an illustrator to take characters he’d 3D-modeled and design a manga. On August 24, he dropped the physical comic book on his online store and published a free digital version on MPC, where it steadily climbed the charts over the last two weeks.

Ashe told us he’s excited to continue building out “the HAXWARE universe” across his own social media channels, as he plans to transition the majority of his focus to creating content related to his manga (including new video games).

Big picture: A self-taught software engineer, Ashe believes that his eight-plus years of establishing a career on YouTube have greatly influenced his ability to learn new skills and take on entrepreneurial projects.

“There's a lot of traditional processes that you have to circumvent to get here, right? And I think that that experience [of starting a YouTube channel] really molded the person I am today,” he told us.

1 Month, 8 Million Views for Video Essay Channel fern

Fern, a video essay YouTube channel, recently surpassed 8.7 million total views in one month across just seven videos.

Context: The channel, which has 350,000 subscribers, is a collaboration between European creators Simplicissimus and Hoog, who make videos on design and culture. Through fern, the two creators tackle big topics in under 20 minutes—like why McDonald’s is better in France than the U.S. and why the Netherlands operates like an oversized city.

How did fern catch on so suddenly? While the creators haven’t publicly shared their strategy, many in the space have suggested that YouTube’s algorithm is helping creators and channels to find unique audiences faster than ever thanks to its growing use of AI.

Sponsored by Riverside

Clipping Conversations Will Never Be The Same

We’re not going to sugarcoat this. Finding and editing clips from your videos and podcasts has always been a huge headache.

But an answer is finally here, thanks to Riverside.

With their new feature, Magic Clips, Riverside turns the tedious task of clipping into an effortless experience.

In just one click, AI scours your recordings to find their most compelling moments. From there, Riverside automatically crafts standalone clips ready to share for your social media audience.

But Riverside’s help doesn’t stop there. To ensure you keep viewers hooked, their AI-powered transcription engine will accurately transcribe and burn captions right into your clips.

Press readers, there’s a special offer just for you: Use the discount code PUBLISH for 20% off. Join creators like Cleo Abram, Ali Abdaal, and yes, Colin and Samir, by signing up for Riverside today.

Sports Media Creators Release Show on Amazon Prime

Yesterday was the premiere of One Shot: Overtime Elite, a six-part Prime Video docuseries about high school athletes in the Overtime Elite (OTE) basketball league.

What is Overtime? A sports media brand with over 40 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. It was started by creators Zack Weiner and Dan Porter in 2016 to share stories of athletes who haven’t yet gone pro, from high school football stars to esports gamers.

In 2021, Weiner and Porter started the private school and basketball league Overtime Elite, which has since sent two players to the NBA. Their new Prime Video show follows the lives of OTE players, including the NBA recruits.

Big picture: Overtime's OTE school, basketball league, and media brand are paving an unconventional route to the NBA for athletes—while also training them as creators. This comes at a time when 1) name, image, and likeness deals are becoming more widespread and 2) college athletes’ compensation are hotly debated.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Phil DeFranco launches a coffee company.

• Canon develops photo authentication technology.

• Canoopsy unveils new Mercedes-Benz concept car.

• IShowSpeed, Bella Poarch, and MrBeast join an upstart esports league.

• TikTok is being used by both thieves and victims to document Bolivia’s car smuggling boom.

• The Wall Street Journal investigates Spotify’s billion-dollar effort to build a podcasting empire.

🎁 Share the Press

When you refer new readers to the Press, you earn merch from the Press Publish shop.

*Here’s your unique link to share: {{rp_refer_url}}

You currently have {{rp_num_referrals}} referrals. You're only {{rp_num_referrals_until_next_milestone}} away from receiving {{rp_next_milestone_name}}.

*Please do not use fake email addresses — they will not qualify as referrals. Thank you!