Kurzgesagt, a YouTube channel known for its educational content, has been operating for 10 years. The channel was founded by Philipp, who dropped out of high school and later studied history and design. The channel was initially a passion project, inspired by Crash Course World History. In 2012, the channel was less commercial and more idealistic, with the goal of creative freedom. For the first few years, it cost money to make Kurzgesagt, with no outside funding and just intrinsic motivation and a few friends from university. The channel began to break even and earn a profit in 2015.
In 2023, Kurzgesagt is an animation studio with offices in Munich and Berlin. The team consists of over 60 full-time employees and many freelancers around the world. The high production costs have led to the question of how to publish their work for free. The channel's sources of funding change depending on opportunities and the state of the world. Early on, agency work was the main source of income, and ad revenue varies. The shop and Patreon are the most important sources of revenue, with 62% of their revenue coming directly or indirectly from viewers.
The channel's core mission is to spark curiosity and make science and humanism accessible for as many people as possible. They aim to inspire long-term thinking and a positive, constructive outlook. Despite the gloominess of many topics, they approach them with informed and well-researched optimism. In the long run, they aim to be a positive influence across more media, including Tik Tok, long-form content, apps, and games. They also run a shop, which is a central part of their vision.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Kurzgesagt was founded in 2012 by Philipp.
2. Philipp dropped out of high school as a teenager but was inspired by a special teacher to learn.
3. Kurzgesagt started as a passion project inspired by Crash Course World History.
4. In the early years, making Kurzgesagt cost money, and the team had no outside funding.
5. The team worked 80-100 hours a week on Kurzgesagt while doing client work during the day.
6. In 2015, the channel began to break even and then earn a profit after Patreon launched and sponsorships started.
7. The team expanded, and more people were hired to work on Kurzgesagt full-time.
8. Today, Kurzgesagt is an animation studio with offices in Munich and Berlin.
9. The team consists of over 60 full-time employees and many freelancers worldwide.
10. Salaries alone cost millions of dollars a year.
11. The team's main sources of funding are the shop (40%), YouTube ads (13%), and Patreon (9%).
12. Institutional sponsors account for about 10% of the team's revenue.
13. The team has contracts with grant givers and sponsors that bar them from editorial influence.
14. Kurzgesagt's core mission is to spark curiosity and make science and humanism accessible to as many people as possible.
15. The team wants to inspire long-term thinking and a positive, constructive outlook.
16. Kurzgesagt has been around for 10 years and has a team that is passionate about creating content that sparks curiosity and inspires others.