Colin and Samir interview Johnny and Izzy Harris about their careers and the creation of their media company, NewPress. (Also, see NewPress networkโs other shows like Search Party and Tunnel Vision). The Future of YouTube Explainers Is Here โถ๏ธ
Observations
Key Principles for Building a Creative Organization
- Bias towards action - Make decisions quickly, do things fast, and solve problems without overthinking.
- Treat others with kindness and respect, both within and outside the team.
- Templates - Find where structure works and leaves room for creativity.
- They specifically mentioned templates in the context of creating a reliable system that supports creativity. Templates refer to establishing repeatable formats that streamline the creative process and improve team collaboration.
- Johnny Harris mentioned that script templates were a very large document with tables, color coding, and other elements that enable a team to work together with communication and structure. Izzy Harris added that these are structures that still allow for creativity. The aim is to systemize repetitive creative tasks without constraining creative output, enabling consistent execution and scalability.
- In my own way, templates have allowed me to stay focused, also had to grow organically because I need to understand the underlying structure first
- Care more about getting it right than being right. That lends itself to feedback and being open to it.
The odd thing about Voice Notes
- Johnny and Izzy Harris use voice notes as a method of communication to increase efficiency and maintain a personal touch. Johnny uses voice notes, looms, and Marco Polos to communicate with his team, as he can convey what needs to be said in minutes. Izzy noted she is delighted by 6 second voice notes.
- Voice notes are useful for asynchronous communication. Team members do not need to be available at the same time in order to communicate effectively
- Voice notes allow for more detailed explanations and can convey nuance and tone more effectively than text-based communication
NewPress
New Press is envisioned as a new news media entity that will function as an umbrella company overseeing five to eight Creator-led, independent journalism channels.
Hereโs a breakdown of what New Press is, what to expect from its offerings, and how it aims to differentiate itself from entities like Vox, according to the sources:
- Structure and Mission:
- Creator-Led Channels: New Press will consist of multiple channels, each led by independent creators.
- Operational Support: While creators will manage their channels creatively, New Press will handle operational and project management aspects. This includes brand deals, agency relations, syndication, publishing, upload timelines, and providing a project management team and thumbnail designers.
- Shared Resources and Collaboration: Creators will have the opportunity to collaborate, brainstorm, and support each other.
- Offerings to Creators:
- Financial Security: Creators will receive a salary, benefits, and a share of the channelโs revenue as it grows.
- Creative Freedom: Creators can focus on content creation without the burden of business operations.
- Operational Support: New Press provides a full operations team to handle tasks such as project management.
- Content and Accessibility:
- Accessibility: New Press aims to make videos accessible to a wide audience by using plain language and avoiding jargon.
- Rigorous Journalism: Content will be deeply researched and fact-checked.
- Visual Storytelling: Emphasis is placed on visual elements in their videos.
- Differences from Vox:
- Creator Focus: New Press prioritizes individual creators and their brands over the New Press brand itself.
- Talent Retention: New Press aims to retain talent by offering fair compensation and creative freedom.
- Revenue and Creative Separation: New Press intends to keep creative and operational departments separate, preventing revenue pressures from negatively impacting content creation.
- Maintaining Scrappiness: New Press aims to avoid excessive overhead and bureaucracy.
- Key Principles to Guide New Press:
- Bias Toward Action: Make decisions quickly and act decisively.
- Kindness: Treat everyone with kindness and respect.
- Structure: Balance structure with creative freedom.
- Focus on Getting it Right: Prioritize accuracy and learning over being right.
