Fredrik Knudsen
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Down the Rabbit Hole: The Big Post
🕑 Added 2020-12-09 00:22:23 +0000 UTCHello everyone. This is going to be a long one, since this will be an update, a discussion of the current status of Down the Rabbit Hole and what's changing in the process of creating it (don't worry, it's positive), and an outline of what things to expect in the near future.
The Process
The last month has been less productive than I would have hoped for a reason that I've been hesitant to address: for the last four years, I haven't had a regular weekend or scheduled time off. This has made work irregular and has led to burnout after a video, only to lead to a brutal month or two of catch-up just in time for me to burn out after the NEXT video is completed. This is both inefficient and unhealthy, and now that Down the Rabbit Hole is truly a collaborative venture, it's not fair to put the people with whom I work under the same sort of stress, as they often end up working frantically when we approach a video release. And so, I'm restructuring my time to give myself weekends. Right now, I'm doing 4-day work weeks, and I will adjust it as necessary depending on how my productivity looks; I could either have longer days for 4 days of the week, or shorter days for 5 days out of the week. Hopefully, this will lead to more consistent output and will help prevent the cycle of burnout that I've perpetuated for so long, as I can't trust myself to give myself breaks.
I'm working much closer with Ryan and Arc now; I'm convinced that one of the things that made the Deep Blue video so successful (It just hit 2 million views, and incredible performance for such a subject) was the way that the music followed my narration and the narrative, and so rather than writing the script and figuring it out from there, I will be (and already have been for the new video) actively coordinating with them and considering the video more holistically, considering in the research phase how the music might sound and what graphics will be needed rather than waiting until the script is done. If this pays off, then this will mean a more cohesive, immersive, and engaging experience, as well as a more efficient production process.
The Subjects
While many people tend to find Down the Rabbit Hole through my videos on well-known (for lack of a better term) "lolcows," I've known for some time that this sort of topic is a dead-end both professionally and creatively. While initially interesting, this kind of topic tends to follow the same cadence every time, and telling the same story over and over again isn't sustainable for the sort of audience I've curated, namely one that returns for every video. As I've mentioned before, I'm more interested in nurturing a dedicated viewership than pulling in a new audience every time, and continuing to make videos on lolcows runs contrary to that philosophy. And so, both Ryan and I have decided to set these topics aside, at least for the foreseeable future. Quite frankly, we've got enough of them already.
The numbers support this decision: before this, viewership was much more dependent on the topic itself and whether or not it was someone or something well-known, but if I want Down the Rabbit Hole to remain sustainable into the future, then I can't rely on the name recognition of my subjects; I want to be able to cover ANYTHING and bring you all along for the ride.
HOWEVER, this does not mean that I am ignoring internet topics entirely, nor am I averse to covering strange or interesting people. I've still got my eyes on numerous topics that might fall under the greater "lolcow" umbrella, such as Y****** ********* and C****** *******.
The (Near) Future
As for what's coming soon, I've got a few things planned. First, I have an interview that I'll be conducting next week, and I'm a bit flabbergasted that he approached me to speak with him. After it's complete, I'll polish it and put it up on The Other Channel.
We also are well overdue for the third Mistakes video. Due to my refined research process, the video might seem a bit petty in terms of the mistakes I highlight just because I'm making fewer factual errors, but I still would like to make it for the sake of accountability.
I also am behind on the Q&As; the Austrian Wine Poisoning one was recorded some months ago and needs to be edited, which shouldn't take long. I'll also be posting the Deep Blue Q&A question collection later this week, so be sure to get your questions in when the time comes.
I've ordered some books for the next Down the Rabbit Hole, but production has already begun; this will be another play-by-play-heavy episode, and diagrams will help immensely with clarity, so I'm meeting with Arcaxon tomorrow to get some graphic design done early. Ryan is also already working on the music, and he even has recorded some custom sounds for it. I expect that it will be rather unsettling and anxiety-inducing.
Where We're At
As of this week, the Deep Blue episode has surpassed 2,000,000 views, and at almost the same time, the channel has achieved 900,000 subscribers, numbers that are absolutely incredible to me. Thank you to all of you for helping to sustain me through these difficult times and for allowing me to do what I love doing unimpeded; I'm proud that I can put the majority of what I earn on Patreon back into the show to help make it even more enjoyable and sustainable, and that I get to support the creative people around me who help make the show what it is. As time's gone on, I've more and more become a creative director, and it's been immensely satisfying to work with other creatives to make these videos. You all make this possible.
I'll see you all very soon.
Comments
TinyMeowMix
I am so glad to hear this! I have noticed an increase in time between DTRH but never really figured it was from anything besides extensive research and fact checking/pandemic. Please take care of yourself and take it slow! patrons are here because we can afford to be <3 ily Fredrik
I really appreciate the update and I'm glad to hear things seem to be improving even further. Excited to see what's in the pipeline for the future. I agree on the sentiment regarding the "lolcows" and I very much prefer more varied content. That being said, the latter one of the lolcows you mentioned is something I - and I bet quite a few others - would very much like to see being covered in a video some day. That one is such a fascinating case... Also, any chance of more Warrens episodes at any point in the future? I recently discovered them and I've been watching them through over and over again, can't get enough. Your banter with Mike is just gold.
Matthew Palmer
This is all excellent news. The reason Patreon exists is so that we can help support you and this project, not so that you can work yourself to death! I'm glad that you are moving away from 'Lolcows', as fascinating as it is to track the course of individuals who slowly unravel online, I do worry about how much videos like these feed into the online Troll culture, and how much it exploits the subjects for entertainment, especially those who are clearly suffering from Mental Illnesses and Neurodivergence.
Hey Fred just wanna say DtRH has come so far and Iโm excited to watch you continue to progress creatively :)
Jezebel Coolidge
I'm really glad you're taking care of yourself. I look forward to the next update!
It's good that you've identified your schedule issues in terms of taking time off to not risk burnouts. I've been there as a college student and in my hobby, it's no fun. You're one of my favorite storytellers on youtube hands down! I can't wait to see what you've got in store for us! Deep Blue was a fantastic episode and this is coming from someone who doesn't even play chess!
redgreenandblue
Glad to see that things are going well! Iโll be sure to get onto the Q&A when itโs up. Have a good day!
Fredrik Knudsen
Ideally, this will mean less waiting if I can avoid burnout.
Rothiseph
This is absolutely amazing Fred, thanks so much for giving us a view into the process and upcoming changes with justification and all! Really looking forward to seeing where things go from here, you've absolutely earned all the new fans and cred. ๐๐ Keep up the excellent work, much love! โฅ๏ธ
Definitely make sure to take some time off, burnout is not a joke. Thanks for all your hard work!
Happy 900k! I recently introduced my family to your videos, and they loved it :) Cheers to more history videos
Synoiz
Don't stress man, if it allows you to have weekends then we can wait ๐
Wonderful news โจ
