ArTorr
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The Next Chapter of ArTorr at a Glance
🕑 Added 2024-12-16 00:59:56 +0000 UTCHey again everyone. Last week I put out a video talking about some big ideas I have for the channel in the new year. In case you didn't watch the video or didn't finish it, this post will basically be a summary of what I talked about in a more digestible (less ramble-y lol) format.
Why is ArTorr Changing?
It probably comes as no surprise to hear it's been very hard running the channel this year and even last year. A myriad of new circumstances personal, professional, and financial have made my career as a content creator almost incompatible with the demands of my everyday life. Fluctuating ad revenue, unpredictable turbulence at my day job, and an unsustainable work-life balance have unfortunately defined much of the last year of work on the channel.
Its time to adapt, and though my options for how to adapt are limited, there are a lot of subtle changes I can make to put the channel back on course and take ArTorr to new heights. Some of these changes are creative and additive, some will be made out of necessity for the business of the channel. But no matter what changes, the kind of videos I make here-- video essays and documentaries on movies, video games, TV, and other forms of media-- will never change.
The changes can be broken down in 8 points...
1. Shorter Videos
Going forward, I am aiming to put out more videos of a shorter length (somewhere in the ballpark of 20-45 mins) over the hour plus-long videos you're used to seeing from me. Though the longer videos are very fulfilling to finish, they've become an increasingly massive drain on time due to technical issues, my waning long-term motivation, and the escalating ambition of videos. Shorter videos can be made quicker, and will be appropriately made about media that warrants shorter discussions. Long videos are not vanishing forever (in-fact one of the next videos I'm working on will easily surpass an hour), but my goal will be to maintain a good variety of short and long projects throughout the year, akin to when I started my channel.
2. More Collaboration
Future videos will be assembled with the help of new writers and editors, all who will be a part of Team ArTorr. This collaboration will start out on a very case-by-case basis at first-- it's important to me to reasonably pay oncoming talent, and that's not something I have a whole lot of budget for right now-- but you'll soon see the dividends of this collaboration in a couple YouTube shorts coming soon, and some proper videos coming next year. All the while, I will work to ensure the voice and style you've come to know and love from my videos will be maintained on all future projects.
3. Shorts and Reels
As mentioned, I'm going to dabble with YouTube shorts to an extent I never have before. Shorts are arguably the most viable medium for growth on YouTube right now. There are audiences out here who've never heard of my channel, but might discover it via YouTube shorts. My goal for this content is to make "bite-sized" versions of the videos I usually make. Edited with the same punch and style, they will also be written about media I haven't yet had the chance to talk about on the channel, such as Netflix's Arcane. Additionally, shorts will be a way for me to assess interest in a potential future video. So, if that Arcane short does really well... there's a real chance it becomes a full video later on!
4. More Experimentation
Once more in the spirit of trying to reach new audiences, I'm going to be experimenting more with thumbnails, video intros, and video titles. I've had some very specific traditions for how to do all these since starting the channel, but I'm gonna experiment more with the channel's, uh "brand identity," and attract new viewers while doing so.
5. More Communication
You guys know this better than anyone: I'm bad at communicating what's going on with the channel. Going forward, I'm working to fix that. This includes more frequent community and social media posts, more updates on future content, and more ways for you to directly engage with me!
6. New Strategies and Content for Patreon
Patreon will play a crucial role in the growth of the channel. Thus, it's an area I'm looking at heavily to build out and tweak in order to satisfy both current and prospecting supporters. I always want you to feel the impact of your support, and the content we put out here plays a supplemental role in achieving that. In the video I made, I outlined 4 different changes I was making, but I'll just condense those below--
Less Behind The Scenes Content | I never noticed too much engagement with the behind the scenes content I was putting out aside from the video commentaries, so to allow myself more, much-needed bandwidth, I'll no longer be putting out Creator Diaries, and will put out Writing Of posts only an occasional basis.
Monthly Content Updates | As part of my new effort to communicate more, a monthly newsletter, ArTorr Monthly, will be put out at the start of every month, updating you on projects I'm working on and the progress I'm making. I posted the first one of these two weeks ago!
Weekly Vlogs | Every week, I'll be putting out a new vlog for all Patron tiers. Think of these as really straight-forward discussion videos about a wide variety of topics; about media, about myself, or about life! These are pretty easy to make and I hope they'll be sufficiently entertaining!
Monthly Podcast | I'll be teaming up with my best friend Davie Karczeweski to do a Patreon-execlusive podcast once a month. Though Davie and I have pretty similar interests, there are a couple niche interests between us that we don't share. Over the course of this show, we'll be sharing our love for those interests, along with different movies, games, and shows that warrant introspective discussion. Come for the best friend vibes!
7. Returning to Twitch
After a long hiatus, I'll be returning to Twitch to work through my vast backlog of games and interact with you guys on a more frequent basis. I'm still preparing everything I need to come back to the platform, but when streams are live again, it'll most likely be on a twice-a-week basis. Very excited to come back to Twitch and to hang out with all of you!
8. Building a Community
Moreso underlying than being an actual change, a vital aspect of everything I'm doing with the future of the channel is putting the community first. How can I ensure your voice is heard? How can I bring you closer to the videos I'm making? How can I incorporate your feedback, and make you a necessary ingredient in the channel's success? There is no direct way to achieve all these things, but there is a philosophy to empowering the community that I want to internalize as I chase every other goal we have. Like any good community, that philosophy works best when we have conversations-- and ask questions!
After reading all this, I ask you: what do you think? Are you excited for the future of the channel? What are your concerns? Do you feel I'm overlooking something, or possibly overcorrecting on something? Nothing you've read is 100% set in stone, so please comment your thoughts-- they do matter to me!
Next Steps
2024 is soon coming to a close, and I'm currently focused on finishing up two projects on The Clone Wars and Rogue One. But my next focus, come 2025, will be to begin implementing a lot of these changes. There is more to reveal about the future of the channel, but I want to hold off on talking about that until January. So until then, let me know what you think, and look out for my next two videos on the channel! Happy Holidays!!
Comments
Parkes Harman
Thank you and I APPRECIATE you Matt!!
Parkes Harman
Not a question of quality for me, just time. My goal is to minimize the time I spend working on Patreon stuff in order to allow me more time to focus on main channel content. I'll still be making stuff here, it will just be things that I think will appeal to more people than the behind the scenes stuff ever did. Some of the BTS stuff took surprisingly long to put together, so it's very sensible for me to not do it as much.
The Art of Interactive Storytelling
I have always appreciated your behind-the-scenes content. I am slightly disappointed to hear there will be less of it in the future. Will this change improve the channel's quality?
Matt Hansen
Sounds like some exciting changes come down the pipeline! Excited to see this next chapter in your content. We got your back no matter what form your work takes in!
