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End of Year Updates (Patreon)

Published:
2017-12-28 23:56:34
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

Hello, boss-friends!

I've been sparse with posts, which usually happens when I'm consumed by editing a complex episode, but I wanted to give you a proper rundown on everything relevant I can think of, all at once. Strap in!

Next Video

I'm hard at work on completing a new video. I'm close. But it's also huge. 14 minutes! I worked through Christmas, but now it looks like I'm still going to miss the deadline by a couple of days. I really hate that it'll cross into the new year, feels... untidy :( But hopefully the result will be worth the wait.

Fee Gate

I didn't write anything when the Patreon fee announcement happened because I wanted to see how it shakes out. It was a weird idea and I'm glad they backed down from it (for now). Like most creators, I lost a significant chunk of supporters as a result. But I wanted to say to all of you reading this now: thank you for staying. Thank you for being patient and generous. My livelihood is 95% sustained by Patreon so I appreciate every single day of your support.

Achievements

It's been a pretty exciting year! One video surpassed 1 million views (The Magic of Will Tsai). Several videos from previous years reached a million as well (Cicret Bracelet Debunk, The Undebunkable & BEAKMALLUSION) while my original first-ever video to reach a million has crossed into 2 mil (Miss Ping Debunk).

I started a new companion series, VFXcool and the reception's been good. Get-retweeted-by-the-official-Back-to-the-Future-account good. It also involved my first proper collaboration with another YouTuber (Ami Yamato).

And I got to do another live talk, this time in the Upside Down (Australia).

World of Tomorrow

Even if Fee Gate hadn't happened though, I'm not sure I would've reached my fundraising "goal" (see profile sidebar) for expanding the Captain Disillusion mega-franchise by the end of the year. Getting a studio space and involving other people in the production is still cost-prohibitive but at the same time, I'm at the limit of what I can achieve alone.

In order to help my content evolve further and be a more effective Patreon creator, I'm considering re-structuring my rewards. This is a scary step as I haven't changed them since the day I joined Patreon and they've gotten me this far... But I think I can do a better job if I reduce the number of tiers and make the rewards more manageable, fun and useful to patrons. What do YOU think? I'm open to your suggestions.

But now I must dive back to work on this monstrous video. Have a very Happy New Year!

Files

Previews only

Comments

Anonymous

Here to support you dude. If restructuring rewards makes it easier for you to dedicate time to your content, I'm happy to make a change.

Phazon Media

do what you gotta do, cap'n! Once the old bank accounts recover from the holidays I'll re-up my support (I was one of those shaken a bit by the fee f@ckery by Patreon). Happy new year!

Anonymous

Been following you since around march and finally became a patron around August and I'm glad to say it's been worth every penny! You're basically the reason i'm so passionate about VFX, (your tutorials are amazing btw) and not to mention how hard you work definitely shows in your very-polished content. Anyway I just wanted to say thank you for igniting a passion of mine that I didn't even know I cared about.

Kelly Young

I would love to see more Disillusion Agent spots open up, but I realize how very labor-intensive it is for you to produce the rewards. Could you maybe increase the donation amount necessary and increase the number of available spots? Or change the rewards somewhat so it's easier on your end but still delightful bonuses for those patrons? I know a ton of people like myself would jump at the chance to up their pledge to gain a coveted place as an agent!

SovietWomble

Honestly, truth be told...I find the rewards are immaterial. I'm a patron because I want to see more of your work on Youtube. A website that's saturate with click-bait and low effort bullshit, because that's what gets clicks. You could have no rewards at all and I'd still continue to fund you. Take all the time you need with your latest video. I don't think many of us are going anywhere. Peace.

Anonymous

You do what you think is best, Captain. But I still hope you had a nice Xmas :) Maybe consider combining reward tiers like "Tutorials & High Quality Artwork" or "BTS & Sound/FX Mixdown Comparisons", just an idea (: Also, ever considered doing a downloadable/streamable/CD album of your original background music? It's all high quality stuff I keep coming back to some episodes for :) Maybe more merch on the official site like mugs or posters or......Mr Flare Keychains :P etc Looking forward to feeling even MORE disillusioned in 2018, Oh Cap'n My Cap'n! :D

Unanimous D

Well as long as you don't throw any more atheists or skeptics under the bus.

Anonymous

I'll wait for a quality Cap D video. I do, however, wonder what you would unleash on a regular basis by hitting that goal. Make your changes as you see fit. Happy New Year, D.

Sgtpanda

Been an awesome year, coincidentally Patreon is how I found you in the first place. In terms of restructuring rewards, what would tempt me to back more would be less 'arty' stuff, as that sort of thing doesn't really catch my interest. Maybe try something like a monthly livestream/hangout/Q&A thing with backers?

WINGSPANTT

Captain, you do great work. I am in a similar (but much less successful) position to yourself, and might drop the # of Patreon tiers I have for similar reasons. Best of luck and do what works best for you!

Ian Hickson

As far as rewards go, I would echo an earlier comment that they are immaterial. I would be fascinated by more behind the scenes footage though, even if it is just hours of raw video without any editing.

msq

Thank you for all your work in last year, CD! As for the Patreon levels re-design I can only suggest one thing – do not enforce users to pay more for the same rewards. That’s all.

Anonymous

Go CD, I would recommend getting more Disillusion Agents. (I would sign up!)

KP

I don't understand the other Patreon's comments, but I am quite content to give more than $15. I'd love to get to the $20 tier for those pins.

Oren

You are my inspiration captain. Take your time.

Morgan Kellis

Thank you for an awesome year! I watched your videos for a while but just decided to become a patron this year, and I love the behind the scenes stuff. Also as a possibly budding content creator, I love your "here's how I create things" videos. Your videos are always top-notch and your commitment to your craft shows. If restructuring of your rewards is in the offing, I'd love more of the above, and would happily pay more for them. Looking forward to a great new year!

Josh Clark

Captain. Happy New Year and stay skeptical. Thanks for being a great creator.

Sarah O'Donoghue

Happy new year, CD! Thank you for your entertaining and educational (entucational?) videos.

Benedict Marko

Sorry I'm late on this one ^^ I think you already are on the right trajectory. So the most important thing is just to continue what you’re doing, and the growth will follow. Shortcuts to success are always tempting, but also corrupting. Your content is great, have faith in it. Now for some subjective, personal comments. In general, I’d be for a less breakneck speed in your videos. Maybe that’s just part of your artistic voice, maybe it attracts more viewers – personally I am really interested in the content and I want to absorb it and learn from it, so I need to rewind and rewatch many times (exacerbated by me not being a native speaker who had to look up the spelling of "exacerbated"). So maybe you could experiment with one or two slower videos, perhaps in a different format (I guess by now, people associate the Captain with this style of quick cutting and fast narration), and see if they catch on. Actually, you could start a whole new show just about special effects in movies, advertising and the like. Oh, and (as somebody who worked in marketing) I’m happy that you have a merchandise store, but a little more variety might help (you know, diversification as a marketing strategy). This is something fans can be great at; some YouTubers recruit their artists right among them. Sometimes your own audience comes up with designs that are much more likely to catch on, because it reflects how THEY see you, not how you (or your team) see/s you/rself.