Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKPRCkTvl88
Some BIG Channel News For 2025
Introduction
Wherein I announce a big change in my personal circumstances and how that’s going to mean even more YouTube in 2025…
Script
Hey everyone, Rees here, and welcome back to ctrl-alt-rees - I hope you’re all doing well!
For this first video of 2025 I want to do something a little bit different and share some exciting news about the future of this channel and how it’s going to play an even bigger role in my life starting…
Well, now.
I think it’s fair to say that this past year or so has been quite the journey - starting with of course moving into this studio in October 2023 and thanks to you this channel has grown in ways I could never have imagined and that’s something I’m very grateful for.
So today I want to talk about my plans for this year.
But first some personal news that should help to put all of this into context.
After 14 years of running my own business, I’ve decided it’s time to move on. Without going into too much detail, we’ve had some ongoing financial troubles that basically started during COVID, and it’s become apparent to me over the past year that my day job as it stands just isn’t sustainable and that I needed to accept that and move on to the next thing - and for the curious there is a link to a free, public post on Patreon in the description that talks about that in a lot more detail. So while it is sad that that chapter of my life has come to an end, I’m choosing to turn this whole situation into a more positive opportunity.
You see, over the past year, I’ve been testing the waters with some experiments on the YouTube side of things, and the success of these experiments has shown me just how much I love doing… Well, this.
So, starting now, I’ll be dedicating significantly more time to ctrl-alt-rees - and while I’ll still be doing some part-time contract work to keep my mortgage and my bills covered, this channel will be an even bigger part of my life - so not quite an “I’m going full time” announcement just yet, but, yeah, it’s pretty big.
So, what does this mean for you?
Well, what it ultimately boils down to is… more videos!
So early last year I experimented with releasing complementary videos on the second channel and they did very well and convinced me that that’s a thing that I want to pursue, also on the second channel I ramped things up on my weekly podcast, Rees Rambles, and that now has a dedicated audience of just over 1000 people per week, so I’ll be able to dedicate a bit more time to researching stories for that, for example - although I don’t intend to fundamentally change what it is.
But the biggest difference will be here on the main channel - you see, starting back in September I decided that this was definitely something I wanted to go ahead with and ran my biggest experiment yet:
Weekly releases, on a Friday morning, here on the main channel. I initially committed to 4, then extended it to 8 because I was having such a good time, and ultimately kept it up for 10 weeks in a row - and the figures don’t lie - more of you than ever were tuning in and enjoying what I was working on.
And the one thing that that experiment taught me, despite all the late nights and weekends and juggling videos with trying to prop up a failing business, was that this is what I really want to do and I just really love the process - and as some of those videos have gone on to be the most popular and well received on my channel, thankfully, it seems people are very supportive of that.
Of course, to make this possible, I had to prove that the channel could sustain itself going forward, and thankfully I have a great community over on Patreon. They also get videos ad- and sponsor free a day or so before they go out for public release - or if you prefer Ko-Fi or YouTube Memberships, they’re also options so a big thankyou for your support.
On that note you’ve no doubt noticed that I also took on a sponsor back in August, and they will sponsor up to two videos per month - and the important thing to me signing up was that those sponsor spots are short, they’re as unobtrusive as possible, and most importantly that they’re with a company that is relevant and provides genuine value to you - and rest assured that those values have always been top priority and will continue to be as the channel grows.
All that said, this channel wouldn’t be where it is today - and I wouldn’t be in this incredibly fortunate position - if it wasn’t for the thousands of everyday viewers watching my videos, giving them a thumbs up, leaving comments and sharing them so a genuine and very heartfelt thanks for that is in order over and above all else, I think.
So thanks!
So as you can probably imagine I am beyond excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to get the ball rolling with all of this - the weekly releases, the extended coverage on the second channel, some bits and pieces of supporter stuff, and the podcast.
I’ve already laid the groundwork I need to make this work and run the experiments over the past year to prove to myself that I can do it so all I need to do now is get on and get those videos out of the door.
So, I will see you same time and place next week - well, that’s the aim anyway - because I also don’t want to rush stuff out of the door to meet some artificial schedule if it isn’t quite ready.
And that’s that. You’ll find links to everything I’ve mentioned in this video down in the description, and thanks ever so much for your support and for your time.
Original Video Links
Support The Channel:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ctrlaltrees
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/ctrlaltrees
Become a Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7aGwKsc40TYqDJfjggeKg/join
Episode Links:
Some More Background Information On My Situation: https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-life-is-going-117958357
Bonus Video Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcEaE8CtOwkTFD6rZ1BvbXEmIiQ2myTxH
Rees Rambles Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcEaE8CtOwkRn5Q7dfS7xQJl0_unk3JJu
If you liked this video please consider subscribing to ctrl.alt.rees on YouTube!
