The Nerdwriter

The Nerdwriter is a weekly YouTube series that puts ideas to work in the form of 5 - 10 minute video essays. 

Hi. My name is Evan Puschak. I grew up in Philly. I've been making videos as The Nerdwriter since 2011. Early on, my video on The K.I.N.D. Fund landed me a job at MSNBC, so I moved to New York City. Three years later, The Discovery Channel asked me to move to San Francisco and write/host a show on their digital network. Both gigs were good, but I didn't really enjoy them, mostly because I hate offices and pointless meetings (so many pointless meetings). So after a few months at Discovery I left to pursue The Nerdwriter full time. Patrons on this site enabled that transition. They're the reason I've been able to make this project into a career. I've never worked more, but I've also never been more fulfilled in my work. 

My show covers a variety of subjects: film, politics, music, painting, poetry, culture, sociological concepts and more. I'd get bored sticking to one thing. I believe life is moral, psychological, artistic, scientific, and that what is worth knowing is worth entwining into a web, or a worldview. If I've made a video about something, it's because I wanted to learn more about it. An organizing philosophy of the show is that we learn by saying. I learn best by making videos.

I'm aiming to make 2 videos a month, so 24 videos for 2018. I've reduced my output (from previous years) in order to focus more on each video. I think people appreciate the show because it's always getting better, and so I strive to top myself video by video. At a certain point I maxed out what I could do with one week. And since I'm not really interested in hiring people to edit or write for me, the only variable I have is time. I'm excited to see what I can create with more of it. As always, you only get charged for what I make (per video).

The Nerdwriter is written, produced, filmed and edited by me alone, and my income from this channel comes in three ways. First and most importantly: through Patreon pledges. This is my most stable form of income. Second, via Google Adsense on my videos. This is typically a relatively small number per month (even for larger YouTubers). Third, I generate income from sponsorships. I negotiate these the same way every time: it has to be a product or service I sympathize with, and the brand in question can have no editorial influence whatsoever on the content of the video. Sponsorships usually appear on endscreens a few seconds after the video is completed.

Yes. Thank you! The Nerdwriter would not be possible without your help. Like I said before, patrons enable my career. I feel an enormous responsibility to deliver great videos to them -- to you -- and I work tirelessly to do so. I want this project to be something special. I want it to be a show you look forward to every week. Since the start, I've tried to improve, innovate and push the boundaries of the format. I'm interested in what YouTube can be, and I want to make the kind of content that could only exist there. Thank you so much for your help. Really. Making this show has been the joy of my life. I won't stop trying to impress you with every new episode.