1 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: The website that helps you quit your day job with 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,639 Speaker 1: the support of your fans. Mrich Demiro. This is rich 3 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: on Tech. Patreon is a platform for creator. Set up 4 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: a page, tell folks what you do, and watch the 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 1: monthly pledges come in. Fans could give you a buck, 6 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: two bucks or more, so you can concentrate on making 7 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: your content, whether it's a podcast, YouTube, video series, or whatever. Recently, 8 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: the company held its annual Patrecon in downtown Los Angeles, 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: where I met up with Jack Conti, founder of the site. 10 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: So how to come up with it? Well, he's a 11 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:34,919 Speaker 1: frustrated creator himself. 12 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 2: I'm a creator. I've been a creator for the last 13 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 2: ten years, and I got sick of opening up my 14 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 2: app and seeing, you know, three million views and two 15 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,319 Speaker 2: hundred bucks of ad revenue. And I thought, gosh, if 16 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 2: my fans were to just pay me, you know, a 17 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 2: dollar a month, that would that would make all the 18 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 2: difference in the world. And sure enough, fans were more 19 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 2: than happy to do that. And actually, the average pledge 20 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: per Patron to a given creator is more like seven bucks, 21 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 2: so it turned out to be like a really great 22 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 2: source of income. Within two weeks of launching the platform, 23 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 2: I was making over five thousand dollars a month as 24 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 2: just a person, just a YouTuber, like making YouTube videos 25 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:11,839 Speaker 2: and putting them online and reaching people. 26 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: The website works as sort of a liaison between creators 27 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,199 Speaker 1: and their fans. Supporters are called patrons. Creators can rely 28 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: on the monthly check they get. All pages show you 29 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: how many supporters a given creator has, but a creator 30 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,400 Speaker 1: can optionally reveal just how much they're getting in monthly support. 31 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: Patrons can also get members only perks. They can be 32 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,639 Speaker 1: super creative or typical stuff like an ad free version 33 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: of the podcast, bonus videos, or signed copies of books. 34 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 2: Creators have felt undervalued for so long that we as 35 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 2: society have actually undervalued them as well, and paying somebody 36 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 2: one hundred dollars for millions of views is such a 37 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 2: misrepresentation of what they're actually worth to the world. So 38 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 2: to me, it's not weird to see creative people making 39 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 2: a living, doing a great job, building up business, hiring teams, 40 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 2: and being valued because I felt like creators have been 41 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 2: that valuable for a long time. The web just wasn't 42 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 2: set up to properly compensate them for their work. So 43 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 2: to see that actually happening and to have Patreon be 44 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 2: a part of that is like definitely the most rewarding 45 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 2: thing I've ever done in my life. And yeah, it's 46 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 2: just a sheer joy to send people, you know, their 47 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 2: their paycheck every month. That's really awesome. 48 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: Glenn Henry is San Diego based. He makes videos for 49 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,519 Speaker 1: his YouTube channel called Belief in Fatherhood. 50 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 3: I make videos about how great it is to be 51 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 3: a father and how challenging it is as well. I've 52 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 3: been doing it for about three years, and I've really 53 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 3: noticed that I didn't want to be a father until 54 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 3: I saw proof of what a father could be. And 55 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 3: once I saw that proof, I wanted to be proof 56 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 3: of other people. So that's why I kind of started 57 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 3: the challenge. 58 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: When I asked him how he describes what a creator is, 59 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: I loved his answer. 60 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 3: A creator is someone who you know, has an idea 61 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,799 Speaker 3: and is brave enough to stick to the idea. Uh, 62 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:03,519 Speaker 3: and that person then makes something that is around to 63 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 3: benefit other people. So that can be a song, that 64 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 3: can be a poem, that can be a drawing, a 65 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:12,639 Speaker 3: piece of art. It's this whole trusting relationship between your 66 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 3: brain and your ability. Creators play with this relationship all 67 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 3: the time is to bring to the ability, and then 68 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 3: you give it from your ability to your first person 69 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 3: that you trust, that trusting eyes, and then you give 70 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 3: it to your audience and then it goes to virality. 71 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: Henry has about five hundred supporters on his Patreon page. 72 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 3: For the past two years, Patreon has been with us 73 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 3: paying my mortgage, also gives my family and ie health insurance. 74 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 3: My wife has quit her jobs. We now have three kids, 75 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 3: and it just allows me to be a full time creator. 76 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 3: You know, when you're someone who has ideas as a kid, 77 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 3: people want to tell you to push your ideas away 78 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 3: and focus on the real world. Right Patreon allows me 79 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 3: to tell those ideas to come back because they're in 80 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 3: a safe space. And not only are they in a 81 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 3: safe space, but they have the opportunity to actually make 82 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 3: us money. And so my dreams are safe when I 83 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 3: have Patreon. 84 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: Katie Mooreton is a licensed therapist who makes videos about 85 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: mental health on our YouTube channel. 86 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 4: I love YouTube and I have a great relationship with them, 87 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 4: but a lot of my content just because of the title, 88 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 4: is not monetizable, and like, for instance, suicide and prevention 89 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 4: for it, because it has that word suicide, it will 90 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 4: never be monetizable exactly, even though it's helpful content. It's 91 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 4: just like black and white with them when I really 92 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:28,359 Speaker 4: live in the gray. And so Patreon allows me to 93 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 4: still be able to create what content I believe is 94 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 4: important and necessary and not worry about the monetization. 95 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: When you think about it, Patreon is kind of like 96 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: a GoFundMe, but for your dreams. The best creators have 97 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: always had sort of an odd relationship with money. 98 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 4: A lot of us worried that we're, like, you know, 99 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 4: asking for money, but you're really just giving people an 100 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 4: opportunity to support you. And I wouldn't have been able 101 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,280 Speaker 4: to continue without it. So just don't hesitate, because I 102 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 4: actually do have a book coming out and it wouldn't 103 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 4: have been available. I don't believe I could have kept 104 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 4: doing what I was doing long enough to make the 105 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 4: book a reality without my patrons, So you know, don't 106 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 4: hesitate and don't wait. Well, my book is called Are 107 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 4: You Okay? And it's a guide to caring for your 108 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 4: mental health. It's available for free order now and it 109 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 4: comes out December eleventh. Think of it as like mental 110 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:12,160 Speaker 4: health one oh one. 111 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,599 Speaker 1: Patreon has over one hundred thousand creators on the platform. 112 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: Founder Jack Conti told me they'll pay out over three 113 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: hundred million dollars this year, and yes, Patreon gets a 114 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 1: cut of this. But the idea that you can quit 115 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: your job, follow your dreams, and let your true fans 116 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: support you is pretty amazing. But as they say, don't 117 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: quit your day job just yet. 118 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 2: My general advice is be good at making great things, 119 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 2: like get good at making great stuff. If you have 120 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 2: a video business, or if you you know, have a podcast, 121 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 2: or if you have a webcomic, hone your craft, get 122 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 2: really good at it. Build an audience, see what people 123 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 2: like and what they don't, and stay true to yourself 124 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 2: along the way. Make sure you're making something that you're 125 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 2: proud of and excited about. And as you do that, yeah, 126 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 2: it is now possible. Like it's not a dream anymore, 127 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 2: it is actually logistically possible to make a living as 128 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 2: a as a creative person. I think five years ago, 129 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 2: ten years ago, there was no notion of the small 130 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 2: business creative media company. That just wasn't a thing. And 131 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 2: now there are so many tens of thousands, hundreds of 132 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 2: thousands of small business media companies that are thriving creators 133 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,719 Speaker 2: and teams and organizations that are making a living putting 134 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 2: stuff online, so it is possible. It's a real thing, 135 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 2: and it's real right now. 136 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: There you have it. Whether you want to create or 137 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: support someone who creates, Patreon can help you do it. 138 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,119 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening to the podcast. I checked 139 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: my page. I joined Patreon back in twenty fourteen, but 140 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 1: I've yet to open up direct to supporters. You know, 141 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: I do have that full time job thing and I 142 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: kind of love it, so who knows, Maybe one day 143 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,039 Speaker 1: I'll go direct to the fans. You can find links 144 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:52,040 Speaker 1: to more information on Patreon on my website, rich on 145 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: tech dot tv, or you can check the show notes. 146 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: I'm Rich Tdimiro. I'll talk to you real soon.