Advertisements

I don’t like baked-in ad breaks inside videos. YouTube already serves ads before or during my videos, and that’s enough. I’ve tried doing integrated ads in the past, but it just didn’t feel right.
From now on, there will be no baked-in ads in my videos.

Brand Relations

I maintain relationships with a lot of brands, which can sometimes make things complicated.
Whenever I have to choose between what’s good for a brand and what’s good for my audience, I’ll always choose the audience, because they’re the reason those brand relationships exist in the first place.

Brands do not get a preview of my videos before publication. The only exception is when I want to confirm that a technical explanation in my video is 100% accurate, not to seek approval, but to prevent factual mistakes.

When a brand provides information or talking points, I decide what to include. I only use what I find relevant, correct, and valuable for the viewer.

I alone decide:

• Which videos are being made

• When they are released

• What appears in the description, including any links

The goal of maintaining these brand relationships is simple: to help me create the best possible content for my audience.

Sponsors

Sponsorships are something I’ve always approached with caution. They can easily affect creative freedom or credibility, which I want to avoid that at all costs.

That said, some larger projects simply can’t happen without financial support. In those cases, I look for sponsors who are:

• Relevant to the project

• Credible in what they do

• As unintrusive as possible

Product review videos can not, and will never be sponsored.
Not now, not ever.

Whenever a video is sponsored, this will be clearly disclosed at the beginning of said video.

Gear and Products

Brands often send me gear to use in videos.
Traditionally, this gear is new in box and sent as a loaner, meaning it should be shipped back after the video is made.
However, there are different situations that can occur:

• Sometimes, the return shipment and customs fees are higher than the production value of the gear, in that case, the brand may decide it’s not worth shipping back.

• Sometimes, I’m allowed to keep the gear for future reference or comparison purposes.

• Sometimes, I buy the gear myself, occasionally with a discount.

• And sometimes, the gear is given as a present, because the brand doesn’t need it returned.

What happens with the gear is sometimes decided after the video is published.
This means that the disclosure I give in the video might not always end up being 100% accurate, for example, there have been cases where I thought I had to ship something back, but later the brand told me to keep it.

To be clear:
I’ve never been in the YouTube game to get free gear (or free plugin licenses).
You’ll never see a piece of equipment in my racks that I don’t actually enjoy using.
Believe me, I’ve got plenty of stuff stored upstairs that technically stayed here but will never see studio action again.

If you see gear living in my studio long-term, it’s there because I like it and actually use it, not because I’m promoting a brand. My studio is too small for that anyway, and it’s an operating studio, not a showroom.

Affiliate Links

Balancing ethics with the need to generate income isn’t easy. Affiliate links are one of the few “least bad” options available. When you use them, they help support the channel without costing you extra.

My strategy is simple:
If an affiliate link exists, I’ll include it, even if I don’t like the product.
That might sound strange, but it’s actually part of being transparent. I want every viewer to have the same option to buy, whether my opinion is positive or not.

I only ever use official affiliate programs, and I never change my opinion or review tone based on affiliate performance.

And if I help make it rain for a brand (we’ve literally crashed websites with traffic), it’s only fair that it drips a little back my way.

People

Everyone who works for me is paid fairly, always in money, never in “exposure” or “opportunities.”
That being said, there have been 2 people who chose not to be paid because they enjoyed contributing as a learning or fun experience. Payment was always offered but declined by them.

When I hire people for video productions, there’s a chance that the related brand covers the production costs.
For example: some microphone review videos are extremely expensive to produce, and I used to pay for those out of pocket. Allowing a brand to cover production costs means I can create better videos for my audience without going into the red numbers.

Also, people are people.
No matter their gender, background, or how they express themselves, I only care about finding the right person for the job.

Donations

I do accept donations, through PayPal, YouTube memberships, and other similar platforms.
Occasionally, I’ve seen brands make contributions this way, or by buying a large amount of merchandise to “support the channel.”

Sometimes, this is simply a friendly gesture, there are brands that genuinely support what I do and believe in my mission to make audio education more transparent and accessible.
Other times, it can feel a bit strategic.
When that happens, I don’t see it as a favour, I actually become more critical of that brand.

If a company feels the need to “donate” instead of openly sponsoring a project, it raises questions about why.
Maybe they just want to help, or maybe they want to stay off the radar. Either way, I’ll always take a closer look, not go easier on them.

Usage of My Likeness

Please do not use (parts of) my videos or likeness as promotional material without asking me. Sharing or embedding my videos (by linking or embedding the YouTube player) is perfectly fine, but re-uploading my videos elsewhere is not.

While I’m usually relaxed about this, I want to make sure that nothing I say or do is taken out of context or used in a way that misrepresents me.