Rise of the Independent Content Creators
Is Online the Future of Sports Journalism?
Public consumption of media is forever shifting. Are independent online sports journalists the new normal?
By Conor O'Connell |
In recent years a subsection of the NFL media landscape has emerged. Away from the shadow of the establishment, independent creators have started utilizing Youtube as a platform for their own Football based content. Allowing them to amass their own fanbase and build their own brands, free of censor-ship. One issue though is omnipresent. An NFL season only lasts for less than 6 months, but that doesn’t mean independent creators get the rest of the year off. Content creation is a year round gig that demands constant attention.
Being free from the shackles of an established brand allows content creators to produce work that puts their vision, sense of humor, and quirkiness front and center. Displaying a uniqueness that would struggle to see the light of day if they were under contract with the likes of NFL.com or ESPN. By being independent, creators can carry the title of sports journalist, without compromising on what makes them special.
Being a content creator is easier than it has ever been today. Good quality equipment can be found for reasonable prices, as long as you have the passion and willingness to learn. One creator that has gone down this path is Brandon Perna, the man behind the youtube channel, ‘That’s Good Sports’. An NFL based channel that toes the line between legitimate discussion, and comedy, and it just recently surpassed 400k subscribers.
Brandon Perna has managed to turn making funny videos about the NFL into a legitimate career. However, like many other youtubers that focus on the NFL, he talks about a sport that takes place for less than half of the year.
The man behind ThatsGoodSports
Image Credit: Brandon Perna
During the year, creators can create content that they’re familiar with, such as game previews, game reviews or power rankings. But when they can’t fall back on that, they must get creative.
“I do think the videos need to be more creative”, says Perna, “I think the videos have to be better, but it’s nice since I’ve got a little more time to work on them. I also use this time to try and do different kinds of videos and see if they do well”.
Producing work from home is as easy as it's every been.
Image Credit: Conor O'Connell
“The grind never stops”, says Perna, who at the time of writing this, has released five videos over the past seven days. “Honestly, I feel like I’m never not busy. I appreciate the slowing down of NFL events, but I have to keep creating videos in May, June and July.”
While YouTube does give these creators a platform for their brand, the nature of the beast requires them to continue producing content in order to stay promoted, or else they disappear from the front page and fade into irrelevance. “If I had the power, I’d make it illegal for all football youtubers to make football videos starting two weeks after the draft. Youtube would keep paying us, but everyone would take a mandatory break and come back whenever the season starts”.
Even though the NFL has not yet entered the training camp portion of the offseason, Perna is still churning out his video and live streams. This is despite fan engagement, according to him, ‘slowing way down’, which is understandable, as fans of the NFL are less inclined to consume football content when the season is still months away.
“I’d remove the fear of losing everything we worked so hard for during the regular season”. And there lies one of the main problems of being an independent content creator. When working under an established brand you can afford to take some time off, but when managing your own Youtube page, you have to be consistently uploading all year round.
The upload schedule can be rather hectic
Image Credit: Conor O'Connell (Screenshot)
Being an independent content creator has its fair share of positives and negatives. On your own, you have complete control over your content, allowing you to produce work that you want to do as opposed to fitting it around a company’s mantra.
However, while you don't have executives breathing down your neck, you still have to be wary of the content you put out. For instance with Youtube, you have to feed what the platforms algorithm wants, otherwise, you jeapordise what you've worked so hard to get.