https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YaG9xpu-WQKBPUi8yQ4HaDYQLUSa7Y3J/view
MrBeast Production Guide: The Best YouTube Videos Possible
Purpose:
- Understanding of interconnected parts of MrBeast Productions
- Inspiration for questions and learning from experts
- Deep understanding leads to faster decision making and success
Basic Goals:
- Make the best YouTube videos possible
- Focus on quality over production, humor, or looks
- Adaptable and flexible in trends
- Nimble production process
- Results-based company
Understanding Your Role:
- Aim for making exceptional content
- Continuous learning from mistakes
- Coaching and improvement
- Intelligence and adaptability
- Belief in YouTube and its future
Categories of Team Members:
- A-Players: Obsessive, learn from mistakes, coachable, intelligent, high performers
- B-Players: New hires requiring training to become A-Players
- C-Players: Average employees, not exceptional at their job, may need to be transitioned out of the company.
Work Ethic:
- Hours worked irrelevant for results and success
- Focus on producing exceptional content and results.
- Chapter 1: What makes a Youtube video viral?
- Chapter 2: Creating Content
- Chapter 3: Creative
- Chapter 4: Your Career
YouTube Virality Factors
Three Metrics to Focus on:
- Click Through Rate (CTR): Percentage of people who click on a video after seeing the thumbnail in their feed
- Average View Duration (AVD): Time viewers spend watching the video, on average
- Average View Percentage (AVP): Not as important for virality compared to CTR and AVD
Factors Influencing Click Through Rate:
- Thumbnail Image: Extreme or interesting thumbnails increase CTR
- Title: Titles with intrigue, "I Spent 50 Hours in Ketchup vs. I Spent 50 Hours in the Front Yard"
Factors Influencing Average View Duration:
- First Minute: Most viewers decide whether to continue watching within the first minute
- Content Engagement: Re-engagements, unexpected events or spectacles around 3 minutes
- Quality of Back Half Content: Keeping viewers engaged with interesting content
Wow Factor:
- Hard to track but essential for distinguishing your channel from competitors
- Performing an extraordinary act or presenting content in a unique way can leave a lasting impression on viewers and increase engagement.
Creating Content
Obsessing Over Youtube:
- Watch tons of Youtube to understand trends and be more original
- Get rid of Netflix and Hulu
- Read "The Goal" for better understanding of work streams
Importance of Communication:
- Identify bottlenecks and address them proactively
- Don't assume others will complete tasks without follow-up
- Check in daily with team members to ensure progress
Collaboration:
- Treat production as a team job, not solo effort
- Video everything for better understanding and reference
Providing Constructive Feedback:
- Share negatives along with positives for improvement
Time Management:
- Don't leave room for error; plan ahead and check in regularly
- Understand the production company's priorities and your role within it.
Key Points:
- Importance of clear communication lines within the team
- Critical components: essential elements that cannot be missed for a successful video production
- Creativity saves money: using creative solutions instead of relying solely on financial resources
- Backup day: scheduling an extra filming day to increase probability of success.
Critical Components:
- Essential elements necessary for a successful video production
- Exemplified by the need for an island in the bouncy castle story, title and thumbnail importance, and specific challenges requested by Jimmy
- Protect and prioritize critical components at all costs
Communication Lines:
- Importance of proper communication within a team
- Avoid skipping levels when communicating across departments
- Notify supervisors or heads of department before making decisions that may affect the production process.
Creativity Saves Money:
- Use creativity to save resources instead of relying solely on financial means
- Example: Doritos prize in a gaming video, which was more cost-effective yet funnier than $20,000 cash prize
Backup Day:
- Schedule an extra day for filming to increase probability of success and account for potential issues.
Do not overly trust people (Outside of the organization)
Importance of Communication:
- Higher forms are crucial for effective collaboration
- Avoid email communication for critical issues
- Use real life interaction or multiway calls when necessary
- Miscommunication increases with lower forms of communication
- Written communication doesn't constitute communication until confirmed read
- Own your mistakes and learn from them
Priorities:
- Maintain a priority list for tasks
- Don’t let anything come before your prios
- Use consultants to save time and effort
Communication Preferences:
- Face-to-face interaction is best, text or call when necessary
- Higher forms of communication for complex issues
- Email is the lowest form of communication and should be avoided for critical matters.
Mistakes:
- Own up to your mistakes
- Use them as learning opportunities
- Inevitable in any professional environment
Use of Consultants:
- Invaluable resource for expertise and time saving
- Look for consultants before starting a new task or project.
Important Concepts:
- Math, Science, Vision, Approvals, Budget are key components to solve various issues.
NO DOES NOT MEAN NO (when dealing with people outside of the organization)
MrBeast Productions:
- Don't accept a No at face value
- Push through no: explore alternatives, try different approaches, persist until all options are exhausted
- Work on multiple videos daily to maintain lead time and avoid falling behind
- Be able to hold a camera and understand MrBeast's unique style
- Avoid leaving constitutes waiting for extended periods of time, especially in the sun
- Create natural environments for contestants
- Communicate openly with talent and avoid negativity or putting them down
- Pivot quickly when plans change
- Utilize resources efficiently: minimize unnecessary people on set, create content from unexpected incidents
- Conduct feasibility checks to determine viability of video components
- Avoid actions that could harm the company's PR reputation.
Additional Information:
- MrBeast Productions values simple approaches and efficient use of resources
- Spectacles are unique videos exclusive to the MrBeast channel
- Work with intensity, push outwards instead of inwards
- Prefer to spend money on camera for better content
- Render sets for visualization and team alignment: differentiate between previs and concept.
Creative First Production Company
- We are a creative first production company
- Creative drives the vision of the shoot and makes for better product
- Understanding what makes good content is crucial
Importance of Creativity
- Creativity is the heart of our content
- Recognize new opportunities to inspire team
- Approach problem solving with creativity in mind
- Strive to innovate and improve
What Excites Us
- Content aimed at exciting the creator
- Authenticity and enthusiasm are key
- Channel's success based on exciting viewers
Creative Freedom
- Anything can be turned into amazing content
- Open mind and constant innovation required
Measuring Success of Content
- Metrics: CTR, AVD, AVP
- High AVD and AVP indicate well-received content
- Focus on hooking viewers from the start
Formats for Increasing Retention
- Payoffs at the end to keep viewers engaged
- Examples: Last to Leave, Stair Stepping
- Variety in formats keeps audience interested.
Who is our audience?
MrBeast Brand Overview
Audience Demographics:
- Worldwide audience, with 50%+ being from America and Europe
- Female viewership at 30%, still representing a large number of views per month
- Core audience: teenage memers who enjoy video games
Working for MrBeast Brand:
- Fans of the brand are encouraged to watch its videos for valuable knowledge
- Watching last 50ish videos on the main channel is recommended to be 60% up-to-date
- History and innovations can be understood by watching every video back to the 10 million subscriber special
Brand Deals as Content:
- Unlike typical brand deals, MrBeast integrates them into the content for better viewer engagement
- Retention chart shows less dramatic dip compared to old brand deal approach
- Brand deals boost retention and are a significant source of residual customers
Understanding Culture:
- Information diet: what we consume on social media, TV, games, etc. shapes our creativity and inspiration
- Chris Tyson as an example of someone with an "obscene" information diet, allowing him to be hilarious
- Importance for creators and writers to monitor their information diet to stay up-to-date on trends and memes
Empowering the Team:
- Encouraged to let talent be childish in videos, as people enjoy their natural element of stupidity
- Run content by as many people as possible for improvement suggestions
- No dull moments allowed; intensity cannot be faked in videos
- Be attentive and engaged on set to help create a useful environment for filming.
Your Career at the Company
The Opportunity:
- The company values hardworking, obsessive, coachable, intelligent individuals
- Plans to expand from 2 teams to 4 in the next year, and possibly more in the future
- Seeks leaders who can take on leadership roles in various departments
Growth and Advancement:
- Opportunities for growth are available immediately
- Employees can ask their supervisor (James) for feedback and advice on how to improve
- Promotion is based on responsibility, risk taken, and overall contribution, not just time served
- The company values experienced employees who have become indispensable
Benefits:
- Opportunities for incredible experiences, a fun work environment, and financial rewards
- The goal is to build a successful, potentially billion-dollar or more company
- Employees who contribute significantly will be well-rewarded
The Commitment Asked:
- Employees are encouraged to become fully engaged and indispensable
- The company seeks employees who are obsessive about their work and committed to the organization's success.
Thank you! Was looking for this!