Episodi

  • He Charged People to Sharpen a Pencil

    He Charged People to Sharpen a Pencil
    Oct 21 2026
    David Rees really sharpened the pencils. Coco and Jonathan follow the cartoonist’s unlikely service, the customers who wanted something different from what he expected, and the delivery work behind a memorable offer. A historical creator-business story about what people actually want to receive—not a promise that novelty makes a profitable business.
    Companion newsletter: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/
    Sources:
    The Erasable Podcast interview, September 23, 2014: https://scribe.erasable.us/episode/015/
    CultureMap interview, April 2012: https://austin.culturemap.com/news/innovation/04-12-12-12-49-talking-to-professional-pencil-sharpener-david-rees-on-his-new-handbook-his-upcoming-visit-to-book-people-and-the
    Time Out, April 2012: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/how-to-sharpen-pencils


    This episode includes AI-generated content.
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    6 min
  • He Wrote Four Books in Secret

    He Wrote Four Books in Secret
    Oct 19 2026
    Four secret novels, an audience that trusted the author, and the work waiting after the reveal. Coco and Jonathan follow Brandon Sanderson’s 2022–2023 story, with a detour into the awkwardness of announcing a project before you have tried making it.An evergreen story, not a new campaign announcement.Companion reading: Creator CTRL newsletter.Sources
    • State of the Sanderson 2022
    • Kickstarter: How the campaign worked (March 2022)
    • State of the Sanderson 2023: fulfillment and operations
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    5 min
  • Your Channel Can Have an Ending

    Your Channel Can Have an Ending
    Oct 18 2026
    Coco and Jonathan follow Tom Scott’s finite England series into a familiar creator dilemma: when does a little project become a promise to keep posting forever? A relaxed conversation about finishing things, leaving room for lunch, and deciding what comes next.
    This is a current case study, not a breaking announcement.
    Read the companion Creator CTRL newsletter for the budgeting and scheduling questions: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/your-channel-can-have-an-ending
    Sources:
    https://www.tomscott.com/england/
    https://www.tomscott.com/
    https://www.tomscott.com/newsletter/2026-03-16/
    https://www.tomscott.com/newsletter/2026-07-20/
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    5 min
  • Who Made the Song You Love?

    Who Made the Song You Love?
    Oct 15 2026
    You love the song. Then you notice how it was made. Does that change anything?
    Coco and Jonny get into YouTube Music’s new labels for AI-generated songs, fictional musicians, awkward song recommendations, and why an artist’s story can matter as much as the sound.
    For the details on what YouTube’s disclosure rules cover, read Creator CTRL: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/
    Sources:
    YouTube’s October 14 announcement: https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-ai-labels/
    YouTube disclosure guidance: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491
    How content disclosures work: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15447836
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    5 min
  • Your Next Viewer Won’t Search Like You

    Your Next Viewer Won’t Search Like You
    Oct 14 2026
    A blurry haircut photo, a room that sounds like a bathroom, and the words people use before they know your craft. Coco and Jonathan explore why your next viewer might describe a problem very differently from you—and what YouTube’s conversational search expansion does and does not tell us.
    The everyday scenarios are imagined examples, not reported creator experiences.
    Read the companion Creator CTRL newsletter for the practical written version: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/
    Source: YouTube, October 12, 2026 — https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/ask-youtube-web-mobile-tv/
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    6 min
  • Your Next Business Might Start as a Favor

    Your Next Business Might Start as a Favor
    Oct 13 2026
    Derek Sivers built a way to sell his own music. Friends asked for help, their friends started calling, and a buyer saw an opportunity he had missed. Coco and Jonny follow the small requests that became CD Baby—and the awkward line between a favor and another job.
    A historical story from Sivers’s first-person accounts, not a review of CD Baby today.
    Creator CTRL newsletter: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/
    Read the companion edition for practical ways to assess a recurring request without overcommitting.
    Sources:
    https://sive.rs/ayw3
    https://sive.rs/changeplan
    https://sive.rs/ayw4
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    5 min
  • Your Audience Didn’t Sign Up for This

    Your Audience Didn’t Sign Up for This
    Oct 12 2026
    What happens when you finally find an audience—and want to make something else? Coco and Jonny follow an imagined apartment-makeover creator weighing a new direction, with a small detour into disappointing sandwiches and suspicious chairs. A relaxed conversation about creative freedom, audience expectations and trying something before announcing a whole new identity.
    Companion newsletter: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/your-audience-didnt-sign-up-for-this
    Sources: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/16541080?hl=en ; https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-executives-share-strategies-on-channel-pivoting/830850/
    The apartment-makeover creator is an explicitly imagined scenario. This is an evergreen discussion, not breaking news.
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    6 min
  • Your Old Videos Are Not Dead Yet

    Your Old Videos Are Not Dead Yet
    Oct 11 2026
    Your best work might still be waiting for its audience.
    Coco and Jonny follow the story of Nathan Apodaca, a broken-down car and the Fleetwood Mac song that found a new generation. Then they get into YouTube’s plans to give older videos another chance—and why something old to you can be brand new to everyone else.
    A bonus conversation about second chances, the things we nearly don’t post, and the strange timing of being discovered.
    Want the details behind the conversation? The companion Creator CTRL newsletter explains what YouTube announced, what creators can use and where the limits are:
    https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/your-back-catalog-is-about-to-wake-up
    Read more: https://withaim.co/youtube-back-catalog-reactivation/
    Sources:
    https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2020/10/09/with-dreams-and-juice-idaho-man-finds-online-fame/
    https://www.wlrn.org/2020-10-11/tiktok-sensation-meet-the-idaho-potato-worker-who-sent-fleetwood-mac-sales-soaring
    https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/made-on-youtube-new-tools-power-creation-journey/
    Nathan’s story is from 2020; YouTube’s announcement is from September 2026. Tool availability and results vary. No song or third-party interview audio is included.

    This episode includes AI-generated content.
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    8 min