In the era of generative AI, it’s easier than ever to churn out automated, low-quality videos that make a quick buck from social media traffic. Nicholas Carlson wants to do the opposite.
Carlson, a former editor at Business Insider, is launching a new company called Dynamo. The production firm’s mission is simple, but also difficult to pull off: Deliver high-quality video journalism that viewers will want to return to in the future.
The target audience for those videos will be viewers Carlson calls “dynamos.” As he told The New York Times, he wants to appeal to those who feel that the world can be explained through the lens of business.
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To make that seemingly dry topic more appealing for the social media masses, Carlson is learning lessons from independent creators who drive billions of views with newsy, narrated videos on platforms like YouTube Shorts and TikTok. A few names on Carlson’s radar are YouTube megastar MrBeast, tech explainer, Cleo Abram, and the media company Dropout.
“We’re not pivoting to video,” Carlson told the Times. “We’re cannonballing into the deep end of video.”
The videos posted by Carlson’s former employer give us an idea of the work he’ll do at Dynamo. Business Insider has complemented its traditional editorial business with a lively presence on social media, where it gets millions of views with curious pieces that profile artisans like Egyptian tilemakers and Dutch clog cobblers. Insider also cuts clips from those videos to reap additional traffic on short-form hubs.
Carlson has indicated that Dynamo will fill up its channels with its own curiosities. Examples of the company’s early video ideas include an exploration of meme-worthy statues (like the Dwyane Wade one that just went up in Miami) and an answer to the question “how do massive container ships shrug off giant waves?” Breaking news stories and political coverage will be left to other outlets.
This strategy for social video production is not exactly new. CNN tried something similar a decade ago when it launched Great Big Story, a brand that brought long-form, journalistic videos to platforms like YouTube and Facebook. Great Big Story enjoyed some initial success, but CNN closed it down amidst the broader financial hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the 2024 media landscape, is there room for a company like Dynamo? How will it be able to turn a profit with videos that are often lost amidst infinitely-scrolling social feeds? These questions are on Carlson’s mind, and he’s hoping to learn lessons from companies that operated efficiently and generated revenue that exceeded costs. “Now I just have to figure how to do that profitably when so many others with hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal could not,” he told the Times. “Here goes!”
The idea of evergreen content is an interesting way to outlast the social media rat race. If Dynamo videos can stick around in viewers’ minds — and their watch queues — then Carlson might be onto something. Journalists and brands who want to work alongside him can find Dynamo’s contact info via its website.
