Crash Course (web series)

Last updated
Crash Course
Crash Course logo.png
Crash Course YouTube channel icon
GenreEducational [1]
Created by John Green
Hank Green
Developed by
Written byVarious
Directed by
  • Stan Muller
  • Nicholas Jenkins
  • Brandon Brungard
  • Nicole Sweeney
  • Hannah Bodenhausen
Creative directorThought Café (Formerly Thought Bubble)
Presented by
List of presenters
Theme music composerJason Weidner
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons55
No. of episodes1548 [n 1]
Production
Executive producers John Green
Hank Green
Heather Di Diego
ProducersStan Muller
Nicholas Jenkins
Nicole Sweeney
Brandon Brungard
Hannah Bodenhausen
Production locations
Editors
  • Stan Muller
  • Brandon Brungard
  • Nicholas Jenkins
  • Nicole Sweeney
  • Hannah Bodenhausen
  • Brigid Kennison
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time6–15 minutes
2–4 minutes (Kids; Recess)
Original release
Network YouTube
ReleaseJanuary 26, 2012 (2012-01-26) –
present
Related

Crash Course (sometimes stylized as CrashCourse) is an educational YouTube channel started by John Green and Hank Green (collectively the Green brothers), who became known on YouTube through their Vlogbrothers channel. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Crash Course was one of the hundred initial channels funded by YouTube's $100 million original channel initiative. The channel launched a preview on December 2, 2011, and as of March 2022, it has accumulated over 15 million subscribers and 1.8 billion video views. [5] The channel launched with John and Hank presenting their respective World History and Biology series; the early history of the channel continued the trend of John and Hank presenting humanities and science courses, respectively. [6] In November 2014, Hank announced a partnership with PBS Digital Studios, which would allow the channel to produce more courses. As a result, multiple additional hosts joined the show to increase the number of concurrent series.

To date, there are 44 main series of Crash Course, of which John has hosted nine and Hank has hosted seven. Together with Emily Graslie, they also co-hosted Big History. A second channel, Crash Course Kids, was hosted by Sabrina Cruz and completed a series on Science. The first foreign-language course, an Arabic reworking of the original World History series, is hosted by Yasser Abumuailek. The main channel has also begun a series of shorter animated episodes, called Recess, that focus on topics from the previous Crash Course series. A collaboration with Arizona State University titled Study Hall began in 2020, which includes less structured learning in its topics.

History and funding

YouTube-funded and Subbable periods (2011–2014)

Hank (left) and John Green (right) co-created Crash Course and hosted the initial Biology and World History series, respectively. Hank & John Green (7492866636).jpg
Hank (left) and John Green (right) co-created Crash Course and hosted the initial Biology and World History series, respectively.

The Crash Course YouTube channel was conceived by the Green Brothers after YouTube approached them with an opportunity to launch one of the initial YouTube-funded channels as part of the platform's original channel initiative. [7] [8] The channel was teased in December 2011, [9] and then launched on January 26, 2012, with the first episode of its World History series, hosted by John Green. [10] The episode covered the Agricultural Revolution, and a new episode aired on YouTube every Thursday through November 9, 2012. Hank Green's first series, Crash Course Biology , then launched on January 30, 2012, with its first episode covering carbon. A new episode aired on YouTube every Monday until October 22 of that year. The brothers would then go on to end 2012 with two shorter series, with John and Hank teaching English literature and ecology, respectively.

Following their launch year, John and Hank returned in 2013 with US History and Chemistry, respectively. However, that April, John detailed that Crash Course was going through financial hardships; [11] in July, Hank uploaded a video titled "A Chat with YouTube", in which he expressed his frustration with the ways YouTube had been changing and controlling its website. [12] [13] Eventually, YouTube's original channel initiative funding ran out, and shortly after Hank's video, the Green brothers decided to launch Subbable, a crowdfunding website where viewers could donate monthly to channels in exchange for perks. [14] On launching Subbable, Hank Green stated: "We ascribe to the idealistic notion that audiences don't pay for things because they have to[,] but because they care about the stuff that they love and want it to continue to grow". [14] Crash Course was the first channel to be offered on Subbable, and for a time the website crowdfunded the channel. [15] In March 2015, Subbable was acquired by Patreon, and Crash Course's crowdfunding moved over as part of the acquisition.

In May 2014, John mentioned an upcoming 10-episode Crash Course season on Big History, funded by a grant from one of Bill Gates's organizations. [16] The series outlined the history of existence, from the Big Bang forward into the evolution of life. Both Green brothers hosted the series, with Emily Graslie also participating as a guest host. [17]

Partnership with PBS Digital Studios (2014–2017)

Craig Benzine, host of US Government and Politics, was brought on as part of the PBS Digital Studios funding deal. Craig Benzine (7486834826).jpg
Craig Benzine, host of US Government and Politics, was brought on as part of the PBS Digital Studios funding deal.

In 2014, Crash Course announced a partnership with PBS Digital Studios, which began in 2015 with the Astronomy and US Government and Politics series. [18] In addition to funding the channel itself, the partnership also entails PBS Digital Studios helping Crash Course to receive sponsorships. [19] As a result of the partnership as well as John commencing a year-long hiatus from the show in 2015, additional hosts were added to increase the number of concurrent series. Though the partnership meant PBS Digital Studios would assist with the production of Crash Course, the channel continued to receive funding from its audience through Patreon. [20] In April 2015, The Guardian reported that Crash Course received $25,900 per month through Patreon donations. [20] Aside from the new series on the main channel, Crash Course Kids was launched in February on a new Crash Course Kids channel. [21] The series was hosted by Sabrina Cruz, known on YouTube as NerdyAndQuirky. [22]

On October 12, 2016, the Crash Course YouTube channel uploaded a preview for Crash Course Human Geography. Hosted by Miriam Nielsen, the course was to discuss "what Human Geography isn't, and what it is, and discuss humans in the context of their world." Two episodes were posted during each of the following two weeks; however, the videos were removed on October 27, with John Green stating on Twitter that "...we got important things wrong. We'll rework the series... And we'll bring a better series to you in a few months." [23] On October 31, John further explained that the videos were removed due to "factual mistakes as well as too strident a tone," and that the mishap was caused by a rushed production stemming from a lack of staffing and budgeting. [24] The following October, during an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) session on Reddit, John indicated the course may not return for some time, noting that "we don't feel like we've cracked it yet." [25] The channel would go on to launch their Geography course in November 2020, intended to cover both physical and human geography over its run.

In 2017, Crash Course launched three film-related series: one covered film history, another film production, and the last of which covered film criticism. [26] Also in 2017, Thomas Frank began hosting Crash Course Study Skills, which covered topics such as productivity skills, time management, and note-taking. [27]

Complexly branding and YouTube Learning Fund (2018–2019)

Anna Akana hosted Business: Entrepreneurship in 2019. Anna Akana at 2018 Vidcon EU.png
Anna Akana hosted Business: Entrepreneurship in 2019.

Starting with the Statistics course in early 2018, Crash Course series that are not PBS co-productions began to directly identify as Complexly productions. Also that year, Crash Course launched an Arabic-language edition of World History hosted by Yasser Abumuailek and produced by Deutsche Welle (DW), which was uploaded to DW's Arabic YouTube channel. [28] In July 2018, YouTube announced its YouTube Learning initiative, dedicated to supporting educational content on the platform. A few months later, as $20 million was invested into expanding the initiative, Crash Course secured additional funding via the initiative's Learning Fund program. [29] [30] However, PBS Digital Studios remained one of the primary sources of funding Crash Course, and the network also continued to help in finding sponsorships for the show. [19]

The channel surpassed 1 billion video views in February 2019. [31] In July, YouTube launched Learning Playlists as a continuation of their Learning Fund initiative; [32] while videos in Learning Playlists notably lack recommended videos attached to them, in contrast to videos included in regular playlists on YouTube, [32] they also include organizational features such as chapters around key concepts and lessons ordered by difficulty. After Learning Playlists' launch, Crash Course's video content was formatted into several of these playlists. [32] The channel reached 10 million subscribers in November 2019. [33]

Partnership with Arizona State University (2020–present)

A collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU) titled Study Hall was announced in March 2020, which includes less structured learning in its topics. It was hosted by ASU alumni and advised by their faculty, with episodes posted on the university's YouTube channel but production and visual design by Complexly in the Crash Course style. [34] The partnership was renewed in 2022, with two new series premiering: Fast Guides is appearing on a new dedicated Study Hall channel, focusing on showing what students can expect to study in a given major; and How to College on the main Crash Course channel, showing the process of choosing, applying for, and starting at a given institution. [35]

In January 2023, Crash Course announced that they would be offering college courses on YouTube, in continued partnership with ASU and Google. The course content would be available online for free, with the full online course available through ASU for US$25, which would be led by ASU faculty and include direct interaction. Students would then have the option to spend US$400 to receive college credit for the course that would be transferable to any institution that accepts ASU credits. [36] [37] [38] [39]

Production

In an interview with Entrepreneur , Crash Course producer and Sociology host Nicole Sweeney detailed:

Every year we have a big pitch meeting to determine what courses and things we're going to do the next year. In that meeting, we talk about a number of different things, but the rising question that motivates that meeting and then down the line as we're making decisions about what we're doing is what we think would be most useful for people. [19]

To make its content as useful as possible to viewers, the Crash Course channel hires experts relating to the topics of its series to work on the show. [40] The Missoula-filmed series are produced and edited by Nicholas Jenkins, while Blake de Pastino serves as script editor. The Indianapolis-filmed series is produced and edited by Stan Muller, Mark Olsen, and Brandon Brungard. Script editing is credited to Meredith Danko, Jason Weidner composes music for the series, [41] and Sweeney serves as a producer, editor, and director for Crash Course. [19] Raoul Meyer, an AP World History teacher and Green's former teacher at Indian Springs School, wrote the World History series, with John providing revisions and additions. [42] Sweeney has said that she and the respective host go over each script after it is edited to assess it for content. [19]

Sweeney also stated that each ten-minute episode takes about an hour to film. [19] The Philosophy series and all series relating to science (with the exception of Computer Science) were filmed in a studio building in Missoula, Montana that also houses SciShow . [43] The Biology and Ecology series were filmed in front of green screen, but from the Chemistry season onward, each series was filmed on new custom-built sets. The Computer Science series and all series on the humanities (excepting Philosophy and Economics) were filmed in a studio in Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition, Economics was filmed at the YouTube Space in Los Angeles, while Crash Course Kids was filmed in a studio in Toronto, Ontario. Crash Course Kids was directed by Michael Aranda and produced by the Missoula Crash Course team.

Once filmed, an episode goes through a preliminary edit before it is handed off to the channel's graphic contractor. Graphic design for all of the series except Biology and Ecology is provided by Thought Café (formerly Thought Bubble), [19] and the sound design and music for these series are provided by Michael Aranda (and in later series, his company Synema Studios).

Formats

Crash Course video series feature various formats depending on the host's presentation style as well as the subject of the course. However, throughout all series, the show's host will progressively elaborate on the topic(s) presented at the beginning of the video. Early on in the history of the show, the Green Brothers began to employ an edutainment style for episodes of Crash Course, using humor to blend entertainment together with the educational content. [44]

The World History series featured recurring segments such as the "Open Letter", where Green reads an open letter to a historical figure, period, item, or concept. Occasionally he converses with a naïve, younger version of himself whom he calls "Me from the Past"; this character usually has naïve or obvious questions or statements about the topic of the video. [6] [45] A running joke throughout the series is that the Mongols are a major exception to most sweeping generalizations in world history, noted by the phrase "Wait for it... the Mongols". Mentions of this fact cue the "Mongoltage" (a portmanteau of "Mongol" and "montage"), which shows a drawing of Mongols shouting "We're the exception!" followed by a three-second clip of a scene from the 1963 film Hercules Against the Mongols depicting a village raid. Green also frequently encouraged his viewers to avoid looking at history through Eurocentric or "Great Man" lenses, but instead to be conscious of a broader historical context.

For US History, Green followed the tone set by World History and put an emphasis on maintaining an open, non-Western view of American History. In addition, the "Open Letter" was replaced by a new segment called the "Mystery Document", in which Green would take a manuscript from the fireplace's secret compartment and read it aloud, followed by him guessing its author and the source work it is excerpted from. If incorrect, he would be punished by a shock pen. While the Mongoltage was largely absent, mentions of America's national pride during the series would cue a new "Libertage", which consisted of photos associated with America atop an American flag, with a guitar riff and an explosion at the start and end of the montage, respectively.

The Biology program featured the recurring segment "Biolo-graphy", during which Hank relayed a short biography of someone who was associated with the topic of the episode. Additionally, at the conclusion of each episode, Hank provided YouTube annotations with links to every subtopic he explained within the video. He also noted that the successor series to Biology, Crash Course Ecology , would follow in the spirit of the former series. [46]

Other releases

DVD box sets of the complete run of the Biology series and of season 1 of World History were made available for pre-order on October 31, 2013. [47] In June 2016, the show's official site launched, providing free offline downloads of all episodes of every series completed to date. [48] In May 2020, an official mobile app launched, providing easy access to all of the courses' video content along with rolling out flashcard and quiz study aides for particular courses. [49]

The series was also made available for streaming on Curiosity Stream. [50]

In 2022, a series called Office Hours began, in which hosts of previous Crash Course series and professors host a livestream and answer viewer questions. In 2024, a Lectures series began, with long-form videos enabling a deeper dive into a single topic. The channel launched its first podcast in 2024. In October 2024, the creation of "Crash Course Books", a new imprint of Penguin Young Readers, was announced, with the first book Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green set to be released in March 2025. [51]

Series overview

Main series

SeriesEpisodesSeries premiereSeries finaleHost(s)Writer(s)
Launched in 2012
World History
World History 2		42
30		January 26, 2012
July 11, 2014		November 8, 2012
April 4, 2015		 John Green John Green
Raoul Meyer
Biology
Biology 2 [n 2] 		40
50		January 30, 2012
June 6, 2023		October 29, 2012
July 16, 2024		 Hank Green
Samuel Ramsey		various
Jaime Chambers
Ecology12November 5, 2012January 21, 2013Hank GreenJesslyn Shields
English Literature
Literature 2
Literature 3
Literature 4		8
16
9
12		November 15, 2012
February 27, 2014
July 7, 2016
November 7, 2017		January 24, 2013
June 12, 2014
September 8, 2016
February 13, 2018		John GreenJohn Green
Alexis Soloski
Launched in 2013
US History48January 31, 2013February 6, 2014John GreenJohn Green
Raoul Meyer
Chemistry46February 11, 2013January 13, 2014Hank GreenKim Krieger
Launched in 2014
Psychology40February 3, 2014November 24, 2014Hank GreenKathleen Yale
Big History
Big History 2		10
6		September 17, 2014
May 24, 2017		January 9, 2015
July 12, 2017		Hank Green
John Green
Emily Graslie [n 3] 		David Baker
Launched in 2015
Anatomy & Physiology47January 6, 2015December 21, 2015Hank GreenKathleen Yale
Astronomy46January 15, 2015January 21, 2016 Phil Plait Phil Plait
US Government and Politics50January 23, 2015March 4, 2016 Craig Benzine Raoul Meyer
Intellectual Property7April 23, 2015June 25, 2015Stan MullerRaoul Meyer
Economics35July 8, 2015June 9, 2016Adriene Hill
Jacob Clifford [n 4] 		Patrick Walsh
Jacob Clifford
Scott Baumann
Launched in 2016
Philosophy46February 8, 2016February 13, 2017Hank GreenRuth Tallman
Physics46March 31, 2016March 24, 2017 Shini Somara Alyssa Lerner
Games29April 1, 2016December 16, 2016Andre MeadowsMathew Powers
Launched in 2017
Computer Science40February 22, 2017December 21, 2017 Carrie Anne Philbin Amy Ogan
Chris Harrison
World Mythology41February 24, 2017January 28, 2018Mike RugnettaRaoul Meyer
Sociology44March 13, 2017February 12, 2018Nicole SweeneySteven Lauterwasser
Film History
Film Production
Film Criticism		16
15
15		April 13, 2017
August 24, 2017
January 11, 2018		August 3, 2017
December 14, 2017
April 26, 2018		Craig Benzine
Lily Gladstone
Michael Aranda		Tobin Addington
Study Skills10August 8, 2017October 10, 2017Thomas FrankThomas Frank
Launched in 2018
Statistics44January 24, 2018January 9, 2019Adriene HillChelsea Parlett-Pelleriti
Theater50February 9, 2018March 1, 2019Mike RugnettaAlexis Soloski
Media Literacy12February 27, 2018May 15, 2018 Jay Smooth Aubrey Nagle
History of Science46March 26, 2018April 29, 2019Hank GreenWythe Marschall
Engineering46May 17, 2018May 2, 2019Shini SomaraMichael Sago
Ricky Nathvani
Launched in 2019
Navigating Digital Information10January 8, 2019March 12, 2019John GreenAubrey Nagle
Business: Soft Skills
Business: Entrepreneurship		17
17		March 13, 2019
August 14, 2019		July 3, 2019
December 11, 2019		Evelyn Ngugi
Anna Akana 		Rebecca Upton
Madeline Doering
European History50April 12, 2019August 28, 2020John GreenBonnie Smith
Artificial Intelligence20August 9, 2019December 27, 2019Jabril AsheLana Yarosh
Yonatan Bisk
Tim Weninger
Launched in 2020
Organic Chemistry50April 30, 2020April 13, 2022Deboki ChakravartiKelley Donaghy
Kat Day
Andy Brunning
Kristen Procko
Linguistics16September 11, 2020January 22, 2021Taylor Behnke Gretchen McCulloch
Lauren Gawne
Geography50November 30, 2020April 12, 2022Alizé CarrèreJane P. Gardner
Zohra Calcuttawala
April Luginbuhl Mather
Launched in 2021
Zoology14April 15, 2021July 15, 2021 Rae Wynn-Grant Brittney G. Borowiec
Black American History51May 7, 2021November 9, 2022 Clint Smith Clint Smith
Danielle Bainbridge
Nia Johnson
Lynae Bogues
Outbreak Science15September 7, 2021December 21, 2021 Pardis Sabeti Ricky Nathvani
Launched in 2022
How to College15March 24, 2022July 14, 2022Erica BrozovskyMichael Lodato
Kaila Kea-Lewis
Public Health10August 4, 2022October 6, 2022 Vanessa Hill Dylan Reynolds
Climate & Energy12December 7, 2022April 26, 2023 M Jackson Jaime Chambers
Leila Battison
Launched in 2023
Botany15May 18, 2023September 7, 2023 Alexis Nikole Nelson Jaime Chambers
Leila Battison
Molly Edwards
Launched in 2024
Art History22April 11, 2024September 26, 2024 Sarah Urist Green Jaime Chambers
Religions11 [52] September 10, 2024–John GreenJaime Chambers
Political Theory3 [53] November 7, 2024–Ellie AndersonJaime Chambers

Kids series

SeriesEpisodesSeries premiereSeries finaleHost
Science [n 5] 95March 3, 2015March 16, 2016 Sabrina Cruz

Foreign language series

SeriesLanguageEpisodesSeries premiereSeries finaleHost
تاريخ العالم (World History)Arabic [n 6] 42January 19, 2018July 5, 2018Yasser Abumuailek
Fundamentos de Química (Fundamentals of Chemistry)Spanish [n 7] 11March 14, 2023May 21, 2023Corina Perez
Biología (Biology)50June 6, 2023July 16, 2024Mini Contreras

Miniseries

SeriesEpisodesSeries premiereSeries finale
Recess2March 5, 2018October 2, 2018
A History of Crash Course1December 4, 2018
How Crash Course is Made [n 8] 6March 22, 2019April 10, 2019
Covid-19 and Public Health [n 9] 1October 19, 2020
History of Wales [n 10] 1September 14, 2022

Study Hall series

A partnership with Arizona State University and hosted on the Study Hall channel.

College foundations

SeriesEpisodesSeries premiereSeries finaleHost(s)
Rhetoric & Composition29August 8, 2022March 29, 2023Emily Zarka
Real World College Math30August 9, 2022April 13, 2023Jason Guglielmo
Intro to Human Communication29August 10, 2022March 15, 2023Cassandra Ryder
US History to 186530August 11, 2022May 5, 2023Danielle Bainbridge
Power and Politics in US Government30August 7, 2023April 1, 2024 Dave Jorgenson
Carmella Boykin
Chris Vasquez
Code and Programming for Beginners28August 9, 2023March 20, 2024Sabrina Cruz
Modern World History30August 10, 2023April 4, 2024Robert Fuller
Intro to Psychology20 [54] May 7, 2024–Déja Fitzgerald
Macroeconomics8 [55] August 5, 2024–Matt Sopha
Sustainability1 [56] October 2, 2024–Miriam Nielsen

Learning playlists

SeriesEpisodesSeries premiereSeries finaleHost(s)
Composition15March 31, 2020July 7, 2020Yumna Samie
Algebra15April 23, 2020July 30, 2020James Tanton
Chemistry15September 10, 2020December 15, 2020Will Comar
Data Literacy15September 10, 2020December 17, 2020Jessica Pucci

Other video series

SeriesEpisodesSeries premiereSeries finaleHost(s)
How to College15March 24, 2022July 14, 2022Erica Brozovsky
Fast Guides to Electives and Majors36 [57] March 25, 2022–Hank Green
Erica Brozovsky
Naia Butler-Craig
Cassandra Ryder
Sabrina Cruz
College Journeys3 [58] June 6, 2024–Hank Green
How to Become2 [59] September 19, 2024–Kim Holst
Philip Lindsay
Things to Know1 [60] September 26, 2024–Erica Brozovsky

Office Hours series

TitleSeries premiereHosts
Anatomy & PhysiologyApril 21, 2022Hank Green
Brandon Jackson
GeographyApril 25, 2022Alizé Carrère
April Luginbuhl Mather
World HistoryApril 26, 2022John Green
Cathy Keller

Lectures series

TitleSeries premiereHosts
Tuberculosis ExplainedMarch 25, 2024John Green

Podcasts

TitleEpisodesSeries premiereSeries finaleHosts
Crash Course Pods: The Universe11April 23, 2024September 11, 2024John Green
Katie Mack

Reception

The Crash Course project has been successful in its reach, with World History alone having attracted millions of viewers. [61] It had a particular appeal to American students taking the AP World History class and exam; many students and teachers use the videos to supplement their courses. [3] [62] [63]

Awards and nominations

YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2015 Streamy Awards Science or EducationNominated [64]
2015 Webby Awards Online Film & Video - Science & Education (Channel)Honoree [65]
2016 Streamy Awards Science or EducationNominated [66]
2018 Webby Awards Film & Video - Science & Education (Channels & Networks)Honoree [41]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felicia Day</span> American actress (born 1979)

Kathryn Felicia Day is an American actress, singer, writer, and web series creator. She is the creator and star of the web series The Guild (2007–2013), a show loosely based on her life as a gamer. She also wrote and starred in the Dragon Age web series Dragon Age: Redemption (2011). She is a founder of the online media company Geek & Sundry, best known for hosting the show Critical Role between 2015 and 2019. Day was a member of the board of directors of the International Academy of Web Television from December 2009 until August 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Green</span> American author and YouTuber (born 1977)

John Michael Green is an American author, YouTuber, podcaster, and philanthropist. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including The Fault in Our Stars (2012), which is one of the best-selling books of all time. Green's rapid rise to fame and idiosyncratic voice are credited with creating a major shift in the young adult fiction market. Green is also well known for his work in online video, most notably his YouTube ventures with his brother Hank Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machinima, Inc.</span> 2000–2019 American online entertainment network

Machinima, Inc. was an American independent multiplatform online entertainment network owned by WarnerMedia. The company was founded in January 2000 by Hugh Hancock and was headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhett & Link</span> YouTube comedy duo

Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln "Link" Neal III are an American comedy duo. Self-styled as "Internetainers", they are known for creating and hosting the YouTube series Good Mythical Morning. Their other notable projects include comedic songs and sketches, their IFC series Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings, their YouTube Premium series Rhett & Link's Buddy System, their podcast Ear Biscuits, their YouTube series Wonderhole, and their novel The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Green</span> American vlogger and entrepreneur (born 1980)

William Henry Green II is an American YouTuber, science communicator, novelist, stand-up comedian, and entrepreneur. He produces the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers with his older brother, author John Green, and hosts the educational YouTube channels Crash Course and SciShow. He has advocated for and organized social activism, created and hosted a number of other YouTube channels and podcasts, released music albums, and amassed a large following on TikTok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vlogbrothers</span> YouTube video blog channel

Vlogbrothers is a video blog channel on YouTube. The Internet-based show is created and hosted by the Green brothers: John Green and Hank Green. The first incarnation of the brothers' online broadcasting was the "Brotherhood 2.0" project, preceding the establishment of the pair's regular vlogging activity through the Vlogbrothers channel.

The Verge is an American technology news website headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City and operated by Vox Media. The website publishes news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Helbig</span> American YouTuber and actress (born 1985)

Grace Anne Helbig is an American comedian, actress, and internet personality. She is the co-creator and co-host of the podcast This Might Get Weird (2018–present) alongside frequent collaborator Mamrie Hart and is the voice of Cindy Bear in the Max animated series Jellystone! (2021–present).

A crash course is an educational or research course conducted over a very short period of time. These rapid learning programs may also be described by the ambiguous term crash program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SourceFed</span> Former YouTube channel and news website

SourceFed was a YouTube channel and news website created by Philip DeFranco in January 2012 as part of YouTube's original channel initiative, and was originally produced by James Haffner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vsauce</span> YouTube brand created by Michael Stevens

Vsauce is a YouTube brand created by educator Michael Stevens. The channels feature videos on scientific, psychological, mathematical, and philosophical topics, as well as gaming, technology, popular culture, and other general interest subjects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meg Turney</span> American adult model, internet personality, and cosplayer (born 1987)

Megan LeeAnn Turney is an American Twitch streamer, internet personality, cosplayer, glamour model, Onlyfans model and vlogger. She became an internet personality through her hosting work, formerly with SourceFed and Rooster Teeth's The Know. She also maintains a personal YouTube channel where she posts vlogs and Let's Play videos and live streams. In addition to her work with online media, Turney also cosplays at various conventions, such as Comic-Con.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Graslie</span> American science communicator and YouTube educator

Emily Graslie is an American science communicator and YouTube educator. She started volunteering at the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum at the University of Montana in 2011. After appearing in a VlogBrothers video by Hank Green in 2012, she was asked to join the Nerdfighter network. She presented the educational YouTube channel called "The Brain Scoop" until 2021 and also hosted portions of the Big History series featured on the Crash Course YouTube channel. Graslie was employed by the Field Museum as their first-ever Chief Curiosity Correspondent.

<i>SciShow</i> Science-related YouTube channel

SciShow is a collection of YouTube channels that focuses on science news. The program is hosted by Hank Green along with a rotating cast of co-hosts. SciShow was launched as an original channel. The series has been consistently releasing new material since it was created in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Benzine</span> Filmmaker, comedian, presenter

Craig Gene Benzine is an American video producer, musician, and vlogger better known by his YouTube channel name of WheezyWaiter. On July 15, 2020, his channel hit 1 million subscribers and has over 155 million total video views.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Urist Green</span> American art curator and web series host (born 1979)

Sarah Urist Green is an American art museum curator, author, and creator and host of PBS Digital Studios program The Art Assignment and Ours Poetica. Green spent seven years curating exhibitions at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and has freelanced as a curator for other institutions. She now serves as the artistic direct for Monumental Gestures, an Indianapolis-based art initiative. She is married to author John Green, who serves as an executive producer for The Art Assignment and Ours Poetica.

PBS Digital Studios is a non-profit organization through which PBS distributes original educational web video content. Based in Arlington, Virginia, it comprises both original series and partnerships with existing YouTube channels. Most of the series are about science, popular culture, art, food, news, and music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green brothers</span> Partnership between brothers Hank and John Green

The Green brothers, John and Hank, are two American entrepreneurs, social activists, authors, and YouTube vloggers. The two have collaborated extensively throughout their public careers, beginning with a daily vlog project in 2007 titled "Brotherhood 2.0", in which they only communicated in vlogs posted to YouTube for a year. The Greens' portfolio of online work now includes their main Vlogbrothers channel, Crash Course, SciShow, their podcast Dear Hank & John, and several other projects spanning several forms of media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosianna Halse Rojas</span> British YouTuber and writer (born 1991)

Rosianna Halse Rojas is a British writer, video blogger, social media manager, and online personality. She is best known for working with vlogger and novelist John Green, initially as his personal assistant, later producing partner.

Complexly is an American online video and audio production company, based in Missoula, Montana, and Indianapolis, Indiana. Its founders are brothers John and Hank Green, who began their Vlogbrothers YouTube channel in 2007. In 2012, the Greens began producing educational video content with the YouTube channels Crash Course and SciShow, and in the years since have created many other channels and podcasts which have been folded into the company. Originally named EcoGeek LLC, it was founded by Hank Green to support his blog on environmental and science issues and was renamed in 2016. Also associated with the Green brothers, but separate from Complexly's operations, are DFTBA Records, the Project for Awesome, VidCon, and Subbable. The company's strengths in educational content has led to production funding from Google, PBS, and the Poetry Foundation among other corporations and charitable foundations.

References

  1. ↑ Michallon, Clémence (July 23, 2020). "Hank Green: 'It's vital that we be critical of the things we love'". The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  2. ↑ Pot, Justin (April 7, 2012). "Crash Course: Entertaining YouTube Courses On History & Biology". MakeUseOf. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Roettgers, Janko (February 16, 2012). "A first look at YouTube's new TV stars". GigaOM . Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  4. ↑ Leib, Bart (March 23, 2012). "Scishow & Crash Course: Why Isn't School This Cool?". Wired . Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  5. ↑ "crashcourse YouTube Stats, Channel Statistics". Social Blade. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Talbot, Margaret (June 9, 2014). "The Teen Whisperer". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  7. ↑ Roettgers, Janko (February 1, 2012). "Cool for school: Education is a big hit on YouTube". GigaOM . Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  8. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (October 16, 2012). "Barack Obama Watches The Vlogbrothers". Tubefilter . Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  9. ↑ Green, John (December 2, 2011). Crash Course Preview. Crash Course. YouTube. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  10. ↑ Higgins, Chris (February 9, 2012). "John Green's Crash Course in World History". mental_floss . Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  11. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (April 2, 2013). "John Green Talks 'Crash Course', 'Hank Games', And Hats In Reddit IamA". Tubefilter . Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  12. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (July 17, 2013). "Hank Green Is Pissed Off About YouTube's Constant Changes". Tubefilter . Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  13. ↑ Green, Hank (July 17, 2013). A Chat with YouTube. hankschannel. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  14. 1 2 Eifler, Emily (August 20, 2013). "Crowdfunding Matures with a Lesson from Public Broadcasting". KQED.org. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  15. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (July 22, 2013). "Vlogbrothers Launch Subbable, A 'Pay What You Want' Video Platform". Tubefilter . Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  16. ↑ Green, John (May 20, 2014). Deserving. VlogBrothers . YouTube. Archived from the original on May 23, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Big History Project - CrashCourse Videos". Big History Project. YouTube. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ Chmielewski, Dawn (November 7, 2014). "Vlogbrothers Bring "Crash Course" Videos to PBS Digital Studios". Recode . Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Zipkin, Nina (November 7, 2018). "The Simple Question the Producers of the Wildly Popular 'Crash Course' Ask Themselves When Creating Content". Entrepreneur . Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  20. 1 2 Dredge, Stuart (April 8, 2015). "YouTube: Hank Green tells fellow creators to aim for '$1 per view'". The Guardian . Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  21. ↑ Crash Course Kids Preview!. Crash Course Kids. YouTube. February 23, 2015. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  22. ↑ Lanning, Carly (September 16, 2015). "#WCW Sabrina Cruz is the queen of the nerds". The Daily Dot . Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  23. ↑ @johngreen (October 27, 2016). "We're taking down the first two Crash Course Human Geography videos..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ Green, John (October 31, 2016). A Note on CC Human Geography. Crash Course. YouTube. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  25. ↑ Green, John (October 12, 2017). "I'm John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down. I'm in a bus for the next eight hours. AMA". Reddit. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  26. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (April 7, 2017). "Educational YouTube Channel Crash Course Goes To The Movies With Trio Of Film Classes". Tubefilter . Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  27. ↑ Belanger, Eleanore (June 4, 2019). "Crash Course, A YouTube Series, Has Students Nationwide Sighing In Relief". Study Breaks. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  28. ↑ @johngreen (January 19, 2018). "Really excited about our partnership with @DeutscheWelle on Crash Course in Arabic. World History in Arabic has launched, hosted by @The_Abumuailek" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ↑ Ducard, Malik (October 22, 2018). "YouTube Learning: Investing in educational creators, resources, and tools for EduTubers". Official YouTube Blog . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  30. ↑ Alexander, Julia (October 22, 2018). "YouTube is investing $20M in educational content, creators". The Verge . Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  31. ↑ @TheCrashCourse (February 14, 2019). "Crash Course just hit 1 BILLION views!! Our Valentine's Day love goes to all of you who helped us get there ❤️ #AcademicValentine #ValentinesDay" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. 1 2 3 Lee, Dami (July 11, 2019). "YouTube is launching educational playlists that won't include algorithmic recommendations". The Verge . Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  33. ↑ @TheCrashCourse (November 1, 2019). "We just hit 10 million subscribers! Thank you to all TEN MILLION of you for being part of this with us!!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2019– via Twitter.
  34. ↑ Study Hall: Presented by Arizona State University and Crash Course. Arizona State University . YouTube. March 30, 2020. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Study Hall: About". YouTube. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  36. ↑ "Partnership between ASU, YouTube, Crash Course expands to offer courses for college credit". ASU News . January 24, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  37. ↑ "ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, CRASH COURSE AND YOUTUBE EXPAND PARTNERSHIP TO OFFER COURSES ON YOUTUBE FOR COLLEGE CREDIT" (Press release). PR Newswire. January 24, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023– via kktv.com.
  38. ↑ Stokel-Walker, Chris (January 25, 2023). "Vloggers Hank And John Green Want You To Take College Courses On YouTube". BuzzFeed News . Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  39. ↑ Tolentino, Daysia (January 25, 2023). "Hank and John Green launch program that allows people to earn college credit with YouTube courses". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  40. ↑ Bernstein, Hannah (August 22, 2019). "Fake climate science videos have millions of views on YouTube. Here's what scientists can do about it". Ensia. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  41. 1 2 "Crash Course -- The Webby Awards". Webby Awards. 2018. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  42. ↑ "History Teacher Discovers Talent As Educational Web Writer". Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School. November 5, 2013. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  43. ↑ Green, Hank (December 21, 2012). Meet the Team: The Missoula Office (And P4A and TheBrainScoop). Crash Course. YouTube. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  44. ↑ Grantham, Nick (February 29, 2012). "Meet Two Brothers Who Bring Biology And History To Life". Fractus Learning. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  45. ↑ Cicconet, Marcelo (April 7, 2013). "YouTube not just a site for entertainment, but education". Washington Square News . Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  46. ↑ Green, Hank (October 29, 2012). Ecology - Rules for Living on Earth: Crash Course Biology #40. Crash Course. YouTube. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  47. ↑ DFTBA Records. "DFTBA - CrashCourse". Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  48. ↑ "CRASH COURSE DOWNLOADS". Crash Course. Archived from the original on June 28, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  49. ↑ Announcing the Crash Course App!. Crash Course. May 1, 2020. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020– via YouTube.
  50. ↑ "Crash Course". Curiosity Stream. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  51. ↑ Tagen-Dye, Carly. "John Green to Publish New Nonfiction Book About Tuberculosis: 'Culmination of a Long Journey'". People.com. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  52. ↑ Religions of the African Diaspora . Crash Course. November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024 — via YouTube.
  53. ↑ Identity politics: the good, the bad, and the… hotly contested. Crash Course. November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024 — via YouTube.
  54. ↑ How positive psychology can make us happier – via YouTube.
  55. ↑ How does real GDP per capita affect you? – via YouTube.
  56. ↑ What it means to be "sustainable" – via YouTube.
  57. ↑ The Side Effects of Majoring in Pharmacology. Study Hall– via YouTube.
  58. ↑ Creating a Creator: Grace Helbig's College Journey – via YouTube.
  59. ↑ How to Become: A Teacher – via YouTube.
  60. ↑ 8 Things to Know About Psychology – via YouTube.
  61. ↑ Young, Jeffrey R. (November 5, 2012). "Welcome to Star Scholar U., Where a Personal Brand Is the Credential". The Chronicle of Higher Education . Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  62. ↑ Jaworski, Michelle (July 10, 2012). "How YouTube is revolutionizing education". The Daily Dot . Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  63. ↑ Quinn, Kate (October 30, 2014). "YouTube's educational side". The Buffalo News . Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  64. ↑ "5th Annual Winners & Nominees". Streamy Awards. 2015. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  65. ↑ "Crash Course -- The Webby Awards". Webby Awards. 2015. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  66. ↑ "6th Annual Winners & Nominees". Streamy Awards. 2016. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ as of March 16th 2022
  2. ↑ A reimagining of the original subject matter from 2012.
  3. ↑ Graslie is the sole host of the second season.
  4. ↑ Clifford departed after the 29th episode, with Hill presenting the remainder solo.
  5. ↑ Hosted on the Crash Course Kids channel.
  6. ↑ Hosted on the DW عربية channel.
  7. ↑ Hosted on the Crash Course en Español channel.
  8. ↑ A partnership with Adobe and hosted on the Thought Café channel.
  9. ↑ A partnership with Operation Outbreak and the Sabeti Lab at Harvard.
  10. ↑ Included in episode 7 of Welcome to Wrexham .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.