Hi there.
I’m Garrett Ryan.
I research, write, and record every video that appears here on toldinstone.
This video, however, isn’t about me.
It’s about all of you, and about the role you’ll play in shaping the future of this
channel.
For the past year and a half, I’ve kept the same basic posting schedule: one, and
occasionally two, videos a week, almost always between about 7 and 12 minutes long.
To make those videos, I work about 70 hours most weeks.
I don’t mind the long hours, but after putting in all that time, I want to be sure that my
videos are as good as possible.
Since spring, I’ve been working with a content producer who shares my passion for history.
Together, we’ve been developing the look, sound, and feel of the channel to make my
videos more distinctive, more engaging, more representative of my vision of history.
Your feedback about this “soft rebrand” has been very helpful, and very positive.
But we’re far from done.
In the immediate future, I’m going to start releasing YouTube shorts.
Some shorts will complement my longer videos.
Others will answer questions that I find in the comment sections.
And occasionally, I’ll showcase the contributions of other history creators, both here on YouTube
and elsewhere on the web.
I’m also brainstorming ways to feature travel photos and art produced by toldinstone viewers,
so that we can all share our love of history.
Next month, I’m starting an interview-style podcast about ancient history.
I’m very excited about the guests who have agreed to appear in the first episodes.
But I still haven’t settled on a name for my podcast, so if you have any ideas, feel
more than free to share them in the comments.
In the slightly longer term, though the content of toldinstone will always be centered in
the classical Mediterranean, some of my videos will explore other historical periods and
places.
I’m also planning to start a secondary channel, which will feature cinematic-style vlogs on
historical sites that I encounter on my travels.
Stay tuned as I acquire the gear and turn myself into some sort of filmmaker.
Like most creators, I aspire to have the freedom that comes from being supported by my viewers.
For now, I have to rely on corporate sponsors to pay the bills.
But in the long term, I hope that toldinstone can become a mostly or even entirely ad-free
channel.
To that end, I’m refreshing the toldinstone Patreon page with new rewards, new tiers,
and much more.
So I encourage you to visit the Patreon page, and to stay tuned as I add new perks.
I want toldinstone to be “fan supported” in more than just the financial sense.
Viewers will get more of a say in the direction of the channel’s content – starting now.
There’s a survey link in the video description, and I would deeply appreciate it if you could
take a moment to leave your feedback.
Moving forward, I’ll be posting regular polls on video topics.
Although toldinstone will continue to evolve, a few things will never change.
This channel will always be driven by my passion for ancient history.
It will always feature well-researched and carefully written videos.
And it will always rely on your interest, your input, and your support.
So thanks for watching, now and always.
Let’s do great things together.