We’re sitting down with leaders on the business side of the author economy to get their advice for founders looking to develop their careers.
This week, the Daily Dot spoke with Jason Y. Lee, the Founder and CEO of Jubilee Media. You might recognize Jubilee for their controversial video names like, “Flat Earthers vs Scientists”, “6 Non-Virgins vs 1 Secret Virgin”, or “Do All Teen Moms Think the Same? ”
In an exclusive interrogation, Lee shared with the Daily Dot his storey of construct a media company over the past decade from the ground up, why he quitted his finance profession to create content, what challenges he’s faced along the way, and his insights for aspiring imaginative entrepreneurs.
Jason Y. Lee never heard himself becoming a content creator.
Growing up, his parents–who are both Korean immigrants and professors–fostered an environment where education are important. Lee said that because of his upbringing, he used to view his busines itinerary as unusually traditional: Go to a good college, get a good job, is married, retire.
After finishing up college at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Lee followed the traditional formula he set off for himself and went to work at a control consulting house in New York City. There, he said that his life turned upside down.
Only two days into his new job, Lee decided on a fancy to make a video singing at a subway stop to raise money for the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Despite being a “terrible singer, ” Lee said his video blew up, getting tens of thousands of views and raising thousands of dollars in under a week.
“It certainly was not quality that drew it successful. It was the first video I shot, I originated it in iMovie, ” Lee said, “But I speculate I tapped into two things. One being current events. People genuinely wanted to help Haiti. And second, I judge I genuinely leaned into my community.”
Inspired by the impact his material shaped, Lee decided to create a nonprofit called the Jubilee Project, dedicated to raising money and awareness for various justifications through content creation.
Initially, it was just Lee, two brothers, and his best friend doing Jubilee Project videos on darkness and weekends. In 2012, after the Jubilee Project constructed an gathering of over a hundred thousand subscribers, Lee and his squad retire their jobs to pursue the non-profit full-time.
In 2016, on the ends of the controversial election of Donald Trump and stimulation by the departure of his brother and best good friend from the nonprofit, Lee re-evaluated his programme.
Lee decided he wanted to move away from a nonprofit fundraising mission. Instead, he wanted to build a media company with a duty of “affecting culture and creating a movement for empathy.” Thereafter, Jubilee Media was born.
“I think a huge challenge at the beginning that was really good in the long run was nailing down the why. Why are we doing this? ” Lee continued. “Over meter we learned that we’re now to promote understanding and cause human contact. And if we’re doing something that’s not would be consistent with that, we have to cut that out.”
The “why” factor proved to be important as Jubilee played with other media fellowships: “When we first started Jubilee, BuzzFeed was constructing 65 videos a week. I knew that we didn’t have the money or the resources necessary do that. We couldn’t win on quantity, but we could win on quality.”
Today, Jubilee certainly has part covered–it currently has over 8 million readers and its content has generated 2 billion views.
“There is a huge hunger to watch this kind of content. Content that reminds us that we’re not as different as we might consider, ” Lee said. “Not in a didactic or banal action, but in a way that’s authentic.”
Building human connection is easier said than done on the internet: “The great advantage of social media is that something can go viral or be a megaphone. But one of the difficult things about social media is certainly there can be trolls, haters, or tribes who aren’t being super positive.”
Jubilee includes numerous sensitive topics–including sex work, abortion, religion, and politics–and often promotes video participants to share their perspectives on controversial issues.
“At the end of the day, we’re trying to create content that reminds us of our own humanity. It’s really tough when someone vulnerably shares their identity on our programme and receives detest, ” Jason continued, “Something we really share with our throw representatives, and even our unit, is that we’ve got to create mental health and cook people for whatever might come.”
Jason said that loyal fans, some who have been following the organization all the way back to its Jubilee Project eras, have fostered supportive environments: “That’s something we don’t take lightly. I think it’s really difficult to build the loyalty of a fan, and even more difficult to build a community around fanship.”
As a part of LinkedIn’s Creator Accelerator Program, Lee is now making an effort to share his journey as a founder.
“One thing that you struggle with early on as a author is that it may seem like an inconceivable enterprise. No one is necessarily giving you a idea on how to make love … One of the most helpful things am speaking to other individuals who are smart, but not like geniuses, ” Lee continued, “I’m hoping to now pull back the pall for other creators.”
“When you’re trying to climb Mount Everest, it can be really scary, ” Lee said, “But really, descending Everest expects one stair at a time. Break down a giant challenge into bite-sized, tangible steps.”
Lee continued, “When I was looking up, I was paralyzed, but when I was looking right in front of me it was like,’ I think I can do these 10 steps.’ You find that the more that you step, the better you get at stepping.”
“There is no better time than now. It is likely to be such a dishearten thing. But one of the true mansions of an financier is someone who is just trying. It doesn’t mean supplanting, it signifies just trying.”
Are you a business leader working in the founder economy? Shoot a message to grace.stanley @clarion1822. com for a chance to get featured in an upcoming newsletter.
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