1. What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Goal: Make AI Safety concepts accessible and engaging to a broader audience through high-quality YouTube content, bridging the gap between academic research (Bostrom, Yudkowsky) and public understanding.

Achievement Strategy:

- Pivot the Ethan Nelson YouTube channel from AI business to AI Safety education

- Produce visually compelling videos that translate complex safety concepts (alignment, existential risk, AGI governance) into digestible content

- Leverage professional video editing to increase watch time and algorithmic reach

- Build a content pipeline covering fundamental AI Safety topics with progressive complexity

- Target 100K+ views per video to maximize impact on public discourse

2. How will this funding be used?

Budget Breakdown:

- Video Production Team (70%): Scale existing editing team to full-time capacity and hire specialized motion graphics/animation editors for complex AI Safety visualizations

- Production Quality (20%): Improved equipment, software licenses (After Effects, Premiere Pro), stock footage, audio production, and specialized graphics assets

- Research & Scripting (10%): Time allocation for deep research into AI Safety literature and expert consultation

Expected Output: 2-4 high-quality videos per month for 12 months, each 15-25 minutes long

3. Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Team:

- Ethan Nelson (Creator/Host): Content creator with established YouTube presence on AI topics

- 2 Part-time Video Editors: Experienced in producing AI business content

- 2 Part-time Thumbnail Designers: Proven track record creating click-worthy, engaging thumbnails

- [To be hired] Specialized Motion Graphics Editor: For complex AI Safety concept visualizations

Track Record:

- Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EthanNelsonScalewithAI

- Growth: Built the Ethan Nelson channel to 23,000 subscribers in 1 year

- Reach: Generated 883,697 views and 32,900 hours of watch time

- Proven audience: Demonstrated ability to attract and retain viewers interested in AI topics

- Content consistency: Established production workflow with existing team capable of sustaining regular output

- Foundation for pivot: Existing audience and production infrastructure provide launching point for AI Safety content transition

4. What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

Most Likely Failure Causes:

1. Audience rejection of pivot: Existing AI business audience doesn't follow to safety content; new safety-focused audience doesn't materialize

2. Content complexity barrier: Unable to make safety concepts accessible without oversimplification

3. Algorithm suppression: YouTube doesn't promote longer-form educational content on niche topics

4. Production scaling challenges: Difficulty scaling team capacity or finding specialized animation talent for complex concepts

Mitigation Strategies:

- A/B test content formats early; gradual pivot rather than abrupt shift

- Collaborate with AI Safety researchers for accuracy and credibility

- Diversify platforms (clips to Instagram, long-form to YouTube, short-form Youtube)

- Leverage existing team's expertise while adding specialized skills incrementally

Failure Outcomes:

- Limited reach (< 50K views/video) reduces impact on public understanding

- Funding doesn't translate to sustainable content production

- Minimal contribution to AI Safety discourse

5. How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

This is my first external funding application. The Ethan Nelson YouTube channel has been entirely self-funded to date, which has limited production capacity and content quality. The transition to AI Safety content represents a strategic pivot that requires professional editing resources beyond what self-funding can sustainably provide. This grant would enable the leap from hobbyist-quality to professional-grade educational content capable of competing for attention in the AI discourse space.