"The film was created by brothers Owen and Quentin Reiser and posted to YouTube in August 2025, where it racked up more than 2.6 million views for its quirky blend of amateur documentary and stoner confessional. The long watch feels a bit antithetical to what YouTube has become known for - easily digestible bites of content - but Chaudry calls it "one of the most interesting things" he's ever seen."
"That's partly because of the content - the character introduction, comical odes to Cracker Barrel, and the inviting cinematography - but it's also because of how the brothers are making money from it. "[Owen] turned off ads because he didn't want to mess up the experience, and he put his Venmo in the description," Chaudry explains. "By the time we interviewed him, people had Venmo-ed him $75,000. Insane.""
Samir Chaudry and Colin Rosenblum meet in Venice Beach and excitedly discuss birding and a two-hour documentary about "extreme birdwatching." The film, by brothers Owen and Quentin Reiser, posted to YouTube in August 2025, earned over 2.6 million views for its mix of amateur documentary and stoner confessional. The brothers turned off ads, prioritized the viewing experience, and solicited payments via Venmo, receiving about $75,000 after interviews. The creator economy in the U.S. is a billion-dollar industry with diverse revenue models beyond viral social-media trends. Rosenblum and Chaudry have built a social-media enterprise and interview prominent creators.
Read at Rolling Stone
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]