Ethics Statement

A huge shoutout to Tom Buck who I have adapted this ethics statement from. Your content has been a great help with bootstrapping the things anyone need to start something creative. Thanks for everything that you do!

“Sponsored” content is extremely rare on this site. If I choose to work with a company, it will always be because I actually use the product or service myself and genuinely trust the company to provide excellent customer service and support. More importantly, I will always make it abundantly clear that such content is sponsored.

Most of the equipment and products I use and review have been purchased by myself, but sometimes I will rent or borrow equipment for a video. Occasionally companies will send a product to me for free, and I will always clearly state in the post that it was provided to me at no cost.

Offering free products never guarantees a positive review (or even a review/video at all). Just like with sponsorships, I’m extremely selective about accepting anything for free and will only do so on rare occasions after discussing this Ethics Statement with the company.

Here are a few additional non-negotiable points I’d like to make just for the sake of clarity. I’ve made all of this info publicly available to viewers and companies alike so that we’re all on the same page:

My content is my own. I create each piece based on what I’m excited about and what I think will be relevant/helpful to my audience at the time.
My reviews are always as objective as possible and my opinions are always my own.
I do not submit previews of videos to anyone for approval or revisions. No exceptions.
I have full control over my content calendar. While I’m happy to work collaboratively when possible for scheduling, no outside party can pay or otherwise influence me in return for scheduling priority.
Just because a product is provided to me at no cost does not mean I will review it or feature it in a video. I do not make videos in exchange for free products or services.
I never work with Amazon resellers – only directly with trusted companies.
I do not review or accept “preproduction” versions of products/software.
I appreciate when companies offer information about their products/services, but I will only include what I think is relevant and necessary in any content I create.
I will work to seek answers for anything about a product/service that I don’t fully understand.
While it usually makes sense to include certain links in video descriptions or social media posts, I retain full control over what is shared on my accounts across all platforms.
YouTube’s “includes paid promotion” option will be checked any time a video features a product or service that was provided at no cost, even if it’s not a '“traditional” sponsorship.
I’m more than happy to let others share my videos, as long as the post links directly to the original video uploaded to my YouTube channel. My videos may not be re-uploaded.
If I find myself considering a sponsored campaign of any kind that includes other creators, I will work to confirm that there is a representative and equal mix of genders/ethnicities.
I do not guarantee any number of views or any amount of audience engagement on any videos or content. While I want everything I create to '“perform” well, there are too many variables beyond my control for me to make any claims regarding potential viewership.

Thank you for taking the time to read and understand my Ethics Statement. This probably doesn’t cover every possible scenario under the sun, but it should give you a pretty solid idea of how highly I value the integrity behind what I do and the relationship with my community.

I just want to keep having fun making stuff, and that disappears without these guidelines. If you’re a content creator, please feel free to take this Ethics Statement and make it your own!

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out at 21qtrs at gmail.com