Hank and John Green’s Complexly is becoming a nonprofit
Hank and John Green’s educational media company Complexly is changing its tax status to operate as a nonprofit, the brothers said in an Associated Press interview published Feb. 4. The studio behind the popular “Crash Course” series is aiming to keep its content “free for everyone forever,” while distancing the work from advertisers’ interests, they said.
Hank Green described the move as a way to pursue what he called “good information on the internet,” saying the studio’s goal is not to “build a big company and sell it someday.” He framed the nonprofit transition as part of an effort to make fact-based educational content available without being shaped by the competitive pressures of an advertising-driven online environment.
John Green said Complexly’s aim has always been “trustworthy content,” and he called nonprofit status the next step in making that mission public-facing. He also pointed to an information environment in which, he said, there is “never been more information and yet there’s never been less information that you feel you can trust.”
Complexly CEO Julie Walsh Smith said nonprofit status has been a consideration for several years, and the studio already receives philanthropic support. Smith said Complexly received $4.8 million in philanthropic funding last year, and that its initial supporters include partners such as YouTube, PBS and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Smith said other funders, including Arizona State University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, support parts of the “Crash Course” projects. Complexly also relies on other revenue streams, including a YouTube program that provides a share of advertising earnings and Patreon subscriptions from fans, which the studio estimated accounts for about another tenth of its revenue.
Beyond those streams, Complexly sells “Crash Course” minted silver coins annually, which Hank Green said can cost thousands of dollars. He said he has relationships with buyers of the highest-priced versions and that many of those supporters have expressed interest in increasing their support but “felt a little weird” giving money to a for-profit entity.
The nonprofit transition affects how the founders participate in the company. The change requires Hank and John Green to give up any equity they held in Complexly, and Smith said the studio expects to maintain a staff of roughly 80 employees even as it grows. Smith said the organization no longer requires the founders’ “day-to-day leadership,” with John moving forward as “founder emeritus” and Hank joining the nonprofit’s board of directors.
John Green said the viewing experience will not change much, and he suggested nonprofit status could make room for new shows that had been “great ideas” but were not feasible from a business perspective. Smith said Complexly plans to commit $8.5 million to new content, while she did not specify details about the projects at the time of the interview.
The Greens’ pitch for nonprofit status also reflects their view of how the economics of online platforms can shape creators’ work. John Green said they have long worried about being overly reliant on advertising and described an “advertising-funded internet” as difficult to navigate, based on his experience over the last 25 years. Smith said digital media companies often place premium content behind paywalls or subscriptions, and she said Complexly is not planning to do that.
The brothers said their move builds on experience in philanthropy. They said they have granted more than $17 million to dozens of charities through their Foundation to Decrease World Suck, funding donations with profits from everyday purchases made on the Good Store, their online retailer. John Green pointed to an example involving Partners in Health tracking tuberculosis in Lesotho with an app he said performs “on par with anything being done in the private sector,” arguing nonprofits can be innovative when set up that way from the beginning.