The history YouTube channel Mamytwink is launching a fundraising campaign to finance its documentaries.

After more than fifteen years on YouTube, the Mamytwink channel is going through a difficult period. Florian Henn, who leads the collective with Julien Aubrée and François Calvier, has launched a fundraising campaign to finance the next season of historical documentaries. Their stated goal is to raise €60,000 to produce ten new videos and regain some financial stability, without compromising the editorial independence that has defined the channel.

An ambitious model that has become too fragile

In an interview with 20 Minutes, Florian Henn explains that the problem doesn't stem from a lack of viewership per se, but rather from the production costs of increasingly complex formats. He specifies that a historical documentary costs between €15,000 and €30,000, with expenses concentrated on the crew, even though the channel primarily works with freelancers. Over time, the channel hired an editor, a production manager, and a historian before being forced to scale back its operations.

This gap between ambition and profitability has widened with Mamytwink's evolution. Initially focused on gaming from 2009 onwards, the channel gradually shifted towards exploration and then historical documentaries, particularly those about World War II. This shift strengthened its image, but it also slowed the publishing pace: while YouTube often rewards frequency and responsiveness, Mamytwink prioritizes longer, carefully planned videos designed for longevity.

An established chain, but one disrupted by new practices.

Speaking to 20 Minutes, Florian Henn acknowledges that viewing habits have changed dramatically. He points out that when the channel launched, TikTok didn't yet exist, and that competition has since shifted within YouTube itself, between long-form and short-form content. He sums up this shift with a striking phrase: “We're 35 years old now, and we already consider ourselves YouTube dinosaurs.” For him, the story continues to fascinate, but it now needs to find new forms, particularly vertical ones, to reach a younger audience.

This fundraising appeal has sparked mixed reactions. Florian Henn told 20 Minutes that there has been a strong outpouring of support, with the campaign nearing its goal, but also criticism and misunderstandings, particularly among subscribers attached to the channel's older exploration formats. He also acknowledged a lack of clarity in the communication surrounding the team's structure, with some mistakenly believing that ten employees worked full-time on the channel. This situation, in any case, reveals a broader reality: on YouTube, notoriety alone is not always enough to guarantee a stable business model, especially when content requires time, research, and meticulous production.