Where It All Started
When co-founder Franz Michael reached 100,000 subscribers on YouTube in 2017, the algorithm changed and resulted in his account losing views.
The loss of views meant he was also losing considerable income. He knew there had to be a solution, which is why he reached out to Franz about starting their own platform.
The mission would be to make a new way of creating, connecting, and consuming with others online while putting user privacy first.
Later that same year they created XOTV
What Makes XOTV Special?
Our promise is to never switch up the algorithm on users without their feedback, to abide by a distinct set of creator “laws” that won't change without clear process, and we vow to be a reliable way to make money from day one. We believe in intentional growth in everything we do and encourage our creators to do the same.
Community
The XOTV community are the people who log on and consume the awesome content our creators are dreaming up. They subscribe, follow, and engage with their favorites.
Creators
They’ve applied and been accepted to use the platform as they please (as long as it abides by the Creator Laws)! Creators have access to tools that take years to unlock on platforms like YouTube and Twitch and can host videos, livestreams, music, blogs, forums, and even sell merchandise on their page. Creators also have access to live content advisors if they’re at the beginning of their creating careers or just need some technical help.
Me
Your personal user privacy and our commitment to transparency. We don’t store, mine, or sell data. We use encrypted, third-party payment services and only use your emails to actually alert you if something happens with your account.
You
You are creators. You will always be at the forefront of our decisions about growth, creativity, support, and consistency. Creators always know what’s happening on the platform and why, and always have a say in changes being made.
Everyone
Everyone in our communities is the reason we build for sustainability and connection. XOTV is a global family of creativity-lovers, and we work hard to keep this special network going.
XOTV Team
The people behind the scenes, the content curators and advisors who work to make sure you feel heard and taken care of on the platform.
Cofounder
Franz Ressel
Growing up in Austria, Franz was always a creative person. He studied classical flute and played the first chair in a regional Austrian orchestra. He was involved in movie making with stop motion photography and used early Super 8 cameras to film full-length Sci-Fi movies. From the beginning, Franz had one goal in mind, to run his own company. He founded his first software consulting company in Kansas City Missouri in 1985. During his time in Kansas City, he worked as a consultant for Hallmark Cards, making many connections to artists which helped him develop skills in graphic design and Photoshop along with developing new and innovative graphics for touch screen kiosks. This led to collaborations with Sony Electronics, Celebrity Cruise Lines, and Ping Golf to develop new and innovative touchscreen-based retail technologies.
Cofounder
Franz Michael Ressel
Franz Michael loves to create and make. Whether that’s video games, card games, videos, podcasts, music, graphic designs, web development, or any other way he can take what’s in his head and make it a reality, he loves it. He is excited to take everything he’s learned while making and giving that to you through feedback, suggestions, and discussions. He believes you will learn together, find out new, better ways of expressing yourselves, and pass that knowledge off to everyone else in this family of incredible creators.
Community
Adriaan Scheepers
Adriaan is a vlogger and content creator based out of sunny South Africa! He started as a creator on XOTV in 2018 and has since started working as the Director of Creator and Community Development in June 2019. Adriaan is in charge of the community of creators at XOTV and his door is always open to creators on the platform or those interested in becoming part of the XOriginal fam!
Adriaan’s favorite quote:
"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world need is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman.
Community
Katie Mitchell
Katie is trained as a multi-media journalist and is the Director of Creator Relations at XOTV. She works with creators to bring their visions to fruition and to reach people around the world. Her favorite way to do this is through storytelling. With almost a decade of intensive travel and hiking under her belt, she loves to work with creators who are involved in international and outdoor spaces and bring their stories to light! She appreciates listening to, telling, and building immersive story experiences via blogs, vlogs, podcasts and live events for audiences globally. She is passionate about mentoring the process of building communities for creators on the site.
Content
Mike Ko
Prior to serving as XOTV''s Sr. Director of Business Development, Mike was an early investor in the company. He is responsible for creator acquisition and helps new creators to onboard onto the platform. For him, it is not all about just the "views" and "likes" but working with the creators to help them build meaningful content that connects with their fans, to have them take back creative control that other platforms do not allow, and to develop a recurring income stream.
Content
Rick Watson
Watson was CEO and Co-Founder of Ambient Digital Media inc, which provided creative and technical services to the major motion picture and television studios. Ambient emerged as one of the largest boutique providers of end-to-end services for the global digital media market. He also spent 2 years co-founding a mobile ad technology startup, worked closely with the public policy and engineering teams at Facebook, further cultivated understanding of user engagement, big data and its effects on advertising. He supported the media technology sector and large media advancements from Walt Disney, MGM, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Netflix, Amazon and Lions Gate.
Those Who Believed in Us First
The people who supported us from the beginning, they've helped to shape who we are and push us to be the best we can.
“XOTV has gone where no others have gone before. The XOTV Team has implemented a uniquely creator centric platform and made it available around planet Earth. XOTV encourages its creators to reach for the sky, without any fear of editorial intervention. We are the new global standard. Join us!”
Gil Amelio, Former CEO of Apple
Chairman of XOTV
“XOTV is at the forefront of a revolution taking place in entertainment and education. The future is unique content available on a variety of platforms and XOTV is there to help deliver that reality.”
Andy Geisse, Former CEO of AT&T Business
Friend of XOTV
“Consumers need and deserve a privacy-focused content marketplace and XOTV is set up to serve that need.”
Tim Sparapani, Privacy Advocate and First Director at Facebook
Privacy Advisor to XOTV
“What XOTV adds to a market that is expanding so rapidly, is incomparable. If content is king, then I’d back a company that looks after the content creator any day.”
Jo Black, Musician
XOriginal Creator
FAQ
Answers to, “How is something this great possible?” And other common questions
Community
What is XOTV?
A platform where creators and community members alike come to create, discuss, and support each other.What does XOTV use my email for when I sign up for an account?
We use your email address to notify you of changes to the website, if a channel you follow uploads new content, to send you payment receipts and to allow you to reset your password. We will never spam your email address or give it away to any 3rd party companies except for our payment processor, Stripe, who as stated above will only use your email address to send you payment receipts.What is an XOriginal?
XOriginals are content only available on XOTV.What’s the difference between XOTV and other popular platforms?
We’re glad you asked. This is such a frequent question for us, we made a comparison chart.
Creators
How much does XOTV cost for creators?
There is no out of pocket cost to you as a creator to use XOTV.Does XOTV take a percentage of my revenue generated on XOTV?
Yes. We take 30% of any revenue run through XOTV, which allows us to give you true one-on-one human support, have zero overlay advertisements on your content, and have zero out of pocket cost to you as a creator.How do payouts work on XOTV?
We use a payment processor called Stripe. When a payment from your channel is processed through them, they take a small processing fee, then automatically split the payment. 70% to you and 30% to us. With this setup, we never touch your money!Are there any payout thresholds?
No! You have full control over when you transfer your money out of Stripe regardless of how much you are making. On top of that, you can transfer your money out on a daily basis! No checks, no fees, just click transfer, and your money will show up in your bank.Can I really make money from day one?
Short answer: yes! All channels have the option to set up paid subscriptions or one-time purchases. These monthly subscriptions can be for as low as $4.99 and go up to $19.99 a month. And creators are able to set their one-time purchase prices however they see fit. Once the channel is set up, all that’s left is bringing together the community.Do I need to charge for the content I upload to XOTV?
No! You can publish content on XOTV without charging anything.What is an XOriginal?
When you publish content on XOTV that isn’t available on any other platform, we call that an XOriginal.I love it, how do I become a creator?
Great question! All creators go through a curation process before being admitted to the platform. Think of it as becoming “verified”. First, potential creators will send an email to the curators here. Our curators will get back to you quickly (within 48 hours!) and ask any follow-up questions they might have. From here, they will get the creator set up with their advisor while on the channel. Advisors are decided based on the creator’s experience and how much help they need. We do not discriminate and are excited to help creators grow at all levels.What’s the difference between XOTV and other popular platforms?
We’re glad you asked. This is such a frequent question for us, we made a comparison chart.