A Look Inside Production of “Express Stories” — Article 1 — Extracting Essence using YouTube Transcripts and ChatGPT

4 min readApr 23, 2023

https://www.midjourney.com/app/jobs/228181b3-2850-450c-894e-38c3b2f3b18b/

Article 1 of documenting the journey towards creating a Media company called “Express Stories”.

The Story’s Essence
We use ChatGPT for YouTube to extract transcripts and craft summaries with unique and structured prompts. We can get an initial idea of how to compress this video into shorter content by discovering the primary themes, sentiment, and conclusion.

The following is a summary from ChatGPT for YouTube. The source is SunnyV2’s video titled “How Smosh Killed Their Channel (-91% in 2 Years)”.

Title: The Tragic Decline of Smosh: Inside the Collapse of YouTube’s Most Subscribed Channel
Emotional themes
Success
Disappointment
Betrayal
Uncertainty
Sub-themes
Early success
Growth and expansion
Management changes
Viewership decline
Viewer Sentiment
The sentiment in the comments is overwhelmingly negative, with viewers expressing sadness and disappointment over the decline of Smosh. Many blame management changes and a shift in content as the reasons for the drop in viewership. Others feel that the original creators, Ian and Anthony, were the heart and soul of the channel and that it has lost its spark without them.
The Story
In 2006, a channel called Smosh became the most subscribed page on YouTube, ushering in a level of success that would be unmatched for years to come. But in recent years, the channel has seen a shocking decline, losing 91% of its viewership in just two years.
The story of Smosh is one of early success and rapid growth. Created by high school friends Ian and Anthony, the quirky lip-syncing videos they uploaded quickly went viral and propelled them to the top of YouTube’s charts. They expanded their content to include sketches and parodies, becoming a powerhouse of comedy on the platform.
But as the channel grew, management changes began to take their toll. Smosh became part of a larger company, Alloy Digital (which later changed its name to Defy Media), and viewers felt that the channel lost some of its original charm. Despite this, Smosh continued to release content and even released a full-length feature film in 2015.
However, it seems that the magic of Smosh has disappeared. Viewership has plummeted, with all of the channel’s various sub-channels experiencing a steep decline in numbers. Many fans have expressed their disappointment, feeling that the content has become stale or that the original creators were the real draw.
The tragic decline of Smosh is a cautionary tale for other YouTube creators. Success on the platform is fickle and unpredictable, and changes in management or content can have a devastating impact. For fans, it’s a reminder that nothing lasts forever and that even the most beloved channels can fade away.
In the end, the story of Smosh is one of both success and disappointment. The channel achieved incredible heights, but it seems that it may have been at the cost of losing what made it special. While fans hold out hope that Smosh will recover, it’s a sobering reminder of the fleeting nature of internet fame.
Important part of the story
The decline of Smosh’s viewership, which has dropped by 91% in just two years.
Conclusion
Smosh, once the most subscribed channel on YouTube, has seen a shocking decline in viewership that has left fans feeling disappointed and uncertain. While the channel’s early success was undeniably impressive, its decline serves as a reminder that internet fame is fickle and unpredictable.