500,000 and Still Climbing! Trust’s YouTube Channel Surpasses Subscriber Milestone
Jared Herr, jherr@battlefields.org
When the first video was uploaded to the Trust's YouTube Channel on March 20, 2009, the Trust had saved only 25,000 acres in 19 states. A lot can change in 17 years, not least of which the growth of the channel to more than half a million subscribers.
Today, the Trust’s YouTube channel is among the most powerful tools for education and inspiration in our arsenal. From in-depth battlefield tours led by top historians to detailed animated maps, the channel has amassed more than one hundred million views on videos covering America’s formative conflicts. From the fast-paced commentary of our Chief Historian Garry Adelman and Director of Education Kris White to the eye-popping graphics on virtual reality titles created in collaboration with the team at Wide Awake Films, the name “American Battlefield Trust” has become a watchword for quality, accuracy and engagement with audiences.
Working behind the scenes for the last decade, Andy Poulton, the Trust’s principal of video production, has devoted much time and effort to figuring out what resonates with audiences and building a community of people who love history.
Poulton believes the channel has grown to fill a niche in the digital history space, providing content that only the Trust could produce.
“Our specialty has become taking viewers out onto the landscape with experts who can explain not just what happened, but why it mattered," said Poulton. “Those longer-form battlefield tours have become something people really look forward to. It’s a chance for viewers to travel through their screens and experience these places from wherever they are.”
The subscriber milestone comes as America celebrates a milestone of its own: 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. To mark the occasion, the Trust headed to the City of Brotherly Love for a new series of videos to mark the occasion exploring the nation’s founding. In doing so, the always-experimental Trust channel venturing away from open battlefields and into an urban landscape.
The new videos transport viewers to some of Philadelphia’s most iconic historic locations, including the city’s renowned museums and landmarks associated with the nation’s founding. The production was produced in collaboration with acowsay film company and made possible through exclusive access provided by the National Park Service, the Museum of the American Revolution, the National Constitution Center, Christ Church Burial Ground and Historic Philadelphia.
As Independence Day celebrations wrap up in July, the Trust’s Revolution 250 content will just be getting started, with more videos from Philadelphia set to be released in the coming weeks. Subscribers can also look forward to videos covering the Ten Crucial Days campaign, Valley Forge and the Philadelphia Campaign.
As our YouTube channel continues to grow, the Trust’s team of educators, historians, digital creators and ardent preservationists will continue to use it as a medium to stories of the past and convey the critical need for action to protect the places where critical events unfolded. Subscribe to the Trust’s YouTube channel today to join the growing community of history lovers.
