Principles 2025

The obelisk broke my mind with darkness.

Months of hallucinations—lost to the void.

But now, I emerge.

I see the path forward for the Value Select Brotherhood.

A unified vision is key, brothers.

For our 2025 HOLY CRUSADE to continue, our spirits must connect as one.

So—what is the vision?

Let’s first revisit those FOUNDING PRINCIPLES of Value Select:

❌ NO ADVERTISEMENTS —no pre, mid, or post-rolls.

❌ NO SPONSORSHIPS —no “Raid Shadow Legends.”

❌ NO PANDERING—no trends, no popslop, no algorithm-chasing.

Ambitious.

Let’s see how it’s held up the past 8 years.

1.) ADVERTISMENTS

In 2020, YouTube changed its policy—ads could now run on videos without creator consent.

This forced a reevaluation of a core founding principle.

I responded publicly, urging brethren to install adblockers, and stating my intent to prevent YouTube from taking anything.

I tested Creator Studio settings to minimize YouTube’s cut, using the limited proceeds to fund merch giveaways and community events.

But in the end, I chose clarity over compromise.

✅ MONETIZATION OFF // PATRON FUELED

2.) SPONSORSHIPS

Despite offers both fake and real, not a single sponsorship has ever appeared on a Value Select video.

To clarify: I define a sponsorship as a one-off, metric-driven attention buy, and video as horizontal format.

Separately, with the rise of new vertical shorts format, I explored a partnership (long-term mutual benefit) with U.S.-based virtual production startup SkyGlass—aiming to develop a VS Show and offer their tools to the community.

We co-produced a single short together before the company folded from lack of funding.

Still open to the right partnerships, but sponsorships remain dead in the water!

✅ ZERO INSERTS // PURE QUEST

3.) NEVER PANDER TO THE ALGORITHM

While most bend to the algorithm, we never have.

No viral trends. No stitch collabs. No clout grabs. No compromise.

Sure, verticals may be dismissed as lowbrow—but we’ve shaped the format to fit a brotherhood sensibility, not the other way around.

Every single release, from the beginning, has come from a true feeling and a personal voice.

✅ NO CRINGE // ASCENDANT MINDSET

Well done…

But a new challenger approaches…

GENERATIVE AI

With the rise of machine learning, this insane variable entered the creative equation—one I had to confront seriously.

As someone who’s built his work on authenticity + advancement, it forced a reckoning: how do I maintain the integrity of my process while adapting to a shifting technological landscape?

I took time to sit with it…

While many outsource their soul to fully-automated content farms—or clone themselves entirely—I’ve stayed traditional.

I still handwrite, handact, handedit, and handcurate every Value Select creation myself.

I still run my own socials—every reply you see is from me.

The albums, the tours, the films—every project is a testament to human effort, human struggle, human spark.

I discovered AI back in 2022, and believed it to be the GREAT EQUALIZER…

NEW CREATORS can destroy EVIL HOLLYWOOD with a flick of a prompt…

And it has helped me create dynamic JPGs to set dress the sketches…

Now, it offers a one stop solution for EVERYTHING I do…

I could kick back, and let the machines whir…

But here’s the thing…

I don’t want to die a computer goblin, a mere guider of beep boops…

Maybe the results are high definition… Maybe the possibilities are endless…

But slaving over prompts 24/7, disconnected from the true creative act… it’s not a lifestyle I wish to lead…

SO I’VE CHOSEN TO SELECT ONLY THE MOST VALUABLE OF NEW ADVANCMENTS…

To make this understandable, I’ve constructed a METAPHOR + TIER SYSTEM

CREATIVE NATURALS vs JUICED

Here’s how it goes:

I liken GENERATIVE AI to STEROIDS…

1.) Gets You Bigger Faster

2.) Not a miracle solution, you still need to sweat like Hell.

3.) You Develop a Vague Rotting Feeling Inside

4.) Bad if you hide it

Here are the GENERATIVE AI tiers:

SKELETAL – lives in a cave.

PURE NATTY – All creative is self-generated. Uses modern tools (Google, YouTube, ChatGPT) as resources only. No outsourcing of actual creative generation. Research-only mindset.

NATTY + CREATINE – Starts using AI for cleanup or polish—grammar checkers, summarizers, or formatting tools—but all core ideation and execution is personal. Still lifting the heavy stuff solo.

JUICED – The artist begins outsourcing creative generation. AI writes drafts, generates images, even edits videos—but the human still guides everything, rewrites heavily, curates selectively. The AI is the intern. You’re the director.

GILLED UP – Full-on AI integration. Entire projects are AI-driven—scripts, visuals, edits, voices—maybe even auto-uploaded. The human is the brand manager at this point, making yes/no calls, but not sweating in the gym.

Now, a true natty creative can use tools to assist (like supplements), but not to generate or elevate output beyond what they could achieve through effort alone.

WHERE DOES VS RANK?

I am officially announcing my dedication to the PURE NATTY lifestyle in regard to my core callings, WRITING, PERFORMANCE, DIRECTION…

Every element used will be credited/sourced/tiered within the description, for my own documentation purposes 🫡

(For example, I allow myself to opt out of the Shutterstock Pay Dungeon, by continuing to remix/enhance my hand-drawn storyboard backgrounds via Midjourney)

This is similar to the founding NO ADVERTISEMENTS, NO SPONSORSHIP, NO PANDERING rules

In that it imposes divine limitations, that allows blossoming in the long term.

Important to note, I do like the AI stuff, and I believe that it can make great stuff, properly guided.

I just don’t want to pilot that submarine right now; need sunlight.

WHAT NEXT?

First, the Quest for the One True Sketch Resumes, with increased Vitality & Vigor…

Then, musical NATIONAL TOUR 2.0 by Summer 2026 at earliest…

Then, one million subscriber…

Then, production house Studio Select forms, finishes the short film, produces Bastard Racer, and begins untitled TBD Oscar Winning 2030 blockbuster film.

This establishes the VSBLA member warehouse, for ascendant creatives to work/meet…

Finally, the results build our Alaskan Brotherhood Mansion…

Brethren…

I’ll see you next Saturday.

(PS I wanna invite you to the alpha testing of my human-first writing application DraftCraft: https://draftcraft.app let me know what you think)