- 24
- 5 930
Adam Thomas
Germany
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 11 พ.ค. 2024
Strategic support for journalists, social entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders who want to change things.
Tune in to:
🌞 Build and grow a sustainable organisation with social purpose
👏🏻 Learn how to use coaching and strategic frameworks effectively, solo or with a team
🔍 Understand how the best nonprofit journalism organisations operate
🏡 Follow my journey as I build a coaching business in public
💰 Master strategic planning, branding, positioning, fundraising, and new revenue models.
📈 Develop new ideas and launch products with purpose
🇩🇪 Experience life and community experiences in rural Germany
This channel also explores the challenges and joys of juggling fatherhood and a coaching career while living in rural Germany. You'll get a glimpse into my life as a founder, creative writer, ambient musician, and aspiring marathon runner. Subscribe for a blend of professional guidance, personal stories, and a peek into the life of a multi-hyphenate human. 💚
Tune in to:
🌞 Build and grow a sustainable organisation with social purpose
👏🏻 Learn how to use coaching and strategic frameworks effectively, solo or with a team
🔍 Understand how the best nonprofit journalism organisations operate
🏡 Follow my journey as I build a coaching business in public
💰 Master strategic planning, branding, positioning, fundraising, and new revenue models.
📈 Develop new ideas and launch products with purpose
🇩🇪 Experience life and community experiences in rural Germany
This channel also explores the challenges and joys of juggling fatherhood and a coaching career while living in rural Germany. You'll get a glimpse into my life as a founder, creative writer, ambient musician, and aspiring marathon runner. Subscribe for a blend of professional guidance, personal stories, and a peek into the life of a multi-hyphenate human. 💚
Create like no-one is watching.
Last year, I boldly aimed to make a TH-cam video every week-and failed spectacularly. This year, instead of quitting, I’m doubling down and trying to rid myself of my inconsistencies, boredom, and general creative chaos.
In this video, I ramble about my TH-cam failures, my deliberate lack of goals, and my new plan to be consistent through scripting, time-blocking and Kanban boards-all while my camera battery dies mid-shoot, because of course it does.
Filmed in the frozen beauty of Germany’s Sauerland, this is less a filmmaking masterclass and more a reminder that creating like no one’s watching is easier when, well, no one’s actually watching. So, if you’re into unfinished life lessons, and the occasional shot of some nice trees, this is the 4K video for you, my friend.
***
💌 Liked this? Sign up to Theory Of Change, my weekly newsletter for nonprofit leaders, journalists, fundraisers, and social entrepreneurs. www.evenlydistributed.co/news...
🎶 The closing track is by DG Solaris. Sign up to his free Patreon here: patreon.com/dgsolaris
🎶 The intro track is by me, Preslav Literary School. open.spotify.com/artist/2i5ykOuXu6SytWoJw7MFJY?si=a536fdb5608742bd
00:00 Why I failed last year
02:15 The struggle
04:17 Three rules for film-making
04:23 Consistency through optimised workflows
05:45 Embrace creativity
07:17 Being real
08:32 Final thoughts
***
Hello! My name is Adam. I'm a strategy coach, fiction writer, ambient musician, aspiring marathon runner, and a tired-but-happy parent. I'm also the founder of Evenly Distributed, a strategic agency that helps journalists, nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and social entrepreneurs to build organisations of purpose.
In this video, I ramble about my TH-cam failures, my deliberate lack of goals, and my new plan to be consistent through scripting, time-blocking and Kanban boards-all while my camera battery dies mid-shoot, because of course it does.
Filmed in the frozen beauty of Germany’s Sauerland, this is less a filmmaking masterclass and more a reminder that creating like no one’s watching is easier when, well, no one’s actually watching. So, if you’re into unfinished life lessons, and the occasional shot of some nice trees, this is the 4K video for you, my friend.
***
💌 Liked this? Sign up to Theory Of Change, my weekly newsletter for nonprofit leaders, journalists, fundraisers, and social entrepreneurs. www.evenlydistributed.co/news...
🎶 The closing track is by DG Solaris. Sign up to his free Patreon here: patreon.com/dgsolaris
🎶 The intro track is by me, Preslav Literary School. open.spotify.com/artist/2i5ykOuXu6SytWoJw7MFJY?si=a536fdb5608742bd
00:00 Why I failed last year
02:15 The struggle
04:17 Three rules for film-making
04:23 Consistency through optimised workflows
05:45 Embrace creativity
07:17 Being real
08:32 Final thoughts
***
Hello! My name is Adam. I'm a strategy coach, fiction writer, ambient musician, aspiring marathon runner, and a tired-but-happy parent. I'm also the founder of Evenly Distributed, a strategic agency that helps journalists, nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and social entrepreneurs to build organisations of purpose.
มุมมอง: 395
วีดีโอ
Everyone deserves a coach.
มุมมอง 8221 ชั่วโมงที่ผ่านมา
Coaching isn’t just for CEOs or people with five-year plans. Everyone deserves a coach. And coaches can be found everywhere. Maybe it’s a podcast (skip to 01:50 for recommendations), a friend, or your dog (who probably listens better than your last line manager). This is about finding guidance where you can-because let’s face it, we’re all making it up as we go. 💌 Liked this? Sign up to Theory ...
The future of this channel.
มุมมอง 12814 วันที่ผ่านมา
Snow, rambling, and existential TH-cam angst. Why did I leave? Where did I go? And why does this feel like a budget TED Talk in a blizzard? Expect reflections on algorithms, overthinking, and my brief attempt to become the Aldi version of Ali Abdaal. [Spoiler: it didn’t work.] This year, I’m ditching self-censorship, leaning into the weird, and possibly uploading 75 videos. Or not. Come for the...
7 habits of highly effective fundraisers
มุมมอง 1363 หลายเดือนก่อน
Top fundraisers use unconventional habits to secure big grants and build lasting funder relationships. I have read thousands of fundraising proposals and spent hundreds of hours coaching nonprofit leaders. During that time, I've noticed seven essential habits that each of them has cultivated. They will transform how you approach donors and sustain your nonprofit’s success. Learn how to sell an ...
Stressed out by nonprofit fundraising? You need an engine.
มุมมอง 1473 หลายเดือนก่อน
Fundraising can be overwhelming, especially if you are looking for journalism, climate, or human rights funding. With more organisations adopting nonprofit status, the competition for funding is tougher than ever. But there’s a way for a nonprofit fundraiser to rise above the noise-a fundraising engine. In this video, I’ll show you how to build a customised system for your organisation, ensurin...
Trying to stay balanced in Berlin (workshop vlog)
มุมมอง 2244 หลายเดือนก่อน
Take a look behind the scenes of my recent trip to Berlin, where I led a nonprofit strategy workshop. Travelling by train, balancing energy levels, and staying grounded are at the forefront of my mind as I prepare for this critical, high-stakes meeting. You’ll also get insights into my current projects: from launching my new fundraising products, to selling my first online courses, and plans to...
What's up with journalism mission statements?
มุมมอง 1545 หลายเดือนก่อน
Journalism organisations find it really hard to write mission statements, and with good reason. The industry has a bunch of unique characteristics that mean many organisations get it wrong and, as a result, miss out on crucial revenue or fail to align their teams. In this video, I’ll show you: 1. Why a mission statement matters. 2. The things that make it hard for news organisations to write a ...
Want more funding? Fix your vision statement
มุมมอง 1425 หลายเดือนก่อน
A vision statement is the hardest to write and most misunderstood part of any organisation’s identity. But if you are a nonprofit or purpose-driven organisation, it’s essential. A bad vision statement impacts your ability to get funding, sell memberships, make decisions, and keep a team aligned and motivated. In this video, I’ll show you: 1. Why your vision statement matters. 2. The top 3 mista...
Degrow journalism.
มุมมอง 9125 หลายเดือนก่อน
Degrowth journalism is a media movement focused on sustainable, equitable, and community-driven media practices that prioritise quality, environmental responsibility, and social justice over profit-driven content. Gone is the future where the relentless pursuit of clicks, ad revenue, and personalised optimisation (AI-powered or not) is the glory of the industry. That world still exists, but it ...
Why you're not getting funding
มุมมอง 4186 หลายเดือนก่อน
In my experience, most nonprofits are doing the basics of philanthropic fundraising right - they can articulate their value, prove their impact, seek out grant opportunities, and write fundraising proposals. But, despite this, their core funding applications get turned down time and again. That's because there are other factors funders consider, factors often overlooked by executive directors a...
Align profit with purpose using quarterly planning
มุมมอง 666 หลายเดือนก่อน
Join me as I take you on a journey through the woods (literally) to explore the essential frameworks I use for effective quarterly planning. In this video, I'll share three powerful strategies to help you align your business goals and reveal my Q3 plans. In this video… 🚿 Cascading Strategy: Learn how to break down an overarching business strategy into manageable parts, from vision to specific g...
This remote island retreat transformed my business
มุมมอง 1566 หลายเดือนก่อน
Six months into launching my new business, I felt demotivated and unfocused. To regain clarity, I embarked on a creative retreat to the Dutch island of Vlieland (population c.1000). In this video, I share how the self-retrospective methodology I used transformed my approach and business. Learn the insights I gained and the changes I'm making moving forward in my coaching, consultancy, and creat...
Stop giving your attention away for free
มุมมอง 1166 หลายเดือนก่อน
Attention is our most valuable resource, and yet we just give it away. In this video I explore productivity, unproductivity, and the idea of doing nothing as a site of both a resistance (check out Jenny Odell's incredible book How To Do Nothing) and a source of potentially revolutionary power. Themes discussed include feeling left behind, world chaos, personal productivity, fatherhood milestone...
12 essential apps I use to run my coaching & creator business
มุมมอง 6317 หลายเดือนก่อน
12 essential apps I use to run my coaching & creator business
The hidden meaning of feature requests
มุมมอง 1287 หลายเดือนก่อน
The hidden meaning of feature requests
After two years, I finally launched my own thing
มุมมอง 4048 หลายเดือนก่อน
After two years, I finally launched my own thing
Hell yeah. Let's do it.
🔥
Hey, you ARE authentic in this one! I really loved the honesty in this video. Following to see your journey!!
@@sofikhmara Likewise! Glad to see another LUMIX S9 fan out in the wild too (just watched your first vlog upload)!
Love this ❤ I'm also trying to grow a channel that's very small at the moment, and trying to find my groove. Thank you for taking me on this beautiful walk in a winter wonderland/wanderland! ❤❤❤
Aw, thanks! Glad we are sharing this journey together 😊
Great video! Very genuine just I like them. My aim has also been to enjoy the process. I have a homesteading channel so I started with just documenting the process. For over 2 years I have been very consistent with uploading videos weekly or twice a week but recently I feel I have lost a little bit of motivation because I started caring about growing the channel and that is not really happening. I really don’t know how to improve and cant afford better technical equipment. Greetings from Finland!
Thanks for the positive feedback Luisa - have subscribed, I'm looking forward to following your journey!
@ Aw, thank you som much! 🌼 Just posted a compilation of last years work. ☺️
thanks for these tips man, just uploaded my first video of 2025, uploaded almost 14 times last year, not as much as I wanted to but def progress, now this year its time to level up. Your insights are super valuable to me and def took them to heart listening to them at 1:27am in the morning in Ottawa, Canada haha loved them, keep going and cant wait to see what you do. you have a new subscriber! thanks for the video
From Germany to Canada, hi Aaron. Thanks for the support and thoughtful comment, sir. Much appreciated!
Good luck! I'll watch from a distance.... +sub
Thanks for the follow, Dave! 🙌🏻
Love the mantra "Be consistent, be creative, be real"💝
Thanks Mandy! 🙏🏻
That's easy for me - because no-one is! 😝 But on a serious note, I agree with you. Focusing on the doing rather than the results can be a great mindset for many (most?) areas of life.
Appreciate the comment, Luke - thanks!
And have subscribed to your channel!
Thanks for this Adam!
My pleasure!
Love it Adam! And thanks for using my music, it was a lovely surprise!
Any time DG!
I'm watching you Adam... sounds very creepy. Sorry
Appreciate you, man!
Three rules for TH-cam: Be consistent, be creative, be real. Oh, and charge your camera battery, doofus.
I find the way you self-reflect an absorbing listen, Adam. I resonate with what you're saying at ~8:00 about knowing the place of the thing you're doing in the wider ecosystem of work. Knowing my main ambition and how the project serves it is usually the gateway to releasing a lot of energy (or dropping the project).
So true! Thanks for the kind words too.
Shout out to my running coach, Tom! www.type1run.com
It's good to see you back making videos! I hope your channel takes of in 2025.
Great video so beautiful.
Thank you!
Love this - looks so stunning there. The best possible place to reflect :)
Thanks Zöe! 🙏🏻
It really is!
Happy new year Adam. Good luck for the future.
Thanks Valentin, same to you!
Inspiring video! We submitted our first grant application for a journalism investigation project last night and it was chaotic :D I really hope we can improve our processes based on your tips.
Thanks Ida! 😊
Love this. Going to share with my Director and we will hold on to that vision and not give up!
Probably should have combed my hair before filming this one. 🤷
😂
⬆ Download Fundraising HQ for free and level up your fundraising efforts: www.evenlydistributed.co/fundraising-database
Thank you for your videos! Super handy.
Glad they are helpful. Thanks Tom!
Want my honest assessment of your mission statement? Drop it into the comments below!
Need some help crafting your statement? Drop it into the comments and I'll audit it for you, telling you what's great about it and what's not. 😇
This applies across so many sectors, not just journalism. The arts needs to do the same. Audiences have become more than consumers, they shape and guide the art and we need to enable them to do that and be the change we all want to see.
💯
Man! This is so good, especially because you're saying the quiet thing out loud! Will run this in my newsletter this week!
Too kind - thanks man!
Great content Adam - I learned a lot of good principles that we can apply to our news organization
Great to hear, thanks!
I'm french and you said 'la decroissance' right :)
Awesome! 🙏🏻🇫🇷
Like a cracked out banker in drag as a wellness coach/journalist. Great guitar music and visuals.
Got a lol from me 😂
Stop bobbing forward and backward towards the camera, its very distracting. Nice video though. :)
Noted. Appreciate the feedback!
thanks to this comment, we'll now be tortured with endless nauseating Ken Burns zoom-zooms instead.
I love the idea of degrowth journalism. We should degrow as much journalism as possible. Till there is next to no leftwing journalism at all lol
Degrowth is not new journalism. It’s just another topic to cover.
For the most part, biases are not on the side of the consumers, its on the side of the journalists themselves and the system of education they were bred out of. Consumers just want the truth, not your truth, the truth. I hope the industry realizes we are seeing the last of a dying breed and it was not due to profit it was strictly due to the lack of truth and the doctoring of information. Great video.
Thanks for watching. 🙏🏻
What funding truths do you wish you'd known when you started fundraising?
Do you have an example of degrowth journalism? Drop it in the comments below!
Definitely here for it Adam, really interesting stuff. Though I'm afraid I'm going to talk about the elephant in the room, and if you don't do a special episode about the psychological, emotional and generational significance of Arsene Wenger, I'll be writing to someone to complain. Perhaps Pat Nevin. On a more serious note, are you connected at all to Shane Parrish and the Knowledge Project? Think you'd like.
Ha! On the eve of the great man's retirement, I did write an entire Twitter thread about how important his teamwork philosophy was to me! I need to dig that out...
Vlieland is so beautiful.
It really is. And such a variety of landscapes for such a small island - ocean, marsh, dunes, forests....
Been thinking a lot about this recently, how to respond in the face of mass systemic change. One of the reasons I'm putting on a retreat in November for which I wrote: "When the world’s issues seem so large and out of reach, it’s time to for our attention to get close up and intimate. When life starts to feel like a non-stop loop, it’s time we embrace slowness and care..."
Love this! 💚
Always great insight. Think this feeds into a wider conversation about what we collectively decide to measure and value as human beings. I think as global societies we’re getting closer to accepting some form of happiness or wellbeing index as a next logical step. The big geopolitical metric of GDP was only ever designed as a short term measure specifically during wartime. It is ludicrously reductive and totally redundant. The really thorny question is - what happens to happiness when you start to measure it!
A watched pot never boils! 😂
Loving the videos, Adam.
That’s super kind, thanks man. I hope you are well!
Thank you, helps me alot! Oder auch: Dankeschön 😄
Bitte schön! You're welcome, and thanks for stopping by. 😊
Great video really informative. Well done definitely food for thought.
Much appreciated!
I'd say your legitimate weirdness is your ability to examine your own work publicly, often with breathtaking honesty.
I’ll take that! 🙏🏻
Excellent video
🙏🏻
"People ask for features, but they don't actually tell you what they need." This is gold.
🌟
juicy one this week 👏 some slightly seasick generating auto tracking going on in the camera...? poss intentional, poss not!
Thank you! And, yeah, the focus. That’s an Apple software thing. Usually it’s not so extreme. Will look into make the next one less nausea-inducing. Thanks for the feedback!
This guy called Adam Thomas is the celebrity that keeps popping up everywhere for me this week 😁
🕵️♂️
"This thing didn't exist yesterday and now it does." How powerful is that statement! Well done.
🙏🏻
Working in the business vs. working on the business. Gave me plenty to think about there. That would make a good session at a conference somewhere! Love the simplicity in which you communicate. Hope to get your voice/wisdom in my head some day -- ie. podcast. :)
Thanks Alan! Message received on the podcast! I've never done that before - do you have any suggestions on where to start regarding syndication/distribution? And if only there were a journalism conference run by a couple awesome people in beautiful country in like, say, Southeast Asia? 🤔
@@evenly_distributed Since you're working in Descript, is there a single-click distribution built in there? We use Transistor. It's expensive, but allows for multiple shows. Or you could just manually upload it. I'd say you'd want to be on: Apple, Spotify, Google, Pocketcasts -- in that order. As for the conference... working on it!