OK Storytime: It's Like Late Night TV for YouTube

Think Oprah meets Jimmy Kimmel

With YouTube increasingly emerging as a primary entertainment platform for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, OK Storytime is staking its claim. The channel aims to be the next-gen producer of talk shows with a late night bent for YouTubers everywhere.

In its current form, the offering posts 10 videos a days plus a four-hour livestream discussing relationships. Topics range from cheating and revenge to friends with exes and misbehaving bridesmaids. In each case, OK Storytime gets to the heart of the matter with a bit of humor thrown in.

Founder Sam Donner sees a “massive move” from traditional TV and movies to YouTube, especially as Gen Z and Gen Alpha mature. 

“All their time is being spent on YouTube, and I think this will be where the new Jimmy Kimmels and Jimmy Fallons and Oprahs are going to arise—I think we’re well positioned to move into that format,” he says.

Launched in 2021, the Oprah-meets-Kimmel idea for OK Storytime stems from a previous podcast Donner hosted with partner and fellow content creator John Frye. A business and comedy show, it ran as part of Wondery, an American podcast network and publisher. Donner and Frye interviewed entrepreneurs and creatives across a spectrum of industries. Donner says while their personal stories were highly interesting and engaging, they didn’t offer much in the way of interactivity.

Donner says OK Storytime takes a simple concept that dates back to old radio days and puts a contemporary spin on it. The first video got a half a million views, he says. 

“When you’re giving advice, and when people are submitting stories constantly, we’re engaging the audience and putting them at the center of the story,” says Donner. “I think that did wonders for engagement, and thus viewership.”

Advertisers have taken notice. OK Storytime has attracted brand deals with sponsors including Spotify, Nord VPN, ZocDoc and YouTube itself. Donner’s value proposition: a strong level of attachment among a loyal base at global scale. 

“When we release an hour video everyday, we also do a four-hour live stream, and people that spend time with us probably spend more time with us than anyone else in their lives—there’s just so much rapport that’s built in. What brands are paying for when they work with us is a certain element of trust that you are communicating from your videos to your audience,” he says.

Currently, OK Storytime is in talks with a talent agency to expand into live events of the show, akin to tapings of SNL (or any of the late night show), via streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube Live.

“That would then allow us to build up to a tour where we could eventually take it around the country and the world,” Donner says.