Complexly: the brothers' production company, renamed from EcoGeek (2016)
project history · status: running · last event: milestone (2026-02-04) · last mentioned: 2026-07-03
In October 2016 the brothers' production company EcoGeek was renamed Complexly; it went on to start its own YouTube channel, sell calendars, open a store and run a Learnathon fundraiser, and on 1 January 2026 it relaunched as a nonprofit.
Parts: Journey to the Microcosmos: Hank and James's YouTube channel about microscopic life (2019) · Crash Course and Complexly begin from John's 2010 Gchat proposal and $10,000 of Hank's money (2010) · Hank: report next year whether physical products' 2% share of Complexly revenue changed (2022) · Hank asks viewers to donate to Complexly's Learnathon (2024) · Hank: host a trivia night for $15 donors on the last day of the Learnathon (2024) · Ask Hank Anything: Hank's monthly question-answering show on Complexly's YouTube channel (2025) · Something Worth Knowing: Hank's TED-inspired event and Complexly fundraiser (2026)
Told alongside: Hank asks viewers to buy Complexly calendars at complexlycalendars.com (2022) · Hank's Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis and chemotherapy (2023) · John's stint as reluctant temporary CEO of DFTBA.com during Hank's cancer (2023) · Crash Course coin: collectible coins sold to fund Crash Course (2021)
About: Complexly, EcoGeek, Crash Course
| date | event | what | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-10-07 | launched | Hank announces that the company producing the brothers' content, called EcoGeek after his 2005 blog, is renamed Complexly this week (week of 3 October 2016). | Changing Our Business a Bit 00:03:10 |
| 2018-07-13 | milestone | Hank recommends a series on the US court system on youtube.com/complexly, Complexly's new YouTube channel where the production company can try new things. | Why Do So Few Countries Have Nukes? 00:09:40 |
| 2022-09-02 | milestone | Complexly is selling five calendars for five shows: Eons and Bizarre Beasts art, James Weiss's Microcosmos microphotography, and SciShow and SciShow Space images, printed in the US with facts, shipping everywhere. | How A YouTube Company Actually Makes Money 00:02:16 |
| 2023-05-23 | milestone | With Hank starting chemo, John becomes temporary CEO of Complexly and DFTBA. (playful) | Rough Week 00:02:55 |
| 2024-01-23 | milestone | Complexly is now the lead sponsor of Willis's Twitch and YouTube livestreams, with Complexly's logo prominently featured. | Breaking News: Complexly Signs Major Tetris Athlete 00:03:35 |
| 2024-08-02 | milestone | Hank announces that Complexly, maker of SciShow, Crash Course and Eons, has launched its own store, with products up to 50% off to kick it off; purchases help Complexly keep existing. | My Letter to the Future 00:03:49 |
| 2024-08-26 | milestone | Hank announces the Learnathon, a fundraiser over the next few weeks for Complexly's mission of accessible education, celebrating its staff with livestreams and behind-the-scenes videos. | Welcome to the Learn-a-Thon 00:00:51 |
| 2025-11-21 | milestone | On the last day of the Complexly Learnathon, Hank shows hand-drawn logo shirts and asks viewers to support Complexly: $60 gets a Pelican pin, SciShow dice set, Endlings bandana or shirt, gone after today. | I Wasn't Always Like This!! 00:04:45 |
| 2026-02-04 (happened 2026-01-01) | milestone | Hank announces that, as of January 1, 2026, Complexly has relaunched as a nonprofit organization, which he and John had kept secret for about a month. | We Just Sold Our Company for $0 00:02:02 |
| 2026-02-10 | looked back | John congratulates everyone at Complexly on officially becoming a nonprofit. | I Was a Teenage Dirtbag 00:04:48 |
| 2026-02-13 | looked back | Hank reminds John that Complexly, the company they founded together 15 years ago, just became a nonprofit organization, which they think was a good idea. | Why Isn't Everybody a Nonprofit?! 00:01:27 |
| 2026-02-13 | looked back | John says Complexly becoming a nonprofit is a relief to him and exciting; he remains its founder emeritus. | Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! 07:44:31 |
| 2026-02-24 | looked back | John recaps that Complexly became a nonprofit. | Risk Is a Privilege 00:00:00 |
| 2026-05-22 | looked back | In a channel comment Hank says he forgot to say that he is no longer an owner because Complexly was converted into a non-profit, which is why coins are now tax deductible. | Why I Made Crash Course a Non-Profit creator comment |
| 2026-05-26 | looked back | John says Complexly became a charity, so Crash Course and the rest of Complexly are now owned by the public it seeks to serve. | Hank Green Is a Fool 00:03:38 |
| 2026-05-29 | looked back | Hank notes Complexly is now a non-profit, so donations are tax-deductible and the coins carry no sales tax. | Chemo Cow Body Odor YouTube Helen Hunt Commute 00:06:34 |
| 2026-07-03 | looked back | Hank notes Complexly is now a nonprofit, a giant transition he cares about. | Why I Didn't Buy TED 00:04:22 |
What is said about it
16 statements, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).
- 2016-10-07 · Changing Our Business a Bit — Hank explains their content company has been called EcoGeek after the blog he started in 2005, the reason for his first company, an LLC; the name no longer really applies. — 00:02:47
- 2016-10-07 · Changing Our Business a Bit — announcement: Hank announces that this week (week of 3 October 2016), after years of failing to settle on a name, the company that produces their content is renamed Complexly. — 00:03:10
- 2016-10-07 · Changing Our Business a Bit — Hank gives the name's reasons: the world is not simple, we will never fully understand the universe, each other or ourselves, the process matters as much as the outcome, and they want to help others imagine complexly. — 00:03:18
- 2021-06-25 · The Surprising Origin of Crash Course — Hank says Crash Course and Complexly have funded themselves creatively: advertising, grants from organizations that understand the mission, Subbable, then Patreon, and now the Crash Course coin. — 00:02:40
- 2024-05-28 · A Midlife Crisis — John says over 70 people work full-time for Complexly and over 50 for DFTBA.com or Good Store. — 00:01:27
- 2024-09-06 · I feel like I can't talk about this… — ask: Hank: The Complexly Learnathon ends today; Complexly is not launching a streaming service, but viewers can pretend and give $60 for a year of Complexly. — 00:02:55
- 2024-09-06 · I feel like I can't talk about this… — Hank says everyone at Complexly works hard on razor-thin margins, which is stressful, but at the moment a good stressful. — 00:03:24
- 2024-11-03 · Hank's very messy post-cancer year of mistakes, meaning… — Hank: Complexly (SciShow, Crash Course and more) is the most impactful thing Hank has helped start; it could always use him, from promoting Study Hall and the Crash Course coin to SciShow thumbnails. — 00:07:34
- 2025-01-24 · Am I OK? — Hank says all Dear Hank and John ad money goes to Complexly rather than to the hosts, as would be normal for a podcast; ideally not forever, but Complexly needs it now. — 00:05:55
- 2025-05-23 · I Can’t Believe How Few People it Takes. — ask: Hank invites people with significant business or personal wealth to email info at complexly.com, where they have ideas to share. — 00:05:05
- 2025-09-30 · WHO ARE WE AND WHAT ARE WE DOING — Hank says that is why he and John quietly take no profit distributions from DFTBA or Complexly and give away all the revenue from the channel. — 00:05:35
- 2025-11-21 · I Wasn't Always Like This!! — Hank explains Complexly, the educational media company he and John started (SciShow, Crash Course, Eons): people who show up daily to wonder together and lower barriers to knowledge. — 00:03:40
- 2025-11-21 · I Wasn't Always Like This!! — Hank says nearly half of Complexly's budget now comes from people who choose to support its work. — 00:05:14
- 2025-12-09 · Hank Green, from A to Z — John notes B could have been Bizarre Beasts, a Complexly YouTube channel about unusual organisms, and C could be Crash Course or Complexly. — 00:00:29
- 2026-02-04 · We Just Sold Our Company for $0 — announcement: Hank announces the brothers have donated all their shares to the new nonprofit to make Complexly stronger and built to last for generations, prioritizing the biggest impact on the most people. — 00:04:04
- 2026-09-11 · Our Last YouTube View… — Hank says the event is in Los Angeles and expensive because it is a fundraiser, so inaccessible to most people, but it helps make Complexly's content accessible to everyone. — 00:03:28