Complexly is an American online

video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

and

audio Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...

production company A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...

, based in

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five ...

, and

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. It was founded by

brothers A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingl ...

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

Hank Green William Henry Green II (born May 5, 1980) is an American YouTuber, science communicator, novelist, Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, and entrepreneur. He produces the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers with his older brother, author John Green, a ...

, known for

Vlogbrothers Vlogbrothers (sometimes stylized as VlogBrothers or vlogbrothers) is a video blog channel on YouTube. The Internet-based show is created and hosted by the Green brothers: John and Hank. The first incarnation of the brothers' online broadcasting ...

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel started in 2007. In 2012, the Greens began producing educational video content with the

channels '' Crash Course'' and ''

SciShow ''SciShow'' is a collection of YouTube channels that focuses on science news. The program is hosted by Hank Green along with a rotating cast of co-hosts. ''SciShow'' was launched as an YouTube Original Channel Initiative, original channel. The ...

'', and in the years since have created many other channels and podcasts which have been folded into the company. Originally named EcoGeek LLC, it was founded by

to support his blog on environmental and science issues and was renamed in 2016. Also associated with the Green brothers, but separate from Complexly's operations, are

DFTBA Records DFTBA Records, commonly known as DFTBA.com, is an e-commerce merchandise company that was co-founded by Hank Green and Alan Lastufka in 2008. Originally a record label, the company focuses on selling merchandise for prominent YouTube content cre ...

, the Project for Awesome,

VidCon VidCon is an annual convention for influencers, fans, executives, and online brands. The event primarily features prominent video stars from across the internet. It was founded by veteran YouTube creators John and Hank Green ( Vlogbrothers), a ...

(acquired by Viacom), and Subbable (acquired by

Patreon Patreon (, ) is a monetization platform operated by Patreon, Inc., that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service and sell digital products. It helps artists and other creators earn a recurring income by provid ...

). The company's strengths in educational content has led to production funding from Google,

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, and the

Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation is a United States literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthrop ...

, among other corporations and charitable foundations. Julie Walsh Smith became acting CEO of the company in September 2023, and the Green brothers are now listed as founders on the company's website.

Video productions

''Crash Course''

''Multiple hosts and courses; see main article'' ''Crash Course'' is an educational YouTube channel providing many courses of study, often based around the AP curriculum of a given subject. The level of study matches that of high school or early college, but the content is available for all ages. Many courses are co-produced with

PBS Digital Studios PBS Digital Studios is a non-profit organization through which PBS distributes original educational web video content. Based in Arlington, Virginia, it comprises both original series and partnerships with existing YouTube YouTube is ...

. The channel launched in 2012, with two subjects, World History and Biology, being taught by

John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author and YouTuber. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including ''The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is one of the List of best-selling books#Bet ...

and

, respectively.

''SciShow''

''Multiple hosts and channels; see main article'' ''SciShow'' is a series of

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

-related videos, hosted primarily by

and Michael Aranda. Video topics include breaking scientific news, in-depth analyses of scientific concepts and science history, and science fact compilations. A spin-off channel, ''SciShow Space'', launched in April 2014 to specialize in

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

exploration, astronomy, and cosmology. A second spin-off, ''SciShow Kids'', launched in March 2015 to specialize in delivering science topics to children. ''Kids'' went on hiatus in late 2018, returning in April 2020. A third spinoff channel was announced in February 2017, ''SciShow Psych'', which debuted in March 2017, specializing in psychology and neuroscience. A

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

, ''SciShow Tangents'', was launched in November 2018; it features entertaining exchanges of scientific facts among many of the shows' staffers, and is directed at a mature audience.

''SciShow Kids''

''Host: Jessi Knudsen Castañeda'' ''Co-host: Anthony Brown (since end of hiatus)'' ''SciShow Kids'' is a

channel dedicated to science news and topics of interest to grade-school-aged children. SciShow Kids went on hiatus from January 2019 to August 2020.

''The Art Assignment''

''Host: Sarah Urist Green'' The Art Assignment is a

co-production focused on

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

. Initially oriented around 'assignments' given by noted artists to the audience to complete, it has gradually shifted its emphasis to discuss contemporary art in a broader sense. In 2020, host Sarah Urist Green published a book, ''You Are an Artist'', based on the art assignment concept.

''Healthcare Triage''

''Host: Aaron Carroll'' ''Healthcare Triage'' is a series about modern

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

that discusses healthcare policy and medical research, and answers questions about medicine, health, and healthcare.

''PBS Eons''

''Hosts: Blake di Pastino, Kallie Moore, Michelle Barboza-Ramirez (since 2021); formerly Hank Green'' ''Eons'' is a

co-production and is a channel about the

evolutionary history of life The history of life on Earth traces the processes by which living and extinct organisms evolved, from the earliest emergence of life to the present day. Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago (abbreviated as ''Ga'', for '' gigaannum'') and ...

on Earth.

''Journey to the Microcosmos''

''Hosts: Hank Green, Deboki Chakravarti (since 2021)'' ''Journey to the Microcosmos'' presents the living collections of

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...

James Weiss to give a close-up look of microscopic life. Music by Andrew Huang, narrated by Hank Green.

''Ours Poetica''

''Host: Various'' ''Ours Poetica'' captures the intimate experience of holding a poem in your hands and listening as it is read by a distinctive voice. A co-production with

The Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation is a United States literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthrop ...

, and poet Paige Lewis.

''Bizarre Beasts''

''Host:

, Sarah Suta'' ''Bizarre Beasts'' spun off from a monthly

segment hosted by

centred on animal species displaying unusual anatomy or behaviour. After a one-year pilot, it was made into its own monthly series on the ''Bizarre Beasts''

channel. Subscribers to the ''Bizarre Beasts Pin Club'' receive a pin of each animal featured.

''Complexly''

''Host: various'' Complexly launched a self-named channel in May 2018, to share themed playlists, post one-off videos and miniseries, and pilot new channels. Its first regular series, ''Ask Hank Anything'', debuted in January 2025.

Audio productions

In November 2018, Complexly fully launched a co-production arrangement with

WNYC Studios WNYC Studios is a producer and distributor of podcasts and on-demand and broadcast audio. WNYC Studios is a subsidiary of New York Public Radio and is headquartered in New York City. History In May 2015, WNYC began distributing its shows '' ...

for three regular podcasts; two had been produced independently before, one was new (but adapted from an old format). Two years later the co-production was ended, and Complexly now produces the shows on its own.

''Dear Hank & John''

''Hosts: Hank Green and John Green'' Originally launched in 2015, this weekly podcast features Hank and John Green answering questions e-mailed by listeners, giving "dubious" advice and providing weekly news for the planet

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

and the 4th-tier

English football Football is the most popular sport in England. Widely regarded as the birthplace of modern football, the first official rules of the game were established in England in 1863. The country is home to the world's first football league, the oldest ...

club

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...

''Eons: Deep Time''

''Host: Kallie Moore, Blake de Pastino, Michelle Barboza-Ramirez, Gabriel Santos'' Launched in March 2022, ''Eons: Deep Time'' is adapted from the

Youtube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

series '' PBS Eons.'' Its first season, ''Mysteries of Deep Time,'' explores some of the greatest mysteries in

natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

. Its second season, ''Surviving Deep Time,'' offers hypothetical scenarios of its hosts being transported to seminal moments and locations in natural history and investigates how well they could survive there.

Productions no longer affiliated with Complexly

''The Brain Scoop''

''Host:

Emily Graslie Emily Graslie (born 1989) is an American Science communication, science communicator and YouTube educator. She started volunteering at the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum at the University of Montana in 2011. After appearing in a VlogBrothers ...

'' ''The Brain Scoop'' was first created by Hank Green when he visited the zoological museum at the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

and met one of its collections volunteers, Emily Graslie. Her on-camera presence was exceptional, and he launched a channel soon afterward based in that museum with Graslie as host, in January 2013. The channel enjoyed remarkable success and in a matter of months had caught the attention of staffers at the

Field Museum The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

in Chicago; Graslie and the program moved there in August 2013. After a period where the Field licensed the program from Green, they eventually purchased all its rights and trademarks; they produced the show in-house until 2020. Graslie recovered the rights under her personal ownership and revived the channel in 2024.

''Mental Floss Video''

''Hosts: John Green, Elliott Morgan, others'' ''Mental Floss'' is the video arm of

Mental Floss ''Mental Floss'' (stylized as ''mental_floss'') is an American online magazine and digital, print, and e-commerce media company focused on millennials. It is owned by Minute Media, an international digital media publisher based in London, Engla ...

, providing interesting facts centered on one particular subject matter. Complexly produced the channel's content from 2013 to 2018; from 2019 on, Mental Floss brought its production in-house.

''The Financial Diet''

''Host: Chelsea Fagan'' ''The Financial Diet'' is a

personal finance Personal finance is the financial management that an individual or a family unit performs to budget, save, and spend monetary resources in a controlled manner, taking into account various financial risks and future life events. When planni ...

advice channel, directed toward young adults and particularly young women.

''Sexplanations''

''Host:

Lindsey Doe Lindsey Takara Doe (born ) is a sexologist, sex educator, and host of ''Sexplanations'' on YouTube. Personal life Lindsey Takara Doe was born in . she had three children. In 2015, when one of her daughters complained about a boy who would ...

'' ''Sexplanations'' is a video series explaining sexual topics, hosted by clinical

sexologist Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions. The term ''sexology'' does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sexuality, such as social criticism. Sexologists app ...

Dr. Lindsey Doe.

''Animal Wonders''

''Host: Jessi Knudsen Castañeda'' ''Animal Wonders'' is a video series from the namesake wildlife animal center outside of Missoula. It focuses on the center's 80+ exotic animals, including their care and habitat.

Ceased productions

''100 Days''

''Hosts: John Green, Chris Waters'' ''100 Days'' was a video series that acted as a personal initiative of John Green, exploring how to 'have a healthy

midlife crisis A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 45 to 65 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's grow ...

'. He is joined in physical exercises and other feats by his best friend Chris. It ran through the early months of 2017.

''The Anthropocene Reviewed''

''Host: John Green'' A podcast originally launched in January 2018, each episode of ''The Anthropocene Reviewed'' features Green reviewing "facets of the human condition on a five-star scale". The name comes from the

Anthropocene ''Anthropocene'' is a term that has been used to refer to the period of time during which human impact on the environment, humanity has become a planetary force of change. It appears in scientific and social discourse, especially with respect to ...

, the proposed

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided b ...

that includes significant

human impact on the environment Human impact on the environment (or anthropogenic environmental impact) refers to changes to biophysical environments and to ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans. Modifying the environment to ...

. Episodes typically contain Green reviewing two topics, accompanied by stories on how they have affected his life. The final episode was released in August 2021.

''Crash Course Kids''

''Host: Sabrina Cruz'' ''Crash Course Kids'' was a bi-weekly show from the producers of Crash Course about grade school science.

''How to Adult''

''Hosts: Hank Green, Rachel Calderon Navarro'' ''How to Adult'' was a general advice channel directed toward young adults entering the broader world of adulthood for the first time. The channel was originated in 2014 by T. Michael Martin and Emma Mills who hosted it until August 2016; Complexly revived it with their blessing in March 2017, and the channel aired its final episode in April 2018.

''Holy Fucking Science''

''Host: various'' ''Holy Fucking Science'' was a science-based entertainment show where four people (typically SciShow staffers, and guests) get together to try to astound and amaze each other with scientific facts and discoveries; it was directed at adults only. Though each episode was filmed and posted to YouTube, it was intended to be enjoyed as a podcast. Their regular sponsor was Montana brewery Big Sky Brewing Company. The show ceased in March 2018 after 58 episodes, with the promise of a similar production to soon replace it; ''SciShow Tangents'' took its place in November 2018.

''Nature League''

''Host: Brit Garner'' ''Nature League'' was an internet show exploring nature; each month had a new theme, and each week a different format.

''The Origin of Everything''

''Host: Danielle Bainbridge'' ''The Origin of Everything'' was a show about under-told history and culture that challenges our everyday assumptions. Having first launched as a

production in 2018, with its second season in 2019 it became a Complexly co-production; following its third season in 2020, PBS cancelled the show.

''How to Vote in Every State''

''Host:

(2016, 2018, 2022), Nicole Sweeney (2020), Evelyn Ngugi (Voter Guide)'' ''How to Vote in Every State'' was an initiative based around the

2016 United States elections Elections in the United States, Elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. Republican Party (United States), Republican nominee Donald Trump defeated Democratic Party (United States), Democratic former Secretary of State (Uni ...

to help voters determine how to properly register and submit their vote. Videos were posted for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as for those in the military, overseas, and in unincorporated territories. The series was re-done two years later for the

2018 United States elections Elections were held in the United States on November 6, 2018. These midterm elections occurred during incumbent Republican president Donald Trump's first term. Although the Republican Party increased its majority in the Senate, Democratic incu ...

; a further version for the

2020 United States elections Elections in the United States, Elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's nominee, former Vice presidents of the United States, vice president Joe Biden, defeated incu ...

was also made, with the assistance of the

Poynter Institute The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a non-profit journalism school and research organization in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The school is the owner of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' newspaper and the International Fact-Checking Netw ...

's MediaWise project, which also allowed them to augment the channel with an 8-episode Voter Guide series. Complexly chose not to renew the series for 2024, as resources from organizations such as Vote.org were considered to be suitable alternatives.

''Crash Course Pods: The Universe''

''Crash Course Pods: The Universe'' was a podcast series spinoff of ''Crash Course'' with 11 episodes hosted by John Green and Katie Mack from April 23 to September 11, 2024.

''SciShow Tangents''

''Panel: Hank Green, Sam Schultz, Ceri Riley; formerly Stefan Chin'' Adapted from their previous show, ''Holy Fucking Science'', ''Tangents'' is a weekly science-based show where ''

'' staffers puzzle and entertain each other with fascinating facts. Starting from the May 17, 2022, episode, video recordings of each episode are also posted to YouTube. The show concluded in March 2025.

References

{{The Green brothers American companies established in 2012 Companies based in Indianapolis Companies based in Missoula, Montana Green brothers Online mass media companies of the United States