Folding Ideas

Subscribers 1.1M

Videos 181

Views 127.9M

Channels Like Folding Ideas

Folding Ideas focuses on stories and their influence on culture, critiquing media across video games, cinema, and narrative theory. The channel features deep-dives and documentary-style analyses rather than quick tutorials or vlogs, with content tackling topics like metanarratives, storytelling ethics, and media literacy. With 181 videos published since 2015, it averages about 2.9M views per video, and uploads regularly from Canada, run by Dan Olson.

Similar Channels

We found 45 YouTube channels similar to Folding Ideas

#1

TEDx Talks view on YouTube ▶

82% relevance

Subscribers 44.2M

Videos 255K

Views 8.8B

Appearances 44

SERP 100%

Similarity 70%

narrative storytelling cultural storytelling storytelling ethics

Both target audiences interested in narrative and cultural storytelling and ethics of storytelling, with TEDx matching on searches about narrative storytelling and storytelling ethics (100% vs 82% overall match) and content aligned in exploring storytelling concepts, though TEDx often uses event-format talks rather than Folding Ideas' video essays.

#2

TED view on YouTube ▶

67% relevance

Subscribers 27.2M

Videos 5.5K

Views 3.1B

Appearances 19

SERP 56%

Similarity 74%

narrative storytelling cultural storytelling storytelling ethics

Shares a strong emphasis on narrative storytelling and storytelling ethics, with high search overlap on narrative/storytelling topics and similar documentary/essay-style analysis, though TED’s breadth broadens beyond the focused video essay format of Folding Ideas.

#3

The Film Theorists

57% relevance

Subscribers 13.4M

Videos 672

Views 3.5B

Appearances 16

SERP 33%

Similarity 73%

film and story theory film theory basics

Both focus on film theory and story analysis, with substantial content overlap in film theory basics and how stories function in media, though The Film Theorists lean more toward formalist theory while Folding Ideas blends philosophy and critique.

#4

Philipp Humm

57% relevance

Subscribers 220K

Videos 367

Views 6.5M

Appearances 8

SERP 34%

Similarity 72%

narrative storytelling story-based analysis media storytelling

Centers on narrative storytelling and story-based analysis in media, aligning with Folding Ideas on how stories are constructed, though Philipp Humm’s channel often emphasizes longer-form, more technical media analysis.

#5

Gingy

56% relevance

Subscribers 512K

Videos 121

Views 104.1M

Appearances 10

SERP 27%

Similarity 75%

story analysis

Gingy concentrates on story analysis similar to Folding Ideas, sharing a focus on how narratives function, with strong content similarity in storytelling analysis despite differing formatting and presentation style.

#6

Kallaway view on YouTube ▶

54% relevance

Subscribers 344K

Videos 75

Views 10.3M

Appearances 6

SERP 22%

Similarity 75%

narrative storytelling media storytelling storytelling in media

Examines narrative storytelling and media storytelling in media, creating overlap with Folding Ideas on how stories are structured and conveyed, though Kallaway includes broader media analysis beyond video essays.

Content Landscape

Top competitors: TEDx Talks (82% match) and TED (67% match) share overlapping queries such as narrative storytelling, cultural storytelling, and storytelling ethics, positioning them as direct peers in the storytelling-critique space. The Film Theorists (57% match) also overlaps on film theory and story theory basics, aligning with Folding Ideas on media analysis and narrative structure. Compared to Folding Ideas (1.1M subscribers), these competitors have much larger audiences: TEDx Talks 44.2M subscribers, TED 27.2M, and The Film Theorists 13.4M. Philipp Humm (57% match) and Gingy (56% match) are smaller, closer in subscriber size, with overlaps in narrative storytelling and story-based analysis. The common thread across these channels is a focus on narrative analysis, media storytelling, and culture-oriented critique.

Video Highlights

Didn't Make the Cut

39 additional channels that were close

Rank	Relevance	Channel	Similarity	Subscribers	SERP	Appearances
#7	54%	Film Courage ▶	78%	793K	18%	4
#8	53%	The Media Insider ▶	70%	148K	29%	13
#9	52%	Patrick (H) Willems ▶	79%	613K	11%	2
#10	52%	StudioBinder ▶	71%	2.2M	22%	9
#11	51%	BBC Global	71%	751K	21%	4
#12	51%	Anthony Gramuglia	79%	131K	8%	1
#13	51%	ColinsWrld	80%	93.8K	6%	2
#14	51%	Roaming Trend	77%	23.3K	11%	5
#15	50%	Harvard Business Review ▶	74%	1.6M	15%	3
#16	50%	Vinh Giang	71%	4.4M	17%	11
#17	49%	By Almén	75%	11.2K	11%	4
#18	48%	TED-Ed ▶	71%	22.4M	14%	8
#19	48%	TED.doodles	70%	6.9K	16%	3
#20	48%	Philippe Lazaro	75%	1.1K	8%	2
#21	48%	Writer Brandon McNulty	72%	185K	11%	4
#22	48%	E	73%	117K	10%	2
#23	47%	Olurinatti ▶	73%	236K	8%	1
#24	47%	Man Carrying Thing ▶	75%	820K	6%	1
#25	47%	Early Light Media	74%	1.9K	6%	4
#26	47%	Wild Atlas	74%	3.9K	7%	2
#27	47%	Austin Meyer	73%	16.9K	8%	2
#28	47%	Tim Runia	74%	116K	6%	4
#29	46%	movies explained	73%	72K	6%	1
#30	46%	The Book Leo ▶	71%	682K	8%	3
#31	46%	The Language Library	64%	3.5K	18%	8
#32	45%	Alyssa Matesic	69%	148K	11%	4
#33	45%	Quinton Reviews	70%	914K	8%	1
#34	45%	The Second Story ▶	72%	127K	6%	3
#35	45%	CapEditz219	70%	313K	8%	3
#36	45%	Literary Icons	67%	1.1K	11%	4
#37	45%	Abbie Emmons ▶	71%	584K	6%	5
#38	45%	Mr V Englisch und Sport	65%	36K	15%	5
#39	45%	Dr Amina Yonis	70%	472K	7%	1
#40	43%	The School of Life ▶	67%	9.6M	8%	2
#41	43%	CrashCourse ▶	67%	16.9M	7%	4
#42	42%	Grad Coach	64%	330K	10%	3
#43	42%	Helpful Professor Explains!	64%	40K	8%	5
#44	41%	The Bespectacled Librarian	64%	5.8K	7%	1
#45	41%	Die Merkhilfe	62%	198K	9%	3

Search Queries Used

story analysis narrative storytelling media criticism cultural storytelling film and story theory popular media analysis storytelling ethics media literacy documentary critique story-based analysis fiction vs reality metanarrative critique mass media narratives storytelling in culture media storytelling story analysis techniques narrative structure media critique methods cultural storytelling methods film theory basics popular media interpretation ethics in storytelling media literacy tips documentary critique basics story driven analysis fiction vs nonfiction storytelling in media media storytelling principles narrative voice analysis character arc study subplot and theme exploration visual storytelling techniques documentary storytelling ethics

Frequently Asked Questions

Which YouTube channels are most similar to Folding Ideas?

TEDx Talks (82% match, 44.2M subscribers), TED (67% match, 27.2M subscribers), and The Film Theorists (57% match, 13.4M subscribers). All three share a focus on analytical, explanatory video content related to narrative, media, and cinema, similar to Folding Ideas.

What type of content does Folding Ideas make?

Folding Ideas creates analytical critiques of stories, media, and games, as suggested by titles like 'Let's Talk About Stories', 'Ruminations on that DHS Penguin Tweet', and 'This Is How You Get JARHEAD Sequels'. Uploads appear frequent, with multiple videos such as 'Call of Duty: Ghosts – Power, Paranoia, and Orbital Tungsten Rods' and 'Mantracks: a True Story of Fake Fossils' reaching millions of views; the channel averages around 2.9 million views per video and streams imply a high-frequency posting pattern.

How do we determine which channels are similar to Folding Ideas?

We analyze Folding Ideas's recent videos, generate topic-relevant search queries, check YouTube search results, and compare the meaning of each channel's content to measure similarity. The result is a ranked list sorted by SERP overlap, semantic similarity, and search appearances.

Analyze Another Channel

Discover similar channels for any YouTube creator