Jubilee Media is a media company that focuses on creating empathy between humans. On YouTube, the company posts a multitude of videos with different setups, people and focuses. Currently, Jubilee has 6.25M subscribers and over a billion views with new posts every week. In addition, Jason Lee, the CEO/Founder of Jubilee, recently announced a feature-length documentary in the works. The film will be featured at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

Jubilee Media’s background

Jubilee posted its first video in 2010. In that video, Jason Lee sang in a subway station to raise money for charity. Over the years Jubilee produced short films, introduced intriguing video formats and gained millions of subscribers. Since the beginning, the mission is the same, “to create a movement of empathy for human good”.

Common formats

Jubilee has cultivated a number of simple yet powerful video formats. The set for these videos is usually a warehouse room with tons of space. Anywhere from a single person to a group of people discuss intriguing and controversial topics face to face — topics like faith or sexuality. Video formats include Middle Ground, Spectrum, Odd Man Out and more.

Middle Ground is Jubilee’s most popular series they’ve introduced. With this format, six people split into two groups of three. Each group represents an opposing belief on a topic. They are asked an array of questions on a specific topic and then sit face to face to discuss answers. This series utilizes lighting to visually create depth, while the background is split into left and right sides to show differences in beliefs. The foreground is centered in the middle to create the middle ground where open discussions can happen. This setup puts people into vulnerable positions where they talk about something they believe in close proximity to strangers who disagree. The purpose is to see if they can find a middle ground empathetically.

Spectrum is another popular format. This series focuses on groups of six with similar characteristics or experiences to see if they have similar opinions on topics. Visually the participants are lined up in a vertical line and then move horizontally outward to other markers depending on whether they agree or disagree with a prompt. Spectrum utilizes a grid-like setup too plot participants on a graph. It challenges stereotypes within groups, showing that, more often than not, each individual holds a unique opinion.

Jubilee’s number one game show

Odd Man Out is described as the number one game show by Jubilee as they average 6 million views per episode. The setup of this series puts participants shoulder to shoulder in a lighting structure that emulates a box. In this format, the goal is to eliminate the mole of the group or the person who does not fit in the same box as the rest. This series offers a lighter approach to achieve a connection between participants through a game-like scenario. With these episodes, there is a cash prize at stake to create an incentive to win. 

Other series from Jubilee Media

Jubilee creates other series that are less focused on discussions between strangers. These include Seeking Secrets, Both Sides, Texts From, Versus 1 and Tea For Two. These formats take a more personal approach in the aspect of human connection. For example, in Seeking Secrets, people read very personal secrets from strangers. Although this series takes a more individualized setup, the participants usually find a way to relate to the anonymously written secrets. This reiterates the idea that people want to connect, be it directly or indirectly. You can find the same idea pop up time and again in the channel’s other series as well.

Meaning of Jubilee

The word Jubilee reminds the audience of celebration. As a channel identity, Jubilee celebrates the coming together of all walks of life. The content they produce is very heavily based on diversity and inclusion. There is visible diversity in almost every video through participant’s backgrounds, leading to more inclusive and insightful conversations in each video. The end of every video feels like an achievement worth celebrating. Participants often hug or shake hands with each other. 

The importance of diversity and inclusion is exemplified through their content as well as in the production team. Often, Jubilee features its diverse staff at the beginning of videos to share news about the company. On Jubilee’s team page, there is a gallery of baby photos of all the staff. It is an intriguing approach to humanize their team for their audience. 

Conclusion

Through the power of video Jubilee Media crafts many different ways to emphasize the need for people to connect on a deeper level. Moreover, they are sure to create more powerful videos with their raw and authentic style. Through their work to create empathy, Jubilee Media has connected with millions across the world.