YouTube Partner Invitation

Note: Andrew's gaming channel name has been changed to Maverick12

...

'Finally!' thought Andrew, clicking on YouTube's run button.

YouTube Partner is a program officially launched in 2007 that allows content creators to monetize their videos. YouTube itself invites content creators with popular or highly engaging channels to join the program.

Monetization primarily relies on pre-roll ads (the ads shown before a video) and banners on the channel page. YouTube takes a portion of the revenue generated by the ads, and the rest goes to the creator.

Andrew has known about this program since he uploaded his first video. At first, he didn't see it as a goal, considering his YouTuber career more of a hobby. However, the massive growth he experienced made him change his perspective.

If he could monetize his videos, it would be amazing. Who doesn't like earning money while doing something they love? Double Prize.

Andrew had been waiting for the invitation ever since he started gaining subscribers daily. He had an audience that supported his videos with views and comments—just what was needed to be invited to the program.

On top of that, his format of commentary gameplays mixed with humor was something new to the platform, making it much more appealing.

"Hi, Andy? Are you there?" said Pippa on the other end of the phone.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Hi," said Andrew, snapping back to reality. He had forgotten for a moment that he was on a call.

"What's up? You seem distracted," asked Pippa, lying on her bed with a relaxed expression, though a slight smile hinted at her excitement to hear Andrew's voice.

"It's because…" Andrew began explaining the YouTube Partner Program to Pippa.

"That's amazing, Andy!" Pippa said with genuine enthusiasm after hearing the good news.

She already knew Andrew was a YouTuber—she'd discovered it when he nervously showed her his channel for the first time.

From that moment on, she had supported him in every way possible. Not only did she subscribe with her own account, but also with those of her entire family. She watched every video he uploaded and never failed to leave positive and encouraging comments.

"You're finally going to be able to monetize your videos. It's about time! Those idiots took way too long," Pippa added, with a touch of indignation in her voice.

"Huh? What happened to the refined language? It's strange to hear you insulting someone, miss," Andrew replied in a playful tone.

Although Pippa was usually very composed, a few choice words would slip out when she was truly passionate about something, like a football game (only Andrew's games) or an academic frustration, which was rare for her. Deep down, Andrew found this spontaneous side of her quite charming.

"So what? Are you going to snitch to my mom?" Pippa shot back, her tone playful and defiant.

"Hmm, that could be an option. I don't think Leanne would be thrilled to find out her cute, responsible daughter insults people," Andrew replied, pretending to weigh a moral dilemma.

"Oh, cute? How cute ?" Pippa asked as she absentmindedly twirled a strand of her hair.

At that moment, Josh, Pippa's brother, passed by the hallway. Glancing into her room, he noticed her sitting there, oblivious to everything, smiling in a way he had never seen before.

His sister, always so serious and focused on her studies, now seemed like any other teenage girl, playing with her hair and completely lost in a conversation with her boyfriend.

"Unbelievable," Josh muttered to himself, shaking his head and continuing down the hall, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

Meanwhile, Pippa and Andrew kept talking, unaware of how quickly time was passing.

It was a rare sight for two people so structured and used to meticulously planning their day.

Pippa, perfectionist and dedicated, had even her leisure hours scheduled in her planner. This conversation wasn't on the agenda, but she didn't care.

As for Andrew, he had an almost obsessive discipline when it came to training and a well-organized routine to fit in everything he loved—playing video games, uploading videos to YouTube, hanging out with his friends, spending time with Pippa and chatting with her, and, of course, being with his family.

When it came to his teammates, he already spent enough time with them during training sessions and at school, so he didn't hang out with them much outside of that. Instead, that time was reserved for Leonard, Howard, and now Pippa's group of friends.

"Look at the time!" said Pippa, glancing at the clock in her room. Thirty minutes had passed, during which they'd only been flirting and chatting aimlessly. She had called Andrew to discuss something specific.

"Oh, yeah…" Andrew said as his eyes went back to the YouTube email. He had forgotten to open it.

"Open the YouTube email. I have something to tell you after that," said Pippa.

Andrew clicked on the email, and the following appeared. He read it out loud to Pippa:

[From: YouTube Partner Program (partnersupport@youtube.com)

To: MaverickGamingYTCh@gmail.com

Subject: YouTube Partner Invitation

Hello Maverick12,

Congratulations! We've been following the growth of your channel and are impressed by the unique and entertaining content you're creating. Your channel, with its innovative style of commentary gameplays, has caught the attention of our community and meets the criteria to join the YouTube Partner Program.

As a YouTube partner, you will be able to:

 • Monetize your videos through ads.

 • Access exclusive tools to enhance your content.

 • Be part of a select community of growing content creators.

To join the program, click the link below and follow the steps to complete your registration:

Join the Partner Program Now

We're excited to support you as you continue to grow on the platform. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us.

Best regards,

The YouTube Team]

"How exciting!" said Pippa after Andrew finished reading the email to her.

"Yes, and on top of that, we've already adapted Flappy Bird to the Android SDK. Now we just need to upload it to the Google Android Market," Andrew commented with a smile.

Everything was going incredibly well. His team had qualified for the regional playoffs, and he'd secured the starting quarterback position. He'd started dating Pippa, his YouTube channel surpassed ten thousand subscribers, and now he'd been invited to the YouTube Partner Program.

Andrew and Pippa had used Eclipse IDE to develop Flappy Bird, which took them eight weeks to complete.

At one point, they thought it would take six weeks, but they ended up behind schedule. Ever since they started dating, whenever Andrew went over to Pippa's house, neither of them got much coding done...

Even though they took two extra weeks, they were still ahead of the rest of their classmates. They were the first to finish, and their game wasn't simple at all, far exceeding the professor's expectations, which earned them an excellent grade.

In addition to being happy about the grade, Andrew felt a special sense of excitement. It wasn't just an academic project anymore. Now was the time to publish the game for everyone to download.

The target was the Google Android Market, the app store Google had launched just a few months ago.

They quickly ruled out the idea of uploading it to Apple's App Store since the language they had used to code the game, Java, wasn't compatible with iOS. If they wanted the game on the App Store, they'd have to rewrite it entirely in a language compatible with iOS, like Objective-C or Swift.

This would involve significant time and effort. They estimated it would take at least eight weeks to make the transition because they weren't familiar with iOS programming languages and would have to learn from scratch.

"Before we upload it to the store, we need to register as developers on Google's platform. And for that, there's a small issue… we need to pay a $25 registration fee," said Pippa in a more serious tone.

"Well, that's not too much. I've saved up some money," Andrew replied.

"Me too, but that's not the tricky part. Since we're minors, an adult has to create the account. And since both of us are underage, it would have to be under one of our parents' names," Pippa said, having already researched everything.

"Well... that complicates things a bit," Andrew admitted.

Who would be the parent listed as the account owner? This could cause some friction since it involved money. The person whose parent wasn't listed on the account would have to trust the other to distribute earnings fairly.

"The money will go to the bank account of the person who creates the account. But I don't really mind. If it's okay with you, just talk to your parents and that's it," said Pippa, not wanting to complicate things.

She had made the video game for school in the first place and never thought about publishing it or making money.

Plus, the creative idea was Andrew's, and she trusted him. She knew that if there were any profits, he wouldn't cheat her, nor would his parents, whom she knew to be very kind and fair people.

"Really? You're not worried?" Andrew asked, slightly surprised.

"No, I trust you. It was your original idea, your idea to publish it and make money, so the game is more yours than mine," said Pippa.

"The game belongs to both of us. Without you, I couldn't have done even half of it. It's our baby," Andrew replied.

"Oh, our baby? What, am I the game's mother now?" Pippa asked, laughing lightly.

"Well, if you think about it, you made it grow. I just conceived it..." Andrew said with a strange smile. While he had helped with coding, Pippa had done more in that aspect, with her contributing about 60% and him 40%.

Pippa couldn't help but burst out laughing at the idea of Andrew "conceiving" the friendly pixelated bird. It was such a strange thought, and even stranger that they were having this kind of conversation.

When Pippa finally stopped laughing—a laugh that Andrew found utterly charming—he continued, "At most, we could write up an agreement or something like that and make sure your parents are in the loop."

"Sure, that works. Speaking of which, my parents are inviting you to dinner tomorrow after the game to celebrate your team making the playoffs. That's actually why I called. Want to come?" Pippa asked in an expectant tone.

"Of course! Although... my family also planned a celebratory dinner," said Andrew, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Oh, wait! Why don't we bring everyone together? We can talk about Flappy Bird with our parents and figure out how to set up the account. Two birds with one stone," Andrew suggested.

"Always thinking about efficiency, huh? I like the idea. I'll tell my parents, you tell your family, and we'll stay in touch," said Pippa.

Neither of them hung up right away, both reluctant to end the call first. After they finally did, Andrew left his room to talk to his parents. They needed to get organized since they only had until tomorrow to plan the dinner.

The best possible scenario had just fallen into place! After the game, he would confess his feelings to Pippa, they'd officially become a couple, and their families would have dinner together, getting to know each other in a much more formal way.

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