Henrik Jönsson is one of Sweden’s biggest YouTubers with 125,000 subscribers. He is particularly high on the list of bourgeois YouTubers who comment on politics. Now he is applying to the cultural arena, among other things, to be able to compete with the left’s agenda-setting. He also tells how he finances himself.
Henrik Jonsson has made something of a rocket career as an opinion leader. And that without even having it in mind. He made his first video for Youtube as recently as 2017.
– The Reepalu investigation (on welfare gains, ordered by the S government) was on the back burner. People discussed profits a lot. I recorded a video on my mobile explaining to people the difference between stock dividends and profits. The journalists probably knew about it, but it didn’t come out. It was not my intention for it to become anything more. But the film went viral and that’s the way it is.
Since then, Henrik Jönsson has conquered viewer after viewer.
– I am overwhelmed and humbled by the size of the audience I have gained, 125,000 regular subscribers, 100,000 – 130,000 viewers per episode and 500,000 – 1,000,000 views per month on the entire catalog.
Henrik Jönsson is actually an entrepreneur and owns, among other things, the company Divine Robot, which develops simulation software and expert systems. Today, Henrik Jönsson has built a company around his YouTube channel, Henrik Jönsson Media AB, which in 2022 had a turnover of SEK 2.8 (1.5) million and made a profit of SEK 870,000 (492,000).
How does the money come in?
– Only from contributors. Then I give lectures. But the majority comes from completely voluntary people who like my product. It’s enough to keep me going and to pay a guy who helps with the productions. I don’t withdraw much money from elsewhere.
Since 2018, Henrik Jönsson has produced an episode every Saturday year round and without interruption.
What do you want to achieve?
– I want to supplement the debate with perspectives from an entrepreneur and from a liberal side of the classic Austrian school, I call myself a libertarian, even though I really dislike the word.
What is behind the public success?
– It is a combination of factors. Partly, I think it’s so simple that I have a certain aptitude for communication and that I can identify at what levels you can reach, bring together and activate different people, says Henrik Jönsson and elaborates:
– On a good day, I can be a decent teacher. With my experiences from my companies, I have become quite good at absorbing large amounts of data and synthesizing them into useful concentrates.
– I take current events as a springboard for reasoning about freedom. I do not claim to be a journalist, possibly an opinion leader, but mostly as an entrepreneur who also communicates. I am always careful to declare my political residence. I don’t like socialism and people know it.
The visual medium is special to work with, Henrik Jönsson thinks.
– It is very potent. I also write editorials in GP. You can insert blue links there, but in video you can show sources directly and create dramaturgical elements. Communication becomes powerful.
How do you keep viewers in increasingly shorter times? attention span?
– I don’t recognize myself in it. I have very high retention (average viewing) of my films. It is connected to the fact that there is a flood of people who want to absorb more adult and advanced content.
Henrik Jönsson says at the same time:
– I also package the films in dramaturgical form. There must never be more than 10 seconds without something happening, such as a camera change or graphics or an animation coming in. There are a number of tools that can be used to maintain interest.
Henrik Jönsson has, with Marie Söderqvist as a producer, tested four episodes of the talk show 100 percent, with guests such as the Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (m) and Army of Lovers as husband band. Among other things, the think tank Timbro invested money in the project.
– We are satisfied with the reception. In total, we have received 250,000 views. We have received positive reactions from viewers and have been contacted by those in power who wonder if they can be included. We feel that we have learned to cope with a full broadcast production. So we intend to continue with the project.
The duo now wants to continue and ideally make 12-16 episodes per season. The crux is that the money has now run out.
– The next step is to secure stronger funding, preferably for two full seasons of the program.
Where are you going to find money?
– I will turn to those watching and see if there is a will to donate there. I will also talk to some of the people who funded the project. It is good to have the funding secured, as crowdfunding is unpredictable.
The next arena that Henrik Jönsson wants to conquer is the cultural sphere. Henrik Jönsson has started the musical Freedom on life and death – An autobiographical market liberal musical. The musical is played in several theaters in the country. The tickets cost SEK 525. Henrik Jönsson seems satisfied with the premiere at Scala in Stockholm.
– It was magical. Fantastic fun for me who is not a stage person and someone more used to digital communication. I consider it an entrepreneurial experiment in communication. I tried to take my capacity and dress important messages in an engaging package for the stage. I think we managed to make people feel something.
Henrik Jönsson says that he wants to bring in joy of living (roughly joy of life) in an otherwise grim debate climate.
– Basically, I try to practice what I preach. If I want to be involved and have a constructive influence, I need a wider palette and bigger toolbox. Communication from the left is more emotionally impactful than that of the right, which can be perceived as emotional, number-based and chamber-like. The bourgeoisie has largely left walk over within culture, the realm of emotions. You let the other half of the plan own that spectrum and thus set the discourse field for which issues can be raised.
What kind of reception do you get when you step into the cultural world?
– It is super interesting. I have an ensemble that comes from a different world than mine. But they think it’s silly that something else happens, a little weird and experimental with little edge. We were turned down by a bunch of actors who didn’t like us joking with the Green Party. But on the whole, people have rather worked a little cheaper because it’s fun. They may also have felt suffocated by the cultural bubble in which they live.
How has your opinion formation changed after the change of government?
– It is largely the same as before. In my opinion, it’s still the same big problem that plagues society. From my perspective, we have two parallel spheres, one with escalating crime and corruption and another with a falling krone and weak economy. On top of that, you can add a lot of foolish political decisions such as phasing out nuclear power. I am not partisan and loyalist. As recently as today (Tuesday, October 24, 2023), I was out criticizing the current government because it appears to be raising the energy tax.
Do you have any role models?
– I like old figures that Lennart Hyland (program manager at SVT/SR 1945-1980) who managed to be both funny and create things. He made the Swedish people feel something, like when he asked all Swedes to turn off the lights to reduce electricity consumption or when Per Oscarsson (actor) undressed.
Henrik Jönsson fills in:
– In general, if I’m going to be blunt, I’m really not impressed by the level of work in Swedish journalism. The fact that I have been able to grow so much is because the journalists have not faced the audience’s questions. The contrast image has been missing. The Social Democrats and DN think the same thing and dedicate themselves to educating the people together instead of DN being a thorn in the side of power. It is a strange arrangement when there is such a great agreement between the media and the political power.
Anyone good at opinion formation?
– There are quite a few. I like a lot Matthias Svensson (editorial writer) and Peter Wennblad (lead writer) at SvD. The guys at Kvartal do a good job and seem to have got their finances together in a neat way.
