Advertising Policy

I am incredibly new to this industry–I am in the beginning stages of my career, working out of my parent’s (very large) home. My business (doing journalism independently, myself) does not gross a lot of revenue. My family and friends have invested personally into my work because they believe in the work I’m doing.

To give you an idea of how young I am, I’m 22 years old. I’m two years into written content and only just getting started in the video space. I grew up watching channels like Gamers Nexus and I knew from the get-go that that’s the career I wanted. COVID derailed a lot of my plans, so I started my own Nintendo news website Kakariko Herald with Tyson Williams in October 2023, and my own personal channels covering technology and games more broadly in December 2024.

So, what does that have to do with money? In order to maintain my integrity and objectivity, a strict adherence to this advertising policy is necessary. In many cases, it means forgoing a lot of potential revenue streams entirely. This page explains what that all means for me and my business.

The Bounds of My Transparency

I do not, under any circumstance, reveal how revenue gained from advertising or any other avenue will be spent by me in relation to my personal life. For many reasons, including to adhere to many policies of affiliate programs in which I rely on, I will NEVER reveal publicly the exact amount of money in which I take home. I’m sure if you do enough sleuthing, you could probably figure it out, but I’ll never confirm or deny the number.

I do, however, pledge to be transparent about stocks or ownership in, as well as any relationship with, any businesses, regardless of whether or not they relate to my work. I will also make public any and all donations, including monetary or time, to any organizations I have vetted and believe in.

Direct Sales

I allow most companies not listed in the “Banned or Restricted Advertisers and Categories” database to buy ad space from me. Whether that’s for a sponsored stream or mention on Twitch, video ad slot on YouTube, or another special circumstance.

Companies are barred from including any exclusivity language within their advertising contracts. I reserve the right to maintain personal and editorial freedom until the day I retire.

Going a step further, I reserve the right to reject any advertising contract that crosses my desk if I believe the company could potentially inflict demonstrable harm to any consumers. My number one responsibility as a journalist and reviewer is to protect consumers, and I take that responsibility INCREDIBLY seriously. You have been warned.

Google AdSense

While I try to keep it to a minimum where I can, I rely on Google AdSense as one of two primary revenue streams. I have very little say in what is shown in these ads, and as such, it is entirely possible that an advertiser or category I have banned may appear in these ads whether on YouTube or on my website(s). There’s not much I can do here, and I do apologize. Please know that I do not personally endorse any ads shown by programs such as AdSense.

Banned or Restricted Advertisers and Categories

For the safety and security of everyone, I maintain a list of banned advertisers and general categories in which I either do not allow or significantly restrict advertising from on any channel, including my podcast. There are three unique statuses a company can reach. For full transparency, every company is listed here publicly and will be informed of such a status should they reach out and neglect to read this page.

StatusMeaning
Permanent BanI have determined that this individual, or this company and/or its leadership has inflicted serious harm on consumers and must be stopped from advertising permanently. I take my responsibility seriously, and my number one priority is to protect consumers at every turn. Any person or company placed on this list shall be barred from Direct Sales of Advertising until the day I retire. I’m serious. If this means I’m barred from receiving review units or any treatment from media relations, so-be-it, any such punishment is likely further proof that a company does not understand the severity of the situation they’ve found themselves in.
Indefinite BanI have determined that, for the stated reason, this individual or company shall be banned indefinitely from advertising. This could be for a number of reasons, including but not limited to 1) potential inflicted harm upon consumers, 2) active consumer-protection related litigation, and/or 3) another demonstrable issue that warrants an indefinite ban, such as a particularly serious Conflict of Interest.
RestrictedI have determined that, for the stated reason, this company should be restricted from purchasing certain advertising from me. This could be for a number of reasons, including Conflict of Interest or other concerns. This does not mean an outright barring of advertising will take place, however, so read the reasoning and restrictions carefully.

Advertising Categories

The following ads will be prohibited from advertising with me until the day I die or retire, whichever comes first.

  • Potentially Illegal Websites (e.g. alternate CD key websites, etc.)
  • Gambling (e.g. sports betting, political betting, etc.)
  • Crypto (e.g. marketplaces, mining software, or other operations)
  • Alcohol or drugs (e.g. related delivery services, addiction, or legal cannabis)
  • Medical (e.g. counseling services, insurance providers, prescription discount websites, etc.)
  • Insurance (e.g. car insurance providers, insurance brokers, etc.)
  • Financial (e.g. credit cards, stocks, banking, loans, etc.)

Advertisers

  • WPEngine (Indefinite Ban): Reached status of Indefinite Ban in December 2024 due to the lawsuit brought by the company against Automattic Inc. and Matt Mullenweg. As this is a developing story, I do not wish to further ban the company from advertising until there is a resolution of some sort. Any advertising contracts will be declined until the resolution of this case. In the interest of fairness, Automattic and related companies owned by Mullenweg have been temporary banned alongside WPEngine.
  • Automattic Inc. & any business owned by Matt Mullenweg (Indefinite Ban): Reached status of Indefinite Ban in December 2024 due to the parties’ alleged mistreatment of WPEngine, in which later sued Automattic and Mullenweg for damages. As this is a developing story, I do not wish to further ban the company from advertising until there is a resolution of some sort. Any advertising contracts will be declined until the resolution of this case. In the interest of fairness, WPEngine have been temporary banned alongside Automattic and Mullenweg.
  • Nintendo (Restricted): Reached status of Restricted in December 2024 due to Conflict of Interest concerns. I cover the company’s products in the capacity of a reviewer, and have an appointed media representative at Nintendo of America’s PR firm. Thus, the company may not purchase ad space on my YouTube or Twitch channels; they may only purchase ad space on my podcast. Ads are not handled or read by me for that particular avenue, so I am comfortable leaving the line open. I will close the line later should I decide that it is no longer worth doing so.
  • Discord (Indefinite Ban): Reached status of Indefinite Ban upon the start of my work in August 2022. I am personally friends with several individuals in various ranks at the company, including a handful towards the highest levels. Thus, I cannot in good faith accept any contracts from this company should they arise (which I doubt, of course, but for the sake of being ethical, this ban is of the best course of action). I have elected to make this indefinite so that I can revoke it later on, in the unlikely event those individuals exit the company.
  • EK Water Blocks (Permanent Ban): Reached status of Indefinite Ban in December 2024, following reports from Gamers Nexus (and later spreading to other outlets in the space) on the “shady” business practices of the company, its subsidiaries, and related leadership. Due to its nonpayment of employees, toxic work environment where–for example–employees are allowed to use slurs, and litigiousness towards media outlets for reporting on the company’s issues and financial red flags, I’ve made the decision to place them on Permanent Ban status. Until the day I retire, EKWB has earned themselves a permanent ban from advertising on any channel, podcast, or streams.
  • NZXT (Permanent Ban): Reached status of Permanent Ban in December 2024 due to a demonstrable history of harming consumers. This includes the irresponsible handling of the H1 fire hazards in 2021, and most recently, the 2024 incident surrounding the Flex program. Both of which, CEO Johnny Hou acted in a way I deemed inappropriate and bad-mouthed the outlet Gamers Nexus in response to the former situation on a podcast, and years later revealed the exact type of credit card the outlet used to subscribe to “Flex” (a “subscription” program operated by their partner, Fragile) during an interview with JayzTwoCents. This indicates that NZXT and its CEO have no regard for consumer privacy (baffling that he revealed the card publicly without consent; not a lawyer, but even if it’s not illegal, it’s highly unethical and question the rest of the business’s and its leadership’s motives, frankly, as a result), regardless of whether that’s Steve Burke the individual, or GN the business. Their products and services such as Flex will remain covered by my channels, with strong warnings to consumers that the company has been banned with the exact reason in any coverage. In conclusion, while I might be new to this industry: until the day I retire, NZXT has earned themselves a permanent ban from advertising on any channel, podcast, or streams.