Crooked Ideas, Crooked Media’s nonprofit partner, has launched a new initiative to recruit and amplify progressive-aligned creators to re-engage voters under 30 ahead of 2028. The program will test short-form comedy and fast-paced street-investigation formats designed for YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Kyle Tharp, author of the newsletter Chaotic Era, will lead the effort and says it will focus on issues younger audiences care about, including AI safety, "enshittification," climate, healthcare and inequality. The project is one of several left-leaning efforts to build a creator ecosystem following lessons from the 2024 campaign.
Crooked Ideas Launches Creator Drive To Reconnect Younger Voters Ahead Of 2028
Crooked Media’s nonprofit launches new political creator drive
Crooked Ideas, the nonprofit partner of Crooked Media, has launched a creator-focused initiative designed to recruit, fund and amplify progressive-aligned social video creators to help re-engage younger, politically skeptical voters before the 2028 presidential election.
About the Initiative
The program will back both established creators and rising political influencers, testing formats built to perform on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Planned approaches include fast-paced street-investigation videos modeled on viral conservative formats as well as short-form comedic clips engineered for rapid sharing and broad appeal.
Leadership And Focus
Crooked Ideas named Kyle Tharp — a progressive digital strategist and author of the widely read newsletter Chaotic Era — as executive director of the initiative. Tharp said the effort will prioritize entertaining, issue-driven content aimed at Americans under 30, concentrating on topics younger audiences cite as most important: AI safety and tech accountability, the phenomenon dubbed "enshittification," climate change, healthcare and income inequality.
"There is a large gap in terms of values-driven media projects reaching younger audiences with non-preachy content. I think philanthropic-backed efforts like Crooked Ideas can and should play a role in filling that void," Tharp told Semafor via email.
Broader Context
The initiative is one of several progressive efforts to expand a left-leaning creator ecosystem after lessons from the 2024 campaign. Observers point to former President Donald Trump’s ability to speak directly to largely male voter cohorts through podcasters and viral clips as a catalyst for renewed investment in creator-driven outreach.
Other organizations pursuing similar strategies include Courier Newsroom — where Tharp previously held a leadership role and which has worked to build a creator network ahead of recent elections — and AND Media, a project launched by Biden White House veterans out of the offices of the Democratic group American Bridge. AND Media recently announced support for a creator network that includes host Kareem Rahma.
"We have a responsibility as people who sway opinion and can influence outcomes... I want to contribute positively to society," Rahma told Semafor, explaining that new support helped him revive projects aimed at countering content he says is driving men toward loneliness and political radicalization.
Goals And Outlook
Crooked Ideas says the pilot will experiment with production and distribution models to find non-preachy, viral-first formats that resonate with younger viewers. The organization expects philanthropic backing to subsidize early-stage creators and formats that might not immediately monetize but could build durable audience relationships over time.
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