$100M YouTube Lawyer Reveals How to Protect Your Channel in 2026 | Tyler Chou | 145

About this episode

What does it take to turn a YouTube channel into a valuable, sellable business? That's what I wanted to explore with this week’s guest, Tyler Chou (aka The Creators' Attorney). Having spent 20 years as an entertainment attorney at giants like Disney and BuzzFeed, Tyler now represents some of YouTube's biggest channels, helping them navigate exits and build sustainable enterprises. In this episode, Tyler pulls back the curtain on the legal mistakes creators often make, the crucial steps to take to protect your assets, and why sometimes, a creator doesn't need to sell at all - they just need a sabbatical. Tyler shares insights on how to build a business that can eventually sell for 8 or 9 figures, and what investors are really looking for beyond just views. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:09 Private equity looks to buy YouTube channels 03:52 Creator burnout 04:52 Protecting your IP and avoiding mistakes 08:20 Diversifying revenue beyond AdSense and brand deals 10:43 Avoiding misclassification lawsuits 12:46 The problem with reaction channels 17:45 Why buyers love recurring revenue and technical products 23:11 The power of artificial scarcity 28:20 How to make your brand less d