If you have 1000 sites, each making a dollar per month, you're home!
I would recommend you start something small, but still starts to generate a small, steady income. Selling memberships can be a jackpot but can also be long int between sales. Try to see if you can get some advertising started, which will not make you rich but nevertheless roll in a few cents or dollars per day.
Try for example Zubehost.com, which will let you start a tube site for free. Get some promo clips from a sponsor and then use together with
JuicyAds and show advertising next to it. Be careful to follow all the sponsor's rules as to how and where to show their link, and their ad, so you still comply with their rules, or they will not let you use their clips. Zubehost do not cost you anything and neither does
JuicyAds.
Then build from there. Say you get your zubetube to roll in $1 per day, after 30 days you would have $30 to spend on a domain and some own hosting. Throw up a blog and start blogging. Maybe connect it to Adsense (if it's not adult related) and viola, you have diversified your income. Make another Zubetube and build that one too. Within 6-8 months, you could definitely have a number of sites, earning you well over $1000 per month with little expenses. Remember to keep expenses low and don't overspend in the beginning.
Good luck!