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The Create Unknown: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Unknown Media & Studio71
The Create Unknown interviews the most successful online creators to reveal how they got started and how they keep going. iDubbbz. Vsauce. Casey Neistat. iJustine. PsychicPebbles. We talk to the YouTubers, artists, and streamers who exemplify our mantra of “Make Something. Mean Something.” Part high-level analysis, part hopelessly stupid, Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor from Vsauce2 dissect the complex business, the unpredictable drama, and the uncertain future of creating online. We’ll see you in The Create Unknown, Space Cowboys.
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- 1 weeks ago1h 35m
Rent-A-Mom & Frictionmaxxing
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we explore the strange business of outsourcing everyday life, starting with Rent-A-Mom, a service that charges college students for a little extra care. Is this a genuinely useful service for students who need help managing their lives, or are we paying a premium to avoid doing things our parents used to handle for free? From there, we zoom out to a bigger question: has modern life become too frictionless? Between GPS, food delivery, digital entertainment, and AI assistants, technology has made it easier than ever to get what we want with minimal effort. But what happens when convenience starts eliminating the everyday challenges that help us build skills, independence, and a sense of accomplishment? We examine the idea of “friction maxing”, deliberately reintroducing effort into daily routines, and put its recommendations to the test. Should you borrow books from the library instead of downloading them, navigate with paper maps instead of GPS, listen to entire albums, repair your belongings, plan meals by hand, or grow your own vegetables? We dissect why some suggestions seem genuinely useful, while others raise the question of whether adding difficulty actually makes an experience better. Finally, we consider the difference between purposeful effort and inconvenience for its own sake. Does taking the harder route make us more capable, or are we just creating extra work? Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back soon! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben WebsterEditor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
- 2 weeks ago1h 50m
Carrie and the "hurt people hurt people" Obsession
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we dive into Mike Flanagan’s new Carrie adaptation, and the increasingly common storytelling instinct to explain every villain through trauma. Why has “hurt people hurt people” become such a popular narrative shortcut, and does understanding why someone does terrible things make them any less interesting as a character? We compare the series with Stephen King’s original novel and other adaptations, then expand into East of Eden, and why Kevin argues that it fundamentally changed its source material by giving destructive characters trauma-based explanations for their behavior. If most people who experience trauma don't go on to hurt others, are these stories actually exploring human nature or just using backstory to excuse their villains? From there, we get into what Carrie gets right and where it goes wrong. We praise its modernization of school bullying through social media, its supporting performances, and its early episodes, but question Carrie’s characterization, Margaret White’s inconsistent portrayal, and some of the stories' rushed pacing. Finally, we try to untangle the series’ increasingly complicated supernatural mythology, including astral projection, mysterious organizations, and a finale that left us questioning who was actually responsible for the massacre. Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben WebsterEditor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
- 3 weeks ago1h 25m
It's Time To Start Hoarding
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we explore the strange economics of collecting physical media, from the days when people practically gave away old video games to a world where physical games are becoming more and more scarce. Why do things that nobody wants suddenly become valuable, and how do you know when to buy something before it disappears or becomes wildly expensive? We share our own collecting regrets, from video games that have jumped from $80 to $600 to obscure trading cards that have quietly multiplied in price. But the problem goes beyond retro collectibles. Physical releases of modern games are becoming harder to find, niche anime Blu-rays are going out of print, and the mass-market paperback may be on its way out. Is there a window right now to pick up physical media while it's still cheap? The conversation continues into the hidden costs of collecting, including shipping prices that can make a $5 comic almost impossible to buy online. We also discuss the glut of cheap books and DVDs sitting in thrift stores and flea markets, and whether today's oversupply could become tomorrow's scarcity. With streaming services removing shows, editing older content, and making entire catalogs difficult to access, physical media may be more important than its current market value suggests. Finally, we get into premium book editions, print-on-demand publishing, and the surprisingly practical importance of keeping a collection inventory. What should you buy while you still can, and what might you regret leaving behind? Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back soon! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben WebsterEditor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
- 4 weeks ago1h 40m
The Cringe Obsession Needs to Stop.
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we tackle the increasingly unavoidable problem of “cringe”, and whether being afraid of looking stupid is making us less willing to be sincere. What used to describe genuine secondhand embarrassment has become a catch-all insult for anything earnest, unusual, or publicly visible. All of this leads us to ask, why does everything seem so afraid to take itself seriously? Next we dissect the difference between traditional cringe comedy, like David Brent in The Office, and the broader culture of online ridicule, where ordinary people can be recorded, mocked, and judged by enormous audiences. Does constantly looking for embarrassing behavior make us less empathetic? And how much grace should we give people who spend their lives speaking, performing, or broadcasting when mistakes are inevitable? The conversation turns toward creativity and the unavoidable “cringe phase” everyone goes through while learning something new. We discuss why awkward performances can still be joyful and meaningful, and whether embarrassment is simply the price of participating in the world. We also explore how the internet can simultaneously punish unusual interests and create communities for people who love the most specific things imaginable. Finally, we consider the relationship between cringe, sincerity, and AI-generated content. As the internet becomes increasingly polished and optimized, could genuine weirdness and personal obsession become more valuable? Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben WebsterEditor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
- Oct 2, 20261h 28m
Should You Be Hobby Gooning?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we dive into the strange psychology of “hobby gooning”, the point where a normal interest becomes an all-consuming niche obsession. Matt breaks down his 1970s Western Electric telephone from an estate sale and how he used a borrowed “Barbie screwdriver” to get it off the wall. What starts as a fun story quickly becomes a broader conversation about why some people become deeply invested in things that almost nobody around them understands. We discuss the isolation that can come with niche interests, from obscure books and anime to collecting telephones and historical firearms, and whether having a hobby that exists independently of social approval can actually make you more comfortable being your own person. Why do some people build their identities around massive franchises, while others become fascinated with things almost nobody else cares about? From there, we try to audit our own hobbies by figuring out what actually draws us to them. Kevin breaks down his obsession with Souls-like games and the shared appeal of The Lord of the Rings, JRPGs, heroic fantasy, and stories about ordinary people overcoming impossible odds. Matthew explores his own collecting and the family history behind his fascination with telephones. Finally, we discuss whether niche communities are more valuable than broad online discourse, and why talking to one genuinely knowledgeable person can be more rewarding than reading thousands of opinions online. We close by looking at book-to-screen adaptations and the fundamental differences between storytelling in prose and film. What does your hobby actually say about you, and do you know why you love the things you love? Big thanks to our patrons! We’ll be back next week. You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben WebsterEditor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
- Sep 25, 20261h 18m
VidCon Death & Invisible Fan Theory
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we tackle a strange disconnect in modern media: why can someone have millions of followers and still struggle to get people to show up? We begin with VidCon and the changing relationship between creators and their audiences. We start comparing the early days of YouTube to the fragmented world of TikTok and modern algorithm-driven content. What happened to the idea of a creator being important enough that fans would actually travel to see them? From there, we introduce Kevin’s “Invisible Fan Theory,” the idea that views and streams can represent passive exposure rather than genuine fandom. We explore the phenomenon through VidCon, concerts, and streaming numbers, including the strange possibility that an artist can rack up billions of streams while struggling to sell tickets. Is all that consumption actually creating fans, or is much of it just digital background noise? The discussion expands into what separates truly devoted fandoms from massive but interchangeable audiences. We compare expensive Taylor Swift concerts, sports events, and UFC fights with struggling creator conventions, and discuss why people will spend thousands on experiences that feel personally meaningful. Finally, we look at algorithmic filter bubbles, the growth of specialized communities like Open Sauce, and the increasing sameness of online creators. If YouTube becomes a “solved game” where everyone follows the same formulas, could being genuinely distinctive become the thing that matters most? Thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
- Sep 11, 20261h 38m
The Death of Educational Content on Youtube?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we tackle one of the more uncomfortable topics of the modern day: what happens when AI can do the work you built your identity around? The conversation begins with Fern’s video “The Death of Educational Content on YouTube,” exploring how AI-generated scripts, visuals, and research are making it easier to produce convincing educational videos at an unprecedented pace. But when the information is wrong, who catches it, and what happens when viewers can’t tell the difference? Next we discuss Matt’s “Tabor Obituary Test,” a simple experiment designed to reveal what AI actually knows about a person, and how easily AI-generated content can blur the line between research and plagiarism. From there, we examine the growing phenomenon of real human work being dismissed as “AI slop,” including a 3D artist whose work was accused of being AI-generated. Has documenting the creative process become part of the job? The discussion expands into YouTube’s responsibility for maintaining quality, the difficulty of correcting misinformation in video, and why educational content may be particularly vulnerable to AI. What can humans still offer that AI still can’t? Is it personal experience, mistakes, perspective, and the strange little details that make something feel genuinely human? Finally we wrestle with the bigger existential question: if AI eventually becomes capable of replicating even those uniquely human qualities, what happens to the value of creativity itself? Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll see you next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben WebsterEditor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
- Sep 4, 20261h 48m
Should You Eat Grandpa Slop?
Today we dive into the decline of the Western, starting with Seven Samurai and its influence on The Magnificent Seven. We compare the 1960 original with the 2016 remake, praising the remake's casting while arguing that it leaves out some of the original's most meaningful scenes. Are modern stories losing the lessons of heroism that people like Bernardo O'Reilly's worked so hard to craft? From there, we explore how Westerns evolved from simple good-vs.-evil morality tales into the morally ambiguous films of the Clint Eastwood era, and why Unforgiven may have marked the end of the genre's cultural dominance. Along the way, we also discuss what classic Westerns reveal about courage, masculinity, self-defense, and changing cultural values. Could the Western's irrelevance actually make it more interesting to watch today? We close by recommending several classics, including The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars, and Once Upon a Time in the West. We’ll be back next week, thanks to our patrons! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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About The Create Unknown
The Create Unknown interviews the most successful online creators to reveal how they got started and how they keep going. iDubbbz. Vsauce. Casey Neistat. iJustine. PsychicPebbles. We talk to the YouTubers, artists, and streamers who exemplify our mantra of “Make Something. Mean Something.” Part high-level analysis, part hopelessly stupid, Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor from Vsauce2 dissect the complex business, the unpredictable drama, and the uncertain future of creating online. We’ll see you in The Create Unknown, Space Cowboys.
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