Welcome to Created, the newsletter that’s trendier than the Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge. Here’s what we got today:
- How Danny Duncan saved froyo
- Why Peanut the Squirrel’s death could cost New York $10M
- Outlier of the week
How Danny Duncan Saved The Froyo Industry
Froyo was dead. Pinkberry halved its locations. Red Mango went from 300 to just a few dozen stores.
Then Danny Duncan bought New York’s biggest froyo chain: 16 Handles.
Now, they’re opening new stores across Florida. Sales are up. And even the New York Times is asking: Is froyo back?
Thanks to Duncan…yeah, it is.
How Danny Duncan Bought 16 Handles
Duncan first tried 16 Handles while filming in NY, shouting it out in a video. A few days later, the store’s franchisee, Neil Hershman, slid into his DMs to say thanks.
“We kept talking and I was like ‘Why don’t [we] just buy the whole company?’” Duncan told me during our interview.
So the duo did. Hershman took over as CEO, and Duncan stepped in as Chief Creative Officer — bringing his audience with him as the new co-owner of New York’s biggest froyo chain.
Why It Worked
Duncan turned 16 Handles into something Gen Z would actually post about.
- Grand opening in Englewood, FL where fans lined up for hours to see Danny open up a location in his hometown.
- Pop-up in NYC complete with custom merch and a limited-edition flavor.
- 16 Handles froyo truck in one of Duncan's videos, now sitting at over 4.3M views.
Now, 16 Handles has had three straight years of 10%+ revenue growth and is expanding into more states.
It's Becoming A Trend
In 2024, Ryan Trahan did the same thing with candy.
He didn’t found Joyride — but he helped reinvent it when he became a co-owner. New packaging. Less sugar. Cleaner ingredients. A fresh product line built with his audience in mind.
“All of the old candy that I wasn’t a part of is going to get phased out,” Trahan explained.
Like Duncan, Trahan didn’t just slap his face on a label. He rebuilt the brand from the inside out.
Our Take
Welcome to the creator turnaround era.
In a world full of creator products, expect to see more of this: creators joining existing brands instead of starting from scratch.
Because honestly? Building infrastructure is hard. Suppliers, staff, distribution — it’s a grind. Especially when you’re trying to keep uploading.
By joining an existing brand, creators can plug into a flywheel that’s already spinning and help rebuild it from the inside. All while bringing their audience with them.
It’s also how creators get off the algorithm roller coaster. Because relying on AdSense alone? That’s a gamble.
As Codie Sanchez put it in our interview:
“I think if you’re a creator today and you’re not thinking about acquiring businesses and how to get equity — you’re making a huge mistake. If you are only living off of AdSense…you’re in trouble.”
Expect more of this to come.
Pet Influencers Sue for $10M
Remember Peanut the Squirrel? The Instagram-famous critter seized and euthanized by New York officials last year?
Now, his owners are suing the state for $10M in damages.
What happened again?
We covered the story when it broke last November, but here’s the recap.
In October 2024, New York DEC officials raided the home of Mark Longo and Daniela Bittner, Peanut’s owners and the couple behind the IG account with nearly 1M followers.
They seized Peanut, along with a raccoon named Fred. Both were euthanized days later, allegedly to test for rabies.
The backlash was instant. Protesters, bomb threats, even politicians got involved.
Weeks later, test results came back: no rabies.
Enter: Peanut’s Law
Here’s what came next:
- New York passed Peanut’s Law, which requires a 72-hour waiting period before the state can euthanize any seized animal.
- DEC also promised reforms: body cam policies and a new deputy commissioner to oversee public protection.
But for the Longos, that wasn’t enough. “Laws don’t bring back lives,” Mark said.
A $10M Lawsuit
The couple is now suing the state of New York for $10M for what they call an “obscene demonstration of government abuse.”
They’re also filing a separate lawsuit against Chemung County, the City of Elmira, and the 36 individuals involved in the raid.
Our Take
Peanut is part of a much bigger story: creators using their platforms to challenge — and change — the system.
- YouTubers Ethan and Hila Klein (H3H3) won a landmark fair use case, helping protect commentary creators across the U.S.
- TikToker Miranda Derrick’s legal fight over controlling contracts sparked new attention on how agencies treat creators.
- Even YouTuber MatPat helped launch a Creator Caucus in Congress to push for better laws around IP and online platforms.
Because views are just the start — attention can lead to actual change.
🎯 Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails
Why we love these YT thumbnails:
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- Towering stacks of pancakes + syrup drip exaggerate reality, making you stop and look (SuprOrdinary)
- Person floating + bold ‘Gravity is fake’ text challenges reality (Cleo Abram)
- Bright red truck labeled ‘BOMB’ against dark background grabs instant attention (Stewart Hicks)
- Tall, leaning skyscraper with ‘MISTAKE?’ text hints at disaster (The B1M)
🚀 Weekly Outlier
This video by byRolands has 340K views, which is 43.6 times higher than the channel’s average. Here’s why it took off:
- Iconic Open: Starts with Steve Jobs’ famous “life was made by people no smarter than you” quote.
- Feels Personal: The tone is intimate and reflective, more like advice from a mentor than a creator chasing views.
- Vision over Virality: Instead of tactics or trends, it taps into a deeper creative truth: your perspective is your power in the AI era.
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Trust me, these books are packed with more tips than most paid courses.
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– Jon
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