Welcome to Created, the newsletter that’s more reliable than your camera’s auto-focus. Here’s what we got today:
- Mark Rober hits top 10 Netflix shows
- Why MKBHD is shutting down his app
- Best YouTube thumbnails of the week
Mark Rober's Meteoric Rise on Netflix, Explained
The line between creators and Hollywood just got blurrier.
Mark Rober’s CrunchLabs series just hit the #10 spot for the most-watched Netflix shows globally.
But wait, wait. This isn’t another “big creator launches show on streaming platform” type of story (as impressive as that is).
Here's The Wildest Part
Rober’s CrunchLabs series isn’t exactly new content. Not yet, at least.
It’s mostly re-uploads of Rober’s greatest YouTube hits. But it may be laying the foundation for Rober’s original Netflix show coming next year.
How We Got Here
In August, Netflix announced Rober is creating an original competition series for the streaming platform, produced with Jimmy Kimmel.
As part of the deal, Rober would upload a selection of his top-performing YouTube videos to Netflix.
Now, I’ll be honest. That sounded like a nice “add-on.”
But two weeks ago, Rober’s back catalogue dropped on Netflix…and let’s just say the stats speak for themselves:
- #10 Globally most watched show (5 of the 10 spots belong to Seasons 1-5 of Stranger Things)
- #1 Most watched kids show
- #5 Most watched show in the U.S.
Why It Matters
This proves just how valuable a creator’s existing content library can be. And how it can compound over many years (in Rober’s case, over a decade).
More importantly, it may re-shape how streaming platforms approach creators for packaged deals.
Other platforms like Tubi have started licensing creators’ back catalogs in addition to producing original shows with them.
But nothing quite like this.
Especially since this warms up Netflix viewers to anticipate Rober’s original show that much more (well done, marketing department).
How Will YouTube Respond?
So does this mean YouTube will bring back its Originals to respond?
After all, it’s not just Rober. Netflix has deals with CoComelon, Ms.Rachel, and other homegrown YouTubers.
Don’t be surprised if it happens. The best defense is offense.
MKBHD Shuts Down His Wallpaper App
MKBHD announced he’s shutting down Panels, the wallpaper app he launched last year.
In an unlisted video to users, he explained that even though the app hit milestones with 2M downloads and #1 in the Photos category on both Apple and Android app store…it couldn’t support itself long-term.
What Happened
“We knew it was niche, but we made mistakes in making our first app and ultimately we weren’t able to turn it into the vision that I had,” Marques said.
According to Marques, Panels ran into several roadblocks:
- It was a niche product with a limited ceiling
- The original development team changed earlier this year
- Growth wasn’t strong enough to justify keeping it alive
But Panels isn’t disappearing entirely.
MKBHD plans to open-source the entire codebase once the shutdown and data deletion are complete in early January.
Meaning anyone can pick it up and build their own wallpaper app.
Our Take
As creators launch more tools and products, many are discovering what startups already know:
Building something is easy — but sustaining it for the long term? That’s the hard part. Especially when content is your main focus.
But open-sourcing the code might be the most creator-friendly ending possible. Instead of letting the project die, MKBHD is handing the community the keys.
🎯 Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails
Why we love these YT thumbnails:
- Wood skyscrapers with the “WOOD TOWERS?” label? You want to know how that’s even possible (About Here)
- Nike’s swoosh crashing down the graph under “JUST FIX IT” makes you wonder what went wrong (Search Party)
- Puppet-master hands controlling an island city makes the whole thing feel conspiratorial (fern)
- A glowing laser razor held up like a sci-fi gadget makes you instantly curious (Allen Pan)
🚀 Weekly Outlier
This video by Jamie Robbins has 1.9M views, which is 24 times higher than the channel’s average. Here’s why it took off:
- Cinema-Level Craft: The pacing, lighting, and sound design feel like an actual short film, not a motivational video.
- Raw, No-BS Honesty: No fake motivation or get-rich talk, just the real grind, setbacks, and self-doubt. Viewers connect because it’s real.
- Fully Immersive Storytelling: He shows every step instead of summarizing, which makes the story inspiring and deeply relatable.
🏆 The Created Referral Program
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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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