Welcome to Created, the newsletter that’s more addicting than your TikTok feed. Here’s what we got for you:
- How Russia secretly funded right-wing influencers
- Nikocado Avocado’s secret transformation
- Weekly roundup of top YouTube thumbnails
Russia Secretly Funded Right-Wing YouTubers With $10M
Russia paid $10 million to fund right-wing creators to spread propaganda for the Russian government.
Backstory:
- According to the Department of Justice, Russia Today (Russian media outlet) paid $10M to Tenet Media (a conservative media company in Tennessee).
- Tenet employed 6 right-wing creators, including Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, Matt Christiansen, and Benny Johnson.
- These creators produced nearly 2,000 videos and got 16M views on content aligned with Russian interests.
But..Did They Know?
According to internal documents, Russia used these creators to influence the US Elections, reduce support for Ukraine, and promote other pro-Russia policies.
But creators involved claim they didn’t know their funding came from Russia.
- “Never at any point did anyone other than I have full editorial control of the show and the contents of the show are often apolitical. Putin is a scumbag, Russia sucks donkey balls,” said Tim Pool.
- We are disturbed by the allegations in today’s indictment, which make clear that myself and other influencers were victims in this alleged scheme,” said Benny Johnson.
So Who's To Blame?
The co-founders of Tenet Media, Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan, allegedly knew the money came from Russia.
Despite this, Tenet Media isn’t currently charged with a crime, but their involvement in nearly 2,000 videos pushing Russian narratives raises serious questions.
Our Take
Creators need to be clear about where their money comes from, especially when reporting on news or politics.
As YouTube and TikTok become battlegrounds for politics, transparency is key. The creator economy runs on trust, and once it’s lost, it’s hard to get back.
Nikocado Avocado’s Secret Transformation
Nikocado Avocado, a mukbang YouTuber who eats massive meals, pulled off the most unexpected transformation (and social experiment) in recent history.
The Transformation:
Nicholas Perry, better known as Nikocado Avocado, shocked millions last week by revealing a 250-pound weight loss.
While “recent” videos showed him binge-eating, he later revealed those were actually filmed 2-years-ago and scheduled to post now.
How'd He Do It?
Perry had everything planned out.
He edited his old videos to make them look recent and even shaved his head to keep from being recognized in public, all while his audience remained in the dark.
Quote: “While everybody pointed and laughed at me for over-consuming food, I was in total control the entire time,” he said.
“In reality, people are completely absorbed with internet personalities and obsessively watch their content. That is where a deeper level of over-consumption lies — and it’s the parallel I wanted to make.”
🎯 Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails
Here’s why we love these YT thumbnails. Hopefully, they inspire your next one.
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- Larger-than-life phone size makes you do a double-take (DIY Perks)
- Coffin delivered by Amazon pulls you in (Ryan Trahan)
- Red figure and alarming text create instant curiosity (Veritasium)
- Simple ‘PRO vs. ME’ setup makes the struggle of running relatable (Ben Is Running)
🚀 Weekly Outlier
This video by Jaxight has got 1.3M views though the channel has 33.8K subscribers. That’s 2,600 times higher than the channel’s average.
Here’s why it took off so you can apply to your next video:
- High Effort Builds: Jaxight’s effort in creating high quality personalized keyboards (like adding a mini-screen with a CaseOh dancing gif) showcases his skill.
- Streamer Reactions: CaseOh’s excited reactions to the keyboard were a major draw, pulling in viewers eager to see the streamer’s response.
- Satisfying ASMR Elements: The video features the satisfying sounds of keyboard clicks and ASMR moments.
🏆 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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👋 See You Inside
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– Jon
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