Inside MrBeast’s New “Movie”

September 11, 2025

Welcome to Created, the newsletter that’s more reliable than WiFi during your flight. Here’s what we got today:

How This Duo Re-invented Commercials for YouTube

On Tuesday, MrBeast dropped a “mini movie” to debut his newest product: Feastables Chocolate Milk.

But it was how he did it – and who he hired that is drawing attention.

It wasn’t a normal ad. It was a cinematic video made by the filmmaking duo of Lucas and Curtis Nicotra better known as Sticks.

We interviewed them and did a scene by scene breakdown of their Feastables movie.

From Fan Trailers to Commercials

Sticks built their rep by making Hollywood-style trailers for creators like Emma Chamberlain and Ryan Trahan.

They leveled up with Ryan Trahan’s Joyride launch.

And now? They’re helming full-on branded commercials, with MrBeast as their latest client.

The Rise of "Cinematic Commercials"

For the Feastables spot, Sticks went all in.

They built a chocolate factory set inside MrBeast’s studio. Hired 30 extras (many were subscribers). And shot on a $40K ARRI Mini with anamorphic lenses.

To speed things up, they even used a MrBeast body double for stunts.

“We actually got [him] a haircut from Jimmy’s barber to make sure he looks exactly like Jimmy,” Sticks told me.

Most importantly: the product wasn’t shoved in at the end.

“Product placement feels really cheap and cheesy when it’s unneeded. But when it’s baked into the story, you’re excited to see the product because it matters to the plot.”

Why Fans Don’t Skip These Ads

Traditional agencies can make glossy commercials. Few can make something you’d actually binge on YouTube.

Sticks design for retention, pacing, and shareability — then double the value by posting the behind-the-scenes on their channel.

The result: ads that rack up millions of views because fans want to watch them, not because they’re forced to.

$10M Launch: How The Hacksmith Broke Kickstarter's Record

YouTuber James Hobson, better known as The Hacksmith, recently launched a titanium multi-tool knife on Kickstarter with a very specific goal: $180,238.

Today, it’s at $10,600,000.

That makes it the most-funded Canadian project ever and one of the top 25 campaigns in Kickstarter history.

And they’re manufacturing it all in-house in Canada.

Why This Knife Cut Through

Hacksmith isn’t just selling a knife. He’s building a vertically integrated company.

After his previous product launch, a Mini Saber that got $400K in four hours, he told us: “Why are we advertising other people’s stuff if we could just come out with awesome products like this?”

Now, the knife Kickstarter is funding new machines so Hacksmith can control manufacturing, distribution, and marketing in-house through his YouTube channel.

He’s already prototyping Smith Pants — everyday-carry clothing — and has bigger dreams ahead:

“One day I hope we make something that actually changes the world. Exoskeletons, bionics — augmented humans. I drive a lot of passion from doing something that’s really meaningful.”

Our Take

Creator attention + owned product = outsized ROI.

The Smith Blade proves that pairing engineering credibility with a trusted audience can out-raise legacy brands — and build a factory while you’re at it.

If this momentum holds, expect more creators to:

Sure, views are nice. But vertical integration is the name of the game.

🎯 Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails

Why we love these YT thumbnails:

1. Phone on fire in someone’s hands instantly catches your attention (HTX Studio)
2. Man sitting on giant Lego tower with “Would it fall?” text teases chaos (Corridor Crew)
3. Giant vault door + “What Are They Hiding?” sparks curiosity (Yes Theory)
4. Pin hovering over swollen battery makes you want to know why it’s such a bad idea (Veritasium)

🚀 Weekly Outlier

This video by Synthet has 6.6M views, which is 5 times higher than the channel’s average. Here’s why it took off:

Hidden History: Reveals the backstory of a tiny 1969 drum solo that became one of the most sampled sounds ever.
Cultural Impact: Connects one beat to hip-hop, drum & bass, jungle, Bowie, Skrillex and even the Futurama intro.
Bittersweet Twist: The original drummer never got paid and died homeless, making the story hit harder.

Your Store, NOW with Your Name

The upgrade your merch store has been waiting for!

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With Fourthwall Pro, you get your own custom .Store domain — 100% free.

The truth is your domain matters more than you think. If you are stuck behind yet another website URL that looks like mymerch-coolstore654.fourthwall.com — it’s forgettable. And you’re losing clicks before they even happen.

With yourname.store (just like I use created.store) – your store’s URL looks sharp, clean and fully yours. Everywhere you share it, it stands out and becomes the go-to URL for your store.

.Store Domains now available for Fourthwall Pro users. Free, fast, and totally built for creators who care about how their brand shows up. Grab yours here.

🏆 The Created Referral Program

Know someone who’d also love this newsletter? Refer them and get gifts.

Refer 1 friend: you’ll get my Infinite Ideas book. It’s my 8 best tips to find viral ideas for your next upload.

Refer 5 friends: you’ll get my Top 50 Thumbnails book. It includes a detailed breakdown of why they work so you improve your packaging.

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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