Welcome to Created, the newsletter that’s more clutch than your SD card on a shoot day. Here’s what we got for you:
- Recess Therapy launches new series with celebrity substitute teachers
- Kai Cenat announces "sub-athon" in trailer with Kim Kardashian
- Outlier of the week
Recess Therapy Launches New Show: "Celebrity Substitute"
Julian Shapiro-Barnum is re-defining the blueprint for “talk shows” on YouTube.
His channel, Recess Therapy, gained 1.2M subscribers for interviews with kids and celebrities like Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and more.
Last week, he launched a second channel, Celebrity Substitute, to bring stars into schools as “substitute teachers”.
His first episode starred Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. We spoke with Julian to get the inside scoop
Backstory
- 2021: Recess Therapy launches with Julian interviewing kids in NYC.
- 2022: Series goes viral with “Corn Kid,” which became one of the biggest memes of the year.
- 2023: Recess Therapy reaches 1M subscribers, awarded Variety’s Family Entertainment Award.
Our Take:
There’s a reason why Julian is now part of press tours and red carpets.
His formats are so well defined and family-friendly.
Everyone tried to adapt Hot Ones’ dual-storytelling approach (interview and eating hot wings).
But Recess Therapy put a fresh take on it by involving kids in their show.
This new format is an even smarter evolution of that.
“Celebrity Substitute feels a lot bigger than Recess Therapy in the sense that these are fully produced episodes that I hope people watch in the long form. Where Recess Therapy is very much made for the short form,” Julian said.
It gives him more to offer talent and brands, including Amazon who was involved with their first episode.
Plus, it’s scalable because he’s always involving new kids and talent.
“After four years of getting advice from kids, it felt like time to flip the script,” he said.
“Recess Therapy is so much about the kids [whereas] Celebrity Substitute is so much about the guest imparting something.”
Kai Cenat Seeks To Reclaim Twitch's Subscriber Record
Kai Cenat is set to reclaim his throne as Twitch’s most subscribed streamer.
This time, he’s getting a little help from Kim Kardashian.
In a trailer, Cenant teased his 30-day “sub-athon” called Mafiathon 2.
That’s right. 30 straight days. 24/7. Live.
Cenat said he’ll stream everything from gaming to sleeping to showering (his words, not mine).
Backstory:
- February 2023: Cenat’s original Mafiathon broke Twitch records with over 306,000 subscribers.
- September 2024: Ironmouse dethroned him with her own subathon, peaking at 326,252 subscribers.
- October 2024: Cenat is on a mission to win back his title with Mafiathon 2.
Bigger Than Ever:
If his first Mafiathon was any hint — where he had a live K9 unit and ferris wheel on his driveway — this one will be even wilder.
Not to mention, Kai’s audience has more than tripled since his last Mafiathon.
Plus, he’s on a mission now that Ironmouse de-throned him as Twitch’s top streamer.
Our Take:
Cenat is pop culture personified right now. Few creators have ever had this pull:
- Kim Kardashian co-stars in his announcement trailer
- John Cena, Kevin Hart, and other celebs appear on his streams
- Recent sponsors include Nike, McDonald's, and the NBA
But with great hype comes…cue the Spiderman theme song…great responsibility.
Especially since streaming tends to normalize sensational behavior.
So let’s just hope going live for 30 days doesn’t cause any behavior like…ahem, Jack Doherty who crashed a $200K car while streaming.
Or Fousey, who called the cops on himself during his livestream.
Of course, Cenat is more of a seasoned vet who is already re-inventing the modern late night show.
🎯 Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails
Here’s why we love these YT thumbnails. Hopefully, they inspire your next one.
- ‘Dirty Side’ label adds mysterious comparison element (Vox)
- Striking purple color contradicts the idea of “real gold,” creating instant curiosity (NileRed)
- Explosion outside the window makes you question airplane mode’s real impact
(Veritasium) - $302 price tag on a McDonald’s burger makes you do a double-take (Mythical Kitchen)
🚀 Weekly Outlier
This video by Greg McCahon has got 3.3M views which is 23.6 times higher than the channel’s average. Here’s why it took off:
- Adventure Hook: Cycling from Alaska to Argentina is truly a journey of epic proportions and creates instant intrigue.
- Emotional Moments: Victoria shares the emotional journey throughout the ride, adding another element to keep you watching all 30+ minutes.
- Building Resilience: Overcoming extreme weather and road challenges makes the journey feel gritty and authentic.
Sponsored by Spotter
Find Your Next Video Idea & Thumbnail with Spotter
As creators, we know all too well the importance of a thumbnail — if viewers don’t click, they don’t watch.
That’s why I’ve been using Spotter Studio.
I just type in my video concept, and instantly, Spotter has generated a list of titles. Choose a concept and Spotter starts generating thumbnail concepts.
Need to see it with a bit more realism? Just toggle on ‘Realistic.’ Need a sketch for storyboards? Turn on the ‘Sketch’ feature.
Spotter can even create thumbnails and titles based on the outliers on a similar topic or outliers from your own channel.
Try Spotter Studio for 60 days free here (that’s 30 days more than their regular trial).
🏆 The Created Referral Program
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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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– Jon
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