Welcome to Created, the newsletter that helps you climb higher as a creator. No free-soloing required. Here’s what we got today:
- The impact of Netflix's livestream with Alex Honnold
- Personal story about our brand deals
- How Meta’s paid subscriptions could change creator reach
PS reminder to fill out our feedback form to improve our newsletter. Thanks to everyone who already submitted!
Inside Alex Honnold’s $500,000 Netflix Deal
This past Saturday, climber Alex Honnold free-soloed one of the world’s largest skyscrapers, Taipei 101, live on Netflix.
He reportedly earned only $500,000.
To contrast, Jake Paul reportedly earned $93 million from Netflix for his last boxing match against Anthony Joshua.
At first glance, that feels insane — Honnold scaled 1,700 feet with no rope.
In reality, the difference comes down to leverage…and shares an important lesson for creators.
Owning Entire Production
Jake Paul didn’t just show up to fight. His company promoted the event, negotiated the Netflix deal, and controlled distribution.
He earned money as the fighter and producer.
Honnold basically showed up as talent. One performance. One check. No ownership of the event.
Netflix produced the live event, marketed it, and brought in the likes of Mark Rober and other talent to help promote.
As Honnold put it: “I’m not getting paid to climb the building. I’m climbing the building for free. I’m getting paid for the spectacle.”
Setting Trend for 2026?
2026 will be the year of live events. Especially as people grow disillusioned with all the AI content they see online.
That doesn’t just mean “traditional” live events like basketball, football, or boxing.
But new events that we didn’t realize there would be mass attention for. Like live free-soloing. Imagine trying to explain that to your friends before last weekend.
“Order some pizza and grab the guac because we’re about to watch this dude free solo!!” said no one ever.
Until it was on Netflix. It proved a new category: live free-soloing.
Let's Agree To Disagree
Some like Jordi Hays from TBPN said it was “straight up criminal” that Honnold got paid $500,000. Others said his agent should be fired.
I completely disagree.
Honnold wasn’t a household name. He was the guy from the “Free Solo” documentary. At best.
Now, he’s known around the world as the human Spiderman.
Look At The Numbers
Before the Taipei 101 livestream, Netflix could say: “We’re taking all the risk. Here’s $500,000.”
Boxing already had global demand and a proven audience. Climbing didn’t.
After Taipei 101, that argument isn’t as strong because Honnold now has a case study:
- 6.2M views
- #3 on Netflix’s weekly English TV rankings
- Honnold’s Instagram grew from 2.9M to 3.7M followers
With those metrics, Honnold could command millions in his next deal and more in sponsorships.
Oh, and don’t be surprised if Honnold starts his own live events production company like Paul did as this craze catches on.
A More Personal Story
Bringing it back to us mere mortals for a moment…
This reminds me of a lot of our first brand deals on our YouTube channel.
I remember thinking: we’re punching above our weight class. Our videos were getting millions of views despite having much fewer subscribers.
So we took deals “below” market rates with a goal to overdeliver for every sponsor.
And we did. Just like Honnold did with Netflix. Guess what? A ton of those sponsors renewed with us for bigger spend.
Now our costs have ballooned where that’d be much harder to do, but I see so many smaller creators still having too much ego.
“I’m better than that! I know my worth!” they say.
Swallow your pride. Think longer-term. Be like Honnold. If you’re trying to be world class, the world will ultimately notice.
What Meta’s New Paid Tiers Means for Creators
Meta is rolling out paid subscription tiers across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
Premium users will pay for extras — including fewer ads.
And that’s where things get really interesting for creators. Especially because these new paid subscribers will see fewer ads.
YouTube Already Did This...What Did We Learn?
YouTube already did this so let’s treat that as a case study.
About 33% of YouTube users now pay for their Premium tier where they see no ads.
Ironically, those users are the most valuable to advertisers (because they have disposable income to purchase the higher tier)…yet they don’t see ads.
As a result, advertisers fight over a smaller pool and paid reach gets more expensive meaning there may be less sponsored posts so…organic content will fill the gap.
What That Means for Creators
That shift helped creators on YouTube. If Meta goes the same direction, creators could see:
- Less feed clutter
- Stronger organic distribution
- More leverage in brand deals as ads get scarcer
Fewer ads don’t mean fewer opportunities. For creators who win on organic engagement, it often means better ones.
🎯 Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails
Why we love these YT thumbnails:
- Will it fly? + DIY aircraft invites doubt and clicks (ProjectAir)
- A cheap-looking plastic fork paired with “$1 BILLION” creates instant cognitive dissonance (Design Theory)
- The oversized claim on a mundane object makes you question what you’ve overlooked (About Here)
- “EXPOSED” stamp + numbers tease scandal while withholding just enough to pull you in (Linus Tech Tips)
🚀 Weekly Outlier
This video by Lost in Time has 7.4M views, which is 5.2 times higher than the channel’s average. Here’s why it took off:
- Life-or-Death Hook: Opens with a real, measurable risk (an actor 2 inches from death), instantly locking attention.
- Visual Demystification: Iconic clips + clear breakdowns turn “movie magic” into satisfying aha moments.
- Timeless Awe Factor: Real stunts and danger make a 100-year-old story feel more intense than modern films.
🏆 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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