Welcome to Created, the newsletter that’s more essential than extra batteries on a shoot day. Here’s what we got today:
- How a YouTube critic sold his movie after crowdfunding $1.3M
- Why sleep paralysis videos are trending on YouTube
- Breaking down the color theory of thumbnails
YouTuber Sells His Movie To Oscar-Winning Distributor
YouTube movie critic Chris Stuckmann sold his film Shelby Oaks to Neon, the distributor behind Oscar winning Best Picture Parasite.
Backstory:
- 2011: Stuckmann begins uploading movie reviews, growing audience of 2M subscribers with nearly 2,000 videos.
- 2021: Stuckmann launches Kickstarter to fund production of his film Shelby Oaks. In a month, he raised $1.3M (highest ever for a horror film on Kickstarter).
- 2024: Post-production on film wraps. Stuckmann secures a global distribution deal with Neon with US theatrical run.
Quote: “This honestly is everything that I have been working for since I was 14 years old and decided I wanted to make movies,” said Stuckmann.
Why This Matters:
Success on YouTube is becoming validation for Hollywood to trust creators with bigger budgets.
But what’s most interesting is Stuckmann’s horror movie is unrelated to his YouTube videos.
Compare that to:
- Yes Theory made a movie called Project Iceman with similar themes to past videos about the Iceman.
- Ryan Kaji's upcoming movie is a mix of live action and animation, similar to his past videos.
- Wesley Wang's YouTube short film was picked up by Darren Aronofsky and will likely be turned into a similar style movie.
But Stuckmann’s movie? It has little to do with his current talking head format.
It’s new IP. New story. New characters.
Choosing the horror genre may have a lot to do with that…
So Good...It's Scary?
Since 1977, horror movies average the best ROI on production costs.
It’s a safer risk for studios, especially now when betting on YouTubers.
Think about it. No CGI like Sci-Fi. No need to pay A-listers like RomComs.
It’s no surprise YouTubers Racka Racka also made their movie debut with…you guessed it…a horror film.
🎯 Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails
Here’s why we love these YT thumbnails. Hopefully, they inspire your next one.
- Neon green plus pink (complimentary colors) draw your eye immediately (HopeScope)
- High-contrast elements (white + red) with very timely story (fern)
- Extreme version of everyday dish we can relate to (Babish Culinary Universe)
- Perfect use of negative space to catch attention (Kelly Wakasa)
What do all 4 thumbnails have in common? A dominant color and highlight color. One sets the tone, one grabs your attention.
🚀 Weekly Outlier
This video by Cody Hales got 1.8M views though he only has 39K subscribers. That’s 165 times higher than the channel’s average.
Here’s why it took off so you can apply to your next video:
- Unanswered Question: Sleep paralysis is a terrifying mystery — but Cody dives into the unknown head on, legitimately trying to enter a state of sleep paralysis.
- Surprising Humor: For such a dark concept, Cody packs the video with hilarious sketches, an original song about sleep paralysis, and comedic editing.
- Deep Dive: Still, the video educates the viewer on what sleep paralysis is, both scientifically and from Cody's own experience.
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🏆 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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– Jon
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