The Create Unknown cover art

The Create Unknown

The Create Unknown

By: Unknown Media & Studio71
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The Create Unknown interviews the most successful online creators to reveal how they got started and how they keep going. iDubbbz. Vsauce. Casey Neistat. iJustine. PsychicPebbles. We talk to the YouTubers, artists, and streamers who exemplify our mantra of “Make Something. Mean Something.” Part high-level analysis, part hopelessly stupid, Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor from Vsauce2 dissect the complex business, the unpredictable drama, and the uncertain future of creating online. We’ll see you in The Create Unknown, Space Cowboys. For advertising opportunities please email PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com We wanna make the podcast even better, help us learn how we can: https://bit.ly/2EcYbu4 Privacy Policy: https://www.studio71.com/us/terms-and-conditions-use/#Privacy%20PolicyUnknown Media, LLC & Studio71 Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Vsauce2 Video I Got Wrong

    The Vsauce2 Video I Got Wrong
    Jun 19 2026
    Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week starts with a discussion about a few recent losses, including the death of Gene Shalit, and the tragic passing of Oliver Tree. We reflect on the kind of creativity and criticism both represented, and why genuinely original voices seem harder and harder to find. From there, we revisit an old idea: if technology keeps making life easier, shouldn't people be happier? Years ago, we believed automation would free us up for art, relationships, learning, and meaningful pursuits. Today, we're not so sure. Then we explore the strange gap between opportunity and action. Information is everywhere. Books are cheaper than ever. New skills can be learned in minutes. Powerful AI tools can help with almost anything. So why do so many people still feel directionless? Along the way we talk about reading, retirement, motivation, and the uncomfortable reality that having more free time doesn't automatically lead to a better life. If anything, it may reveal a deeper question: do people actually want free time, or do they need structure more than they realize? It's a conversation about creativity, purpose, and what happens when the barriers disappear...but the drive to do something meaningful doesn't magically appear with them. You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • Elfing Will Save Your Writing

    Elfing Will Save Your Writing
    Jun 12 2026
    Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week we kick things off with a shockingly sad discussion about Ray Liotta and the bizarre internet phenomenon of seemingly widespread celebrity death Mandela effects. That morphs into a conversation about fading news cycles, Scorsese movies, and Kevin's extremely unpopular opinion on The Wolf of Wall Street. After that, we dive into the REAL focus of the episode – a writing technique with a ridiculous name that might actually save your creative projects: Elfing. We trace the origins of the concept back through filmmaker Zach Krieger all the way to legendary Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder, whose seemingly crude writing philosophy could actually be the key to getting things DONE. From there, we zoom out to tackle a much bigger challenge in creative work: learning how to separate your identity from what you make. Why do so many people instinctively defend every sentence of an early draft? Why is accepting feedback so difficult? And why do so many promising writers stall out before they ever finish anything? Along the way, we discuss the realities of editing, the balance between writing for yourself versus writing for an audience, and the constant tension between artistic honesty and commercial appeal. Big thanks to our patrons, and we'll see you next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • Youtube is Fake

    Youtube is Fake
    May 29 2026
    Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week, we’re launching off of our discussion from last episode by asking a strange question: is YouTube actually REAL? After nearly twenty years of dominance, why does the platform still feel completely disconnected from traditional media recognition, legitimacy, and the broader “culture” in general? We start by reminiscing on the “good old days” of 2015, when it seemed inevitable that YouTubers would fully cross over into television and film. Agents were interested, studios were experimenting, YouTube Red was launching, and everybody assumed internet creators would naturally become mainstream celebrities. But… that didn’t really happen. Why not? To understand that, we break down the failed crossover era. We’re talking celebrity YouTube channels, creator-backed streaming shows, and the awkward attempts by Hollywood to recreate YouTube success. As we all know, that didn’t really work out. We dive deep into why. After that, we get critical as we shift toward what is arguably the biggest problem surrounding online media: LEGITIMACY. How is it possible for someone to have billions of views and millions of subscribers while simultaneously remaining nearly anonymous outside the platform itself? Why do traditional systems like journalism, awards shows, and even Wikipedia still struggle to treat YouTube creators as “real” media figures? We also discuss the strange economics of it all. When successful YouTubers often have more freedom and better income than they would in traditional entertainment… does “moving up” to Hollywood make any sense at all?. We round things out with some discussion on the legendary James Rolfe, the collapse of centralized culture, YouTube’s failed attempts at prestige, and Kevin’s growing theory on YouTube as a closed ecosystem. Big thanks to our patrons, and we’ll see you next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 49 mins
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