Welcome to Created, the newsletter that's always getting jiggy with it. Here's what we got today:

How Reddit became Hollywood's new goldmine
Inside Sam and Colby's $20M empire
Best thumbnails on YouTube

Sydney Sweeney's New Movie is Based On a Reddit Post

And the Oscar for best screenplay goes to...Reddit?

In 2020, Massachusetts teacher Joe Cote posted a 4,000-word post, I Pretended to Be a Missing Girl, to the subreddit r/NoSleep.

Four years later, Warner Bros purchased the film rights to Cote's post.

Better yet, Oscar-winning writer Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Dune) is adapting a script.

How'd This Happen?

Hollywood spends millions every year gambling on untested stories.

For decades, books were the testing-ground for Intellectual Property before they became movies. But lately, studios have found a new source: social media.

With 18M members, r/nosleep essentially pre-vetted Cote's idea — giving studios a clear proof of concept without risking a dime.

Not Their First Rodeo

Ryan Reynolds tried adapting another Reddit horror hit, The Patient Who Nearly Drove Me Out of Medicine. But the project stalled out.

Now, with Roth and Sweeney, Warner Bros is doing all it can to turn Cote’s Reddit post into a movie.

It's Not Just Reddit

Slender Man: hit theaters in 2018, based on a character born in internet forums like Something Awful

Zola: debuted in 2021, adapted from a popular Twitter thread in 2015

A Minecraft Movie: is leveraging its massive YouTube audience (1.5 trillion total Minecraft YT views) ahead of a release next week

Our Take

Social media platforms are now Hollywood’s breeding grounds for the next blockbuster.

In 2023, YouTubers Racka Racka debuted their feature film Talk To Me with A24.

Last year, YouTube movie critic Chris Stuckmann sold his film Shelby Oaks to Neon for distribution.

As film budgets soar, Hollywood sees social media communities as a way to "de-risk" content — choosing stories audiences already love, instead of guessing what might resonate.

Inside Sam and Colby's $20M Empire

Most creators depend on brand deals — but Sam Golbach and Colby Brock built a $20M empire that runs without relying on it.

In 2024, just 4.5% ($900K) of their $20M revenue came from sponsors.

The rest? YouTube AdSense, feature films, retail partnerships, and most impressively, their apparel brand XPLR, which grossed over $13M.

Behind The Business

Sam and Colby started out 10 years ago exploring haunted places. Now they’re building a company around it.

Their clothing line XPLR (short for “explore”) was intentionally not branded with their names. They wanted it to outlast YouTube fame. And it worked.

$7.7M in online sales

$5.3M in retail thanks to Zumiez and Hot Topic

They doubled their team to 16 employees and launched Spanish-dubbed videos to grow internationally — causing the biggest spike in their channel’s history.

Finally, they got to the big screen. In 2023, they released A Week at the Conjuring House in 170 theaters. In 2024, their film The Legends of the Paranormal premiered on 350 screens. Combined, they grossed $1.4M.

Next up: a haunted escape room inside The Escape Hotel in LA.

Our Take

In our interview with Hacksmith, he shared how selling mini-light sabers made him $1M in just one week.

Danny Duncan told us his clothing line Virginity Rocks has sold over $150M online and in retail stores.

Sam and Colby are doing the same, turning scary videos into sustainable revenue.

This is proof there’s life beyond brand deals — as long as you treat YouTube as a launchpad, not just the finish line.

🎯 Weekly Roundup: YouTube Thumbnails

Why we love these YT thumbnails:

Bright red hands grabbing man create a surreal & eye-catching visual (Karl Shakur)
Text + muscle illustration clearly highlight the flexibility focus (YOGABODY)
Multiple smartwatches + funny expression make you wonder what he’s testing (Shervin Shares)
Underwater pose + ‘LIVE TO 200+’ text set up an intriguing promise (Bryan Johnson)

🚀 Weekly Outlier

This video by Data Slayer has 5.4M views, which is 36 times higher than the channel’s average. Here's why it took off:

Off-Grid & Encrypted: Private, long-range messaging without telecom networks? How is this possible?

Real-World Testing: The video goes beyond theory, putting Meshtastic through rigorous range tests.

Tech Made Simple: Breaks down complex hardware with clear, hands-on setup guides.

COURTREEZY is hiring a video editor
Josh Toonen is hiring a video designer
EverythingNowShow! is hiring a channel manager

How To Make $100K With Under 10K Followers

The Wall Street Journal reported that 48% of creators made less than $15,000 last year.

But here’s the thing: this doesn’t always apply to creators who make educational videos.

In fact, 43% of education creators who earn over $100K annually have under 10K followers.

That’s according to Thinkific’s 2025 Expert Economy Insider Report.

The new report breaks down what top creators, coaches, and educators are doing differently to grow and monetize — without needing tons of subscribers.

The report includes:

Tools to grow and sustain revenue

Why less followers can be a strength

How community creates business

Download the free report here to learn more.

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From Reddit to Movie Theaters?