Welcome to Created, the newsletter that’s more jam packed than a theater during the Minecraft movie. Here's what we got today:

How creators helped Minecraft break box office records
Inside Nas Daily’s creator hotel in Dubai
Best thumbnails on YouTube

How YouTubers Helped A Minecraft Movie Make $300M

A Minecraft Movie just had the biggest box office opening of 2025 — and YouTubers are a big reason why.

Opening Weekend Stats

$313.7M global box office

Biggest video game movie opening ever (beating Super Mario Bros)

Warner Bros’ best Saturday in history ($60M — beating Barbie)

Jack Black & Jason Momoa’s biggest opening of their careers

Playing The YouTube Game

Minecraft isn’t just a game. With a mind-boggling 1.5 trillion YouTube views — it's the most watched video game of all time.

Creators like Dream and TommyInnit built empires from Minecraft gameplay alongside feature length "fan films."

Warner Bros leaned into this. Hard. They made A Minecraft Movie a love letter to the community with:

Cameos from YouTubers DanTDM, Aphmau, Mumbo Jumbo, and LDShadowLady
Tribute to Technoblade's passing with an in-movie easter egg.
TikTok and YouTube activations with creator reactions, BTS, and memeable moments.

It Worked...Almost Too Well.

In one viral moment from the movie, Jack Black’s character yells “chicken jockey!” — a deep Minecraft reference.

Fans lost it: screaming, quoting lines, hurling popcorn, and posting it all on TikTok.

Some theaters got so chaotic they had to call the police.

Our Take

Barbie walked so Minecraft could run.

Yeah, yeah...a doll with 65 years of brand loyalty is cool. But you know what's really cool?

A video game with trillions of views and millions of devoted YouTubers.

Warner Bros didn’t just bet on a popular game. They bet on an over decade-long community that already knew the lore, jokes, and memes. And it worked.

Expect more studios to look at the YouTube communities of a brand when deciding to bankroll their next major movie.

Why Nas Daily Built A Hotel For Creators

According to Nas Daily (aka Nuseir Yassin), traditional hotels "aren’t built for community.”

So he built his own: Nas House.

I recently visited the 30-room, creator-friendly villa complex in the heart of Dubai.

What I Saw in Dubai:

6 villas and 30 rooms, designed for both short stays and creative work
Central garden for IRL collabs
Co-working spaces, production studio, gym, and yes..a cat room

The Bigger Trend:

With YouTube Spaces shut down, creators and brands are filling the gap — building places made for creators, by creators.

Whalar’s Lighthouse offers co-working and events like Will Smith's recent collab day with creators.

Dude Perfect told me they're working on a space next to their studio for creators.
Alan Chikin Chow opened his own production studio for creators in LA.
EYstreem is building a multimillion-dollar studio in Melbourne

Our Take

Nas is doing something different. He’s blending travel, content, and ownership in one of the fastest-growing creator hubs in the world: Dubai.

His rate is ~$100/night or $10K/year to become a founding member to profit share.

As Nas says: "It is designed to get you to meet people."

Because honestly, the best way to scale your creative business…is to get in the room with the right people.

And Nas House wants to be that room.

🎯 Weekly Roundup: YouTube Thumbnails

Why we love these YT thumbnails:

The overhead shot and framing validate the "cinematic" text (Andrew)
Jet-powered swing + wild expression stops your scroll (I did a thing)
Turning glue into alcohol? The transformation alone makes you click (NileRed)
Screen time + floating icons makes you wonder about your habits (Gohar Khan)

🚀 Weekly Outlier

This video by Phil Edwards has 1.3M views, which is 5.4 times higher than the channel’s average. Here's why it took off:

Fresh Angle: Reveals the hidden economy behind Street View by looking down instead of around.

Deep Investigation: Goes beyond casual exploration by uncovering why people upload Street View images.

Global Yet Personal: Blends big trends with firsthand stories from explorers and businesses.

Jeremy Hutchins is hiring a lead editor
Lael Hansen is hiring a thumbnail designer
Anna McNulty is hiring a creative director

How I Went From Corporate To Creator

I spent 8 years at YouTube and Instagram helping other creators grow before trying it myself.

My biggest question: Where do I even start?

That’s exactly what we’re answering at Circle’s Creator Path Summit — a free, two-day virtual event happening on April 15 & 16.

In my session, I’ll break down how I went from working at YT and IG to building my own channel, brand, and business from scratch.

You’ll also learn:

How to turn followers into paying customers

How to master your on-camera presence

How to grow a high-ticket cohort program with real results

It’s packed with honest, behind-the-scenes stories from 10+ creators who’ve made the jump and built thriving businesses doing it.

It’s free to join — save your spot here.

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- Jon

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The $300M Pay Day