The Create Unknown cover art

The Create Unknown

The Create Unknown

Written by: Unknown Media & Studio71
Listen for free

About this listen

 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
  • Slop is Becoming Infectious

    Slop is Becoming Infectious
    Jan 9 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 take on the most recent point of contention in the cultural zeitgeist, but it’s one nobody can seem to define: SLOP. We dive into what that means, and why Microsoft’s CEO is asking people to stop using the term in reference to AI altogether. We start by finding out what “AI slop” really is. Is it just low-effort content, or is it something more specific? From there, we look at a growing category of derivative content and AI performances from celebrities who didn’t give their consent. Is this just playful remixing, or hollow exploitation? That leads us to a retrospective on the types of slop that existed BEFORE AI, and we come to the conclusion that slop might not be an entirely new concept. We also explore how firsthand experience creates a kind of value that can’t be synthesized. What happens when creators stop living and start only reacting? When opinions are outsourced, takes are recycled, and even something as simple as criticism becomes secondhand, does originality still stand a chance? By the end, we’re left with an uncomfortable realization about the population’s appetite for slop. So… what’s the responsibility of creators in that environment? Is the only real “anti-slop” strategy leaning into experiences that can’t be copied? We’ll be back next week, big thanks to our patrons for your support! 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: http://discord.gg/tcu 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
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 46 mins
  • Can Youtubers Retire Without Being Hated?

    Can Youtubers Retire Without Being Hated?
    Jan 2 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 dig into what it really means to survive on YouTube long-term, and what happens when the grind that built a channel starts pushing back. We kick things off with a little departure, though, by wondering where gaming is actually headed, whether Kevin’s traditional controllers are quietly becoming a generational artifact, and why some hyped technologies never quite stick. From there, the conversation turns to a question many veteran creators eventually face: what does “retiring” even mean on YouTube? After more than a decade of independence, what options are left? Is the platform truly different from traditional media, or does it come with the same hard choices in the end? We talk about the physical and mental toll of constant creation, the harsh reality of aging into injuries and responsibilities, and why scaling up a channel might actually make life HARDER instead of easier. When you hire help, are you buying your freedom? Or are you signing up to become a full-time manager? We also confront the tension between audience expectations and human limits. Why do creators get treated like they should perform forever, on demand? And why do educational channels, in particular, seem trapped between staying independent and meeting impossible standards? Well, there are a lot of branching paths, but by the end we map out the real ways forward for any full-time content creator. Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back soon! 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: http://discord.gg/tcu 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
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 34 mins
  • The Expiration Date on Creativity

    The Expiration Date on Creativity
    Dec 19 2025
    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 start with a strange milestone: Kevin takes his first-ever vacation at 42. But his time off wasn’t filled with sandy beaches or sunshine – in fact, it didn’t include any travel at all. We kick things off by finding out what he was really up to, and the answer makes us ask ourselves, what happens when your body forces you to slow down? From there, we dig into the reality of always being “on,” especially when work never sleeps. What does constant availability do to creative focus? And why does halting creative output start to feel less like rest and more like withdrawal? That leads us to a piece of advice given years ago by a media legend: that creatives have a narrow window to produce their best work. Is that true? Or is it just fear dressed up as wisdom? We explore how age, health, relationships, and stability quietly reshape creative lives, and why so many artists seem to unravel right around the same time. By the end, we’re left with a much bigger question: is creativity something you race against time to extract, or is it something that evolves if you survive long enough to understand it? Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back soon! 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: http://discord.gg/tcu 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
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 24 mins
No reviews yet