The Create Unknown Podcast By Unknown Media & Studio71 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
  • Reality is Dead

    Reality is Dead
    Mar 20 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 Kevin kicks things off by revealing to us his recent feelings of UTTER DEFEAT, and that leads us to a pretty important question…what happens when people stop engaging with reality altogether? He describes for us a recent incident that transcended simply arguing opinions into debating the very fabric of reality itself. When basic relevance becomes the debate, where do you even start? We take that tension and channel it into a dissection of some recent studies into early education that suggest a sharp decline in basic childhood skills, specifically highlighting kids who… can’t use the bathroom on their own. If children are struggling with things that used to be automatic, what changed? Is it technology? Is it shoddy parenting? Or is it something deeper? From there, the conversation turns to Timothée Chalamet’s recent analysis of Hollywood, opera, and ballet. People are up in arms, but… what did he ACTUALLY say? And why did it spark such a strong reaction? After that, we dive back into our conversation on the idea of “zombie art forms”—creative mediums that persist, but only through institutional support. Is that preservation, or is it just a slow decay? And when people reacted to Chalamet, were they responding to his point of view, or was it a knee-jerk reaction to something else entirely? We round things out by taking a bird’s eye view on culture at large. If certain cultural institutions are shrinking, is that a failure of the medium, or just a natural tendency for change? We’re also left wondering… if people claim to want more accessibility for the arts… would they actually like what that looks like? Or does mass appeal destroy the very thing they value? 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: 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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    2 hrs and 22 mins
  • Smiling Friends Is Over.

    Smiling Friends Is Over.
    Mar 13 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 We kick off today’s episode with a recap of Matt’s most recent trip abroad, and the strong opinions he brought back with him about…McDonalds’ newest burger. After our extensive Big Arch review, we get a little somber as we discuss the passing of author Dan Simmons. Kevin reflects on how Simmons reignited his love of reading, and how Simmons’ legacy is a sobering reminder that we all still have plenty of time to create. Then we turn our attention to some shocking news: Smiling Friends is ending its historic run after just three seasons. That makes us ask ourselves… why end a beloved show with such widespread acclaim, seemingly at its peak? Is it better to walk away early and on top rather than roll the dice on a slow decline? As we mull that over, we broaden our horizons a little bit. Is there a reason why some shows fade into self-parody while others end on their own terms? Is the typical American model of running successful shows indefinitely actually WORSE for quality than the shorter British approach? And what happens when creators remain deeply involved instead of handing a series off to a larger machine? This takes us straight into a near-surgical examination of fandoms and the pressures they can provide. When every popular show becomes a battleground for online takes, speculation, and moral panic, how do creators stay focused on the work itself? Even as Smiling Friends comes to a close, we discuss how this is probably just the beginning for everyone who was involved. If the team behind it brought this level of craft and perspective to animation, what could they do next? Comedy? Horror? Something completely unexpected? Thanks so much 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: 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 42 mins
  • Writing is Dumb.

    Writing is Dumb.
    Feb 20 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 As Matt recovers from an illness he likely picked up at some auction for 19th century farm equipment, Kevin flies solo to give us some new insights on his ongoing novel “Sleep Warrior.” To be more specific, he’s cracking down on why most writing advice doesn’t survive contact with a complicated book, and why tips from fellow authors often fall flat. We take some time for a deep dive into the plethora of writing structures and methods out there, which leads us to a bigger question: why do so many authors struggle to finish their books? Well, Kevin thinks he has a solution. He introduces us to his “sandbox theory” that just might reveal the root cause of what’s bogging all these writers down. On a more candid note, Kevin talks about how the pace of his writing has changed over the last few months, and how a recent discovery completely changed his perspective on his entire workflow. After that, we confirm a hotly contested issue as a universal truth: LENGTH MATTERS…in writing books, that is. That takes us into an analysis of Brandon Sanderson’s advice, and how it completely flipped the way Kevin views the relationship between the reader and every chapter of a story. We round things off with a sobering question: Who cares? Is writing fiction in 2026 completely irrational? But, perhaps more importantly and in spite of all that…why doesn’t Kevin care? Thanks so much 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: 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 4 mins
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