Terrible Mistake

Welcome to Created, the newsletter that loves creators...unlike a certain slushie brand. Here's what we got today:

• 7-Eleven fired a popular YouTuber
• MoistCr1TiKaL's "Goodbye" prank
• Thumbnail roundup

7-Eleven Fired a YouTuber…Then He Blew Up

A 7-Eleven employee got millions of views for vlogging his job. Then they fired him.

It's not just a bad look for the convenience store...it highlights a key lesson when hiring Gen Z.

Wait, What Happened?

IanOnYouTube, an up-and-coming creator, was vlogging his job at 7-Eleven.

Then, 7-Eleven fired him. Their reason? He posted himself drinking a non-alcoholic beer on the job. Ouch.

Goodbye Job, Hello Views

Ian made a video about being fired, which?racked up 1.9M views. Fans even sent donations and commented:

• "All of his videos were about how good 7/11 has been to him, how good a place it is to work...and they fire him."

In two weeks, Ian's YouTube channel exploded to 213,000 subscribers.

Did 7-Eleven Regret It?

Kinda. They?re-hired Ian?part-time…but still won't let him film.

The Corporate Playbook

Brands have two choices when an employee goes viral: lean in or shut it down.

• Dumb: Sherwin-Williams fired an employee?for making viral paint-mixing videos. He then?got hired by a competitor?who embraced his content.
• Smart: Dunkin’ did the opposite. They?built a program?paying employees to post behind-the-scenes TikToks.
• Really Smart: Papa Johns leaned into Dough Joe, a Papa Johns cook who went viral and made him the brand's official ambassador.

7-Eleven struck marketing gold with Ian but melted their chances like a day-old slushie.

Our Take

Dinosaur alert. C'mon, 7-Eleven. You're better than this.

This is a warning to any company with employees who want to be influencers...which will be many companies as Gen Z joins the workforce. Ian wasn’t just an employee. He was a brand advocate. A face to the faceless brand.

Brands like Dunkin', who embrace the Ians of the world, get free marketing. Brands like 7-Eleven, who fire them, end up losing the marketing...or worse, see their competitors benefiting.

MoistCr1TiKaL Trolls YouTube with Fake Retirement

And the award of YouTube's best prank of 2025 so far goes to...MoistCr1TiKaL aka Charlie White Jr.

He recently staged his own retirement only to return with a few surprises.

The Setup

A few days ago, Charlie dropped a dramatic video titled “Saying Goodbye.”

The video had an emotional sendoff, a small orchestra, YouTube legend Ray William Johnson, and, most importantly, T-Pain stepping in as his replacement.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because Season 2 is going to be even better,” Charlie said before handing the channel over to T-Pain.

The internet exploded with questions: was Charlie actually quitting? Was this just an elaborate promo? Did T-Pain buy him too many drinks?

The Reveal

The next day, a?new video?had T-Pain fully in character as MoistCr1TiKaL.

Just as theories swirled, Charlie came back with?another upload?to explain everything.

Or rather, explain nothing.

“What does it all mean? Just like getting an ‘I love you’ from a stripper, it was meaningless," Charlie said.

Turns out, the entire thing was just a pointless, expensive troll. No vacation, no break, no grand scheme. Just MoistCr1TiKaL spending a fortune to fully commit to the bit.

Our Take

MoistCr1TiKaL’s joke reminds us that sometimes the best way to keep an audience engaged is to mess with expectations.

Creators often stage big stunts for brand deals, algorithm hacks, or hype-building. Charlie did it just because.

And honestly? It worked. The three videos on his 'retirement' racked up over 15M views, proving that even after 18 years, Charlie still knows how to keep fans guessing.

?? Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails

Here's why we love these YT thumbnails. Hopefully they inspire your next one.

1. Cozy, well-designed small space makes you curious how she lives there (NEVER TOO SMALL)
2. Playful text + dramatic pose stops your scroll (tatsuki)
3. Electrified Final Cut icon catches your attention (Dylan John)
4. Engaging way to make digital items look more physical (finzar)

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Powered by YT Jobs

Job Board

• Kwebbelkop is looking for a YouTube production optimization manager
• Mr.ChimeTime is looking for a video editor
• Andrew Keyman is looking for a thumbnail designer

?? See You Inside

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After all, nothing great is created alone. Talk soon,

Jon