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How KreekCraft Turned Daily Uploads Into 7 Billion Views

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We sit down with KreekCraft to trace the real path from daily Minecraft uploads to becoming the biggest Roblox creator on YouTube, including the unsexy grind, the streaming breakthroughs, and the moments that changed everything. We also dig into platform fatigue, thumbnail psychology, Roblox safety headlines, and what a future pivot to GTA 6 could look like when you are already on top.

• early setbacks with jobs and why YouTube Gaming streaming becomes the turning point 
• how to stream to small audiences and keep the energy consistent by hiding viewer counts 
• the nostalgia of intimate chats and what scale takes away from community 
• thinking through a GTA 6 second channel and serving an older audience without breaking the main brand 
• why Roblox feels more corporate and how that affects creator motivation 
• the wig backstory and the surprising data behind green screen thumbnails 
• how A B testing titles and thumbnails beats “rules” about what should work 
• what a day looks like when shorts, streams, and news turn gaming into a 24 7 job 
• building systems like an outage alarm and responding fast when the platform changes 
• how safety news impacts deals and even derails major opportunities 
• burnout, goals after big milestones, and planning a life beyond daily uploads

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Welcome And Roblox By The Numbers

SPEAKER_00

This is Quickcraft. He has almost 17 million subscribers with 7 billion views. He's the largest Roblox content creator on YouTube, but it wasn't always that way. He started off uploading every single day, and now he dominates shorts, longs, and live streams.

SPEAKER_02

A report came out, it's bigger than PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam put together. I've never thought about quitting Roblox before, but like, you know, it's something that like people have had conversations with just because of like the state of the platform at the moment. If someone was like, you can maintain the same level of success doing GTA sticks, then all you gotta do is push this button. Button push. The green screen thumbnail wins 99% of the time. I don't know why. It tells nothing about the video. It has no relevance to the video. It's literally just me staring at the camera. It goes against every YouTube rule ever, but it works. Presidential election. I was going to have both of the candidates on my stream.

SPEAKER_00

What? You're about to learn about all of that, his past, present, and future in this episode. Hey, welcome back to the only podcast that loves to row some blocks. I'm Travis, and I'm here with ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, the largest Roblox channel on YouTube, the guy. The only one you want to know about, you want to talk to if you're talking Roblox on YouTube, Kreecraft. Welcome to the video. Hello. Hello.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00

That was an awesome little intro there. I try. I try my best. With 16, almost 17 million subscribers, 7 billion views. This is not like that's with a B, by the way. At one point I was thinking, is that trillion? Like I have to count the numbers because there's so many numbers between those views. You have done what so many people want to do. Now the thing is, um, when I did research for kind of this, I knew that Roblox was big, but I didn't know how big Roblox as a game was. So I did a little research. And there's over 300 million monthly gamers playing this game every month. Like 300 million.

SPEAKER_02

To put it into perspective, um, a report came out. It's bigger than PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam put together in terms of like players. Yeah.

Early Years And The Long Grind

SPEAKER_00

My mind is blown. I'm a gamer myself. I I've never tried Roblox. Um, so I I'm when I when I heard you were you know wanting to come on, I was super excited to learn more about it. So let's get into it. Let's start before like we know where you are now, but we we're gonna get there. Let's start at the beginning. Let's rewind a couple of years. Who was Creecraft before YouTube and before streaming and before any of that? Who was Creecraft?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so uh, I mean, I I've always been like a huge gamer growing up and stuff. I couldn't play sports due to uh like eye injuries and stuff. So like I gravitated towards video games and gaming. And uh originally I was going to college or wanted to go to college for like computer science and programming because I wanted to make video games. Um and then I graduated high school and I I could never get a like I couldn't find a job because you have to have experience to get experience. Like not even like Walmart like accepted me at the time. I'm like, what the heck, guys? Like like I I I I had like a three point like eight GPA, like it was I graduated really good. Yeah, yeah. Um, but yeah, no, couldn't get a job. So um I started making uh well, I was already making YouTube videos, just Minecraft mods and stuff like that, just for fun. But like that's when I was like, okay, well, I can't do anything else. YouTube just launched YouTube gaming, which was its own separate gaming live platform at the time. I'm like, I'm just gonna like, I don't have anything else to do. I might as well just like stream, you know. I didn't think it was gonna take off or anything. I was literally just bored during the winter. It was like Christmas break and all that. College was out, and uh I was like, I might as well just start streaming. So I started streaming and that just kind of like blew up. And like up until then, I had gotten like you know, the checks in the mail, and it was like, you know, a few dollars here or there, but like that check came in and it was like, oh, I can do this as like a job, like this might be a thing, yeah. Um, and so I just kept going with it.

SPEAKER_00

And how long did it take to get the check where you're like, oh, this actually could be a thing. I assume like for it was a while, the struggle of like no views and stuff. Um talk about that too.

SPEAKER_02

I was making videos, I made a new video. It was like a Minecraft mod spotlight pretty much every day for two years straight. And I think at the end of those two years, I had like 2,000 subs, maybe around around that. Um, but like it wasn't anything like more than I guess like a hobby or something like that at that point. Yeah. Um, and then yeah, I started streaming and like that just kind of like catapulted my growth at the time. And uh, you know, a lot of new subscribers, viewers, um, obviously like donations and stuff with streaming. So like that, that kind of was like, oh, okay, I can I can do this.

Streaming With Tiny Audiences

SPEAKER_00

The cool thing, so streaming is fun. Like, uh, I've live streamed many times and many different platforms, many people, and it's really fun. It's also great that you generally speaking don't have to edit it afterwards, which is great. I yeah, it's the best thing. But I know the a lot of uh creators, we people writing in all the time, like they want to be game streamers, and and you're very successful at it. Um But when you first start out, sometimes almost no one shows up. Can you talk about what it's like to stream to one or two people or or like what you're supposed to do strategically? Because right now, when you stream, like there's thousands upon thousands of people watching your stream. So you're always having something interactive happening. It's easier because there's always something happening. But what if like no one shows up? What was that like uh at the beginning for you?

SPEAKER_02

I think when I first like my first stream, I think I had like 10 or 12 viewers, like that was like the baseline, I think. Um it was it it's it's a lot different. You know, it's it's funny. I always talk about this because like now, whenever I stream, the chat is just a wave of comments, yeah. And it's like that's really all it is at the time is like a wave of comments. Yeah, there's nothing more to it. But like whenever I was starting out, a lot of these viewers like I recognize that name, I recognize that profile picture. I know this person. They were here yesterday, they were here two days ago, and so like you kind of like that's kind of the magical part about streaming is you do get like a little bit of a deeper connection rather than just like playing an eight-minute or 10-minute video. And so, like a lot of those people, it's like, oh, this is fun, this is exciting. We're kind of hanging out, playing, talking. And then like those people come back, you know, they tell their friends, and then just kind of like builds up over time. So, like to answer your question, I would say, like, you know, whether it's one person, two people, three people, it's like you kind of have to treat it all the same. Um, because like if you're less, you know, if you don't interact with the two people, then they're not gonna come back. And then, you know, it's just gonna keep going. Like, I I I hide my viewer count on stream whenever I'm streaming. I don't look at it ever. Because like something I noticed I did was whenever it whenever whenever it would go down, which it does during a stream, sure. It'd be like, oh man, and that lower the energy level of the stream. But if it starts going up, well now it's like, oh my god, this is the greatest thing ever. How's everybody doing? You know, like and it's like I don't like that. So I just I it's just no matter I don't look at it, I don't have it up. It's just constantly the same no matter what, you know?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I like that. What do you think about the because you talked about like the intimacy of the the one or two people you used to know? Do you miss any of that? Is there something that's like it's kind of quaint or kind of nostalgic about the the less people but more engaged?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's it's it's weird because like I know, like I'll get messages all the time. Oh, I've watched you for two years straight, and I'll watch the streams every day, and it's like I I never see that person. I like it, it's not like you know, it's like cool, thank you. Um, I appreciate it, but like I never actually see them beyond that message because the chat's just constantly flying. Like, I remember I started streaming, it was right when uh The Force Awakens had come out. Like, I remember we had like an in-depth conversation about Star Wars and all, like, literally two hours straight, just a group of people having like Star Wars conversation. Obviously, like that can't happen now because there's so many people that you lose that uh, you know, that kind of connection. Do you miss that at all? Are you okay with just the new normal? I do. It's very nostalgic. It's like a simpler time, you know. It's part of that made it very fun seeing like the same people come back because it was like, and like a lot of these people, like I, you know, the the people that started out in the chat, 10, 12 viewers, like I I know these people now, like like they were you know, like we're friends now. Um, a lot of them are in college, some of them have like kids now, which is crazy. Um, so there is like that like deeper connection there um that I I just don't get anymore, um, which does kind of kind of suck.

SPEAKER_00

And the thing is is that you also have a very distinct voice. So, you know, I was thinking as you're talking about this, wouldn't it be cool if you started kind of a faceless channel and just you know did it on the side every once? I know you probably don't have time for that, but just as like a little lark. But I don't think you can get away with it. Like it wouldn't take long before someone's like, I think that's creekcraft.

GTA 6 And Escaping The Box

SPEAKER_02

One of my friends tried this. I think it was like uh I think it was just over two hours of streaming. Someone have was like, Oh my god, wait, are you you sound like this other person? So like, yeah, I I've thought about it with GTA coming out. It's like, well, you know, maybe that is the move there. So like it's something on the table.

SPEAKER_00

I'm glad you brought that up because I am super excited for what will be the largest, perhaps one of the largest games in video game history as far as sales. I'm sure it will be. GTA 6 is about to come out. You definitely could could have a lane there, but I don't think you would put it on your main channel, right? Like you'd have another channel for it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. It'd definitely be like its own separate channel for sure.

SPEAKER_00

And is it something that you're taking into consideration like legitimately, like I really want to do this?

SPEAKER_02

Or yeah, there's a few elements to this. Number one, just from like a business standpoint, you're right, it's gonna be the biggest thing in gaming history up to this point. It'd be stupid not to do something with it. Um, and also, like, I'm a huge gamer, I'm legitimately excited for it. So, like, there's that element, like, okay, I want to play around with it, but there's also the element of like, I've done everything there is to do in the Roblox space. It's I was about to ask that, yeah. For years, like, you know, you wake up and it's like the big motivating goal is climbing the mountain, getting the 10 million diamond play button, and like all this. And it's like, I've done all that. There's not really like some big goal to look forward to or work towards anymore. It's like I'm just side questing at this point. And uh, and so you do kind of lose a little bit of that motivation. And so it's like, well, GTA, like, okay, this is something a little bit new, something a little bit different. I can throw my my um you know, attention to efforts behind, play around with it, try it out, that sort of thing. Um, and then the other element is Roblox kind of sucks right now, and uh and there's a part of me that's like it's like I'm still having fun with it, but it's like you know, like I I've never thought about quitting Roblox before, but like, you know, it's something that like people have had conversations with just because of like the state of the platform at the moment.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, there's a lot so Roblox has been in the news a lot, obviously. And you know, I do want to I would do want to touch on this slightly, but before I do that, I'm I I'm really interested in this UTA thing because what would your strategy be? Like, would you promote it at all from your main channel? Would you would this be a whole new thing? What how would you do it?

SPEAKER_02

So there's like a section of viewers, and I feel like everyone gets to this point eventually. So it's like I started with Minecraft. Those were probably kids. That was like 10 years ago. If they were 10 then, they're 20 now. Another big element to my channel was Piggy in 2020. The Roblox game called Piggy really blew up the channel. I think we got like three million subs in two months. It was insane. Oh my god. Um, it was like a combination of that game being popular and obviously the pandemic. And so, like, a lot of those kids are now adults. And so, like, I still play Roblox, which is predominantly a kid's game. So it's like there's a lot, there's a section of viewers that's like, I'm not a kid anymore. I understand you're like, like, I'm not the kiddiest content creator, but like obviously I'm very family friendly, you know, that sort of stuff. So, like, there there is a section of people that's like, I want more mature content out of you now. And so, like, this is a path into that. So, like, I would be like, hey guys, if uh, you know, if you like Grand Theft Auto, here you go. Um, don't tell your parents. Um, but yeah, I I wouldn't promote it that much. It would definitely be like a thing I'd talk about at the beginning, like, oh guys, I made this channel. Go check it out if you want to, if you know, if that's what you're looking for. There's a part of me that thinks everyone's gonna be on it anyway, whether you're a kid or not. Because I remember being 10 years old, you know, hey mom, can I get GTA 4? What happens in that game? Oh, you just drive around, just drive around the kid drive. She comes in the room, you're just like minding the traffic rules, stopping the red light, everything. You know? Um I I feel like we're gonna get another segment of that. So like it probably doesn't even matter, but but yeah, no, it's it's something that like older fans have asked for.

SPEAKER_00

I love this the idea that you don't feel like you're so tied to what has made you successful. I think you're probably at the point also where um you don't need to do this anymore if you didn't want to. Yeah. And you could go after passion projects more.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's definitely. I I was literally talking about this on stream yesterday. I was like, a lot of like content creators, they put themselves in like a box of their game. Um, you know, whether it's like Fortnite streamers or, you know, Roblox streamers or anything like that. And it's like a lot of people can't really get out of that box because that is their, you know, that's what they've built themselves up around. Me, like, you know, I am in a position where like if I really wanted to just say, you know, screw Roblox, I'm out, I could do that. You know, is it the greatest business decision? No, but like I could do it, I could make it work, it's fine. Um, you know, it it that is that is something that's you know, there is that red emergency button there if I ever get it. Are you still?

SPEAKER_00

I feel like this is really in your mind and in the forefront of your mind, just as you speak about it. Um, how long is this kind of whole thing about Roblox and maybe wanting to pivot into something else been on your mind?

SPEAKER_02

The the reason I got so far big into Minecraft is like the community surrounding it, it was like very like it wasn't just me making videos on it. It was like I was part of this community. And when I got into Roblox, it was like the same thing. There was this like community aspect to it of like everyone's kind of on the same team, everyone's happy, having fun. Even like Roblox as a company was like, you know, it felt like a friend kind of thing, right? And then obviously, like over the years, they've I don't want to turn this into a Roblox podcast. Okay, so let's talk about it. They they Roblox has gotten very, very corporate, and the decisions that they've made are like directly going against like what players want, what benefits players, what benefits content creators. It's very like corporate driven, money driven, and as a result, it's like I'm not having as much fun anymore. And obviously, that's not even mentioning all the safety stuff that everyone's heard about in the news, right? But like my fun levels are waning, and like Roblox doesn't seem to be doing anything or like going in the right direction. So it's like, you know, it's if I if if someone was like you can maintain the same level of success doing GTA 6, and all you gotta do is push this butt buttons pushed.

SPEAKER_00

You know, yeah, I feel like you could I feel like that that would be the case, especially in the first couple of months, because it's gonna be a ravenous, everyone's gonna want to see it. Because the other buttonside of this is PC gamers like myself aren't getting it for like a year. So we're gonna have to live vicariously through you guys.

SPEAKER_02

That's actually been a question because it's like, what would I make videos on on GTA sex? Because like everyone's gonna be doing story mode. Like, no one's gonna want to, like, you know, every streamer is gonna be playing that. So it's like, what do you do? You there's not gonna be mods, you're not gonna have the role play servers because PC ain't out yet. So, like, content is gonna be extremely limited until the PC version comes out. So it's like, what do you do? You know?

Wig Lore And Click Secrets

SPEAKER_00

Well, I think uh just the the initial gr of like just like anything else, the initial boom of interest will will make it easy. Plus, you have the name. So talk to me. Let's talk, let's, let's, let's roleplay here for a second. Let's make that channel right now. What do we call it? Are you using the same, you know, your same face with the same are you wearing something different? Like, let's go through it. Let's let's talk about it.

SPEAKER_02

I've thought about I thought about like doing a uh so that this was something that someone brought to me. So, like obviously, this this actually is not my real hair. Um, it is it? It is not. I am wearing a wig right now. The reason I'll explain the reason why. I'll real quick side tangent. I'll explain the reason why. All right. A few years ago, um that this actually we'll go back even further than that. So like Minecraft days, I was streaming Minecraft. I had probably like, if you've seen Doctor Who, 11th doctor, Matt Smith, my hair was like that. I hit a sub goal, I dyed my hair blue. So up until that point, my viewership, it was like 60% male, 40% female, which everyone was like, oh my god, that's an extremely high female audience for a like male content creator. I dyed my hair blue, I lost 15% female viewership. Um I lost viewers for dyeing my hair. And I'm like, oh, okay. So I gotta be careful doing stuff like this. So a few years ago, I shaved my head bald. I hit a sub goal, I shaved my head bald. I found out that uh kids don't like clicking on bald people as much as they like clicking on people with hair. So I was like, I'm gonna buy a wig on Amazon that looks similar enough to my actual old hair that people wouldn't be able to like immediately notice, especially with the hat and everything. And uh it became click-through rate went back up, so we're good there. But uh also it became like a running gag of like, oh my god, a creek wears a wig because he's he's old and balding now, you know, because I'm 29 and I'm almost to the retirement home. Um and so it's it's just part of the channel at this point. And so someone was like, when you do GTA, instead of wearing a blonde wig, what if you wear a black wig? Because you're like mature enough to Savage. Yeah, I'm like, yeah, I don't know about that. Um, it it'd probably be the same thing. I'd call it like, I don't know, Creek GTA or Kreecraft GTA or something like that. I don't, I don't know, something like that. Um what would I do? I actually just had this conversation with my manager. Like, what would the content be? So, like in Roblox, I do like news and stuff. That's like kind of like what I'm known for at this point. Um I I think I could fulfill like that role pretty easily with GTA of like, you know, news and kind of like what's happening. And I think in the beginning, there's definitely gonna be that big boom of like, how do you unlock this? How do you get this? Guides, tutorials, walkthroughs, that sort of stuff. Because like a big element is how do I do that while also still doing what I do now? Because I already don't have a lot of time. So it's like, what can we do that's like okay, we have someone else record the gameplay, I talk over it, um, someone else edits it, uh, edits it so like that then I don't have to, that's not a huge time commitment for me. So it's like, what can I do that would be a good idea to do legitimately, but also something that I have time to do? And that's kind of what we're figuring out now.

What Finally Made Growth Happen

SPEAKER_00

Man, I can't wait to see what happens there because I'm gonna be watching content for GTA 6, like I said, living vicariously through the console gamers. So I'll be watching Creek GTA or whatever you call it in the future. Um, real quick, let's go back to a little bit back to when you were just kind of things were starting to pop off. What did you notice about the things that you did before things worked and then the things started working? Was there was there an unlock? Was it something you did? Like, for example, you just talked about your hair color for GTA CTR and stuff later on. But earlier on, when you were making content and it wasn't going anywhere, what was the difference between that and the content when you started making it and it started going somewhere?

SPEAKER_02

So, like with the mod reviews, I would kind of just like browse the Minecraft forums and be like, oh, this is a cool mod. I'm gonna make a video on it. And like what you know, after like two years of doing that, there was definitely definitely an element of like you could do that, but some mods are inherently more popular than others. So if I make videos on the Trinity ones or or something like that, those get more views. Um one of my the the big, I guess like blow-up uh point for me was I made a go and the Doctor Who, I made a video on a Doctor Who Minecraft mod, and it had gotten like a hundred thousand views, which was pretty insane at the time. And so like that's how I got a YouTube partner manager. They reached out and they're like, you know, your video blew up, like we want to work with you, that sort of thing. And they're the ones who recommended starting streaming. Um And so like at that time it was like, okay, so if I make videos on like kind of what people are searching for, then that's gonna get more views. Like some other random thing, you know, like obviously as you get bigger, you know, your name alone kind of carries weight to a degree. So like, you know, that that rule doesn't really apply in the same weight as it did, you know, whenever I was super small. But um, that was kind of like the big through line I I learned there. And then of course, um, you know, thumbnails and yeah, the things that everyone else talks about.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. But I I think it's interesting because um you're a younger guy, and uh we're talking about this, and I think some people as they're listening to this are thinking, oh, you must have been on YouTube for like five or six years. No, I mean you've been on there for over 12 years. You you have been the grind you've been grinding for years. And it took, like you said, it took you over two years to get the first breakout. Um, when did this really become a business? How long after you kind of started, would it become like a business where you hired somebody and now like you're getting tons of views? Like, how long did that take?

SPEAKER_02

You know, it's funny. I I hired someone for the first time two years ago. Up until two years ago, I did everything myself. Everything I get that I get everything, I get that reaction a lot. Um insane. I know. I yeah, it's so like the thing, and even on the main channel, I still do everything myself. Um really it's the it's yeah, it's the side channels that I have people doing stuff. Because like I I've tried like getting like like because if you hire people, then you have to be on a schedule. Like you have to send this per like this video to this person. This editor works from this time to this time. It's like I don't operate like that. Like I wake up and it's like, oh, that stream I'd planned later today. You know what? I actually I just decided I hate it. I'm doing this instead. Um, and so like there'll be times where I don't know what I'm streaming until like literally I press the go live button because like I I'm a very sporadic person. Maybe I have ADHD or something. I don't know. But like literally, like that's how my main channel operates. And to a degree, it kind of has to because so much of my content now is news, and it's like like whenever I travel, most people, YouTubers, they'll just pre-record. I can't pre-record news, it hasn't happened yet. So, like, um, yeah, on the main channel, I like doing everything myself because it allows me to be super sporadic and just do whatever I want whenever I want to do it. But like on the main channel or the other channels, I do have like a team of like editors and stuff like that. To answer your question, though, of like when did it officially become like a business business? Um, so like into 2015, I started streaming Minecraft. Um, obviously, I couldn't really stream Minecraft mod spotlights, so I did like PvP on like Hypixel and Mindplex and stuff like that. And then over the course of like half a year, Minecraft kind of dipped in viewership on YouTube. This was like before the dream era and all that. And like Roblox was on the up and up, and there were so many people in my chat, like, Creek, play Roblox, check it out. And I'm like, no, bro, I ain't playing no dumb kids game. You know me over here with Minecraft. Uh, and then I played it, and the first game I played on Roblox was Phantom Forces, which is basically like Battlefield and in Roblox. Wow. And I was like, oh, this is actually kind of cool. So like slowly it was like Minecraft and Roblox, and then slowly Minecraft phased out, and now it's just Roblox. Um, and it was around that time that it was like, okay, so this is you know, this kind of is my job now.

SPEAKER_00

And this is now like your legacy, this main channel, which is also one of the reasons probably you you have a hard time letting go and letting other people contribute. Yeah. Which I gotta talk about that.

SPEAKER_02

I definitely agree. I've I have a problem with that. Like, I know, like, I could hire editors, but it's like the main channel videos, they're not really super edited anyway. It's just mainly cut. So it's like, I can do that. The thumbnails are literally just me staring at a green screen. I we can talk about that. That's a conversation to have.

SPEAKER_00

But let's look at that. So if anyone's watching, and my editor will put it on screen here. Um, 90% I'm looking at your channel right now. 90% of them are just you. Literally, what it looks like here on this YouTube video. Looking at the screen screen. That's it right there. This could be the thumbnail for this podcast. But then every once in a while, you'll have a very stylized thumbnail. Why do you do one versus the other?

SPEAKER_02

Okay, let me tell you this story. Okay, so in 2020, uh I basically just maimed this game on Roblox called Piggy. It was like the biggest thing. And I played that for like two years, and after two years, uh the game ended. Like that was the end, no more update. Like it's over. And I was like, oh crap, what am I gonna do now? I put myself in this on this boat, and the boat has sunk. Like, what do I do now? Um, and so I one day, I forget what happened. It was some big Roblox update. I made a video talking about it and it blew up, and I was like, oh, people like listening to me talk about stuff. Okay. Like, I have a big mouth, I can do this. Um and so I started making like videos talking about like Roblox news and updates, my opinion on stuff. Kind of like people call me the moist critical of Roblox, which is pre-apt, I guess. Um and yeah, so I started making videos like that, and they would have like actual thumbnails following actual guidelines and how you're supposed to actually make a YouTube thumbnail. And then one day uh I scheduled the video. I forgot to upload the thumbnail. Oh, so I woke up and the YouTube had defaulted the thumbnail to literally just me staring at the camera in front of the green screen. And the click-through rate was off the charts, and uh, it was like 12%. The normal was like seven to eight. Oh my god. I was like, what the heck? What is going on? I kept doing it and it kept working, and literally I have spent thousands of dollars on drawn thumbnails, the stupid Twitter tweet thumbnails that people do, every type of thumbnail imaginable. The green screen thumbnail wins 99% of the time. I don't know why. It tells nothing about the video, it has no relevance to the video. It's literally just me staring at the camera, but people click on the thing is not only do people click on it more, people watch the video longer from that thumbnail. And like, I don't understand why that is, because it's like it tells you nothing about the video, it's just me staring at the camera, but people click on it and watch it longer, like despite there being zero information about what they're clicking on. It goes against every YouTube rule ever, but it works.

SPEAKER_00

Your titles are a little bit the same way, they're very, they're very intriguing, but they also don't really tell you anything.

SPEAKER_02

The reason why is I so every video I'll A-B test, I'll make the title exactly what is like you know, talked about in the video. Um the the more dramatic, vague ones, uh, I guess clickbaity ones, I guess if you want to call it that, those win every time. And it's like, I don't know if it's because like the Roblox audience is like like younger and like this is like what they engage. Like, I don't know, because it shouldn't work, but it it works. Um, and like this is what people like why like you know, it like I don't it shouldn't work, but it does. Um, and so I I I keep doing it. Part of me thinks it's because I've become such a figurehead in the Roblox community that people see my face and they're like, this is a like I'm watching this video. That's enough. Yeah, yeah. And so like maybe that's part of it. I also think there's a part of it too that like it does feel more authentic than like uh because obviously the everyone did like the Mr. Beast style though for like two years, of course, and like now we're at the tail end of that, and I feel like a lot of people look at that and they're like, this is not this does not feel authentic, this doesn't feel real. And so like a lot of people want that like real feeling. Um and so yeah, maybe that's why it works. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

Well, if you're listening to this podcast and you're watching on YouTube and you're a Creek, absolute fanboy, fangirl, you love it, and you can tell us why this is, go ahead and leave a comment. We would love, we would love to know why this is working. Why do you click these over top of the really highly produced thumbnails? We would love to know.

SPEAKER_02

It's become a meme. Like literally on TikTok and Twitter, it'll be like Creek's Creek's video today, the end of Roblox. Creek's video tomorrow. Roblox is back. Roblox started, I started like playing around with it. I I put like a party, there's like balloons and confetti in there, like Roblox is back. Yeah, like it's a meme at this point.

SPEAKER_00

Um, and what about the one? I'm looking at one right now, and I hope the editor brings it up. Yeah, it's it's a it's a thumbnail. You think a green background, of course. You have uh tape over your mouth, and the title is just a bunch of dots with a lock on it. Like you were trolling. Don't tell me you weren't trolling. What was going on there?

SPEAKER_02

Roblox had this update to where if you're not in the same age group as like other players, all of their chat messages show up as a lock emoji with dots. Oh and so I was like, I'm gonna make a thumbnail where my mouth is taped, and the title of the video is a lock emoji and dots. And that video did really well, by the way. Did very well. And yeah, it's just stupid stuff. One I a little bit ago, a few months ago, I made a video. I think the title of the video was literally just a crying emoji, and like it worked great. It I would not recommend people do that, by the way, for anyone listening. But like if it works, it works, you know.

A Day In The Creator Life

SPEAKER_00

Let's let's talk a little bit more about you and your day-to-day. Um first of all, let's go through a day, a day in the life of, and then after that, I want to know what some of the biggest misconceptions about you are. But let's start. What does a day in your life look like? What was yesterday like, or what's today like?

SPEAKER_02

That's a story. So, like I used to have a really bad sleep schedule. Like, I'd go to sleep at like 6 a.m., wake up at 2 p.m. I have a pretty normal sleep schedule. Now I go to sleep at like midnight, and then I wake up around like eight or so, which is a fairly normal, I think. And um, you know, I'll eat breakfast. Um, I I usually hop on and check and see like how stuff's doing from yesterday. Maybe I need to change the thumbnail and you know look at the camera a little bit differently or something. Like, I don't know. Um change the title of a short. I don't know, you know, go through emails, stuff like that. Um and then what I do is it's like, okay, well, like what what like shorts am I doing today? Because I try to knock those out first because I try to do at least a short a day, and then I cross-post that the TikTok and Instagram reels. And so like I'll scour like Twitter and Roblox Red and be like, oh, this is something cool to talk about. I'll do this. Um, and then I'll I'll make that. That usually takes maybe like an hour, hour and a half, two hours at the most. Um, and then it's like, okay, well, am I making a video today or am I streaming today? Um, and then if it's a video, I'll usually record the video and then eat lunch and then edit it and then put it up. If it's streaming, I'll schedule it and then um, you know, usually just kind of I I like the chill before my streams because like I spend so much energy while I'm streaming that like I I have this creative battery, you know? And then with the free time I have, besides that, it's a matter of like what videos I need to record for my other channels.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um and then I'm normally done around like I'm not doing this for the meme, 6 or 7 p.m. Um six or seven. And then I'll usually like play, relax, watch TV, whatever have you, and then like I I like having the thing to look forward to at the at the end of the day, you know? Cause like for so long, I grind it all day, every day, and every day was just work, work, work. And so like now it's like I like having that just few hours at the end of the day to just relax, chill, do whatever I want, you know. Do you how do you spend time with friends at all, or is that kind of a just like I live with my fiance, so like uh Roblox YouTubers, we don't have friends. Um there are no friends here. Uh, I don't leave my house. Um I mean, I do have friends that I'm uh, you know, I'm friends with in the Roblox space, you know, we'll play Fortnite or whatever have you every now and then. As I've gotten older, and like maybe this is also because I'm introverted, a lot of like my free time is like I just kind of want to just do my thing, you know, be kind of like left alone, do my thing to a degree. Um, but that's kind of that's kind of my day. That's all my day looks like.

SPEAKER_00

So, what is something that people what do you think that one of the biggest misconceptions about you is?

SPEAKER_02

I would say like a lot of people, this isn't just me. I feel like a lot of people look at YouTubers and like, oh, this guy just plays video games all day. It's really easy. And it's like that's I wish, um, but like that's not it's a constant hamster will that never ends. I always tell people, like, being a YouTuber, it not everyone applies to this, but like if you're a streamer, it definitely applies. You know, obviously I do news stuff, it applies. It really is like a 24-7 job to a degree, because it's like if something crazy happens, well then I'm going live. You know, like I'm this is gonna sound crazy. So, like Roblox used to have a really big problem where like anytime a big game updated or anything, the servers would just completely crash. Roblox would go down uh for like an hour, two hours, three hours. And it would happen probably like once every like two, three weeks. It was a really big problem. And what I found out is whenever I streamed during that time, because all the Roblox players couldn't play Roblox, they just came to my stream. So I'd get like a bajillion viewers. And so what I did was I this is the nerdiest thing of all time. I um we we programmed a uh an alarm that would trigger whenever the Roblox APIs were no longer like like receiving um to let us know that Roblox was down. And so like it would be like 3 a.m. in the morning, and like the Roblox's down alarm would go off. And it's like, well, I'm going live. We'll do it live. Yeah, yeah. I'd go live for like, you know, one, two hours, just literally sitting here doing nothing, just talking to people while Roblox is down, and I'd get like a bajillion subscribers. Oh my god, that's crazy.

Safety Controversy And Real Fallout

SPEAKER_00

It's so smart, too. That's really thinking outside the box. All right, let's talk about the thing that uh we have to talk about the elephant in the room, uh, because we only got a little bit of time left. Obviously, Roblox has had a troubled past as a game. Um, and even more recently, like Chris Hansen is doing an entire series on it, which is wild, which is I'm sure you've seen it, right? Um you obviously have nothing to do with that, but by the same token, it affects you because it's the game that you're currently playing. Tell me how that uh how that affects you mentally, how it does strategically. Like that obviously is a big thing.

SPEAKER_02

So, like for the longest time, like we talked at the beginning about how big Roblox is, a lot of people don't realize how big it is because like Roblox has always kind of existed in its own circle. Like, even as a streamer, it's like, yeah, I'm like as big as like a lot of these other streamers are, but like I'm not really in that mainstream conversation because I'm a Roblox guy, and Roblox is in its own little Gin Alpha circle over here, you know? Um, or bubble. And so like obviously the big safety stuff happened with like Schlep and all that last year, and Roblox kind of like that's when that bubble kind of popped a little bit and it started going a little bit, you know, into like mainstream conversations, unfortunately, not for great reasons. And so, like one thing that sucks is like a lot of people that there's definitely been people that's like, I don't want to do content with this guy because he plays Roblox and Roblox is not doing so great right now. Right, right. Um, I've had a brand that's like, yeah, you know, we're not gonna do this brand deal because uh, you know, Roblox uh, you know, not not looking so I actually I got a I got the best example ever, okay? So two years ago, uh presidential election, I was going to have both of the candidates on my stream. It was sketch. So the first one was gonna be Kamala, and then and then we were in talks with the other one too. I'm not not joking, okay? So the Secret Service had to literally come and do a full background check on me. I got my entire history, family history routed through the Secret Service. They checked everything to make sure that I was okay to have like an actual like conversation on like, you know, kids and the future of like, you know, all that sort of stuff. Politics. Few days before it was supposed to happen, report comes out about Roblox um and like safety issues, and it never ended up happening. Oh my god. That was a thing that was going to happen. Were you were you super disappointed by that?

SPEAKER_00

Were you frustrated? How did you feel about that?

SPEAKER_02

Having such a big platform, I've always been very vocal about stuff. Like in 2020 uh 20, 28, 2019, when like the YouTube kappa stuff happened, like I went to Congress and spoke in front of Congress about like um, you know, the FTC and like how these rules and all that kind of like affects us creators because like you know, most people in the government are dinosaurs. And so like I've never really shied away from like, okay, like this is important stuff, like let's have the conversation. So like I was really looking forward to that, um, especially, especially now that Roblox is in a very political situation where you know, all these laws, you got age verification and age checks, like all this is very relevant now. Like, I'd love to have that conversation and how it affects, like, you know, kids and privacy and stuff like that. Um, but yeah, it didn't end up happening because uh because of the Roblox issue.

Burnout Goals And Life Beyond YouTube

SPEAKER_00

Do you feel like this is um not a sign, but like further reason to go into another game and kind of move on to your next uh your next kind of chapter? Or are you just do you feel like you still want to be a part of the conversation?

SPEAKER_02

I mean, I I like Roblox as a platform, and so like, you know, I I wanna I wanna be a part of it. And like obviously I know so many people here, and it it it's it's been it like literally my entire 20s has basically been Roblox. So like it is, I literally have a Roblox tattoo um that I got sub goal 5,000 subs or 5 million subs. Um yeah, yeah. Uh we might have to get this covered up in a few years, but uh it might not be that that much longer. But um, you know, I I want to be a part of the conversation, and it's like if I swap the GTA or something else, will I be as successful or anything like that? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

Does that bigger though at this point?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, see, that's the other part of the conversation because it's also it's like, you know, people ask me, like, where do you see yourself in like 10 years? And it's like one one thing that really sucks is like, like I said, all of my 20s was basically grinding YouTube. I never got any of the normal 20s experiences or anything like that. And like, I'm not complaining about it or anything, but like, you know, there's times where it's like, oh, I've missed this birthday party, or I didn't do this because I have YouTube or I have to stream or something like that. Like last year I took my first actual non-business vacation um in like 10 years. Um and so like there is a part of me that's like I do kind of wanna live life a little bit now. Yeah, yeah. Um, and so it's like, you know, in five years, do I wanna be streaming every single day? Probably like not. So it's like, you know, even if GTA doesn't do as well, does it matter? Not really. Like, you know, I've been on top of the mountain for so long, and it's like it's very mentally tolling being on top of the mountain because it's like it's a constant, you know, grind to stay up here. Um and so like, yeah, there is you know that part of me that's like, when do you, you know, when do you kind of like sit back, take your foot off the gas a little bit, you know? Um it's an interesting, interesting conversation because I feel like a lot of YouTubers are falling like getting to this point now. Like Matt Pat stepped back now. Yep.

SPEAKER_00

Um, but they they like pretty much were like, okay, I'm stepping all the way. There's a couple people that just stepped all the way back. Yeah. I don't know, is that something that you I don't even know that that's something you want to do, but you do have to kind of protect yourself from burnout in a way that is smart so that you still create, but yeah, not something that's like, oh, I'm just doing it because there's a paycheck at the other end.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and like on that note, it's like, how do you even do that? Because like with MadPat, they can get new hosts, but it's like there can't be another host. Like, I it's me. Like, I'm the channel. So, like, what does that look like? I don't know. Um, it's like obviously I can't do this forever. I don't want to do this forever, but you know, when is that right time to kind of like step back and be like, you know, I did it? Um, there is like a lot of other things too outside of YouTube I want to do. Like, um, like I do want to write a book, not not about YouTube or anything. Like, like I I I love horror, so like I do want to write like a horror book. I I've had like a plan for one for like years. Um like I don't have time to do that now. So it's like you know, one day when I do step back, I can do that. Um Yeah, I don't know. I guess I'm a very goal focused person. And it's like I need to have some sort of goal to work towards. And when I don't have that, it's like I lose motivation. Um

SPEAKER_00

That's reasonable though. I mean, to be on top, you have to be motivated to a degree that most people aren't. You don't get to number one without being abnormally obsessed with certain things.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, exactly. And like the thing that sucks too is it's like I'm almost at like 17 million subs. Yeah. But it's like what's the difference between 16 million and 17 million? 17 million. Like what's the difference between 17 million and 18 million? Like what difference does it make at this point? Like 10 million was really special. Yeah. Because you got the trophy. But it's like the next trophy's at 100 million. This is a long ways away. I ain't getting to 100 million. I don't care about that. Like that who cares about that trophy? I'll make my own trophy. Right.

Final Thoughts And Farewell

SPEAKER_00

Um, so yeah, that's kind of like where my head's at. Creek, I gotta tell you, this has been a phenomenal uh conversation. I've enjoyed it. I know the people that are listening are enjoying this as well. So if you're new here, you can feel free to hit that subscribe. But I interview people all the time. But Creek is a special, special person. And when GTA 6 comes out, I'm gonna reach out again because I want to know what's going on. I want to see this, I want to see GTA 6. I want to be all about it. I'll be the child-friendly GTA speaker. We'll see how well that does for you. Yeah, yeah. Don't go to that part of the map, don't go in that building, don't go over there. In other words, there's one room in the entire game that you can stay in that's safe. Yeah, it's the beach. It's not even the beach. It's not even the beach, because we've seen pictures of the beach. If you're new here, you can uh find out more information about Kreek's channel in the show notes. If you listen to the audio podcast, and if you're on YouTube, of course, it'll be in the description. And I can't thank you enough, Creek, for coming through and explaining your journey. It's been amazing. Um for anyone else. If you're new here, I got another uh interview with a really great creative right here. I'll see you in the next one.