Nerv with Ryan Williams

Ep. 75: Billions of YouTube Views & Bigger Than Fox News and MSNBC with Cenk Uygur from The Young Turks News network.

Cenk Uygur is the main host and co-founder of the American liberal political and social news network, The Young Turks (TYT). They are a massively successful YouTube network and recently raised over $400,000 to crowdfund their recording studio in Los Angeles, where I went to interview Cenk.

Cenk is a former MSBNC Commentator, CurrenTV host and founded Young Turks in 2002. How does someone build a YouTube Channel for over 2 billion views? We talked in depth about their strategy and execution for growing a monster YouTube network. And how they galvanize and build their fan-base.

The Young Turks online:

http://www.tytnetwork.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheYoungTurks

https://twitter.com/TheYoungTurks

https://twitter.com/CenkUygur

 

Direct download: Young_Turks_Cenk_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:02pm PDT

Troy Carter is a well-known manager of artists like John Legend and Meghan Trainor, as well as a new guest 'shark' on Marc Cuban's TV Show Shark Tank, and the founder and CEO Atom Factory investment and talent management company in Los Angeles.
 
This is a new segment called The Prequel, where we get the pre-story where we talk to someone well-known about what life was like before they were successful. 
 
In this case Troy Carter talks Philly, technology, getting kicked-out of L.A., investing in startups like Uber and Lyft, managing John Legend, hearing a hit song in the studio, the soulful connection between entrepreneurs and musicians, and much much more. 
 
Quote from Troy:
 
"In life in general, there are no guarantees.  Failures are a part of life.  As cliche as it may sound, the way I look at it as there are no rewards without taking risks.  We take a risk every time we step out the door, every single day.  Life is full of risks and failures, but at the same time life is full of triumphs and happiness."    
 
Follow Ryan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill
 
Troy Carter on Twitter: https://twitter.com/atomfactory
 
 
 
Influencer Economy website: http://www.influencereconomy.com/
 
Meghan Trainor: http://www.meghan-trainor.com/
 
Direct download: TroyCarter_ThePrequel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:37pm PDT

The Loud Speakers Network is an awesome podcast network, featuring prominent voices of the hip-hip generation, and Chris Morrow is the CEO and co-founder. This week he joins me on Stories from The Influencer Economy.

Chris Morrow and Combat Jack (Reggie Osse) started Loud Speakers Network together and quickly they have become a podcast force. Morrow started as a fan of Combat Jack, and later after realizing that they had friends in common, they hit it off. Now they have over 15 podcasts as a part of their growing mini-empire. Combat Jack is like the Dick Cavett or Charlie Rose of hip-hop. It's an interview show that often has old school rappers on as guests. 

Morrow has also published 4 books with Russell Simmons, including multiple NY Times best-sellers.  He first met Russell in 2005, and we talk about what it's like co-authoring books with Russell, and their creative process in authoring books.

Chris has worked in radio and bee in a writer for years. Chris's success as an entrepreneur and the Loud Speakers Network co-founder comes from his ability to under-sell and over-deliver. He also strives for #authenticity when looking for talented podcast hosts, and focuses on being real in business and in life.

 
Links about what we talked about:
 
LoudSpeakers Network Podcasts on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LSNpodcasts
 
Combat Jack Show:  http://thecombatjackshow.com/
 
Loudspeaker's Network: http://loudspeakersnetwork.com/
 
Chris Morrow on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/mrchrismorrow
 
Loudspeaker's Network on Twitter:  
 
Chris Morrow's website:  chris-morrow.com
 
 
 
 
 
Direct download: LoudSpeakersNetwork_Chris_Morrow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:31pm PDT

In this episode of The Pivot: A series documenting the stories of tech startup founders who pivot their careers from another industry, I speak with Farbod Shoraka, founder of BloomNation a technology startup based in Los Angeles, which is similar to Etsy but for flowers.

Farbod is a reformed former investment banker who pivoted his career into launching his company, taking part in the Mucker Lab Accelerator and raising venture capital from firms like Andreesen Horowitz

Farbod changed careers after seeing a larger gap in the flower market. When working as a banker, he did a business deal in the flower industry, and he was shocked that the industry was so inefficient.

After talking to his Aunt Sharine, who was in the floral industry…He realized that he could solve a big problem in the industry that large companies like 1-800-Flowers were not adequately meeting.

With seed funding that came from a co-founder who was a world class poker player, Farbod and 3 friends jumped into the tech economy.

I hope some of what we discussed surrounding his "pivot" can help you, whether trying to pivot yourself, working with start-ups or already a start-up.

In less than three years, more than 2,500 florists in about 3,000 cities have signed up to use the site.

The company is a marketplace for local florists to list their labors of love -- and for consumers to purchase them directly from these designers.  The emphasis is on local and handcrafted. Think of it as Etsy, but for flowers

I recently visited BloomNation’s new headquarters in Santa Monica to talk to Farbod, the CEO of the company. The space overlooks Third Street Promenade, bustling with shoppers and street performers. Inside though, it’s a picture of calm and playfulness. A ping pong table is the first thing you see walking in. There are flowers everywhere, not exactly a surprise.  

And part of the conference area is laid with Astroturf. Farbod Shoraka said they did that to make people feel like they are outside while they are inside the office.  To create a place where people can sit on the grass, have a conversation, to get their creative juices flowing. When we sat down to chat, I first asked Farbod to tell me more about him and his cofounders, and how they got the idea of BloomNation off the ground

What we learned: 

  • How Farbod went to speak with local florists all around Los Angeles proving their idea out for Bloom Nation
  • How important it was Farbod to get feedback from his potential users before he built the product
  • How non-coders can launch an internet tech business
  • How the founders of BloomNation raised their initial funding from a poker match at the Commerce Casino
  • How a startup accelerator can help your startup

 

 

 

 

Direct download: Farbod_Bloom_Nation.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:34pm PDT

Brad Feld is an author, blogger and he invests in early stage technology companies. In fact he has invested in over 1,000 companies between his Techstars accelerator, his Foundry Ground investment firm, and his own deals. He is our guest on The Influencer Economy podcast this week.

Imagine a world where the only media channels were TV, radio, print magazines, and newspapers. And if you were a start-up entrepreneur, you had to do P.R. in order to get someone's attention for an article or any media coverage. When Brad started his first company Feld Technologies in 1987, while an undergrad student at MIT in Cambridge, that was the world for Brad to gain any media coverage for his company.

This is one of the reasons why Brad was an early adopter for blogging back in 2004. In this episode Brad details his early motivations for blogging and writing on the web. In addition to his how and why he wrote his first book: Venture Deals.

We talk about how often people think too much about their goals and sometimes it's worth starting something to figure out if it's a good idea or bad idea. When he started Techstars with his 3 other co-founders he had no idea if it would work, but figured it was worth a shot. And at the very least he would make some new friends. We chat about how people need to experiment as start-up founders, bloggers, podcasters and sometimes when you don't reach your goals, another less obvious goal emerges which can lead you down the right path.

Brad and I both believe in the "Give Before You Get" model and helping people is all about giving in the system. And that oftentimes we meet people who are takers and over time you realize you spend less time with people who take. Often when Brad meets startup founders, he develops relationships with the founders in advance of investing. And he gives to founders before realizing if he'll invest in their ideas or not.

Brad also pursues 20% of his life where he allocates his days to random things. He'll do a fake VC Day or a fake CEO day where he does stuff that allows his universe to be open to different connections.

Brad's Blog Feld Thoughts: http://www.feld.com/
TechStars:  http://www.techstars.com/
Sqord:  https://www.sqord.com/
SXSW: http://www.sxsw.com/
Jeff Ullrich and Earwolf:  http://www.earwolf.com/person/jeff-ullrich/

Direct download: Brad_Feld_Techstars.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:44pm PDT

This week Nerdist Industries President, Adam Rymer stops by the podcast. Adam runs the media company founded by pioneering Nerdist podcast host, Chris Hardwick.
 
In 2015 geeks and nerds are kings and queens of the internet and Nerdist Industries at the center of this geek cultural revolution. Everyone who watches a Nerdist video or listens to one of their podcasts has a geek passion, whether it playing Minecraft, watching the latest Batman movie, or attending ComicCon in full cosplay mode (costumes). 
 
Often on the internet, bullies and jerks can rule the comment sections of websites. And Nerdist works hard to avoid that type of fall-back. The focus of Nerdist is to avoid the lowest common denominator of the internet by not acting like a jerk. People who not only work at Nerdist but also their fans have ben bullied in the past. They get it. Nerdist embraces the positivity of being a geek.
 
Adam is a UPenn MBA with a focus on finance, and also went to Undergrad at Harvard. And now he runs business strategy and the company Nerdist. We live in an awesome world....
 
 
Adam on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/NoRymeNoReason
Nerdist's website:  http://nerdist.com/
 
Our website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/
Direct download: Nerdist_Adam_Rymer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:08pm PDT

Omar Zenhom from the $100 MBA Show stopped by The Influencer Economy Podcast this week. He's at the forefront of education and entrepreneurship and we talked at length about his story.
 
Omar dropped out of Wharton Business School to start $100 MBA, after talking to a teacher who inspired him to start his own company.  The $100 MBA is a podcast and online educational resource that helps people build their own entrepreneurial businesses. As a former teacher, Omar leverages his educational background to give business people a playbook for building their own companies.
 
Graduate school and MBA's are very expensive in 2015 and often people go into debt to pay for a graduate degree. Programs like Omar's are super-relevant while also up and coming as they give people a chance to learn a lot through more inexpensive ways.
 
Additionally Omar loves a good webinar and as a firm believer in the medium. he and his partner Nicole Balduni launched a company WebinarNinja recently launched and I attended his conference this weekend. 
 
Webinar Ninja: http://webinarninja.co/
 
$100 MBA: http://100mba.net/show/
 

 

The Influencer Economy site:

http://www.influencereconomy.com/  

Direct download: 100_MBA_Omar_Zenhom.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:22pm PDT

Jim Louderback stopped by The Influencer Economy this week. Jim a world-class CEO, and former Head of Revision3, a pioneering online video company. He currently runs the industry and track of VidCon, the 20,000 person online video geek conference in Anaheim, CA.

Jim is an expert at the intersection of geek communities and business. He understands the culture of online geeks, and how to build companies and support business around people's passions and interests.

Jim's Revision3 company was acquired by Discovery Networks in 2007, and Jim worked at Discovery prior to his time at VidCon.

What we talked about:

  • How VidCon connects the "virtual space" to the "meet space" where online communities can connect IRL (in real life)
  • It's not about the fanbase anymore, but about the 'friendbase'
  • How YouTube creators are the fulcrom for online communities, ut not necessary the focus
  • How VidCon is as much about community members meeting other community members, as fans meeting the creators.
  • How everyone on the internet has a home and there are people 'like them' around their geek passions
  • How Revision3 built-out hugely popular geek communities online, and how Discovery acquired their network

 Jim on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jlouderb?lang=en

 Jim's website: http://louderback.com/

VidCon:  http://vidcon.com/

Influencer Economy website: http://influencereconomy.com/

 

Direct download: Jim_Louderback__VidCon.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:22pm PDT

This week I talk to Brendan McDonald, producer of WTF with Marc Maron. We talk about the finer points of producing a world-class podcast, including booking the President of the United States, Barack Obama on their show.
 
Brendan is the yin and Marc is the yang in making WTF get made. Brendan explains in details of the operations and production around creating their podcast, how they work together, and how booking President Obama was a year in the making.
 
Additionally we learn about how collaboration is key when building a successful podcast, and how having no agenda when creating a show like WTF is what makes it stand-out in the podcast world.
 
Great quotes from Brendan
 
“Having the White House reach out to us is the reason that (the interview) happened. We wouldn’t have been so bold as to go the other way. I think that was just a huge win for podcasting in general. He has his pick of media outlets, a lot of options at the disposal of the President if he wants to communicate to the country and the world. So it’s very validating to know that podcasting had achieved a level of acceptance in the media landscape.

“That kind of yin and yang makes the relationship work—not just as professional colleagues. We’ve been friends for eleven years now.”

“In the six hundred plus episodes we’ve done, we won’t do promotional interviews for the full episode... Mark will graciously have his friends over sometimes and do ten minutes at the beginning of an episode to help somebody that has a book out or a movie out, or something like that. His feeling about that is it’s kind of like an everybody can help everybody out situation. It’s not that we go requesting promotional stuff. It’s that people were gracious enough to appear on our show, which helped raise our tide quite a bit, so of course we’re going to pay the favor back.”

Find out more about The Influencer Economy book:
 
http://www.influencereconomy.com/

 

Direct download: Brendan_McDonald_WTF_Ep67.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:53am PDT

Scott Belsky knows the secret for making your ideas happen. And today I chat with him about his book "Making Ideas Happen," his company Behance (that sold to Adobe) and his passion for helping to empower the creative world. Scott offers insights and advice for anyone aiming to launch and executve their ideas.

Come see The Influencer Economy Live at The Apple Store Santa Monica. RSVP Here for September 22nd: https://concierge.apple.com/events/R051/tbd/6042760684243419656/en_US

In the influencer economy we all have ideas. And every day we are all executing on our businesses ideas, while also building ourselves as businesses. Scott and I discuss how there is no such thing as "idea meritocracy" and that ideas don't happen by accident. Ideas happen by a series of forces. While big ideas happen when a team executives and sticks together.

We also dive into the importance of building a solid team and how Scott executes his ideas like the 99u conference. In the end, Scott oversee roughly 70 employees at Adobe/Behance and his team is critical to getting his ideas to happen.

In the world where everyone and anyone can launch a product, blog, podcast or new company, why do some people's ideas succeed? While others' ideas fail? We talk about Scott's advice for early idea creation. Scott advises "to make something that needs to exist." And know the difference between a feature and a business. He also suggests bootstrapping your idea "incrementally" can behoove you and your business. Rather than going to raise a bunch of investment money.

Like many in the influencer economy, Scott is mission-centric and his ideas manifest in different products, but the message is always the same. Behance, 99u and Making Ideas Happen have the same values and are all cut from the same cloth. That helps him launch many ideas in different mediums. I know it sounds obvious, but unless you see it in action it, it's easier said then executed on.

To get book announcements, FREE chapters, and exclusive videos - sign-up here:  http://www.influencereconomy.com

We covered a lot of ground:

  • We talk about doers and dreamers - and how they need to collaborate with one another
  • And how doers need to kill off 97% of new ideas for companies and groups brought by dreamers
  • How you need to build the right team in order to make your ideas happen
  • How Scott launched the 99u conference and makes it happen because of his team
  • How the 99U is a conference NOT about ideas. It's about making your ideas come to life and talking about how you made your idea.
  • Why Scott thinks business school is overrated
  • How "Genius is "1% inspiration and 99% Perspiration" (A famous Thomas Edison quote) 
  • How creative people have great ideas but they look for media attention or raise outside capital too early and their idea fails.
  • The Creative Compromise
  • How we all have the ability to make our ideas happen

 

Quotes from Scott:

"Creativity is genuine interest combined with initiative."

 "When you optimize for (Press/Media) headlines, you will optimize yourself to the ground."

"You have to build something sustainable that has its own culture and spirit. That's what takes the team coming together."   

"We get too involved in ideas themselves. We are fascinated or too much in love with ideas themselves. We need to declare war against excessive creativity."

Scott on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/scottbelsky

Behance:   https://www.behance.net

99u:  http://99u.com

Direct download: ScottBelsky_Ep66.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:19pm PDT