Harrison Barnes grew-up in Iowa, played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and is now an NBA player for the Golden State Warriors. This past June he won an NBA Title, when the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers.

He is a world champion.

I spoke to Harrison before he won the title, during the Warriors regular season. We had a candid converation about sports, fans, media, college, SnapChat, United Airlines customer service, and much more. 

There's a lot of great stuff in here, for fans and listeners alike who want to hear a modern day athlete's persepctive about the media landscape in 2015.  We originally aired this episde last fall.

Sign-up to buy The Influencer Economy book:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/book/

Harrison Barnes on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/hbarnes

Harrison on Instagram:  https://instagram.com/hbarnes/

Super-influencer and connector John Corcoran had me on his Smart Business Revolution Podcast a few months ago. John is one of the smartest guys in the business podcasting game. He was gracious enough to give me the podcast to post on The Influencer Economy feed.

We talk about how Adam Grant's book Give and Take has both affected our busineses. We even dive into how my childhood in Iowa and attending boarding school helped inspire The Influencer Economy.  We also chat all things marketing and social media.

John has spoken to people like Dan Pink, Michael Port, Gary Vaynerchuk, Marie Forleo and Guy Kawasaki on his podcast. And it's an honor to be in a class with that group.

John's Smart Business Revolution is: "A Top 10 Podcasts for Entrepreneurs to Learn Personal Finance From" from Inc. Magazine and a "Top 100 Small Business Podcasts 2014" from Small Biz Trends.

I'd like to thank my Mom for listening to my interview with John, who planted the seed for me to re-post this episode for everyone to hear.

John's website:

http://smartbusinessrevolution.com/

John's podcast:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-business-business-revolution/id573440689

Somethings in life start with a great dance party and for Amy Poehler and Meredith Walker, that's how they began the start of their Smart Girls company. Meredith is a veteran of Saturday Night Life and met Amy, her best friend while both were working on the show. Meredith was a talent executive and Amy was a cast player.

I met Meredith Walker, Co-Founder of Amy Phoehler Sart Girls, for literally seconds at SXSW this year. We were both at the Nerdist Party down in Austin, and I was lucky enough to chat for just a moment with her. We clicked and she's the guest this week on the podcast.

What's inspiring about Smart Girls is how they are cultivating a positive community for content around Smart Girls, while also actively speaking to young people around the world.

You'll learn how best friends Meredith Walker and Amy Poehler’s were inspired for Smart Girls.  How Meredith Walker met Amy Poehler while working together at Saturday Night Live and the story behind the company. 

They have an inspired look at life, and are helping to shape awesome web content for girls and boys of all ages. And don't forget importance of dance parties.

Their website:  http://amysmartgirls.com/

Tom Scharpling is an OG radio host and podcaster. He started to host and produce a radio show called "The Best Show" on WFMU back in 2003. The show featured call-ins from listeners, stories and special guests like comedian Patton Oswalt.

In 2014, The Best Show went off the air, and re-launched as a podcast.

Tom has paved the way with his old WFMU show for Marc Maron and WTF, to Chris Hardwick of Nerdist, and many other comedy podcasts in the modern day.

Listen to the Best Show:  http://thebestshow.net/podcast/

Buy Tom's Best Show merch and tickets to his live show:  http://stereolaffs.com/

Buy Rock, Rot and Rule:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QZUBKS

What we learned on the show:

• The origins of The Best Show
• How he and John Wurster collaborate on The Best Show
• How hosts like Howard Stern inspired Tom
• Where Tom sees the future of The Best Show going
• What it's like transitioning from radio to podcasting

Our website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Follow me on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill 

Jonah Keri came on the podcast in December and he was a fantastic guest. He was so good, that I wanted to re-publish this episode for all the new listeners to the show.

He's a writer at ESPN's Grantland, NY Times best-selling author, and one of the smarter minds around baseball analytics in journalism.

We get into a lot o great topics here.  Specifically how he started his journalism career, where he got his first big break as a writer, and how Bill Simmons picked him to write for Grantland.  Side note, I interviewed him when Bill Simmons still worked for ESPN, so I wasn't able to ask him about Bill's recent exit!

Subscribe and Leave a review:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-influencer-economy/id820744212?mt=2

Our archives:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Jonah Keri's website:  http://jonahkeri.com/

I was really excited to sit down with Cenk from The Young Turks. He's one of the pre-eminent political voices online, and his TYT YouTube network is a mini empire on YouTube.  I went to his office and studio in Culver City to speak to him on the podcast. They were kind enough to host me in their newly built studio, on The Young Turks set.

What's remarkable about Cenk and his team, is how deep their community connection runs. In many ways, their community is an additional host and correspondent on the Young Turks Network. The Young Turks have a continual open dialogue with their audience and it's destroying the TV model of network filtered news. 

Cenk is building the next CNN, but better and much improved. We talk at length about their shows, political beliefs and the old networks and out-dated models in news and politics.

Our older acrchives:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Please subscribe and leave a review on iTunes: 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-influencer-economy/id820744212?mt=2

The Young Turks:  http://www.tytnetwork.com/

Find the TYT on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/TheYoungTurks

Cenk:  https://twitter.com/cenkuygur

Cenk's background:

Cenk Uygur is the host and co-founder of The Young Turks online which is the largest news show on the Internet.

Uygur is the former host of The Young Turks on Current TV, MSNBC Live and has appeared numerous times on CNN, CNN Headline News, E! Entertainment Channel, Al Jazeera, ABC News, Voice of America, NPR and even Fox News Channel. He is one of the most popular bloggers on The Huffington Post, and also a contributor to Daily Kos and Politico.

Uygur is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and Columbia University Law School. He worked as a lawyer, television writer and television host before co-founding The Young Turks.

John Corcoran is a lawyer, former writer for The White House, and even had a stint working in L.A. in the entertainment industry. He is now the purveyor of Smart Business Revolution, a multi-media business company. His work as at the forefront of the new generation of business media brands, where people actually help each other succeed.

John or "The Relationship Doctor" as I like to call him, is one of the most well-networked people in the podcast business community. He's part of a new breed of entrepreneur, building his company off of his content. He sells online classes on "How to Connect with VIP's," offers webinars on connecting with influencers, hosts a weekly podcast, has an immensely popular email newsletter, and is the ultimate business connector.

John shares stories about how he make $1000 from a single Tweet, how he snowballs his income buy selling products to his audience, and he years of secrets to connecting with VIP's and influencers. 

John's website: http://smartbusinessrevolution.com/

 John on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/johncorcoran

Our website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Follow Ryan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Greg Goodfried joined the show this week for Episode # 52.  

Greg was a trailblazer in the online "viral video" world back in 2006, when he created the epic online videos series: LonelyGirl15. This was back when "viral videos" were a big thing. He then went onto be a founder of EQAL, one of the first digital media companies to partner celebrities with major brands. 

He's now a digital agent at UTA in Los Angeles, and we stopped by the his office to this week for Stories From the Influencer Economy.

Greg is passionate about partnering with YouTubers, Viners, and Instagram creators, and helping them grow and monetize their business opportunities.  He manages online talent, helping them to build out long term financial opportunities from their work.  

We talked in detail about how YouTubers and online creators collaborate build their audiences and what habits make a successful YouTuber. We also talk about how the normal person can grow their own social media and video followings. And we agree that "being a good" person goes a long way to create success in the online world. Greg also shares stories about working with YouTubers like Shane Dawson and iJustine, and how he created a web phenomenon with LonelyGirl15

Ryan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

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

Greg on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GregGoodfried

Greg on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggoodfried

Listen to all our The Influencer Economy episodes and subscribe on iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-influencer-economy/id820744212?mt=2

Our buddy Flula came on the podcast last year. He was a favorite guest of the show, and even prouced our intro theme music. He's also featured in Pitch Perfect II, so we thought we'd re-post the episod for everyone to learn more about Flula!

lula in Germany is here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxKivzjCFNg  

Flula on YouTube:  http://youtube.com/flula Flula on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flula Flula on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/flula Flula on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/flula  

Ryan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Ryan on Instagram:  http://instagram.com/ryanjwill 

I was excited that Veronica Belmont stopped by to talk about her hit shows Sword and Laser and Vaginal Fantasies, while diving into her overall creative process. She's an old school podcaster and we talk about how she got her career start after graduating from Emerson College back in the day. 

Veronica on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/veronica

Sword and Laser:  http://swordandlaser.com/

Vaginal Fantasy:  http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/62938-vaginal-fantasy-book-club

AJ Jacobs is a N.Y. Times best-selling author and hosting the world's largest family reunion. He's also cousins with both Hilary Cinnton, Barack Obama and Kevin Bacon. He's probably cousins with you too and out to show the world we have a lot more in common than we may realize.

In this podcast, we dive into AJ's writing process, book history, and his upcoming family reunion. 

Our website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Ryan on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Please leave a review on iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/influencer-economy-ryan-williams/id820744212?mt=2

AJ on Twitter and his Global Family Reunion Website

https://twitter.com/ajjacobs

http://globalfamilyreunion.com/

Adam Grant is world class. Not only is a successful professor at Wharton, a best-selling author of the book Gook Give and Take, but he has proven that givers succeed more in life than taker.

Adam's book Give and Take has shaped my business philosophy more than any book in recent memory.  I learned a lot from this interview and decided to re-post it for new listeners to hear. We originally recorded this a year ago.  Enjoy!

Ryan Williams on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Influencer Economy archives: http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Leave a podcast review on iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/influencer-economy-ryan-williams/id820744212?mt=2  

Adam Grant's website:  http://www.giveandtake.com/

You can read the first chapter of Give and Take: http://media.wix.com/ugd/955681_868b6e15f9384955b6206c41fd73483e.pdf

Hey guys, I had Jeff Ullrich on the show for this week's episode. I'm excited to be re-publishing this episode from last year, where I interviewed Jeff.  Earwolf and Midroll media are two the pioneering companies in the podcasting biz and I wanted everyone to hear Jeff's story.

Jeff's passion in the world that intersects media, entrepreneurship and art is unparalled in the new world of the influencer economy.  If you haven't heard this episode yet, it's a good one IMO. (Remember it originally aired last year, but it's still 100% relevant now)

Our site: http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Please review and sub in iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/influencer-economy-ryan-williams/id820744212?mt=2

Jeff on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jeffullrich

Earwolf:  http://www.earwolf.com/

Anthony Saleh is a talent manager, investor and avid sports fan. He manages artists like Nas and also serves as a founder of Queensbridge Ventures investment firm. We talked a lot about the culture around investing, managing talent and how in life there is no reward for being a jerk.

We talk a lot of sports on top of our philosophies around business.  

Our website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Follow Ryan:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Queensbridge Ventures:  http://qbvp.com/

Anthony on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Dude_Br0 

We are excited to have Tom Merritt on the show this week. He's a host, producer and a modern day renaissance man in the video and audio world. He is an old school radio guy and now hosts among his many popular podcasts:  The Daily Tech News Show, Sword and Laser, and Cord Killers.

Tom is in inspiration to many in the world of DIY creators, we can all and should learn from him.

He hosts the popular Daily Tech News Show

Our website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Follow Ryan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

The Daily News Tech Show:  http://www.dailytechnewsshow.com

Tom on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/acedtect

Bryan Alvarez is the hardest working man in the wrestling and MMA audio business. And we were excited to have him join the show this week.

Bryan is a former wrestler who he started making internet radio back in 1999. In other words he is old school in the podcasting business.

Bryan's work covers the world of the WWE and MMA and he covers those topics like no one else online  His background story is inspiring and I can't wait for you to hear it.

We also talk 80's and 90's  wrestling from Hogan to Andre the Giant to the Hart Foundation.  It was a fun one to record, and we're excited to post it for everyone to hear.

Our website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Bryan's website: http://www.f4wonline.com/

Bryan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/bryanalvarez

We took this week's show on the road and attended an event called #Tubeathon in Hollywood, CA.  Shira Lazar, the host of this charity event, is an old friend of the show, and we covered the red carpet (or blue carpet actually).

We talked to some heavy hitter YouTube creators asking them the secret to success as a YouTuber. We got some insightful and smart answers, as well as getting some fun conversations around the YouTube space. I even freestyle rapped with DeStorm on the red carpet.

We also supported a great cause at #tubeathon. Every time someone hashtagged #tubeathon on a social media, $1 was given to the Covenant House homeless shelter in Los Angeles.

We try to answer - "What is a YouTuber," "How do YouTuber creators make money?," "How do brands work with YouTubers," and "What is the future of YouTube?"

http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Sarah Weichel is one smart cookie.  She manages some of the biggest YouTube creators on the planet and helps them build-out long term businesses.  She is extremely wise and there is a lot to learn from her. As a business manager (talent manager) for some of the biggest YouTuber creators in the world (like Hannah Hart), she has executed some amazing things.  This includes helping Hannah's book "My Drunk Kitchen" become a NY Times best-seller.

This was a fun episode, hope you enjoy it. Sarah is an optimistic person who is paving the way for YouTube creator's launching big companies and big ideas.

The first 2 people who email me ryan@influencereconomy.com - I'll send a FREE copy of the book My Drunk Kitchen to:  ryan@influencereconomy.com

Our website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com

Please subscribe on iTunes and leave a review.  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-influencer-economy/id820744212?mt=2

Want to start a podcast?

Email ryan@influencereconomy.com for his "Podcast Marketing Tip Sheet"

Hey guys - thanks again for downloading the show.  If you want a free podcast marketing tip-sheet - email me: ryan@influencereconomy.com

Please subscribe on iTunes and our website is:  http://www.influencereconomy.com 

For this week's episode, we go back to where it all began:  Episode 1 with Burnie Burns. It's only appropriate to re-post the Burnie episode, which kicked this whole podcast off.  Burnie's company Rooster Teeth is an online video and media juggernaut.  He is an inspiration to many creators like Barbara Dunkelman (who works at Rooster Teeth), Adam Kovic & Bruce Greene (who now work at Rooster Teeth), Freddie Wong, and Shira Lazar - all who are past Influencer Economy podcast guests. 

We talked about the origins of Rooster Teeth, Red vs. Blue, and his advice to up and coming creators.  This is one you won't want to miss.

I also spend the first few minutes talking about the past year of the podcast, where it's going and what I've learned.  And my baby daughter gets a few shout-outs.

Subscribe on iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-influencer-economy/id820744212?mt=2

Sign-up for our email list and get a free podcasting guidebook:  ryan@influencereconomy.com 

For a free podcast marketing tip sheet:  ryan@influencereconomy.com

Tucker Max details his successful career as a book author in this episode. He also gives advice to aspiring authors and talks about his new business venture:  Book in a Box. Tucker opens up in this interview, and you won’t want to miss it. Tucker has been sued about his blog, was initially rejected by the publishing industry and has even been cheap-shotted by Shane Battier during a pick-up basketball games. He talks about it all.

Download and Subscribe on iTunes

Did you know that only 3 writers have ever had 3 books on the NY Times best-seller list at the same time? Tucker Max, Malcom Gladwell, and Michael Lewis are the only authors to have reached such a level of success.

Tucker pioneered the model of “owning your audience and controlling your book sales distribution” when he published his first best seller “I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell” in 2006. Back then, writing on the web for free was frowned upon by the publishing world. Now it’s the norm.

In 2015 everyone wants to write a book. Smart business people see the value of a book serving as a ‘calling card.’ Books can promote your business, help increase your public speaking rates, and even develop one’s authority in a business category – it’s never been this easy to write and publish.

We talk about why people should write books, the current state of self-publishing, Amazon, and even when and how Tucker was sued by Miss Vermont a few years ago.

What you can learn from this episode:

• What it’s like taking cheap shots from Shane Battier in a pick-up game
• The importance of luck and hard work in his writing success (and how many people don’t talk enough about luck)
• The current state of book publishing and professional self-publishing
• How Tucker would have started his career if Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitter existed when he became an author (hint –he wouldn’t be a writer)
• What happens when he advises start-ups in taking venture capital from “the man”
• Why you’re better off wearing sweat pants than a really bad suit in a meeting
• Why having a book sends signals to people and why the amount of copies you sell doesn’t matter

Links mentioned the conversation

•   Book in a Box: http://bookinabox.com/

•   Tuckermax.me (Tucker’s blog)

•   All of Tucker Max’s books on Amazon

•   Tucker Max on Twitter | LinkedIn

•   Machinima;  www.Machinima.com

•   David Marquet’s Turn the Ship around:  http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Ship-Around-Turning-Followers/dp/1591846404

•   Ben Horowitz’s The Hard Thing about Hard Things: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hard-Thing-About-Things/dp/0062273205

•   Bethany Motta:  https://www.youtube.com/user/Macbarbie07

•   Nir Eyal’s Hooked:  http://www.nirandfar.com/hooked

•   Adam Grant’s Give and Take:  http://www.giveandtake.com

Sign-up for the email list ryan@influencereconomy.com 

Jordan Harbinger – From #1 Business Podcast to the Art of Charm Academy

Jordan Harbinger details how he started The Art of Charm podcast, and built a successful media company around his show. He shares how he launched the Art of Charm Boot Camps in Los Angeles, helping men to gain confidence socially and in business.   College is becoming less relevant when it comes to defining what career you want to have and Jordan’s education alternative is part of an emerging industry of cool ways to learn. 

We chat about the podcasting industry, how to market your podcast, and the BS that comes with marketing your content on Twitter.

• How Jordan turned his podcast into a big media brand
• The secrets of how Jordan helps ordinary guys become extraordinary men via the Art of Charm
• Why Twitter is over-rated in marketing your web content
• Why podcasts have 10x more conversion than other media properties
• How the podcast helped Jordan launch his Art of Charm Academy and Bootcamps
• How Jordan built a school and bootcamp around the Art of Charm
• The importance of helping correct people’s mindsets

For a free "how to launch your podcast" tipsheet:  http://www.influencereconomy.com or email ryan@influencereconomy.com  or me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Paul Jarvis is a best-selling author, writer, web designer, podcast host and also the chief of “giving you a gentle kick in the pants” to get over your fears.  Paul Jarvis dropped by the show to talk about creativity, building audience and working on your own projects. He details his writing process, online course creation and general theories about finding your “rat people” in your community. 

What you can learn from the show:

• How to create a process for making a living from being creative
• The important steps in getting from idea to execution
• How to make money based on the skills that you have
• How people can shape the future of online learning and education
• The framework for making a living from your art
• How habits create constancy and how Paul writes for ½ hour a day every day, 7 days a week
• The importance of building an audience before selling a product

Sign-up for the email list and I'll send a FREE podcast marketing tip-sheet:  http://influencereconomy.com/

Guest ideas, want to attend a marketing/podcast seminar, or just want to reach-out?  ryan@influencereconomy.com 

Dan Pashman details how he buit the Sporkful podcast into a massively successful food brand. He recently partnered with WNYC for his show, and also has written a best-selling book:  Eat More Better.  I even got the chance to pretend like i was on the show, talking about L.A. BBQ. And he gives a hit-list for how to create something that people will love. 

The Sporkful:  http://www.sporkful.com/

Sign-up for a free "How to Launch Your Podcast Guidebook:  http://influencereconomy.com/

Subscribe on iTunes:  http://bit.ly/1CNwfWV

ryan AT influencereconomy dot com

Dan Pashman, host of the podcast The Sporkful and author of the book Eat More Better stopped by the show.  Dan details the secrets of how he built his successful food podcast that is ‘For eaters, not foodies.”

Dan says that every meal is an opportunity for greatness, and his quirky and irreverent style has won over millions of listeners on iTunes.  Dan was an independent podcast creator, up until last year when the legendary public radio station WNYC picked-up the show. 

Jayson Gaignard dropped by to detail how he created his MasterMind Talks Series, and has built lifelong connections by introducing influencers and experts via "Mastermind Dinners."

Jayson is a black belt in networking, building community and relationships. We go deep into the value of connecting like-minded indviduals and helping others always comes back to you.  Jayson is adding a deep knowledge-base for listeners, and will help you understand the value of buiding bridges for others.  Learn how you can book your own influencer dinners and cultivate more meaningful long term relationships in this episode.  

Stories From the Enfluencer Economy website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

What we learned this episode:

• How a Seth Godin talk changed Jayson's life
• How relatiionships and people are the safest things you can invest in
• How Jayson lives his life "in business you either stand for something or you stand for nothing"
• The wealth of relationships and connecting people
• The benefits of the "anchor guest" model and "The moving up the food chain" strategies for planning influencer dinners
• How Jayson follows Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger's advice to:  "Eliminate one area of ignorance every year"
• How money is the derative of the value you give people

Author Nir Eyal joins the podcast for a discussion around his NY Times best-selling book “Hooked:  How to Build Habit Forming Products.”  Nir explains the 4-step process around building products that capture people’s attention.  From Facebook to WhatsApp to Pinterest – Nyer has spent years contextualizing academic research, applying it to help entrepreneurs build habit-forming products. 

Our website with all the archives:  http://www.influencereconomy.com/

Nir is a pioneer when it comes to self-publishing.  He details the journey of his book becoming a best seller and how his blog, community, and self-published e-book helped land his book on the NY Times list.  It’s an amazing story that all writers can learn from.

• How Nir started writing his blog to answer his own questions about how products create habits
• How hearing Mark Zuckerberg speak when Nir was in Stanford business school inspired his curiosity around the hooked model
• How Facebook & WhatsApp nailed the Hooked model
• The difference between vitamins (nice to have) and pain killers (must have) when building products
• A guide to the 4-Step Hooked process: 1) Trigger 2) Action 3) Reward 4) Investment
• How podcasts apps. like Stitcher form habits for their listeners
• The GEM model (Growth, engagement, monetization)
• How Nir’s career transitioned from entrepreneur into story-teller
• How Nir reach the NY Times best-seller list with the help of his community of blog readers

Nir's website and connectig wtih him on Twitter:  http://www.nirandfar.com/ https://twitter.com/nireyal

Ryan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Sign-up to receive Ryan's "How to Guide for Launching Your Podcast" - http://influencereconomy.com/

Ty Hildenbrandt joined the show this week, to talk all things Serial.  Ty has been hosting podcasts since before it was cool, back in 2007.  His show, The Solid Verbal is one of the largest sports podcasts on the planet. 

We wrapped up our own theories on the show.  And talked about why people were addicted, and how it hooked the listeners.  Ty also weighs in on his take on the future of podcasting, and how Serial will affect and inspire new creators.

Check us out on iTunes!

Follow Ty on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/tyhildenbrandt

Follow The Solid Verbal on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SolidVerbal

Listen

Alan Sepinwall the writer of the wildly popular online TV recap column, What's Alan Watching?" and the best-selling book "The Revoluation Will be Televised.  On this week's show, Alan details how he originated his career as a TV writer, how he wound-up writing for Hitfix.com, and the keys to his successful self-published book.

Listen to our archives:  http://www.influencereconomy.com  Follow Ryan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Alan's history as a TV writer dates back to the 1990's. He's a pioneer in the TV journalism industry, specifically in defining and shaping the category of online TV Show recaps.  He is a great example of a successful creator in The Influencer Economy, as he self-published his book, selling it directly to his community.  He has built an incredibly loyal following from writing online, and was able to deliver a book that his community wanted to read.  He details his unique model of self-publishing which we can all learn from. 

Alan's column:  http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching

Alan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/sepinwall

Alan's original What's Alan Watching blog:  http://sepinwall.blogspot.com

From this episode you'll learn:

• How Alan launched his writing career writing online in the 1990's about NYPD Blue
• The history of Alan's "What's Alan Watching?" TV Recap column
• The background of how Alan went from working for the NJ Times Ledger to writing for the entertainment website Hitfix.com
• The secrets of how Alan self-published his book and got the attention of traditional publishers
• The origins of Alan appearing on Bill Simmons' BS Report

Jonah Keri is a NY Times best-selling author, sports writer for ESPN's Grantland, and told me some fantastic stories on this week's show.  He has been a paid journalist his entire professional life and he details his journey as a writer. Jonah dives into how he started his podcast, writes his best-selling books, and how he wound-up working for Bill Simmons at Grantland.

Great Jonah Keri quotes:

“Somebody is always paying attention to what you’re doing somewhere.”

"One of my favorite quotes is by Branch Rickey: 'Luck is the residue of design.'  Meaning you need a lot of luck in life, but if you work hard and you have a baseline level of skill - things will come to you."

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Jonah's book writing process, how long it takes him to research and interview subjects  
• How his girlfriend helped him get back into baseball during Major League Baseball's '94-'95 season
• How he bookd early guests like Rickey Henderson, Evan Longoria, and Death Cab's Ben Gibbard for his podcast
• The story behind his first job as a sports writer
• How posting on baseball message boards helped him land his first book deal
• How he connected with Bill Simmons to start writing for Grantland 

Connect with us:

• Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanjwill/
• Stories from The Influencer Economy website:  http://www.influencereconomy.com

Connecti with Jonah:

• Jonah writes on Grantland:  http://grantland.com
• Find Jonah on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jonahkeri
• Joah Keri’s “Extra 2%” NY Times Best-seller: http://amzn.to/dmz0hk 
• His new Montreal Expose book “Up Up & Away!”  goo.gl/EwWQtS 

Freddie Wong joined me on the podcast to talk about his hit webseries Video Game High School.  Freddie's series has been watched over 85 milion times online and his YoTube channel RocketJump has over 7 million subscribers.  Freddie also have crowdfunded over $1.3 Million for the series via IndieGoGo and Kickstarter.

Our website: http://influencereconomy.com/

We talk at length about how he built his audience and fans online.  And how he raised crowdfunding dollars, and his 7 million YouTube subscribers.

I was excited to have Troy Carter on the podcast.  He is the founder of Atom Factory, and the conversation was inspiring to say the least.

Troy and I talked about hip-hop, entrepreneurship, life, failure, success and finding passion around your work.  Troy used to work with Bigee Smalls and Puff Daddy back in the day and we started talking about the paralelles of technology entrepreneurs and hip hop music artists.  And the conversation turned into so much more afterwards.  

A great 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 hapiness."  

In this episode I talk with Willie Geist, co-host of the TODAY Show and Morning Joe, and a multiple time NY Times best-selling author.  Willie is an old friend from Vanderbilt and I enjoyed interviewing at his office in NYC a few weeks ago.

Willie chats about his book Good Talk, Dad:  The Birds and The Bees…and Other Versions We Forgot to Have  that he co-authored with his father Bill Geist.  Good Talk, Dad became a NY times best-seller, without having any orders pre-sold through Amazon. This is a big deal, because the bulk of book orders in this modern day come from pre-ordering on Amazon’s website.  Willie details why and his Dad wrote the book together, and how they marketed it to their audiences around Father's Day. 

Additionally, we dive into various chapters of the book. This includes reminiscing about the famed Big Sky Basketball Tournament @ Vanderbilt University that we both played in back in college. And a funny chapter he wrote about taking his daughter to a Harvard/Columbia football game. 

Willie also talks about how what it’s like crossing over to other shows like Andy Cohen’s Bravo Show, Joel McHale’s The Soup, and working with The Olympics with Brian Williams and Michelle Beadle. Andy Cohen and other friends were instrumental in helping to market “Good Talk. Dad,” helping it reach best-seller status.

• Listen on iTunes Click Here:  
• Stream on Stitcher Click Here:
• Listen on Overcast Click Here:

Buy Willie and Bill Geist’s book “Good Talk, Dad”: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Talk-Dad-Conversations-Forgot-ebook/dp/B00EXTVSMI

Follow Willie Geist on Twitter: https://twitter.com/williegeist

Watch Willie on the Today Show: http://www.today.com/

Lance Ulanoff is Chief Correspondent and Editor-at-Large at Mashable.  He joined the Stories From the Influencer Economy, to detail his work as a journalist, and discuss how the journalism industry is evolving in the era of social media.

We also discussed how journalists can build their personal brands on platforms like Twitter & Vine.  Lance has covered Apple since his days writing PC Mag, through the current job at Mashable.  He also has makes regular appearances to talk tech and products on shows like Fox News, the Today Show, and Good Morning America. 

I had Lance on the show to discuss: 

• How journalists can market themselves, and find their POV
• What type of content journalists can create to stand-out in the media world
• What’s it like covering Apple event in 2014, vs. 1990

Follow Lance on Vine: 

• Lance on Vine:  https://vine.co/LanceUlanoff
• Lance on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/lanceulanoff
• Mashable:  http://mashable.com/

What you’ll get out from this episode (Show notes):

• How Lance uses Vine animations to tell stories via journalism 
• The importance of having a personal brand in social media 
• How Lance went from writing a column for PC Mag, to creating social media stories at Mashable 
• How social media creates real-time news at Mashable
• The differences between news rooms in the late 1990’s to today
• What its like covering the Apple iPhone launch events
• What it was like writing 20 page features on technology compared to his work today in journalism
• How he connects with Levarr Burton, William Shatner and other influencers via social media
• Lance’s advice to journalism students for “how to get into writing for a living”
• What’s next for Mashsable 

This episode is supported by https://www.trumaker.com

Justin Jackson joins the Influencer Economy for Episode #25.  Justin a product manager by day, and does a million other things in his spare time. He details how he hosts his Product People podcast, works his day job as a product manager, and finds time to blog and write his email newsletter. Justin talks at length about the important of "shipping" your ideas and building products.  So often people focus on big ideas, and Justin talks how the virtues in building smaller ideas, that can turn into bigger ones.  This episode also dives into how to interview and reach important people as well as how building side projects can help re-define your career.

Product People:  A podcast focused on great products and the people who make them  http://productpeople.tv

Justin's website:  http://justinjackson.ca

Justin on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/mijustin

Caleb Bacon is an network TV writer and host of the popular podcast Man School.  He's a jack of all trades in the modern media world.  He currently writes for the TBS comedy Sullivan and Son, while also hosting the weekly Man School Podcast.  Man School is a show where he interviews men about their exciting or difficult experiences.  He often interviews guys about major moments in their lives that shaped them as a person.

On this week's Influencer Economy, Caleb details what it's like writing on Sullivan and Son, and how he started writing for TV Shows.  He details his creative process for not only TV, but how he broke into the podcasting world. We talked at length about his creative ambitions, and how to become successful in Hollywood.  The show also goes deep into the pitfalls of working in entertainment, living in Los Angeles, and Caleb's sobriety.

This is a really great episode.  Caleb was forthcoming about how he built his writing and podcast careers, while also opening up about his creative process. We explore why we both podcast, and the ups and downs of working in Hollywood.

Subscribe on iTunes:   https://bitly.com/InflTune  Find us on SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/the-influencer-economy

Support for this episode comes from Trumaker, a new menswear brand that combines ruggedly refined original designs with a modern approach to made-to-measure clothing. Call for a 30 minute fitting: http://www.trumaker.com

 Connect:

Man School Podcast:  http://manschoolshow.com

Caleb Bacon on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CalebEatsBacon

Man School Podcast on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ManSchoolShow

Ryan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

This episode is presented by Trumaker.com.

Ryan Ford is the EVP Chief Creative officer, at Cashmere Agency. Cashmere is a lifestyle agency based in Los Angeles that focuses on multicultural millennials and building out communication strategies that can speak to people authentically wherever they’re at online.  Their sister company is Stampede Management, and their client list that they advise and manage include Snoop Dog, Riff Raff, Far East Movement and more.  

There are a lot of great stories and nuggets from this talk with Ryan.  He and I grew-up in Des Moines, IA back in the day. We catch up about our freestyle rap days,the melting pot of our high school, and how that shapes us today.

Ryan Ford also details how Cashmere, and specifically artists like Snoop Dogg bridge the gap between hip-hop communities and Silicon Valley's tech companies.  Snoop Dogg was the first celebrity on Instagram and their company helps Silicon Valley understand how to communicate with millienials and diverse communities online.  Ryan’s company thinks a lot about MMXLII, which is the year 2042 when minorities in America will make-up the majority.  Ryan also explains Snoop Dogg's crowdfunding campaign to provide football equipment to inner-city youth in Iowa.  There's a lot of great stuff in here.  The article about Snoop helping Des Moines football:  http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/des-moines/2014/10/22/snoop-dogg-campaign-youth-football-reaches-target/17745215/

Bernie Su: Creating The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Bernie Su chatted with Ryan about writing, filmmaking and entrepreneurship. Bernie details the journey of adapting Pride and Prejudice, and creating The Lizzie Bennet Diaries for the online world.   Bernie and Hank Green of the Vlog Brothers are the creators of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and Bernie shares the story of how they adapted Jane Austin's famous book, for the modern digital day. His interactive series went onto win a PrimeTime Emmy and was the first ever YouTube Channel to receive such an amazing distinction.

http://www.influencereconomy.com/

He also explains what it was like launching their extremely successful Kickstarter campaign for the DVD distribution, and the follow-up online series:  Emma Approved. Bernie and his team at Pemberly Digital currently working with PBS Digital on Frankenstein MD, a modern adaptation of Frankenstein for the digital age.

Ryan asked Bernie to be on the show to talk about building properties like Lizzie Bennet on multiple platforms and taking risks as a creator. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries started as a web series, then became a DVD, and is currently a book “The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet.” Bernie shares his refreshing perspective that is guided by the philosophy: "If you want to win big, you have to bet big."

• Bernie Su on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Berniesu
• Bernie Su on Instagram:  http://instagram.com/Berniesu
• The Lizzie Bennet Diaries:  https://www.youtube.com/user/LizzieBennet
• Frankenstein MD:  http://www.frankensteinmd.com
• Ryan Williams on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors is one of the more tech savvy athletes in the NBA, and sports.  Harrison tells Ryan about how he embraced the technology community upon getting drafted by the NBA’s Warriors as the 7^th Pick of the 2012 NBA Draft.  When he moved to the San Francisco Bay area, Harrison met with executives at Facebook, Google and Yahoo!, wanting to learn as much as possible about the tech community. 

Harrison grew-up in Ames, IA. and Ryan grew-up in Des Moines, IA.  They had a lot to discuss about The Hawkeye State.  Harrison details his journey from Ames, IA to University of North Carolina to the Warriors, and how he interacts with those fan communities online.  Harrison is a forward-thinking and modern athlete who embraces technology and with the swipe of his fingers, he can reach his fans across the globe. 

http://www.influencereconomy.com

Harrison also recounts stories about how he chats with his fans via social media and describes his P.O. Box, where fans can send him items to be autographed. Harrison and Ryan also talk hypothetically what would it be like if Michael Jordan had Twitter back in the day, and how much a Tweet from Jordan would mean to a fan. 

In this episode you’ll learn:

• What it’s like playing for the Golden St. Warriors
• How athletes are interacting with fans over technology
• How NBA players like Harrison Barnes embrace the entrepreneurial tech community
• How Michael Jordan may use Twitter
• How to reach fans as an athlete
• How to creatively interact with your fans online.

Follow Harrison and the Warriors:

• Harrison Barnes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hbarnes
• Harrison Barnes on Instagram: http://instagram.com/hbarnes
• The Golden Sate Warriors on Twitter: https://twitter.com/warriors
• The Golden State Warriors on Instagram:   http://instagram.com/warriors/
• Ryan Williams on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ryanjwill

Ty Hildenbrandt: The Solid Verbal, College Football & Podcasting

Ty Hildenbrandt, host of the college football podcast The Solid Verbal, chats with Ryan on the show.  The Solid Verbal is an independent, bi-weekly college football podcast hosted by Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein. Ty joined Ryan remotely from his studio in in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  The show is a 7 year old podcast, and pioneering in the podcasting world.  It’s one of the most popular independently produced podcast on the web. 

Ryan and Ty spend the first few minutes re-living Ty and and Dan’s infamous conversation with football coach Houston Nutt.  Ty also describes the process of hosting a bi-weekly show, and getting through the "tire fire" of college football Saturdays, to produce their shows.

Ty details how The Solid Verbal broke into the sports media world, gaining the respect from journalists to fan sites to fans.  He also dives into how the show was previously was part of Bill Simmons' Grantland Network.

Ty and Dan have developed a strong online community and also have a phone number for fans to call during the games on Saturdays.  Ryan left a call on the hotline this weekend, when he was in Nashville for the Vanderbilt/Ole Miss game.  They also talk about Derek Mason + Vanderbilt football at the end.

In this episode you'll learn:

·      How the Solid Verbal launched

·      How to create and produce your own podcast

·      How to pursue a passion project while keeping your day job

·      How Solid Verbal partnered with Bill Simmons’ Grantland network

·      How to grow a tone of voice for your podcast

·      How to start slow and grow your audience

·      How to involve your community into your show    

• Solid Verbal website:  http://www.solidverbal.com/
• iTunes:  bit.ly/18ss0mf 
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/solidverbal
• Ty on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TyHildenbrandt
• Dan on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DanRubenstein
• Reverb hotline:  408-VERBAL1

Hunter Walk:   VC Investing, YouTube and The Bottom Up Economy (Partner @ Homebrew VC)

Ryan chatted with Hunter Walk, Partner at Homebrew Venture Capital, during Ryans’ recent trip to San Francisco.  Homebrew is a seed stage investment firm, that focuses on the “Bottom-Up Economy.”  Hunter calls his company a start-up, and instead of "writing code," he is "writing checks" to help founders build companies.

Hunter previously lead consumer product management at YouTube (Google).  Hunter and Ryan discussed what it was like working at YouTube very early on in the company's history.   They each talk about their love for platforms “that bet on people.  And that give people the tools to create where their efforts can turn into dollars.” 

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When reflecting on his time at YouTube, Hunter said with YouTube:  “You can build a TV-sized audience without having to ask for approval from anybody wearing a suit.  There are no gatekeepers.  It doesn’t mean that everyone succeeds to the same success, for there’s near equal access for everybody.”

Please subscribe to The Influencer Economy  on Stitcher and on iTunes

Ryan also asked Hunter about his blog, and how that effects deal flow (Thanks for the listener Edward for that question).  Hunter says blogging does help his investment business, although he doesn't know to what extent. He also believes in paying it forward and that it's important to be accessible to entrepreneurs via the blog/Twitter.  

Finally Hunter talked specifically what types of investments he likes to make. Hunter details how his investment philosophy was shaped by working on Google Adsense and while at YouTube.  Getting down into a few of his investments, Hunter dives into his portfolio companies:   Shyp and TheSkimm.  He discusses why he bet on them and what types of companies he is looking for. 

Hunter and Homebrew's info:

Homebrew’s website:  www.homebrew.com

Hunter’s blog:  www.hunterwalk.com

Hunter on Twitter:  www.twitter.com/hunterwalk

Hombrew on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/homebrew

Homebrew’s investments discussed:

The Skimm:  Daily email newsletter that gives you what you need to know to start your day:  http://www.theskimm.com

Shyp:  Enabling users to simplify the process of shipping items basically anywhere in the world.  http://www.shyp.com

Sloane Davidson, the founder of The Causemopolitan, chatted with Ryan about her journey as a social entrepreneur and about her “giving philosophy” for life. Sloane is also the author the Giving Manifesto, and has pioneered the category of “Cause-Filled Living.” She is the real deal, and through her writing, helps people find more meaning in their business relationships and friendships.  She details the launching of the Causemopolitan and how she writes her personal essays and grows her community.  

Sloane is an new class of entrepreneur, who has defined her career on her own terms.  One of her most memorable quotes from the podcast was: “The things I have done and not gotten paid for, have by far impacted me the most and made me feel alive. They have brought me the greatest connections and opportunities.”  Sloane and Ryan discuss the upside of working on passion projects and pursuing work outside of your day-job.  They agree that often these projects lead you to to more satisfaction and can shape your career in un-imaginable ways.  Many times Sloane has re-booted and re-launched her professional live, through creating value for the world.

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Sloane was named a top influencer at the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative and "Top Woman to Follow" on Twitter by Forbes.  She has also raised more than $1.5 million dollars for non-profits, including creating the Gulf Coast Benefit, an effort to support Gulf Coast communities after the BP oil spill.

Subscribe to The Causemopolitan: www.thecausemopolitan.com/signup

Giving Manifesto: - Listen to the episode for a discount code for a free copy! galore.cc

Sloane’s website: sloanedavidson.com

Sloane on Twitter: twitter.com/sloane

Learn from her email newsletter successes: us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=2822bb515…d=de7d1607f7

My guest this week is Adam Grant, the author of the New York Times' best selling book:  "Give and Take:  A Revolutionary Approach to Success."  Adam is a professor at Wharton, and their highest rated teacher ever.  His research around giving and taking has revolutionized how people can achieve business success.  Listen to hear more about how "giving" actually helps everyone achieve more success in the long run.

Adam broke down with Ryan the three key styles in the work environment: 1) Giving 2) Taking 3) Matching.  

Givers are the types of people who show-up early at work, mentor others, and stay late to help-out.  They give without expecting anything in return.  Takers are the types of people who "take" and look out for only themselves.  While matchers are the most common type of person at work.  Matchers have the philosophy: "You help me, and I'll help you" (tit for tat).

Buy the Book here

Follow Adam on Twitter

What you'll learn from this episode:

• How to learn more about giving, and how this is greater for you in the long run
• The characteristics around the key styles in the work place:  giving, taking and matching
• How to take the long view in business, as life is NOT a zero-sum game
• That takers have a short view towards life and work
• How takers can learn to become givers 
• How five minute favors and making 3 intros a day changed Adam Rikin's life (and the lives of others)
• How givers like the venture capital investor David Hornik succeed more by giving

Listen on SoundCloud Here

Listen on iTunes Here

Listen on Stitcher Here: 

Filmmaker Freddie Wong is on for Part II of his conversation, on the "The Influencer Economy." You may know Freddie for his popular web series "Video Game High School, which has reached over 65 million views online. To state it simply, it's "Harry Potter for video games."  Ryan and Freddie had such an interesting conversation, he had to divide it up into 2 episodes.  To catch last week's episode:  http://bit.ly/Influencer8

We talked about what it's like to run a modern day media company, in the day of the internet. And the conversation takes an unexpected twist when Ryan's memory runs out on his camera, which we'll leave for your to listen to. This was one of our favorite chats, Freddie is a true professional when it comes to creating and conversing.

In early 2014, he shattered an online video crowdfunding record for Video Game High School, raising over $900,000 for his IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign. He is also the filmmaker behind the popular YouTube Channle /FreddieW which features video game / sic-fi / and special effects heavy content. The Channel has over 7 million subscribers, and has an amazingly loyal online following.

The Influencer Economy is also on Stitcher and on iTunes

Find Freddie on Twitter twitter.com/fwong
Find Freddie on YouTube www.youtube.com/user/freddiew
Find Freddie at Rocketjump www.rocketjump.com
Watch Video Game High School www.rocketjump.com/category/vghs

It was a pleasure to have Fula on "The Influencer Economy," he's a well-respected DJ/musician/host on YouTube.  Flula has over 500,000 YouTube subscribers on his channel and has built a loyal global audience. 

Earwolf's Jeff Ullrich joined me on the show to talk about how he launched the Earwolf podcast network, with his business partner Scott Aukerman.  We speak about how the role of talent, producer, and entrepreneur are all merging in the world of media.  Shows you may have heard of: Comedy Bang Bang, Sklarbro Country, and Jeff's podcast The Wolf Den, are produced in-house at Earwolf.  He also founded The Mid Roll, which is a advertising tool for artists to monetize their shows.  Nerdist, Marc Maron's WTF, and an entire network of shows leverage The Mid Roll product.  

We talked about how he got to 1,000 true fans for his early podcasts, how the innovator's dilemma inspired him to create the business.   He's built a podcast network with over 7 million monthly downloads, and over 10 million in revenue, it's an inspiring conversation.  

The Mid Roll:  http://www.themidroll.com

Earwolf:  http://earwolf.com

Jeff's Wolf Den Podcast:  http://www.earwolf.com/show/wolf-den/

Excited for episode #5 of The Influencer Economy, with my guest Jamie Wilkinson. Jamie and I had an awesome chat about media, video , and making stuff on the internet. It was so good, I had to divide it up into two different episodes. The conversation is a fascinating glimpse into the world of where the film industry

Jamie is currently the CEO and co-founder of VHX , a direct distribution platform where creators can sell videos, TV, film and content directly to their fans. They are paving the way for creators to connect with their fans, and empowering a generation of artists to generate revenue around their passions.

In the 2nd episode we chatted about VHX, and early successful projects Indie Game the Movie and Camp Takota. We also chat about VHX's projects within undervalued deep verticals like Kung-Fu, religion, and Korean Starcraft gaming. These are some of the more marketable movies that a studio would not consider marketable, but they are perfect for online distribution.

We also dive into how Indie Game the Move revolutionized the art and science of launching a film. He suggests that filmmakers should create a website, branding, and start making content well in advance to when their film debuts. Building an audience in advance of a film premiere is imperative to one's film success in the modern day launch.

We chatted about Camp Takota, which starts the Hannah Hart, Mamrie Hart and Grace Helbig, major YouTube stars, who leveraged VHX for their launch. In general Jamie believes you should have your film on all platforms, not only VHX, but Netflix, TV, iTunes, etc. And the team from Camp Takota did a wonderful job on their launch strategy.

Jamie is also the co-creator of Star Wars Uncut and won a Primetime Emmy – for “Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Media Non-Fiction in 2010. The film is an amazing crowd-sourced re-creation of the original Star Wars film.

In this episode you will learn:
How to launch an indie film
How Indie Game The Movie partnered with VHX and created a blueprint for how to self-distribute a film
How Camp Takota distributed their movie via their YouTube followings
How the future of film is direct communication and collaboration with the film’s audience
How to launch a film brand, create a film, and build audience ahead of your film’s release
How one Tweet can change your career path, and how Andy Baio Tweet’ed the Indie Game the Movie filmmakers about VHX and the rest is history
That the next generation of filmmaking is fans and creators directly communicating throughout the filmmaking process.

Watch Star Wars Un-Cut:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ezeYJUz-84

Follow @JamieW on Twitter: twitter.com/jamiew

Follow me: twitter.com/ryanjwill
Influencer Economy website: influencereconomy.com

Watch Camp Takota: camptakota.vhx.tv/buy/camp-takota
Watch Aziz Ansari's comedy special: azizisbored.tumblr.com
Watch Indie Game The Movie: buy.indiegamethemovie.com

Checkout VHX: www.vhx.tv/

Excited for episode #5 of The Influencer Economy, with my guest Jamie Wilkinson. Jamie and I had an awesome chat about media, video , and making stuff on the internet. It was so good, I had to divide it up into two different episodes. The conversation is a fascinating glimpse into the world of where the film industry

Jamie is currently the CEO and co-founder of VHX , a direct distribution platform where creators can sell videos, TV, film and content directly to their fans. They are paving the way for creators to connect with their fans, and empowering a generation of artists to generate revenue around their passions.

In the first episode we chatted about VHX, and and early successful project they worked on with the comedian Aziz Ansari. They helped Aziz distribute his comedy special via the platform, which made six figures of revenue within the first day.

Jamie is also the co-creator of Star Wars Uncut and won a Primetime Emmy – for “Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Media Non-Fiction in 2010. The film is an amazing crowd-sourced re-creation of the original Star Wars film.

http://influencereconomy.com/

https://twitter.com/ryanjwill

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

How to Aziz Ansari and VHX teamed up for his comedy special

How Indie Game The Movie partnered with VHX and created a blueprint for how to self-distribute a film

How Camp Takota distributed their movie via their YouTube followings

What types of risks filmmakers can take to keep the rights to their film

How the future of film is direct communication and collaboration with the film’s audience

How to launch a film brand, create a film, and build audience ahead of your film’s release

How Star Wars Uncut was created and crowdsourced from the community

How one Tweet can change your career path, and how Andy Baio Tweet’ed the Indie Game the Movie filmmakers about VHX and the rest is history

That the next generation of filmmaking is fans and creators directly communicating throughout the filmmaking process.

Watch Star Wars Un-Cut:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ezeYJUz-84

Follow @JamieW on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jamiew

Watch Camp Takota:   https://camptakota.vhx.tv/buy/camp-takota

Watch Aziz Ansari's comedy special:  http://azizisbored.tumblr.com

Watch Indie Game The Movie:  http://buy.indiegamethemovie.com

Checkout VHX: https://www.vhx.tv/

Adam Kovic and Bruce Greene are the hosts of Machinima's Inside Gaming. The show reaches 7 million views per month, and has built a loyal and staunch gaming following. I was excited to have these guys on the show, as I have known Adam for years, from my days at Machinima. While I have gotten to know Bruce since he joined Inside Gaming 1.5 years ago.

On the show, we talked about Adam's early days at Machinima, where he did everything from building chairs to editing shows. He eventually became the host of Inside Gaming, a show that has now evolved to a mix between "Mystery Science Theater," and "The Soup."

The two of them have great senses of humor and we chatted about their day in and day out work for the show. They are modern day creatives in that they are hosts/editors/producers, and have lots of hyphens in their roles/responsibilities.

To succeed in the gaming/YouTube world, we talked about how you have to have passion, and be dedicated to the brand that you're working for. We chatted a bit about how Adam went to visit gaming jaugernaut and past guest Burnie Burns of Rooster Teeth, and how that inspires his work for Inside Gaming.

We also talk about their loyal audience, how the show gets produced, and how their fearless leader Joel Rubin keeps them forging ahead at Machinima.

In this video you'll learn: What it's like working in the gaming industry. how to get a job in the gaming industry, what it's like working at a start-up, how to work in the YouTube video world, how to get a job at a YouTube company.

Follow Adam on Twitter: twitter.com/adamkovic Follow Bruce: twitter.com/brucegreene Follow Inside Gaming:twitter.com/insidegaming Find them on YouTube:www.youtube.com/user/InsideGaming

On episode 2 of The Influencer Economy, we're happy and proud to welcome Shira Lazar to the show.  Shira is the founder and host of the Emmy nominated show What's Trending and an inspiration in the media and YouTube world.  In order to launch her career, she defined her own 'beat' as a journalist, essentially creating the news category that "bridged the gap between Silicon Valley and celebrity."  

Shira is the essence modern day media entrepreneur in every sense, and she has creatively and instinctively built What's Trending to serve over 2 million views a month on YouTube, and 20 million views per month across all their syndicated platforms.  We talked at length about her career starting in Canada, and how she moved to L.A., building her career on her own terms.  It was a fascinating conversation and snapshot into the life of a modern day media/social media entrepreneur and online social media businessperson.   

This podcast will teach you:  How to build a start-up media company, how to become an entrepreneur, how to build a modern day media brand, how to create and instinctively build a successful business online.  

Shira goes into detail about how to be a leader at a start-up, gives advice to future creators and aspiring entrepreneurs.  Shira feeds off of collaboration, and works hard at nurturing relationships, while thinking about how to play the long game in friendships/work relationships.  She kicked-off her career in Canada, and came to Los Angeles as a producer/host/broadcaster/creator - working as a freelancer in the broadcast world.  She has not forgotten her roots as a mult-skilled founder at What's Trending.  She has the ability to relate to the biggest YouTubers like Toby Turner, and can switch into tech/start-up mode with Mark Cuban at the drop of a dime. 

She interviews people for a living, and her start-up business is inspired by her passion and curiosity around meeting new people.  Achieving her success did not come easy, and as an early vlogger helped transform the medium into what it is today.  Vlogging was barely a word when she started creating videos.  She was an early voice in covering online 'viral video stars' for CBS back in 2008, when no one else was speaking to them.  She created and identified an emerging market, where people on the internet were become personalities in the news world.  Shira pioneered the 'human interest stories' beat around interviewing web personalties like 'The Double Rainbow Guy" or "Antoine Dotson."  These stories are now common place on national news like the Today Show or CBS This Morning, influenced by Shira's work.  

We also dig into the format of What's Trending, and how she runs the show, books guests, promote the episodes, and interviews her guests.  What's Trending is a modern day media brand, and this podcast is a great listen for anyone passionate about media, or someone who wants to understand what it's like running a social media start-up enterprise in 2014.  Shira is a true pioneer in the influencer economy.