THE 505 PODCAST

The 10 Minute Personal Brand Kickstart (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/personalbrandkickstart Collab with Artlist and get 2 extra months for free here: https://artlist.io/artlist-70446?artlist_aid=the505podcast_2970&utm_source=affiliate_p&utm_medium=the505podcast_2970&utm_campaign=the505podcast_2970 Check out Hydrant here: https://2ly.link/27h83 What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we sit down with none other than Gary Vee – the king of content, CEO of Vayner Media - a $365M agency, and one of the most iconic voices in the creator economy. In this episode, Gary breaks down exactly how to win on social media in 2025 - from why organic content is the lifeblood of any brand, to how creators should think about attention, brand vs sales, and why most people are one piece of content away from changing their life. He also shares how he scaled VaynerMedia from nothing, why content volume beats perfection, and how humility became his greatest superpower in business. We go deep on platform strategy, AI influencers, creating at scale, and why 22 to 30 is your time to go all in on your dream. If you’re a creator, entrepreneur, or marketer trying to dominate attention in today’s world - this is the blueprint.. Check out Gary here: https://www.instagram.com/garyvee/ https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@garyvee⁩   SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.the505podcast.com/pricing-guide Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs More Free Products: Our 5 Positioning Tips to Land Bigger Clients (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips 6 Questions to ask on Every Sales Call (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15 https://bit.ly/42sNdej Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:02 - What 90% of brands get wrong about Social Media 2:31 - Do you understand each platform? 4:26 - Organic Social is life 6:10 - The TikTokification of content 7:03 - You are the niche 9:07 - Gary Vee vs Alex Hormozi 10:07 - “I’ve never had to make my money from my audience” 11:26 - The early days of Vayner 12:58 - Gary’s Ah-Ha moment 14:59 - Artlist 15:41 - Gary’s pitch to brands for Vayner 18:23 - Interest Graph vs. Social Graph 20:03 - Sawdust Content Theory 21:35 - Gary’s warning to fortune 500 brands 23:19 - How Gary’s pitch has changed 24:33 - Post Creative Strategy 25:23 - How we connected with Gary 27:17 - Gary’s won the lottery twice 29:23 - Macro patients, micro speed 30:53 - Don’t be a dick 32:20 - How to really grow something big 33:42 - Hiring A players vs. B/C players 35:14 - Hydrant 36:01 - You’re leaving brand on the table 36:44 - Gary’s thoughts on Meta’s A.I. strategy 38:58 - How Gary is defending against A.I. 40:22 - How Gary won business early on with Vayner 41:25 - Gary’s current social strategy 43:25 - Gary’s advice to college graduates 46:55 - Going back to being Gary Vee 48:31 - A.I. influencers 50:17 - Gary’s mindset 25 years ago 54:28 - Gary’s has his own slang 56:22 - What platforms you should spend the most attention on If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/

The 10 Minute Personal Brand Kickstart (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/personalbrandkickstart Check out Motion Array here: https://motionarray.com/?artlist_aid=the505podcast_2970&utm_source=affiliate_p&utm_medium=the505podcast_2970&utm_campaign=the505podcast_2970 What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we welcome the elusive and ultra talented Karl Shakur - a creator who went from sleeping in his car to shooting campaigns for Bugatti, hitting a million followers, and building one of the most distinct visual styles on Instagram. Karl takes us deep into how he turned a $70K brand deal into proof-of-concept for his entire career, why he left architecture behind, and how he now approaches content like a business - with a 6-pillar strategy built to grow depth, not just followers. We talk about the balance between personal and commercial work, how to build longevity as a creative, and why injecting yourself into your work is the ultimate differentiator. If you’re a photographer, filmmaker, or content creator trying to turn your art into a full-time career - this is the blueprint. Check out Karl here: https://www.instagram.com/karl_shakur/ https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@KarlShakur⁩   SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.the505podcast.com/pricing-guide Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs More Free Products: Our 5 Positioning Tips to Land Bigger Clients (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips 6 Questions to ask on Every Sales Call (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15 https://bit.ly/42sNdej Timestamps: 0:00 - Trailer 0:36 - Intro 1:25 - The $70,000 brand deal that changed his life 3:04 - How he used the money 4:15 - Proving his parents wrong 7:53 - Why brands pay Karl so much 11:54 - Where Karl’s love for storytelling came from 13:32 - Motion Array 14:19 - Karl’s creative strategy 18:35 - Does gear matter? 20:05 - How Karl pushes his creative limits 22:05 - Karl’s insane instagram growth 25:28 - Karl’s 6 pillars of content 29:32 - Building depth with your audience 30:53 - Karl is hyper competitive with content 34:21 - Why You Have to Keep Reinventing as a Creator 35:13 - Karl’s fitness routine 38:10 - Tips for Instagram success 40:41 - Why Showing You Is the Key to Standing Out 42:35 - Brands Want You, Not Just Your Art 44:48 - How Karl Lands & Delivers High-End Brand Deals 47:00 - The importance of collaboration 48:37 - The misconception about being a full time creator 50:02 - Karl’s favorite piece of creative work 53:19 - Karl’s new project - The Shkr.club 1:00:53 - Perfectionism is a creative killer 1:03:38 - The Hidden Cost of Chasing Your Dream 1:05:46 - Advice to your 18 year old self If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/

The 10 Minute Personal Brand Kickstart (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/personalbrandkickstart Check out Hydrant here: https://2ly.link/27h83 What’s up, Rock Nation! Today’s episode is a masterclass in LinkedIn growth with Vin Matano — the founder of Creator Buzz and the guy quietly building one of the most powerful B2B creator agencies in the game. After leaving his comfy 9-to-5, Vin hit $750K in his first year and hasn’t looked back. We get into all of it: how to actually go viral on LinkedIn, why your follower count doesn’t matter, how to package your posts for maximum reach, and why photographers and videographers are sleeping on the platform. If you’re a creator trying to land dream clients or brand deals, LinkedIn might be your biggest opportunity, and Vin breaks down the exact playbook for how to win. Check out Vin here: https://www.instagram.com/vinmatano/ https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@vinmatano⁩   https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinmatano/ SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.the505podcast.com/pricing-guide Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs More Free Products: Our 5 Positioning Tips to Land Bigger Clients (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips 6 Questions to ask on Every Sales Call (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15 https://bit.ly/42sNdej Timestamps: 0:00 - Trailer 0:35 - Intro 1:20 - How to crush on LinkedIn as a beginner 2:10 - LinkedIn will be the #1 app for creators 3:06 - Repackaging content for LinkedIn 4:36 - How to win with text 6:34 - Why Vin went all in with LinkedIn 7:39 - The bar for video is super low 8:32 - Why Vin is so bullish on LinkedIn 10:18 - Beginner tips 11:46 - Video on LinkedIn 12:59 - The difference between brands and creators on LinkedIn 14:00 - Hydrant 15:00 - People don’t want to follow brand pages 16:30 - full time linkedin creators 17:44 - LinkedIn followers don’t matter as much 18:24 - successful LinkedIn content benchmark 20:02 - Networking on LinkedIn 21:43 - Biggest mistakes beginners make 23:00 - The “But, therefore” rule 25:45 - What’s not working as well anymore on LinkedIn 26:08 - Never post JPEG pics 28:23 - You have to adapt as a creator 30:20 - LinkedIn tips for Photographers & Videographers 32:04 - LinkedIn brand deal structure 33:59 - The new Brand Link feature 37:13 - Why Vin started Creator Buzz 38:32 - Hiring for Creator Buzz 40:19 - $750,000 in year one 41:33 - Navigating live events 45:09 - Difficulties of starting your own business 49:18 - Year one business learnings 51:34 - Softwares Vin uses 52:19 - How ROI is measured 53:59 - LinkedIn Influencer budgets 55:32 - When Vin knew he had to expand his team 58:00 - Cold calling and sales advice 1:01:20 - Video Trends 1:07:31 - Vetting creators 1:09:28 - How he tripled his business 1:11:13 - How Vin splits his time 1:14:00 - Can podcasts clips perform on LinkedIn? 1:15:41 - Your idea is worth sharing 1:17:18 - the next 6-12 months 1:21:06 - Advice to 18 year old self If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/

The 10 Minute Personal Brand Kickstart (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/personalbrandkickstart What’s up, Rock Nation! Your content strategy might be keeping you broke, and in this episode, we break down why. If you’re a creator trying to grow your personal brand, land dream clients, or sell products/services online, this is the playbook you've been waiting for. We’re giving you 10 game-changing content strategy tips that’ll shift how you think about content, forever. Whether you're on IG, TikTok, or YouTube, these tips will help you stop chasing views and start building a brand that prints money. SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.the505podcast.com/pricing-guide Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs More Free Products: Our 5 Positioning Tips to Land Bigger Clients (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips 6 Questions to ask on Every Sales Call (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 Timestamps: 0:00 – Trailer 0:36 – Intro 2:41 — You’re Optimizing for Views, Not Value 8:23 — Followers No Longer Matter 16:03 — You’re Playing for Algorithms, Not People 19:08 — You’re Not Building a Brand — You’re Just Posting 27:04 — You're Avoiding Repetition — Big Mistake 33:01 — You're Underestimating the Power of Series 36:08 — You Don’t Have a Content Funnel 40:13 — Your Call-to-Actions Suck 41:25 — You’re Not Capturing Emails — You’re Renting Your Audience 44:04 — You’re Not Creating Searchable Evergreen Content If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/

The 10 Minute Personal Brand Kickstart (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/personalbrandkickstart Collab with Artlist and get 2 extra months for free here: https://artlist.io/artlist-70446?artlist_aid=the505podcast_2970&utm_source=affiliate_p&utm_medium=the505podcast_2970&utm_campaign=the505podcast_2970 What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Tejas - the filmmaker and creator behind one of the most thoughtful and vulnerable docuseries on YouTube. After spending 9 months crafting a series on attractiveness, Tejas pulled in over 1.7 million views and sparked thousands of deeply personal conversations in the comments. In this episode, we dive into how he built a YouTube channel rooted in depth, not just reach, and how he’s redefining what it means to build an audience that actually cares. We get into his creative process, the emotional cost of getting vulnerable online, and why most creators are thinking way too small. Check out Tejas here: https://www.instagram.com/tejashullur/ https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@TejasHullur⁩   SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.the505podcast.com/pricing-guide Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs More Free Products: Our 5 Positioning Tips to Land Bigger Clients (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips 6 Questions to ask on Every Sales Call (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15 https://bit.ly/42sNdej Chase’s Totality LUT pack: https://www.chasealexanderfilm.com/color/totalitylutpack Timestamps: 0:00 – Trailer 0:33 – Intro 1:12 – Why Creators Are Pivoting to YouTube Series 2:32 – The Spark Behind the Attractiveness Series 5:07 – The Rule Tejas Uses to Validate Video Ideas 6:18 – How He Structured the Four-Part Series 7:26 – Comparing thumbnails 8:39 – Building Stakes and B-Plots Into Episodes 10:36 – Thumbnail and title strategy 11:23 – Breaking down Tejas’ attractiveness series 12:49 - How to start a successful series 15:20 – Artlist 16:18 - What comes after title and thumbnail 18:16 - How often will Tejas create a series on YouTube 19:49 – The Anxiety of Inconsistent Uploads 21:03 – Short Form Pays the Bills, Long Form Feeds the Soul 23:03 - How Tejas has changed as a creator 24:23 - Editing process 24:47 – Prioritizing Depth Over Width in His Audience 27:38 – Why Word Count in Comments Is His Favorite Metric 28:52 – How to build depth with your audience 32:47 - How to create authentically online 36:38 - What Tejas has learned from his roommate Colt 39:31 - Producer brain 40:08 – Tejas’ ideal monetization strategy 48:20 – Dealing with burnout 52:20 - The future of Tejas’ channel 57:25 - Short form vs long form audiences 58:54 - How to make the leap from short form to long form 1:02:51 - studying formats 1:04:27 – How Tejas’ creative process has changed 1:05:54 - Tejas doesn’t want to go viral 1:10:05 – Tejas’ mindset going into YouTube 1:12:01 – Tejas’ big theory 1:12:43 - What tejas learned from creating short form content 1:13:48 - Keeping the viewers attention 1:16:25 - The future of the creator economy 1:26:04 - What feels off about the creator economy 1:28:44 - What tejas is trying to work on in the next 6-12 months 1:31:45 - Creator vs consumer relationship 1:33:53 - Advice to 18 year old self If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ Chase: https://www.instagram.com/chaseronii/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/

The 10 Minute Personal Brand Kickstart (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/personalbrandkickstart What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Kane Kallaway — the creator and strategist behind one of the fastest-growing YouTube channels on the internet. After his first channel flopped, Kane rebuilt from the ground up, hit 100K subs in under 5 months, and turned his content into a full-blown business. In this episode, we go way beyond surface-level advice and break down the real blueprint: why most creators fail, how to build a six-figure audience, and what it takes to turn your content into cash. If you're tired of guessing what to post or feel stuck trying to grow your brand — this is your playbook. Check out Kallaway here: https://www.instagram.com/kallaway/ https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@kallawaymarketing⁩   SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.the505podcast.com/pricing-guide Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs More Free Products: Our 5 Positioning Tips to Land Bigger Clients (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips 6 Questions to ask on Every Sales Call (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15 https://bit.ly/42sNdej Chase’s Totality LUT pack: https://www.chasealexanderfilm.com/color/totalitylutpack Timestamps: 0:00 – Trailer 0:36 – Intro 1:27 – One-Handed Crack 2:12 – Why Kane's First Channel Failed 3:31 – Why Random Uploads Kill Your Reach 4:31 – What to Do If You’re Starting YouTube Today 5:10 – The 4 Steps to Grow Fast on YouTube 5:47 – Personal Brand Kickstart 6:08 – Avatar → Format → Pain Points → Contrarian Solution 8:00 – Motion Array 9:10 – Contrarian Opinions Drive Views 10:04 – Knowing When a Channel is Working 11:02 – YouTube Is a Packaging Platform 12:35 – Psychology Behind Clicking Thumbnails 15:47 – The First 30 Seconds Matter Most 18:11 – 5-Step Formula for YouTube Intros 21:13 – Why Most Creators Fail 23:03 – Short Form vs Long Form 26:10 – How Short Form Made Kane Faster 27:18 – The Modern Content Stack 28:00 – Owning Your Ads vs Brand Deal Ceiling 30:36 – Building a Second Channel Intentionally 31:12 – Growing Two Audiences at Once 33:14 – How AI Might Backfire on Creators 34:52 – Why Personal Brands Will Win 36:08 – Giving Away 100% of the Sauce 39:10 – 3 Hook Strategies That Work 42:15 – Quality Shock: Be a Diamond in the Rough 45:20 – The Power of Social Proof While Scrolling 48:00 – Kane’s Full Content Workflow & Team Setup 50:30 – How Kane Uses vidIQ to Spot Trends 52:00 – Funnels, Offers & Business Experiments 54:00 – 4 Types of Business Models (High/Low Ticket) 56:30 – Why Content Creators Need to Own the Backend 1:00:00 – Packaging Content for Business Strategy 1:04:00 – What Makes a Great $49 Product 1:09:00 – The Power of Email Nurture Sequences 1:13:00 – Kane on Content Compression & Value 1:17:00 – The AI Risk for Content Creators 1:21:00 – Business Model + Lifestyle Fit 1:25:00 – How Kane Would Build From Scratch 1:29:00 – How to Create Offers from Free Content 1:33:00 – Selling Speed, Implementation & Access 1:37:00 – Avoiding the Procrastination Trap 1:40:00 – Final Thoughts + Outro If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ Chase: https://www.instagram.com/chaseronii/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/

Our 5 Positioning Tips to Land Bigger Clients (FREE Download): https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips Learn the 6 Questions to ask on Every Discovery Call (FREE Download): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Garrett and Chelsea - The married creative duo behind Stache.Haus, a New York-based creative agency. A year ago, they left everything behind in LA, and moved across the country to launch a premium boutique agency in one of the most competitive cities in the world. In this episode, we break down what Instagram doesn’t show you - the sleepless nights, financial pressure, and learning how to fight for your business and your relationship. If you’re dreaming of launching your own agency one day, or just a creative wanting to learn how to work with bigger brands, this is the real behind-the-scenes of what it actually takes. Check out Garrett and Chelsea here: https://www.instagram.com/shortstache/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/chelstache/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/stache.haus/?hl=en SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/pricing-guide Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15 https://bit.ly/42sNdej Chase’s Totality LUT pack: https://www.chasealexanderfilm.com/color/totalitylutpack Timestamps: 0:00 - Trailer 0:25 - Intro 0:52 - One Handed Crack 1:30 - Going all in on building an agency together 2:23 - The chaos of quitting, moving, and planning a wedding 3:51 - Dealing with NYC winter and emotional shock 5:19 - What Garrett gave up to start Stache.Haus 6:27 - Chelsea’s struggle to gain respect in a male-dominated space 7:59 - Why brand confusion is still a challenge 8:55 - How inbound leads split between Shortstache and Stache.Haus 10:58 - The moment they decided to launch the agency 12:09 - What makes their agency different from traditional production houses 14:25 - Agency frustrations: when bad ideas come from big budgets 17:28 - Brutal truths about launching a business in NYC 18:52 - Pressure, burnout, and financial fear 21:55 - No separation between work and life 23:20 - The cost of grinding 24/7 as a couple 25:32 - “I didn’t sign up for this” 26:43 - Building structure through calendars and time blocking 28:21 - Tools they use to run the business 30:14 - Their biggest financial mistake: no runway 31:50 - Emotional breaking point before the wedding 33:36 - Learning to love each other under extreme stress 35:25 - Becoming bulletproof through adversity 36:43 - How they decide if a client is a good fit 38:12 - Standing up to disrespectful clients 41:18 - Dream team structure for the agency 43:40 - The vision for a physical Stache.Haus location 45:45 - How Chelsea wants to evolve her role 47:08 - Garrett’s goal to stop touching the camera 50:00 - Why NYC accelerates brand relationships 52:16 - Boots-on-the-ground strategy for brand deals 54:51 - Creating campaigns that stand out from recap videos 56:23 - Their exact brand deal workflow and process 58:28 - Why every project starts with a phone call 1:01:32 - How they quote and budget campaigns 1:03:34 - Lessons learned from bad brand deals 1:07:04 - Why trust and boundaries with clients matter 1:10:25 - Advice for anyone starting a creative agency If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ Chase: https://www.instagram.com/chaseronii/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/

SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report What's up Rock Nation, today we're reviewing your work. We appreciate everyone who submitted their work to us! If we reviewed your work, please let us know below! The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/pricing-guide Our FREE 5 positioning tips download: https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips Learn the 6 Questions to ask on any discovery call (FREE Download): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15 https://bit.ly/42sNdej Chase’s Totality LUT pack: https://www.chasealexanderfilm.com/color/totalitylutpack Timestamps: 0:00 - One Handed Crack 0:49 - NYC 2:10 - Storytime 2:30 - Kostas is moving out 3:03 - Fig's Amazon Brand Deal 3:44 – Work Review 1 (Will Coley Colavito) 6:17 – Work Review 2 (Jay Velasquez) 9:34 – Work Review 3 (Myles Curry) 11:07 – Work Review 4 (T McKinley – G League) 14:29 – Work Review 5 (Keith – Portrait Photography) 16:30 – Work Review 6 (Ryan Garcia by Riley) 18:50 – Work Review 7 (Nathan – Gym Edit) 21:02 – Work Review 8 (Caden Peso – Baseball Edit) 25:08 – Work Review 9 (Denton Taylor – Mini Doc) 28:31 – Work Review 10 (Mark Studio – Deadlift Gym Video) 32:01 – Work Review 11 (Elijah Moses – Sports Photography) 33:30 – Work Review 12 (Remy LaVert – Short Sci-Fi Film) 36:19 – Work Review 13 (Milo Norton – Sports Photography) 38:04 – Work Review 14 (Jackson – Full Portfolio Review) 41:39 – Work Review 15 (Gabriel Flores – Portraits & Misc) 45:26 – Work Review 16 (Yasmani Hernandez – Gym Video) 47:02 – Work Review 17 (Joe Alberti – Under Armour Spec Ad) If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/

SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Marshal Crews — the founder of Tamed Psychotic, a drop-based clothing brand doing $100K in 30 minutes without spending a dollar on ads. At 17, Marshal was homeless. Now, he’s built one of the most exciting underground streetwear brands online. In this episode, we dive into how he turned personal pain into creative fuel, why scarcity is the secret behind his brand’s success, and what every creator needs to know about building hype, community, and a movement without paid marketing. Check out Marshal here: https://www.instagram.com/marshalcrews/ https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@marshallcrews_⁩   The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/pricing-guide Our FREE 5 positioning tips download: https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips Learn the 6 Questions to ask on any discovery call (FREE Download): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15 https://bit.ly/42sNdej Chase’s Totality LUT pack: https://www.chasealexanderfilm.com/color/totalitylutpack Timestamps: 0:00 - Trailer 0:31 - Intro 1:08 - One handed crack 1:35 - Going all in on clothing 4:05 - Why clothing came naturally after success in fitness 8:42 - Turning a messy past into a movement 12:49 - The unseen hours behind every viral drop 16:58 - Starting Tamed Psychotic out of necessity, not money 21:03 - Why he refuses to run ads and prioritizes scarcity 25:32 - Email is outdated — SMS is his main channel 29:36 - Supreme’s playbook: build a world, not a product 33:42 - Scarcity vs. upsetting customers — the trade-off 38:12 - Behind the scenes: broken supply chains and production chaos 42:41 - How he preps for a drop and ships 1000s of orders 47:00 - Discord backfired — managing a community is hard 51:20 - The content loop: obsessing over every touchpoint 55:48 - How he drives sales through storytelling, not ads 59:59 - People just don’t understand the grind 1:04:07 - The mental toll of growth and pressure to keep going 1:08:27 - Deep childhood stories that shaped the brand 1:12:48 - The closet moment that changed his mindset forever 1:16:58 - Chasing the next challenge instead of the money 1:21:31 - The emotional highs of customer support wins 1:25:47 - Always evolving the creative and product 1:29:54 - The community and brand come before profits 1:34:07 - Why the goalpost keeps moving — and that’s okay 1:38:34 - The power of world-building and creative direction 1:42:45 - Obsession, late nights, and why he still edits everything If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ Chase: https://www.instagram.com/chaseronii/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/

SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report What's up Rock Nation, today we have on Chrystopher Rhodes - better known as YCImaging. In this episode we sit down and talk to Chrys about what he sees working on social media right now, and how to turn your creative passion into a full-time living with YouTube. Check out Chrys here: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@YCImaging⁩   https://www.instagram.com/ycimaging/ The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/pricing-guide Our FREE 5 positioning tips download: https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips Learn the 6 Questions to ask on any discovery call (FREE Download): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK KG Presets Vol. 1 https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets Kostas’ Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3GhId25 15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15 https://bit.ly/42sNdej Chase’s Totality LUT pack: https://www.chasealexanderfilm.com/color/totalitylutpack Timestamps: 0:00 - Trailer 0:25 - Intro 0:52 - One Handed Crack 1:30 - Become a full time creator in 12 months 2:23 - What’s working right now on Long Form and Short Form 3:21 - What Chrys is most focused on right now content wise 3:51 - Why Chrys doesn’t like short form content 5:19 - Why YouTube is the best platform 6:27 - Longer videos are working on YouTube 7:59 - The state of Filmmaking YouTube 8:55 - Chrys’ gear setup 10:58 - Chrys’ YouTube process 12:09 - How much consistency is necessary for success 14:25 - Going all in on YouTube 17:28 - Having a support system 18:52 - Chrys hates business 21:55 - Brand Deal Nightmares 22:51 - How to start doing brand deals 24:21 - Negotiating brand deals 25:29 - Chrys’ biggest brand deal pay day 26:25 - Multi-deal partnerships 30:14 - Learning from other creators 31:50 - Diversifying income 33:36 - Favorite brand partnership 35:25 - Making your first $1,000 as a creator 36:43 - Building trust with your audience 41:18 - Creative Freedom 43:40 - Chrys is leaning more into storytelling 45:45 - Trying new formats and styles 47:08 - How to attract return viewers 50:00 - Will Chrys be making videos at 70 52:16 - How Chrys structures his week around content 54:51 - Dealing with Burnout 56:23 - Dialing in storytelling 58:28 - Do creators need an exit plan? 1:01:32 - Why you don’t want to go viral 1:03:34 - Mistakes young creators are making 1:07:04 - The hamster wheel of content creation 1:10:25 - Advice to your 18 year old self If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ Chase: https://www.instagram.com/chaseronii/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/