WEBVTT - Kendall Ostrow 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:07.640 Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to the Bob Left Sets podcast. My 0:00:07.800 --> 0:00:11.799 guest this week is Kendall Astro, head of i Q 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:14.680 Strategy for u t A, one of the three biggest 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:18.120 talent agencies, not only in Los Angeles, been in the world. 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:21.200 They used to call it United Talent because it was 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:24.160 a unification of a couple of talent agencies. And you say, 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:27.280 who is Kendall Astrow? I didn't know she was either 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:30.560 until I was on this program in Utah. I met 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:34.879 her and she was so knowledgeable about social media. But 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:39.159 she told me this is September she was going to 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:45.000 sell the first snapchat series, which she then did. Okay, 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:48.080 so Kendall, good to have you here. Thanks. Okay, what 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:51.720 exactly do you do at you t A. So my 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:54.240 group sits across all the departments of the agency and 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:57.480 we help our clients, you know, from every discipline, build 0:00:57.520 --> 0:00:59.640 their strategy for how they're going to talk to their fans. 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:01.200 How do you build an audience, How do you talk 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:03.800 about yourself? How do you use all the best tools 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.160 at your disposal, all the social media platforms to really 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:12.039 a mass attention and uh control the crowd and figure 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:14.360 out you know, how to use those things to your 0:01:14.360 --> 0:01:16.480 advantage in today's day and age, and then we use 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:18.920 all the data and analytics from all those platforms to 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:20.679 better sell them in the marketplace. So how do we 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:24.120 make more money on every renegotiation for a television show 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:27.680 or with every commercial endorsement deal based on the massive 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:31.479 influence and audience that our clients can bring to the table. Okay, 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:33.600 you're young enough I can ask this question, and I'm 0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:37.080 asking for different reason. You are how old today? Two 0:01:37.120 --> 0:01:40.800 and a half and a half? And my point is, 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:46.360 does anybody over forty really understand social media? Yeah? Absolutely? 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:48.600 And who are those people? I don't mean by name? 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:53.280 How do they know? I think that you know, there's 0:01:53.280 --> 0:01:56.160 a lot of stuff that social media is not completely new. 0:01:56.240 --> 0:01:57.840 You've got to be ahead of the times. You have 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:01.160 to trend, forecast and see what's coming. But people used 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:05.040 to build grassroots audiences and street teams and and things 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:08.640 like that. It's it's the the idea of amassing an 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:11.360 audience and building that type of fan base isn't new. 0:02:11.480 --> 0:02:13.680 It's just the platforms by which we do it. And 0:02:13.720 --> 0:02:16.400 so how you communicate, Like if you're entrenched in old 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:18.680 old business in old Hollywood, sometimes you want to bare 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:21.680 your head in the sand and not think about these things. 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:24.800 But I don't think the mechanics are necessarily that new 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:26.760 the idea of it, so you just have to learn 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.520 the new tools to catch up today. What is the 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:34.280 number one platform to build an audience depends on what 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:39.360 your business goals are. Okay, what might my business goals be? Well, 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:42.959 I think probably in general, most of my clients would 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:45.400 say that they're spending the most time and attention on 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:47.920 a platform like Instagram. That's that's where they're seeing a 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:51.519 lot of lift. But our YouTube stars are still amassing 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:55.400 massive audiences and building out such robust businesses on that platform, 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:58.520 and the interaction with the fans is so much deeper. 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:00.760 Sometimes on platforms like that, where it's a little more 0:03:00.840 --> 0:03:02.680 long form, they have a little bit more of a 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:07.200 community engagement. Um. But you can't be on one like 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:09.320 you know, you can't just be on one platform and 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:11.239 think you're going to have a sustainable business. We saw 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:14.600 people who invested every ounce of their time on platforms 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:17.919 like Vine, and those people unless they diversified and also 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:21.720 built how YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etcetera, they kind of 0:03:21.880 --> 0:03:24.080 disappeared from public eye. So you need to build a 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:26.600 city of towers to build your audience. You can't just 0:03:26.639 --> 0:03:29.800 have one big skyscraper. Wow, you must have said that before. 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:33.800 That's so good the turns of the analogy. But those 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:37.000 are people who started on vine. Let's assume now most 0:03:37.040 --> 0:03:39.200 of the clients you're working with U. T. A Are 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:45.200 already established stars. Correct some, but let's let's just start 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:49.040 with that. If I'm an established star, okay, and I 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:52.120 for some reason, I've been enacting school or whatever, I've 0:03:52.160 --> 0:03:55.120 been making my celebrity and this is not really the 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:57.240 case now because everybody is growing up in our social 0:03:57.280 --> 0:04:01.080 media and I have no social media presence. What would 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:04.760 you tell me? What we'd sit down and we'd talk about, 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:07.440 you know, what are your long term goals? Okay, so 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:10.000 let's just assume I could be an actor, I could 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:12.680 be a musician. Let's say I'm an actor. What might 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:15.520 give me an example what my long term goal would be? Well, 0:04:15.560 --> 0:04:17.400 do you want to win an Oscar? Do you want 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:21.240 to be in a Blockbuster franchise? Are they mutually exclusive? 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:28.279 But the one that's a little more complicated because Blockbuster 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:29.640 is really where the world is. Say, let's say I 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:31.800 want to win an Oscar? What would I do in 0:04:31.839 --> 0:04:36.280 social media? You know, we we are fortunate to have 0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:39.120 a lot of incredible people who are you know, just 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:42.400 nominated this year, and some have social media like Timothy 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:45.719 shallow May like you know, he is on and active 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:49.160 and posting great content on Instagram. And then Francis mcdormant, 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:51.920 who you know, obviously chose not to and I don't 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:55.039 you know with it, where like that do you need 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:58.560 to be on social media? Probably not someone of that 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:04.839 ilk okay, Francis McDorman. Uh, someone over fifty who is 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:08.080 a well established career. Would it benefit a person like 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:10.839 that to be on social media? I think it depends 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:13.560 on where they want to go in their career. So 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:18.719 I've back. I no longer represent him. But in my 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:21.360 previous career I worked with Patrick Stewart for a long 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:24.880 time and I'm so proud of what we did with him, 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:28.560 and he was not on social media, and uh, with 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:30.960 the help of his incredible wife and I, we sat 0:05:30.960 --> 0:05:32.720 down and we taught him kind of how to do 0:05:32.760 --> 0:05:34.240 the whole thing. And he really want to be taken 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:38.119 seriously as a comedic actor. And you know, with someone 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:42.880 sir Patrick's you know, credibility and all the awards and 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:44.800 all the accolades. Do you think he needs to be 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:46.559 on social But the way he was able to change 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:48.120 his brand image and the way that he was able 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:51.359 to get people to see this completely different side of 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:56.080 him through Twitter was amazing. He was the first person 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:58.760 that Twitter reached out and actually invited to their headquarters 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:01.440 instead of people saying I want to come by and 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:03.880 come to you guys as a press stop when they 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:05.520 were really doing a lot of those things at h 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:09.200 Q and San Francisco, and he went, I was lucky 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:12.120 enough to attend the opening bell ceremony when they you know, 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:14.239 went the I p oed on the New York Stock 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:16.440 Exchange because they wanted him there as one of their 0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:19.520 most powerful and influential voices on the platform because they 0:06:19.560 --> 0:06:22.560 thought what he did to change his persona and connect 0:06:22.560 --> 0:06:26.680 with the community was just so incredible. So it depends 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:28.560 on what the goals are. Like I said, like, you 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:32.359 can't put the formula instead of something in front of 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:35.080 someone and say it's een, here's what you have to 0:06:35.120 --> 0:06:38.880 do to succeed in this business. There's a lot of people, 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:42.160 you know, even like Jennifer Lawrence, like you know she's 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:45.120 not completely active. I think she has an active Facebook 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:47.640 page that you know, people will post news and trailers 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:51.000 and stuff like that on. But it doesn't matter your age, 0:06:51.000 --> 0:06:54.919 it doesn't matter um kind of when you were born 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:57.440 and what you should do. It depends on what you 0:06:57.480 --> 0:06:59.920 want to accomplish. Do you want to be more of 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:02.880 a lifestyle brand. Do you want to really connect with 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:04.640 the audience. Do you want to be able to sell 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:07.800 and drive and you know, produce your own projects and 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:09.800 then distribute them through this fan base that you have, 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:11.200 or do you want to stay a little more out 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:13.240 of the public eye. So I think you have to 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:16.200 really analyze and and go deep with a client, say 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:18.200 why are you even doing this? Because if you don't 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:22.280 commit and really know why you're on and know what 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:24.200 goals you're trying to reach, you're just gonna put out 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:27.120 weird stuff that that's not going to build any type 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:29.960 of sustainable strategy and it's not going to be effective 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:33.160 for you long term. Let's stay with Patrick Stewart just 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:36.600 so I know Twitter start in two thousand seven, I 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:42.360 believe six six. When did he go on? Oh gosh, 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:48.600 um uh must have been two thousand eleven or two 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:53.320 thousand twelves. Okay, so it was already deep into Twitter's popularity. Yeah. 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:55.720 I would call two thousand ten like the summer of Twitter. 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:59.680 Maybe maybe it was two thousand twelve. I think so 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:04.400 at point many people were already on Twitter, and he 0:08:04.560 --> 0:08:08.920 specifically wanted to get more opportunities in the comedy field. 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:13.080 So did you sit down and say, hey, make most 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:16.880 of your tweets funny? How did you decide to do that? Well? 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:18.800 I was working at I D PR at the time, 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:23.480 and Kelly Bush has been Patrick's publicists since the beginning 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:27.200 of of of you know, I D I think he 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:30.320 was client number one. Um, and she was the one 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:32.200 who was like, we need to get you on It's 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:34.600 it's time you need to be on social media. So 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:37.000 she brought him in and I sat with him and 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:38.560 we figured out what are your goals? And then we 0:08:38.600 --> 0:08:41.800 sit down and um, you know, for most of my 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:43.520 clients will sit down and we'll think, you know, what 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:47.360 are the three things that someone can take away someone 0:08:47.400 --> 0:08:51.760 that you've met taught me uh Linda on uh she 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:53.720 does a brand triangle, like what are the three things 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:57.040 people can't wrap their head around? Million assets of your 0:08:57.200 --> 0:08:59.920 aspects of your personality? Do you boil it down to 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:01.640 what are the three things you really want people to 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:04.480 know about you? And I use that in social media? 0:09:04.559 --> 0:09:06.920 Is like what are those six images that are before 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:10.520 below the fold or above the fold on on your 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:12.800 app on or on your nine images on Instagram? What 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:14.760 are those nine things that people are going to take away? 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:17.599 What's that first instinct, that first impression they're going to 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:20.600 get when they type you into Google, when they pull 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:22.920 up the first five tweets on your account? Like what 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:26.000 is what is that big takeaway? And are you hitting 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:28.160 those three things that you want people to know? And 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:31.280 if you are, we're being successful if I only take 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:33.280 one thing away of who you are, or if it's 0:09:33.320 --> 0:09:37.760 all completely promotional and I have no idea why, Um, 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:39.520 you know what drives you? What makes you want to 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:41.520 be an artist? What are you here for? Like? Why 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:45.640 are you even popping into my sphere of attention? If 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:47.640 I can't figure out what those three things are, then 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:49.680 we have a problem. So a lot of times I'll 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:51.720 google the heck out of my clients and I'll read 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:55.920 every article, every interview, read tweets from a year ago, 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:59.200 like really go deep, and I'll make a complete assumption 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:02.560 on who they are, what they stand for, what drives them, 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:04.760 what they believe, what are their hobbies before I ever 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:06.920 sit down with them. And then I'll talk to them 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:08.800 and I'll see what alignes and I'll say, well, based 0:10:08.800 --> 0:10:11.240 on what I saw on Google, not knowing you, not 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:14.600 knowing the business, not hearing from anyone in your inner circle, 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:17.680 here's what I judge and here's what I assume. And 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:19.480 if it doesn't match up with what you're telling me, 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:22.840 then we have a problem. If your goals are to, uh, 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:26.360 you know, launch a fitness company, and I see none 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:29.680 of that activity anywhere on your channels, and obviously there's 0:10:29.679 --> 0:10:32.680 a huge disconnect. How do you start to seed that 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:36.280 information and seed that content into the stream and into 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:40.319 people's consciousness before you want to launch that business so 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:42.880 they can start to see you as an influencer or 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:46.440 as a you know, notable person in that space. Okay, 0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:49.120 let's go back to the beginning. You grew up in 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:58.320 the state of Washington, and what were your interests back then? UM, Entertainment. 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:01.640 Always from a young age, you always wanted to be 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:05.640 in the entertainment business. When I had no self awareness 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:10.880 and UM completely just did what I loved. I danced 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:14.280 and took voice lessons for years. And why do you 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:16.120 say when you had no self awareness? Well, I took 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:18.360 voice lessons for eight years and can't carry a tune. 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:22.559 My grandma once told me over breakfast with one of 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:25.040 my best friends that one of the hardest experiences of 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:27.200 her life was going as a grandma was going to 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:30.280 my voice recitals because it was so painful. Um but 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:33.200 I danced competitively since I was eighteen. I did you know, 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:38.160 community theater and you know, played every apart from Sunday 0:11:38.280 --> 0:11:40.640 except for the ones that required a lot of singing. 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:44.480 The callbacks to Annie were just horrible because I can't 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:47.000 carry it note at all. But it was a good actress. 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:49.439 Um But I wanted to do, you know. I just 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:51.840 wanted to be in the business I loved. I loved 0:11:51.920 --> 0:11:55.520 every aspect of performing and entertainment. I just wasn't great 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:57.560 at it. So I had to figure out a career 0:11:57.600 --> 0:11:59.760 that would allow me to be When did you I 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:02.240 mean you said after eight years you realized you couldn't 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:04.760 carry a tune? When did you decide you wanted to 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:09.240 be behind the camera instead of in front of it? Um? 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:10.920 I just think I wanted to be around it. I 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:13.240 think I kind of knew I'd never be a performer. 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:15.679 I always knew that. I knew that I was never 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:18.480 that good, um or even close to it, even at 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:20.240 like age nine or ten. I just loved the whole 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:23.240 process of it. And I would consume pop culture like 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:26.560 a crazy person. My aunt, uh you know, subscribe to 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:30.439 every people in Vogue and Vanity Fair. I'd read every 0:12:30.480 --> 0:12:32.280 single thing I could get my hands on. I just 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:35.959 was a huge consumer of the world and I loved 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:38.680 staying ahead of the trends and you know, seeing what 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:41.640 was next. I never you know, Um, I don't know. 0:12:41.679 --> 0:12:43.120 I just I just always wanted to be a part 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:46.400 of it. So in college, I majored in Before you 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:52.959 get to college, were your parents supportive of this interest? Yeah? Completely. 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:55.480 I mean my mom would drive two hours every night 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:59.040 for theater practice or you know, from my rehearsals and stuff, 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:02.840 so I could, um be in different local productions around 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:06.440 the state. And um, I think I was at dance 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:10.000 practice from two o'clock after school until ten pm. And 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:13.080 you know, they were very very supportive. Dance competitions, the 0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:16.040 whole thing, seven days a week, so you're talking about 0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:18.800 going to college. So I went to college and I 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:21.920 looked for a big school on the West coast that 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.560 had a Greek system and a dance program. Okay, why 0:13:25.559 --> 0:13:28.240 did you want a Greek system? Everyone in my family 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:30.200 had gone Greek. I don't know. I didn't. I didn't 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:33.040 know much about what I like, what major even like, 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:34.720 it wasn't even a consideration. It was like, there was 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:36.640 these weird things that I wanted. I wanted a big school. 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:39.560 So I went to the University of Arizona, and uh 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:44.640 ended up retrospect was at the right choice led me 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:46.480 to where I am and I'm very happy. So who knows, 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:48.720 you know, you could take a million different paths. You're 0:13:48.720 --> 0:13:51.360 gonna end up somewhere, and I'm really happy with where 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:53.120 I ended up. And I had a great time there. 0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:55.880 So okay, so could I have challenged myself more based 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:59.760 on my grades? And yeah? Probably? But what what was 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:04.120 your vision there? At the University of Arizona. So they 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:07.119 had a major that was like the film, radio, and television. 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:10.960 It was like a media arts degree, and I majored 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:13.680 in producing so the behind the scenes of that business 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:16.800 and UM took a couple of classes that were really 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:19.600 instrumental and where I am very slowly. Because so many 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:23.120 people talk about their educational experience not being helpful. What 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:26.440 were those couple of classes that were so helpful? Uh? 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:30.800 There was this one class specifically that was called New 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:34.120 Media Business or something like that, and it just studied 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:37.480 new technologies and new advancements in the entertainment business and 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:41.960 you know where things were going. Um, so just you know, 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:45.280 really forward thinking, you know, wearable devices. And this was 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:49.000 two thousand six, I think, so just kind of really 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:51.240 digging into some of the new trends that were coming 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:54.920 around the pike. And one of my professors, BARRETTA. Ea 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.240 S Smith SHOWMATI was such a force and I took 0:14:57.320 --> 0:15:01.600 every class that was uh on the schedule with her 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:04.360 and I was really panicking senior year. I was like, 0:15:04.400 --> 0:15:06.240 I don't know what to do. I really want to 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:08.080 go to the entertainment business, but I know no one. 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:10.800 We're in Arizona. I have no idea what to do. 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:14.080 She was like, sit in a dark room, be bored 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:17.200 out of your mind for fifteen thirty minutes. Just be 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:19.600 as bored as you can. Don't do anything. I think 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:21.560 it was before anyone knew it or anyone I knew 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:23.800 knew what meditation was, but she was just like, clear 0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:27.840 your mind completely, sit down, and then when you snap 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:29.520 out of it, when the alarm goes off, what are 0:15:29.560 --> 0:15:32.320 the first things you want to do? And the first 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:34.920 thing I did was pick up my computer and I 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:39.560 went to this is embarrassing, uh, Mashable dot com and 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:42.320 Perez Hilton dot com and it was like tech and 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:45.760 entertainment and tech and pop culture really, and that's what 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:48.720 I was interested in. I really wanted to be a 0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:52.760 talk show producer, and I had had internships in radio 0:15:52.840 --> 0:15:55.920 and film and television, and I loved the immediacy of radio. 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:58.880 I loved how fast it moved, that every day was different, 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:00.520 that you'd come in and be able to make something 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:02.880 up on the fly. You wouldn't have to sit around 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:05.080 and wait for gatekeepers. Whatever you wanted to do you 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:09.080 could do. And with that it was, you know, prior 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:11.920 to social media and tech and you know a lot 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:14.680 of that stuff becoming more mainstream. And back in the 0:16:14.760 --> 0:16:17.040 day I was working at Clear Channel, they had which 0:16:17.080 --> 0:16:20.560 I heart now obviously, but um they had text in. 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:23.080 It was like you text four seven three seven three 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:25.320 to be part of the show. So it was almost 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:27.520 like early Twitter in a way, and we would have 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:29.320 people text into the show and we'd be able to 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:32.240 change the programming and call people out and get fan 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:36.320 feedback and completely adjust the show based on what people 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:41.080 People are unaware. You would text in and text in 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:44.040 saying what we would ask a question, or people would 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:46.480 just text in and say I want to talk about this, 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:49.440 or um, you know, they would just whatever they wanted 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:51.280 to say, and then we'd print out all these text 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:54.760 messages like thousands per show and dive into those and 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:57.160 adjust the content on the fly. And then when I 0:16:57.200 --> 0:16:59.240 was interning in film and TV, I was like, wait, 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:01.320 I'm reading this. It's not going to be produced for 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:03.520 seven years, Like, I just don't understand. The pace of 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:08.040 it was not appealing to me. Um, So that immediacy 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:12.080 I loved. So instead of radio, I thought, well, let's 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:13.520 let's move to l A and make a go at 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:16.600 it and television. And so before you go, before you 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:18.840 go to moving to l A, So how did you 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:23.280 end up working at iHeart or then Clear Channel. Um, 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:26.880 my dad is a corporate litigator, but for some reason 0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:30.320 met some sports radio guys on the golf course. I 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:33.600 think and had done their deals, and he said, I'll 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:35.720 open a door for you. I don't know what's there, 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:38.360 but you need to walk through it. And so he 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:41.960 introduced me to the head of Clear Channel at the 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:45.040 time in Seattle, and I interviewed and got an internship 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:48.760 in the street team of the hip hop radio station there. 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:51.880 And this was when you were in college my freshman year, 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:57.200 freshman year. So how much did you work at the station? Um? 0:17:57.240 --> 0:18:01.879 My freshman summer, I wore five days a week, I 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:05.800 think like part of the day at the radio station 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:09.200 and then part of the day at the Sonics, which 0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:11.800 were upstairs two floors, so they're in the same building. 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:17.000 So I the SuperSonics the basketball team, right, Yeah, So 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:18.880 I did both things. So I was a street team 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:21.960 kind of marketing on both both companies. How did you 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:24.440 get the gig with the Sonics? My dad also my 0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:27.959 dad represented Kevin Collabra and so the voice the Sonics 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:30.159 that he helped me there as well, So I was lucky. 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:32.160 That was the last time anyone of my family helped 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:33.960 me with the jobs. But those are the two doors 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:36.800 I got open. Okay, So how many summers did you 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:43.679 work for the Clear Channel station? Um, basically all three 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:47.560 summers of college and throughout the year. How could you 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:49.359 work throughout the year if you're in Arizona. Well, I 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:51.040 would call into the station to be on the air 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:54.560 when I was away, and then I would work all 0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:57.560 Christmas break, spring break, summer breaks. Okay, so you're in Arizona, 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:00.679 you're calling in to say what just check in. I 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:03.240 was the intern for the morning show, so they would 0:19:03.280 --> 0:19:05.280 just call and check in a couple of times a 0:19:05.280 --> 0:19:06.760 week on what I was up to and how things 0:19:06.800 --> 0:19:10.440 were going at college. So when you by by time, 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:12.359 you're deep into it and the people know you. What 0:19:12.480 --> 0:19:15.320 is your role in the radio show? Kendle the intern? 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:17.760 Kendle the intern. So it's like Howard Stern, it his 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:21.120 internee plage on you talk and you're also doing roles 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:23.600 when you're not on are Yeah okay. So you graduate 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:26.320 from college, you have the epiphany that you want to 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:29.160 be in the entertainment business. You pull up Paris, Hilton 0:19:29.200 --> 0:19:32.680 and Mashable. Ironically, you ended up marrying someone who was 0:19:32.720 --> 0:19:35.920 the number two a Mashable. Yeah, okay, so you graduate 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:40.360 from college. When you graduate from college, you have a job. Um, 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:43.160 so I the same professor that told me to sit 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:47.160 in a dark room. Um knew when she went to 0:19:47.320 --> 0:19:51.639 college with a producer on Jay Leno and I was 0:19:51.760 --> 0:19:54.439 told at the time there were a couple areas. There 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:56.399 was only two ways to break into the entertainment business. 0:19:56.440 --> 0:19:58.760 You either did the mail room in an agency or 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.520 you did the Page program NBC, and those were the 0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:04.080 two options. That's all you could do if you wanted 0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:06.240 to get a foot in the door in Hollywood. And 0:20:06.280 --> 0:20:08.199 at the time, Entourage was on and I was like, 0:20:08.240 --> 0:20:10.199 oh lord, I don't want to be an agent. That 0:20:10.240 --> 0:20:14.600 seems horrible, just money hungry and crazy, and that that 0:20:14.680 --> 0:20:18.359 was my only, uh, you know, assumption of the business. 0:20:18.440 --> 0:20:19.480 So I was like, well, I'm going to do the 0:20:19.480 --> 0:20:21.600 Page program and I want to be in that. I 0:20:21.640 --> 0:20:23.080 want to do a talk show. I want to work 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:26.280 and you know, daily produced entertainment television the way that 0:20:26.680 --> 0:20:28.520