Transcript 0:00 Shipping, billing, admin, payroll, marketing. You're managing all the things, so why waste time sending important documents the old-fashioned way? Mail and ship when you want, how you want with stamps.com. 0:12 Print postage on demand and schedule pickups from your office or home. Save up to 90% with automated rate shopping. Over one million small businesses trust stamps.com. 0:22 Get $20 in free postage when you sign up for the pro plan at stamps.com/blackfriday2026. Terms and conditions apply. [gentle music] Wheelhouse DNA. 0:36 [upbeat music] Hi, everyone, my name is Boye Kolade. And I'm Chris Sawtelle. And welcome to the Future Forecast, a podcast where we explore the intersection between business, technology, and entertainment. 0:49 We've got a great episode for you today. We are here with the president and COO of Almost Friday Media, Andrew Kenward. 0:58 Andrew was an agent at WME in the digital media department before being brought into the Almost Friday universe in 2021. 1:06 We're gonna chat with him today about his career, his goals for the brand moving forward, and what it's like working in media today. What's good, Andrew? What's up, fellas? What's going on, man? Oh. How you doing? 1:19 Yeah, I'm good. For, for, for those that don't watch our clips, may I just say, uh, Mr. Kenward came in with what is, a, a, just a fantastic hat. Yeah. Can we just for three seconds- So-... just acknowledge- Yeah... 1:32 what this is? [laughs] This is, uh... So this is a vintage Florida Panthers hat. Oh, man. Uh- It's pretty sick... I've been actually wanting this hat for, like, years, and, like, I've known of its existence. 1:43 It's, like, very, very rare. [laughs] I bought it on Depop. I spent an ungodly amount of money on this hat. 1:49 [laughs] It's kind of embarrassing, but, uh, you know, I felt like this year was the year we were gonna make the run, and it, it pulled off. 1:57 This was part of my, like, superstition, like, what to wear during the Stanley Cup run repertoire, so it was, like, worth every penny. Wow. But yeah, this thing is fucking sweet. Dude, I love it. Yeah. 2:09 So you're a big, you're a big hockey guy. Yeah, I, uh... I mean, weirdly. I mean, I was born in Miami, uh, started playing, like, roller hockey probably when I was, like, six or seven. 2:21 The Florida Panthers were just coming to town. They played in the Miami Arena at that time. We had-- My dad got us season tickets. I r- I think I remember we had, like, third row seats, and they were, like, $15 each. 2:32 Like, it was, like, no one was [laughs] going to hockey in South Florida. Uh, and then in '96, I was probably, I don't know, 10 or, uh, nine at that point. Uh-huh. They made a cup run and got to the Stanley Cup Finals. 2:47 It was a really wild year. It's called the Year of the Rat. One of our star players, before a game, uh, there was, like, a rat that ran through the locker room. He slapshotted it with his stick. Okay. Killed it. 2:58 That's why they're throwing rats? That's why they throw rats. What? And so a- in that game, he, Scott Mellanby goes on and scores two goals, and they called it the Rat Trick. 3:07 [laughs] And then literally the-- after that, they, we would, people would buy plastic rats, and we'd buy plastic rats and throw rats on the ice whenever there was goals, and they- I appreciate that clarification- Yeah... 3:17 that they're plastic. Plastic rats. [laughs] 'Cause I thought that Boye was just going, "They just throw rats." I'm like- No... and you're like, you're like, "Yeah, yeah." [laughs] Like, like, what's going on here, guys? 3:25 Like, yeah, in hockey, we just throw rats. We just kill them and- Chris, that is a fair point because in Nashville, they throw catfish on the ice, like legit catfish. I've seen that. 3:35 In Detroit, they throw octopus or, like- What? [laughs]... squids on the ice. [laughs] And, uh, yeah, it's hilarious. Um, but hockey's like, I... To me, it's the best-paced game. 3:46 Going and seeing it live is unlike going and seeing any other live sport. Sanctioned fights. It's bas- just basically UFC and figure skating. Yeah, and- [laughs]... 3:54 it's, it's the best it's been, I think, in a long time as far as- Yeah... the skill, the talent, the speed. It's really, really, really fun. Um- We're Maple Leaf supporters- Yeah... over on our side. 4:03 Talking about classic. Yeah, we are. [laughs] I grew up in Minnesota. I loved, I loved your like, "Oh yeah, you guys are really screwed." Yeah, yeah. Minnesota Wild, baby. Hey. Uh, all right. 4:13 So anyways, we should dive into this a little bit. So maybe tell us a little bit, y- you grew up in Miami. Mm-hmm. What, what was your journey to get to Almost Friday? 4:24 So, uh, we would do these, like, cool family, like, road trips. At the time, I thought they were pretty lame, actually. 4:31 Like, if you imagine being 12 years old and your parents are like, "Oh, we're gonna fly to Washington and rent a minivan, and we're gonna drive you and your sister, like, around the, you know, down from Washington to Los Angeles," or like we did when we flew to South Dakota and, like, drew, drove across to Washington. 4:47 Interesting. We were basically, like, exploring America, like, in these, like, summer vacays- Yeah... but, like, you know, you're, like, trapped with your little sister in the back of a minivan. 4:55 And, like, there was moments it was great, and there was moments you were just like- Yeah... you know, your head want to explode 'cause you're t- 12 and, like, you know- Uh-huh... would rather be anywhere else. 5:04 [laughs] But the thing I appreciated the most about it is, like, I got to see the country, and it actually... 5:09 Like, a lot of these places, like, sat with me, and I'm like, you know, they're some of my favorite places I've gone back and explored as an adult. You know, like, places like Yosemite or, uh, Big Sur or- Yeah... 5:19 you know, uh, Yellowstone, whatever. 5:21 But one of the trips, we were driving, I think, from, like, Seattle to LA, and we get to LA, and my mom's like, "Oh, we're gonna go have lunch with, um, your, like, second cousin, Norman." [laughs] "Uh, he's an agent." 5:35 I'm like- [laughs]... "What is that?" I don't know. I was, like, 16. Had no idea. And this is Norman Brokaw, who was the, he was the CEO of the William Morris Agency for a long time. Mm. 5:45 Um, really, really interesting dude, uh, and kind of, like, opened my eyes to, like, this being a job or, like, a thing people even did. I didn't- Yeah... even know, like, this existed really. Yeah. 5:55 Being from South Florida, everyone's, like, a doctor, a lawyer, or, like, worked in real estate essentially. Yeah. Um, so- We go to his office, and there's like pictures of him with like four presidents. Geez. 6:08 There's literally a contract where he signed Marilyn Monroe like on his wall, and I'm like, "What is going on?" [laughs] How do you know this guy? [laughs] How, yeah, like how does this work? Yeah. 6:17 And like who is this guy? [laughs] Um, but, uh, yeah. 6:21 So that like sort of opened my eyes, and then, you know, back in Miami I had a friend who was like a really talented like singer-songwriter who was going to Berklee College of Music. 6:30 And like I started to just get intrigued about the idea of like, oh, like how could I work in the entertainment business? Particularly I felt like the music business is, uh, what I was like most interested in. 6:40 I just thought I had like a good ear and like taste for music. Um, anyways, I, I end up going to college. This- so that sort of just like lodged in my head at that point. 6:50 I wasn't really thinking about like what my job was gonna be when I was 16. Yep. Um, but go to college in Austin, incredible music scene, really, really fun city, amazing college town. 7:02 And, uh, yeah, like I slowly started to just like realizing like, oh, there's like a huge like music business here. 7:10 Um, this company C3 Presents, uh, is run by three Charles, Charlie Walker, Charles Attal, and, uh, Charlie Jones. 7:19 Um, they had basically created this huge promotion business that owned venues, would book shows at all of them. They book shows at a lot of big, um, you know, uh, like clubs and, and casinos around the country. Yeah. 7:33 They also produced Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, and then also had like an artist management business. So I was basically trying to do everything I could to go intern at that place. 7:43 I started at a couple like random music management companies. 7:48 I worked at like a incredibly like small, bizarre, like movie production company out of Austin, mainly just to try and get stuff on my resume so I could get to C3. Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait. 7:58 Uncle Norman didn't like at all like, like help out? Not, not then. Respect. So like- Respect. Respect... I mean, look, like, uh, what a classic Hollywood nepotism story. 8:09 Like uh, there's more nepotism involved everywhere by the way. Like I was [laughs] you know- I wasn't trying to tee that up about Norman... No, no, no, but it's true. 8:16 But no, he, uh, I don't even think he would've like connect... He was like such a generation beyond like- Yeah... these guys, you know? 8:23 I'm sure he could've like figured it out, but I wasn't gonna ask him, and I was like in town. He might not even know how to use email. [laughs] I know, dude. 8:29 [laughs] I think he was- Remember that, writing emails for like... Anyways, keep going. He was a big pen guy, so you might be right, dude. 8:35 [laughs] When I worked at Brillstein, there was a woman, or there was a, an assistant that, or an, an executive assistant that had been there for quite some time who literally us- still used a typewriter. Terrible. 8:45 Would use a typewriter and would deliver that to her boss. Just like memos? Oh, it was insane. I was like, "This is what we're doing?" That's nuts. Like, what is going on? Yeah. 8:55 So actually a friend of mine from my fraternity, his uncle worked at Ticketmaster. Whoa. 9:02 There's the more nepotism, got him, uh, a job in the like accounting department at C3, and he knew I really wanted to work there, and he's like, "Hey, it was Charles Attal is moving in," so one of the Charlies, "moving into his, um, [smacks lips] uh, lake house like this weekend and needs like some extra hands. 9:22 Would you wanna like help out?" I was like, "Yes, absolutely." That's how you, that's how you do it, bro. 9:25 He's like, "You know, you'll make, make a few hundred bucks, and like you'll be able to like talk to him," you know? So I was like, "Great." So I show up, move, you know, like furniture all day. 9:36 We're moving him to this like sick lake house [laughs] in Austin. And uh, at the end of it I was like, "Hey, like Charles, I've applied through some internships, like through like just like the online portal. 9:47 I have not heard back. You know, I'd, I'd love a chance to like come work for you guys if, if there's any like possibility that's, you know, in the cards." 9:55 And he's like, "Come to my office on Tuesday," and basically by like Wednesday I had an internship there, you know? Dude, I love that. 10:01 So that was really the first like, you know, me like kinda clawing my way into a situation. 10:09 Um, and you know, it's important, like as Chris mentioned, like there's things like just through really like networking and relationships and sometimes [laughs] that's family that either open your eyes to this or whatever, but you still have to like get off the couch and like show up and like move furniture to like get it done, right? 10:27 Like it's- Take every opportunity you have. I don't care what... I, I am actually celebrating that you went other avenues and, and like truly it is what I was trying to point out. 10:36 But, but I think that, I think nepotism gets a bad, bad shake. If anything the person that... A, a lot of actors that all like get shamed for be- Nepo babies? Yeah, like nepo, it, it's- Almost every actor is a nepo baby. 10:50 Every... But, but it, it, I don't even think it's, i- i- it's art, right? We have to think about like these are gypsies. You know, uh, what, what are artists? They're gypsies. They're all hanging out. 11:00 They trade in social conversation around art. Yeah. And so, uh, all, everyone is an artist. How dare you shame someone- Well-... for leveraging that relationship or that bond? 11:11 I, I, and I think it's less about leveraging the relationship. It's about exposure, right? So like- Yeah... it like if I just did... I, you know, I, Norman was my second cousin or whatever no matter what, right? 11:25 But like if I was just like in Miami and never saw it and didn't know, like I would've never even knew to like lean on it, you know, or try and figure it out. 11:32 But like I think that's why if you're an actor and then you have kids, they're just around other actors. They're seeing it. It is a, 11:40 you know, just sort of like natural thing that they feel is possible and confident that they can go do. And I think that's something like, 11:48 you know, our, hopefully our generation in media will be really good about, and there's a lot of older mentors I think have been really good about is like how do you get kids an opportunity in media and entertainment or technology or finance or whatever? 11:59 It's like they have to see like that it's possible, and they just have to see that it exists first, right? Yeah. My aunt was Michael Ovitz's executive-... for 15 years. Was there at CAA, and migrated with him to Disney. 12:16 We're talking during the glory ye- There, there are photos of her with the president- So cool... with Clinton. Yeah. Like, like crazy time. And, and it, point being is she definitely did not help me. 12:28 [laughs] I mean, she helped me- [laughs] No, no, no. Well, it's something, it's a- it's something that I deeply appreciate about her was that it was like an audition- Yeah... 12:38 that I had to const- Like, there was, I, there was never a moment where I got to see her and was like, "Hey, can I get an internship?" And she would tee it up. It was like 12:50 I had to find every which way I could show her that I was already out- Right... doing the typewriter. 12:57 Like you did, you did, you did all the work anyone el- else would have done, and you're like, "Please just like recommend me or nudge me or whatever." Can you tap this? Or- Like, yeah, yeah... 13:04 or I met with this person, I already had this interview or that interview, and I had to like audition like five times. Right, which is still a huge privilege, right? Because you had someone- Yeah... 13:11 you can like lean on that others couldn't or whatever, but like I never wanted that to be what I was like known for. Like, oh, like you're, you know. I don't know. 13:20 I think we should make hats that say, "Make nepotism great again." [laughs] And just wear them. But, but- Um, okay, so you were at C3. Yeah. You- In college, like interning, yeah... 13:31 [laughs] and, and then, uh, you ended up at WME. [laughs] I'm sorry. That's so funny. It's, yeah, it's a funny joke. I'm funny. I want that hat. [laughs] Um, you ended up at WME. 13:41 Uh, what was your journey at WME and then eventually to Almost Ready? Yeah, so I got to WME basically after I went to law school. So I was kinda coming out of... 13:52 I was trying to make my way to WME, actually William Morris Agency at the time, after college. Uh, great recession was in like full force. Jobs were like, you know, incredibly hard to come by. Mm-hmm. 14:05 I was sort of like parallel pathing, like, can I get to WME? And if not, I'll maybe go to law school. Yep. And, um, I just kinda just ended up committing to going to law school. 14:15 I was thinking that this is a really great time to invest in myself, um, figure out, you know, a little new skill set. And but I think that education was like phenomenal. Yeah. Really, really interesting. 14:26 Law school is probably like one year too long. I think it could be two years, not three years, but sort of is what it is. But I went back to Florida. It was a, you know, relatively low risk. 14:37 Like not a, I wasn't going to like Harvard Law School and shelling out like 300 grand. This was like I was able to do it for at a relatively like low cost, it was in state for me, um, and get an amazing education. 14:50 And then I was interning at this place, or kind of working, interning at this place, GrooveShark, that was in Gainesville. It was like a startup, kind of Spotify competitor operating in like a pretty like gray zone. 15:04 [laughs] They eventually got like sued into oblivion after I left, but- Oh, wow... it was like a really, it was like that was my first window into like how a startup works. 15:12 And it's like this company is being run by, you know, three like 25-year-old kids that just graduated from University of Florida. 15:19 And they had raised money, and they were making like, you know, tens of millions of dollars a year. Like it was really, really cool. 15:25 Uh, so that, you know, was like kinda keeping me in like the music business tech adjacent universe while I was in law school. Mm-hmm. 15:33 Applied to an internship after my first year, um, of law school to go be at WME, got that, and then kinda just like laid, that laid the foundation for me to go back and interview once I had graduated law school. Okay. 15:49 So I did that, moved out to LA August of 2013. Um, so coming up on 11 years. Did we meet when you were... 'Cause we met at WME. Were you- Yeah... an intern at that time? I think so. 'Cause that was 2011 to 2012. 16:06 Yeah, I think so. So that- Got it... that was like my intern summer- Got it... is when we met. Um, I, uh, yeah, I end up, you know, uh, starting in kinda like the music version of the mail room- Yep... 16:19 'cause that's what I thought I wanted to do, go be a music agent. I worked for a amazing, uh, you know, music agent, uh, David Levine, for the first like nine months I was, uh, at WME. 16:31 I kinda realized like h- hey, like I love music as like a thing I care about, as like a hobby and a passion, but don't necessarily think I want this to be like my career. 16:41 I was like finding, you find yourself in the back of like a nightclub on a Tuesday, like too many weeks in a row- [laughs] Yeah, yeah... watching a show that you don't wanna see and being like- [laughs]... 16:49 this is bec- this is taking all the fun out of this for me, you know? Yeah. 16:52 But I still really liked the idea of working in media and entertainment, and I liked, you know, the scale of it and the impact it could have on culture. And I'm like, 17:02 WME feels like at this point the center of the universe for, for like all of it. Let me like feel around where else I can, you know, potentially fit in here. Um, talked to some, some friends. 17:13 A buddy, Matt Baskeron, was working in the unscripted, uh, television department and kinda sold me on it. And I was like, "All right. I'll give that a try." 17:21 So then I worked for a couple, you know, folks in that group, Matthew Saul, David Sherman, Mark Itkin, who was kind of like this like OG original reality TV and unscripted TV agent. 17:33 Like legit sold like The Real World and like- Oh, wow... Gladiators. [laughs] Like, like Who, like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire type stuff. Like you- Oh, my goodness. 17:41 Were you there for when, were you in the unscripted department when the, what was that YouTube video that came out? WME like- Yes... made a YouTube video. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Where it was kind of like- Yeah... 17:53 done in the vein of, oh, the Old Spice commercial. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? Yeah, yeah. That was like, it was like played at one of our like quarterly or like- Yeah, always made f- awesome videos. The videos were sick. 18:03 They were very smart about the marketing. Yeah. 18:04 For like the who's who of like internal, like not internal, but for the- Like utilizing, 'cause like people would go get their clients to like, you know, make the videos that like represented the department, and it became this thing. 18:15 Like people were just trying to one-up each other. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Like as it would there. Um, and it was, yeah, the, the like 18:24 fanfare that went along with being at WME at that time was like- Pretty, y- you know, pretty high level. 18:30 It was, and it was really, really cool to see how, like even just, like corporate communications could be done in a way that was, like fun and got you f- you would leave those, like quarterly meetings being like fired up. 18:41 Yeah. You know? The end of the year ones, like fired up. It kinda tapered off, like the energy over time just as, like it became a company that it was, like probably 1,000 people to like 5,000 or 6,000- Yeah... 18:52 or whatever. That's gonna, that happens with time, right? With just- Yeah. Uh, for sure. But yeah, it was cool. 18:58 So I, I worked for those guys in the unscripted group, and I ha- I got a phone call from a friend who was like, "Patrick Whitesell is, you know, uh, gonna need a new assistant. The number one is looking to leave." 19:12 My friend Mike DeVeau is the- Yeah... you know, first assistant at the time. 19:16 And uh, like in order to sort of just, like replace the food chain there, they need someone that had some, like good experience, worked for Mark Gitkin, the boar- he was a board member. So they're like, "We... 19:26 You know, you should meet Patrick." I was like, "Of course." You know, did that, and then I ended up working for Patrick for the next year and a half. 19:34 Um, was trying to find, like where I would fit, like back into, like the rest of the agency because- Mm-hmm... Patrick, you know, working for Patrick, working for Ari, working for- You probably saw so much. 19:45 You see so much, but you're not, like in a department. Yeah. You know what I mean? 19:49 [laughs] Like, you're like, he, you know, as much as Patrick is a talent agent, he's like running a, you know, a, [laughs] $11 billion media company. Like- Yeah... 19:58 we were focused, like literally, like I would, you know, land in like the scheduler seat where I was for the first, like six months of that job, and they're like closing the UFC deal, you know? That's amazing. 20:09 And so, like that is, like what we were focused on. 20:11 Like, he closed another, like billion dollar, like basically divestment of like a college, like marketing business that, like you guys probably like, you know, hadn't heard of, but was, like a bigger deal than, like anybody [laughs] did that entire year at the company, you know- Yeah... 20:27 um, for, for the actual business. So, like he was working on all that sort of stuff. 20:32 I also had an amazing seat as sort of the first line of defense, like for agents who, like wanted time with him, because they would wanna come to me and just be like, you know, get i- information from me- Yeah... 20:44 like understand what was going on with clients or like, you know, I'm overhearing every single phone call, right? I know what's going on pretty intimately, and they wanna make sure they're coming prepped. 20:53 They don't wanna waste any of his time, understandably. So I got to create, like incredible relationships with, like leaders of the rest of the, you know, agency and- Yeah... 21:02 and company because they're kind of relying on me to make sure I'm, you know, not fucking them over [laughs] or- Yeah... sending them into, like you know, a, a conversation they're gonna lose. You know? 21:11 They don't want that. So that was, like an incredible experience. 21:17 It got me really good at kind of like knowing, like what in, uh, what was important and then, like how to deliver that to the people that are important to know. Mm-hmm. 21:26 Which I think is, like a key thing about being a good agent. Yeah. It's, like very much, like trading information, right? Yeah. 21:32 So it was, it was amazing prep for that, and then I also just had this, like kinda, like catbird seat to, like where the agency was growing and also just, like perspective on, like where media was going more broadly, 'cause you're having conversations with, like the other CEOs of, like movie studios or, you know, Scott Stuber is one of Patrick's best friends who- Mm... 21:54 I remember he was, like confiding in him when he was deciding to, like leave, you know, the traditional studio to go work at Netflix. Netflix, yeah. 22:01 And like, just the way, like these guys were thinking about it, being able to, like get that perspective as like, you know, a fly on the wall was hugely- Yeah... valuable. Priceless. Yeah. It was awesome. Awesome. 22:13 So that was, like 22:14 that was a really intense job, but a really rewarding and amazing job, and really teed me up, I think to like, you know, think about things a little bit differently, less like myopically of when I was just, like working- Mm-hmm... 22:25 in, like, uh, the unscripted TV group or- Yeah... like the music group. And 22:30 I see the agency, you know, investing more in the digital media department, but there's, like at the time maybe four agents in it or five agents in it. Like, it was, like super small. 22:42 Then they were, like I think in the class before me, like hired another, like four into it or promoted another four into it as agents. And at this point I'm like, "I went to law school. 22:52 I've been here for, like [laughs] four years." Yeah. Like, "I just turned 30. I need to be made an agent, like now," you know? Like- Yeah... 22:59 so a, a lot of it was out of me just being like, "Okay, I, I need to, like move my career along, and this feels like a place where there's less, you know, kind of red tape above me, and ability to, like kinda grow and expand and, like take on business." 23:12 And I just basically was harassing Chris Jackman, who also [laughs] - [laughs]... I, I love and appreciate dearly. 23:19 Like, for like weeks, I, like was, like pitching him on, like why I should be an agent in, in the digital group, and then had every single agent I made an amazing relationship with through being Patrick's assistant bombard him with phone calls [laughs] 23:32 and basically vouch for me, like in advance of when they were gonna, like- That's amazing... you know, tee up the, uh, um, the, the promotions that year. Yeah. And, uh, yeah, I, I, I, it worked, you know? [laughs] Yeah. 23:46 Like I, I was pretty unrelenting at that point. Yeah. And, um, yeah, it was really, uh, it was awesome. 23:52 I mean, I ended up, you know, being in this group that was, like the average age of the agents were, like it was like probably, like 27, you know? Yeah. 24:02 I was older than most [laughs] of the people that had been promoted. 24:05 Um, and then Jad Dai, who's also a great friend and, uh, kind of a, a mentor, uh, when I was in the unscripted group, moved over from the unscripted group to be in the digital group. 24:16 So I was just like, you know, I felt super comfortable there, and it was, like a lot of people I felt were, like very entrepreneurial. Yeah. And they were just like, "Hey." 24:24 It was another, like all right, sink or swim kinda thing. Like, there's no roadmap here. This isn't like, you know, um-... the, the same business of like s- you know, getting a writer staffed on a writer's room. 24:36 There wasn't this like any like sort of set tracks of like how to go make money for clients, so you really had to just like try a ton of stuff. 24:45 But, you know, that's I think a huge benefit 'cause you're, you get to talk to so many different people. You're talking to people at like all the different platforms. Yeah. 24:53 You're trying to figure out is there, is there a way to make a TV show out of this YouTube channel or this like article that came from The Athletic? 'Cause, you know. 25:01 You guys were like the entrepreneurs of the agency in a way. I- yeah, in a way. 25:05 And like I, I really respect, I think, you know, Ari and Patrick and like the leadership there for like investing in these groups when like I don't think anyone fully knew like what the path was to making money. Yeah. 25:20 They just knew like it's gonna be important, and then all of a sudden it's like Ben Davis, who's been there, is like making a killing in podcasting, you know? 25:27 'Cause just they had people there who were swimming around and trying to figure it out, and they were prepared to take advantage of it as soon as it was happening. So, um- Yeah... 25:37 it, I think it was just like good leadership investing in that sense. Yeah. 25:41 A, a couple things that I feel like insights I got from your story, which is awesome, is one, you know, don't underestimate the power of being an assistant to, to someone who is powerful. Yeah. Right? 25:55 Like, you by proxy were, were almost their managers or the agents' managers, right? Because they would come to you, and they would need y- information from you, and they became... They respected you, right? 26:08 And I've been in a position like that before where I totally get what you're saying. 26:12 And I think the other thing that I, insight I garnered from what you were saying is, um, when you're getting a job or really want a job, leveraging your relationships, right, to vouch for you I think is so huge. 26:27 Can we take one step back? 'Cause I just, something that I, I'd love to yes and. Don't shy away from being an assistant, end stop. 26:37 [laughs] You said powerful, working for someone powerful, but I think that I, I just would, powerful or not, for those that are fortunate enough to 26:50 work for someone else for a period of time, just a reminder, take that time to learn what to do and what not to do. 27:01 You get the ability to, to learn off of someone else's be- uh, you get paid to literally watch someone do potentially hopefully the job that you'd want- Yeah... 27:11 that you're wanting to do, and you can l- learn from their mistakes and, and their roadmap. And I don't think enough times people like get those assistant jobs- Yeah... 27:20 and really revel in the idea that like, "This is a m- this is an amazing moment or time for me to learn." Oh, yeah. Versus, "I just want the job now." Yeah. "I just want the job now." 27:31 I, I think like a few things I'll add there is like, yeah, I think, one, you know, working for a, a... I got to work for people in like different phases of their careers, right? 27:42 Like, a pretty, like a partner, like seasoned agent in like the music and TV business, a younger agent in the TV business, a board member in the TV business, the CEO of the company. 27:54 And you start to learn like, okay, like in order to like get to like CEO of company, they had to be like young agent in [laughs] the like talent department at some point. Yeah. 28:03 And like you gotta l- kinda like piece together and remember the things that you see and like how that'll help you at different points in your career. Like, you know, 28:14 working with Patrick helped me like see like the bigger like landscape and the macro environment and like how this all worked in like a macro level. 28:23 But working for like David Sherman, who is like incredibly, you know, hustler, partner in the TV group, like showed me like how you build a career is like deal by deal, like brick by brick. 28:33 Like, [laughs] you know- Yeah... that's how you, and how that all comes together. So like that stuff was, was super important. I think the other like 28:41 nice thing is like you're saying how much this is a learning opportunity. It's like 28:46 you can, you can go spend a bunch of money and go to business school, not get paid for two years, fork over a ton of dough, and like there, there's a lot of value in that sometimes depending on what you're, you know, you're doing. 28:59 But I think if you can find an opportunity where you get to like get your hands dirty and be very close to someone who's doing what you wanna do and get paid for it, it's like you're gonna be learning way more. 29:09 You're not gonna be putting yourself in debt. I think, uh, you know, I got, I got lucky 'cause I, [laughs] I didn't really get into a great law... 29:18 I, I, no, Florida is a great law school, but one of those like elite law schools, like, like Harvard or something, which like if I did, maybe I would've gone, not thinking about it. 29:27 But like I would've much, I was much better off coming out of Florida with like an amazing education and like one-sixth or like one-eighth of like the debt I would've been in. 29:38 And that's very humble of you to say, though, Andrew. I think that going to law school and having the dedication and the foresight and the aptitude to actually dedicate yourself to something like that, 29:51 I kn- I, I think we all understand and know what you mean. Yeah. 29:54 But if we, if, if you'll permit me just to remind you, like there's a lot that goes into even taking the risk and taking the chance and taking the time to do that, and I just wanna be like part of this episode is to celebrate you. 30:05 And I know that as an entrepreneur, a lot of the times, and Jewish? Yeah, half Jewish. Yeah. Half, you know, uh- Yeah... self-deprecating. Yeah. 30:12 Like, as, as a fellow Jew, just wanna raise you up and be like, hey, you know, we, we, we were not very good at, at, at... If, if we can be your hype man, to be like, dude, you, you did a, you did a lot. 30:23 And not many people would also then leave such a great moment, not to bring this full circle, but leave a moment like being at WME at the top and leave and go work with a client and help them build- 30:38 Yes Yeah And, and I wanna dr- dive into that a little bit because you, Chris, did something similar. Not about me. No, that's not what- We did it at the same, we did it at the same time... 30:47 I wanna, no, but, like, I wanna, I wanna, like, the idea of being at the nerve center of Hollywood, right, in a new and innovative space, I'm curious this idea of, like, spotting the potential in your client, 'cause Almost Friday was a client of yours. 31:05 Like, what was going through your mind and what made you go like, "Wait, I need to, like, actually build this and take this to the next level"? Yeah, I think, uh, well, a few things. 31:16 Like, it was a very interesting time, right? This was, like, in the midst of COVID. Like, we were all still working from home. No one was back in the office. 31:24 There was a little bit of this revelation of like, okay, uh, you know, w- I, I don't know. You remember the feeling probably, like, driving into, like, you know, the big agency. 31:35 In the garage there's like a, you know, Porsche and Ferrari you're, like, pulling next to, like, in your car. Yeah, like a beat-up car. 31:41 [laughs] Like, shuffling in there, and then everyone's in their suits, and it just felt big. And you're like, "Wow," like, "this place is powerful," you know? 31:48 Yeah Like, and then you're, like, stuck at home at your, like, I'm in my one-bedroom apartment in Silver Lake- [laughs]... 31:54 and it's, and it's, I'm, like, in my boxers and, like, a, you know, like, a polo shirt for a Zoom call or something, you know? [laughs] And y- you're realizing, like, people are still picking up my phone call, right? 32:05 And I'm dialing from my cellphone. I don't have an assistant here. It's not, there's, like, zero pomp and circumstance was, like, happening in the middle of COVID. 32:14 So, like, I started to realize, I'm like, oh, like, these relationships are now, like, my relationships. 32:19 Like, and I'm grateful for them and grateful to the agency for being able to put me in a position to now, like, own and have these relationships. But, like, they're kinda mine now, you know? 32:29 'Cause I've spent the last, like, four years doing, like, great work for clients and managers and, you know, executives at studios or, you know, podcast networks or at Facebook or whatever. 32:41 So I think there was a little bit of confidence in, in that, just, like, having, doing that from my living room instead of, like, the big, cool, scary office. 32:50 Uh, and I was working a little bit with, um, Kyle and Jels- Jesse from The Nope Boys. Uh, saw what they were at, like, I mean, it was insane. 33:02 In, like, a 48-hour window, uh, on the back of this YouTube channel that couldn't make any money on YouTube 'cause they were just, like, too, like, you know, pranky and vulgar or whatever- Yeah... 33:11 like, would do, like, eight figures in merchandise sales in, like, 48 hours. And I'm like, wow. 33:17 And then you're seeing, like, Barstool get, like, 100-plus million dollar investment from Turnitin to go build a media company around, like, what at one point was just, like, a blog, you know? So 33:28 started to see all that happening. Worked, you know, 18 months as, uh, the agent to Jack and Max and Sam that, that founded the Friday Beers Instagram account. 33:40 And I was just like, oh, this is like, in a way can be the centerpiece to a bigger media company and brand similar to, you know, what Barstool had done or, um, you know, even, like, you look at Betches and what they have done. 33:54 Yeah So, like, built, like, really, really cool companies, diversified into different media, uh, like, categories and platforms. 34:01 We always knew it'd have to be, like, very, like, talent-forward and centric, but, uh, you know, we sort of were like, "All right, let's, like, lay the foundation," you know? 34:10 I was working with them, helped set up their merchandise business, and we started getting brand deals. 34:14 And by early, like, 2021 it was like, "Hey," like, "we're starting to think about, like, you know, raising some money and, and going and trying to build this out into this thing that we've always been, like, talking about." 34:25 And, uh, I remember thinking, I'm like, they, they brought, [laughs] brought up in, like, a phone call in, like, our actual, like, group agent call, like, with WME, and like, "If you know somebody who'd wanna do this, like, let us know." 34:37 And I just called them afterwards. I'm like, "I think I'd wanna do this if it's, like, the right job," you know? 34:42 And it was, uh, it was kind of the realization of like, oh, if they hired someone else to do that and then I was, like, having to talk to that guy all the time as their, like, agent- Yeah... 34:53 I'd probably, like, throw up in my mouth a little bit every time- [laughs]... you know? 'Cause, like, I think the world of Jack, Max, Sam, incredibly smart guys. 35:00 Like, if I was gonna take a chance, it's, like, perfect intersection of, like, really believing in these people, the- they've already, like, had traction and success around this brand. 35:10 And, like, I'm like, you know, at the time I, like, had a girlfriend and a one-bedroom apartment. Like, I have no, like, other responsibilities, [laughs] you know? So if- Yeah. 35:19 If there was ever a time to take it, that's your moment to do it Yeah, like, all these things intersecting. 35:23 I think the most important thing is, like, believing in the people you end up working with, and I'm sure you can say the same exact thing about what made you wanna, you know, decide to leave is, like, Josh, you know? 35:34 Is like, you believe in him immensely, you know? Can we, can we, if you don't mind us prying, Andrew- Yeah... take us back to that moment. 35:43 You, you t- you talk- you talked already about the guys bringing it up on the call. Yeah. Something that I think that I would love for our listeners to, to hear about is what was it like when you tested, 35:58 not the market, but when you tested with your friends mentioning that you're thinking about doing this? What was the response? What did you learn, uh, what did you learn about 36:10 your, I don't wanna say your f- what did you learn about your friends in that moment, right? 'Cause- Yeah... I definitely learned quite a bit. I'd be curious to know what the feedback was. Yeah. 36:19 I have a pretty, you know, I, I, I was not very broad with this because, like, most of my friends were s- you know, a lot of my friends are at WME, and I- Yeah... 36:29 was, it was sort of like a, again, another part of the perfect storm, was like I was in this place where they were g- like renewing my deal at WME, and it was taking longer for them to get back to me because of COVID [laughs] and all this stuff. 36:40 So, like, there was, like, some vulnerability there too. But, you know, some of my best friends from growing up are, like, pretty entrepreneurial, right? 36:48 Like, w- the person I sort of confided in the most about this stuff, uh, is my friend, uh, David, uh, Karsenti. Shout out David. Yeah, shout out David. Very, very, very smart, um, guy. 37:02 Uh, you know, uh, worked in private equity and investment banking, and then, uh, went to Harvard Business School, and then out of Harvard Business School started a search fund, and he started buying, uh, businesses out of bankruptcy and, and operating them and getting them to a healthy place and- Amazing... 37:19 yeah, he's really, really, like, sharp dude. So- Great guy to talk to. Yeah, yeah. Just, like, you know, doesn't, like... Doesn't make, like... 37:27 You know, he's a- He- he'll take risks and be, you know, very smart about it, but, like, on a weight-adjusted basis, like, he knows what he's, like, getting into, right? So it was, like, great talking about this. 37:36 So it- We're guessing he didn't go stay at WME. No, well, he's like, "It, it sort of comes down to what is the risk-adjusted basis, right? 37:44 It's like, if WME's gonna pay you, you know, X and you're gonna make X in salary at startup, like, how much equity do you need to get to, like, make that risk worth it for you, you know? 37:56 Like, w- and what you're giving up." So he started giving me, like, kind of the equation to be thinking about it, right? 38:02 And, like, thinking about what could, what could this actually be in, like, a pretty practical, real way. 38:08 Um, and that helped make the decision because it turned it from just, like, a f- like a, oh, a feeling into, like, a, you know, a math equation a little bit. 38:18 And honestly, like, I bring that to, like, most, like, deal-making and stuff I try and do now, so I don't feel, like, emotional about something. 38:23 Like, oh, like, I'd love to work with this, like, creator or talent or whatever, and you can find yourself, like, overpaying or getting yourself in a situation where the relationship's not gonna work because, like, you, you got over your skis in, like, wanting to make it happen more than, like, making a sensible deal happen. 38:39 Yeah. And, uh, what did the girlfriend think at the time? Uh, I think she was, like, excited about it, you know? Like, for me, I think, uh- I see a ring around that finger. Yeah, married now. So the question is- Yeah. 38:53 Is that same girl? Yes. Yeah, yeah. Nice. Yeah, Sarah. That's what I wanted to celebrate. Yeah. And, you know, clearly she supported in it, and it, and it worked out. 100%. 39:02 And, uh- Started from the bottom, now we're here. [laughs] Yeah, no, she's, um, she's been super supportive throughout the whole thing. That's great. And I think saw the, like, you know, s- same thing. 39:11 You- once you start breaking it, she was... 39:13 She worked at Goldman Sachs in private wealth management and, like, h- probably had a better understanding about, like, how this could- She's crunching the numbers for you on the side... yeah, the numbies. 39:22 She knows the numbies better than I know the numbies, you know? I love that word, by the way, numbies. Yeah. [laughs] I'm gonna start using that. But, like- What are the numbies? What are the numbies? 39:29 [laughs] Uh, so, you know- Imagine, like, I now just imagined Baby Boss, or, like, it just like- [laughs] "What are the numbies? I wanna know now." [laughs] Numbies are everything, dude. 39:40 Um, but yeah, it was, uh, there was, like, a lot of support for it. 39:44 I think, like, the people that actually got it the least, like, were sometimes, like, the, the older, you know, really, like, mentor-type agents that I had- Yeah... at WME that were like, [laughs] 39:56 "Yeah, okay, you're going to be the president of Friday Beers?" [laughs] Like, what the fuck is that, you know? Like- Yeah... and I, I kind of was like, "Yeah, I know it does sound a little, like, insane." 40:08 [laughs] And at this time there was also, I think, people, like, leaving the agency to go, like, do, like, a startup or entrepreneur thing that, like, maybe, you know, didn't pan out the same way or whatever. 40:20 But, like, um, I think there was, like, the, the people, like, maybe a little bit younger that were like, "Oh," like, they get it. This is how they're consuming content. 40:29 They see how impactful this brand is and how many people are engaging with it, right? 40:34 Where, like, a guy who's, like, you know, a partner in, like, the scripted television group who is, is, like, super supportive of me and, like, wanted the best for me was like, "Dude, are you making the right... 40:45 Are you sane? [laughs] Are you making the right decision?" 40:47 'Cause they've made incredible, successful, lucrative careers at, you know, WME or- and, like, they're like, "I wanna make sure you're not, like, hitting eject too early. 40:59 Like, you have promise here," you know, kind of thing. So it was all, like, everybody, even when I told WME I was leaving, it was always, like, everyone was, like, coming from a place of, like, wanting the best for me. 41:09 So I felt, like, ton of support in that way. But, um, some people thought I was more insane than others. 41:15 I find sometimes when that happens, I can't speak from your personal experience, but I think what's interesting for anyone that's also thinking about taking the leap or looking at their risk management and saying, "Now is the time to take this venture. 41:30 I've been dying to make my own company," or taking the risk of doing, you know, whatever it is that you're looking at doing. 41:36 When you do that pressure test and you ask the people, I find that sometimes in that moment you find out who are and are not willing... 41:47 It, it, there's a level of risk management for those relationships that you have as well, because they obviously want the best for you. Yeah. Because, but you also, by way of the relationship they have with you, 41:59 we have to remind ourselves that we represent something for them. We either are a stable or a sexy, flashy friend. We have extra meaning to attach to who, who they are by way of association of you. 42:15 And so they don't wanna see you fail. So a lot of the times I, I find that some of that feedback or that fear is really more them saying, "I don't wanna see my friend fail. 42:24 I wanna protect them," because de facto, what does that mean for me? Or if you are successful in said thing, they have to up their game just that much more. Um- Yeah, it's interesting. 42:35 I think, like, you know, um, and I, I have a friend circle that of incredibly, you know, brilliant, you know, like, my longtime friends are, and very s- you know, a lot of them are- Have had a ton of success in, like, very different stuff. 42:51 Like, you know, like HBS guy, private equity, you know, investment banking background. He literally owns like [laughs] 30 Cinnabons. 42:59 [laughs] He's like the largest, he's the largest Cinnabon owner- Yeah, sounds amazing... in the country. Like, which is super cool, very different from what I do. 43:07 Another, like, great friend has been part of a, you know, big family media business and built, like, an app for them that ended up being the thing that got them a, like, multi-billion dollar exit, right? Wow. 43:20 Um, which was, like, crazy. It's called The Score. They sold to Penn, actually, that they y- now are using as, like, the underlying tech for- Oh... ESPN app, you know, its bet app. So like, that's a, another... 43:33 A, another, like, really great friend of mine is an anesthesiologist, [laughs] you know, like went through med school. So like, we, I think 43:42 we, we, we, like, sort of push each other just through, like, the exi- you know, our mutual existence and, like, wanting to have, uh, kind of, you know, the same sort of, like, success in what we're, uh, you know, after. 43:56 Um, but it... I, I think it... there's never really, like, a, a jealousy or like, "Oh, this is, like, forcing me to up my game." It's more just like, "Oh, like, these guys are doing it." 44:06 It gives you, like, confidence, you know? That's awesome. Get, get great friends that, um, build you up. Uh, tell us more about Friday Beers. Like- Yeah... what's the business? How's it doing? What's the future? 44:19 All the things. Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, like, you know, all this stuff that happened with Friday Beers, like, it, uh, 44:27 there was certainly, like, a vision around it, but, like, the way you get, like, towards that vision is, like, very, like, iterative. 44:33 And, like, I think, uh, the one thing I've learned, like, that you guys, I'm sure, can attest to, both working at, like, startup media brands, like, everything is, like, a little experiment. 44:44 So you know, like, the first, like, thing once I, like, joined and we were able to raise money, it was great. We're like, "Okay, like, we need to hire cr- like, creators to be a part of this." 44:53 We're like, "We have this, like..." [laughs] We, we literally, like, bottled lightning with this, like, moving meme format that, like, blew up during COVID, and we have a huge audience. 45:03 But I think, you know, eventually, like, people will tire of this, like, same format and joke. Like, and people wanna, like, get content from other people. 45:12 So that's when we started, you know, uh, reaching out and, and finding other comedians and people we wanted to work with to, to come make content with us. 45:22 So that was, like, the first thing, was just, like, that sort of thought. 45:25 Then, you know, we spent the next, like, year, like, these guys are hilarious, creating sketches on, on, uh, TikTok and Instagram Reels, and they're growing audience there in, like, a really meaningful way. 45:38 Um, and it started to get to the point of, like, okay, like, all right, these guys now have some sort of baseline level of, like, notoriety and fame, um, because this is, like, the most viral platform on the planet now in TikTok, 45:51 but it's not the, you know, the best as far as monetization. So, like, how can we move them into, like, longer form YouTube and podcasting? 46:00 And so that was sort of the next, like, concerted effort and experiment we wanna try and, you know, it's been, it's been working. 46:08 So that's really, really exciting, is, like, this, like, sort of process and formula of, like, all right, let's create short form content, get familiarity with these people who are incredibly talented, and now we have, you know, a YouTube channel that they are doing, like, I think mo- the best sketch comedy. 46:25 Like, I'll say even on, you know, anywhere in media, TV, [laughs] YouTube- Wow... TikTok, whatever, like, highly produced, incredibly well thought out, super, super funny. 46:36 Uh, the channel has gone from zero to half a million subs in, like, 18 months or less. Um, and every video is doing, like, you know, a million plus views after, like, you know, 45 days or whatever. Nice. 46:48 So, like, really, really exciting. And for everyone listening, just, just as a reminder, I know we talk about MrBeast and, and all these other people. 46:57 To do that within the last 18 months when there's been huge algorithm ch- uh, algorithm changes to YouTube, that is a huge accomplishment. Yeah. 47:08 Especially as talent are deprioritized and publishers are more, uh, f- of a focus for, for YouTube, that's huge. It's really... 47:16 It's, it's a testament to, like, the guys that run the creative, run the page, like Tyler Falbo, uh, you know, Billy, Chet, Liam, Will, Elise, all the actors and writers. Like, they're just so creative. 47:31 Like, it shouldn't work. Like, it's, like, like, based off of, or to how, how well it's worked, but, like, it's just so, I think, unique and original. Almost Friday TV, YouTube channel, like, check it out if you haven't. 47:44 They're really, really, really funny and dark and, like, twisted, but awesome. 47:48 And the, the ad unit, like, for me, the business perspective, I'm like, I'm trying to think of, like, how do we deliver a better ad for our partners who help us pay for all this stuff, right? 47:57 Like, um, uh, obviously, we wanna make, like, the best content possible and, like, social video, like, still super important. 48:04 We make most of our money through, like, social brand campaigns at this point, but I think we're going to see that sort of split and shift more and more to, like, the longer form assets. 48:13 So, like, we deliver a really unique post roll ad read after these sketches that, like, sort of functions like a way, like a podcast ad read would function, but it's, like, got a vi- visual element and sort of, like, ties into the sketch that you just saw a little bit. 48:28 Yeah. Um, and, uh, it's just more impactful. Like, we see it even, like, if we, if we do a post on Instagram promoting our merchandise, right? We have a merch shop. 48:39 We'll drive more, way more people to the site through a post roll, like, a YouTube callout to go to our merch shop, you know? 48:48 Just, you have p- you have a different sort of, you know, um- Hold on someone's attention through that platform. Yeah. Podcasting, same thing. 48:55 Well, so you have, you have the YouTube, you have merch, you have podcasts, newsletters. Newsletter. 49:01 Um, we have, you know, basically, like, an entire, like, s- everyone's making content on social, and, like, social team. Um, we have, you know, a sales team. We have in-house, like, edit, you know, squad. 49:14 Uh, so yeah, we're... Basically, like, the way that I am thinking, you know, I think we're thinking about it, and the way I think about it is, like, we're creating this, like, digital 49:25 studio and network where, like, it's not just, like, a podcast network, or it's not just like we're making YouTube content. 49:31 It's like, I think brands in today's media landscape ha- kind of have to exist everywhere, right? 49:38 So we wanna create the, the bones that allow creators to make stuff everywhere, and then we can find ways to h- monetize it everywhere. 49:46 And yeah, most of our revenue comes through, um, branded, you know, direct sales and campaigns that we're building out media plans. Casey Murphy, who runs our, um, you know, partnerships and sales team, like, 49:59 former Barstool guy, like, knows how to build out these media plans in the way that, you know, the agencies or, or brands are looking to spend. 50:07 And we offer a really unique solution, is like, "Oh, you can come to us and you can get in front of males in their 20s and 30s who have, like, relatively, like, high income and, uh, can advertise on YouTube, podcast, newsletter, social, like, all i- in one deal." 50:25 Like, it's really, like, nice and convenient for them. They don't have to go to, like, the newsletter place or the- That's amazing... you know? So. And you guys also have a beer and a bar. Yeah, so we launched, um... 50:37 The bar came first. It's a... 50:39 You know, we have a licensing relationship with, um, this company Dreamscape who, uh, they're hotel operators and have, like, a hospitality side of their business, and they had bought a hotel in Nashville. 50:51 Not the s- that's not the same company that also does the VR experience, is it? No, that's a, yeah, d- different... Same name. That'd be amazing. That'd be amazing if it was. Yeah. Yeah. 50:59 That would be a, that would be a pretty, uh, 21st century business. [laughs] Are we gonna see an Almost Friday VR experience? [laughs] I don't know, maybe. Yeah. Uh, but you know, the sports bar is, is awesome. 51:11 It's in, uh, you know, downtown Nashville, um, off 4th and Peabody. 51:17 Like, just an awesome place to watch sports, and it was the first one, so we really had, like, a, a pretty heavy hand in, like, how it was gonna be set up. 51:25 And I think we realized, like, you know, when you're asking people to go watch football at your sports bar on Sunday, like, you're less competing with, like, other bars, more so as you're, like, competing with people's, like, living rooms. 51:38 So the place is, like, great. It's, like, super cozy. There's, like, couches, but the food's great. The service is great. 51:44 It's, you know, very, like, reasonably priced, not like some crazy, like, bottle service-esque, like, type spot, you know? And, uh, yeah, it's been, it's been really cool and sort of, like, 51:54 fits the entire ecosystem of stuff that we're trying to build. We launched our beer, Friday Beers, last, um, November, sort of, like, slowly expanding in the Northeast. I mean- Who did you guys do that with? 52:08 Uh, so we partnered with a few folks. Um- Or, or IPA or lager? That's also the real question. It's a lager. It's a light lager, so it's, it's like a light beer. 52:17 Um, it's delicious, uh, and it is, um, you know, meant to be, like, drunken in, in mass, you know? [laughs] Like, bring it, bring it to the boat. Chugability factor? Like, what's the, uh- [laughs]... one out of 10? 52:31 I mean, probably 10. Like, it is meant for- Oh, well, there we go... yeah, yeah. It is super refreshing, incredibly tasty. 52:36 We partnered with this, uh, guy Fred Matt, um, and, and a few other guys who have kinda put this whole team together. But Fred is the brewing partner. 52:46 He has an old family business since, like, the late 1800s that's been in Upstate New York called FX Matt Brewing. 52:53 His, like, great-grandfather was the original, you know, proprietor, and, uh, we got connected to him through, um, Will McDonough, who, uh, is a friend of Jack, our CEO, and was like, "You should meet f- you know, Fred if you guys are serious about the beer thing." 53:08 And he sent us, uh, two of his beers to try. He's like, "Hey, like, just so you c- can see, like, the quality of stuff that we make," and we're like, "Okay, cool. We'll do a blind taste test." 53:17 So we had someone go pick up like 10 other beers, and Max, Jack, myself sat in a conference room with Fred on the screen, and, like, we tried blind all, like, 12 beers. 53:29 And, like, it was everything from, like, Peroni to Coors Light to, like, Bud Light to whatever. We picked both of his two beers in our top three- That's awesome... all of us. That's awesome. 53:38 So we're like, "Okay, wow, like, he kinda is the real deal. Like, this is, like, this is good." 53:42 And, um, we then, like, kinda went in and, like, made our own, you know, formula, like, n- with his direction and, and, uh, got, got a beer to a place that was just like, it's not meant to be, like, Micheltra and, like, 40 calories or whatever. 53:57 It's also not meant to be, like, a heavy, you know, thing that you, like, drink one and feel like you ate a meal. It's just meant to be, like, a really refreshing, delicious light beer. 54:07 And, uh, yeah, now we're in New York City. We're in Long Island, so you can, you know, get us at Boun- Bounce Beach in Montauk if you're, anybody's going out there for the summer. 54:17 Um, all over the Cape and islands in Massachusetts, so we're now in Nantucket and Cape Cod, and, uh, in Boston, and then also, like, Central Mass near, uh, the uh- So, so what you-... 54:29 the schools So, so correct me if I'm wrong, Andrew, but what you mean to say is when you're looking for a beer and it's almost Friday, this is exactly the perfect lager for you. Yes. [laughs] I mean, 54:45 it, you know, it's, it's a tricky game, right? Because I think particularly in light beer, 54:50 people are going to the bar or they're going to, like, l- liquor store or whatever- And they just have like th- one of the big names, like just like ingrained in their brain that they like... 54:59 It's almost like, uh, you know, uh, it just, uh, uh, it's a- You're not thinking about like what you're going to either say or buy, right? Like you kinda just walk in, grab it, and walk out. 55:10 So you know, that's, that's an interesting challenge for us 'cause like we're really great at online marketing, but like you gotta get in front of people in sort of that last mile, right? 55:17 So now we're like, oh, like we gotta invest in a merchandising team, making sure they're going into the stores and the poster's up or in the fridge in the right place, 'cause I think people will see it and, and, you know, grab the brand. 55:29 But, um, there's just like a, it's a more like complex distribution and marketing chain than, um, putting up a T-shirt online and sending them to your website, you know? But- Dude, you have-... 55:40 it's, it's a cool challenge... you have so many awesome channels and layers to your business. It's like really, really cool to see. 55:49 Do you have like any core values or approach to just how you run business, how you create IP? Yeah. The, uh, we... It was over like a year and a half ago, we're sitting down and like, "What's our like mission statement?" 56:04 [laughs] Like as we were growing and like more people are here, like what's like kind of like our North Star. We literally like, we were in this room for like three hours. 56:10 Like, and some of these mission statements were like three sentences long. We were like, "This is getting out- [laughs]... out of control." 56:17 Uh, but we kind of like through that process like distilled it down to literally four words, which is just be relatable and build community. 56:25 And, um, you know, it sounds like simple, but it's hard to do, and I think that's what our brands do really well, is like they're, 56:35 you know, Could Be The Move run by Bobby Dolan, uh, is one of the funniest like accounts that we have, and it's like har- I, I do a terrible job of explaining what it is. 56:44 But basically, like people submit, quote-unquote, "moves." Um, you know, one for example is like if you're on vacation with your parents, like wake up before your dad, you know, like Could Be The Move, right? Oh, nice. 56:58 [laughs] Like, like, like, like it's those types of things. So then he sort of like acts these out online. Um, and they're amazing, right? 57:06 And like the thing that I think, uh, about them that makes them so viral and interesting is like it's super relatable. 57:13 It's like everyone's like you say that wake up before your dad thing, everyone's like, "Oh, I know exactly-" Yeah... "uh, what you mean by that." Yeah. Right? 57:20 Like bring him the newspaper, like out, knock on his door, bring him the newspaper or the coffee and like he'll be like, "Head would explode," you know? Yeah. Wild. You, you guys have... 57:30 I mean, there is somebody who said Almost, Almost Friday has done such a great job specifically around the f- the, the feeling or the ephemeral feeling of capturing... I mean, literally 57:43 the company's title is Almost Friday. Yeah. And I think that by way of branding and marketing, everyone knows what that feeling is. You can't... You, you, you... Everyone could... You could ask 57:58 50 people, "Draw me what it means to almost be Friday," and you could see a lot of doublings of the same type of, of picture- Yeah... 58:09 but everyone has, everyone knows exactly what that means for them and what that picture or that idea is for them. We talk about branding and we talk about marketing 58:19 and, and I think that you talked a little bit about just like just needing to just start and do the thing. 58:24 You can, you can over three hours over-contextualize what your brand is, what your mission statement is, what is it going to be, but eventually you have to test, and prove, and just try in order to actually get to a moment where you just figure out what you're, what you're really doing. 58:42 When it came to you guys going from Friday Beers to figuring out Almost Friday, how much time did you guys spend on branding or spend on like the, uh, you know, when you finally found and cracked the code? Yeah. 58:56 I mean, it was, uh, Sam was the one who originally came up I, I think with the Almost Friday like photo carousels that are now like the most- I love those... 59:06 shared thing that we do, like that's been appropriated by like pretty much every major sports team [laughs] or- Yeah... like literally like it's hilarious. 59:15 Like there, there have been times like the GOP is like on their Instagram account like posting like, you know, Ted Cruz walking off a plane like Almost Friday [laughs] or something. Oh, wow. 59:25 We're like, "Okay, like this is crazy." Like it's literally like been appropriated everywhere, you know? Yeah. Um, and uh, you know, we... So that, that brand sort of existed in our universe already. 59:38 And honestly, like pretty shortly after I started there, I had a conversation with Jack and Max just being like, "Look, like Friday Beers is our biggest brand, and I get it. 59:45 This is what the company like was and represented." 59:48 But like the bigger umbrella here I think is this, what, exactly what you articulated about like that Almost Friday feeling and like all the content that we're gonna, you know, bring in and invest in and have as a part of our network like is less about fitting like the Friday Beers vibe and more about fitting the Almost Friday vibe, you know? 1:00:09 Yeah. Um, so it was, it was like a pretty easy decision. It took a little bit of time just like to like kinda like switch everything over and then like build the website and all that stuff. 1:00:18 But, um, that one was one that we all felt like pretty, like immediately like, "Yeah, that makes sense." Dope. So we, we are almost to the end, so we, we're gonna speed round a couple things. Um, 1:00:31 right now, the current media landscape, you're in media, how do you feel about it and what's the future of Almost Friday? Um, one thing I'm like, and there's a, there's a ton of stuff, but one thing I'm like very, very 1:00:44 excited and interested about is, is honestly YouTube, [laughs] and I talk about YouTube a ton. YouTube is like, you know, uh, it- I'm not like surprising anyone here. 1:00:55 It's like the most streamed- You know, platform basically on the planet, uh, as far as, like, where we're making, you know, able to make content. 1:01:03 Um, and you know, like, it's interesting, we have all these really talented creators and, you know, they're actors, they're writers, they're comedians, and, like, you think, like, they came to Hollywood with like, "How do I get on TV?" 1:01:14 You know? It's like, yo, your video's on YouTube. YouTube is streamed more on televisions than Netflix is streamed on televisions. 1:01:22 More people are watching just, like, YouTube on t- on their TV sets than they're watching Netflix. So I'm like, "You're kinda doing it already." You know? Mm-hmm. 1:01:30 Like, these are produced at, like, incredibly high quality. And I think, like, YouTube is the thing that is sort of, like, actually replacing cable and, like, what cable meant to people. 1:01:43 Netflix and Hulu and Disney Plus is, like, a little, it is, is honestly more, like, just, like, HBO and movies and, like, a little bit of- Yeah... some of that reality stuff. 1:01:53 But I think, like, YouTube is this unbelievable platform where, uh, we wanna keep investing more, creating, you know, more content on. 1:02:04 Um, and I think we could, you know, we're gonna do that through niche interests, right? Um, stuff, like, that all sort of, like, fits our broader brand. 1:02:12 But, like, you know, we were talking about it earlier, like, I, I, I'm getting into, like, wine, right? 1:02:17 Like, I will come home from work and I'll watch, like, some sommelier [laughs] like, blind taste, like, wines on YouTube and, like, learn about it that way, you know? Yeah. 1:02:26 And it's very, like, information driven and it's super creative and doesn't have to be high production value to, like, get the same sort of engagement and, um, yeah, I, I just, uh, 1:02:37 I think the platform's incredibly interesting and it's, it's obviously one of the biggest media of companies on the planet, but I still think there's, like, a... It's still early. 1:02:44 Well, the invention of smart TVs- Yeah... as well as Apple TV, now we have widgets or apps. N- TikTok, YouTube- They sit next to each other... Instagram, not there yet. 1:02:58 They don't have one ironically enough, but they sit next to each other, and they're now in competition 'cause it's all a fight for eyeballs. Yeah. 1:03:06 And most of the shows that are on Netflix, Disney Plus, et cetera- [laughs]... are, we're probably discovering on YouTube and on TikTok before even getting- Like-... to the, you know. 1:03:18 An- another example is, like, I forget who, like, maybe it was Netflix or Amazon. Amazon, I think it was, paid, like, $200 million or something for the Top Gear guys, right? Yeah. 1:03:30 Because- Oh, for the, when they, they, where they bought the new version. Grand, Grand Tour. Grand Tour. Grand, yeah, what- Yeah... whatever. The Grand Tour. Grand Tour. Paid, like, some insane amount. 1:03:39 It's like I don't even think I've ever seen one of those episodes. [laughs] Yeah. But I've watched, like, every episode from these, like, two Canadian dudes called Throttle House on YouTube- Yeah... 1:03:47 that are making, like, I think equally as entertaining, you know, videos and stuff on YouTube- Yeah... every week. Um- So I th- I wanna ask real quick on memes because- Yeah... 1:04:01 I know Friday Beers to be a meme brand- Mm-hmm... or Almost Friday. Is that part of your future? Like, what do you think of meme culture in general? Yeah, I don't think it's going away. Yeah. Like, I still, it... 1:04:13 And by the way, it's actually, it could still be, like, a really effective, like, ad unit because some of these memes, like, if you, like, are talking about the right thing, it could be wildly shareable, you know? 1:04:23 Like, you know when you get, like, in the DM, you know- Yep... text threads with your buddies, like, someone will send something and it's like, "Oh, this is, like, absolutely hilarious." 1:04:32 So I think it's still gonna be a very important, like, part of our media, uh, mix. Mm-hmm. The way I sort of think about it is, like, you know, there's campaigns that are meant for awareness. 1:04:44 There's campaigns that are meant for, like, direct sales. There's campaigns that are meant for, like, delivering, like, a really important brand message. 1:04:50 And, like, the ecosystem we're trying to build is going to be able to deliver all of those things, and you can't do it all through, like, the same ad unit, right? Mm-hmm. Like, a meme, it's, like, really hard to, like, 1:05:02 dif- talk about the differentiation between, like, you know, this razor and that razor, but I could get, like, you know, XYZ brand's image and brand, like, in a funny thing about, like, you know, shaving before you go out, right? 1:05:16 Yeah. 1:05:16 Um, the, you know, uh, I think another interesting sort of ad unit is when we talk about, like, direct sales is, like, the, the paid ad unit to making a social, like, you know, brand asset that we will give, uh, the brand, uh, you know, access to whitelist our page and put paid spend behind something, right? 1:05:40 And that, you know, gets served to you as a story or as you're scrolling, but what's nice is, like, you could link out directly to their page. It all tracks on Pixel. 1:05:46 They can see, you know, their return on, like, how that ad unit is working for them. The, like, getting a brand message across, like the podcasting and the YouTube, you have someone's attention more deeply. 1:05:56 Like, you can tell them a little bit more about the product. 1:05:59 So, um, memes are amazing at delivering awareness, and, like, we're, we, we, you know, depending on the brand, we try and craft media plans that, like, are accomplishing what our clients are coming to us and, you know, wanting. 1:06:13 Um, but yeah, we, we use them a lot, and some of the most shared things on our pages are memes. Wow. Yeah. All right. Last question. Yep. Uh, what's some advice you have for, uh, someone building a media company? 1:06:31 I mean, my first piece of advice is usually just start making content. [laughs] I think a lot of people start to think about too much, like, what they wanna make and what it's gonna be and all this stuff. 1:06:41 Like, the amazing thing about this, like, algorithmic, algorithmic, like, you know, uh, world we're in now is, like, the, the app is gonna tell you, you know, like, what's good, what's not. 1:06:52 You'll be able to figure out I think, like, you know, what's, um, what's, uh, you know, working. So the key is just, like, start making stuff. 1:07:01 Like, don't be precious about it, and, like, you'll get, you'll get better, you'll get better. So that's kind of the, the f- you know, the f- the coal in the furnace, right, right, for a media company. 1:07:11 So, like, you gotta start there. Um, the rest of it is more just, like, [laughs] I think common... Like, don't overestimate, like, common sense. Like, don't... You know, just, like, slow down. 1:07:21 Don't make, like, knee-jerk decisions. Think through things. 1:07:23 And, um, you know, the, the building of, like, the, the company parts is, um, you know, a little bit secondary to the making sure you have something that people wanna, you know, watch. Love that. Yeah. All right. 1:07:37 So it's about that time in the podcast where we give our- Wait, what time is it? Well, you know what time it is. No, what time is it? It's hot take time. Hot take time. [imitates air horn] With our guest, Andrew Kenward. 1:07:51 Uh, Andrew, hot take time is that time in the pod where we give our bold predictions for the future, and we like to roast each other on, uh, how they turned out. So, um, who wants to go first? I went first last time. 1:08:05 Okay. Should we have our guest go first? If you wanna ease him into the sauna, by all means. [laughs] Um, i- is there, like, a timeline of which this hot take needs to be, like, true or not true? 1:08:17 We like to say within six months to a year. Okay. A year is usually, like, the weight of what we like to- Um, I, I think, uh, TikTok will be divested. 1:08:29 I don't think it's being banned and that it's not gonna exist anymore, but I... 1:08:33 And this isn't, I don't know, maybe not the hottest take, but I do think it will be divested, uh, to probably some, you know, incredibly well-capitalized consortium of US buyers. Nice. Yeah. I like that. 1:08:47 Um- And I think it should be, actually. I'll say that, too. Respect. 1:08:54 I think time will tell, especially depending on who becomes president, but that's a- Whoa, whoa, way to politicize the whole- I'm just saying, I'm just saying... the whole thing. 1:09:02 Anyways, um, I'm gonna cheat a little bit. Sometimes I cheat, and, uh, my horizons are way beyond, uh, a year. 1:09:08 [laughs] Um, I'm also gonna, um, butter you up a little bit, but I'm, I'm predicting Almost Friday will become as big as Barstool- Ooh... in the next five years. [laughs] We'll take it, dude. Yeah. 1:09:21 Please don't prove me wrong. Yeah. I hate you so much with a take like that. I mean, like- [laughs]... I, I, like, I, I, I love it because the fact that it helps elevate Andrew, but also simultaneously like, come on. 1:09:35 Like, like, like it- It's a good hot take... I mean, it's fine. It just means that, like, now I have to say that The Point's not gonna get up there for a while- [laughs]... 1:09:43 or Andrew, or Andrew- Chris, Chris seems to be really winning... Andrew get to work. Yeah. You, you're winning anyways. 1:09:49 Uh, you know, I thought that I would similarly cheat because I think that speaking of people needing points on the board, we should make sure that Andrew's name is written on here. Oh, yeah. 1:09:59 Uh, you know whose name is also written on here is our, our, i- i- is our dear, dear, dear Paul York. And I, I just, I deeply would love to tag team Paul in 1:10:10 for our, our, as we come to a, a close for, for season one and, and throw it to Paul for, for a, for a- What is, what? [laughs]... for a, for a fun, hot take. Paul? Paul, would you do us the honors of closing us down? 1:10:26 What do you got for us? Don't, don't act like you haven't been thinking about these things. Um, I have not. [laughs] Um, I've just been over here, you know, like, fact-checking and stuff, so- [laughs] 1:10:40 Um, how about you do yours first and come back to me so I have, like, at least two minutes to think about something? Okay, fine. Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine. 1:10:47 I thought Paul was gonna say that Chris would be on time next week for a change. Oh, yeah. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Listen, listen, that would've been- Oh, hot take. Hot take... that would've been great. You know? 1:10:54 [laughs] Dude, he would not get a point. Yeah. [laughs] Oh. Oh, deep, deep, deep regret for that one. 1:11:01 [laughs] Uh, you know, they've announced, uh, Apple, uh, bringing back around Apple, Apple has announced that they are coming to the table as it relates to the ring phenomenon, where it comes to Oura Ring. Oh. 1:11:14 Samsung also jumped in heavily. 1:11:17 And I think that, that where, not to bring up a sore subject, uh, that, that was the Apple Vision Pro, I, I do think that Apple will have some huge, uh, or I would almost say meteoric success in the ring game. 1:11:33 Apple Ring? Apple Ring. Do you think they'll acquire Oura Ring maybe? No, no. They are, they're already launching. It's been leaked. They've already talked- Oh... that they're launching their own ring. 1:11:40 It's gonna be in, like, s- It's gonna be all the same colors that you might get, uh, that you already- So if they're already launching it, where is the hot take? The hot take is I'm saying that I- It's gonna work... 1:11:51 I'm saying it's gonna- [laughs] I'm saying that it's gonna work. Yeah, got it. So I'll, I'll, I'll project, like- That's fair... 1:11:55 I don't know what the release is, meaning how many units they're gonna release or what the rollout would be. Yeah. 1:11:59 But I would say that, like, if we wanna, like, put a number on it, you know, we're talking about some of the sales. There, we will see if, if... 1:12:07 I would say from a percentage of, like, what Apple Vision Pro was seen to, to be versus I could see it being, like, $50 million in units sold- I think you're right... you know, uh, for, for Apple. 1:12:18 Or, uh, it, that, that is a moment where Oura's been around for a long time, Samsung's getting into the game. But I think that, that Apple now doing it, the expectation is it'll be sexy, it'll be cool. 1:12:31 I ditched, I ditched my Apple Watch for the ring. But I would, uh, look, similarly as someone that's wear- I, I, I'm gonna ditch... 1:12:38 Max just bought us an Oura Ring, bought both of- because we have the FSA, like, all the, we're collecting our, our healthcare benefits. 1:12:46 But, but I'm definitely going to buy the Apple ring when it comes out, and I, I, I would think that with so much, 1:12:53 it's all, everyone's talking about quality products- I think they're the best at making stuff, like, seamlessly work together. Yeah. 1:13:00 And when you have, like, the phone or y- you know, maybe you don't have the watch 'cause, like, you like wearing, like, I like wearing like a, you know, a mechanical watch or whatever. 1:13:10 Um, but you know, I was, I'm think I'm getting, I'm getting, I'm probably gonna get a Whoop 'cause I wanna try it out. 1:13:15 But, like, if there was, like, an Apple product that- You know, allowed me to wear my watch and seamlessly connected with the pods and the phone and, you know, everything else in the universe. 1:13:27 It's like- It's gonna cut everyone else out... makes it so easy. Yeah. Oura also, they're, they're known to be a little bit more not as sophistically crafted. 1:13:36 They're a little bit, they feel, or they- They're kind of thicker or whatever. Thicker. Yeah. Like, the, the gold version of it is kind of almost feels like a, a kind of a wrap- Yeah... 1:13:46 versus actually being fully gold or, or they do, like, a rose gold for women. It's not as fashionably sound. 1:13:52 The Whoop everyone does as well, but you have to go on a new platform, and you have to download the app because everyone will have a Whoop specifically for the sleep. Yeah. 1:14:02 That's where I think them coming in, uh, uh, it, it's will seamlessly make all your data available on your phone so you can just go straight to your health button- Health app, yeah... and call it a day. 1:14:15 All right, Paul, do you have your take before we- Sure. Don't... Did, did ChatGPT help you come up with this? No, actually. I was just thinking about, it's something I've been thinking about for a while. 1:14:27 Um, we talk about Elon Musk. We talk about Tesla a lot and all these, um, future companies, companies helping the future. And, um, 1:14:36 I, uh, my hot take is I think these Optimus robots are gonna start a trend that really people aren't expecting. 1:14:44 Um, some of these automatic robots that are working in, like, the Tesla factories and things like that, they're really gearing up to kind of make them a household product, so to speak, and I think that's gonna launch an economy that I don't think most people are thinking about currently. 1:15:01 Um, so that's gonna be interesting to see play out, I think, in the next few years. I like it, but I think you stole mine. Wait, did I? Yeah. When did you say that? A couple weeks ago. 1:15:11 I can't remember every single hot take we do. [laughs] But you said Optimus, so we'll give that to you. Okay. Well, that's my take. Nice. So home, robots for the home. For the home, yeah. 1:15:22 I think obviously they're gonna disrupt businesses in ways, uh, where people don't wanna do the mundane work or things where you can just, like, optimize, but I think, like, home tasks will be huge. All right. 1:15:36 Thank you, Andrew, for coming in. Thanks, fellas. Yeah, this was fun. Uh, super fun. 1:15:41 Uh, I'm sure we can find you on socials, Friday Beers, and- Yeah, f- uh, I mean, I would, yeah, check out Friday Beers on Instagram, Almost Friday on Instagram. 1:15:53 Uh, we have the Empty Netters podcast if you like hockey, Red Flags podcast if you like F1, Country Club adjacent if you're into golf, um, Dr. 1:16:04 Locks if you're into sports betting and gambling, Glue Guy, who's sort of our overarching, like, sports sidekick. 1:16:11 Uh, and uh, then Almost Friday TV, YouTube, podcast, Friday Beers YouTube, and, uh, yeah, we're making content everywhere. Like, go, go check it all out. It's, it's awesome. 1:16:23 And if you're in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, go buy our beer. Uh, it would really mean a lot to us. All right. Great stuff today. [laughs] Thank you for our guest, Andrew Kenward. 1:16:34 Thank you, Paul, for your hot take. Uh, we'll catch you guys super soon. Thanks, fellas. Amen. What up, everyone. Boye and Chris here. Hope you've been enjoying Future Forecast. 1:16:46 Just a reminder, we are going on hiatus for season one. Get ready for season two. Check out some old episodes. Look at the show notes for a survey, and give us all of your thoughts. 1:16:58 We may or may not incorporate them, uh, and we'll catch you soon. [upbeat music] The Future Forecast is produced by Wheelhouse DNA for Acast. 1:17:08 Our executive producers are me, Boye Kolade, along with Fanny Baudry, Cassie Berman, and Leah Sutherland. Our audio producer is Chiara Noni. Our audio engineer is Matthew Blocka. Our editor is Nick Kursiemy. 1:17:23 The podcast is hosted by yours truly, Boye Kolade, and Chris Sawtelle. Thanks for listening, and see you next time. 1:17:29 [upbeat music] Cash now, more later from Opendoor gives you cash upfront for your home, plus all the profit later. That's no chaos now, no cash left behind later. Skip the showings now, pocket extra profit later. 1:17:47 This is so simple now. This is so awesome later. Or sell fast now and pop the champagne later. Cash now, more later. Now available nationwide. Start your offer at opendoor.com/acast. 1:18:00 Profits calculated after fees and costs. Eligibility and offer price may vary. This show is brought to you by The Future Party and Crosstalk Studios, produced by Chris Sawtelle, Boye Kolade, and Paul York. 1:18:13 Special shout-out to our production team, Araceli Rubalcava, Max Schoolen, Shannon Klein, and Eli Tafur.
