# Brand Building: He focuses on modern marketing strategy and personal branding in the digital era.

An episode of [Money Making Conversations Master Class](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1264705641), 2 Mar 2026, 27 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/b1db7263-d1a3-4d00-8976-af62012aab44/c5bfa465-528a-4361-a887-b4700107498e/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=35a10561-3e1b-4d05-a529-af62012aab6a

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Brendan Kaminsky. 🔷 Interview Summary Brendan Kaminsky—founder of BKnown Agency, a boutique branding and digital marketing firm—discusses how he built a career in sports media, social media strategy, and digital branding. \[Brendan Ka...sky iHeart | Txt\] He shares: • His journey from ESPN to entrepreneurship • How he helped shape talent brands (e.g., Stephen A. Smith, Jalen Rose, Rich Eisen) • The evolution of social media as a dominant marketing channel • The role of data, engagement, and relatability in building digital influence • How AI and analytics are transforming branding The conversation is highly practical, focusing on modern marketing strategy and personal branding in the digital era. 🎯 Purpose of the Interview 1. Educate on modern branding and marketing • Explain how social media has become the core of brand building 2. Provide practical guidance for creators and entrepreneurs • Show how to grow influence through: • Content strategy • Engagement • Metrics 3. Highlight the shift from traditional to digital media • Demonstrate how digital platforms now drive visibility and opportunity 4. Inspire entrepreneurial risk-taking • Encourage professionals to trust their instincts and build their own ventures 5. Reinforce the importance of relationships • Emphasize networking and trust as foundational to career growth 🔑 Key Takeaways 1. Relationships drive opportunity • Kaminsky got into ESPN through ideas + relationships, not just applying • Networking and collaboration are critical to career advancement \[Brendan Ka...sky iHeart | Txt\] 2. Trust your instincts in career decisions • He left ESPN to start his agency without outside validation • Belief in your vision is essential for entrepreneurship 3. Relatability is the core of modern branding • Audiences want: • Authenticity • Real-life connection • Content should feel human, not overly polished 4. Engagement > follower count • Followers are a “vanity metric” • Real value lies in: • Views • Likes • Comments • Interaction rates \[Brendan Ka...sky iHeart | Txt\] 5. Social media is now primary media • What used to be “non-traditional marketing” is now mainstream strategy • Brand deals now require social media deliverables 6. Content must be platform-specific • Social media content ≠ TV content • Key differences: • Vertical video • Direct audience communication • Mobile-first design 7. Talk to your audience—not at them • Many brands fail by only promoting products • Success comes from: • Conversation • Engagement • Personality 8. Use layered content strategy • Hook audience with high-interest content (e.g., sports topics) • Then introduce: • Personal initiatives • Community work • Business ventures 9. Accessibility and responsiveness matter • In fast-paced industries, reliability builds trust • Being available is part of delivering value 10. Data tells the story • Metrics are essential for: • Measuring success • Proving value to clients • Social platforms provide real-time performance feedback 11. AI is a powerful tool (not a replacement) • Used for: • Content analysis • Viral prediction • Efficiency • But human creativity and relationships remain essential 12. Personal branding creates leverage • Individuals can build influence outside traditional platforms • Social media extends reach beyond TV and traditional media 💬 Notable…

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: My guess is the founder of be Known Agency, a
[0:03] Speaker 1: boutique branding and digital marketing firms specializing in sports and entertainment.
[0:08] Speaker 1: Be Known has built authentic digital brands and executed strategic
[0:12] Speaker 1: media initiatives for high profile clientele, including journalists as well
[0:17] Speaker 1: as athletes like Taylor Rose and Harrison Boards. We will
[0:20] Speaker 1: mention others doing this interview as well. Please welcome to the
[0:23] Speaker 1: Money Making Conversation Masterclass. Brendan Kamiski. How you doing something
[0:27] Speaker 1: doing well?
[0:27] Speaker 2: Ra Shaun? Thank you so much for having me and
[0:29] Speaker 2: good to see you well.
[0:31] Speaker 1: You know, my relationship with you started to steven A. Smith,
[0:34] Speaker 1: one of the most popular talents in the media today,
[0:37] Speaker 1: and I met you and tell everybody, what were you
[0:40] Speaker 1: doing for Steven H.
[0:40] Speaker 3: Smith at the time.
[0:41] Speaker 2: Yeah, I was working at ESPN and I sat down
[0:45] Speaker 2: with steven A and was telling him social media is
[0:48] Speaker 2: really important to your brand and he knew that, of course,
[0:52] Speaker 2: but really just help him lean in more to social
[0:55] Speaker 2: media original content and had a blast and was lucky
[0:59] Speaker 2: enough to meet you along the way.
[1:01] Speaker 1: Let's talk about the journey to get on bulld with ESPN.
[1:06] Speaker 1: What was that like? How did people in your community
[1:09] Speaker 1: and off of your world. Think about that successful, you know,
[1:13] Speaker 1: because everybody wants to work with the with the big
[1:16] Speaker 1: big four letters.
[1:17] Speaker 2: Yeah. No, I mean working at ESPN is a blessing
[1:19] Speaker 2: still to this day. It's such a big part of
[1:22] Speaker 2: the story of where I'm at and for me, I
[1:26] Speaker 2: was doing some independent consulting before I was at ESPN.
[1:29] Speaker 2: I was working with Harrison Barnes. I was working with
[1:32] Speaker 2: some companies and I overlapped with ESPN. I kept pitching
[1:37] Speaker 2: them ideas and then eventually they were like, do you
[1:39] Speaker 2: want to work here? So I tell people all the time,
[1:42] Speaker 2: you know, as you know Rashan, relationships are everything. So
[1:47] Speaker 2: I was fortunate enough that it wasn't as much about
[1:50] Speaker 2: applying for the job as much as it was you know,
[1:54] Speaker 2: learning more about each other and then being like, oh,
[1:57] Speaker 2: he's got good ideas, he's thinking about out, you know,
[2:00] Speaker 2: some of the things worth thinking about. And then they
[2:03] Speaker 2: offered me a job there and I just I went
[2:05] Speaker 2: and moved there, and then I started this internal strategy
[2:09] Speaker 2: work with talent such as Stephen A. Smith and it
[2:13] Speaker 2: was amazing. It's it's you can't ask for a bigger platform.
[2:17] Speaker 2: So I was at ESPN six and a half years.
[2:19] Speaker 2: I told them it was like late twenty twenty that
[2:21] Speaker 2: I was leaving to start this social media marketing agency.
[2:26] Speaker 2: I didn't tell one person in my life that I
[2:29] Speaker 2: was going to do it because I didn't I didn't
[2:32] Speaker 2: want to have my dad or maybe you'd be like, well,
[2:38] Speaker 2: you look, you got Disney benefits, You're working with the
[2:41] Speaker 2: biggest brands, the biggest talent, you got that paycheck. I
[2:45] Speaker 2: didn't want someone to, you know, be like, you're right,
[2:49] Speaker 2: someone to tell me that and then me to doubt myself,
[2:52] Speaker 2: because ultimately, this is what I felt, and I was like,
[2:56] Speaker 2: you know what, I just need to do it and
[2:57] Speaker 2: then tell the I learned. It's like, trust your gut
[3:00] Speaker 2: and even if you fail or even if you you know,
[3:05] Speaker 2: don't get to where you're at, that's a learning experience
[3:07] Speaker 2: in itself. And I just I couldn't have people, Oh,
[3:11] Speaker 2: you got the Disney you know, you know the Disney paycheck.
[3:13] Speaker 3: And absolute all that.
[3:15] Speaker 1: Yeah, let's talk about it. Let's talk about this, Brendan.
[3:17] Speaker 1: You know, social media is such a dominant force. Everybody's
[3:21] Speaker 1: on it from a standpoint of either whether taking casual
[3:24] Speaker 1: photos or you talk about business, use the word branding
[3:28] Speaker 1: and you do products, you do athletes, you do people
[3:31] Speaker 1: in entertainment. What makes your skill set unique and what
[3:34] Speaker 1: advice can you give to people who are trying to
[3:38] Speaker 1: grow their brands?
[3:40] Speaker 3: Is all their product on social media?
[3:43] Speaker 2: Well, I think Rashan one of the biggest themes, if
[3:46] Speaker 2: not the biggest theme, is the idea of relatability. People
[3:52] Speaker 2: want to relate to you, They want to like get
[3:57] Speaker 2: to know you. The reason that the streamers right now,
[4:00] Speaker 2: some of these big streamers like Kai Sanat and I
[4:03] Speaker 2: show Speed or on Top of the World, is because
[4:06] Speaker 2: they're just streaming their everyday life. They're talking to people.
[4:09] Speaker 2: And what I tell people is talk directly to your audience. Right,
[4:14] Speaker 2: So when you and I overlapped and the steven A stuff,
[4:18] Speaker 2: it was like, you know, do videos for social media? Right,
[4:21] Speaker 2: You're on TV all the time. You have these incredible
[4:25] Speaker 2: shows happening, But sometimes it's like take the camera, take
[4:30] Speaker 2: the phone, be like, hey guys, I got something to say,
[4:33] Speaker 2: appreciate you guys following me. Or I remember it's funny.
[4:37] Speaker 2: I remember being in the studio with you in New
[4:41] Speaker 2: York and I remember it's funny. I don't know how
[4:43] Speaker 2: this remember speaking Steve and A was talking about like
[4:46] Speaker 2: Klay Thompson. There was like there was something we're talking
[4:48] Speaker 2: about the Warriors and we were just having a conversation
[4:51] Speaker 2: and then I remember you and I looked at each
[4:52] Speaker 2: other like we got to film this. This is like
[4:54] Speaker 2: content for social media because but I think, really, Rashan,
[5:00] Speaker 2: it's like being relatable. Everything's about video, everything's about vertical video.
[5:05] Speaker 2: But I think whether it's an athlete, a media personality,
[5:08] Speaker 2: someone who's larger than life at least appears that way.
[5:11] Speaker 2: It's like these are just human beings. And the more
[5:13] Speaker 2: that you are engaging with your followers and shooting it
[5:16] Speaker 2: more like an engagement platform versus a distribution platform. The
[5:21] Speaker 2: difference being distribution would be constantly just promoting your stuff,
[5:26] Speaker 2: constantly just posting products, but not talking to fans. I
[5:30] Speaker 2: think you really have to talk to the people.
[5:33] Speaker 1: Absolutely. Here's an interesting thing about it. One of the
[5:36] Speaker 1: famous things that was under your umbrella was the infamous
[5:39] Speaker 1: Stephen A. Smith Dallas Cowboy lost. You know, you know that's.
[5:45] Speaker 3: What you're talking exactly.
[5:47] Speaker 1: That that was unique and people wait for after the
[5:51] Speaker 1: loss and it's become part.
[5:53] Speaker 2: Of his unbelievable right.
[5:54] Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, and he just turned into a camera laughing.
[5:58] Speaker 2: That's it, right, Sometimes fifteen seconds, you know, it's it's
[6:02] Speaker 2: that easy. But it's insane that now the entire internet
[6:07] Speaker 2: they just watch Cowboy games just to just to see
[6:09] Speaker 2: what's gonna happen with them.
[6:10] Speaker 1: Yeah, you don't want to miss an episode of Money
[6:12] Speaker 1: Making Conversations Masterclass. So right now, follow a subscribe to
[6:17] Speaker 1: Money Making Conversations. It's free and you can find it
[6:20] Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
[6:25] Speaker 1: get your podcasts.
[6:27] Speaker 3: Please don't go anywhere.
[6:28] Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more money Making Conversations Masterclass.
[6:34] Speaker 1: Welcome back to Money Making Conversations master Class with me
[6:37] Speaker 1: with Shaun McDonald.
[6:39] Speaker 3: Let's talk about when you're building your breath.
[6:42] Speaker 1: I've seen you and speak engagements because you posted on
[6:44] Speaker 1: your social media.
[6:45] Speaker 3: Why do people want to hear.
[6:47] Speaker 1: From Brendan Kamiski when they book you for speaking engagement?
[6:51] Speaker 1: What are they trying to get out of here and
[6:53] Speaker 1: from it? What do they want from you?
[6:55] Speaker 2: I think for me, I have always tried to like
[7:00] Speaker 2: at least the way that I've built my career up
[7:02] Speaker 2: to this point is being focused on like you know,
[7:06] Speaker 2: let me focus on this one thing and people can trust. Hey,
[7:10] Speaker 2: I'm trying to figure out what my social media what
[7:12] Speaker 2: to do? Who do I call? Oh, maybe Brendan, Like
[7:15] Speaker 2: and I think for me, I've tried to storytell in
[7:18] Speaker 2: a way that makes sense and that and and I
[7:20] Speaker 2: have confidence about it. So what I and I will
[7:24] Speaker 2: tell say that, you know, five years ago, six years ago, whatever,
[7:27] Speaker 2: I don't know if I had the same level of confidence.
[7:30] Speaker 2: Not that I wasn't confident for Shan, but I think
[7:32] Speaker 2: as I've gone on, I've had more of a confidence
[7:36] Speaker 2: in explaining the path and also being confident in what
[7:40] Speaker 2: I do right. Like, I fully acknowledge it's not easy
[7:44] Speaker 2: sitting in front of high powered executive personality like yourself
[7:48] Speaker 2: or someone who's a big star at ESPN or Fox
[7:51] Speaker 2: Sports whatever, you know, they're high profile people. And so
[7:54] Speaker 2: I think for me, I've developed over time being like
[7:57] Speaker 2: I don't care who it is, whether it's that wall
[7:59] Speaker 2: behind you, whether it's for Sean, whether it's Steven A,
[8:02] Speaker 2: whether it's an NBA player, Like, I feel confident that
[8:06] Speaker 2: this is the formula because I've done the ten thousand
[8:08] Speaker 2: hours and I and and I hope that as I'm talking.
[8:13] Speaker 2: People can see that and they can relate to it.
[8:16] Speaker 1: I'm speaking to the founder of be known as b
[8:19] Speaker 1: k N O w N Agency, a boutique branding and
[8:22] Speaker 1: digital marketing firm that specialize in sports and entertainment. His
[8:26] Speaker 1: name is Brendan Kamensky, very talented social media expert, branding expert.
[8:33] Speaker 1: Let's put that, Let's put it in perspective. When you
[8:35] Speaker 1: hear that, Brendan, how much responsibility does it do you
[8:40] Speaker 1: wrap your head around and and how what is the
[8:43] Speaker 1: what is the planning that goes into that?
[8:45] Speaker 2: So one big thing as far as being successful, I
[8:48] Speaker 2: understand you need people around you and people that are
[8:52] Speaker 2: executing and have the same vision as you. But I
[8:56] Speaker 2: think for us, for Sean and for me, one thing
[8:59] Speaker 2: that I impress upon people the accessibility is everything. You know,
[9:04] Speaker 2: when you're working with talent, Like you could be the
[9:07] Speaker 2: best person in the world at your job, but if
[9:09] Speaker 2: they hit you up and sixty percent of the time
[9:12] Speaker 2: you respond in a timely manner, They're gonna be like,
[9:14] Speaker 2: what the heck, I don't know I'm hitting up, Brendan,
[9:17] Speaker 2: where's the at you know? I'm like, I understand, like
[9:22] Speaker 2: maybe Mike to my own detriment. Maybe when I get
[9:24] Speaker 2: a family and have a bunch of kids, hopefully someday
[9:26] Speaker 2: it'll be like, listen, I gotta put my phone down.
[9:28] Speaker 2: But I understand that we're working in a very fast
[9:32] Speaker 2: paced environment. And my message to folks in this is like,
[9:35] Speaker 2: you got to be accessible. You gotta be reliable if
[9:37] Speaker 2: they hit you up, you know, make sure like you
[9:41] Speaker 2: have an answer and you're confident about it where you're
[9:44] Speaker 2: getting back in a timely manner. Right If if Steven
[9:47] Speaker 2: A is reaching out and he can't get a hold
[9:49] Speaker 2: of it, it's like, what the heck, Mike, isn't this guy?
[9:51] Speaker 2: You know, doesn't mean you're always on your phone twenty
[9:53] Speaker 2: four to seven. But I understand accessibility is everything, and
[9:58] Speaker 2: it's a very important part of working entertainment.
[10:01] Speaker 1: Hey Brendan, you know when you start talking about this
[10:03] Speaker 1: is something I had to learn. It's like, because everybody
[10:06] Speaker 1: wants to be the Kardashian have their numbers, you know,
[10:08] Speaker 1: these incredible numbers out there. A million follow up and
[10:12] Speaker 1: last I have like nine hundred thousand followers on my
[10:15] Speaker 1: Facebook and so it's told like about a million across
[10:18] Speaker 1: all my platforms. But I've learned that it's not about
[10:22] Speaker 1: the enough followers, it's about the metrics, correct, because that's
[10:26] Speaker 1: what an influencer, our ambassador is all about.
[10:29] Speaker 2: Talked about this. This is actually I love this topic
[10:32] Speaker 2: right now because it's really it's always it always comes
[10:35] Speaker 2: about right people want followers, right clients, right, we all
[10:39] Speaker 2: want followers. By the way, I personally, on my account,
[10:42] Speaker 2: I'm checking how many followers are. But over timer Sean
[10:46] Speaker 2: and I will say, I really feel like over the
[10:48] Speaker 2: past couple of years, it is become a lot more
[10:52] Speaker 2: just about engagement on posts and views on your page
[10:56] Speaker 2: and less about the follow the total follower number. Now
[10:59] Speaker 2: I've always he's felt like quality over quantity. I've always
[11:02] Speaker 2: felt even five six years ago, engagement over followers. But
[11:08] Speaker 2: right now, the beauty of this day and age is
[11:10] Speaker 2: the way the algorithm works. The way Instagram has moved.
[11:13] Speaker 2: I've talked to metadirectly about this is that it's a
[11:17] Speaker 2: lot more AI based. They're not signaling as much, Oh,
[11:20] Speaker 2: because you follow this page, we're gonna serve it to
[11:23] Speaker 2: you more like it used to be a lot more
[11:26] Speaker 2: about that, But now there's just all these signals and
[11:27] Speaker 2: they're like, like, for instance, you know, I was at
[11:30] Speaker 2: this event a couple of days ago. The USA hockey
[11:33] Speaker 2: team was celebrating winning the gold medal. I was fortunate
[11:36] Speaker 2: enough to be there. I only have about ten thousand
[11:39] Speaker 2: followers on my Instagram, but I have a video reach
[11:41] Speaker 2: of million views and half a million views. And it's
[11:45] Speaker 2: just because if you know how to work the game.
[11:48] Speaker 2: And so this is what I feel like individuals. If
[11:51] Speaker 2: I'm working with clients, I really stress to them, Okay,
[11:55] Speaker 2: maybe your followers didn't grow to the number that you wanted,
[11:59] Speaker 2: but wait, your user up fifty percent over the last
[12:01] Speaker 2: NFL season. Isn't that more important? And that's what I
[12:05] Speaker 2: want people to know and learn. And again, followers is
[12:10] Speaker 2: a vanity metric. We all want to have more, and
[12:13] Speaker 2: I get it to an extent, but the way to
[12:16] Speaker 2: sell yourself and I think over your time, brands are
[12:19] Speaker 2: getting more mature with this. It's like, wait, why am
[12:22] Speaker 2: I gonna use this influencer of a million followers if
[12:24] Speaker 2: they're only getting five thousand likes of posts. I'd rather
[12:27] Speaker 2: work with Rashaan who's got five hundred thousand followers and
[12:30] Speaker 2: he's getting one hundred thousand likes for posts like this
[12:33] Speaker 2: is where I believe talent brands should be focused on.
[12:39] Speaker 2: Just focused on content reels. Don't spend too much time
[12:43] Speaker 2: on your follower number.
[12:45] Speaker 3: Let's let's talk about a talent that you have on
[12:47] Speaker 3: your roster.
[12:48] Speaker 1: Jaya Rows, because he's very you know, he has a
[12:51] Speaker 1: great school charge of school program he has in Detroit.
[12:55] Speaker 1: How do you balance that and support him because you know,
[13:00] Speaker 1: he's still a guy who's an analyst and everybody wants
[13:03] Speaker 1: to know about him being an analyst. Okay, everybody wants
[13:06] Speaker 1: to know about where he's going, but real, but we
[13:09] Speaker 1: know that school is very important to him. Talk about
[13:12] Speaker 1: how you balance that for a client that knows what
[13:15] Speaker 1: his primary job is but constantly wants to remind.
[13:18] Speaker 3: People what he does for the community.
[13:21] Speaker 2: I like this example a lot because this is a
[13:23] Speaker 2: conversation I'll have with Jalen often where he likes to
[13:28] Speaker 2: talk more than basketball, Like he doesn't want to be
[13:31] Speaker 2: you know, all, Jalen, Who's who's going to be the
[13:34] Speaker 2: MVP this year? It's like, all right, here's the top
[13:36] Speaker 2: five picks. You know, like he wants like he knows
[13:39] Speaker 2: he has to do that. And if you're in that position,
[13:42] Speaker 2: you're an next NBA player, you're an analyst. But the
[13:45] Speaker 2: good news for him is he wants to talk about
[13:48] Speaker 2: the community, the culture, other things happening besides the NBA.
[13:52] Speaker 2: So I think we just we use and my strategy
[13:56] Speaker 2: generally would be like, use those sexier topics to at
[14:01] Speaker 2: least the fans. I'm like, Yo, what do you think
[14:03] Speaker 2: about lately? There's been a lot of fights in the NBA.
[14:07] Speaker 2: It feels like on the court, talk about that fighter.
[14:10] Speaker 2: You know, what do you think about NBA All Star Weekend?
[14:12] Speaker 2: And do you think they're doing it right? You use
[14:14] Speaker 2: some of those hot topics to drive the engagement that
[14:18] Speaker 2: might get from fans to then be like, hey, look,
[14:21] Speaker 2: I also have this going on late. You know, you
[14:24] Speaker 2: also post that later that might not get in the fans'
[14:28] Speaker 2: eyes as much likes and views, because sometimes it's like, look,
[14:32] Speaker 2: naturally we talk about Lebron James, the Lakers, the numbers
[14:36] Speaker 2: might just be higher. But I think what you do
[14:38] Speaker 2: is you give the fans enough of the good content,
[14:42] Speaker 2: high engaging content, to then bring your own products, your
[14:46] Speaker 2: own things that you're promoting. And like you said, what
[14:49] Speaker 2: Jalen has done with the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. Nothing's
[14:53] Speaker 2: more important to him than that. So the good news
[14:54] Speaker 2: is there's he's always talking about it, and we just
[14:58] Speaker 2: make sure that it's an integral part the content strategy.
[15:01] Speaker 2: But also to your point, you know you can't make
[15:04] Speaker 2: every post during the week about the Charter Academy. You
[15:07] Speaker 2: know you need to have others sif too, because you
[15:09] Speaker 2: need a real people in And I think that's what
[15:11] Speaker 2: you do, right you real people in with.
[15:13] Speaker 3: It's a layer, it's a layer.
[15:16] Speaker 2: And I know that's like for you, like you you know,
[15:19] Speaker 2: I mean, I can't even keep track of your entire career,
[15:22] Speaker 2: but I know for you, it's like you've had these incredible,
[15:26] Speaker 2: high profile clients and brands that you've been working with
[15:29] Speaker 2: and then you're like, man, I got a story to tell,
[15:32] Speaker 2: I got a podcast, I got a book, and people
[15:34] Speaker 2: are willing to.
[15:35] Speaker 3: And it's hard, it's hard to balance that.
[15:37] Speaker 1: You don't want to miss an episode of Money Making
[15:39] Speaker 1: Conversations masterclass, So right now, follow a subscribe to Money
[15:43] Speaker 1: Making Conversations. It's free and you can find it on
[15:47] Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
[15:51] Speaker 1: your podcasts.
[15:53] Speaker 3: Please don't go anywhere.
[15:54] Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more money Making Conversations Masterclass.
[16:00] Speaker 1: Welcome back to money Making Conversations Masterclass with me for
[16:03] Speaker 1: Shan McDonald. But you know they're interesting, they're about now.
[16:08] Speaker 1: Jalen's is the only client that has that unique balance.
[16:11] Speaker 1: Rich Ice rich Ion, and I love his story because
[16:16] Speaker 1: his I guess charity person or philanthropy started almost like
[16:20] Speaker 1: I want to say a joke, but it was just
[16:21] Speaker 1: he was just running the forty yard dash and now
[16:24] Speaker 1: that's his logo.
[16:26] Speaker 3: Tell us about it.
[16:27] Speaker 1: Tell us about something that started as I want to say,
[16:30] Speaker 1: it's a funny moment, right, him running the forty yard
[16:33] Speaker 1: jazz and the dash in a suit, and now that's
[16:36] Speaker 1: his logo. Tell everybody how you balance him? High profile guy,
[16:41] Speaker 1: daily shows merch now with ESPN NFL network, so it's
[16:45] Speaker 1: like you can't.
[16:45] Speaker 3: Get away from ESPN.
[16:46] Speaker 2: Yeah, no money.
[16:48] Speaker 3: We'll talk about Jalen Rose. Now let's switch over to
[16:51] Speaker 3: rich Isson.
[16:52] Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean rich like you said, incredible story. I
[16:55] Speaker 2: mean the fact that he started as one of the
[16:57] Speaker 2: OG Sports Center anchors. I mean, I know he shared
[17:00] Speaker 2: this picture last week. I don't know if you saw
[17:02] Speaker 2: it on social media all the twenty original Sports Center anchors.
[17:06] Speaker 2: I saw Mike Tarico in the photo. It was Stuart
[17:08] Speaker 2: Scott all that legends.
[17:09] Speaker 1: Wow.
[17:11] Speaker 2: And then he built his own show and then brought
[17:14] Speaker 2: it back to ESPN. I think it's one of the
[17:16] Speaker 2: best stories for him. You know what's great for him
[17:22] Speaker 2: is he's got that North Star, He's got that show
[17:25] Speaker 2: five days a week, and working with Rich is incredible
[17:29] Speaker 2: because he understands it's funny. And I'm sure you can
[17:33] Speaker 2: relate to this. You don't just become one of these
[17:35] Speaker 2: high profile talent and content person It doesn't happen overnight.
[17:39] Speaker 2: Like he understands content, He understands the importance of reels,
[17:43] Speaker 2: and he gets in the weeds on content and we
[17:46] Speaker 2: love it. And for him, I wasn't involved at all,
[17:52] Speaker 2: Like we've been working with Rich now for a few years.
[17:54] Speaker 2: But his forty yard Dash incredible idea by him and
[17:58] Speaker 2: his team, and yeah, he us now is during the
[18:01] Speaker 2: combine he runs out forty yard dash, raises a ton
[18:03] Speaker 2: of money for charity for cancer and it's a great
[18:06] Speaker 2: idea of branding right where it's like people like the
[18:10] Speaker 2: idea of him running. He turned it into a content
[18:13] Speaker 2: play right, actually going back to what we're just talking about.
[18:16] Speaker 2: It's like Rich had all this great content. He's talking
[18:18] Speaker 2: about the NFL, he's talking about culture, he's getting big
[18:22] Speaker 2: guests on actors, actresses, and then he uses that to
[18:27] Speaker 2: be like, Hey, I'm going to promote my thing going on.
[18:30] Speaker 2: I'm going to run this race. I'm gonna raise money
[18:33] Speaker 2: for a good cause, and it's going to become a
[18:35] Speaker 2: part of my brand. I think it's an incredible story
[18:37] Speaker 2: and it's about leveraging your brand to then be like,
[18:41] Speaker 2: let me get back to a good cause. I mean
[18:43] Speaker 2: that was but yeah, I got so much respect and
[18:47] Speaker 2: now he's, you know, part of the ESPN family, as
[18:50] Speaker 2: you all, all roads lead back to ESPN.
[18:53] Speaker 1: A good run, you know, and you know, how do
[18:57] Speaker 1: we get in touch with your Brandan?
[18:58] Speaker 2: Yes, so I I would say it's funny. I mean
[19:02] Speaker 2: my emails Brendan at benown Agency dot com, it's just
[19:06] Speaker 2: b known bdkn o w N Instagram at b Kaminsky.
[19:12] Speaker 2: I love Instagram. As you know, it's funny. I got
[19:16] Speaker 2: to commend you, like I remember working with Steven in
[19:19] Speaker 2: the beginning and you know, oh man, the beginning was
[19:23] Speaker 2: so much fun. And then you know, he's he's loving
[19:25] Speaker 2: the numbers and he's like, I got my my manager.
[19:28] Speaker 2: He wants to talk to you, my number two. And uh,
[19:31] Speaker 2: you probably were like looking at the graphics, You're like, well,
[19:35] Speaker 2: what's going on, Stephen? All these social media posts and
[19:38] Speaker 2: you know, and and you were very supportive, and it
[19:42] Speaker 2: was really appreciated because you understanding the value of branding
[19:47] Speaker 2: and it was just so fun. And I always appreciated
[19:51] Speaker 2: and admired sort of the kingdom that Rashan McDonald has
[19:55] Speaker 2: uh has built. But but again, yeah, your support on
[19:59] Speaker 2: my initiatives.
[20:00] Speaker 1: Now you have traditional marketing, and I have to say
[20:04] Speaker 1: this used to be called non traditional marketing, but it's
[20:07] Speaker 1: moving to be traditional marketing. How does that play itself
[20:10] Speaker 1: out when you look at the social digital world and
[20:14] Speaker 1: the traditional television market.
[20:15] Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, like you said, I think it's become traditional. Right.
[20:20] Speaker 2: A lot of the deals that people are getting when
[20:24] Speaker 2: they're getting a brand partnership, what are the deliverables? Right?
[20:27] Speaker 2: Of course, you might be in a movie, you might
[20:30] Speaker 2: be to be commerciate. What are they doing? Oh? What
[20:31] Speaker 2: do you got on Instagram? Right? How many you know? Oh?
[20:34] Speaker 2: You got a TikTok too? Let's get it on TikTok
[20:36] Speaker 2: or LinkedIn as you and I love LinkedIn. I know
[20:39] Speaker 2: you love LinkedIn. I do as well. But yeah, it
[20:44] Speaker 2: feels like it's become part of it. But I think
[20:46] Speaker 2: one of the bigs you talk about marketing TV social
[20:50] Speaker 2: One of the earlier questions, how do we tell people
[20:54] Speaker 2: how to market themselves on social? What do I do?
[20:56] Speaker 2: And it's like TV is built for the Why screen?
[21:01] Speaker 2: It's graphics. It's important when you're marketing on social to
[21:05] Speaker 2: understand it's vertical. The graphics should be optimized for the screen. Right,
[21:11] Speaker 2: we talk about those Cowboys videos, like you know those
[21:14] Speaker 2: are built for social media? Right when you're talking on TV.
[21:18] Speaker 2: Oftentimes the TV can translate to social very well. But
[21:22] Speaker 2: there's also an element of like, yeah, those graphics are wide,
[21:26] Speaker 2: they're for TV's let's promote for social media. But yeah,
[21:31] Speaker 2: all the deliverables now, it's like social media is part
[21:34] Speaker 2: of it.
[21:36] Speaker 1: Really, it's important that people understand what you're saying is
[21:39] Speaker 1: that this is a brand that is taking over in
[21:43] Speaker 1: a way and people don't understand how to control it.
[21:46] Speaker 1: But here's the beauty of social media when it comes
[21:49] Speaker 1: from brand support or somebody wanting to buy into you.
[21:54] Speaker 3: They can see what you're doing, Like you said.
[21:57] Speaker 1: Like on television or streaming, they might not know when
[21:59] Speaker 1: it commercial airs and they said around, but when you post,
[22:03] Speaker 1: they know you posted and they.
[22:06] Speaker 3: Can see the engagement, they can see the likes.
[22:09] Speaker 1: Talk about how you have to navigate that brenda because
[22:12] Speaker 1: your work is immediately on display.
[22:15] Speaker 3: It can't be challenged, okay.
[22:17] Speaker 2: For better or worse for better worse. Yeah, it's funny,
[22:20] Speaker 2: and I will say it's one of the biggest challenges
[22:23] Speaker 2: of this job is you could do ninety nine things amazing, right,
[22:29] Speaker 2: I could do ninety nine incredible post incredible things. The
[22:34] Speaker 2: one time you do let's say you do a tweet, right,
[22:37] Speaker 2: because the media is just all over Twitter, sorry x
[22:40] Speaker 2: X all over X. But the one time you screw
[22:44] Speaker 2: something up, you post something that is precarious, you misspelled,
[22:50] Speaker 2: everyone sees it. Right, it doesn't matter all the ninety
[22:53] Speaker 2: nine amazing things you did. So that's one of the
[22:55] Speaker 2: hard parts and everyone sees it. But I will say
[22:58] Speaker 2: to Metrics and Dat, I love the fact that everything's
[23:02] Speaker 2: open because number one, I'm very confident in the work
[23:06] Speaker 2: that I and my team does. Number Two, we use
[23:09] Speaker 2: it as storytelling. Like we will talk in metrics. You know,
[23:13] Speaker 2: I remember sending you recap reports back in the day,
[23:16] Speaker 2: and we will use that because we I'm obsessed with
[23:21] Speaker 2: data right as you I'm sure are with your show
[23:24] Speaker 2: and your clients. Like data tells the story and we
[23:28] Speaker 2: like to, oh, look at the views, look at the
[23:31] Speaker 2: increases that you've seen. So we like the fact that
[23:34] Speaker 2: we can point to those, right, because that's a way
[23:36] Speaker 2: to measure success for us. And I feel fortunate, and
[23:40] Speaker 2: I don't I know that it's a lot harder sometimes
[23:45] Speaker 2: if there's a billboard that I'm driving down Miami Highway
[23:48] Speaker 2: and I see a billboard, I mean, it's not my industry,
[23:51] Speaker 2: but like I don't really know how to measure the
[23:53] Speaker 2: impact as much of the billboard. But when you look
[23:56] Speaker 2: at an Instagram post, you can see like, oh wow,
[23:58] Speaker 2: it's got one hundred thousand, he's got a million views,
[24:01] Speaker 2: We got all these comments. And I will say that
[24:05] Speaker 2: it's it's a blessing. It's it's the other thing that
[24:08] Speaker 2: I just thought of when you said the commercial came out,
[24:12] Speaker 2: they don't have to find it. I remember talking to
[24:13] Speaker 2: an ESPN talent and when I was working there, they're like,
[24:19] Speaker 2: he's like, yeah, I'm really tight with the Big Boss.
[24:21] Speaker 2: You know the number two at ESPN, Right, I know
[24:24] Speaker 2: the number two at ESPN. Doesn't he can't watch my
[24:27] Speaker 2: show every day? Right, He's watching five million shows. But
[24:29] Speaker 2: he's like, he commented about something on the show recently.
[24:32] Speaker 2: It's like, it's definitely because I posted on Instagram. It's
[24:34] Speaker 2: because he follows me on Instagram and he saw that show.
[24:38] Speaker 2: The only way he's watching my show is because he
[24:41] Speaker 2: follows me on.
[24:42] Speaker 1: Instagram, right, And that's really important. Now, AI, we've brought
[24:47] Speaker 1: up that those magical others.
[24:49] Speaker 3: Is AI an asset? For you?
[24:51] Speaker 2: AI is absolutely an asset, And I think anyone who's
[24:55] Speaker 2: sitting here in this position would be remiss to not
[25:00] Speaker 2: breast that it's an asset? Is it a threat? Look,
[25:04] Speaker 2: you're always gonna need the human component. I think that,
[25:07] Speaker 2: especially working in sports entertainment, as you know, you know,
[25:12] Speaker 2: people want a guy or girl. It's like they just
[25:14] Speaker 2: want to be able to be like people who are
[25:16] Speaker 2: very impatient or of limited time. They just want to
[25:18] Speaker 2: be able to call reshun and be like rashon what's
[25:20] Speaker 2: going on? You know, I haven't seen all that, so
[25:23] Speaker 2: I think that will always be the case. But AI
[25:25] Speaker 2: helps us. AI will help us build decks, AI will
[25:28] Speaker 2: help us do research, a I will help us with analytics.
[25:32] Speaker 2: And there's a component where there's this one tool where
[25:38] Speaker 2: we can put in a podcast and it'll give us
[25:40] Speaker 2: the virality score. It'll look at everything an hour long
[25:44] Speaker 2: podcast and be like, we think these five videos are
[25:50] Speaker 2: highest on the virality score list. That doesn't mean we're
[25:53] Speaker 2: blindly just accepting that, but it's a data point, right,
[25:57] Speaker 2: and we can look at that be like, oh okay,
[25:59] Speaker 2: let's try it, or we can use it for captions
[26:02] Speaker 2: on videos and so AI. Look as time goes on,
[26:06] Speaker 2: will it continue to eat into jobs? Yes? Will I
[26:11] Speaker 2: be out of a job probably tomorrow. No, But well
[26:16] Speaker 2: there's absolutely like we are continuing. I continue to be
[26:19] Speaker 2: self conscious personally that I am not using enough. But
[26:23] Speaker 2: it's an asset. There's incredible ways to build it, to
[26:27] Speaker 2: use it to build what we're doing, and I encourage
[26:30] Speaker 2: everyone to use it.
[26:32] Speaker 3: Wow.
[26:33] Speaker 1: He's the founder of be Known Agency, a boutique branding
[26:36] Speaker 1: and digital marketing firm specializing in sports and entertainment based
[26:40] Speaker 1: in Miami. Thank you for coming on the show, sharing
[26:43] Speaker 1: us your journey, your knowledge, your expertise, and more.
[26:46] Speaker 3: Important than your humbleness. Your humbleness is key. Brother.
[26:49] Speaker 2: Absolutely, thank you so much for having me now.
[26:52] Speaker 1: If you want to be a guest on my show,
[26:54] Speaker 1: Money Making Conversation Masterclass, please visit our website Moneymakingconversation dot
[26:59] Speaker 1: com and to be a guest button. If you're a
[27:01] Speaker 1: small business owner, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, influencer, a nonprofit, I
[27:06] Speaker 1: want you on my show.

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