Podcasts about liquid death mountain water

Meliss sings her anger in a Shirley Temple voice, uniting each other at comedy shows, the dislike for Little Foot, and how she wishes she had a wizard beard to hide her wrinkles. For a limited time you can go to your local grocery store, buy any case of Liquid Death Mountain Water, Flavored Sparkling Water, or Iced Tea and get $5 OFF instantly through Venmo when you text them your receipt. It's super easy. Go to liquiddeath.com/SILLY and you can get all the details.

Meliss laughs about her song "Pockets," talks about her special birthday, and reads her newsletter from her Puerto Rico trip. For a limited time you can go to your local grocery store, buy any case of Liquid Death Mountain Water, Flavored Sparkling Water, or Iced Tea and get $5 OFF instantly through Venmo when you text them your receipt. It's super easy. Go to liquiddeath.com/SILLY and you can get all the details.

Bill talks with Keith Urban about Nashville in the 90's, writing, and record deals. (00:00) - Thursday Afternoon Podcast (01:03:44) - Thursday Afternoon Throwback 10-17-16 - Bill rambles about Scientology, recording a special, and Washington DC. (02:03:06) - Anything Better NFL Week 7 Preview & Picks  Henson Shaving: Visit www.HensonShaving.com/BURR to pick the razor for you and use code BURR and you'll get two years' worth of blades free with your razor–just make sure to add them to your cart. Hims: Start your free online visit today at www.Hims.com/BURR  Liquid Death: Get $5 off any case of Liquid Death for a limited time you can go to your local grocery store, buy any case of Liquid Death Mountain Water, Flavored Sparkling Water, or Iced Tea and get $5 OFF instantly through Venmo when you text them your receipt. Go to www.LiquidDeath.com/BURR for details. Open Phone:  OpenPhone is offering 20% off of your first 6 months when you go to www.OpenPhone.com/BURR BetMGM: If you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code BURR and you will get up to a $1500 FirstBet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM! Here's how it works:  1. Download the BetMGM app and sign-up using bonus code BURR. 2. Deposit at least $10 and place your first wager on any game.3. You will receive up to $1500 in bonus bets if your bet loses! Just make sure you use bonus code BURR when you sign up! First Touchdown Offer Simply place a prop bet on the player to score the first touchdown in any NFL game.  If your player doesn't score first but instead scores second, you'll get your stake back in cash. Disclaimer: See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. US promotional offers not available in New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). First Bet Offer for new customers only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.

The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers talk about the new digital short, Sushi Glory Hole, that debuted on Oct. 5th on SNL! As the first Lonely Island song on “SNL” since 2018, they discussed how they came up with the idea for Sushi Glory Hole, what it was like returning to SNL, and so much more! Sushi Glory Hole - https://youtu.be/XbGchfT3yMs?si=HRuLMcuS6T1nILrSFinest Girl (Bin Laden Song) - https://youtu.be/Jr9Kaa1sycs?si=_BV36sBvySeyfBweAndy as Doug EmhoffVP Debate 2024 Cold Open 10/12/24- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E_WeuKkJ2sHarris and Trump Rallies Cold Open -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg4Z1M_GjhQ RIGHT NOW you can get $5 OFF any case of Liquid Death because you're watching The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast. Go to your local grocery store, buy any case of Liquid Death Mountain Water, Flavored Sparkling Water, or Iced Tea and get $5 OFF instantly through Venmo when you text them your receipt. It's super easy. Go to liquiddeath.com/ISLAND and you can get all the details Produced by Rabbit Grin ProductionsExecutive Producers Jeph Porter and Rob HolyszLead Producer Kevin MillerCreative Producer Samantha SkeltonCoordinating Producer Derek JohnsonCover Art by Olney AtwellMusic by Greg Chun and Brent AsburyEdit by Cheyenne JonesMix and Master by Jason Richards

Standing out in a crowded beverage market takes creativity, endless energy, and, at least in one case, a passion for murder. I'm talking of course about the brand Liquid Death, which has grown from an Amazon listing in 2019 to a massive online presence as well as showing up behind 110,000 brick and mortar doors. The bond they have created between the Liquid Death brand and their “humans”, as they call their consumers, is truly remarkable. Natalie Cotter, Sr. Director of Digital Retail at Liquid Death, joined the podcast to share some thirst-quenching details on how they continue to kill it in the beverage aisle.

Tonight, we drink about HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY (1993) w/ Liquid Death Mountain Water! Subscribe & Follow Us For More! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/beardsandbrewscast/ Threads - https://www.threads.net/@beardsandbrewscast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BeardsAndBrewsCast/ All Audio Outlets - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beardsandbrews Music provided by FREESOUND MUSIC by Giorgio Di Campo. 1 Hour Bossa Nova Mix - https://youtu.be/BdGqWPkBehg

This week we're bringing you an episode from the archives, our most popular episode of all time that played this January of 2023 and was with Liquid Death. I got so many comments about this episode; I had so much fun during this episode, so I wanted to bring it back and give those of you who hadn't had a chance to listen to this one to give it a listen now and I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think and we'll see you next week.I figured it was worth putting my soul on the line to bring you some behind the scenes content from one of the hottest brands in CPG. Just a few months ago in October 2022, Liquid Death Mountain Water closed a $70 million Series D round that valued the company at $700 million, their products are in over 60,000 retailers nationwide, they have over 160 employees, and they were only founded in 2018, so things are just getting started. Hamid Saify, Liquid Death's SVP of Digital Retail, one of the company's first hires and a long-time Slack community member, joins us today to dig into how he and the team at Liquid Death creates such incredible marketing and branding.Listen in as Hamid shares about: Liquid Death's early days testing paid social ads, video content, copywriting, community-building, and choosing to focus on niches like action sports and heavy metal Why their marketing is entertainment-led rather than product/feature-led - including some of Hamid's favorite campaigns like one that included drawing Tony Hawk's blood!? How starting with a focus on ecommerce helped their eventual retail expansion How they've used Amazon DSP and why they've 10xed their investment in Amazon in the last year and a half The importance of bridging the physical and digital worlds and their work on Instacart, a new rewards program, and frequent merch drops The details behind joining their Country Club and how some people want their souls back How Hamid and team noticed something magical happening in their reviews and used it as a community-building moment And so much more! This episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgThis episode was sponsored by Settle. Go to https://www.settle.com/gostartupcpgEpisode Links: Liquid Death's website & IG & TikTok @liquiddeath Hamid's LinkedIn The Liquid Death Country Club The Time-Waster 5000 Fastest-Growing Emerging Brands on Instacart 2022 Companies mentioned: Pear Commerce, Tinuiti, Okendo Graphite Financial Links Graphite Financial website Download a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more here Listen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here. Settle Links: Settle website Take the Settle Bill Pay for a spin here Show Links: Join the Startup CPG Slack community (14K+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg Visit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or website Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.com Episode music by Super Fantastics

Steve Nilsen, more commonly known as Stix, is a legendary brand marketer, having worked with brands such as PBR, Red Bull, and now he serves as the VP of Cult Indoctrination at Liquid Death Mountain Water. If you're not familiar with Liquid Death, they've taken water to a whole new level with an insanely creative approach to their brand. In May of 2023, Stix joined the SAM team at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore., at Cutter's Camp, to share his insight into building powerful brand culture in the park and on the mountain. WARNING: this podcast contains a few swears.

Andy is the VP of Creative at Liquid Death Mountain Water, one of the fastest growing non-alc beverage brands of all time. The brand is hellbent on making health and sustainability 50 times more fun by taking the healthiest thing you can drink (water) and packaging it into infinitely recyclable tallboy cans that can compete with the marketing of energy drinks, beer, and junk food. A portion of proceeds goes towards killing plastic pollution through the brand's #DeathToPlastic mission. Andy helps oversee all creative outputs of the brand, from viral advertising campaigns to social content to merch to experiential events and more. Prior to his current attempt at global domination, Andy spent 15 years as an award-winning creative with some of the top advertising agencies in the US.' Host: Jamie Neale @jamienealejn Discussing rituals and habitual patterns in personal and work life. We ask questions about how to become more aware of one self and the world around us, how do we become 360 with ourselves? Host Instagram: @jamienealejn Podcast Instagram: @360_yourself Music from Electric Fruit Produced by Tom Dalby Composed by Toby Wright Should you wish to be on the podcast or have any questions/thoughts please reach out to: community@360yourself.co.uk

We are back with our FOP (friends of the podcast) Tim Grimes and Jason Wallace. If you thought we were funny when we got boozie, imagine what it will be like as we banter sober all night! Settle in for a (non) boozie night..... Drink 1: Essential - Water(4:30) Drink 2: Fiji - Water (4:45) Drink 3: Evian - Water (12:40) Drink 4: Liquid Death - Mountain Water (14:20) Drink 5: Liquid Death - Sparkling Water (15:30) Drink 6: Copenhagen - Sparkling Tea (19:50) Drink 7: Lagunitas - Hoppy Refresher - Original (26:15) Drink 8: Lagunitas - Hoppy Refresher - Berry Lemon (26:15) Drink 9: Lagunitas - Hoppy Refresher - Blood Orange (26:15) Drink 10: Guiness NA Draught (34:30) Drink 11: Summit - Nialas IPA (44:50)

Are you thirsty for some killer marketing strategies? Then grab a glass of Liquid Death Mountain Water and tune in to the latest episode of the Just Branding Podcast! Hosts Matt & Jacob sit down with Steve Nilson, AKA Stix, the 'Vice of President of Cult Indoctrination' at Liquid Death, to dive into the innovative thinking behind one of the most successful up-and-coming consumer brands. Stix and his team have made waves in the industry by breaking all the rules and creating a refreshing new approach to selling water. We'll explore the brand's clear purpose and positioning, which not only hydrates but also has shaken up the entire water category. Stix's philosophy of authentic brand building is the perfect recipe for success, relying on radical creativity and genuine endorsements to quench the thirst of consumers worldwide. But we'll also take a gulp of Stix's risk assessment approach to ensure that creativity never goes overboard, while still considering the brand's potential for global expansion. If you're looking to make a splash in your industry and disrupt the market, this episode is a must-listen. Don't let it slip through your fingers like water through a sieve - tune in now to discover the phenomenal brand power of Liquid Death!

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - ⁠https://dtcnews.link/signup This is a big one…a big moment for DTC Podcast. Today we're tempting fate with Hamid Saify - SVP of Digital Retail at Liquid Death Mountain Water, one of the FASTEST growing CPG brands in history!  https://liquiddeath.com Hamid is one of the first-ever team members, along for the whole ride, starting in 2017 to today, where Liquid death is in 70,000 doors and last year earned a valuation of $700M! Selling….water? It's crazy, but that's what Liquid death understands better than anyone. They may sell water (still, carbonated, and now tea), but their real asset is customers' attention…This podcast goes deep with Hamid on Liquid Death's mindset about doing things differently and using every customer touchpoint as a moment to make them laugh in the face of death. From calling their review section “opinions from internet randos,” to charging your soul to join the mailing list to their significant revenue merch program where they've sold customized vending machines and wrapped Lamborghinis.  Hamid gets to the bottom of what it's like to work at an organization that's achieved unbelievable velocity and massive cultural saturation…slinging water in cans. The dream is alive. Let's dive into death…on with the show! Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

We've formatted our epic Playbook 2022 sessions for the podcast so you can take them on the go wherever you are. This episode features Mignon Francois of The Cupcake Collection and Natalie Dao of Liquid Death Mountain Water, hosted by Jonathan Ronzio. There's a balance between keeping your employees happy at work and making sure that things are getting done the right way. Both of these are key to retaining employees and actually being able to do things at scale. In this panel, meet the people behind two fast-growing companies, and learn how they trained their teams and built long-lasting company culture along the way. Want more? For a full breakdown on this session check out The Manual! Find episode show notes, podcast blog recaps, and the best SMB news & tips on The Manual! Watch video highlights on Youtube here. Follow Chris Ronzio for more business insight. Learn more about Trainual, the world's top Business Playbook™ software. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/processmakesperfect/message

In this episode, GALE Chief Brand and Experience Officer, Winston Binch, and Liquid Death Mountain Water VP of Creative, Andy Pearson, sit down for a behind-the-scenes look at Liquid Death's unconventional, entertainment-centric approach to marketing that is fueling record business growth and simultaneously tackling one of the most pressing sustainability issues: plastic waste.

Bonus Episodes & Ad Free Episodes: https://bit.ly/tmgstudiosTV_tmg275_audio In an unprecedented turn of events, Chet Hanks joins Cody and Noel. What ensues includes an innovative joke off, a new acting skit written by Chat GPT, discussions around Chet's favorite movies and celebrity boxing. If you listen on Apple Podcasts, go to: https://apple.co/tmgstudios To sign up for the newsletter go to http://bit.ly/3QmNyct Buy Our Merch: http://tmgpod.com For a limited time, our listeners can get 50% off up to a $20 value, and $0 delivery fees when you download the DoorDash app and enter code TMG23. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code TMG. New customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS on the NFL Divisional Round and get TWO HUNDRED IN FREE BETS INSTANTLY. Gambling Problem? Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY) If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/PA/TN/ WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit https://ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (selectparishes) /MD/MI/NJ/NY/PA/TN/VA /WV/WY only. Void in OH/ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. $200 in Free Bets: Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 bet. Promo code req. $200 issued as free bets that expire 7 days (168 hours) after being awarded. Free bets must be wagered 1x and stake is not included in any returns or winnings. Stepped up Same Game Parlay: 1 Stepped Up Same Game Parlay Token issued per eligible NFL playoff game after opt-in. Min $1 bet. Max bet limits apply. Min. 3-leg. Each leg min. -300 odds, total bet +100 odds or longer. Profit boosted up to 100% (10+ legs for 100% boost). Promotional offer period ends 2/12/23 at 11:59:59 PM ET. See terms at https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/footballterms This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit https://betterhelp.com/tmg today to get 10% off your first month. You can find Liquid Death Mountain Water on Amazon or at a retailer near you. And The Tiny Meat Gang Podcast listeners get 20% off their first Liquid Death appare purchase available exclusively at https://LiquidDeath.com/TMG. Merch: http://tmgpod.com Highlights Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdftuX9H8kW14Njxtpnuy3Q  TMG Socials: https://twitter.com/tinymeatgang/likes https://www.instagram.com/tmgforreal/ https://www.tiktok.com/@tinymeatgang?lang=en CHET https://www.youtube.com/@chethanx359https://twitter.com/chethazehttps://www.instagram.com/chethanx/ CODY http://youtube.com/codyko http://twitter.com/codyko http://instagram.com/codykohttps://www.tiktok.com/@codyko?lang=en NOEL http://youtube.com/thenoelmiller http://twitter.com/thenoelmiller http://instagram.com/thenoelmillerhttps://www.tiktok.com/@notnoelmiller?lang=en Chapters 0:00 Beaming Chet 1:56 Benching 315 at 4 am 3:20 Accountability 5:05 Getting Sober 9:05 Is Chet Tickilish? 11:48 DoorDash 13:24 Chet's Acting 14:28 Chet GPT 17:46 Sixth Sense Spoilers 18:18 Ai Profile pictures 19:33 S/o Soulja 19:55 Chet's Music Plans 20:45 Ziwe 21:53 Joke Off 23:08 Chet's Podcast 23:53 DraftKings 25:05 Podcasting Advice 27:00 Celebrity Boxing 30:32 Floyd 31:35 Nate Diaz 33:44 MMA 34:24 Grandparents  36:52 BetterHelp 38:09 Yellowstone 41:28 Getting Branded 43:34 The Bodyguard Remake 46:00 Avatar 46:55 James Cameron's Qualifications 48:26 Liquid Death 50:28 Chet's Fave Movies 51:50 ‘Old' Movies 53:12 Crazy Stunts 54:33 Wheelies 56:25 Mexican Prison 57:52 Street Bikes vs Harleys 1:00:48 Trump

I figured it was worth putting my soul on the line to bring you some behind the scenes content from one of the hottest brands in CPG. Just a few months ago in October 2022, Liquid Death Mountain Water closed a $70 million Series D round that valued the company at $700 million, their products are in over 60,000 retailers nationwide, they have over 160 employees, and they were only founded in 2018, so things are just getting started. Hamid Saify, Liquid Death's SVP of Digital Retail, one of the company's first hires and a long-time Slack community member, joins us today to dig into how he and the team at Liquid Death creates such incredible marketing and branding. Listen in as Hamid shares about: - Liquid Death's early days testing paid social ads, video content, copywriting, community-building, and choosing to focus on niches like action sports and heavy metal - Why their marketing is entertainment-led rather than product/feature-led - including some of Hamid's favorite campaigns like one that included drawing Tony Hawk's blood!? - How starting with a focus on ecommerce helped their eventual retail expansion - How they've used Amazon DSP and why they've 10xed their investment in Amazon in the last year and a half - The importance of bridging the physical and digital worlds and their work on Instacart, a new rewards program, and frequent merch drops - The details behind joining their Country Club and how some people want their souls back - How Hamid and team noticed something magical happening in their reviews and used it as a community-building moment - And so much more!

Mike Cessario is the Co-Founder & CEO of Liquid Death Mountain Water. Mike always knew he wanted to start his own company. He saw a gap in the healthy beverage market for a water company built around brand humor. In January of 2019 Mike launched Liquid Death Mountain Water an aluminium canned water from the Austrian Alps. With damn right hilarious savvy marketing campaigns and a death to plastic approach they have gone full throttle in the CPG space and produced the raddest merch. Most recently LD have partnered with Martha Stewart on a Dismembered Moments Candle and Bert Kreischer's Body By Bert. They raised $70 million in a series D round valuing the company at $700 million. Tune in to find out how Cessario started Liquid Death, getting investment, disrupting the healthy beverage market, building the team in hyper-growth mode and what his plans are for thirst murdering global domination! You can follow what Liquid Death is up to on Instagram at liquiddeath and be sure to check out their website liquiddeath.comLike what you hear?  Please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference.The Rad Season Action Sports Podcast come out across all podcast players with a new episode every Monday.For show notes and past guests, please visit: radseason Past guests on The Rad Season Show include Steve Stix Nilsen, Stacy Peralta, Bob Haro, Bob McKnight,  Gerry Lopez, Scott Delorme, Wim Hof. Contact Rad Season On our website radseason.com On Instagram at radseason and olirussellcowan On LinkedIn at olirussellcowan Email us at info@radseason.com Thanks for listening & keep it rad!

Can advertising's immense power to change behavior be used for good? In this brand new podcast, produced by Intelligence Squared, Myra Nussbaum, President and Chief Creative Officer at Havas Chicago and Dan Lucey, Chief Creative Officer at Havas New York, talk to the people who are harnessing the power of advertising to help people and the planet. This week, Dan and Myra were joined by the VP of Creative at Liquid Death Mountain Water. For Gen Z water connoisseurs, Liquid Death has become a cult favorite. The punky, irreverent drink, designed like a beer can and adorned with a melting skull has drawn a huge following on social media. Its TikTok account is the most followed beverage brand in the US on the platform, at 2.9 million followers, and with content earning more than 21 billion media impressions in the past year. Across its social media content, Liquid Death has collaborated with icons like Martha Stewart, Tony Hawk, who appears in several videos as a Liquid Death fanboy; Steve-O, who got ‘Liquid Death' tattooed on his neck, and Wiz Khalifa. Andy even tells us about one viral commercial, in which the CEO of Liquid Death, Mike Cessario, got a fan's face tattooed on his body.  Previously, Andy was VP Associate Creative Director at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, VP Creative Director and Deutsch LA, Creative Director in Residence at Humanaut Creative and Group Creative Director at McKinney LA. At Liquid Death, Andy helps oversee all creative outputs of Liquid Death, from viral advertising campaigns to social content to merch to experiential events and more.

Can advertising's immense power to change behaviour be used for good? In this brand new podcast, produced by Intelligence Squared, Myra Nussbaum, President and Chief Creative Officer at Havas Chicago and Dan Lucey, Chief Creative Officer at Havas New York, talk to the people who are harnessing the power of advertising to help people and the planet. This week, Dan and Myra were joined by the VP of Creative at Liquid Death Mountain Water. For Gen Z water connoisseurs, Liquid Death has become a cult favourite. The punky, irreverent drink, designed like a beer can and adorned with a melting skull has drawn a huge following on social media. Its TikTok account is the most followed beverage brand in the US on the platform, at 2.9 million followers, and with content earning more than 21 billion media impressions in the past year. Across its social media content, Liquid Death has collaborated with icons like Martha Stewart, Tony Hawk, who appears in several videos as a Liquid Death fanboy; Steve-O, who got ‘Liquid Death' tattooed on his neck, and Wiz Khalifa. Andy even tells us about one viral commercial, in which the CEO of Liquid Death, Mike Cessario, got a fan's face tattooed on his body.  Previously, Andy was VP Associate Creative Director at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, VP Creative Director and Deutsch LA, Creative Director in Residence at Humanaut Creative and Group Creative Director at McKinney LA. At Liquid Death, Andy helps oversee all creative outputs of Liquid Death, from viral advertising campaigns to social content to merch to experiential events and more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you stay oriented, reach company goals, cast a clear vision, and build a thorough case that makes stakeholders comfortable following along? During the Marketers That Matter Forum, hosted by Snap, Inc. at the LA Headquarters, six top marketing leaders from various categories talked about the “Now, Next, New” framework. They broke down what it is, how this tool can be applied to brands of all categories, and how to organize new technology, countless channel options, and innovative thinking into a strategy that works.  Today's special Visionaries episode features Kenny Mitchell, CMO of Snap Inc,  Angelic Vendette Global Head of Marketing of Alo Yoga, Kristin Patrick EVP and CMO of Claire's, Sadira Furlow CMO of Happy Money, Mike Cessario Co-Founder & CEO of Liquid Death Mountain Water, and Fabiola Torres CMO of Pepsi Energy!This special episode was recorded from a recent in person event, however, every other episode is recorded from MTM's Live Visionaries Webinar hosted by Nadine Dietz, EVP of 24 Seven and GM of Marketers That Matter. "Visionaries" originally airs live from zoom and is brought to you in partnership with The Wall Street Journal.   Our parent company, 24 Seven, specializes in helping you find exceptional marketing and creative talent for your teams. To learn more, click here.

How can companies capture customer attention and spark interest in their brand? Hamid Saify, SVP of Digital Retail at Liquid Death Mountain Water, discusses the brand's “tongue-in-cheek” approach and its “connection-first” marketing strategy. Tune in to learn about the company's success stories and how to drive loyalty through merchandise.Tune in to learn:Which metrics matter and why you should not be hyper-reactive (7:20)How to use merchandise to actually build brand loyalty  (12:55)Coming up with design ideas for merchandise (19:04)Mentions:Austin City Limits Music FestivalMike Cessario (CEO and Co-Founder of Liquid Death)Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Learn more at http://www.salesforce.com/commerce Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at http://www.mission.org.

Today we are featuring Playbook 2022 highlights from the sessions with Mignon Francois, Founder & CEO of The Cupcake Collection, Natalie Dao, Director of People at Liquid Death Mountain Water, and last but not least, Jason Fried, Author of Rework and co-founder of Basecamp & 37 Signals. These sounds bites cover everything from the power of building a culture of kindness and why the owner's word weighs a ton. If you want to watch these full sessions, head over to Trainual's Youtube channel and look for the Playbook 2022 playlist. Watch the full Playbook 2022 sessions mentioned in this episode HERE! Find episode show notes, podcast blog recaps, and the best SMB news & tips on The Manual! Watch video highlights on Youtube here. Follow Chris Ronzio for more business insight. Learn more about Trainual, the world's top Business Playbook™ software. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/processmakesperfect/message

Sooo mercury retrograde…. We're discussing all of the effects of this retrograde! We're also reviewing Liquid Death Mountain Water! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, Mike Poznansky chats with Steve “Stix” Nilsen, Vice President of Marketing at Liquid Death Mountain Water. Stix has had an illustrious career working with brands such as Airwalk, Red Bull, Pabst, and now Liquid Death Mountain Water. He shares more about his experience in cultivating strong relationships and creating relevant marketing campaigns. Stix also highlights the importance of learning from mistakes and moving on, and the differences he has observed between organizations like Red Bull that have large marketing budgets vs. more scrappy organizations like Pabst. Tune in to find out more about earning brand equity by actually impacting people's lives rather than trying to hack your way through performance, marketing, or growth by simply checking boxes.   This episode is hosted by Mike Poznansky, Founder & Managing Partner at Neato, a college and Gen Z-focused marketing agency that helps brands understand and connect with young people.

• Send It Slam recap (archery competition, food trucks, beer, vendors, concerts, and other festivities. • Shout out to the sponsors (Bear Archery, Black Rifle Coffee Company, Wyld Gear, Liquid Death Mountain Water, Lancaster Archery, and more).  • Early thoughts and excitement for next year's event. • GoWild trade show schedule.  • The guys (minus Jacob) are gearing up to head out on a weekend striper fishing trip. *** [UNCENSORED] by GoWild kicks off your week with shameful nonsense, inappropriate convictions, and unfiltered tales from the woods, waters and whatevers. [UNCENSORED] is a behind the scenes look at our adventures, failures, wins, embarrassing moments at trade shows, hilarious tales from the warehouse, and a good rant or three about the most recent tyranny from the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. The show launches every Monday morning. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or watch the conversation on our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC35NE3KkYcpullhcpYqZuLw JOIN GOWILD AND GET $10: http://downloadgowild.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever show up to a party with a 6-pack of water? If you have, you most likely haven't been invited back. Unless that sixer was comprised of stone-cold tallboys from Liquid Death Mountain Water. In just three short years, LDMW is “murdering thirst” by disrupting a boring-than-still-water commodity category. At the center of it all is Greg Fass; recently named by Forbes as one of 50 most Entrepreneurial CMO's of 2022. On this episode of The Courageous Podcast, we are joined by Greg who has made a name for himself as a builder of consumer brands. He was the 2nd full-time employee at MeUndies, where he was at the forefront of non-traditional social-first brand marketing. Today, as Liquid Death Mountain Water's VP of Marketing, he takes great pride in subverting all water category conventions. Greg grew up in the snow, skate, and surf world and unapologetically shares that he hates corporate marketing, in his words, “as much as everyone else”.

In this episode, we learn from the Liquid Death's VP of Creative and discuss how the brand positions itself creatively. Andy Pearson's break-in story is one of the most interesting yet. He might even convince you to start selling cookies for $500. Connect with him by visiting www.breaking-entering.com or our IG @breakingandenteringpod --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/breakenter/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/breakenter/support

Have you had a taste of the new beer hitting stores near you? No? Neither did we, but we did have the next best thing: Liquid Death Mountain Water. This episode is the second in our month of Ramadan/Muslim themed episodes. This time round we did a basic overview of what Ramadan is, why it is important, and the basics of what you should know about it. Join us as we recall our Ramadan experiences, and show you what the heights of sleep deprivation and starvation can do to someone.

Chris Buskirk is a personal trainer and you bet your protien we talk about it and them some! Blackstrap molasses? Got it. Insulin spike? Yeah, we cover it. Paranormal stuff? That too ha ha. Great episode, gratful to have Chris on the podcast and it will not be the last time!  - Follow Chris's personal training Instagram: @strength.tm  - Follow Danny on Instagram: @itsdannytodd  - Murder your thirst with Liquid Death Mountain Water! Get a FREE badass koozie with your order when you use code: DTODD (Must add koozie to cart to activate code]

Busted out the PodDecks WTF? Deck to have a little fun on this Saturday morning.  Follow me on Instagram: @itsdannytodd  PodDecks.com -or- Download the App (Monthly Subscription) Try the new Liquid Death Mountain Water flavors!  Get a free koozie when you add CODE: DTODD @ checkout. (Must add koozie to cart first) liquiddeath.com 

There are a lot of water brands on the market. In fact, the market for bottled water in the United States is estimated to be around $20 billion. And yet, the founders of Liquid Death Mountain Water found an innovative way to enter this market with an in-your-face brand — in a can with a skull on it — that blows away all preconceptions about how to market water. In just four short years, the startup has amassed more Instagram followers than any other brand on the market. The company has a simple but brilliant marketing strategy that has nothing to do with the traditional playbook. For a start, its tag line is “murder your thirst.” It's a very punk rock way to sell water. We sit down with Hamid Saify, the VP of E-Commerce for Liquid Death to crack open a tall boy of water and talk about how the brand achieved success.

Amy Friedlander Hoffman is the Chief Business Officer for Liquid Death Mountain Water. Liquid Death is a quickly-growing beverage brand that packages water in infinitely recyclable tallboy cans. Amy oversees sales, marketing, merchandising, development for commercial strategies, and business development for all brand partnerships. Before joining the Liquid Death team, Amy was the Head of Business for Uber. She oversaw more than 150 partnerships across entertainment, music, sports, venues, community, and brand. Her work earned a spot on Billboard's “Top Branding Power Players.” Prior to Uber, Amy ran Priority Digital Media, a strategic consulting practice focused on content, media, and distribution. In this episode… There's good marketing. There's great marketing. And then there's Liquid Death's marketing. Liquid Death took a healthy habit and made it 50 times more fun — by turning traditional marketing on its head. Instead of trying to send a weighty message about the benefits of drinking water, they use comedy to promote their product. They're not making fun of others — just of themselves. By using humor, they're connecting with more consumers, promoting good habits, and helping the environment. In this episode of the Gooder Podcast, host Diana Fryc is joined by Amy Friedlander Hoffman, Chief Business Officer for Liquid Death, to discuss their innovative marketing strategies. Amy talks about how the company is helping the environment, the company's structure for success, and why humor is the perfect marketing tool.

“People want to interact with people—not brands.” David Brickley has been helping brands interact with their people through his agency STN Digital and his two podcasts Business of Social and Entrepreneur Wrap. This week he joined me as a guest on my podcast to talk about how to build a social-first brand. About David Brickley After working with his first-ever client, Kobe Bryant, David Brickley used that as motivation to launch STN Digital in 2013, and has since grown an award-winning team of some of the best talent in the industry. STN Digital is an expert at launching brands and building highly-engaged audiences. STN is a social-first marketing agency and provides services ranging from 360 marketing, social media management, paid media, on-site activations and anything in between. STN Digital works with some of the biggest brands in the world including Amazon, the Olympics, NBC, FOX, & HBO to name a few. David is also the host of two podcasts, Business of Social and Entrepreneur Wrap, which was ranked by Forbes as a Top 10 podcast every business owner should listen to. Episode Highlights & Takeaways Using a Platform Mindset isn't just for big brands. We talked a lot about how mega-brands like Disney can use their various brands and sub-brands' social channels to amplify their message. However, David was quick to note that smaller brands can embrace this mindset by working through brand ambassadors. “You'd be amazed what people will do for a free hoodie.” Fun Fact: 95% of podcasts end after episode three. I guess David and I have a lot to be proud of! What brand has made David smile recently? “Liquid Death Mountain Water. They've been such a disrupter in the water space.” Even the name Liquid Death brings a smile to your face! “What they've really done is build a lifestyle brand.” To learn more, check out the STN Digital website and David's two podcasts—Business of Social and Entrepreneur Wrap. As We Wrap … Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you'd like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you're hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I'll see you on the Internet!

Have you heard of Liquid Death Mountain Water? Did you know that in only 4 years Liquid Death amassed more Instagram followers than Fiji, Voss, Smartwater, and every other water brand in the market? David is joined by Hamid Saify, VP of e-commerce, at Liquid Death Mountain Water, to go over all the brilliant marketing campaigns and strategies that have helped Liquid Death become one of the most recognized brands in the game. Hamid dropped a ton of knowledge on all things marketing, brand awareness, corporate messaging, and what they refer to as “blanding” and why it negatively affects so many brands.

Have you heard of Liquid Death Mountain Water? Did you know that in only 4 years Liquid Death amassed more Instagram followers than Fiji, Voss, Smartwater, and every other water brand in the market? David is joined by Hamid Saify, VP of e-commerce, at Liquid Death Mountain Water, to go over all the brilliant marketing campaigns and strategies that have helped Liquid Death become one of the most recognized brands in the game. Hamid dropped a ton of knowledge on all things marketing, brand awareness, corporate messaging, and what they refer to as “blanding” and why it negatively affects so many brands.

On this episode of One Step Beyond, we're joined by Vice President of Lifestyle Marketing at Liquid Death Mountain Water, Steve “Stix” Nilsen. In this episode, we talk about: • [...]Read More...

On this episode of One Step Beyond, we're joined by Vice President of Lifestyle Marketing at Liquid Death Mountain Water, Steve “Stix” Nilsen. In this episode, we talk about: • Hiding in the shadows of big companies• How valuable time is• The anti-bullshit mentality• The problem with plastic• Sensing someone's energy• And much more! Connect [...]Read More...

S2 EP46 - Ya Boys discuss moving away, new drug finding animals, the time BK killed a mule, Walmart Scooters, different kinds of fat, fist fight at the firehouse, weekly yard sales, and some Olympic BS! Huge shout out to Liquid Death - Mountain Water for murdering our thirst on this episode! We love their product and think you will too! Go to LiquidDeath.com and when you purchase a case of their water, use code: YABOYS at checkout to get 2 FREE KOOZIES! Get you a Shirt! www.yaboyspodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and TikTok! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yaboyspodcast/support

S2 EP45 - Ya Boys are back in the studio to discuss being retired, kilts, the Patriot movie, K wrote a movie, class action lawsuits, ethnic Siri, doing pranks, late onset lactose intolerance, and more! Huge shout out to Liquid Death - Mountain Water for murdering our thirst on this episode! We love their product and think you will too! Go to LiquidDeath.com and when you purchase a case of their water, use code: YABOYS at checkout to get 2 FREE KOOZIES! Get you a Shirt! www.yaboyspodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and TikTok! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yaboyspodcast/support

S2 EP44 - Ya Boys travel to the great up north, Nova Scotia, for a special remote podcast broadcast from the Ambassador's Lake House! Topics include college, where exactly is Nova Scotia, doing AA, batteries, new bulls, another business opportunity, and Amish fireworks! **Please excuse the poor audio quality during the middle of the episode, there were some technical difficulties that almost caused K to have a heart attack. *No crimes were committed. Huge shout out to Liquid Death - Mountain Water for murdering our thirst on this episode! We love their product and think you will too! Go to LiquidDeath.com and when you purchase a case of their water, use code: YABOYS at checkout to get 2 FREE KOOZIES! Check out our NEW MERCH! www.yaboyspodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and TikTok! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yaboyspodcast/support

S2 EP43 - Ya Boys discuss the Independence of America, strawberry moons, stuffing donuts, ashwaganda, planes that might have crashed, firework stands, stubby foresters, suspect banks, brain buckets, and throwing pies! Huge shout out to Liquid Death - Mountain Water for murdering our thirst on this episode! We love their product and think you will too! Go to LiquidDeath.com and when you purchase a case of their water, use code: YABOYS at checkout to get 2 FREE KOOZIES! Check out our NEW MERCH! www.yaboyspodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and TikTok! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yaboyspodcast/support

S2 EP41 - Ya Boys discuss the jockey lot, motorcycle riders who have a death wish, the G7 summit, loose bank bags, balloon animals, Build-A-Bear taxidermy idea, writing country songs! H uge shout out to Liquid Death - Mountain Water for murdering our thirst on this episode! We love their product and think you will too! Go to LiquidDeath.com and when you purchase a case of their water, use code: YABOYS at checkout to get 2 FREE KOOZIES! Check out our NEW MERCH! www.yaboyspodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and TikTok! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yaboyspodcast/support

Stix Nilsen has built an incredible career in lifestyle brand marketing. Starting in 2004, Stix was the Sport Marketing Manager for Red Bull North America, working with the biggest names in action sports. He then went on to work as the Lifestyle Marketing Manager for Pabst Blue Ribbon. The marketing campaigns done during that time helped revitalize the brand which has been around since the mid-1800s. During his tenure, the Pabst Brewing Company portfolio grew to almost $1 Billion in revenue. Stix has worked as a consultant for White Claw and is now the Vice President of Lifestyle Marketing for Liquid Death Mountain Water, a company that recently secured a Series C round of funding putting its total backing to date at $50 million. Liquid Death's cap table has names on it like Tony Hawk, Wiz Khalifa, Steve Aoki and more. Stix and the team at Liquid Death continue to do extremely creative marketing and the company is quickly changing how water is marketed, sold and consumed.Stix has a unique perspective on team building, grassroots marketing, branding and authenticity. He is a high energy and fast-moving marketing guru who cares about giving back to others. Stix has a BA in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Hamline University and is a mentor at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado.This is a fun episode with some incredible insights for anyone interested in brand marketing, action sports or innovative start-ups looking to disrupt commodity markets with punk rock sensibilities. Discussion Topics:(1:53) The return of summer music festivals.(6:37) Red Bull's entry into the North American market.(13:52) Red Bull marketing the heads of its athletes.(18:18) Red Bull's attention to detail and cutting-edge events.(27:37) Pabst Blue Ribbon 100x increase in sales through grassroots marketing.(35:27) The ROI of long-term marketing efforts at Pabst.(42:00) PBR's outlook in a post-Pandemic world.(50:00) Liquid Death's approach to comedy and viral ads.(58:56) Becoming a great brand while doing good.(1:04:03) Raising $50M with celebrity investors.(1:10:01) Building the coolest marketing team ever.(1:15:54) Stix advice for others looking to get into action sports and marketing.

S2 EP40 - Ya Boys discuss a lonely go-karter, missing people on Facebook, killing snakes, inconsiderate motorcyclists, restaurant fights, and building a French catapault! Also, apparently a bee got to K's hand and Josh's knee on the same episode! Huge shout out to Liquid Death - Mountain Water for murdering our thirst on this episode! We love their product and think you will too! Go to LiquidDeath.com and when you purchase a case of their water, use code: YABOYS at checkout to get 2 FREE KOOZIES! Check out our NEW MERCH! www.yaboyspodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and TikTok! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yaboyspodcast/support

S2 EP39 - Ya Boys discuss strange food combinations, Josh moving, orphans and blind people, the Goodwill racket, getting in trouble in school, doing algebra, and trapping homeless people! Todays sponsor is Military True Crime Addict Podcast! Visit them at this link and give them a listen today: https://militarytruecrimeaddict.com/ Huge shout out to Liquid Death - Mountain Water for murdering our thirst on this episode! Go to LiquidDeath.com and when you purchase a case of their water, use code: YABOYS at checkout to get 2 FREE KOOZIES! Check out our NEW MERCH! www.yaboyspodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and TikTok! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yaboyspodcast/support

S2 EP38 - Ya Boys discuss funny sights along the road, high school pranks, tricking people into incorrectly making a taco, inflatable pools, doing science & the list of Earl! Huge shout out to Liquid Death - Mountain Water for murdering our thirst on this episode! We love their product and think you will too! Go to LiquidDeath.com and when you purchase a case of their water, use code: YABOYS at checkout to get 2 FREE KOOZIES! Check out our NEW MERCH! www.yaboyspodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and TikTok! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yaboyspodcast/support

Welcome to the first annual Doomed & Stoned Awards, aka THE DOOMIES! In this awards show, hosted by Blasko, Billy Goate, and John Gist, we'll announce the nominees and award winners in 8 categories: Best Band Best New Band Best Album Best Debut Album Best Song Best Cover Song Best Album Art Best Record Label Who will win? Find out in this very special broadcast, brought to you by Revolver Magazine, Orange Amplifiers, Dunable Guitars, Does It Doom, The Hard Times, Pirates Press, Liquid Death Mountain Water, Saint Vitus Bar, and the Doom Charts! Thanks to Branca Studio for the poster art and Matt Montgomery for editing. AND HUGE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE VOTING THIS YEAR! We look forward to upping the ante in 2021! You can watch the video version of the show right now on the Revolver Magazine Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/revolvermag/videos/737492150263348.

The best thing about a late episode is that the next episode comes sooner! Episode #238 is light on comics but that's ok because it's heavy on everything else. Chad brings up George Lucas, Jean-Luc talks about his new Lego stream and Alex shills for Liquid Death Mountain Water! The comics they do talk about are a mixed bag because they include Future State: Aquaman #1 and Future State: Superman vs. Imperius Lex, but there's also Department of Truth #4,#5 which more than makes up for the mediocrity. Also we miss Emily and await her return in two episodes time.

The best thing about a late episode is that the next episode comes sooner! Episode #238 is light on comics but that's ok because it's heavy on everything else. Chad brings up George Lucas, Jean-Luc talks about his new Lego stream and Alex shills for Liquid Death Mountain Water! The comics they do talk about are a mixed bag because they include Future State: Aquaman #1 and Future State: Superman vs. Imperius Lex, but there's also Department of Truth #4,#5 which more than makes up for the mediocrity. Also we miss Emily and await her return in two episodes time.

The best thing about a late episode is that the next episode comes sooner! Episode #238 is light on comics but that's ok because it's heavy on everything else. Chad brings up George Lucas, Jean-Luc talks about his new Lego stream and Alex shills for Liquid Death Mountain Water! The comics they do talk about are a mixed bag because they include Future State: Aquaman #1 and Future State: Superman vs. Imperius Lex, but there's also Department of Truth #4,#5 which more than makes up for the mediocrity. Also we miss Emily and await her return in two episodes time.

What's the difference between graphic design and branding? Alex breaks it down in this case study of Liquid Death Mountain Water. -- Full show notes and links at https://www.modular.studio/podcast/this-is-what-branding-looks-like-liqud-death-mountain-water

Stix otherwise known as Steve Nilsen is the Vice President of Lifestyle Marketing at Liquid Death Mountain Water.Stix started his career off in the world of action sports at Airwalk as a Snowboard Boot Developer then Snow Division Manager. He then went on to be Sports Marketing Manager at Red Bull followed by creating the Lifestyle Marketing program for Pabst Brewing Company pushing the limits on creative branding. He is now VP Lifestyle Marketing Liquid Death canned water taking the drink to the action sports, music and lifestyle segments. Liquid Death Water is canned water from the Austrian Alps that debuted January of 2019. With savvy marketing campaigns they have gone full throttle in the CPG space and beyond.Tune in to find out how Stix started his career in action sports, his journey in marketing and what future projects he has in the mix.Enjoy and get rad!The Rad Season Action Sports and Adventure Show goes live every week on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Every Monday, the Show drops as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Like what you hear? Read more by following this link: radseason.com

An episode full up absolute randomness. The MVP of halloween, Hogwarts Tony Hawk Pro Skater Map, Kanye 4 President, Beer is good, Liquid Death Mountain Water (10% Off with code: DTODD10). Hit me up with some hot takes, lets get weird! @itsdannytodd. - PHOTO PRINT SHOP!

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of The Danny Toddcast. Don't sleep on that LIQUID DEATH MOUNTAIN WATER. Murder that thirst! Get 10% OFF your order with code: DTODD10 - It's the Sh*T! LIQUIDDEATH.COM - Also make sure to check out FitVine Wine! Less sugar, fewer sulfites and no flavor additives for a cleaner wine.

Joining us today is Steve “Stix” Nilsen, the vice president of lifestyle marketing at Liquid Death Mountain Water. He has some bold strategies that have proven effects on branding, brand loyalty, marketing, and generating profits for Fortune 500 companies. When asked how he does it, he said “I do cool shit, with cool people, that makes people buy things.” You won't want to miss this fun and lively interview with a down to Earth guy that has some serious moxie! What we're talking about Epiphany on a Beach Tenacity and Forging His Own Path Trying New Things, But Knowing Your Boundaries  Epiphany on a Beach Steve grew up just outside Minneapolis, MN, but visited family in Hawaii over the summers. It was his summer fun that sparked his love for surfing. Even though he went to a private prep school and played traditional sports, he was also passionate about skateboarding and music. It was his love of discovering who he was that led him to try jobs in many different industries, from being a golf cart boy to construction to working in a bank. All the way to working for Northwest Airlines to indulge his love of travel! It was during one of his adventurous trips around the world, Stix had an epiphany. He was sitting on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia when he had a revelation. His career needed to be in action sports! Tenacity and Forging His Own Path  To obtain a career in action sports, Stix went about it his own way, by grabbing every action sports magazine and studying the brands he liked the most. He cold called companies. He took their existing ads, and redid their marketing with his own comic flair. Sending them back to the companies for review. His boldest move and big break came when he talked to the director of marketing at Airwalk. Her home had just burned to the ground and she had to be on a plane to Europe a few hours later. She was too busy to take his call, so he mailed a smoke detector to her home! It worked and he was hired. Trying New Things, But Knowing Your Boundaries Steve had worked hard to get his foot in the door, and he started working in merchandising. It was when he realized that they were doing it all wrong, and his advice fell on deaf ears, that he decided to learn everything up and down the ladder so he could make the decisions to best position the product.  Will you take your passion and make a career out of it? LINKS MENTIONED Steve Nilsen's LinkedIn Stix's Instagram Liquid Death Instagram Liquid Death Website SPONSOR Wildstory TIMESTAMPS 13:00 - 13:39 (39 sec MG) There really is this awesome idea that...be the person that you wanted to be. 100% 15:05 - 15:18 (13 sec SN) Let's not paint this picture that I'm...they all wore the same outfits. Costumes as I like to say. 27:40 - 27:58 (18 sec MG) Brands don't really own the brands...everyone is having their own conversations.  28:21 - 28:43 (22 sec) How did you start the process of...this is pre-internet. 52:58 - 53:22 (24 sec SN) When the light bulb went off...that is brand equity. 57:58 - 58:20 (22 sec SN) That's pretty tell tale when you have...you're gonna be the first guy who's gonna hit me up for swag. QUOTES I believe travel is so important for the growth of kids, if you can possibly do it, to see other cultures. See other things. It helps you figure out who you are. - SN To exist as a brand, you can't just go off your bros. You've got to bring in people that know what they're doing. - SN You don't just do “enough”. Don't check boxes. - SN I'm a great believer in luck. I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. - Unknown We're not a product. We're a brand. - SN Podcast Transcript Steve "Stix" Nilsen 0:02 All I remember is that they were they moved from Carlsbad, California to Pennsylvania. And I was just barraging her with letters and left and I call call cold call. And then I picked up the phone one day. And I said, hey, it's Steve Nilsen. Oh, it's cute kid. Because again, because Listen, kid, I don't have time to talk to you. My house just burned down. I gotta leave for Europe. And I was like, Alright, I gotta go. So I mailed her a smoke detector in the mail. And she called me like laughing. But two weeks, three weeks later says, Oh my god, you have balls kicked. Yeah, she flew me out and fast forward, I end up getting the job. Marc Gutman 0:41 Podcasting from Boulder, Colorado. This is the baby got backstory Podcast, where we dive into the story behind the story of today's most inspiring storytellers, creators and entrepreneurs. I like big back stories and I cannot lie. I am your host Marc Gutman. I'm Marc Gutman, and on today's episode of Baby got backstory, how a kid from Minnesota infatuated with skating and music was able to combine those two loves, and build a marketing career in the action sports industry with some of the world's biggest brands. Hey, now if you like and enjoy the show, please take a minute or two to rate and review us over at iTunes. iTunes uses these as part of the algorithm that determines ratings on the apple charts. And ratings help us to build an audience, which then helps us to continue to produce this show. I today's episode we're talking to Steve Nielsen. Man, that sounds weird because I know Steve as Styx STI x, and I'm not going to ruin the story of how he got that nickname for you. It's coming up early in the episode and he'll tell you all about it himself. Styx has built a career in the action sports Industry helping to build brands and marketing companies like air walk Red Bull paps. Yep, the Blue Ribbon beer. And now he is helping to build the brand of liquid death, which sounds like some weird cannabis brand, or a punk rock band. But it's canned water. Stix is one of those people who knows everyone and everyone knows him. He's a savvy marketer. And he found a way to marry the things he loved skate culture, in music, with marketing. stix. His story is one of vision, persistence and principles. Listen to the discipline he displays when talking about branding. He's always looking at the long game versus the quick game for the business. I could listen to stix of stories for hours and I loved his honest take on branding and what it takes to build a brand and this is his story. Alright, I am here with Steve Nilson of liquid death. And Steve, I think this might be the last time I call you Steve, because everybody calls you stix. How did you get that nickname? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 3:12 No, I honestly I was given it was 1998 around there. At the time I was building snowboard boots for airwatch and I was over in Asia and long story short is you know, when you're over there in these factories is roasting right and I would wear shorts to the factories because obviously it's super hot in Thailand or Taiwan or or Shanghai, China. And when I wear boots, you know if you guys have skinny legs, it looks like Jiminy Cricket with the boots on and one day my boss at the time who's still very close with me got super irritated about something he was not really me personally but what was going on in production. And we all got really loud. How do you balance them sticks because he's he's from frickin Boston. So stix stuck like that and coworkers are laughing by time I got like some in states camp so he felt that way to SPX and Stop, but it literally is because I've seen the lights. That's not very, you know, glamorous story. But literally, I did look like Jiminy Cricket. I just came across some photos I dug up the other day and I'm wearing snowboard boots and 100 degree factory. So Marc Gutman 4:14 well thanks for that context. Now we're gonna know why we're referring to stix going forward. And stix. You probably have the coolest bio of anyone that has ever been on the show so far. And I'm going to read it because it's very, very short and to the point, I do cool shit with cool people that makes people buy things. What's that mean? Yeah, what's that mean to you? Like how'd you how'd you come to that bio? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 4:40 You know, I think it's because I, you could cut and paste your resume or you could do liquid gas. I'm sorry. resume or you could go to LinkedIn rather, and just cut and paste things and there's not a whole lot of soul to that, I don't think and if you really want me to dumb it down, that's the best way because I'm always run, moving her miles now. And they always say there's quote unquote elevator speech. That was the best way to explain it to you, as he was about to drop it into skate park. If someone asked me what I did, that's what I'm telling you. I mean, it's quick to the point and then maybe pique their curiosity like it is you and it's really just, I'd like to think that my career like, I've had so much fun. And I think that I did all my life, I can look at it that way. I just, I'm not going to do something. If I'm not reading, my heart's not into it. Let's just put it that way. And so you sniff out in your life, brands, people situations, you want to be a part of and make it so you know, and that's really, again, it's probably being a little cryptic, but I hope that answers your question. Marc Gutman 5:36 Yeah, it's a great, it's a great, it's a great answer, stix. And you know, one thing that I know about you and you've touched on it, you dropped a bunch of clues right there talking about dropping into the skate park doing cool things, the cool brands, you know, why don't you tell me a little bit about what your young stix was like? I mean, where did you grow up? What were your interests? And how did that set the foundation for where you are today? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 5:58 Make a very long story short I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Specifically, it's called the Dinah, Minnesota, which we are known as cake eaters. It's a hockey reference to long strip, anyone can look it up enough cake eaters if you can Google it. Anyway, I have relatives in Hawaii, and I became absolutely infatuated with surf skate culture. I just thought it was the coolest cook back then. There was no packs on. There's no zoomies. There was no, you couldn't find the really cool clothes. Except if you go to the skate shops or shopper. Well, we obviously have a lot of that in Minnesota. So when I visited my relatives, I come back with Quicksilver and the different surf brands, billabong, Town and Country. And people are like, where'd you get the word you get the clothes? Where'd you get that? And it's it had made to mainland United States. Yeah, to me, I guess on the coast, but not on Minnesota. And I fast forward. You know, I really got into skateboarding. And snowboarding hadn't existed yet. And I love that but we could only do it a certain amount of time during the year and that wasn't particularly good. But I got Have some kids from this called Southwest High School, which kind of borders along with the suburb that I grew up in. And they were like the kids, I was just, I was fascinated with the fact that they were so into punk rock that they're the ones to tell me about First Avenue and Seventh Street entry, which is anyone has anyone played those venues as a kid like we're talking to a black flag, Jeff a circle jerks, like all these bands, you could go see him for like five bucks because they'd have a matinee show in the morning or midday and then they'd have the Id show at night they call them or whatever. 21 Plus, and that was really what I did. It's funny because I played traditional sports the whole time. But I just was something about that the music, the way people dress, all that really, like captivated me at a young age. And I think it has to do with the fact which is why I believe travel is so important for like the growth of kids if you possibly can do it, to see other cultures see other things. It helps you figure out who you are and for me by me going to experience what it was like in Honolulu and in Maui, and seeing these guys these cool you know, Massimo was actually a surfer and originally people don't know that. That brand And things like that I was just infatuated with it. So that so hope that kind of gives you a little snapshot that I kind of did both. It's like I played the traditional sports, but I love the punk rock skate side. It just was such a curiosity, but I just love how passionate people were. And you could kind of express yourself, you could just be you didn't have to follow on and I went to private school. So everyone kind of the same costume and not that we had to wear uniforms. But I was fascinated that, again, the music, the the activities of skateboarding, and then eventually snowboarding. It allowed you to be you like whatever that meant, and no one's gonna judge you in those circles. Yeah, it's Marc Gutman 8:38 so interesting. I mean, you and I have a very similar background in that, you know, I grew up in Midwest as well. I was super fascinated with skateboard culture. So much so that I used to just look at Thrasher magazine and dream about that lifestyle until the second I could go to California. I did move to Venice Beach and quickly realized that it wasn't quite like it wasn't the magazine at that time. But But like, you know, Really can relate to that. And so what was like, I mean, what was just so special for you and the one thing that was a little different was like, you know, I always thought like, some of the music that like all the skaters were listening to and I can thrash and all that was a little like, a little hard for me. You know, I was more of like a Detroit Detroit Rock City like heavy, you know, metal hairband, kind of kid, you know, what was it about that? That combination of skate and in music that really spoke to you and you talked a little bit it allowed you to, to self expression to like, why was that important? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 9:31 I think it is because I went to, you know, a very well renowned private school in Minneapolis. But the cool thing with this school, I will say from freshman year on in high school, they really had them really that the kids they're really like music, and I'm not saying about playing on a saxophone or a quarter or even though they were known for the choir. But you got to remember I grew up in the thick of the replacements, Cusco do early soul asylum and people would go to the shows and I would have a senior driving freshman to go see the violent felons, let's say. And I just started going to any show I could get my hands on, like you get a ride to but here the school I went to would be a preppy I guess is the term you'd use. But it was fun because we didn't have like any high school you're gonna have the guys little known fact, one of the founders of ice magazine was a year older than me. And we used to see each other punk shows all the time, you know? Think suroosh Alvi. And he's still there. And we would see each other all the time it was funny because then I yes, did I have clothes I guess you can probably but then I would maybe do a twist on it and go buy a pair of camel pants at the army surplus store. And then my mom would would hand them in or make them a little narrower. You don't need to be so baggy, and just like a fun little twist on stuff but we have very little to choose from back then. Not in a destitute way but in a way that we're pretty much had a few department stores to choose from. So the fact you could go do that so like I had a friend of my late friend morning almost. I bring him up because my one of my closest friends died in 911 100 fourth for the South Tower. He's actually the first person on the victims list. If you look at His last name is Ahmed. And he's one of my son's is named after him. But he was funny with Mr. Like, preppy guy, but be the first guy that one might make his own t shirt or want to go to a punk show. And then he wouldn't alter what he could still wear like, it was like a damn shirt to a punk show because he just no one really messed with the meter. It's kind of bigger guy, but he and I are totally online on music. You know, we'd love everything from the cure to again, replacements to Cusco do and then digging really really deep. Like I said the gfa is the world which word for it and we're even pit pihl public engineer limited, which is an offshoot, obviously the Sex Pistols, but we used to take a bus to downtown Minneapolis, the six plus and we would go to northern lights which was the record store and dig through crates for vinyl. And then there was this was owned by this Asian couple called sons su ns and they're the ones who have all the concert tees and you go on their wall and you look at these five screens printed in black, but you couldn't any of the bands you couldn't see you ever see like the Smiths I go into the Smith's work by seeing a T shirt. I bought the T shirt I have no idea meat is murder. What the Smith It was different. You walk down the street, you were like, what is meat is murder. You know, that's the name of the album. But that was kind of how it happened in Minneapolis. Fortunately again, though, it considered a cold destitute place. Otherwise, it had a really good art scene. My mother works for me, Apple sister of arts for decades, you know, had a really really good thriving theater slash music scene that you wouldn't find major metros, you know, and you needed to try it. But I'd argued right up there was Chicago, you know, they've got venues too, but just a smaller version. No, yeah. And I think Marc Gutman 12:31 it was really cool, like in those kind of smaller, mid major towns because Minneapolis isn't like a small town, but it's not Chicago. But when you get the bands that come into town, you get them to yourselves. And so in a way, it's almost better than when you're like trying to fight through a Chicago crowd or an LA crowd or New York crowd for both tickets, just proximity and that type of stuff. You'd be out on the town and you'd run into your favorite band or something like that, which was always so cool. And, and you touched on something and I don't want to get too existential here, but like There really is this awesome idea that, you know, when we align with brands and we, we display those brands, it really says a lot about who we are and you were able to really go out and perhaps and I don't know this to be true. I mean, was this sort of your first touch in realization of the power of brands and aligning with brands and also, not just that you aligned with one brand when what I really heard from you is that, you know, young stix who wasn't stix at the time was really this combination of many brands in order to kind of be the person that you wanted to be. Steve "Stix" Nilsen 13:38 Hundred percent you know, I can honestly this is, again, gonna sound cliche, Fast Times return Hi, I will completely 100% that movie. I went checker dance. But the funny thing is, you can find him in Minnesota. My sister was going to school in Arizona, I get a graduate degree, and they actually she was able to get a pair for me there. And I remember I wore those and they ain't Another thing is I didn't want to wear socks or anything but Korean socks. They were like a science experiment. I mean it was just was so those things were so right. My mom would meet people outside. But those were like a badge of honor walk around those vans because we didn't have them in Minnesota. Now they're solely to get their name bands and always been kind of mail order. Back then it wasn't FedEx, you know, maybe there was but like, I, you weren't gonna get your shoes overnight, right? You find the backup when you said Thrasher or Transworld or skateboarder and that was around, and you'd fill out it was 1799 for tear shoes, whatever it was back then. But those to me that and like camel pants and just a white t shirt. It's pretty cool kit, you know, 1984 you know, whatever it was, you know? I mean it was and so you're right and but you gotta remember that he we didn't have Abercrombie and Fitch, we didn't have, again, Pac son. He didn't have these places. You just like Okay, I'm gonna go to the department store. And then we think of fun ways to maybe monkey around with the clothes. I might not mean to designer I can't so to save my life. But maybe it alters a jacket completely. Obviously you're cut the sleeves off. If you want to. mean like you're just wrong. And by no means again, I wasn't. Let's not paint this picture and walk around like a guy. That's cool enough, but I always try as best I could with what little I had to work with, to tweak it a little bit. You know, I didn't want to be the same shirt, same things, everybody else because they all we all wear the same outfits with costumes, as I like to say, at the time. Marc Gutman 15:18 Yeah. What do you think that interests like in fashion and pop culture came? Because it certainly shows up later in your career. And we'll talk about that. But you know, where do you think that really came from? Where was one of your parents kind of into that stuff? Was it more your association with your friends? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 15:32 No friends, so I came from the most conservative household ever, you know, very Christian, amazing upbringing. I don't have a complaint in the world. It's just very, very conservative. You know, I mean, now the house is pretty much like I think those rooms I still never been in or have been their house, you know, but and that's no disrespect. But definitely I was there was one of my family was near punk rock. I don't know. I have three siblings. My oldest is my brother. And she did introduced me to a lot of bands that I got into late and like I'm talking about the last five years were way before I ever thought I would like it, you know, Fleetwood Mac, he would play jurnee. He would play Pablo Cruz, he would play. What's the one like Michael McDonald, Doobie Brothers, all these things, which at the time I didn't care for, as I've gotten older, like, I kind of dig it back. You know, I mean, it's some of the stuff which I never would have never. That's way too slow for me at the time. But now I've come to appreciate like journey. Like I just got journey's Greatest Hits for President. Are you kidding me? Like, if I know I played in my living room. Marc Gutman 16:33 So we went here that's exclusively with Mack and journey. All right, everybody. So like stix is a Fleetwood Mac journey efficient. Steve "Stix" Nilsen 16:40 I mean, I can't listen all the time. I wouldn't be able to sit still long enough. But the funny thing is, though, my brother did go to concerts a lot. So I kind of got caught. He told me some hilarious stories when this first arena shows me you know, I must have been five years old, and he's going to these and tell me when the house lights went off. The first time it's film that stadiums with North Stars played. He literally thought there was a power outage. You know, they do that. before they get on stage, and I forget who was going to see I think was, oh, Linda Skinner, something like that. And, you know, they cut the house lights, obviously for anyone and he just said how he almost urinated soiled himself because he thought the power was out, you know, but just explain what it's like to go to his first show. But he took me to see kiss. He was in college, and I was in middle school, whatever it was, and I got to see kids when they were in their heyday. This is 1979 or 80 or something like that. got like, that's first time ever smell weeks. I had no idea what the smoke was everywhere. And it just smelled funny, you know? But again, I taken my brother ticularly first kiss show again. That was the full original lineup. So I got to see that was pretty cool. Marc Gutman 17:36 Pretty great claim to fame. So here you are, you know, you're just finding out who you are. You're dabbling and skate culture and music and figuring things out. You know, like, what was your first real job and what was it in marketing or was it Steve "Stix" Nilsen 17:51 God? No. I my first look from a neighbor was he literally had a Chris craft boat where those goodies whether they're called you know the ones for eautiful Have to store that. But in the meet the same time, my brother at this point my brother has was in law school, whatever, but he'd worked for a local golf course. And I ended up because they liked my brother so much. They literally like, I got a job there. And it was awesome because I was in charge of the golf carts. So I go around, but I got to interact with everybody. You know, I mean, anytime you just wanted a cart, I'm going to bring it up in in the golf carts and really actually a really good golf course. So public course. But that was one where I was just, you got to, you know, really interact. A lot of people see different people for different walks of life, because again, it's a public course. Right? And that's where I was introduced to the Beastie Boys, because one of the guys that I worked with him cards, pull out this license, the L tape, and I was like, What is this and I was like, I think I melted the tape. We listen to it so much. And I just was so fascinated because I didn't know anything about hip hop or rap or anything like that. But I loved the Beastie Boys style those guys to me, if anyone has moved the needle culturally, with anywhere, this the Beastie Boys, I'm serious. Like I was So in fact, I'm thinking how could these dudes leave their from Brooklyn and you know, the fighter, right, all that stuff, but if you really outside of that hit that they had. So the subs, like amazing like Paul's boutique, I think is one of most underrated albums. Like, I put in the top 10 most underrated album, I mean, what those guys did. And it's ironic now there's this spike Jones documentary on it, but those guys just look at what they went through. I mean, I remember reading an article they were they bought ups, outfits to wear on on stage, but yet they had a big catalog out of like, retro champion where they were going to do who was doing that at the time, you know, I mean, just retro old school athletic wear, and they were making it cool, you know, and then I saw him play live and I was like, Okay, this is this is a whole nother thing, you know, but that was I roundabout way of saying how I was like, I got exposed to something else. You know, being at this public golf course. It's like, wow, Beastie Boys. What the hell is this? You know, I knew all about punk rock, but I didn't know and then that there became a crossover. Those guys originally. Were coming in, you know, not many people. I don't think That lookup I think it's probably walk stools are first of all up and look it up. Yeah. And Marc Gutman 20:04 so you know musics of throughput through your life where'd you go after the golf course, Steve "Stix" Nilsen 20:08 golf course my senior year and then I worked construction, which, again, great life lessons there. I learned to this day enough to be dangerous. It's Brian wall wiring plumbing. But it also made me realize I didn't want to do manual labor. It was a great experience. I got through with friends we a lot of laughs But I knew it was something that I didn't want to do. Second summer, I worked at a bank. And that was another huge learning experience because I'd have to go every morning I put on a tie go down downtown Minneapolis, and I remember calling my parents saying I'm going to be in college for 15 years. This is what the real world is like, because I can't it was just like, droids marching every day. The same thing was just a miserable experience on under artificial light in a cube. You were wearing a tie. I was wearing a tie. Yep. And I the funny part is I'd have to drive myself First Avenue to get to the where I worked. And I thought someone's gonna just pull me out of my jeep and just wild me for wearing a tie so close to sacred spot like that, right? Who would have thunk it years earlier, I'm waiting in line with all the other kids trying to get a ticket. And I drive by and wearing a tie. Right? And then I thought that the most the least painful thing to do would be to be a copywriter because I was originally an English major, and I didn't know what to do with that. I loved it. I got to work on the Harley Davidson account. I got to work on this thing called Skeeter Boats. I'm not kidding you. But it was like it was a cool environment. My boss was really cool. I got college credit for it, which is awesome. From there, I went to work for Northwest Airlines. And the reason I'm telling you that is the fact that I studied abroad in Australia for a bit and by that when I got this internship with united with Northwest Airlines, which became Delta, they just opened up the Australian market. So they actually ran everything by me to see if it was going to be authentic or not. And it was just something about travel once again. I'm like wow, this place I live in this earth. I got credit for it. And my payments was they gave me four tickets to go anywhere in the world. I wanted to go back paying cash. And then my last internship for credit was I work for a public relations for Minnesota North Stars, the hockey team. And I obviously did a great job for Dallas the next year. No, it really I just didn't realize I didn't want to work. It's not what it's cracked up to be to work for protein. But it's not okay. When you're in the bowels of the stadium, not not only the fun part was those I part of my job is to take players to go talk to schools. And that was, I will argue that not just because I play hockey, but professional hockey players are probably the coolest pro athletes will ever meet your life. They're so humble and self mocking and appreciative and because most of them did come from small towns in Canada or Europe or wherever, or or they went right into juniors and never really got finished high school. So for them, they're just happy go lucky and it was a great experience. So that's a long winded way of explaining kind of experiences I had. Marc Gutman 22:57 Yeah, where'd you go on those four free trips. Steve "Stix" Nilsen 23:00 Let's see I blew my knee out. So I went to see a friend in Maui who's a dive instructor. I'm a certified no Patty diving, whatever. And I would just because I couldn't move my leg, I think I could every day, which is diving groups. And I just tagged on behind the group. So I got to scuba dive every day for free for 10 days, where my leg was just dragged behind me in the water, and I did that. So I think I went to San Francisco but then I went back to Australia, because after I graduated college I got and that's where I had my epiphany for my career. That's where I was like, that's when the light bulb went off. I know the exact spot on Bondi Beach rather sitting having a beard like seeing that when there's a skate they used to have skate ramps, now their actual cement bowls, and I remember I want to be an actual sports. I was watching these guys surf and like I want to be this is this is like I would go into the surf shops and every corner I would always want to surf shops. There's this brand SNP that wasn't really a player for a while it actually sports business and that was bought by Riot snowboards and then it's just kind of like it's licensed out now. But that's a hot brand on Australia. The time is just fascinating. Everything about everything. Every little magazine I get my hands on. I was absolutely infatuated and funny thing is my job down there had nothing to do with music art or action sports. It looked I was writing copy for a nonprofit that I care because it gave me a tax ID to live there for a year and live on a beach. So that's really where I was like, This is what I do. Marc Gutman 24:19 Yeah, like, what was the will kind of take a little moment here, but like, what was the scene like that? I mean, was there really like an action sports industry at that time? Or is it more like these sort of like little brands, little skate shops, like what does it look like at that time? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 24:34 It's, you know, the one thing that was starting to take off at that point was snowboarding. Okay, this is 95 year of 95. And I lived in Australia, and I made my way over to New Zealand to ride it's called the remarkable mountains over there. I mean, I still have my first snowboard jacket that literally is a glorified flannel with like a Teflon pad on the bottom and it's funny, it's like dropped, which frankly is back in style, though. I should pass it on next year. But never it was just everything about it to me though black flies was like the hot sunglass brand and they made goggles my first goggles were black box okay, but it wasn't it were the really the final part. The final catalyst for me saying this is what I have to do is I got back to the states turned down some job offers were literally charity from like my buddy's parents You know, it just it was nothing I would have accelerated or really enjoyed. It doesn't matter what it was. I t just was not to me it's more corporate stuff right. And I went to my first work tour. And at that point was the second year of the tour. I missed the first year living in Australia but I saw it in a magazine and they had a couple bands so I just still to this day love orange nine millimeter quicksand l seven, some wine was a part of the first one. And I drove to Milwaukee Wisconsin with my girlfriend at the time. And that's where I saw a Warped Tour and I still have some photos of like me in the pit shooting with a 35 millimeter inside, penny wise and then the outside me shooting guy skating the skateboard and remember going this is what I want to be this What I've got to do like this is so me just just people having fun was punk rock. We're skaters. And then the brands that were part of that, you know, at the time it was billabong, and I think even though there's a thing called split, it was it was a clothing brand. They were part of it. But they had a little booth there. And, you know, I was a little kid in the candy store free stickers. I mean all that like I get it. You know, that was my first taste. But yeah, this is like marketing 101 or grassroots marketing, just get the brand in people's hands and let them decide for themselves where to put the stickers what to do what brands, you know what I mean? And that was that was my aha, like, Okay, I'm onto something here. Because there's no way there'd be a tour like this if this wasn't what yet. But you got to remember, this is before magic zoomies existed at that point. But before these was in the stores started, really, really being a little more prominent in cities more and more popping up and skateboards is something it had been in California, obviously in some pockets around the US. But I was sitting there going, Hey, how can I get in this business? And that was literally like that. I mean, I was like laser focus. Like how many The minute I got home, I started my long slog and try to get my foot in the door. Marc Gutman 27:05 Yeah. And so it's so interesting to me. I mean, you know, from a very young age when you describe those internships, you were very astute to align your interests with some sort of business need, right? So you know, you love to travel so you went to work for the airline, you loved hockey, so you went to the North Stars realized it wasn't for you, but that's okay. And then you go to Australia and you have this like, you know, this this epiphany and what I was imagining when you were talking just about that environment were with grassroots marketing and people handing out stickers. It was so interesting to me. It's kind of like where we are now today with social media, right? Where we're like brands don't really own the brand. There's all this conversation and all this interaction going on outside the brand, by the customers by their by by the fan base and very much like that was happening for you, right, like everyone's handing out stickers and authenticating the brand and having their own conversation. Somebody was just like, really interested. To me, but you come back and you're like, I want to be in this business. I mean, what's that plan? I mean, so, Hey, man, I've been struck a few times in my life to where I'm like, I know exactly what I want to do. And I have this amazing fantasy. And then I go like, Oh, crap. Now I got to like, actually make it a reality. And sometimes that doesn't always add up. Like how did you like, start that process of getting into action sports and actually making a career out of it? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 28:26 Honestly, I grabbed every magazine I could get my hands on. And I just got to the players were and not not in a backdoor I'm in it was like I just I knew brands that I really liked. brands who maybe didn't resonate with me as much and I had no choice. This is pre internet. Like I'm cold call, right? Well, then I find out there's this thing called si a show. And I literally was 300 bucks for like three nights and airfare to Treasure Island at Vegas. And I went into the show with resume And the funny part is I've never really told him the story. I was thinking to myself because I was surrounded by like, how am I gonna? Help me stand apart? Like, these guys probably gonna have pluses I didn't know what the trim bro man that everyone's just kind of gets backdoor bro jobs. And in Minnesota like I grew up in a walk, right so I've flown ski I wakeboarder which is how I destroyed my leg. But I also compare for so I literally was handing out these resumes with us a picture staples of me barefoot, right because I thought that was kind of badass. Like, you know, I didn't know what I know now about how what like a charity of sorts and he's actually sports Branson, so I'm sure in high tech Okay, cool. You know, you don't hindsight 2020 but I thought how can I turn some heads or get some attention with my resume? So I attached picture of me barefooting you know, cuz I still do those tumble turns and go down. You can spin around and get back on your feet again. I thought you know, someone find that interesting, but they got it in hindsight. I mean, I might as well Wearing a tutu? No, they probably thought, who's this clown. So I literally when I went started doing was collecting business cards. Everywhere I went and I took some, some people were nice enough to give me like a honcho card. And other people would give me like a customer service persons card, it didn't matter. And then I thought, Okay, I'm going to take what I learned at the agency, and I took their ads from the different brands and I made them funny. I just stopped funding them making stuff and get a kick out. So I was mailing back at this again, pre internet, so I was really going to everyone under the sun Marc Gutman 30:33 Yeah, how are you making ads talk about that. I mean, were you like making collages with paper Steve "Stix" Nilsen 30:37 I would take their ads out of the magazine Exacto and change their headline, or take a Polaroid or something and kind of superimposed on at the time and it was kind of a cool come to write, but I didn't, I didn't I didn't register, Marc Gutman 30:50 but you're not using like a computer or like Photoshop or anything. Steve "Stix" Nilsen 30:53 I didn't have any of that. I didn't have computer for years. And I thought I would mail them back and of course then I will The phone call and you gotta remember man, like, I'm trying to get my career all my buddies are in Wall Street. You know, that was where I grew up. I wrote that set with those guys role. And that's nothing wrong with that just wasn't my scene, but you know, and then my parents dining room table, you know no buddies are all partying in New York, right? But I just knew I couldn't do it but I kept calling, calling calling some people I got through to some people I didn't. But I just knew that I knew I was so mobile. I was like, someone want to be moved to California because I was moved to Chula Vista for that brand SMP. I would, I probably never would have left Southern California and I moved to California, and it just didn't pan out. But again, it just you just lesson learned. You got to try and try and try again because you are gonna have the door slammed in your face, especially that industry being as young as it was at the time. I mean, it was like the ultimate like old boys network, you know, and, boy, good luck breaking into that. And I just knew I was going to be an asset to a brand but I also still knew I need to learn a lot from pinion that only makes a mistake once and never having a mistake again and I'll own up to it. You know, so that's really where I was at the time. Marc Gutman 32:03 But I'm sorry, I missed that. Did you? Did someone bite on that? And did you get a job? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 32:08 Yeah, I what had happened is I was getting so down in the dumps. And the one brand that I focused in on because they weren't every single magazine snow surface skate magazine was arawak. And at the time, they had the who's who, every sport. They even had a few surfers, and I was taking their ads and doing stuff in cut. I don't remember her last meeting, but the director of marketing, same thing was Nina. All I remember is that they were they moved from Carlsbad, California to Pennsylvania, and I was just thrashing around with letters, and I call call call cold call. And then I picked up the phone one day and said, hey, it's Steve Nilson, you know, and she was Oh, it's cute kid again, because Listen, kid, I don't have time to talk to you. My house just burned down. I gotta leave for Europe and fires like, Alright, I gotta go. So I mailed her a smoke detector in the mail. And she called me like last But two weeks, three weeks later, she's Oh my god, you have balls kids like, Yeah, she flew me out. And that's what I end up getting a job. That's what I needed. That's why I was always confident, like, one on one with someone, but I just needed a chance. I just needed someone open the door for me, you know, and apparently I did well, my interview, you know, but I just I guess maybe I was so pumped up from trying to get in the industry that I probably overwhelmed with all those feeling. It was just longing for an opportunity to just like, show I know what I was talking about. And I guess the one thing that you know, I was fortunate enough to go to some really good schools Is that you? I was I learned how to kind of cut mentalize and articulate what I not only looked at the industry and just being a sponge, which showed me how when I'm interested in something, I am like that idiot savant. Like I can just absorb everything. Remember every little detail and I think I would probably overwhelmed with them when I was interviewed at arawak. But again, all I needed was that chance and they gave it to me and the rest of you know what that is. So that was my first stepping stone but I had this Fight and claw to get that, because there was still an old boys network even at erawan at the time, they're like, why would you hire a guy from Minnesota? No. And my parents were so blessed because they taught me early on things when only manners but being a good listener. And, you know, by that you can you can learn from people and comment on it versus some people just want to be heard all the time. And so I've been blessed the way I was raised, because I think that I was able to do both of them. I was a student of the game, but then some that I was going to go out this kind of a calculating way and not just fly by night for stuff against the wall. Hope it sticks. Marc Gutman 34:34 You know? Do you remember that first day at arawak? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 34:37 I do. And you know, I'm gonna be honest with you. I feel again, I haven't really ever told anyone this but I just remember one of the first big meetings I was at. And there was a few people and again, it doesn't matter who it is whatever else but I just sit there going in my brain. Were positions that I wanted and going, Oh my gosh, I know I could run circles around this person. Like no comparison and I I was amazed. It's my first taste. And it happens to this day of people you could put in positions either, you know, right or wrong happens. But I'm thinking, I would absolutely crush that position. And that was the only thing where I was like, Okay, I'm the one getting chided, because I'm from Minnesota, and I'm looking at these people, like, I'm sorry, but there was just I started questioning these people could even put a sentence together, you know what I mean? Like, you'd be cool all day long, like, Hey, man, there's got to be a business acumen to this too. You know, that's all it was just again, no disrespect to anyone in particular. It was just more of I sat there going, wait a second. So I'm getting chided by these guys. And I'm sitting there going, you got to be kidding me. Like, what? You know, um, so that was a big eye opener whether it was an old boys network was just like, selling to someone and that kind of thing. And I don't know, this is a brand you can't just off your Bros. Like you gotta have people who bring in people that know what they're doing, you know, but I think then again, I wasn't a physician because I had no experience at the time to do that. I know like the stand up. So became my goal. to basically get these What do you want to say? feathers, my capper arrows in my quiver to learn, learn, learn, learn and learn. So every part of the business, the sales part, the marketing part, the production part. And that's what I set out to do. Marc Gutman 36:13 And so what was your role when you started and what was your role when you left Steve "Stix" Nilsen 36:17 So funny that when I started, I'm not kidding you. My first thing because I wanted to get my foot in the door, was I was a merchandiser. I'm not kidding. So my skin my role was to run around big to stores and make sure our stuff look good. But the funny thing is, it became very, very obvious to me that we were doing it wrong. And I was so low on the totem pole. No one would listen to me but like, the Tony Hawk shoe should not been to Carnival should not have been on the wall at journeys, because that was the lifeblood of the skate shops. And I started telling him that but the person who reported you didn't want any part of it was the type of person that just never wanted to rock the boat and just kind of did on the roof. And I was just didn't sit with me. I'm like, No, no You can't just do enough. All right, don't check box. It's like this isn't right. We're headed for disaster here. Because back to skate shops like I felt comfortable in skate shops. And to this day, I could go have a conversation with a kid about skaters or surfers snowboarders. You don't I mean, it's a different it's, it's almost like a little clubhouse of sorts. But that was a real eye opener. So what did I do? I just tried to like I went to Nordstrom for Pete's sake, we had our shoes in Nordstrom. Okay. And I'm sitting there going, Okay, like, there's no product differentiation here. Like we can't be having the skate stuff in a Nordstrom. You just can't do that to these little shops because, you know, they were, you know, less than what you'd get it. You know, I mean, Nordstrom just undercutting and price wise, I guess maybe not torture, but you know, some of the other places the bigger big box stores mean arawak ended up paying for the sins of all the brands that are in malls now. Because it was so it was just antichrist to have your shoes, or any action sports apparel in a mall, you know? So that was where I started and then at these meetings, I would say this is what I'm seeing out in the field, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And to make a long story short, basically they said, okay, tough guy. If you see an issue with a pricing, one, you want to get development. And that's when I got into the snowboard boot development, and spent three weeks a month in Asia building summer boots, and it's actually dabbled in shoes as well in the skate stuff. And again, total eye opener, got to travel the world like, you know, see, Bangkok see Hong Kong numerous times, Taiwan, Thai Chung, you know, and the funny thing is at the time that he was getting all the crap for sweatshops, but they're getting picked on because of the big one and having success but we all share the law at all. But we all share the same factories. They were the ones who just the big target, but I thought was so funny that they were getting all this heat, the sweatshop thing and we're all in it. And frankly, factory jobs like the best job in town, a lot of those places they were getting, you know, people lived on campus. They three square meals a day, their schools for the kids, it was actually like Good deal for the local locals. So I just I learned a ton from that time being a product developer. And then fast for the last role I held was was basically snow marketing measure. You know, working with Mike arts and Joe Babcock and the abs. It's funny, it shifted from being a rapper to going into development. And that was the last role I had was was when they moved the company to Colorado, and I was working the snow division. Marc Gutman 39:32 This episode brought to you by wildstory. Wait, isn't that your company? It is. And without the generous support of wild story, this show would not be possible. A brand isn't a logo or a tagline or even your product. A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product service or company. It's what people say about you when you're not in the room. Wild story Helps progressive founders and savvy marketers build purpose driven brands that connect their business goals with the customers they want to serve. So that both the business and the customer needs are met. This results in crazy, happy, loyal customers that purchase again and again. And this is great for business. If that sounds like something you and your team might want to learn more about, reach out @ www.wildstory.com. And we'd be happy to tell you more. Now back to our show. Yeah, and so in at that point, you know, you were doing snowboard boot development, you're in the snow division. Did you start doing some of those unique collabs at AIR walk or was that a little bit later in your career? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 40:48 That was that came later. But I think that why those came to me was because of my understanding of product timelines, raw materials, how that works, how the how they come to production. caliber work. So if you want to work with a brand like, Hey, we want to do a shoe or a jacket rubber for it, let's do it for, you know, 2021 season Well, this day and age, I don't care how good the technology, you still can't get anything done that fast. And you're gonna like, probably wouldn't be able to unless you put a patch on something that's an existing silhouette, you know, but again, we did, I will be honest with you. I mean, I do have a few pieces that I have made for myself over there that are one off, and it's just kind of fun to have something that no one else in the world has, you know, because I knew that just custom shoes for friends and family, things like that. It's not a big deal. All I do is have a little extra different material to make the tongue a little different color or whatever. That was super fun for me. And again, I can't draw to save my life. But I think one of the things that I was able to do because my time is merchandiser when we would do a design review and put all the silhouettes on the wall. I'd like to think I picked out probably the one was going to sell the best off the shelf. Like I don't know what it is. I just Look at it took me two seconds, I look at that one. And I'm not saying it always was the case. But I think that again, I want my learnings of being at retail, and going to numerous countless, because I covered the whole Midwest accounts, everything from shields, in the Dakotas to these little skate shops, like I was like, okay, that's okay, what the company is doing that they're not going to do. Now given. Once I went into the office environment. I was more traveling to like trade shows and events and things like that I wasn't on the boots on the ground as much. But again, unfortunately, that culminated in so many poor decisions made by the teams, the leadership that by the time, my counterparts and I got a position to do anything that brand was pretty much done, unfortunately. So that was my MBA. I'm not the only one. Were my office, my family and I have a master's degree and that was my extra degree. And how not to do business was what I learned. arawak Yeah, when I started getting that would arawak argue is one of the top action sports brands of any time. We just made the number boots on word. I thought they were eating burdens lunch wise. And they haven't done head to toe yet. But just if you look at the old rosters of the teams, I mean, there was no comparison. You know, it was that hot and to the way that that that poor decisions that were made, in hindsight and again, it was just it bringing the sales guys from the big shoe companies, you know, phila, Reebok wherever, didn't sell these guys were taking orders, it dumped the shoes on the table and furniture, knees, that's looking stuffs, the skate stuff that ended up in journeys. And then we just choke out the little guys that they've relied on Jeff rally shoe. There were a lot in 2002. There were a lot of Jason Lee, there are a lot you know, Mike Frazier, and we kill them. We literally like it. Because again, Vance wasn't a player that they are now. And it was asked us at these events on the wall, the skate shops, and the majority Was there one shoot and it's just to see that happen and not really have any control and I'm never gonna get in that position again. That was brutal. Marc Gutman 43:56 Yeah, and you're I mean, you really did you. I mean, you hit it like it's heyday like where it was like at its best. And then due to private equity and demands on shareholder returns really kind of just went went downhill and didn't go the right way. But, you know, like you said, you did get basically an MBA there, you learn so much. I mean, we don't have to get into it now. But I know that you have so many close friends from those from those days as well and that have gone on to do other things. But from that point, you sort of start like a new chapter of your career, which really is turned into canned beverages in a weird way. And so if I forgot this, right, you went to red balls that right? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 44:38 Yeah, Marc Gutman 44:39 yeah. And so you got there and oh, my gosh, talk about sort of the poster child for action sports marketing. I mean, really, is there anything you know, at the time better? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 44:53 No, you know, I have to be honest with you like, the stars aligned for me at that point. It was without trying me. It took me a year. To get hired, and that's how they were so new, no one who had an energy drink was, when I think about it, we was it was so crazy, I guess would be the best way. And I'm not I'm not kidding you. It's like I won the lottery. Because all sudden, overnight, you know, again, they didn't have the brand equity yet they were they were gonna build that. But overnight, I basically had a, you know, on my expense report, I had a line item for a long time, like I could expense I mean, who does that? Right? And it took me a while to really, I was one of the first force marketing managers and I remember I've always believed in rolling my sleeves and training my team. I've never asked anyone to do something I would do myself. And I was putting on an event somewhere and I'm in Brighton all over the venue, right? And my boss stopped me. He's still a dear friend. He's like, Dude, what are you doing? And I'm like, dude, I gotta help you. Because that's why you have a budget to hire the event crew to worry about. Okay, I need you to make sure everything's straight. Like, again, you want to help, that's fine. You're going to help us big time by making sure your branding looks right and whenever it's just chill, like let the worker bees work. Your phone And so it's not saying I ever got comfortable with that. But but then it got to the point where we literally live by the mantra like, pay the fine. Like we asked for forgiveness, not permission. And it was unbelievable because right then we ended up having to remember the channel crossing. You know, we are Felix Baumgartner goes across the English Channel on a jet when he does that, right. And that became a benchmark where it was like, Alright, what's our next channel crossing? Because I've made international news, you know, and so that was where the heat was turned up on us as sports, right matches, what's the next athlete project you're going to do? What's the next event? What is the next channel crossing, you know? And so it was overwhelming to me. I mean, they treated us so well at Red Bull. I mean, just it's, the company is very, very skewed like they, they get it does have that euro vibe. They're very, very like driven and results driven. But the difference, this is one thing I've learned, which is my soft spot, is that I was never ever held to a scalable number. All right stix you do that we better sell X amount of cases. Never, ever once in my tenure, there was I ever held my hand held to the candle saying, if you're doing this, you better said we better sell more cancel. They just knew it. And I think that that is a key to a really, really successful team is when you all have a common goal, but you trust each other. And no one's ever packing anyone else. No one's ever like, well, he did this. She did that or whatever. No, it was like the part that became the biggest pressure cookers when we'd meet a couple times a year and we'd literally have each, each of us or five of us would get called out to the carpet. Okay, what's the next big idea? That's pretty when you got the Austrians over here, and they're like, what, what's next? What do we do? What's the next idea? And that you could never have the exclusive This is the crazy thing. Think about this. Money was never an excuse. Like I mean, I didn't know that was $960,000. Okay, money was never so that was not new, you could hide behind. But the funny part is, you can have a very, very impactful event with just a case of product in a bottle of vodka. You know, I mean, it's just dependent on you don't I mean? How to do that. Not everything was a home run. Not every single thing resonated. But this is before you know, certainly before any social media, you know, so the only output we had for a lot of this content was it was originally a G shock rush hour I think it was called some like that which became fuel TV. Well fuel TV. It was that like after a while, like okay, rebel, you're doing amazing stuff. But this is also becoming the rebel channel. We can't use all your content, which is why Red Bull and they started getting into this when I parted ways in the rebel media house where they become their own production and all that and, you know, it's funny, ESPN even sniffed out as well. It is brilliant on rebels. Yeah, they were painted by this crazy airtime and New Years and just put their own branded events on there. And you'll get basically if you consider what the cost of media buys, it was nothing was a drop in the bucket for Redbull to reach millions and millions, millions of people something super unique. You know, like Robbie Maddison doing the lawn rolls large jump over a football field. Or you know, All righty, Madison stuff. You've seen it years. And that's typical red bull, like we're going to come in. We're coming hot. We're going to do it right now. It's gonna be people can't touch us probably, you know, cost wise, you know? Marc Gutman 49:05 So why'd you leave red bull, if it was so great? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 49:07 You know what? Honestly there's like any company there was um, shifts and how they were going to do originally the sports marketing crew reported to Santa Monica and had a dotted line to Austria and and that got watered down and there was they decentralized that and you know it's like anything you get Growing Pains is a big company and you know when I started a sports marketing manager, you handle everything from a soapbox race or a photog which maybe you've seen where you know, flying the means when people make their own little crafts or jump off a deck, you know, they've done it everywhere all over the country of Portland, Santa Monica New York City. All sudden they broke it out to right now you're gonna have an event manager you're gonna have an athlete manager. It's just got her water down. I'm not saying from a control freak perspective that I needed my hand and everything. But then they want to they were talking about shifting people move different places, but surely wasn't really Colorado and Pascual Riven came out of nowhere and different stuff to think about how to hem and haw about us the passing of the money was pretty much a dormant brand. But I could sense there was this brand equity that was building because the athletes I care I could give whatever they wanted whatever bottles surface especially the skates know guys like I want Pepsi. Pepsi ribbon. I had had that in college and that was literally because it was whatever's on sale. Right. And it's just had this cachet to it as an escape guys special they're just like password and password like what is going on? And it's funny how that segue happened. Because I went in there going Oh, yeah, I can do some fun with this brand in the back of my head going holy crap. How you gonna pull this off with nobody? You know, I mean, talking I said over and over again talking about going penthouse to the poorhouse. That's exactly what happened. The budget was big time. Yeah, but then Marc Gutman 50:47 so and what was that? Like? What was the marketing plan at paps? I mean, like you said you have a lot, you know, not very much budget. So how did you deal with that? Steve "Stix" Nilsen 50:58 Well, the one thing that It became very clear to me was I had something that 99% of events need. And that's alcohol. And I knew if I could figure out the distribution system, you can't ship alcohol in certain legal but we had hired FM's field marketing managers, our market agents we had a calling in different cities. And we thought you know, we're going to do this as grassroots as in as in person as possible in you know, in marketing to amplify the brand. But we if the stars align the way a couple things got one, we were in a recession, okay, to perhaps in having marketing behind. So if nothing was being shoved down consumer throats, this is the you know, PB army SAP, none of that, but it was just it just chugged along. And we're cheap. I mean, the bottom line is with that, and I often like to refer to Goodwill hunting. Remember that that wealthy girl starts dating Matt Damon, and it's almost like she's kind of slinging it. He says to her, it's almost like you know, paps had this like kind of dirty connotation to it. You know, like you're a little dirty. I have in the past. The big aha moment for me, I think it was 2010, something like that. We did a, I'm sorry, I was approached friend or friend type thing, which is where a lot of my opportunities came from, like once I was able to pass on some of these doors started opening for me in music, art and action sports because of my relationships and past jobs. And I got hit up by I don't remember what brand it was. It was Alexander when tech ran, but it was one of the brands was doing an event during fashion week in New York City and they said, We want taps there. And I'm sitting there scratching my head like, Okay, I have zero money to give you. This is something Heineken would pay 10 grand just to be in the door. I don't get it. So I said I will sponsor this but I need to be able to come check it out. And sure enough, I went there. I didn't have a black turtleneck like everybody else but whatever. That's right. And I walked backstage and it's passed in these bins and you know, they do that where they put the cloth drape in there and then they put water in the bins. It was us some shishi water and don't carry on. I'm not kidding you. But when the light bulb went off when I was sitting Around whenever he was milling about after the show was a runway show, and I sat there and watched it and whatever, didn't get half of what these people were wearing, but whatever I'm supposed to, but I saw these little wavy models carrying pops in their head. And I knew, right, well, they wanted nothing to do with the liquid inside. It had everything to do with it, they had that camera in their hand. And that to me was like that is brand equity. And literally, I always kind of looked at apps that way, I looked at it as it's not, we're not a beer company. We're a brand. And I think it drove the other beer companies nuts because they just couldn't figure out how to crack our code. But they weren't set up to. They couldn't be nimble. They couldn't do what we did. And we never asked permission, just like Redbull we just did it and we'd literally get asked for forgiveness. And I can say now knock on wood. I didn't have one thing but you the button, and there's a lot of illegal things that happen just b

Pleasure having Steve Nilsen (aka STIX) on the podcast! Currently he is the VP of Lifestyle Marketing for Liquid Death Mountain Water. Was great hearing some great stories from back in the day working for Airwalk, Redbull, Pabst and now the new start up Liquid Death. Stix is such a down to earth guy and there are some sweet lil nuggets of knowledge throughout the episode! Make sure to check him out on instagram: @stixaround, as well as the Liquid Death instagram: @liquiddeath

Brian Atkinson began his stand-up career later in life, but his radio and public speaking experience gave him the ability to move up the ranks quickly. His clean style makes Brian equally comfortable in clubs, business events, & churches. We talked about his overcoming the fact that he has a natural announcer's voice which can take the audience out of the joke. We also talked about his first time on stage with fellow pastors at his church in attendance. Brian cohosts Clean Comedy Time with former guest, Aaron Sorrels which is a well-produced live show and also a popular podcast. Brian also talked about his comedy contest experience from earlier this year where Covid-19 ran rampant over the vaccinated and unvaccinated participants. This is an important episode that illustrates that we are not safe from Coronavirus yet Check out everything Brian Atkinson here:https://www.brianacomedian.com/Check out our new sponsor, Liquid Death Mountain Water and use the code “scottcurtis” to get 2 free koozies when you buy 2 cases of water or any of their cool merch:https://liquiddeath.com/ Here's the BTB Internet Talk Show's Twitch Channel. Check out all their great shows!https://www.twitch.tv/drinksjokesnstorytellingIf you'd like to support the show and get some cool perks, check out our Patreon page:https://www.patreon.com/btbpcLook for new stuff for Patrons soon!Head over to the Behind the Bits website for extra content:https://www.thebtbpc.com/Get on our mailing list for news about future guests and more great content:https://www.thebtbpc.com/p/mailing-list/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Erica Switzer is a Chicago-born educator, comedian, and public speaker formerly based in Shanghai, China. With her unique energy and raw, biting wit, she has featured for veteran comedians Simeon Goodson, Mateen Stewart, and Justin Rivera and accomplished her first 30-minute headliner in April 2020. Along with founding Hei Now Comedy, China's premier Black comedy crew, Erica became the first Black comedian to perform in Mongolia at the inaugural Silk Road International Comedy Festival in July 2019. She has emceed Shanghai Black Expo and the inaugural For The Culture Awards Gala. Erica is also an award-winning public speaker. She has shared her story of overcoming anxiety twice at Shanghai's Unravel Storytelling and served as MC and storyteller for June 2020's Unravel and Hei Now Comedy's collaborative event "Matter is the Minimum," benefitting Campaign Zero. We talked about starting standup later in life and the contacts Erica made performing virtual comedy who chose her for in-person comedy based on the virtual funny.Check out everything Erica Switzer here:https://www.ericaswitzer.com/Check out our new sponsor, Liquid Death Mountain Water and use the code “scottcurtis” to get 2 free koozies when you buy 2 cases of water or any of their cool merch:https://liquiddeath.com/ Here's the BTB Internet Talk Show's Twitch Channel. Check out all their great shows!https://www.twitch.tv/drinksjokesnstorytellingIf you'd like to support the show and get some cool perks, check out our Patreon page:https://www.patreon.com/btbpcLook for new stuff for Patrons soon!Head over to the Behind the Bits website for extra content:https://www.thebtbpc.com/Get on our mailing list for news about future guests and more great content:https://www.thebtbpc.com/p/mailing-list/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy