The problem
Brandon Dawson had just left Audigy to start what became Cardone Ventures. COVID had just hit, everyone was suddenly on camera, and the company needed to go from nothing to a full media operation in a hurry. Brandon called me as one of the first people on the team. There was no playbook. My job was to build the content engine.
What I did
Live shows. I produced the live streams that put Brandon, Natalie Dawson and Grant Cardone in front of their audience in real time. Live means no fixing it later, so every show was a bit of a high-wire act.
Ran the studio. I managed the studio and was the main videographer. Podcasts, YouTube, social clips, event coverage, all on a schedule that matched Grant's pace, which is to say relentless.
Built the courses. I helped build the online education platform that delivers their business and leadership content. That platform now brings in about $11M a year.
YouTube and podcast. Set up the channel and the podcast so business owners who wanted to scale had somewhere to go.
What I took with me
For about a year I had a front-row seat to three founders building a brand in public. Grant had a line I heard constantly: "If you want to be in business with me, you have to do business with me." Brandon and Natalie lived it. They showed up with skin in the game instead of asking for attention.
That stuck. Make yourself useful, or build your own room. I watched a company go from an idea to a serious business, and I got to hold the camera while it happened.
