Tom Warner

Night bought Bottle Rocket Management. Yup, more M&A consolidation amongst talent rep companies! BIG congrats to Chas Lacaillade, BRM’s founder and a close friend of mine. Chas is a shrewd operator, and over the years I enjoyed watching him build a high-performing creator management company. Awesome to see him pick a strategic partner that aligns with his plan for future growth and improved client servicing. RockWater Industries served as financial advisor to BRM. I therefore can’t go into deal specifics due to the NDA between our companies. Let's break it down… ---TARGET: Bottle Rocket Management--- OVERVIEW • Talent management firm for digital content creators • Founded 2015 by Chas Lacaillade • Bootstrapped, no outside capital • Focus on YouTube creators • Reps ~40 talent clients • Based in Austin, TX TALENT HIGHLIGHTS • Austin Evans • BroScienceLife • JerryRigEverything • UrAvgConsumer ---BUYER: Night--- OVERVIEW • Next-gen representation platform for artists • Founded 2015 by Reed Duchscher • 75-100+ team per LinkedIn • Reps 100+ talent clients • Based in Austin, TX BIZ UNITS • Talent - management, focused on digital creators being entertainers and entrepreneurs • Studios - content studio, helps digital creators create and package shows for TV, streaming • Labs - venture studio, pairs operators with creators to build companies e.g. Feastables • Capital - TCG-backed fund to invest in / acquire profitable creator-led businesses • Ventures - early stage venture fund, focused on tech OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS • Reps world’s largest Twitch streamer, Kai Cenat • First manager of MrBeast, helped catapult his growth • Launched Feastables in 2022, est $100M+ 2024 revenue CAPITAL MARKETS HISTORY • 2022 raised an est high 7 to low 8 figures from TCG • 2022 raised $100M from TCG for Night Capital • 2023 bought mgmt co LFM • 2024 bought The Roost Podcast Network ---DEAL DETAILS--- OVERVIEW • Announced 11.25.24 • Deal terms undisclosed DEAL ORIGINS • Night and BRM leadership have known one another for years • Lacaillade and Night President Ezra Cooperstein both worked at Fullscreen, an early YouTube MCN VALUE PROP • Bring a top digital manager into Night’s leadership team • Deliver larger and more exciting opportunities to BRM clients • Scale talent roster and offerings for Night’s brand and client partners • Scale Night’s seasoned digital talent team via BRM team additions • More leverage to recruit more digital-native clients ...I'll write more about the deal in my Friday M&A newsletter, signup link in comments 👇 -- I'm the founder of RockWater. We do M&A and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My DMs are open.

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Hispanic spending power will exceed $2.5 TRILLION by 2025. Considering the Hispanic community represents 20% of the US population, it’s no wonder that top CPG brands have been pretty busy lately: Kraft Heinz Delimix launched Crispy Quesadillas Nestlé debuted Ming and Tapatío frozen readymeals PepsiCo Doritos is revitalizing Dynamita as the Takis challenger The Coca-Cola Company re-launched Barrilitos Aguas Frescas Plus, consumers in this group are brand loyalists; once you’re a beloved part of Hispanic households, you’re pretty much in for life. Before launching your next campaign to target this audience, think – can we do more than just market to Hispanic consumers; can we become an authentic part of their community? Try it: Create brand experiences that target Hispanic consumers in their everyday lives – at work, gyms, colleges, and even family events. Consumers will connect with your brand in an emotional way.

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Need a few more points.

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Donald Trump Scores Big with Joe Rogan Interview, Amassing Over 32 Million Views – A Shift from Legacy Media to Social Media as the Primary Battleground. Careful, math 🤓 Recently, Donald Trump declined an interview on 60 Minutes with Scott Pelley, where he was expected to appear alongside Vice President Kamala Harris. This broke over 50 years of tradition dating back to 1968, when major-party candidates appeared on 60 Minutes ahead of a general election. Critics labeled it a missed media moment. Instead, Trump took to The Joe Rogan Experience, drawing over 32 million views on the long-form episode alone. For context, Rogan’s typical audience more than doubles 60 Minutes' viewership – and that’s just for the long-form content. Additionally, short clips capturing key “zingers” and soundbites are likely to drive even more engagement. Media Value Analysis: Using updated average CPM (Cost Per Thousand) values, here’s a breakdown: Network TV Benchmark: $27.5 to $32.5 CPM for a 30-second ad Calculation: 30 million views x ($27.5 to $32.5 CPM / 1,000) = $825,000 to $975,000 YouTube Political Content: ~$6 CPM Calculation: 32 million views x ($6 CPM / 1,000) = $192,000 Podcast Audience: $15 to $25 CPM, considering the high engagement of the 3-hour episode Calculation: 32 million audio listens x ($15 to $25 CPM / 1,000) = $480,000 to $800,000 With just a week remaining before the election, this move is a major strategic win for Trump’s campaign. What do you think, are we witnessing a shift in media and will elections, both in the United States and beyond, depend on which candidate uses social media most effectively? Disclaimer – I’m not a politician or an American citizen. I work in entertainment and social media. I’m here for the numbers, not the message. #JoeRogan #Trump #SocialMedia

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Together, they ran the largest meth empire in US history... Now, they’re selling Mezcal to over 50 countries worldwide. Both times, actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, knew nothing about the industry they were getting into. Both times, they were hugely successful. Here’s how: 👇👇 👁️ A Clear Vision: Cranston and Paul knew nothing about Mezcal. So they focused on what they did. Their brand vision. Three "must be's" quickly emerged: 🚀 Unique 🚀 Authentic 🚀 Great Tasting This allowed the inexperienced duo to identify what had to be done in the present, in order to reach their goals in the future. By focusing their vision, Cranston and Paul were able to take the first steps in building their brand. A lack of experience won’t kill a business. A lack of vision will. 🧠 Understanding their product: Despite their inexperience, the actor friends were unfazed by the challenge ahead: “If I'm an expert at anything… its being a beginner” - Bryan Cranston, Inc.com They brushed up on the history, heritage and culture of Mezcal, drank heavily at distilleries across Mexico and visited countless agave farms where the process itself all begins. Strong product knowledge is vital for building consumer trust in your brand. By positioning themselves as experts, Cranston and Paul were able to re-enforce their authority and present themselves as an authentic voice in the space. 📖 Using Story to Build Interest: Every brand has a unique story with Dos Hombres positioning theirs at the very centre of who they are. Take a look at their landing page… Not a bottle in sight. Instead, the pair get you buying into their story, long before you buy any of their actual products. Stories don't just help consumers form deeper connections with a brand, they also help products to stand out in an otherwise crowded market. 👬 Leveraging Social Proof: Now, a big reason why Dos Hombres was able to stand out in a crowded market, despite being newcomers, was because of one unique asset their owners brought with them... A massive online audience. Between them, Cranston and Paul share about 15 million social media followers. A single post can reach as many as 200,000 unique users in a matter of minutes. As a marketing tool to be leveraged, this was a goldmine. While celebrity endorsements are nothing new, they can sometimes suffer from a feeling of inauthenticity. (Google Ozzy Osbourne Butter ad - thank me later) But what Cranston and Paul do is market their product directly to their fans on social media. Not only are they tapping into a loyal, pre-made customer base, but they're also increasing overall consumer trust in the brand because its clear this isn't just another half-baked celebrity endorsement Their brand is positioned alongside intimate life moments and milestones on their feed, blurring that line between business and personal.

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Hey Pete Renault, after you're done seeing the world, you can write and produce a Jack Rocks Bay Area hockey feature movie with Silicon Valley "New Tech Hollywood," an innovative model that will disrupt the independent film industry with digital media entertainment franchises by equity crowdfunding investment campaigns on YouTube for 5G Internet distribution. Get 4 friends with $25,000 investment for Executive Producers credit. Give them 250% ROI in 36 months by Executive Producers budget in the equity crowdfunding campaign on YouTube. If audiences on YouTube don't want to see a movie, everyone loses money. That's the risk. $100,000 for "sizzle" trailer on YouTube and social media marketing / PR. Pitch this to Bay Area hockey fans to invest. We can even ask the San Jose Sharks. Show this to your angel investors. Tell them I'm the goalie. https://lnkd.in/gXDe73dB

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Nike’s recent struggles are a cautionary tale for any marketer. “OR” may land better on strategic consultants’ slides, but “AND” is what works most often for practitioners. Don’t be fooled by the faux simplicity of “OR”.  Nike’s failed DTC move and underinvestment in upper-funnel marketing (and product development) reminds us why we must treat advertising as brand AND demand. DISCLAIMER: I’ve been a lifelong Nike fan — from my very first pair of kicks as a kid in Southern California to the shoes I hustle around New York in every day (and you’ll see me sporting at industry events). They are one of America’s and the world’s great brands, and I want them to win.  However, several years ago, the company started shifting resources away from its genre-defining TV #ad campaigns and deep brick-and-mortar partnerships to go all in on maximizing its DTC business. We saw this in our data, with Adidas ads outperforming Nike’s by 23% in terms of ad-driven consumer engagement this year. In making this shift, #Nike forgot one of the key lessons of Byron Sharp’s “How Brands Grow” — brands win by earning new customers with campaigns that put them top of mind, not by merely growing loyalty among existing customers. If you’re not building demand with innovative, engaging advertising, potential first-time customers are going to think of someone else when they’re ready to make a purchase … no matter how many times you send them links and offers to your online store. Online and DTC have a role to play, but never lose sight that it’s about brand AND demand. I’m rooting for new Nike CEO Elliott Hill — and all the great marketers in Beaverton and beyond — to bring the company back to its roots of using big, bold campaigns that harness TV advertising as both a brand AND performance medium. Nike would not be Nike without decades of groundbreaking ad campaigns that captured our hearts and minds, and became a part of the fabric of our American culture. https://lnkd.in/eaEuqBFx

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The latest episode is live! 🎙️ Matt Phillips shares how to balance business acumen with a touch of humor for more engaging, meaningful conversations—even over Zoom. 💻 How do you keep virtual meetings fresh and fun?

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🍏 v Wow! Stuff 3 years ago we invented NANO PODS, ‘The ‘Connectable Collectible’. Consumers loved their tactile feel, the way they connected. They loved the perfect paint details of every character. Apple, yes that one, said “woooo, hang on there Wow! Stuff we have a trademark; iPod Nano. We value our marks at many gazillions of dollars and you want to register NANO PODS as your trademark?” “🤔 ummm, yes please” we said. “No! Not ever, ever, ever”, they said. So we sent them some NANO PODS. And they really liked them! They said go ahead, we’ll let you register this. Yippeee! We then launched them. In small blind card boxes, with a basic dispenser and at $5.00/£5.00 each. WHAT A DISASTER! Sales were somewhere between slow and zero 😢. So we gave up. End of story. Well, not quite… “What if we change the packaging to beautiful shiny blind foil bags, make an amazing dispenser with a sacrificial unit so people can see what they are and ask the factory to re-cost so we could sell them at £2.99 / $2.99?” said a load of our R&D team. So we did. And WOW! They’re on FIRE🔥 We’ve launched in 3 markets only and sold out 100%. The moral to the story? Even the big guys can be reasonable. As a constant reminder of no not always meaning no I display an unopened 1st Gen iPod Nano (along with Apple’s lawyers approval note) on my study shelf. Thank you🍎 #apple #toys #toyindustry

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What's New to TheStreet... 🎬 Disney Taps James Gorman to Lead Search for Bob Iger's Successor 🎬 Disney has appointed board member James Gorman to head the committee responsible for finding the next Chief Executive to follow Bob Iger's iconic leadership. The search for the future leader of the Magic Kingdom begins! 🏰✨ Who do you think should be Disney's next CEO? Share your thoughts below!💬⬇️ 👉🏻Follow New To The Street for more! #disney #leadership #CEO #businessupdate #innovation #businessnews #business #news #newtothestreet

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