Open Residency

Get Marc Eckō’s free playbook → openresidency.com/marc-ecko-playbook
Marc Eckō went from an airbrush gun in a New Jersey garage to over $500 million in sales. He almost went bankrupt more than once, sold Eckō for nine figures, started Complex, sold that too, and is now back at Complex as chief creative and innovation officer. He walks through how Eckō started, the partner who put in the first $5,000, the production deal that was too good to be true, and the cease and desist that forced Echo to become Eckō.
We also get into the Where’s Eckō sticker campaign he ran with no money, tagging Air Force One to launch a video game, buying Barry Bonds’ record home run ball and letting fans vote on its fate, when to license your brand and when to run it yourself, ikigai, the Japanese idea he still uses at Complex, and how the tags on Eckō clothes got Complex its first 150,000 subscribers.
🔗 MARC ECKŌ
Instagram: @beingmarcecko
Eckō: ecko.com
Complex: complex.com
🎙️ OPEN RESIDENCY
Instagram: @openresidency
Instagram: @markbrazil
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea
Website: openresidency.com
Email: info@openresidency.com
⚡ POWERED BY
Wispr Flow: Get 1 month of Wispr Flow Pro free with code OPENRESIDENCY → wisprflow.ai
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Trailer
00:00:45 How Eckō Started With an Airbrush Gun
00:05:45 Influencer Marketing Before It Had a Name
00:08:40 The Partner Who Put In the First $5,000
00:12:57 The 2 Things That Took Eckō to Millions
00:22:51 The Production Deal That Was Too Good to Be True
00:32:56 The Fax That Forced Echo to Become Eckō
00:39:58 The Reset That Got Eckō Out of Debt
00:42:30 The Where’s Eckō Sticker Campaign Built on No Money
00:48:46 Tagging Air Force One to Launch a Video Game
00:54:22 Buying Barry Bonds’ Record Ball and Letting Fans Vote
01:01:22 Buying Back the License to Run His Own Stores
01:05:08 When to License Your Brand and When to Run It Yourself
01:10:53 Why Meaningful Work Beats Chasing the Algorithm
01:13:11 Ikigai, the Japanese Idea He Still Uses at Complex
01:18:36 Why He Sold His Name but Kept Complex
01:21:48 How Clothing Tags Got Complex 150,000 Subscribers
01:26:41 Why He Went Back to Complex
01:27:57 Where Media Is Going in the Next 5 Years
01:29:00 Quickstrike Questions

Get Gary Vaynerchuk’s free Empire Playbook → openresidency.com/gary-vaynerchuk-playbook
Gary Vaynerchuk has 50 million followers, but he’s an operator first. He runs VaynerX, a $400 million media company, and is involved in six to seven other eight and nine-figure companies. He explains how it all fits together, why he calls VaynerMedia a production company, why big companies are losing to creators on shoestring budgets, and how his team is working toward 1,000 pieces of content a day.
We also get into why live shopping is already a $1 trillion market in China, the 5-year bet that built VaynerSports, what people get wrong about VeeFriends, why he didn’t take a $200K salary until his 40s, and why he thinks the next Fortune 500 companies are the personalities blowing up online right now.
🔗 GARY VAYNERCHUK
Website: garyvaynerchuk.com
Instagram: @garyvee
YouTube: @garyvee
X: @garyvee
VaynerX: vaynerx.com
VaynerMedia: vaynermedia.com
VeeFriends: veefriends.com
🎙️ OPEN RESIDENCY
Instagram: @openresidency
Instagram: @markbrazil
⚡ POWERED BY
beehiiv: Use code MARK30 for 30% off your first three months → beehiiv.com/openresidency
Wispr Flow: Get 1 month of Wispr Flow Pro free with code OPENRESIDENCY → wisprflow.ai
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Trailer
00:00:59 Inside His $400M Media Empire
00:03:44 The Ad Agency Built Like a Production Company
00:06:24 Why Big Companies Are Losing to Creators
00:13:39 How He Plans to Post 1,000 Times a Day
00:17:14 Quantity Is Not Debatable, Quality Is
00:20:54 Why He Replies Kindly to Haters
00:23:35 The Lost Story of How Twitter Built Gary Vee
00:26:54 Why Operators Are About to Win Everything
00:28:47 No $200K Salary Until His 40s
00:31:53 Why He’s Running Toward TV as Everyone Leaves
00:36:09 Why Alternative Sports Are About to Blow Up
00:41:25 The $1 Trillion Live Shopping Boom in China
00:44:32 Should You Post Lo-Fi or Premium Content
00:47:09 Why He Only Hires Family and Old Friends
00:50:25 Why He’s Not Scared of It All Falling Apart
00:51:22 His Early Bets on Facebook, Twitter and Uber
00:56:07 What People Get Wrong About VeeFriends
00:57:59 His Plan to Become the Next Walt Disney
01:02:03 The 5-Year Bet That Built VaynerSports
01:03:33 Never Do a Deal With Your Favorite Athlete
01:05:36 Inside VCR Group, His Restaurant Company
01:08:24 Why He’ll Never Compromise His Audience
01:10:02 Why Creators Are the Next Fortune 500
01:14:03 Quickstrike Questions

Get Kallaway’s free Content Strategy Playbook → openresidency.com/kallaway-playbook
Try Sandcastles, the AI content tool from the live demo → sandcastles.ai
How to connect Sandcastles MCP to any AI platform: help.sandcastles.ai
Join Kallaway’s 4 week content growth program (closes October 25): kallaway.co/launch
Work with Kallaway 1:1 to scale your content: kallaway.co/contact
Watch Kallaway’s first episode → Open Residency x Kallaway
Kallaway has built three seven-figure businesses on content, and this is his second time on the show. A year after his first episode, he explains why most content has stopped working and the four ways left to stand out in a crowded niche: better ideas, more advanced takes, better proof and better storytelling.
Then he shares his screen for a live demo of Sandcastles, the AI content tool he co-founded, using it with Claude on his own channel, on a plastic surgeon starting from zero, and on Mark’s channel. We also get into how he brings in 10,000 to 15,000 emails a month from short form, why he turned his views down on purpose, and how the predictions he made last year held up.
🔗 KALLAWAY
Instagram: @kallaway
⚡ POWERED BY
beehiiv: Use code MARK30 for 30% off your first three months → beehiiv.com/openresidency
Ketone IQ: Visit ketone.com/openresidency for 30% OFF your subscription order PLUS receive a free gift with your second shipment—fun surprises like a free 6-pack, Ketone-IQ merch, and more.
Wispr Flow: Get 1 month of Wispr Flow Pro free with code OPENRESIDENCY → wisprflow.ai
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Trailer
00:00:42 Social Media Has Split Into Different Games
00:02:27 Why Copycats Are a Bigger Problem Than AI
00:03:59 Why Your Content Stopped Working
00:10:29 The 4 Ways Left to Stay Competitive
00:15:40 Why He Turned His Views Down on Purpose
00:20:55 Proof Is the Ultimate Separator
00:22:27 Why Mark Stopped Hiding His Numbers
00:28:27 Why Stories Sell Better Than Facts
00:30:03 Why Distribution Is the Final Moat
00:31:32 Followers Are Rented, Emails Are Owned
00:34:43 How He Gets 10K to 15K Emails a Month
00:39:39 How to Build Trust Without Proof
00:41:57 Learn a Skill Before You Make Content
00:45:29 Why He Built Sandcastles, His AI Content Tool
00:49:20 Live Demo: Find the Best Videos in Your Niche
01:00:20 What Claude Found When His Views Dropped
01:12:16 A Plastic Surgeon’s Content Plan From Zero
01:27:02 Auditing Mark’s Own Channel Live
01:36:01 Grading the Predictions He Made Last Year
01:45:39 Running Three Businesses With a Baby Coming
01:47:48 What Changes in Content by the End of 2027
01:51:23 Quickstrike Questions

Learn more about the Kinnect Foundation, Kith’s nonprofit → kinnectfoundation.org
Ronnie Fieg is giving you The Kith Playbook: seven decisions behind the brand, from no paid ads to stores worth the trip → Get the playbook
Ronnie Fieg launched Kith 15 years ago and scaled it into a global fashion and footwear business without outside capital, paid advertising, influencers, or traditional wholesale channels.
We get into the BMW and Armani collaborations, how Ronnie approaches brand coherence across lines as different as Kith Treats and golf equipment, and what putting together the 15-year archive book taught him about the real cost of building a lasting brand.
🔗 RONNIE FIEG
Website: kith.com
Instagram: @ronniefieg
Instagram (Kith): @kith
Download the Kith App: kith.com/pages/kith-app
🎙️ OPEN RESIDENCY
Instagram: @openresidency
Instagram: @markbrazil
LinkedIn: Mark Mastrandrea
Website: openresidency.com
Email: info@openresidency.com
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Trailer
00:01:08 What 15 Years on the Sales Floor Taught Him
00:10:17 The Difference Between Taste and Style
00:17:57 The Golf Collab He Almost Said No To
00:21:45 The 2007 ASICS Shoe Nobody Recognized
00:29:00 Why He Walked Away From 800 Visitors a Day
00:39:10 Six Samples to Get One Hoodie Right
00:43:46 Give People More Than What They Pay For
00:51:16 He Still Buys 6 to 8 Pairs of Shoes a Week
00:57:18 The New Luxury Is Emotion, Not Price
01:02:39 Why Kith Spends on Stores, Not Ads
01:10:11 Why Kith Drops Something New Every Monday
01:13:59 The BMW Poster That Became a Collab
01:19:54 The Ideas BMW and Coca-Cola Said No To
01:27:33 The Trips Where Nobody Is Asked to Post
01:32:03 Why Giorgio Armani Is His Proudest Collab
01:36:14 From Lifelong Fan to Knicks Creative Director
01:46:53 What Building Kith Has Cost Him
01:52:44 How Kith Mentors High School Students
01:54:12 Every Kith Shoe in One Book
01:56:44 Where Kith Goes in the Next 15 Years
01:59:14 Quickstrike Questions

Paddy Galloway is giving you The Virality Playbook — 50 thumbnails per video for Red Bull → Get the free playbook
Paddy Galloway has generated over 50 billion views for clients including Red Bull, MrBeast, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He's the highest-paid YouTube strategist in the world, and in this conversation he explains how viral content actually gets built. Paddy covers his complete system for ideation, packaging, and retention, and why the next decade will reward whoever controls attention.
You'll hear about the CCN framework, the 100-to-1 idea funnel, and the title and thumbnail principles that can multiply a video's performance by 40x overnight. Paddy talks about why most brand YouTube channels fail, and what separates content that performs from content that gets ignored. This is applied strategy from someone who's proven the model at scale.
🔗 PADDY GALLOWAY
Website: paddygalloway.com
Course: Paddy Galloway Accelerator
Newsletter: Join Paddy’s newsletter
Instagram: @paddygalloway
X: @PaddyG96
YouTube: Paddy Galloway
LinkedIn: Paddy Galloway
🎙️ OPEN RESIDENCY
Instagram: @openresidency
Mark’s Instagram: @markbrazil
Mark’s LinkedIn: Mark Mastrandrea
Website: openresidency.com
Email: info@openresidency.com
⚡ POWERED BY
Ketone IQ: Get 30% off your subscription order, plus a free gift with your second order → ketone.com/openresidency
Wispr Flow: Get one month of Wispr Flow Pro free with code OPENRESIDENCY → Try Wispr Flow
Momentous: Use code OPENRESIDENCY for up to 35% off your first order → livemomentous.com

beehiiv: Use code MARK30 for 30% off → https://beehiiv.link/ctemqv
1 of 10: 1of10.com/affiliate/openresidency
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Trailer
00:01:00 How Red Bull Went From 400K to 9M Views
00:04:09 Why Every Other Business Moat Is Dying
00:09:03 Your Idea Caps Your Views Before You Film
00:16:36 What He Learns From 100-Subscriber Channels
00:21:02 The Three Viewers Every Video Has to Hit
00:29:17 Why Your Audience Won't Follow You Anywhere
00:33:24 What Every 100M-View Video Has in Common
00:40:11 The Three Places Ideas Actually Come From
00:49:04 The Thumbnail Everyone in Business Copied
00:52:31 100 Ideas to Make 1 Video
01:02:42 20% Better Thumbnail, 40x the Views
01:13:18 Ten Titles, Three Thumbnails, Every Video
01:20:20 When to Panic After You Hit Publish
01:27:42 How to Write a Title People Click
01:37:28 The Only Two Metrics He Trusts
01:43:08 The 45-Second Intro Formula
01:52:14 The Algorithm Is Always Behind the Audience
01:57:26 Storytelling Is Useless Without Stakes
02:01:36 Don't Start a Channel You Can't Commit To
02:10:12 The Pendulum Between Quality and Packaging
02:16:09 The One Thing AI Still Can't Do
02:19:00 Why YouTube Is Beating Netflix and Disney
02:25:22 Quickstrike Questions