Podcast Summary
Unlikely Partnership Leads to Media Success: Recognizing unique talents and combining them can lead to successful partnerships and impactful creations.
The Daily Wire, a major media company, was founded by unlikely partners Ben Shapiro, Jeremy Boring, and Caleb Robinson. Each brought unique backgrounds and experiences to the table, from law and politics to acting and entrepreneurship. Despite seemingly unrelated paths, their individual strengths and shared vision led them to create a successful media company. Jeremy recognized Ben's once-in-a-generation talent and saw potential in his quick speech, while Ben saw potential in Jeremy and created opportunities for him to make videos and earn money. Together, they built The Daily Wire, which has become a significant player in independent media, challenging the dominance of mainstream TV, YouTube, and podcasts. Their story highlights the power of recognizing unique talents and combining them to create something meaningful and impactful.
Authenticity and talent matter in influence and content creation: Being authentic and offering valuable content are essential for a successful career in influence or content creation, regardless of corporate connections. Building an intellectual foundation is crucial for establishing oneself as a trusted voice.
The success of an individual in the influence or content creation space is not just about being able to put yourself out there, but also having something authentic and valuable to offer. The speaker shares an experience of recognizing Ben Shapiro's potential and helping him become a prominent figure, not just through corporate connections but by focusing on his unique personality and talent. They realized that people follow individuals, not just companies or brands, and the authenticity of the person is crucial for building a lasting career. The speaker advises that while it's easier than ever to become famous, having nothing to offer or say will not lead to long-term success. The importance of being intelligent, knowledgeable, and authentic cannot be overstated. Michael Knowles, for instance, was encouraged to read extensively to build his intellectual foundation and establish himself as a trusted voice.
Create value and opportunities for your audience: Focus on personal growth, build a lasting voice by creating value, and inspire growth in others through continuous learning and improvement.
The voices that will last and create sustainable success in content creation are those who don't just cater to their audience or say what they think people want to hear, but who create real value and opportunities for their audience. Treating the pursuit of a career like an athlete, focusing on personal growth, and creating value are key elements for long-term success. Michael's story illustrates the importance of this approach, as he built a lasting voice not just by riding cultural waves or having hot takes, but by creating value and opportunities for his audience. This mindset, which involves continuous learning, improvement, and growth, is inspiring and accessible to anyone, no matter where they are in their journey.
Focus on a Few Things for Success: Effectively prioritize and say no to distractions to excel in chosen areas, while navigating fame, wealth, and power challenges with skill and awareness.
Making choices and focusing on a few things rather than trying to do everything is essential for success. The speaker acknowledges that it's tempting to be distracted by attractive opportunities but emphasizes the importance of prioritizing and saying no to some things in order to excel in others. As one progresses in their career, dealing with fame, wealth, and power can present challenges, and the speaker warns that preserving what has been achieved can lead to becoming risk-averse and fearful of losing it. The ability to say no effectively and navigate these corrosive elements requires skill and awareness.
Success can make us less human, prioritize convenience over growth: Successful people must balance humanity and convenience, avoid outsourcing humanity, and allow for critique and stability in society
As we progress in life and experience success, it's easy to fall into the trap of prioritizing convenience over personal growth and human connection. This can lead to a lack of empathy and an unwillingness to help others, even in small ways. Successful people often become more and less human at the same time, and it's crucial to avoid this imbalance. Outsourcing tasks that require human connection or creativity is understandable, but we must remember that there are some things we cannot outsource, such as our humanity. Another common pitfall is the temptation to cater to audiences by playing it safe or giving them what they want to hear, rather than challenging them with new ideas. While it's important to have a balance of creativity and conservatism in society, the right's reactionary nature should not be criticized outright. Instead, we should recognize the value of both critiquing the status quo and maintaining stability. In a truly healthy culture, there will always be more people trying to hold on to what works than those trying to change things, but we must allow for both perspectives to coexist.
Balancing Leadership and Representation for the Right: The right must find a balance between leading and representing its constituency, challenging their worst instincts, and avoiding the destructive nature of reactionary politics. This approach contrasts with populism and prevents the tyranny of the people or elite.
The current political climate, where the left holds significant cultural, political, and economic power, poses a challenge for the right. While the right's reactionary nature becomes more important in preserving values, it also risks becoming a destructive force. The right must find a balance between leading and representing its constituency while also challenging their worst instincts. This approach, called lowercase r republicanism, contrasts with populism, which only caters to the people's desires in the moment. Society needs a balance between the tyranny of the people (populism) and the tyranny of the elite (authoritarianism). The right often diagnoses the problem correctly but errs in its prescriptions due to historical defeats and prolonged opposition.
Perspectives shaped by experiences may not align with reality: Be thoughtful, question assumptions, and consider complexities of the world to avoid falling into simplistic or dangerous beliefs.
Our experiences and the advice we receive shape our perspectives, but they don't always align with reality. The speaker shares an example of how parents' financial advice, based on their own struggles to earn money, is not applicable in today's world where money can be created. Similarly, the right often falls into the trap of embracing simplistic ideas, such as antisemitism or radical populism, which may provide a forbidden truth but lead to dangerous paths. Cultism is another pitfall, where people blindly trust those who reveal hidden truths, failing to question other beliefs and information they receive. It's crucial to be thoughtful, question assumptions, and consider the complexities of the world.
Question the authenticity of information and seek support from trusted individuals: To ensure personal growth, question the truthfulness of information and build strong relationships with trusted individuals for support and perspective.
When we are in positions of influence or receiving new information, it's crucial to question the authenticity and truthfulness of what we're being told. The allure of wealth, fame, and power can lead people to say things that may not align with their initial beliefs. It's essential to have a support system of trusted individuals who can provide valuable perspective and challenge our thinking. This camaraderie and open dialogue can help us navigate the uncertainty and self-doubt that comes with transitions and growth. Without this, we may be susceptible to accepting information that isn't true, much like a child accepting everything their parents say without question. Building and maintaining strong relationships with like-minded individuals is vital for personal growth and development.
Understanding the Strengths and Weaknesses of Left and Right: The left and right have unique strengths and weaknesses. The left excels at caring for those left behind and creating new things, while the right stands firm on truths. Creators on the right should also create culture and offer practical solutions, learning from the left's ability to connect and inspire.
Both the left and right political ideologies have their strengths and weaknesses. The left is commendable for its care for those left behind by the system and its creativity in building new things. The right, on the other hand, can be good at standing firm on foundational truths but often fails to provide practical solutions or inspiration for those who don't fit neatly into those ideas. The relationship between media and culture is crucial, and it's essential for creators on the right to be more than just critics, but also creators of culture and business. The right can learn from the left's ability to connect with people in their messy, real-life situations and offer practical solutions beyond just criticism. It's crucial to build a future that people aspire to, rather than alienating them with absolutes. The goal should be to bond audiences through mutual love of an in-group, rather than perpetuating a purity spiral based on mutual hatred of an out-group.
Emphasizing authenticity and holding up great entertainment: Ben Shapiro encourages authenticity in both politics and art, representing and challenging audiences while holding up moral and philosophical ideals, acknowledging flaws and imperfections, and embracing tension and course correction.
Ben Shapiro, the founder of The Daily Wire, emphasizes the importance of authenticity and holding up great entertainment, rather than pandering to audiences or adhering to a false standard of purity. He believes that people often want things that are different than what they publicly admit, and it's the entertainment industry's role to represent and challenge their audiences. Shapiro also highlights the importance of holding up moral and philosophical ideals, while also acknowledging and addressing people's flaws and imperfections. He believes that this approach, which involves tension and course correction, is essential for both politics and art. In essence, Shapiro encourages authenticity, growth, and a nuanced understanding of human desires and needs.
Fear of Impurity in Art: The fear of being perceived as impure or offensive is hindering art creation and consumption, leading to a lack of humor and nuance in discussions of sensitive topics. The future of culture and the culture wars depend on thoughtful and inclusive dialogue.
People's fear of being perceived as impure or offensive is hindering the creation and consumption of art, particularly in sensitive or controversial areas. This fear stems from the expectation of purity from creators that the audience itself does not uphold. The unwillingness to make jokes or engage in lighter topics, even around serious issues, is a result of this fear. The future of culture and the culture wars remains uncertain, but it's important to recognize that the peak of "wokeness" may have passed, and the need for a healthy and effective right to address the current challenges facing society is crucial. The fear of losing cultural ground on the left and the rise of bureaucratic tyranny on the right could lead to a dangerous conflict. Instead, we should strive for thoughtful and inclusive dialogue, allowing for humor and nuance in our discussions of sensitive topics.
Leadership for the future: Teaching us what to fight for: Younger leaders bring new ideas but need guidance to avoid negative influences, finding balance in the creator economy, and learning from history to adapt to technological changes.
While it's understandable for people to want strong leadership who can fight back against their adversaries, what's truly needed is leadership that teaches us not just how to fight, but what to fight for. This is a challenge, especially when people have been feeling marginalized and overlooked for a long time. The vacuum left by older leaders moving on from certain conversations can be filled by younger, more passionate voices, but it's crucial to navigate the good and bad that comes with this openness to new ideas. The future lies in finding a balance between the opportunities and dangers of the creator economy, where young people have more opportunities to express themselves without gatekeepers, but also need guidance and wisdom to avoid the negative influences. The current situation may echo Europe before the First World War, where an out-of-touch elite led to young people feeling left behind. It's essential to learn from history and adapt to the technological changes, like the Internet and AI, to deal with the challenges and opportunities they bring.
Appreciating diverse perspectives and learning from great content creators: Ben Shapiro values diverse voices and intellectually stimulating content, constantly seeking to learn from individuals like Gary Vaynerchuk, Jordan Peterson, Andrew Klavan, Glenn Beck, and Dennis Prager, and considering acquiring Douglas Murray for The Daily Wire.
Ben Shapiro values diverse perspectives and constantly seeks to learn from content creators, even if they come from different backgrounds or hold opposing views. He finds inspiration in individuals who challenge him intellectually and push boundaries, such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Jordan Peterson, and Andrew Klavan. Shapiro also emphasizes the importance of quality content and recognizes great broadcasters like Glenn Beck and Dennis Prager. He suggests acquiring Douglas Murray for The Daily Wire, believing that Murray's unique perspective and charm could significantly contribute to the platform. Shapiro's recommendations showcase his appreciation for a wide range of voices and his commitment to continuous learning and growth.
The Daily Wire expands content offerings with Bertram and BentKey: The Daily Wire introduces a new animated comedy series, Bertram, and a children's platform, BentKey, aiming to make a lasting impact on entertainment by providing politically incorrect content and a safe space for children.
The Daily Wire is expanding its content offerings with a new animated comedy series called Bertram, featuring Adam Carolla, Patrick Warburton, and Roseanne Barr, as well as a separate children's platform called BentKey. The team is proud of these projects and believes they can leave a lasting impact on entertainment, especially in the areas of children's content and freedom of expression. The Bertram series is a politically incorrect throwback to nineties animated shows, while BentKey aims to give children a place to be children without any hidden agendas. The team is also vocal about their stance on the importance of protecting children from explicit content and the potential dangers of pushing such content on them. They criticized Penguin Random House for suing Idaho over a school book banning law, arguing that kids don't have unlimited free speech rights and the idea of selling sexually explicit content to children is a societal issue that has jumped the shark. The Daily Wire currently has 18 shows on BentKey, including two Daily Wire originals, ChipChilla (animated) and Mabel McLeay (live action). To access Lady Ball, The Daily Wire's new movie, subscribers should visit dailywireplus.com and take advantage of the current discounted subscription offer.
