Can you actually manufacture virality?

Zach Katz and Jason Wilhelm, the co-founders of Fixated, join to explain that you can.

Fixated was built to be the architect behind some of the internet's biggest cultural phenomena. They've done well so far -- their first client was Sketch, who they brought on when he had only a few hundred viewers, and scaled him into a megastar. Since then, they've taken on big investor money and bought firms like Ellify, Elevate, and Studio71 to continue to scale.

Today on the show, Zach and Jason pull back the curtain on the creator economy, exposing the dark side of early talent management and revealing the uncompromising "burn the boats" mentality required to reach the top. From building massive creator houses to discovering true talent in a sea of millions, you'll learn how two industry pros navigate the modern creator economy.

0:00 The Boldest Claim in Content: Can You Actually Manufacture Virality?

2:15 Pop Culture History: The Hilarious "Sean Kingston" Origin Story

4:51 Building the Sway House: Professionalizing the Creator Mansion Model

9:36 Exposing Predatory MCN Deals & The FaZe Clan "Shush" Story

16:22 The Fixated Blueprint: How to Guarantee Distribution & Views

33:33 The Sketch Story: Finding a Mega-Creator Before They Explode

39:25 Controversial Takes: Why "48 Laws of Power" is Messing Creators Up

57:27 The "Burn the Boats" Mentality: Why Having a Plan B Guarantees Failure

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.