The Powers Playbook

The Powers Playbook: Interview - Al King - Sports Media, Card Breaking & Building Your Own Platform

• Aaron Powers • Season 1 • Episode 8

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What does it really take to build success in sports media, digital marketing, and modern entrepreneurship?

In this episode of The Powers Playbook, Aaron Powers sits down with Al King, a sports media personality, digital marketer, and fantasy football analyst, to talk about building opportunities in competitive industries and creating platforms that connect with audiences.

Al shares his journey through sports media, the rise of digital content, and how new opportunities are emerging for creators and entrepreneurs who are willing to build something of their own.

The conversation also dives into the rapidly growing sports card hobby and breaking industry — a space where community, entertainment, and entrepreneurship collide. From live card breaks to online collector communities, sports cards have evolved into a dynamic marketplace fueled by passion, technology, and connection.

This episode explores how content, media, and niche hobbies like sports card breaking can turn into thriving businesses when creators focus on authenticity, consistency, and serving their audience.

In This Episode

• Al’s journey into sports media and digital marketing
• The evolution of sports content and online platforms
• How podcasts and digital media are reshaping sports coverage
• The mindset required to build something from the ground up
• The rise of the sports card hobby and live breaking culture
• How sports card breaking has become a new form of entertainment and entrepreneurship
• Why building community is critical in niche markets
• Lessons learned from navigating competitive industries

The Bigger Message

Today’s opportunities often exist outside traditional career paths.

Whether it’s launching a podcast, building a digital brand, or creating a community around a passion like sports cards, the people who succeed are often the ones willing to experiment, take risks, and build platforms that connect with others.

Passion plus persistence can create opportunities that didn’t exist just a few years ago.

Who This Episode Is For

• Entrepreneurs and business builders
• Sports media fans and content creators
• Sports card collectors and hobby enthusiasts
• Anyone interested in building a digital brand
• People exploring non-traditional career paths

About The Powers Playbook

The Powers Playbook explores the intersection of real estate, wealth, business, and family decisions. Each episode features conversations designed to help listeners grow professionally, financially, and personally.

Subscribe for more discussions about real estate, entrepreneurship, digital media, and building long-term success.

SPEAKER_01

You've opened the powers playbook. Your guide to family will and realistic.

SPEAKER_02

All right, welcome back to the show, everybody. Welcome to the Powers Playbook. We have a very special guest with us today. I told you I was going to be bringing uh people on the show for you to meet. Uh, so we have another one today. So the play that we're running is going to be meeting our guest today. Um, he has been uh he's in the group. I've known him longer than I haven't. So we'll be bringing you a few of those just because they're they're always interesting conversations. Um He is the owner of a digital marketing company. Uh he's a pro production director uh in many different things. He uh breaks cards. If you don't know what that is, we're gonna be talking about some sports cards today. Um he does so many things I can't really even name them all, which is gonna be really interesting to learn. We're gonna learn about family, relationships, um, lots of things today. So uh without further ado, my guest today is one Alfred Henry King the Fourth. Welcome to the show, sir.

SPEAKER_00

Wow, you nailed the you nailed the fourth. A lot of times people will Alfred Henry King the third, and I have to say, oh that that guy was my dad. Yes, I'm I'm the fourth, so good job.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, absolutely. So uh Al and I have known Al since uh sophomore year of high school. That's how long we were. I was 13. That's so crazy. I don't know how old you were.

SPEAKER_00

I assume, but I mean that's nuts.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, still still around, dude.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, heck yeah. Still around. Like you said, we've known each other longer than we haven't. I believe it was English class, if I remember correctly.

SPEAKER_02

You could be right. I think is where we met. Can't you believe you know the names of the class? I think so, yeah. That would be interesting to see how many teachers' names do you know from school?

SPEAKER_00

I I kind of remember a lot of them.

SPEAKER_02

I feel like you would know a lot.

SPEAKER_00

I I moved to the I think I just lost all like my favorite school teacher, third grade math teacher, Miss Ogle. Isn't that wild? Third grade.

SPEAKER_02

My favorite teacher was my first grade teacher, Mrs. Patterson.

SPEAKER_00

So okay, so you remember that father. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02

Of course, yeah. All right, all right. After uh we'll we'll skip that um and move right into to you now. So what is uh Al's focus? We we don't always call him Alfred, by the way. I just I met him as knowing his full name and then family, dad, and and all the things, but um what are you most focused on in your professional life right now? Because I know it's changed, we'll talk about your journey, but what what is it for you right now?

SPEAKER_00

It's so hard to say one thing. Um I think the word entrepreneur has to be a thing that is said. Um my current main focus, it's like again, it's hard to say. I think it's it's live event production and then the sports card breaking company that I just recently started with some buddies of mine.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Um, what is live event production for those of us that don't know?

SPEAKER_00

There's a lot of layers to it. Um, but for what I do, it's usually in-house control room.

SPEAKER_02

And what I'm doing in the trailer behind the arena, like uh kind of.

SPEAKER_00

So that's the truck usually. So like I said, I'm in-house.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and they they do like the behind-the-scenes stuff, and there's always, you know, a guy that would go and and take another guy and like beat his ass in inside the promo truck or the TV truck.

SPEAKER_00

Correct. So I have done TV truck work before as well. Okay. But for the most part, in the city of Vegas, I'm part of the in-house crew, and in-house production is you've been to sporting events or concerts or anything like that, obviously. Yeah, I've been out of the house. Yeah. Um anything that goes on the big board or any of the screens around the arena that you're in or the venue that you're in, that you're in, is considered live event production.

SPEAKER_02

So you're you're producing the content inside the arena in real time.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Okay. Yep. So and I do multiple roles within there. Uh technical director, which is the one that actually calls for the shots and pushes the buttons and makes them go. Okay. Uh, I can do instant replay. Uh I did Savannah Banana's instant replay last year. Super interesting. That was pretty cool. That's cool. Instant replaying an umpire tearing off his pants to reveal heartboxers and do a dance first for me. Um, yeah, there's graphics. There's also it's there's so many layers, like I said, to it.

SPEAKER_02

That's really cool, man. So I I know we're gonna probably talk about this later, but um actually I'll wait. Oh we'll talk about because I'm curious as to like how the heck do you get to into something like that?

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_02

But I know there's a bigger, bigger story. So um the second thing you said was uh card breaking company with some friends. So what is that?

SPEAKER_00

That one's even harder to explain, I think. But it's uh, you know, if you're into the trading card space, whether it's sports cards or Pokemon or One Piece is a new thing now. I don't know if you've heard of One Piece. No, I mean I know a One Piece bathing suit. Okay, yeah, no, not that. But it's like an anime series, and they just started putting out cards and it's become wildly popular.

SPEAKER_02

Collectibles are on a different level now.

SPEAKER_00

They really are, they are like across the board.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, uh like Emily acclude me into like what whatnot is. Yeah, like but before you and her, I had no idea the what the what whatnot was. Didn't even know anything about it. So interesting.

SPEAKER_00

The sports card breaking company is on whatnot currently, that's our main driver um platform, and and whatnot is is a live auction house. And live auction houses were huge in Japan, like years ago. They were well ahead of the curve.

SPEAKER_02

It's like real-time online shopping.

SPEAKER_00

Correct. Okay, yep, and so it makes sense why it's popular because where do people do most of their shopping nowadays? Well, online.

SPEAKER_02

Online, right. But uh our culture is just so much instant gratification. It is, and that's why it works. Yep, it is because they want it, you want access and you want it right now. I mean, before, like when you and I were young, you'd have to go on eBay and you'd have to bid on the thing you wanted, and then you'd have to go back and check towards the end of the bidding to see if you got it, or you'd have to wait for like the last five minutes when everybody's like up bit over bidding.

SPEAKER_00

Actively bidding, yeah. So that last five-minute window that you just explained on eBay is whatnot.

SPEAKER_02

So that's what it's come to real time to in today's world.

SPEAKER_00

And you know what else has a live auction selling platform now? eBay. It's called eBay Life. Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. Interesting. So they started one, but so to answer the question of what sports card breaking is, it's you're a Lakers fan, I'm a Lakers fan. I want to collect some Lakers cards, but I don't want to spend eight hundred and fifty dollars on the box where I could get a cool Lakers autograph.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

But I wouldn't mind spending sixty dollars for a chance at getting a Laker autograph. So that's where a sports card break comes in. You go into a room, a live auction room, you pay sixty dollars to get the Lakers in said box. That box gets open live for everyone to see, and then any Laker card that comes out of it goes to you.

SPEAKER_02

Got it. Okay. So, like, correct me if I'm wrong, but this is almost like gambling. Yes? Yeah. Because there is also a chance I could get zero Lakers cards.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yeah. Okay. Um, chances of getting zero. If you know what you're doing, chances of getting no Lakers cards is low. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Um But the chances of me actually getting a Laker autograph card low. Yeah, very low. So essentially I am still gambling.

SPEAKER_00

For sure. It's a chance thing, right?

SPEAKER_02

Um But I think that's why it works.

SPEAKER_00

I the some people absolutely love the gamble.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, 100%. I mean, hey, we uh we I do live in Vegas after after all.

SPEAKER_00

For sure. And and there's many aspects of it that can be gambling, and some people get in trouble because it is gambling, right? And um a lot of people like to try to disguise it as oh, well, I'm getting something in return. So like that $400 that I spent last night in breaks for only $40 of return is fine. I got something back. If I went to the casino and played $400, I wouldn't get anything back.

SPEAKER_02

You can talk yourself into just speculating.

SPEAKER_00

I know that's why I said some people do, and and it it is a bit of a slippery slope, and and part of our company, the one that we just started, we're we're calling it proper hobby. Okay. We want to do everything properly. So part of our yes, part of our company's motto is to kind of help protect the buyers from themselves. So, like let's say you came in and bought the Lakers for 60 bucks and you got no Laker cards. But we know you're a Lakers fan. We all have a good amount of inventory in our in our offices around the country. We're in three different locations, um, where we would send you a few Laker cards that would probably get close to the $60 that you spent.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

So that's that's a big thing that we're trying to lean on. Yeah, correct. Gotcha. Okay. Now, if you hit something big, we wouldn't send you anything extra because you already got it.

SPEAKER_02

Of course, of course. That's cool. That's cool. Really interesting. Before um, like you got into the whole card scene or breaking, I had no idea what it was. So yeah, I just thought it'd be interesting to to check in with you about it.

SPEAKER_00

Well, the COVID, the COVID bubble kind of did it for everyone where breaking became and that's where whatnot established itself.

SPEAKER_02

From home on camera. Correct. Gotcha. Yeah. Okay. Cool. Very interesting. Um, I'd like to go into just your entrepreneurial spirit for a minute. Um, because you and I both own, you know, different businesses and have kind of created our own, so to speak, thing. Obviously, no nobody ever does anything alone. You didn't do it by yourself, neither did I. Right. So let's make that like fully un understood. Um but you do have some ownership in things that you have created. I'm just curious, like, when did you notice what it was? Like in what part of life did you figure out like I am entrepreneurial, I do want to start my own thing, and then like how did you figure that out, find your way through that? Because that I don't think everybody has that. No, so I'm curious to know how did it come about for you?

SPEAKER_00

It's kind of funny. I was kind of forced into it. Um my last job in Reno, as you do, as you know, was the director of Coach's Film and Technology for the Nevada football team.

SPEAKER_02

And they're gonna throw a go pack in there.

SPEAKER_00

Go pack, woo. Um and uh and in March of 2020, the world got evacuated, right? Along with us on campus, and we started to have to do meetings from home and everything, and there was like no end in sight to the evacuation. Of course, yeah. So I decided to come home to Vegas, and um that's where I realized my dad had been diagnosed with cancer. That's where I realized that how sick he was and how much help he needed. So in my head, I said, Well, how can I give myself time while still making money and have available time to help help take care of my dad? And so that's where I had to put on my entrepreneur hat, right? So, like I said, it was kind of forced upon me. I don't think I when I was in the role up in Reno, I wasn't like, man, I really wish I could do something on my own for myself. Right. I did I wasn't really in my head.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So I guess I I got forced into it. But since then, I've tried to take on a couple jobs. Can't do it anymore. I can't work for anyone else.

SPEAKER_02

You know what we call that?

SPEAKER_00

What is that?

SPEAKER_02

You are unemployable. I'm unemployable.

SPEAKER_00

You are unemployable as a overqualified, unemployable, all the things.

SPEAKER_02

Uh you get to a certain point in understanding like how to create or how to build, or you know, even if it's uh buying something for a hundred dollars and selling it for three hundred, that's entrepreneurial, right? Like it's the same kind of thing. You get to a point where I think you realize that that game is understood enough to keep moving forward and actually going and taking a quote unquote job with you know a boss in a sense becomes very difficult to take on um after you've been on the other side.

SPEAKER_00

And one of those jobs was in-house with the Raiders, which I'm working for an NFL team. How cool does that sound to to you, to me, to any kid that was a sports fan growing up?

SPEAKER_02

Like it sounds cool other than the Raiders part.

SPEAKER_00

Right, yeah, for sure. Yeah, as a Broncos guy, yeah. Yeah, I'm a Broncos fan, so um, I would wear Niners shirts. I would wear 40 Niner shirts under the Raider polos often. So um, but uh that's hilarious. But so I mean, even that, right? Like that was after I started my own thing, and and I I just couldn't do it. I lasted basically one calendar year and I was like, it's not for me. Which is weird to think about from the outside. So I I guess I don't really have a good answer to the when did I know I was gonna be entrepreneurial. I think it's just I had to become.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I also think you have a certain set of skills that you've learned that other people just do not have or won't take the time to learn or understand. And they're me included.

SPEAKER_00

They're willing to pay for, right?

SPEAKER_02

So I don't know everything that you know from an understanding of of digital and production and directing and all that, just like you don't know how to fill out a real estate contract. Right, right. And you're willing to pay me for for that, and I'm willing to pay you for that, right? So it's it it's makes perfect sense, but I do believe there is some sort of um uh unique skill involved in being entrepreneurial.

SPEAKER_00

For sure. When whenever people ask me, you know, I've had plenty of people ask me, I'm sure you've had plenty of people ask you, what do I gotta do to like get my own thing? How do I go out and do and the there's always really two answers that I give them. One is take the jump, that's like the scariest thing. That's the that's the starting point. The second is learn a skill set that people are willing to pay for. You can learn whatever skill set you want, but if no one's willing to pay for it, then it it's no good and you can't be an entrepreneur. Yeah. And so those are the two big answers.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the first one is burn the boats. Okay. You heard you heard that one before, right? Yeah. You know, they said like you get they they got to land and said, well, we're we're never going back, so they burned the boats so they couldn't return. That's kind of what you're saying, is like take the jump. Yep. Um I I've told many people that getting into real estate, I'm like, you know, you can try to do it part-time, you can try to do this and that at the same time, but until you just have no other option, you're not gonna give it everything you've got. And I think some of that um potential fail is necessary for the success. 100%. So I I agree completely. I think that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

I will also say one more thing before we go to the next question is I always tell this to people too. Starting my own business, I would never wish that upon my worst enemy, but it's also the greatest thing that I have ever done.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it will be it will be the hardest thing you have ever decided to do, and it will teach you more about yourself than you would really like to know.

SPEAKER_00

Yep. Nailed it.

SPEAKER_02

100%. Yeah. But when you get to the other side and you can look back, it is the most rewarding you ever do. So I uh but it it is something that I wish everyone would do, but it is not for everyone. Yeah. And I think that's uh okay to understand as well. I think it's okay to understand that you can be the second person in a company. You can be the third. Like maybe that is the seat you belong in. You don't have to be the owner.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_02

You can still have a really great, you know, entrepreneurial spirit inside of somebody else's, you know, globe that they've built big enough for you to fit it underneath. 100%, yeah. No doubt. I've learned a lot of that too as I've gone gone forward in in this business.

SPEAKER_00

So how long have you been quote unquote bossless?

SPEAKER_02

Uh since 2016. So 10 years.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. Ten years of powers real estate.

SPEAKER_02

10 years. Wow. Today this year's year 10, 2026. Awesome.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's awesome. Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Yep. And it's sometimes I look back and I'm like, man, that's been a lot. That's a long time. And then other times I look back and it's like, I feel like I just started. I feel like it flies, yeah. Yeah, so it just goes so fast. But um, I want to go uh back to you mentioned Reno. And it was one of the questions I had that I was interested for you. So me, I never left for a college experience. You did. Yep. You didn't technically go out of state, but you kind of did because Reno's far enough to be in another state, basically.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the climate's different and everything.

SPEAKER_02

It's a totally different place in a sense. You went you were away from family, away from home. Yep. Um, how was that experience? Would you do it again? And do you hope that uh one day your kids get to do it?

SPEAKER_00

That experience was amazing. It was seven years of my life from 2013 to 2020. I was in school 2013 to 2016, and then worked out there 16 to 20. Reno is such a college town, and I think just leaving home and having to do things on your own away from a safety net, there's so much growth and uncomfortability that if you can push through that and fight through all that, it really gives you a lot of growth. And I think those seven I tell people all the time, those seven years away from Vegas is the biggest growth I've ever had in my life. And it wasn't because I got a college degree, like just overall everything.

SPEAKER_02

I'm sure the degree has something to do with it. It's the it's the it's the driving force that took you. Yeah, so it's important. I mean, the piece of paper is what you decide to do with it, obviously. Yep.

SPEAKER_00

Um, but I'm grateful, don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful that I graduated from college. Um, first generation college graduate. Um, and I think education is very, very important. So um, I would recommend, I would yes, do it again for sure. Okay. And if I have kids, I would really hope that they would push themselves to college. And I would recommend anyone who asks kids to at least let them try it out.

SPEAKER_02

You like how I just foreshadowed the kids for you? Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02

Um uh that's one of the biggest uh I don't want to say regrets, but just like untapped things that I didn't do in my life was go away for something college, military, like just the experiences that I could have had. Um I just never pushed myself to that. I did some college and then I just started working. Right. And that was really like my journey, um, which is awesome because I'm I'm here. Like I'm not taking anything away from it. But that's the one thing like when I look at my kids, I'm like, I really hope they want to go like somewhere else for college and and get away from home and like have their own like adult experiences where they get to grow into who they become and and learn what you know is good and bad away from the you know, the house. I mean you get some of that as you grow up no matter what. Right. But I just always thought that was one of the really cool opportunities that I that I missed was to actually go away and have that college experience.

SPEAKER_00

It's a lot of fun, right? And like I was talking about the importance of education and stuff, but you meet lifelong friends, right? You know, and because it's not only you that are that's out there that left your safety net, it's basically everyone. That's a thousand other people, yeah. And so everyone's kind of there in the same playing field, right? You kind of get a reinvent yourself, I guess you could say a little bit. Um, and then you know, you just find the common group of people and you and you all work your way through it. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_02

I do want to say congrats on the on the degree. Thanks. You're one of the the few people um that I know that actually went away to college and completed it and finished and got their degree. Yes. What kept you uh moving forward and completing it when it's really easy not to?

SPEAKER_00

You know, it's kind of wild because I transferred from CSN, which is where you went for a little bit, and went up there with my associate's degree.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I didn't get that either.

SPEAKER_00

My credits uh my credits didn't transfer, quote unquote, because the verbiage in the catalog was a little bit different.

SPEAKER_02

So I graduated like what the classes were called, or what okay, yeah, okay, correct.

SPEAKER_00

Like electives versus Yeah, so I was supposed to go up there and only have two years of school and be done. Uh huh. It took me three full years with one summer mester and one winter mestester in there as well. And I was like crunching. I graduated with my bachelor's. Degree. Most people graduated 120 credits. Okay. 178 credits. And I only ever took one class that I knew wouldn't count toward my degree.

SPEAKER_02

So you're overqualified.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, my academic advisor. She was a nice lady. Made a big mistake. Yeah. Didn't know my associates was on there.

SPEAKER_02

She was unaware. You're also too young to like push it past, right? Or find somebody else to help you.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, well, and and you know, I I went into a class that I was given up there, and it was environmental science 100, and I was like, I already took this class. And the science professor was like, Oh, um, everyone write your name, the last science class that you took, and one fact about yourself on a note card, and and hand it in. And so I wrote out king, and then I put really big environmental science 100. And then after the class, she said, uh, hang out for a little bit with me. And then she's like, So you took the starters like, yeah, and the lab. And she's like, You shouldn't be in here. And so she got me out of that class. And I started taking another one. So she did help, but she helped you, yeah. 178 credits. I was two credits away from being charged 150% tuition fees because they were they thought I was hanging out.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, well, you were.

SPEAKER_00

I guess you were hanging out, dude. And then I started my master's, but then I got a job.

SPEAKER_02

Nice. Nice. Well, kudos on the degrees.

SPEAKER_00

Thanks. Very cool. Thanks.

SPEAKER_02

Um, anytime I I think about degrees, I always think about the uh college dropout album.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

All the skits of script, yeah. What am I gonna do with my degrees?

SPEAKER_00

That is so real. Oh man, that's that is that is so real. Let me tell you that the pressure of not knowing what's coming after you're done with college is like I think that's the same pressure people feel that don't go, though, as well.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you know what I mean? It's like, okay, well, now what am I gonna do? And then you just go start the journey, man. Yeah. The first thing that shows up and start the journey, right?

SPEAKER_00

Correct. Adulting is wild.

SPEAKER_02

Uh, what did you go? What did you go to college for to get your bachelor's in? How has that translated into what you're doing in your career now?

SPEAKER_00

So I started at CSN in convergent journalism was what is called what it was called, which is TV and radio.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

And I wanted to be doing what we're doing right now and talking to a microphone, be a sports analyst.

SPEAKER_02

You made it. Be a play by play. Yeah, thanks. You're doing it, man. Thanks. Congratulations. Be play by play and such.

SPEAKER_00

Oh no. Right. And then I went uh went up north and they offered broadcast journalism and digital media. And so I went to school for journalism up there and digital media as a minor.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

And I mean, I'm I'm basically using that like crazy. Up there, I made the decision. I did do play-by-play for the college for a while, and I did have a sports radio show. But up there, I was like, man, it seems like a quicker path to money behind the camera, right? In the control room.

SPEAKER_02

You almost focused on your minor more than your major.

SPEAKER_00

My minor was more art driven, which is weird. It it what the minor gave me for digital media was um a lot of experimenting within softwares. Okay. So like all the softwares that you know that I know came from that because it was like, let's push the limits of this and push the limits of that. Um so the digital media helped in that way. And then we also did 3D printing, which is cool, but I don't use it anymore. Um but uh but I decided going behind the camera was probably an easier path. And at the time I was just looking for ease.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Alright. Um, so you were gonna do journalism, you're gonna be in front of the camera, and then you went behind. Yep. And then uh when you start Which still is journalism, by the way.

SPEAKER_00

Just so you're like, people do go to the journalism school to learn control room stuff and everything else.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, my favorite's the guy when I uh like go to the NFL games that sits up on that perch camera that's on wheels, and he like goes side to side. Yeah, they look like they're having a blast.

SPEAKER_00

It's yeah, it's awesome. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_02

Those guys look like they're having fun.

SPEAKER_00

They're dangerous. The people that drive them are dangerous. I bet. Yeah, they they almost run you over a lot on the sidelines.

SPEAKER_02

I bet.

SPEAKER_00

Head on a swivel.

SPEAKER_02

Um, so you you do that, you decide to come back. Um, like what what initially got you started into like really making money for yourself? What what are you focused on and what do you still offer? Like, just so anybody that's listening to this, like for digital media purposes or the things that you own, like what do you offer people?

SPEAKER_00

Well, so the the first step that I had to do was figure out how to make money while taking care of my dad, like I said earlier. And I actually reached out to you and was like, hey, I'm coming back home, I'm gonna stay. Uh, I know how to work a camera, I can do social media, uh, I can help build websites, I can create videos, photos, all the things. And you were like, let me talk to my brokerage at the time, which was another Keller Williams office, and see about maybe you getting in there and helping them with their stuff. And so that's kind of where we started as a company, myself and Corey. Um, and I guess that that was the beginning of it, right? Just making money through real estate photos and video and website creation, those things.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Shout out to Zig, by the way. Ziggy. Uh Mr. Corey, if he's listening. Any of you that have come uh to our Photos with Santa event, that's your Santa right there.

SPEAKER_00

Hey, spoiler.

SPEAKER_02

Uh hope all is well, Zig.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, he's doing awesome up the up north.

SPEAKER_02

I know, I've heard. I've heard a couple opportunities he's got, which is really cool. And somebody you met from Reno. Yeah. Correct. Started digital marketing. So very cool. Um, for any of you that don't know, when I started the Aaron Power show years ago, um, I started it with like a lending company at first with the green screen, and then Al took over and started uh filming and editing and making all of our videos. He's also the one generally behind the camera for this show. I just decided to pull him on camera for once. And we really have no idea if this camera is even in focus, if uh any of the audio or video are working, because he's sitting in front of the camera, so I guess we're gonna have to hope for the best.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we gotta hope for the best.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, very good.

SPEAKER_00

Uh, you know, I should have said when you asked what my biggest focus is right now, I should have said the Powers Playbook podcast.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, it would have been a smart answer, but seeing as though it wasn't even mentioned, lets me know where I sit on the on the totem pole. So I appreciate that. I'm a distant third to fourth, it seems. No, definitely not. That's okay. That's okay. We'll we'll we'll push forward. All right, no problem. Um, I want to ask you uh a little bit about your mom and dad. If you're okay if we talk about that. So um for any of you that uh don't know Al, um, his mom and dad are no longer with us. Um they both passed far uh too early in in my eyes. Uh dad was quite a bit older, obviously, age-wise. Yeah. Um, but you are the person that's the closest to me that has probably experienced the most unfortunate loss in life. And I I do think that when we're able to share those things, it it helps other people. So that that's really why I'm asking you. Because I think that's one of the things that you maybe not even necessarily that you like it, but you are you are an expert in a sense in having to go through those things. Yeah. And my um my parents are all still alive. So this is something that's coming, yeah. That for me that I know I have to deal with. So I don't know where you'd like to start, um, but I am really interested of like when were your mom and dad together? How did you get to Vegas? When did mom come and follow you? Because this all is a really cool like story. Yeah. Um Al's mom was one of the most like loving and real people I I think I've I've ever met. Like she would she would love you, but also tell you exactly how it was. Yeah. Um there's a few instances where I like I still remember exactly like where I was, what she said to me. Yeah. Like those kind of things too. That's awesome. I'm curious first on on on that side of growing up with mom and dad, and then um you you know, mom's journey to you, like if you could tell us how that went.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, it was a split household growing up, right? Um I have a stepdad who is still around. Somehow Tom's amazing. Somehow, the man who's the most reckless with his body is the one that's still kicking, right? I don't understand it, but he tests it, man. I guess. To see what it's it can become. Yes, correct.

SPEAKER_02

It's uh yeah, no, I I I completely I have stepmom, stepdad parents not together, so I'm I'm with you on the split family thing.

SPEAKER_00

Yep, so you kind of get it. So it was a split household, right? So we would be back and forth from mom's house, dad's house. Um it was usually a set schedule. We went to school where my dad was, we use his address because the the schools were better zoned-wise. That's how I met you, or else I probably would not have met you because I'd have been going to Durango High School instead of Silverado.

SPEAKER_02

Well, shout out to Tina and Al for making that happen.

SPEAKER_00

Yep. Um and then they were together. My parents were together prior to me. Do you want me to tell the age gap?

SPEAKER_02

This is your story, man. This is your story.

SPEAKER_00

They were they were together, they met in Laughlin, Nevada.

SPEAKER_02

I had no idea. My mom was a cocktail waitress. Okay.

SPEAKER_00

That makes perfect sense, actually. And my dad had a good amount of money from his occupation at the time. Okay, I gotta stop. We're black.

SPEAKER_02

How long is it just hit?

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

This is gonna get good. This is gonna get good, man. This is gonna be good to go for here. It literally removes every notification from every Apple iPhone.

SPEAKER_00

Like you're like the end of the world, man. Alright, I'll pick it up from uh cocktail waitress.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

And so my mom and dad met in Lawland, Nevada, okay. And my mom was a cocktail waitress. My dad had a a good amount of money at the time due to his occupation of choice at the time.

SPEAKER_02

Got it.

SPEAKER_00

And most people would, you know, tip a dollar, five dollars. My dad was putting twenty dollar bills like in the side of her skirt. Every drink she'd bring over.

SPEAKER_02

Oh man.

SPEAKER_00

So caught the young lady's eye.

SPEAKER_02

Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And uh he was a bit of a silver fox and had a way with his words, my mom would say. Um, and she finally, you know, I guess gave in to the charm, right? Went on a date or two with him.

SPEAKER_02

Your dad was quite the talker, man. Yes, he was the guy that strings and words for sure.

SPEAKER_00

He was a good salesman.

SPEAKER_02

He was he was an excellent salesman.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, he was the top salesman at his job for like 20 years before he passed. So um, but that's how they met, was in Laughlin, Nevada.

SPEAKER_02

That's awesome. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, both of them were born in California. So um they really moved to Vegas when I was born, basically, which was in '88.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Baby brother, well, middle brother, born in ninety. Dad's occupation sent him away for five years. And uh and um and he changed his whole life in there. And that was when my mom met my stepdad. And then the split household began, and yeah, the rest is kind of history from there.

SPEAKER_02

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. Um we can pick it up wherever you want.

SPEAKER_02

No, so from what I when I met you, I think your mom and um your stepdad and your little brother were in Arkansas.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Like when we met. Okay. And then shortly thereafter, they came to Vegas. Yep. And I don't know if they moved like part-time at first or full-time, but then everybody was here.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, so that was like my remembering because when I first met you, it was just you and your dad. Yep. Um, and then when when all and then your mom showed up got to know your mom, which then the whole family was together.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I guess I didn't realize that my mom was in Arkansas when I first met you. Yeah. So they had moved back there. My mom's whole side of the family is from Arkansas. Um, so grandma, all my aunts, my uncles are all out there in Arkansas. Um, my mom just wanted to be closer to them, right? So she moved out there with Tommy and Timmy. Timmy was young, very young. And they lived out there for I think Tommy went to high school out there for a year, maybe a year and a half. I went out there for seven months, played baseball, American Legion baseball over the summer, then got told that my high school credits would keep me there a half year longer because there's things in Arkansas curriculum that isn't the same as Vegas or Nevada curriculum.

SPEAKER_02

Man, these credits got you messed up. I know.

SPEAKER_00

So I decided to come back, and that's when it was just my dad and I for a little bit. And then my mom decided to come back. You know, honestly, I'm not really I can't really remember why I decided to come back. You know, I think Tommy was a troublemaker in high school out here, so it helped to get him away. I think maybe it was just uh maybe she missed me, maybe she missed my dad and me, you know. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

I was always really grateful for you that she did. Yeah, for sure. You know what I mean? I missed her a lot. You had every everybody with you, and then you got to spend as much time with her as you could have, uh knowing that she was gonna pass uh younger than she should have. For sure, obviously. Yep. Um, but yeah, just really interesting dynamic uh of that because I was like, it was just you and your dad, and then and then mom, and I was like, oh man.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_02

I wonder how all this works, you know.

SPEAKER_00

Well, mommy's young kid, they give you for sure. Mom and stepdad were together for a long time. They were together for 13 years. My age five to age 18 is what I basically usually say what they were together for, and then mom went back to dad, and then they got married. So they were unmarried before they had us. It's a weird what a weird yeah, it's crazy. And then they got married, so then uh my mom actually passed as as Mrs. King, which was kind of cool. Um but yeah, weird dynamic there. And I will say this though, I think my dad and my stepdad handled it about as well as two grown men could.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, from somebody who was like around, you know, enough to be around, uh everybody was always seemed to do whatever was best for the three kids. Yep. And that is not always the case. No. So I always thought that that was a really commendable thing that that everybody did as adults to make the the children have the lives that they could have.

SPEAKER_00

Right. And at the time when we were kids like our age, right? Teenagers, whatever, we didn't realize how hard that was or how gracefully they were doing that. We were just like living our lives.

SPEAKER_02

At that age, you don't even want to spend time with your parents.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_02

And so you're trying to figure out how to get out, not in.

SPEAKER_00

But now that you're older, we're older, and you see how other people co-parent that are split households. Yeah. Some of them just uh it's just it was great to see how graceful they did it.

SPEAKER_02

Dude, my parents did an outstanding job of uh not letting me realize that it would have been any different otherwise. Right. You know, like I would I would visit my dad once a month, I'd spend the summers with him. Um and uh, you know, my my stepmom and my stepdad have both been around since I was three. Yep. So like I've I've known him my entire life. They've always been in my life um good role models, like they did everything the best that they could have, you know, within the situation. Yep. So and and I honestly, until I started getting older and you know, having other friends that their parents were together, I didn't even know it wasn't normal. Right. You don't know what you don't know. Correct. You know what I mean? Like you only know what's in front of you. Yeah. As a kid, you don't care as long as you're you have what you need.

SPEAKER_00

Right? Yep. Um and we it sounds like we were lucky enough to have sets of parents that gave us what we need.

SPEAKER_02

I think we were both very lucky for sure.

SPEAKER_00

For sure.

SPEAKER_02

Um I think out parents. Yes, thank you guys. Well done. Well done. Hopefully we can do the same. We'll see. We're on our way. We're on our way. Um from uh from the perspective of like as you are now, as old as you are, um, with your parents no longer here, like how does that does that affect you day to day? I'm sure like time heals certain things where you you can cope with it better now than you could have before, but but you know, I'm just I think back to the things of like holidays or family get togethers or those things. Now you're you're obviously still have a lot of life left to live to create your own. Yep. Um, but how does that how does that most affect you? And you know, is it a can you turn it into a positive thing in any way?

SPEAKER_00

It's it's wild how much it still does affect day-to-day um for me personally. I know my brothers handle it a little differently. You know, we all everyone handles grief differently. Yeah, I think everyone does. Um but the amount of times that it's like what you were just mentioning, like losing your parents at such an early age, you don't realize how much they're the glue of your family. And so we have way less family outings, right? We try to get together for birthdays and stuff, but just the random, you know, hey, let's go to King's Fish House on a Sunday with dad. Yeah. That that's us.

SPEAKER_02

Or even the opportunity to invite him.

SPEAKER_00

Correct. Yep. Or even just go to the house.

SPEAKER_02

That is the one thing I I uh I really try to make uh a precedent to do is if if my parents ask or invite us anywhere, I'll fight to say yes. Because I know there's gonna come a time where you can't I'm not gonna get invited anywhere. For sure. Or we're not gonna be able to invite them. Yep. And so it's like trust me, man, it's hard. I've yeah, because I have little kids now and they have they're starting to get schedules, and we have schedules, and then Emily's got things that she are important to her. Yeah, it's hard to be able to say yes. But for the the parent thing is like the one thing I almost like you know stand on my soapbox for is like, hey, if they invite us over, like let's figure out a way to go. Yeah. I know we're busy.

SPEAKER_00

For sure.

SPEAKER_02

But there are you know, it's not always gonna be there.

SPEAKER_00

I'd like to you said if there's anything that I you can spin a positive to it, I'd like to maybe think that me having lost my parents so young helps you think like that. You know what I mean? Like you've got this.

SPEAKER_02

I actually think it does because I I know that it's it's limited. I think the longer you go through life you realize how like short your time is, yeah. Essentially, yeah. Um you've no idea until you get, you know, over a certain age. It's just all given to you, like no, no big deal. Right. Um yeah, those those things I I try to just be there and be around, but it's it's also hard because you can't say yes to everything.

SPEAKER_00

Right. Well, and they do want to see you all the time, right? You know, there is still the the uh man, she just keeps calling. Like I used to complain about my mom calling too much, right? And now I hate that I ever did that. Yep.

SPEAKER_02

But it's part of the life in which you go through that. You're in a different season. You don't when you were that old, you didn't know.

SPEAKER_00

No, right. I was 20 years old, you know. I'm hanging out with you, some other buddies, we're doing whatever we're doing, and she's called five times, and I'm like, Yeah, it's might be legal, might not be.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And I'm you know, and I'm like, dang it, mom, stop calling, I'll call you back, right? Type of thing. Um so again, like you said, seasons and stuff, but I will say this too. It's kind of funny that you there's balloons on your sign in here. I've been telling people that since I've lost really when I lost my mom, it changed my perspective on life tremendously. I I'm sure you saw maybe a little bit, or I just I just stay a stable line now at this point. Nothing really that felt like the lowest time of my life. And so nothing else even compares to that. So everything else matters a little bit less than it used to be. For right, and so that really shifted my whole perspective of like man, nothing as nothing is as important as we all feel like it is, besides like family and you know those things. So that really helped change my perspective. And then uh once I lost my dad, it's I feel it's very weird. It I feel like a drifting balloon, you know, when you're when you're when you have your parents, if you're a balloon, right, in my analogy, someone's holding you down, someone's grounding you, right? Yeah, someone's supporting you, someone's there to help keep you afloat, right?

SPEAKER_02

As bad as it could get, they're they're gonna be there for you to be there.

SPEAKER_00

And so now I feel like that string has been let go. And it's just kind of a drifting balloon. I'm still trying to find my way, still trying to navigate um here, there, and everywhere without a grounding force. Sure. And I think hopefully I'll build a family, right? Yeah, and that will help ground me a little bit more again.

SPEAKER_02

I think the interesting thing is is like as you go forward, like you become the grounding force for everybody else around you. And so I think that's the that's like where you take off the one hat and put the other one on as like, okay, now you know I'm the one. Yep. Right? Like that's your I'm the one that can can do to provide. And I feel I kind of already have felt like that for a while. Um, even if my parents are alive, I still kind of feel like I'm the I'm the hub, you know, and then they're all rotating around me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um and I don't really know if I could pinpoint when when that started, but it's interesting. The balloon analogy is is very true because I do think all of us have some of that as we go through life. No matter how good or bad it gets, there's always gonna be a few times a year that I question, like, what am I doing? Like I I told this to so many people, it's like if you don't think about just like completely quitting and just giving it all up and starting over a couple times a year, you're probably not doing it right now.

SPEAKER_00

That goes back to the entrepreneurship thing. Yeah, totally. 100%. Totally. I woke up uh earlier this week in like uh entrepreneurial existential crisis of like sports cards for real? Yeah, like you didn't go to school for that, like you wasted how much how much time and money to go get a degree. Right, like it was it was but it's a great industry, so yeah.

SPEAKER_02

No, I've uh I've told people when they get into real estate, I'm like, if you don't think about if this doesn't get hard enough where you're thinking about g like just quitting, you're probably not working hard enough.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02

Like it should it should feel like a lot, right? Yeah, it should feel like a lot.

SPEAKER_00

So well you handled it with uh grace. Good job.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I mean as far as what everybody sees, sure. No problem. No problem. Um, but thank you for sharing. Yeah. Because I think it's really interesting to get um the perspective of somebody who's actually like kind of been through that. It's also important to note too, like your your mom was not um was young and like completely unexpected.

SPEAKER_00

She wasn't in bad health, you know what I'm saying? Like that one was just like 46 years old, heart attack.

SPEAKER_02

That one was a shock. So I think as it changed how you perceive things, makes perfect sense. Yeah, whereas your dad was quite a bit older in declining health. Like you could kind of be coming in a little bit, you know.

SPEAKER_00

Um but man, but going through what a freaking rock star that guy was. A fighter all the way through, man. He was awesome.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, he was awesome. You have two two very good role models to go after for sure.

SPEAKER_00

They were great.

SPEAKER_02

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

Um stepdad. That's true. That's great.

SPEAKER_02

That's true. He's grounding you.

SPEAKER_00

He's grounding me. He he is there. If I need anything, I do still go to him. He is still got your people for sure.

SPEAKER_02

You can come to us, we'll we'll help you. Um I want to get into your uh newest relationship. It's not really new, but it's new compared to how long we've known each other. But tell us about your significant other. Um, what's what's the title as of right now? And uh how did you meet, and what's on the horizon for you?

SPEAKER_00

Fiance. Uh Jessica with a K. I always gotta say with a K.

SPEAKER_02

Got it. Don't spell it with a C. Don't spell it with a C. No.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, um we met. My degree helped with this too. I was an independent contractor videographer at a wedding chapel out here on October 10th, 2020. Wow, she was a wedding coordinator. Well, it's an easy date to remember, 1010, 2020. It was an important date for weddings out here in the city. I think there was over 3,000 weddings that day.

SPEAKER_02

Oh man, the the the when the days align with zeros like that, oh, it's a great day to get married.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and um, it was on the back end of COVID, right? 1010, 2020. I think literally like less than a month before is when people were allowed to get married again. So combine that with the date, it was like I said, over 3,000 weddings in the city. And the venue that I was at and Jessica was at, we had they have five different chapels and they do weddings every 15 minutes or 30 minutes. It's like turn and burn shotgun style. I think they did over 300 that day. Oh my god. Uh-huh. And and Jessica and I worked 12 of them uh in the gazebo. And so we talked, you know, we were in the same waiting room for 10 hours together, and I usually tell the story of if you get single Al in a room with a single lady for more than four hours, the charm's gonna win. It doesn't matter who she is. Yeah, she's not she's done for. Yeah, that's I mean, that's the Al senior and me talking, right? So that is 100%. So uh so that that's how we met, and and um we shared a lot of stories that day behind our masks. And her favorite part of the story to tell is I was like, is it okay if I have like a bite of my protein bar? I take off my mask. She said, Yeah. She just wanted to make sure I had all my teeth. Nice. And she saw all my teeth and was like, okay.

SPEAKER_02

We can go to the next step here.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, correct. So um, one more funny part of the story. She saw me standing next to a a nice orange Toyota tundra in the parking lot when I left. So she thought I was driving a really nice truck.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and you weren't.

SPEAKER_00

Met on the first date, and I pull up on my 2013 Ford Focus. Nice bumper hanging off.

SPEAKER_02

Orange. White. White, okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So she was a little bit let down by that, but she she looked past that.

SPEAKER_02

That's nice of her to do so.

SPEAKER_00

Um, but so future wedding, either 1010 26 or 10, 10, 27. We want to keep that date because it's important. We met on that date is important to us.

SPEAKER_02

Um I'm still voting, just so you know, for a location wedding. Yeah, like Hawaii. That way Emily and I get to travel to wherever this ends up being. But I'm also okay to attend if it's not. A local Vegas wedding? A local Vegas wedding would be fine. Still an excuse to go out and have some fun. For sure. As long as there's a bachelor party, I think I'm in board.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, there will be for sure.

SPEAKER_02

I don't probably don't have too many of those left.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I need more people to get married.

SPEAKER_00

Uh so I had a second wave of weddings. Because I like you mentioned, I went to school. I was a little bit of an older college student. So I had our wave, our initial group's wave, yours included, and now I had a second wave of the people I met in college. Oh. And so I've had I'd say it's about even, like five and five, maybe six and six. So now it's all about you. Now it's all about me. Now I have to do it. Nice. But uh yeah, Jessica and I we're we're in a great spot. We've been living together for a little over two years now, I think. And um I have never had someone that wants me to do better for myself and wants to take care of me as much as her while it's annoying because I sometimes want to fight doing better for myself.

SPEAKER_02

So she wants to hold you accountable.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. And kind of sucks. How does that work? It kind of sucks. No, it's a good, it's a good, a good thing to have. We hold each other accountable.

SPEAKER_02

Uh say it shows that she cares.

SPEAKER_00

For sure. No, I think that the amount of love that comes from her to me and me to her, but you know, I'm speaking just from my side, is uh it's tremendous. It's I mean it's it's noticeable almost any time people see us in the same room together, they can be like, wow, there's a lot of love there. So it's good.

SPEAKER_02

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I'm happy for you.

SPEAKER_00

Thanks.

SPEAKER_02

Thanks for sharing. Uh I'll be interested to receive those wedding details soon. And uh I like the original idea of going to Hawaii, so just there's a place, a venue out there called Haiku Gardens.

SPEAKER_00

Incredible. It's it's high up on the list still.

SPEAKER_02

So all right.

SPEAKER_00

But the reason the year difference is, I think I've told you, is uh potentially purchasing a home rather than having a wedding this year.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah. And I mean, you know, if you guys are watching this and you need to purchase a home, Powers Real Estate's a great place to show for that.

SPEAKER_00

So shame shameless plug. That's where I'd start.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. I mean, how could you go anywhere else after the information we've given you today? Um I am uh want to switch back to uh professional a little bit. Um I've told you I don't know how many times, and I joke with you, that you do way too many damn things all the time. Like you have your hand in way too many things. I agree. Um, and somehow you always seem to like make it work. How the hell do you do that? And do you enjoy it?

SPEAKER_00

Sometimes, like you said, you think about what am I doing? Can I just quit? Give it all up, start over, do something different. I think that all the time, right? And I think there's just weeks and months where it's treacherous, right? And especially with live event production, it comes in waves. The March Madness tournaments, just an insane schedule. High school graduations, insane schedule. Uh, aces season's about to start up, that's not as bad, but you put the aces on top of Powers Playbook, on top of the card breaking, on top of potentially some aviators games, on top of maybe some Raiders work, on top so all these things, right? Um it's a lot. I don't really know how I do it, to be honest. I I can't give you an answer. I I just wake up and I make it happen and then I go to sleep. I don't know. Well, sometimes it's a blur, you know.

SPEAKER_02

That's your uh keys to life, guys. Those are three steps for you right there. Wake up, figure it out, go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Make sure you sleep. There you go. Yeah, you heard it here first. Yep. Um, what do you determine what you say yes to and what you say no to? Or are you just saying yes to everything?

SPEAKER_00

Uh it's kind of crazy. I'm finally at a point where I don't have to say yes to everything.

SPEAKER_02

So Which has to be a very good feeling.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. A lot of it has to do with monetary. If the pay is right.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, so you have like a certain worth that you're willing to trade work for.

SPEAKER_00

I actually just got asked to do some trade work for a hotel recently, and they're like, we'll give you two nights stay, dinner, da da da. It's not a very nice place. And I was able to say no, because I I don't really have the time to do trade work, and um yeah, I know my worth at this point, right? So um I think there's yes, a set hourly rate or a set day rate that I take for live event production. Um and then yes, sometimes if I think it'll be a cool experience, right? Like I'm I told you I'm doing the BattleBots coming up, which that's a first for me. Yeah, that's cool. Uh I directed the chicken wing, the national chicken wing eating contest last year. Nice. That was a yes for me because it was cool. I got to have some of the wings, yeah. There you go. Uh it was gross to watch. It was really gross to watch.

SPEAKER_02

I don't like watching the eating competitions, man. Yeah, yeah. They are certain things I I yeah. I like I like to see who wins. Yeah. You know, but like I don't need to watch it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, this this lady Molly won, but this guy Bob, I can't remember his nickname, but he he's beaten Joey Chestnut in a few contests, which is kind of cool. Wow. Um, but yeah, so I guess it it comes down to monetary and then experience experience. Yeah. Yeah. I mean that's and then obviously time. I mean, if I don't have time on my schedule, I gotta say no.

SPEAKER_02

Sure. I think time probably goes with monetary though, because I'm sure if it's worth it, you can shift. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00

For sure.

SPEAKER_02

Um, you mentioned schedule, that was gonna be my next question. Are there any tools that you use that you can tell us that help you keep everything in line? Like, are you following a calendar super closely? Like what what are the things, what are the hacks that you use to to be able to say yes to these things?

SPEAKER_00

When I first started doing this, I wasn't using a digital calendar, I wasn't using a physical paper calendar, I wasn't using a whiteboard marker calendar. So you're just in your head, and that was a mess, an absolute mess.

SPEAKER_02

What I have is saying is uh your head is a scary place to be. For sure.

SPEAKER_00

And so uh over time I started to realize like, okay, everything needs to hit a calendar because I've just double booked myself, you know, five times in the last eight days. And it you gotta put it down somewhere so you know I can't book myself, I'm already booked. So I use a digital and of and a whiteboard. So I have a whiteboard up at the house um that I write everything out on.

SPEAKER_02

I'm sure Jessica likes that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, she actually does. She actually knows where you're at. Correct. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um, and then by the way, you know what I just realized?

SPEAKER_00

You just you met her IRL. Yeah. In real life. It wasn't a swipe of a thumb.

SPEAKER_02

I don't meet too many other people other than myself that did IRL. So kudos to you. Organically. So continue, sorry. Yeah, no, that's a spoiler.

SPEAKER_00

That's the uh that's the big Al uh Al senior in me. IRL meter. Uh and then digital calendar. I I use my Apple calendar, like clockwork. Sometimes I use Google Calendar for when other people like yourself want it on the Google Calendar. Because everyone has Google, not everyone has Apple. Um, but my if you open up my phone, there's something on on every day, and and I'm talking as much as like dinner with friend, you know, like I'll put that on there if I want to make sure that I make that commitment. Because if I don't put that on there, something else from professional will come to me and I'll say yes, and then next thing you know, I I blew off a friend.

SPEAKER_02

I learned pretty early on that um if you're going to be a high productive individual, you're ne you will need to schedule things. And like my schedule is filled with things like soccer practice, yeah, t ball practice.

SPEAKER_00

You got more even more on yours, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

You know, dinner with this person. Like I've got all sorts of personal stuff, and then I build my my business calendar around the personal things. Yeah. I used to do the opposite. I used to fill everything up and be like, oh, I just don't have time for that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Which is fine as you're building. I was gonna say you have to kind of do that in the beginning. If you want any sort of quality of life, if you want to work really hard for something, then you've gotta eventually make that thing the priority. Yeah. So for me, that's just spending make sure that I'm home at a certain time, or you know, not every night, but as many as I can be. Right. Or to attend the things I can.

SPEAKER_00

I'm keeping you, I think I'm keeping you late today.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Oh, that's okay. It was on my schedule.

SPEAKER_00

There you go. You see that? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um, but those are are what I've learned. So I'm it's cool that you're kind of operating off the off the same thing.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I mean you have to. Uh and like you said in the beginning, it is a lot of business on your calendar before personal because you gotta make money, you gotta re make the reserve, and you know, once you do more and more and more, you're for me, like a gig worker type type stuff, you know, your monetary goes up, your opportunities elevate, right? So what used to be 25 an hour is now 60 an hour, right?

SPEAKER_02

It also goes with relationships and meeting the right people and getting the opportunities on those people for sure. Yeah. So I think that's really cool. I am curious to know, is there anything in your career path or what you've experienced, anything that you want to do that you haven't already done? Like are you striving for anything?

SPEAKER_00

I think it'd be cool to work a World Series. I think it'd be cool to work a Super Bowl. Yeah, yeah. Those things, right? So like I feel like I've worked almost every single type of sporting event. Um Battle Box is coming off the list soon. Um but I think just like a major sporting event would be cool. Kentucky Derby. You know, we'll in the group threat in the group thread with us and somebody's of like, alright guys, pick pick three, eliminate three, yeah. So like any of working any of those would be kind of a goal.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, in any specific capacity.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, in a in a truck or an in-house production room for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So some sort of production value of the event itself.

SPEAKER_00

Yep. For sure.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, whether that's live event production or or directing behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_00

Right, or even shooting on the sideline, you know, photography on the sideline, video on the sideline.

SPEAKER_02

There's more and more um like ex-athletes and current athletes that are doing it behind the camera. Have you seen that lately?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, Randy Johnson, King Griffey Jr.

SPEAKER_02

Yep, they've been doing it for a long time. Rashawn Lynch is showing up. I love it. Shooting people. I saw uh Caitlin Clark with a camera the other day.

SPEAKER_00

It went black one more time. Oh, bummer. You want to fix it this time? How do I do it? Just push the button. You got it? I can get it. You want me to get it? Wow, dude, you're like matrixing the microphone. Oh no, dude. Just push that. There you go. Yep. You can go back into the former and current athlete if you want. We've been over an hour now. 2559, 2959.

SPEAKER_02

Um yeah, no, I've seen more um like ex-athletes and current athletes behind the the camera lately.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, like uh Randy Johnson, King Griffith Jr. Yep, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

They've been doing it for a long time. Yeah, for sure. But I've seen like recently uh Marshawn Lynch, I've seen a bunch of times. He's a personality. What a personality that guy is. And then uh I saw Caitlin Clark with a camera the other day.

SPEAKER_00

That's I didn't see that one.

SPEAKER_02

That was at the uh I think she was at the Lakers game. I think that's why I saw it.

SPEAKER_00

And she was shooting the game. Yeah, that's cool.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, somebody may have just given it to her. Like I have no idea, but it's just interesting to see that more people are are doing that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, no, it's uh it's uh a blossoming industry, it's becoming more and more competitive, it's also becoming a little bit more and more devalued because people think that they can their phones are just as good or well, technology, man, is right, correct. So um, you know, they they think that they can all do it themselves and it's it's devaluing itself a little bit, but if you can if you still have that expertise, you do shine over the casuals, if you will.

SPEAKER_02

Yep. Yep. Alright, I got I got one um well, maybe two, one or two last questions, and then we'll we'll get you out of here. Um I want to ask you about the other podcast. Okay. So um you are uh do host a podcast, uh, not just a guest on this one. Yep. Um, but you host a podcast and it revolves around fantasy football, which we both love. I've been lucky enough to be featured. Yeah. Uh well not really featured as a guest on the show. Sure. Um, but tell us a little bit about it. What's it called? Uh why should we listen? Uh what do you guys talk about? Um, anything you want to say.

SPEAKER_00

So it kind of brings me back to my wanting to talk about sports into a microphone, the whole reason I went to college type thing. Um, I actually met Gabe, who is on the podcast with us as well, um, in college in convergent journalism. He was wanting to do the same thing, talking to Mike about sports. And then Ray I met while working at the Raiders. We both did the podcast thing for the Raiders behind the mic or behind the camera. Um, and he said, Oh, I want to talk into Mike about sports. So I got the three of us that want to talk into Mike's about sports on a podcast together. Yeah, uh, it's called Watch the Throne Fantasy Football Podcast. I think we're gonna shorten that up though. I think we're just gonna call it Throne Fantasy Football Podcast um starting this season. Because Watch a Throne is an album, Jay-Z and Kanye. Yep. So when you search Watch a Throne, that comes up. So um we're gonna probably just switch it to Throne Fantasy Football Podcast. You can find throne fantasyfootball dot com. We have all the episodes on there. Okay. We talk about fantasy football, you know. Um it comes out once a week in season, once a month in the off season. We're gonna have a few coming up in April because of draft season. And then we're gonna do one in May, one in June, one in July, and then back to once a week in August.

SPEAKER_02

Nice.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and you've been on there a good amount of times.

SPEAKER_02

Handful of times. I I joke that I have uh there's there's three seats and then a fourth mic that's off off camera, and I've uh talked into all four.

SPEAKER_00

You have?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I think I I'm thinking I'm the only one. Utility into all four. Utility. Like the utility infielder. Yep. I can I can play all the positions.

SPEAKER_00

Mike Four is on part is on the pod regularly too, and we all know who Mike Four is.

SPEAKER_02

He was on this uh He was the first guest on the first guest on this pod, David. He's known as that on that podcast as Mike Four.

SPEAKER_00

He's known on that podcast as Mike Four. But yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because he controls the fourth mic and keeps us all in line. Yeah, correct. So but yeah, definitely. Um if you guys are looking for some fantasy football insight, they do a great job. Um, also kind of fun because we've all known each other for so long. So there's there's some shots fired and some back and forth, and um, you know, some nice things said and some not so nice things said, so it's funny two of the three won championships last year, and the other one came in second.

SPEAKER_00

I was the other one that came in second. Gabe and Ray both won championships. So very cool.

SPEAKER_02

Very cool. I did not. Um that's okay. I did I did second in the dynasty.

SPEAKER_00

Did you listen to our pod?

SPEAKER_02

Did you listen to our advice or did you um uh sometimes okay sometimes okay?

SPEAKER_00

If you listen more, you probably would have been a little higher up.

SPEAKER_02

Maybe I kind of just take my own advice.

SPEAKER_00

I know you do.

SPEAKER_02

And honestly, at the end of the day, as long as the Broncos win the Super Bowl, that's for me here. That's really all that matters. Yeah, that you can have my money for fantasy four. I'll just donate it. We appreciate the donation for sure. Um, we'll we'll catch them on the pod uh if you guys want to listen. Um, where else can they find you if they want a photography shoot, uh video shoot, you know, wedding, like all the things that you do for digital marketing behind the camera, where where do they go for that?

SPEAKER_00

It's kind of crazy. I have of the three things that I'm doing right now, live event production, card breaking, and digital marketing, I have quit really promoting the digital marketing. Uh-huh. But if you want to find me, uh you can search Throne Digital Marketing on Yelp. You can go to thhronedigital marketing.com. Um, there's a contact form on both of those, and I get the messages directly to me, so I'll see both of them. Like you said, photo video is the the main stick for throne digital marketing. We can also help with social media. Um, obviously podcasts, right? I know everyone's trying to get their grips on their own podcasts, which I think is a great idea. I know everyone's like, Oh, everyone has a podcast, anyone can do it up with your podcasters, da da. It's worth it. I think it's worth putting yourself out there and um, you know, the right people eventually will see it and and it'll help.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Isn't that crazy? Yep, it is. It's kind of kind of wild to to think about, but the the media and the content that is consumed by the majority of of people is created just by somebody that could live next door to them.

SPEAKER_00

By people, yeah. Yeah, it's wild.

SPEAKER_02

It's really Which is also probably really good and also not so good if you think about it. Like, but at least you can decide if you want to listen or not. Right. Right. It's not like where you turn on the TV and it's like this one station is gonna tell you whatever they want to tell you. And you didn't have a lot of places to go. Right. Now you can kind of spread over it. It's it's everywhere. There's no anywhere. You could be into anything, and there's probably something for you. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00

100%.

SPEAKER_02

So it's very interesting to notice. Yep. Um, well, thank you for that. Um, if you guys have uh liked the episode today, um please uh like, comment, uh subscribe to the channel if you're on YouTube. Um you know, we'd love to have the support. Uh I keep bringing more guests. Uh I really like doing these because it's really interesting to learn other people's stories.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's fun.

SPEAKER_02

Um and I all I think I'll I'll probably always believe this, but I I think just listening to other people and what they've been through or what they might know more about, um it just helps to teach others. And if they can pick up one thing from how you've handled a certain thing, um, and it helps them, it's worth it. Yeah. So that's gonna be the main main purpose of doing this. Um I appreciate you being here. Thank you for giving us your time in front of the camera today. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, and uh maybe it'll go so well we'll we'll do it again.

SPEAKER_00

Love the idea. What do you think? Yeah. We got a bunch of sports cards in here we could go through on air one day, maybe.

SPEAKER_02

Oh gosh, yes. I have a whole bunch of old baseball cards I brought in to let Al search through and he's uh having fun with it. So yeah. But awesome guys, thank you for watching another episode, and we will be back next week for more. Love you.