- 1 hour ago
Creator Kate Mackz sits with Forbes assistant managing editor Steven Bertoni and opens up on the origins, viral success and business secrets behind her hit running interview show.
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00This is nuts, but the first month of my show, I had like 80 million hits.
00:0480 million.
00:0480 million.
00:05Like if you're to go back to my original videos, it was like 12 million, 10 million, 8 million, 26 million views on these runs.
00:15Hey everybody, welcome to the Forbes Top Creator Show.
00:18I'm Forbes editor, Stephen Bertone, here today with Kate Max.
00:22She is a wellness creator, a podcaster, and a running influencer.
00:26That's a new one for us.
00:27Kate, thanks for joining us.
00:29Thanks so much for having me.
00:30I'm so excited to be here.
00:31So what is happening in your literally, pun intended, fast moving world of jogging, running interviews?
00:39I'm currently watching Bridgerton.
00:40I'm like binging the show and I just interviewed Bessie Carter last week who plays Prudence Featherington.
00:46So that was very exciting for me.
00:47Just interviewed Jesse McCartney.
00:50But yeah, that's kind of what's happening within my interview show.
00:53Just normal motions.
00:55We film about six episodes a week and then we also have our podcast that we film after the show.
01:00But yeah, I just got married a couple weeks ago.
01:03Wow, congrats.
01:03Yep.
01:04We just found out we have a lot in common right before we started filming.
01:06Found out that you have a little bit of a history in Westchester and...
01:10And then Bergen County.
01:11And Bergen County.
01:11A lot of creators are from New Jersey.
01:13Really?
01:14Yes.
01:14So that is good.
01:15But in case of Glen Rock, I'm from Ridgewood.
01:17We're neighbors.
01:17So that's very, that's very cool.
01:20What was it like with the actress from Bridgerton where you're used to her in like the period costumes and then she's running with you?
01:27How did that work out?
01:27Yeah, it was amazing.
01:28So we went for a walk.
01:29We went for a walk for this one, not a run.
01:31But it was so cool to see her dressed, you know, dressed down and just in a casual kind of workout outfit.
01:37I think that's one of the really fun parts of my show is, you know, when you're thinking about outfit wise, normally you see, like you even said it to me walking in here.
01:44You're like, Kate, normally I see you in running sneakers, a ponytail, an active wear, you know.
01:47And today I'm sitting here in a formal like dress.
01:51Yeah, you're in a chair.
01:51Yeah.
01:52Sitting in a chair.
01:53Resting heart rate.
01:54You're not running.
01:55No.
01:55So I think that's one of the really beautiful and human things about our running interview show.
01:59And for a little bit of context for anybody that doesn't know, I do a running interview show where I basically my hook is I go up to people and I say, hey, how many miles are you running today?
02:09And then we continue and go for, you know, any sort of run or workout or walk.
02:15And, yeah, my guests are typically in active wear.
02:18You know, we have had a few people run in tuxes or we ran with Jason Derulo on the West Side Highway and he was wearing leather pants in Jordan.
02:25So that was you.
02:26I like that.
02:26Yeah.
02:27We, Jason Derulo is, I also run our Under 30 franchise and he was one of our early acts at one of our summits.
02:34And he came out and he did like five costume changes and dance and like was changing his outfits.
02:39A lot of leather.
02:40There was definitely some like, you know, body paint and stuff, but I can imagine that's pretty good.
02:45Yeah, he's got energy.
02:46Let's go back to the start of this.
02:47How did you come up with this idea of a show?
02:51How did you become a creator in the first place?
02:53Yeah, so my content creation journey starts back when I was 14 years old.
02:57So as we mentioned, I grew up in North Jersey in a small town called Glenrock and I grew up in a really active household.
03:03So I have a twin brother and a brother a year older.
03:05And the sport that we always loved growing up was lacrosse.
03:09Um, and yeah, so I was just this active kid.
03:12And as soon as I got to high school, you know, I'm 14 years old and I signed up for the cross country team and then the winter track team all to kind of get myself ready for my spring lacrosse season.
03:22Okay.
03:22Um, and it was at the end of my spring lacrosse season that I jumped up to intercept to pass.
03:28And as I landed, I tore my ACL, MCL meniscus.
03:32Um, and I was somebody that had never had an injury before and it was random, but kind of that day I went home.
03:41Um, and for no reason at all, I started documenting my journey through this kind of ACL recovery tear process.
03:50Um, and I made a video blog and I just said, you know what, like I'm not alone in this, in this, uh, in this injury.
03:56There's so many other kids my age that tear their ACL.
03:59So why not make a video blog where I kind of document this experience and show people what to expect when you're going through an ACL recovery.
04:09Well, by the way, another connection, I tore my ACL freshman year football against the say, I can never forget that, but I'm so old.
04:17So there was no social media.
04:18There was no phone.
04:19So not that I would document it anyway, but I know that through it throws everything for a loop because, you know, suddenly you've never had an injury before and now you really don't trust your body anymore.
04:29Right.
04:29And it's like, it's not like you're spraining your ankle or you're breaking your wrist where you come back from that kind of relatively fast, like tearing a ligament in your knee, as you know, is it requires a massive
04:39reconstructive surgery, you know, if you're an athlete growing up, when you tear your ACL or, or any major ligament and have to go through that surgery process, like it really shifts kind of who you are as a person.
04:50And it feels like your identity is being pulled away from you in a big way because all of a sudden you're not doing the same activities that you're used to doing with your peers and you know, your friends and it's like life isn't going as you thought it would.
05:02So you're documenting this as a way to kind of get through it.
05:04What sort of things were you videoing and what were you, where were you posting it?
05:07Everything.
05:08So I had this website called my tale.weebly.com.
05:11Every single week I would post an update saying like, this is where I'm at pre-surgery, post-surgery, you know, X, Y, and Z, like every part of my recovery.
05:19Um, and it was wild, but through the, through documenting my journey and blogging about it and sharing my story, I had a lot of people come to my blog and start sharing their own stories.
05:30Um, and it was this really beautiful space where, you know, it was almost like my story was serving as a mirror for so many other people that were experiencing the same thing.
05:40Um, and it was really cool.
05:42I was able to foster this tiny community in North Jersey of kids and, you know, people my age that were going through the same injury as me and trying to come back stronger.
05:50Um, and then my story is that 12 months later, I re-tore my ACL.
05:55Oh, geez.
05:56So I re-tore that same graph.
05:57Never had that twice.
05:58That's really tough.
05:59But like the wild thing about it was day one of tearing my ACL, I was devastated.
06:03Like you'll watch this video and you see this like broken 14 year olds, but you also see this young girl that really just wanted to turn a negative situation into a positive one.
06:13And I wanted to show people that like, even though I'm going through something so challenging, I'm going to keep moving forward.
06:19And I'm going to show you that you can come back from this, you know, and little did I know I was not going to come back from it.
06:25Yeah.
06:26But along that way, I was going to learn all of these new things about myself.
06:29I was going to learn the power of the pivot of the pivot.
06:31You know, I always say that I'm like the power of the, I can't curse on this mother of the pivot, you know, it's so real.
06:37Yeah.
06:38And, you know, and I also learned that movement is so powerful, especially in a storytelling sense, you know, and hearing all these other people's stories on my blog.
06:47But anyways, after I tore my ACL the second time, I remember saying to my mom on our drive home and I tore it the first day of my summer lacrosse season.
06:54So kind of my first practice back.
06:56That's a, that's a brutal setback.
06:58It was a brutal setback.
06:59Horrible setback.
07:00Horrible setback.
07:01But I said to my mom, you know, I'm not going to do the surgery again.
07:05I went through so much in these past 12 months, not only physically recovering and getting stronger and coming back from this injury, but also like learning so much about myself in, in a whole new way.
07:16Cause I was able to explore other sides of myself that I never had time to do.
07:20Cause if you grow up in North Jersey, I was a three sport varsity athlete freshman year.
07:23So like I walked onto the cross country team somehow was top seven and then I was varsity track and then I was varsity lacrosse, you know?
07:29Yeah, intense your, your whole personality is like you're this jock.
07:33And obviously Northern Jersey is very competitive sports and school.
07:36And like, where are you going to go to college?
07:38Like that's like the, that's the pro sport.
07:40Where's those, where's the high school kids going to go to school?
07:42Like next.
07:43Exactly.
07:44And it's, and just for a little bit of context too, is both of my brothers ended up going on to play lacrosse at Yale and they won a national championship, which was like the most exciting day of my dad's life.
07:52Who's like a dad that like my fondest memories growing up or like playing sports in the backyard with my parents going to their triathlons, iron men's and like cheering them on.
08:01So like movement really was like ingrained in my household from a very young age.
08:04It was a huge part of my identity.
08:06But anyway, it was during that year, you know, and then when I retore my ACL, I said to my mom, I was like, I learned so much more about myself this year than I ever had before because I had time to kind of just explore other interests.
08:17And that's when I leaned into the art programs at my school and like expressing myself creatively and obviously blogging and making video diaries.
08:25Um, and so, yeah, I decided to take my life in a different direction, go the normal route for college.
08:30Right. I, when I was a freshman, I, if you told me that I wasn't going to play D1 lacrosse in college, I would have said you're crazy.
08:35That was like what my eyes were set on.
08:37Um,
08:38Where'd you go to school?
08:39I ended up going to Fordham university, uh, Lincoln center.
08:42Tim.
08:43Oh, let's go, go Rams.
08:45Um, anyway, so then fast forward to 2023, I, you know, wanted to get back into, um, video editing and creating a video series.
08:55Were you doing creative video stuff and posting in college at all or just more kind of just run in the mill?
09:01A little bit.
09:02So like I, it was kind of funny cause like during creating that blog, I loved, I learned that I loved storytelling and video editing, but I was like, well, what can I do with this?
09:11You know, cause I never in a million years would have thought like I could be a content creator.
09:14Like that wasn't even on my mind, but that was around the same time that like mad men, the show came out and I was like, oh, advertising.
09:21Like, this is so cool.
09:22Like I could get into advertising.
09:23So that's what I did.
09:24Um, and also the important thing to keep in mind is since I don't have an ACL in my right knee to this day, cause I never got surgery the second time.
09:32The only form of physical activity that I can do is run.
09:37So like, so that's like became a huge part of skiing for you.
09:40No skiing, no pickleball, no tennis, nothing that involves side to side movement.
09:44Yeah. You talk about pivoting, but you actually can't pivot.
09:46Yeah.
09:47Fair. That's so good.
09:48Yeah, exactly.
09:49So basically as somebody that grew up very active, running was something that I heavily leaned into in my free time.
09:56And it became a part of my lifestyle, how I stayed fit, how I collected my thoughts and how I just remained active and still like sporty in my own way.
10:03Um, but anyways, yeah.
10:05So fast forward to 2023, I really wanted to, you know, kind of story tell in a new way, similar to what I was doing back when I was 14 and 15, but kind of take it to this next stage of my life and kind of what I was currently up to.
10:19And yeah.
10:20Real quick. So you're, it's 2023 and you're in advertising and obviously I want to hear about what kind of advertising you're in.
10:25Okay. Yes.
10:26But also like 2023 is when, you know, I mean, it was already happening, but everyone's realizing, okay, advertising is moving towards social media, digital creators.
10:35What was like your ad job? You said you were inspired by mad men.
10:38Yeah.
10:39I don't know if you were sitting around drinking martinis and smoking cigarettes like at noon, but like what was, um, what kind of, what kind of ads were you doing?
10:45Where were you with?
10:46Yeah. So I was working in digital advertising.
10:48Um, I specialized in like healthcare advertising was what I originally went into post-college.
10:53Um, and I was working in like pharmaceutical advertising.
10:56I, and then I specialized a little bit in like pediatric advertising ad agencies.
11:00Um, and a lot of my job was digital focused.
11:04Um, and of course, like, as we all are, like I was a young 20 year old, I was on social media.
11:09Um, and I just was eager to start expressing myself again in a video first way.
11:15Um, and that's when I came up with the idea of the running interview show and having conversations on the move.
11:21Um, and yeah, the show kind of just took off from there.
11:26And, you know, with my, the ethos that I had when I was 14 and 15 was, is the same that I have now.
11:31And it really is like a, for the broader public to get the world moving.
11:35And then for me, it's like, just keep moving and show the power that movement has in conversation and storytelling and just in so many different aspects of life.
11:44Tell me, how did you like, tell me the moment you came up with this idea?
11:46Cause I, there's a lot of like interesting, like social media is all about hooks and carving out stuff and everything from, I always think about it myself.
11:54Like, Oh, what could we do?
11:55Like you think about like hot ones who would have thought like, okay, the premise is like great interviews while eating, you know, spicy chicken, obviously.
12:01And you know, the, all like the show me your homes, how much you make, you kind of came up with this moving running premise.
12:07Yeah.
12:08Um, where'd that come from?
12:09Uh, so I love that you mentioned hot ones because definitely very inspired by hot ones, very inspired by carpool karaoke.
12:15Um, just again, like a different type of interview, but also one that made so much sense for me.
12:20Cause I think when it comes to social media, it's like, I was somebody that always posted photos online, but I was never taking off as a fashion influencer, you know?
12:27Okay.
12:28But it was wild because when I started my running interview show, it connected so well.
12:32And I think it's because like, I, that is who I am.
12:35Like I'm somebody that movements a priority for me.
12:37I've all, I've been a runner ever since I've been a runner forever.
12:41I was always a runner in sports.
12:42I was a midfielder in lacrosse.
12:43And then when I could no longer play sports, I leaned into running full time.
12:46So like, it just made so much sense for me.
12:49Um, and then I also loved like going to run clubs and being a part of, you know, the runner's world in New York city.
12:54I did, you know, the marathon twice when I was in college and I did so many different New York road runners events.
12:59So it all just kind of made sense and was very authentic to me as a person.
13:03Um, you asked how I came up with the idea for the show and the hook.
13:07So basically when I first started the show in 2023, there were a lot of really popular street interviews.
13:13Yes.
13:14Um, and there was this guy, Caleb Simpson, who went up to people and said like, uh, Hey, how much do you pay for rent in New York?
13:19Um, and there's a, there was one of my friends who said, uh, Hey, can I give you this dollar or should I double it and give it to the next person?
13:27Okay.
13:28Um, and I want to get to Chris cause he's a really important part of our story.
13:30Um, but anyways, so when I had the idea for a running interview show, I kind of said to my husband, I was like, well, I have this idea for a running interview show, but how can I make it like social media first?
13:41And that's when we had the idea of like, Oh, you need a hook.
13:44Like you need to kind of mimic the street interview style in your own way, come up with your own format, which is now I say, Hey, how many miles are you running today?
13:51They say the amount of miles and then we go for a run.
13:53Um, so we leaned into kind of what was popular at the time, which were street interviews.
13:58And we took that and we melded it with our idea for a running interview show.
14:02I love it. And early on, I read that you didn't, you were going up to strangers and you were bribing them with running shoes.
14:08Yeah. Tell me how that kind of took off. And yeah, I want to hear about that.
14:12That tell me about the first show. Cause like, I don't know, like you're, you seem like a very extroverted person, but also like to go up to somebody stranger and say, like, not only can I interview you, but you want to go for a run.
14:22Like, tell me about that first episode.
14:25Yeah. Well, it's funny. Cause I, I don't know if I'm an extroverted person, actually.
14:28Like I think I'm more introverted and I think that's why you see me way more often doing one-on-one runs with people than I am like leading group runs.
14:35Okay. I love meeting people in group settings, but I also just like thrive in one-on-one time, which is why my show makes so much sense.
14:41We have two mics and that's kind of how it works. Sometimes we do more than one person, but anyways, that's one part of it.
14:46Um, but I, I think more so than extroverted, I was comfortable putting myself out there.
14:50Cause I really believed in the power of movement and conversations because I saw it with.
14:56Just when I was on my own runs with people or when I was on my own runs, talking to my friends on the phone or just talking to myself in my head and, you know, clearing my thoughts or whatever.
15:05Um, so there was that, but yeah, the, the sneaker bribing was wild.
15:10So I was working in advertising.
15:11I was making no money and I was like, well, how am I going to get people to run with me and how am I going to get people to stay till the end of the video?
15:18And I was like, it's gotta be like, I have to give them a prize.
15:22Um, so yeah, I was offering to buy people a pair of sneakers in exchange to do a run, to do a run with me.
15:28I was racking my credit card bill up so high because basically the way my schedule worked was I was waking up early every morning around like 5 30 AM.
15:36First run I would do was like 6 30.
15:38Sometimes I would stack my day next run at eight.
15:40I would meet people on the West side highway.
15:42We'd go for our run.
15:43I would get back to my apartment, edit the first video, um, and try to have it up before my 9 30 AM status call for my advertising job.
15:51Um, but yeah, it was, it was pretty crazy.
15:54And I was filming like every single day and very quickly, like $100 sneakers start racking up.
15:59Um, but that's, that's how I kicked it off.
16:02So I went into debt big time starting my running interview show.
16:06And then within a month I was able to start getting brands to send the sneakers on my behalf.
16:11Wow. And how would you find your, your volunteers?
16:14How would you find your interview subjects?
16:16Um, so it first started organically.
16:18The first video I ever did though, I think is, this is the story of, so this is Chris, the guy who did the show.
16:23Um, do you want to, can I, can you double this dollar or give it to the next person?
16:26And he's kind of an interesting, he's, I mean, not only is an interesting person.
16:29He's a great person to talk about because Chris was like the original street interviewer in New York.
16:33And his show went super viral where he would kind of see, uh, it was kind of like a social experiment.
16:40What's his handle or what's his, what's his name?
16:41His name's Chris Cholani.
16:42Okay.
16:43Um, and he was a big believer in me having a show and doing something outside of my comfort zone, outside of my nine to five.
16:51Okay.
16:52Um, and he was the person I had originally alongside my husband workshopped the hook of the video with.
16:56So he was the first person I did an interview with ever.
16:58Okay.
16:59Um, so the first interviews that I did were like, uh, friends or mutual friends.
17:03Um, and then occasional like random people on the streets of New York.
17:06And then you say like, you want to go for a run and then you're like, we'll go and buy shoes.
17:09And then you go for the run.
17:10We would buy shoes at the end of the run.
17:12Or I would just, it got to the point where I was doing so many videos and like so early in the morning that the stores weren't open yet, that they would just, the shoes would be shipped to their houses.
17:20Like we would order them online or whatever.
17:22Okay.
17:23How many people would you have to ask?
17:24How many would you get turned down a lot and people just think you're crazy or people kind of, you know, taking the bait so to speak early?
17:32Like how, how, what was that like?
17:33So here's the thing with street interviews.
17:34If I can be so transparent is like, so some of them were random in the beginning, but very quickly as a, as a girl and also like just efficiency sake wise, considering I was literally like managing two jobs for like months before going full time with this.
17:48Um, I like pre-planned all of my runs.
17:52Um, and the way I was reaching out to people was over DM, just being like, you're down to do this.
17:57I'll meet you tomorrow morning.
17:58And that's kind of how it happened.
17:59Um, so they weren't so random or like afraid of me cause they were, they were already down to do it.
18:04Yeah.
18:05That's like, we had, we had, um, we had Kareem Rama on the show from, from subway takes.
18:09And, um, it's like, yeah, how you do it?
18:11He's like, yeah, it's all planned.
18:12He's like, what do you think?
18:13Like I'm just the celebrity on the subway, but it's all, it's cool.
18:16Cause it looks, you know, organic, but there's obviously a lot of planning and producing in between.
18:21How do you film the interview while running?
18:24I mean, I know you have like the selfie stick and stuff, but like, were you worried about that?
18:28Like, that seems very daunting.
18:29Like how did you decide to do a show while you're literally running through the streets of New York?
18:33Yeah.
18:34Well, it is hard.
18:35And I have had situations where I've, I live in, um, in Brooklyn along the Brooklyn bridge park.
18:39And I've had moments on the show where I've nailed the peers, like so hard to the point where I'm like, did I just break a rib?
18:45You know, cause I'm focused on the person more so that I am myself.
18:48Um, but yeah, I film it.
18:51It's so turnkey.
18:52And that's the beauty of the show is I don't require any extra filmers.
18:55Although sometimes we do have an extra hand come out.
18:57Um, if they're available in that extra hand is my husband.
19:01Um, but yeah, I filmed the show with my tripod, my phone and, um, a pair of mics.
19:07And, and we, the beauty of it is, yeah, we don't need permits to do it because it's just two people running and filming.
19:13That's great.
19:14What do you tell me about your brand?
19:15Like it's such a creative brand.
19:16Um, how did you, like, how do you build community?
19:19How did you build your brand?
19:20What is the Kate max brand?
19:22Yeah, I would say the Kate max brand are, is, is a family of people and people that I would consider my friends that are all aligned in this concept of the power of movement.
19:34And, you know, I, I've always said it since the beginning of my show is I'm on a mission to get the world moving.
19:39And I think the feedback that I got instantaneously once I started the show was, wow, this video inspired me to go for a run.
19:46Like just called my friends going to plan a group run for this weekend.
19:50It seems like so much fun to run with people.
19:52Like you inspired me to run, you know, you inspired me to go to a Pilates class, go to a spin class, start moving again.
19:57Um, so I would say that to me was like real community was, you know, again, this idea of our show is really creating positive impact for people.
20:08Um, and getting them to move their bodies, which is something that has always helped me.
20:13You know, tell me how the show took off.
20:14Cause you were working a full-time job in advertising, getting up super early, running, filming, editing, and then going to work.
20:21Yeah.
20:22When did it take off?
20:23Was there one video that kind of changed everything?
20:25It's so funny because so the show took off.
20:28So basically it's, it's important to understand like to like the algorithms and what they're pushing at the time.
20:34And when I first started my show in 2023, um, TikTok was the platform that initially took off for me.
20:39And then Instagram followed a little bit later, but still my TikTok following is higher than my Instagram following.
20:44Although I do think my Instagram following is like my stronger audience base because TikTok is just a little different in how they push out content.
20:51But when TikTok was, when I was on TikTok in 2023, they were prioritizing long form videos.
20:57Okay.
20:58So this is nuts.
20:59But the first month of my show, I had like 80 million hits.
21:0280 million.
21:0380 million.
21:04Like if you were to go back to my original videos, it was like 12 million, 10 million, 8 million, like 26 million views on these runs.
21:11And I think it literally was because, you know, it was a fun concept.
21:14Yes.
21:15But the algorithm was pushing these long videos and my videos aren't short.
21:19They're not 30 seconds.
21:20They're not 20 seconds.
21:21They're not seven.
21:22These are like three minute to four minute long videos, you know?
21:24And it's hard to get them to three minutes or four minutes because we film like five mile runs or three miles or two miles, but still.
21:31And you're filming the whole time.
21:32Filming the whole time.
21:33And then you're just chopping it up to like the best, the best parts.
21:35Yeah.
21:36I have really funny bloopers of people.
21:37Oh, I get it.
21:38Are you done at Blooper Reels?
21:39I should.
21:40What is the, yeah.
21:41Tell me the, tell me your best blooper or like the biggest disaster.
21:43So I was doing a video with Derek Hough from Dancing with the Stars and we were running with his dog and we were filming a Greenies ad.
21:49This is so random.
21:50And we were in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
21:52And as we were running, he's like telling a story.
21:54We're promoting this product.
21:55His dog's eating it, whatever.
21:56And I nailed a pier.
21:57And like, I literally thought I broke a rib and I was like, the show has to go on.
22:00Like we have to get this ad done.
22:01And Derek was like, are you okay?
22:03And I was like, I'm good.
22:04Just keep on going.
22:05You're like limping through the interview.
22:07Yeah.
22:08I'm trying to think of other big disasters.
22:09Oh, this is a funny one.
22:10So I was doing a video with Gabby Thomas, who's an Olympic gold medalist.
22:13She just won in Paris.
22:14She's incredible.
22:15And Gabby is a sprinter, not a long distance runner, which I didn't realize when we were filming the video, but until we started filming the video, but sprinters do not do long distance.
22:26So it was really funny to be running alongside her and having this incredible runner be like, Kate, we need to slow down.
22:33Yeah.
22:34Yeah.
22:35Yeah.
22:36You're like, I'm actually faster than Olympian when we're going slow.
22:38Yeah.
22:39I was going to ask like, have, has anyone kind of like talked a big game and said, I'm going to, I can run this.
22:43And then it turns out they couldn't, couldn't make it.
22:46Um, no, I don't, I think, um, I mean, if somebody really can't run, like we'll start walking.
22:52Yeah.
22:53I think like the biggest part of the show is it's all conversational.
22:56So if you have to start walking, like we'll start walking.
22:59Um, although it is really funny when people get breathless cause it's so real and human.
23:03Um, but I've had some pretty crazy runners come on.
23:06Like I, I did a video with Oz Perlman, who's like an award winning mentalist.
23:10Yes.
23:11Um, he's amazing.
23:12He should come on this.
23:13He's so talented.
23:14And he read my mind during the run.
23:16Um, I saw him at, um, at a brilliant minds in Stockholm and he just like wowed the entire
23:20place.
23:21I like when he read my mind during the run, I was like, that was crazy.
23:24Like I, I literally have no idea how we do it.
23:26Did it till this day.
23:27And I still look back at the footage and I'm like, I just don't get it.
23:29Um, but yeah, he's really impressive.
23:32Um, but he is like a, I'm going to say it like a sicko runner.
23:36Like he will get off a plane at the location he's performing in and run a marathon, you know,
23:41like he's done Spartathlons, everything.
23:43Wow.
23:44So he's like serious.
23:45He's not like, I'm going to run on the treadmill for three miles at the Hilton.
23:48Exactly.
23:49So I have so many people come on that, like kick my butt.
23:51And then it's kind of me like trying to keep up, which is also funny.
23:53Cause then you see me like dying, you know?
23:55So you started, you started posting videos and you're getting 80 million views.
23:58Well, I had, that was compiled for the first month.
24:00Yeah.
24:01And then it starts evening out guys.
24:02Yeah.
24:03But you started posting and getting really good traffic.
24:05Tell me what happens next.
24:06Well, what happens next is I started getting brand deals and my, like, I was just so shocked
24:13by, I had never, I never understood the crater like economy or the crater industry until you never understand it fully until you're in it.
24:20Um, and yeah, it was wild.
24:23I started getting, you know, brands reaching out to me, dream brands, like brands.
24:26I would have always dreamed of working with from sneaker brands to athleisure.
24:29Um, and then celebrities.
24:31Like, I think the first celebrity that reached out to me was Bobby Flay.
24:34And I was like, Oh my God, like I've watched so many of his cooking shows.
24:37Like Bobby wants to go for a run with me.
24:39Um, and so very quickly I realized like, Oh, like I could start getting like, you know, people that are in the public eye on the show.
24:46Um, and they have a lot of them have incredible stories and like big fan bases.
24:51Like it, it would be fun to interview them and promote what they're up to.
24:54Yeah.
24:55What was your first brand deal?
24:56Do you remember?
24:57My first brand deal.
24:58Oof.
24:59Oh, my first, uh, my first brand deal was, Oh God, what was it?
25:02Um, New Balance, uh, was the first sneaker brand that I worked with.
25:05Um, and that was awesome because I went from, you know, paying for the sneakers out of pocket to then having the brand send them for me.
25:11And I was like, thank God.
25:12And my parents were also like, thank God this girl.
25:15Yeah.
25:16When did it become a full-time job?
25:17Tommy, did you eventually leave advertising and realize like, wait, this could be my, I'm my own brand.
25:23I'm my own advertising platform.
25:24Yeah.
25:25It pretty quickly became a, it pretty quickly became a full-time job in and of itself that I was managing with my friends.
25:31I was managing with my full-time job.
25:33And at the time I was working in advertising, I was working at Omnicom.
25:36Um, and I was a senior account manager and I had like a, like not a team of people, but I had people that worked under me.
25:43And I just realized like, Oh my gosh, how am I managing this?
25:46And then also my, you know, this content job that now I have deliverables for these dream brands.
25:52So it really quickly just became like I was working two jobs and not sleeping and like almost getting sick over it and literally like running so much.
25:59Like I think the first week I filmed the show, I ran like 120 miles, which is insane.
26:03Wow.
26:04That's insane.
26:05Insane.
26:06Um, so yeah, it really quickly became too much.
26:08And I think within the first few months I was able to go full-time with it.
26:12Yeah.
26:13Incredible.
26:14What, um, how do you, what's the business plan now?
26:15How do you make money?
26:16Yeah.
26:17So now we were, uh, uh, we make money through brand deals.
26:20Um, we also have a partnership with I heart radio, which is my podcast.
26:24So we went from just doing the running interview show to now doing our podcast, which is called post front high.
26:29And the podcast happens right after our runs with certain guests.
26:32Like if, if a guest is down to stay for an extra hour, hour and a half, we'll podcast with them, which is awesome because my running interview show is so short form because it's social media.
26:40So as I said, it's three to four minutes, but we were having these really long in-depth conversations on the run that, um, you know, I, I said, I took it to a couple of media outlets and I said, like, I would love to be able to go deeper with my guests in a podcast format.
26:54Um, so that's another part of our business structure is, you know, doing the podcast, um, and now getting ad revenue through that.
27:00Um, yeah.
27:02And I mean, my dream would be to get paid to just be an interview host.
27:07Not, not having to run as much.
27:09Well, I, I mean, I always want to do my runs.
27:11Cause you are an interview host, right?
27:12That's your, your dream, your dream job.
27:13Yeah.
27:14It's my dream job.
27:15I mean, which is crazy because when I first started the show, I never in a million years would have thought that I would be turning into an interview host, you know?
27:21Cause if you were to watch my original videos, it was just a vlog on the run.
27:24Um, but as you get celebrities on, you start realizing, oh, I really have to prepare and have questions to ask them.
27:29And then all of a sudden you get your 10,000 hours in and you're an interview host, you know?
27:32Yeah.
27:33I hear you.
27:34Tell me.
27:35I'm trying.
27:36No, I've gotten them in.
27:37Yes.
27:38It's a fun one.
27:39Yeah.
27:40Never thought I'd be doing this creator stuff.
27:41I know.
27:42It's amazing.
27:43How top for brands out there, how do brands work with you and how do you integrate them into your content?
27:48Mm-hmm.
27:49So my favorite way to work with brands is there's, there's a couple of different ways.
27:53So I work with Viore as my active wear partner.
27:56So typically you'll see me in a Viore outfit on the run.
27:58I love Viore.
27:59I love Viore.
28:00Love it.
28:01And they're just such an aligned brand with me.
28:03Um, it just, it makes so much sense because really I, I love that Viore is a brand that
28:08you wear it not only for working out, but just like in every kind of aspect of your life
28:12outside of just a workout.
28:14And I'm somebody that grew up like living in active wear.
28:16So it just makes a lot of sense.
28:17Like my mom would have to force me into an outfit like this when I was a teenager.
28:20Um, and it's probably still to this day, but, um, so they're a great partner.
28:24So that's kind of like what I'm wearing.
28:26So you can think like tech active wear, stuff like that, headphones, you know, um, uh, the
28:31mic that I'm using, uh, not that we're sponsored by DJI, but that'd be nice.
28:34Um, and then my favorite way to work with brands is for them to have their ambassadors
28:39or like people that work at the company, come on and do an interview with me and talk
28:42about whatever they're kind of promoting or up to.
28:45Um, we just did a brand deal that I posted today with Mejory, which is a jewelry brand.
28:50And they're doing a big push into the sportswear space with jewelry that you can move in.
28:54Um, and they have this whole campaign for Mejory play.
28:56And it's just, it's really cool to see brands kind of venture into the active space.
29:00Um, and that was a seamless brand.
29:02We had a girl from their marketing team come on, her name's Emily.
29:05And she went for a run with me and we talked about the products.
29:08We ended up at the Mejory store and it was just the most seamless integration.
29:11Yeah.
29:12You had incredible guests.
29:13Like I've seen.
29:14I, you had Tim Walz, which is really, really interesting.
29:17Um, you've had billionaires, billionaire private equity folks.
29:20You've had celebrities, you've had sports people.
29:23Tell me some about some of the people you've had on.
29:25Yeah.
29:26I mean, yes.
29:27So as you mentioned, we had Tim Walz on, we've had John Gray on.
29:30Um, we have, we have a BBDO executive coming up, which is going to be a dream for me.
29:35Cause I came from the advertising world.
29:36It's going to be cool to talk to him.
29:38He's a creative director at BBDO.
29:39Um, yeah, we've had actors.
29:41We just had Jesse McCartney on the video will be coming out soon, which is very cool for,
29:45you know, all the kids that grew up in the two thousands.
29:47He's obviously iconic.
29:48Yeah.
29:49Um, obviously Gabby Thomas.
29:51We've had Sydney McLaughlin on the show.
29:53We watched Jared Leto repel off the empire state building.
29:56Um, I've made bagels with Joe Jonas.
30:00Um, I have done a run with Oz Perlman and he read my mind and award-winning mentalist.
30:06Um, we have done so many incredible videos.
30:10We've done videos with Olympian Paralympic athletes.
30:13Um, just, just incredible stories.
30:17How do you, how do you book your talent?
30:19Yeah.
30:20And is there like a method to the madness or is a lot of inbound or is there people you're
30:23interested in?
30:24Tell me how that goes.
30:25Yeah.
30:26It's, it's a combination of, it's so funny because when it, when the show first started,
30:29it was me reaching out to people and I was doing, and that was a full-time job in itself,
30:32you know, like outreach is a whole, it's a whole thing.
30:34Like guys, I really was not sleeping.
30:36I asked my husband.
30:37He was like, she was not sleeping.
30:38Um, but it's start, it's, it's like a lot of outreach.
30:41Um, now we work with an incredible booking team that helps us book talent as well.
30:44Um, I mean, I love interviewing athletes.
30:47Um, I love interviewing founders.
30:49Um, I love interviewing people that work at companies.
30:52And I think that's cause I come from a corporate background.
30:54Um, and those videos really resonate with my audience.
30:56Cause a lot of my audience knows that I come from an advertising background and maybe they,
31:00they work at those companies as well.
31:02Um, so yeah, it's, it's such a combination.
31:05Um, my management team also, sometimes they represent people that want to come on the show.
31:09So there's just, it's word of mouth and it, it's, it just, uh, is kind of something.
31:14It's like a wheel that just greases itself at this point.
31:17Yeah.
31:18What is like a typical day for you in, in like, now that you, you were working two jobs,
31:22you weren't sleeping.
31:23Now you're in this full time.
31:24Yeah.
31:25What is like a typical day, typical week?
31:26How, tell me how a show works.
31:27So, well, my typical routine is I wake up early.
31:30I go for my own workout run, whatever kind of class just to get my workout in because
31:35I really believe in that post run high or post workout feeling.
31:37I think it sets you up for success in your day.
31:39So I'm always up early kind of getting in some form of movement.
31:42And then we now have an office in Brooklyn, which is so cool to say, but I think it's
31:46important when you work for yourself to have a space that you go to outside of our
31:50tiny apartments in New York.
31:51Um, so I have an office in Brooklyn.
31:53We have team members that come into the office that work for us.
31:56Um, and yeah, my, my day, it just, it varies.
32:00Like we travel a lot for the show.
32:02So some days we're, you know, driving to a golf tournament that's going on.
32:06We just interviewed Rory McIlroy at the BMW championships.
32:09Um, so it really depends.
32:11Like every day is truly every day is different.
32:13And I feel like so many content creators will say that.
32:15Um, but I would say for the most part, my day is spent prepping for an interview,
32:20interviewing somebody, um, or traveling to an interview.
32:25Um, or editing.
32:26We do like, I, I, I edit a lot of my videos.
32:30I also work with editors.
32:31It's like nonstop video production going on.
32:34You try to do how many videos you do a week or it depends on.
32:37How many videos do I film a week?
32:39Um, I film anywhere from like five to six videos a week.
32:43Some weeks it's more.
32:44Um, and then we try to put out three running interviews a week and we do one podcast a week.
32:49I'm trying to get to the point where we do two podcasts a week, but we're just not there yet.
32:54What are you seeing with internet?
32:55You mentioned like early on TikTok was favoring long form and you really took off.
33:00Yes.
33:01Um, what are you seeing now in terms of like, in terms of cadence, in terms of what works well on Instagram,
33:06what works well on TikTok, what works well on YouTube.
33:09Like tell me how that all goes.
33:10Oh, each platform is so different.
33:12I would say right now what I am seeing a lot of creators that are blowing up right now doing really well is personal content.
33:19Um, so personal storytelling around themselves.
33:21Um, you know, saying like, uh, I'm what come with me to find the best bagel spot in New York City.
33:29Just an example.
33:30Um, but kind of that selfie FaceTime style video, I think is doing really well for people.
33:34And I'm seeing a lot of growth in that category.
33:36So like we're trying to integrate a little bit more of that into my content while still staying true to ourselves,
33:41which is wanting to be an interview host.
33:43Um, but I think every platform really is different.
33:46I think TikTok and Instagram are becoming more similar, but I, I see Instagram more as a platform where you can really foster your community
33:53because you've got stories and you can create like group chats and be able to like talk to everybody directly as if you're texting your friend.
33:59Um, so yeah.
34:02And then YouTube is a beast.
34:03Like you guys know, it's just like a totally different platform.
34:05There's thumbnail testing and then there's full length video and editing and just then there's shorts from that.
34:10So it's crazy.
34:11People have thumbnail consultants.
34:12Yeah.
34:13It's that important, which as well.
34:14Do you, how do you choose?
34:15What is your production company?
34:16Like do you, do you edit everything yourself?
34:18Do you work on thumbnails?
34:19How does that kind of go?
34:20Yeah.
34:21We have somebody that works on thumbnails specifically.
34:23I'm involved in like everything I would like to say.
34:25Like I, I help everybody with each of their roles, but we have somebody that's amazing at thumbnail or in my opinion, really good at thumbnails.
34:32We're constantly iterating them.
34:33So I wouldn't say amazing yet.
34:34Cause it's not like we're doing that well with our thumbnails yet, but like we're trying.
34:37I think that's the biggest thing is like every platform you just have to iterate and then consistency is key, you know?
34:43Um, but yeah, we're, we have somebody that helps with our thumbnails.
34:46We have people that help out with the running interview show edits because those are a grind.
34:50Every running interview show episode takes like eight hours to edit.
34:53They take forever.
34:54Cause it's like an hour of content that we're condensing into three minutes to tell somebody's story.
34:58So you have to like scrape through everything and then still keep it fun and like whatever.
35:02Um, yeah, there's just a lot.
35:05We have somebody that does the full videos on YouTube.
35:07Yeah.
35:08Do you edit differently for tech talk than you do for Instagram or just kind of create one vertical and put it up there?
35:13I just do one vertical and put it up there.
35:15Yeah.
35:16What is like you, you just, how you started the podcast.
35:18Yeah.
35:19What, and you said you can't believe now you're an interview, you interview people for a living.
35:23Like, where do you see this going?
35:24If we're talking in, you know, a year or two, like what is like the goal?
35:27What's the dream?
35:28The dream for me is to continue like mastering the art of conversation.
35:32You know, I, I have realized through this, it's like, you know, a lot of people talk about creator burnout.
35:37And I think it's funny because yes, being a creator can be exhausting.
35:42There's certain days I wake up and I don't want to be on camera.
35:44Right.
35:45But at the same time, I love getting to know people.
35:48I love hearing people's stories.
35:50I love connecting with people.
35:51So 10 years from now, 20 years from now, I just want to continue storytelling and interviewing people and keep continue honing that skill because interviewing is a skill.
36:00It's like, as soon as I shifted from doing my short form interviews to my podcast, it was different because having a short form conversations very different than having a long form conversation.
36:09So I feel like I just have so much to learn and I hope that I can just stay in this space and continue having like meaningful conversations with people and continue spreading my ethos of let's get the world moving.
36:21Yeah, it's tricky because we do the long form podcast here, but then we clip it up and want to make it short for YouTube, make it short for long for YouTube, short for Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn.
36:30You said it's always changing.
36:31It's always iterating.
36:32It's always iterating.
36:33Who would be your dream guest?
36:35Oh, okay.
36:36I have two dream guests.
36:37I feel like I would have more if I had like sat with it for longer.
36:39But the two people that have always immediately come to mind are Jimmy Fallon.
36:43I love late night shows.
36:44And I just think he's hilarious.
36:46If I could make Jimmy Fallon laugh, it would like make my day.
36:48I just like love him.
36:49Love watching his shows.
36:51Always have.
36:52You put that in the universe.
36:53Yeah.
36:54Jimmy Fallon.
36:55Yeah.
36:56Here we go.
36:57Actually, that was what Oz Perlman, he read my mind and said, Jimmy Fallon's your dream guest.
37:00It was crazy.
37:01That's very specific.
37:02Yeah, it was so specific.
37:04So Jimmy Fallon.
37:05And then the other person who I would love to have on my show is, well, two people.
37:09Allie Love from the Today Show.
37:11She's also a Peloton instructor.
37:12We do a lot of work with Peloton.
37:14And she for so long was the MC for the New York Nets or the Brooklyn Nets.
37:18And then Katie Couric.
37:20Yeah.
37:21So Katie Couric, Jimmy Fallon, Allie Love, come on my show, please.
37:24Yeah, you love the TV, the old school TV host.
37:26I do.
37:27That's awesome.
37:28What would be your dream run?
37:30I mean, in location or person?
37:33Location.
37:34Dream run.
37:35Because all these people have to run.
37:37Katie Couric, Jimmy Fallon, Allie Love, they have to lace it up and you're going to run
37:41with you for sure.
37:42Yeah, it's so true.
37:43I mean, I think with Jimmy Fallon, I would love to do a running pizza tour of New York.
37:48I just think it'd be funny and hit some like New York hot spots.
37:52But I'm trying to think of a dream run.
37:55Ooh, I don't know.
37:57The beauty of running is you can run anywhere.
37:59Yes.
38:00You know, and I never know what my favorite video is going to be because especially when
38:03you're running in New York, you just never know what's going to happen.
38:06Like some runs are just so spontaneous.
38:09And so I feel like I don't know my dream run yet, but.
38:12We'll work on that.
38:13We'll work on that.
38:14Yeah.
38:15What is the best part about being a creator?
38:16I mean, I want to say like the power that putting yourself out there can have, right?
38:20Like the opportunities that I've been able to have just through putting myself out there
38:25online and connecting with people through movement has been incredible.
38:28You know, we've referenced so many of the people that I was able to go for runs with
38:31and so many of the brands that I now work with.
38:33And that really is a dream come true, especially as a girl that like got her start in advertising,
38:38wanting to work for all these incredible brands.
38:40Like the fact that we get to work with them and also get to work with these big ambassadors
38:44is just incredible.
38:46You know, I feel like a lot in business, you talk about like getting your foot in the door.
38:49And I think content creation for me has been like such a cool way to get my foot in the door
38:53and express myself creatively and hone this skill that I never thought I would hone,
38:59which is interviewing.
39:00And I think there's a really beautiful thing about chasing your passion
39:05and something that gives you energy and also just allowing the universe to take that passion
39:10in maybe a way that you wouldn't expect, which for me is becoming an interview host.
39:15But yeah, I think it's just as a content creator, I've been able to follow what bring,
39:24follow just what gives me energy.
39:26Yeah.
39:27And we got to talk about the downside.
39:28Yeah.
39:29What is the worst part about being a creator?
39:30Oh, we all know what the worst part about being a creator is.
39:33I think the worst part about being a creator is there is, there's a constant feedback loop,
39:38you know, and sometimes it's positive and which is amazing.
39:41And sometimes it's negative.
39:42And I think the most important thing as a content creator is knowing that, you know,
39:46it's funny.
39:47I interviewed John party the other day, who's a country singer.
39:49And he said to me, and I loved this was that when he signed with his label for the first
39:53time, his manager said to him, welcome to the fishbowl.
39:56You know, this is where it gets real.
39:58And I think that just means like, if you're putting yourself out there online and profiting
40:03from it, people are allowed to have opinions and they're allowed to provide, give you feedback.
40:08Um, sometimes it's good.
40:10Sometimes it's bad, but it comes with the territory and you just have to keep moving.
40:14How do you deal with negative comments?
40:17How do you deal with the haters?
40:18Ooh, how do I deal with it?
40:21I mean, I cry.
40:22Um, it's awful.
40:24Uh, how do I deal with it though?
40:25Is I just keep moving, you know?
40:27And I go back to like, you know, there's been so many times in my life where we talked
40:31about it before I've hit so many highs, but I've also hit so many lows.
40:36And I think it's so important in life to hit those highs and hit those lows.
40:40And it's about how you come back from those lows and respond to it and build yourself back
40:45up, you know?
40:46And I think a negative comment to me or negative reactions, it's, you know, equivalent to hitting
40:51a low in life and it's okay.
40:53And you just have to keep on moving and you will get through it.
40:56And I think for me, I'm just somebody that has always understood the power of moving forward
41:00and the power of the pivot, even if I can't physically pivot, you know?
41:04And, uh, that's it.
41:05You know, it's just, it comes with the territory.
41:07Some people are going to love you.
41:08People are going to hate you.
41:09It's okay.
41:10If you can go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice just before you're becoming
41:15a content creator, what would it be?
41:18Um, life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
41:21It's about learning to dance in the rain.
41:23Can you give me, can you elaborate on that?
41:26It's one of my favorite quotes.
41:28Um, and I think it's applicable in, in so many instances.
41:32And it just, I think it's repetitive of what we just said, you know, like it's, you're
41:37going to hit highs, you're going to hit lows, or it's kind of like, um, what did people
41:40always say to me when I first started out in content creation was, um, you can't let the highs
41:44get too high and you can't let the lows get too low, you know, and you just got to keep
41:48moving.
41:49Kate, Max, thanks so much for joining us.
41:51Thanks so much for having me.
41:52This was so fun.
41:53That was awesome.
41:54Yeah.
Recommended
6:01
|
Up next
5:20
4:21
46:46
2:06
5:09
4:51
5:25
5:01
4:49
Be the first to comment