Oct 13, 2016 · 23m · top-founders

EP 446: $200k In Branded Placement Deals, How To Monetize Your Creative Brain with Ben Uyeda

Ben Uyeda · 11m spoken Nathan Latka · 9m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

Nathan Latka interviews architect and designer Ben Uyeda of HomeMade Modern, who reveals how he grew his business past $200,000 by packaging high-value branded content deals, pitching corporate partners with native proof-of-concept projects, and maintaining a lean, multi-disciplinary production team.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 44.3% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.3 Guest teaching 4.8 Guest disagreement 1.5 Nathan pushing back 1.5
05100:0010:0020:001:34–7:31 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Introducing Ben Uyeda and Creative Business Strategy Nathan introduces Ben and asks how he monetizes on YouTube. Ben educates Nathan on why view-based monetization is flawed compared to full-suite creative production packages for brands.7:32–9:49 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Reinvesting Brand Revenues and Transitioning to Long-Form Streaming Ben outlines his 10x rule of thumb comparing branded placement deals to AdSense earnings and explains how he reinvests cash flow into equipment to prepare for long-form streaming shows.9:49–11:56 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Pitching Brand Partnerships and Demonstration Strategies Nathan probes Ben on how creators should pitch major brands. Ben explains his demonstration strategy of producing native content featuring the product first before reaching out with proof of work.11:56–15:14 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Operational Scaling, Brand Stacking, and Natural Product Placement Nathan tests Ben on scaling methods, correctly proposing brand and product stacking per video. Ben validates the concept and describes treating products as necessary ingredients in DIY content.15:16–17:41 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Sponsor Break: Toptal, HostGator, and Real Estate Insights Mid-roll host monologue and sponsor reads for Toptal, HostGator, and a reference to Ben's previous real estate appearance on episode 10.17:42–22:46 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 The Famous Five and Interview Conclusion In the Famous Five, Ben rejects standard startup tropes, dismissing people who call themselves CEOs with under ten employees and advising young people to stop trying to win every argument.1:34–7:31 · Guest teaching 6/10 Introducing Ben Uyeda and Creative Business Strategy Nathan introduces Ben and asks how he monetizes on YouTube. Ben educates Nathan on why view-based monetization is flawed compared to full-suite creative production packages for brands.7:32–9:49 · Guest teaching 6/10 Reinvesting Brand Revenues and Transitioning to Long-Form Streaming Ben outlines his 10x rule of thumb comparing branded placement deals to AdSense earnings and explains how he reinvests cash flow into equipment to prepare for long-form streaming shows.9:49–11:56 · Guest teaching 6/10 Pitching Brand Partnerships and Demonstration Strategies Nathan probes Ben on how creators should pitch major brands. Ben explains his demonstration strategy of producing native content featuring the product first before reaching out with proof of work.11:56–15:14 · Guest teaching 5/10 Operational Scaling, Brand Stacking, and Natural Product Placement Nathan tests Ben on scaling methods, correctly proposing brand and product stacking per video. Ben validates the concept and describes treating products as necessary ingredients in DIY content.15:16–17:41 · Guest teaching 0/10 Sponsor Break: Toptal, HostGator, and Real Estate Insights Mid-roll host monologue and sponsor reads for Toptal, HostGator, and a reference to Ben's previous real estate appearance on episode 10.17:42–22:46 · Guest teaching 6/10 The Famous Five and Interview Conclusion In the Famous Five, Ben rejects standard startup tropes, dismissing people who call themselves CEOs with under ten employees and advising young people to stop trying to win every argument.1:34–7:31 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Introducing Ben Uyeda and Creative Business Strategy Nathan introduces Ben and asks how he monetizes on YouTube. Ben educates Nathan on why view-based monetization is flawed compared to full-suite creative production packages for brands.7:32–9:49 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Reinvesting Brand Revenues and Transitioning to Long-Form Streaming Ben outlines his 10x rule of thumb comparing branded placement deals to AdSense earnings and explains how he reinvests cash flow into equipment to prepare for long-form streaming shows.9:49–11:56 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Pitching Brand Partnerships and Demonstration Strategies Nathan probes Ben on how creators should pitch major brands. Ben explains his demonstration strategy of producing native content featuring the product first before reaching out with proof of work.11:56–15:14 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Operational Scaling, Brand Stacking, and Natural Product Placement Nathan tests Ben on scaling methods, correctly proposing brand and product stacking per video. Ben validates the concept and describes treating products as necessary ingredients in DIY content.15:16–17:41 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Sponsor Break: Toptal, HostGator, and Real Estate Insights Mid-roll host monologue and sponsor reads for Toptal, HostGator, and a reference to Ben's previous real estate appearance on episode 10.17:42–22:46 · Guest disagreement 4/10 The Famous Five and Interview Conclusion In the Famous Five, Ben rejects standard startup tropes, dismissing people who call themselves CEOs with under ten employees and advising young people to stop trying to win every argument.1:34–7:31 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Introducing Ben Uyeda and Creative Business Strategy Nathan introduces Ben and asks how he monetizes on YouTube. Ben educates Nathan on why view-based monetization is flawed compared to full-suite creative production packages for brands.7:32–9:49 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Reinvesting Brand Revenues and Transitioning to Long-Form Streaming Ben outlines his 10x rule of thumb comparing branded placement deals to AdSense earnings and explains how he reinvests cash flow into equipment to prepare for long-form streaming shows.9:49–11:56 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Pitching Brand Partnerships and Demonstration Strategies Nathan probes Ben on how creators should pitch major brands. Ben explains his demonstration strategy of producing native content featuring the product first before reaching out with proof of work.11:56–15:14 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Operational Scaling, Brand Stacking, and Natural Product Placement Nathan tests Ben on scaling methods, correctly proposing brand and product stacking per video. Ben validates the concept and describes treating products as necessary ingredients in DIY content.15:16–17:41 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Sponsor Break: Toptal, HostGator, and Real Estate Insights Mid-roll host monologue and sponsor reads for Toptal, HostGator, and a reference to Ben's previous real estate appearance on episode 10.17:42–22:46 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 The Famous Five and Interview Conclusion In the Famous Five, Ben rejects standard startup tropes, dismissing people who call themselves CEOs with under ten employees and advising young people to stop trying to win every argument.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 79.4% · guest 20.6%0:00 · Nathan 79.4% · guest 20.6%3:00 · Nathan 21.5% · guest 78.5%3:00 · Nathan 21.5% · guest 78.5%6:00 · Nathan 20.8% · guest 79.2%6:00 · Nathan 20.8% · guest 79.2%9:00 · Nathan 25.3% · guest 74.7%9:00 · Nathan 25.3% · guest 74.7%12:00 · Nathan 21.1% · guest 78.9%12:00 · Nathan 21.1% · guest 78.9%15:00 · Nathan 84.6% · guest 15.4%15:00 · Nathan 84.6% · guest 15.4%18:00 · Nathan 31.1% · guest 68.9%18:00 · Nathan 31.1% · guest 68.9%21:00 · Nathan 71% · guest 29%21:00 · Nathan 71% · guest 29%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 18:30 Mocking sub-10 employee CEO titles

Ben flatly dismisses the premise of studying CEOs, sarcastically mocking founders with under 10 employees who give themselves the CEO title.

Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 12:51 Challenging scaling limits with product stacking

Nathan pushes Ben on operational scaling constraints, asking whether charging more per video through multi-product placement can bypass management bottlenecks.

Biggest teaching moment ▶ 6:26 Deconstructing traditional agency costs vs creator content

Ben breaks down how expensive and ineffective traditional agency commercial production is compared to creator-produced multi-platform content packages.

Nathan holds their own ▶ 12:51 Proposing multi-brand stacking monetization

Nathan demonstrates sharp commercial instinct by proposing product stacking inside individual videos, which Ben confirms is one of his core monetization mechanics.

the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Introducing Ben Uyeda and Creative Business Strategy 3611 Nathan introduces Ben and asks how he monetizes on YouTube. Ben educates Nathan on why view-based monetization is flawed compared to full-suite creative production packages for brands.
Reinvesting Brand Revenues and Transitioning to Long-Form Streaming 4612 Ben outlines his 10x rule of thumb comparing branded placement deals to AdSense earnings and explains how he reinvests cash flow into equipment to prepare for long-form streaming shows.
Pitching Brand Partnerships and Demonstration Strategies 3622 Nathan probes Ben on how creators should pitch major brands. Ben explains his demonstration strategy of producing native content featuring the product first before reaching out with proof of work.
Operational Scaling, Brand Stacking, and Natural Product Placement 6512 Nathan tests Ben on scaling methods, correctly proposing brand and product stacking per video. Ben validates the concept and describes treating products as necessary ingredients in DIY content.
Sponsor Break: Toptal, HostGator, and Real Estate Insights 0000 Mid-roll host monologue and sponsor reads for Toptal, HostGator, and a reference to Ben's previous real estate appearance on episode 10.
The Famous Five and Interview Conclusion 4642 In the Famous Five, Ben rejects standard startup tropes, dismissing people who call themselves CEOs with under ten employees and advising young people to stop trying to win every argument.

Statements from this episode (10)

Insight
Uyeda: YouTube monetization comes from product integration, not view counts
“The real money is in not through sort of selling how many views you get, but in, in doing product integration into the video content itself.”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 2:53
Disclosure
Uyeda: First brand deal was $15k-$20k with Ryobi for 10 videos
“How about I make, I knew I couldn't pitch them on one video. I said, how about I make 10 videos for you that have all your products integrated into them. And I'll make you step by step and still images. And that was my first sort of paid deal. And that was for…”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 6:10
Insight
Uyeda: Sub-100k creators can secure cash deals by packaging production
“Most, most YouTubers think that you can't really get Paid cash until you have over a 100,000 subscribers. That's true. If you're trying to pitch your value is through the views that you create, but if it's the video and you're giving still images along with th…”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 6:33
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Uyeda: HomeMade Modern Generated ~$180k in 2015 Revenue
“I was looking at right now about a 180 K.”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 7:44
Insight
Uyeda: Brand integrations should yield 10x your YouTube AdSense revenue
“My rule of thumb for YouTube is that your sort of brand integration money should be about 10 times what your AdSense money is.”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 7:44
Insight
Uyeda: Creators should feature a brand's products before pitching sponsorships
“I would message Nutribullet and say, Hey, I would first, I would, I wouldn't tell them, I would first show them, not tell them what you're going to do. So with all the brands I did post with their products in it first, rather than tell them that I would do it …”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 10:39
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Uyeda: HomeMade Modern will make over $200K from brand deals in 2016
“This year, probably about 200, a little over 200 K. Okay. From about six to eight clients.”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 11:48
Disclosure
Uyeda: Scaling content businesses requires creative generalists, not assembly lines
“So for me, the scaling that I've started doing is hiring people that are generalists, just like me. So people that can Design a project, produce a video, edit it, and then post it. I don't want to have a team of assembly line production.”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 12:21
Insight
Uyeda: Brand mentions in instructional DIY content are essential project ingredients
“In a particular type of content I do, brand and product mentions, they aren't getting in the way. They're actually essential. It, to me, It seems this now my content is instructional. It shows people how to do things. We're basically providing recipes for how …”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 13:58
Insight
Uyeda: Creatives lose their competitive advantage by adopting standard business rules
“I see the mistake that a lot of creatives make in business is that they'll read these sort of books that are written by people with a totally different mindset. And they often undermine their competitive advantages by trying to follow these other sort of rules…”
Ben Uyeda Oct 13, 2016 ▶ 20:44
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