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Apr 25, 2016 · 20m · top-founders

EP 247: He's 27, You Won't Believe What He's Doing for Redbull with Ty Stafford of Omelet Agency

Nathan Latka · 9m spoken Ty Stafford · 8m 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 Forbes 30 Under 30 creative strategist Ty Stafford of Omelet Agency to explore how he drives Red Bull's video marketing toward daily workplace consumers, manages lean production economics, and navigates the changing media landscape.

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 52.7% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.0 Guest teaching 3.0 Guest disagreement 1.3 Nathan pushing back 2.3
05100:0010:0020:000:43–3:54 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Top Tribe Weekly Contest Winner Announcement Nathan introduces Ty Stafford and asks him to articulate his hybrid role between strategy and creative at Omelet Agency. Ty explains the nuanced challenge of shifting Red Bull's social messaging from high-energy action sports to workplace beverage consumption without alienating the core audience.3:54–6:50 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Social Media Distribution and Measuring Engagement Nathan pulls up Red Bull's current Facebook page in real time to drill Ty on their high posting cadence and ROI tracking metrics. Ty explains the difficulty of directly attributing can sales to organic social engagement and shares their target reach benchmark.6:50–9:11 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Production Economics and Agency Retainer Structure Nathan presses Ty on the exact economics of the production budget and retainer model. When Ty initially hesitates to reveal client deal terms, Nathan pushes for a specific ballpark figure, prompting Ty to confirm a six-figure contract.9:11–13:08 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Omelet Agency Clients and the Pokémon Super Bowl Campaign Nathan and Ty bond over Pokémon and discuss Omelet's agency growth, Culver City headquarters, and how digital branded content is disrupting the traditional Hollywood production assistant pipeline.13:08–15:13 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 Connecting with Ty Stafford and Episode Reference Ty shares his social handles, followed by Nathan plugging past episodes and transitioning into sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator.15:13–18:52 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Sponsor Message: HostGator Website Hosting Nathan runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, teasing Ty about naming his own client's CEO before concluding with standard sponsor promos and podcast wrap-up.0:43–3:54 · Guest teaching 4/10 Top Tribe Weekly Contest Winner Announcement Nathan introduces Ty Stafford and asks him to articulate his hybrid role between strategy and creative at Omelet Agency. Ty explains the nuanced challenge of shifting Red Bull's social messaging from high-energy action sports to workplace beverage consumption without alienating the core audience.3:54–6:50 · Guest teaching 4/10 Social Media Distribution and Measuring Engagement Nathan pulls up Red Bull's current Facebook page in real time to drill Ty on their high posting cadence and ROI tracking metrics. Ty explains the difficulty of directly attributing can sales to organic social engagement and shares their target reach benchmark.6:50–9:11 · Guest teaching 3/10 Production Economics and Agency Retainer Structure Nathan presses Ty on the exact economics of the production budget and retainer model. When Ty initially hesitates to reveal client deal terms, Nathan pushes for a specific ballpark figure, prompting Ty to confirm a six-figure contract.9:11–13:08 · Guest teaching 3/10 Omelet Agency Clients and the Pokémon Super Bowl Campaign Nathan and Ty bond over Pokémon and discuss Omelet's agency growth, Culver City headquarters, and how digital branded content is disrupting the traditional Hollywood production assistant pipeline.13:08–15:13 · Guest teaching 1/10 Connecting with Ty Stafford and Episode Reference Ty shares his social handles, followed by Nathan plugging past episodes and transitioning into sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator.15:13–18:52 · Guest teaching 3/10 Sponsor Message: HostGator Website Hosting Nathan runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, teasing Ty about naming his own client's CEO before concluding with standard sponsor promos and podcast wrap-up.0:43–3:54 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Top Tribe Weekly Contest Winner Announcement Nathan introduces Ty Stafford and asks him to articulate his hybrid role between strategy and creative at Omelet Agency. Ty explains the nuanced challenge of shifting Red Bull's social messaging from high-energy action sports to workplace beverage consumption without alienating the core audience.3:54–6:50 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Social Media Distribution and Measuring Engagement Nathan pulls up Red Bull's current Facebook page in real time to drill Ty on their high posting cadence and ROI tracking metrics. Ty explains the difficulty of directly attributing can sales to organic social engagement and shares their target reach benchmark.6:50–9:11 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Production Economics and Agency Retainer Structure Nathan presses Ty on the exact economics of the production budget and retainer model. When Ty initially hesitates to reveal client deal terms, Nathan pushes for a specific ballpark figure, prompting Ty to confirm a six-figure contract.9:11–13:08 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Omelet Agency Clients and the Pokémon Super Bowl Campaign Nathan and Ty bond over Pokémon and discuss Omelet's agency growth, Culver City headquarters, and how digital branded content is disrupting the traditional Hollywood production assistant pipeline.13:08–15:13 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Connecting with Ty Stafford and Episode Reference Ty shares his social handles, followed by Nathan plugging past episodes and transitioning into sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator.15:13–18:52 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Sponsor Message: HostGator Website Hosting Nathan runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, teasing Ty about naming his own client's CEO before concluding with standard sponsor promos and podcast wrap-up.0:43–3:54 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Top Tribe Weekly Contest Winner Announcement Nathan introduces Ty Stafford and asks him to articulate his hybrid role between strategy and creative at Omelet Agency. Ty explains the nuanced challenge of shifting Red Bull's social messaging from high-energy action sports to workplace beverage consumption without alienating the core audience.3:54–6:50 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Social Media Distribution and Measuring Engagement Nathan pulls up Red Bull's current Facebook page in real time to drill Ty on their high posting cadence and ROI tracking metrics. Ty explains the difficulty of directly attributing can sales to organic social engagement and shares their target reach benchmark.6:50–9:11 · Nathan pushing back 6/10 Production Economics and Agency Retainer Structure Nathan presses Ty on the exact economics of the production budget and retainer model. When Ty initially hesitates to reveal client deal terms, Nathan pushes for a specific ballpark figure, prompting Ty to confirm a six-figure contract.9:11–13:08 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Omelet Agency Clients and the Pokémon Super Bowl Campaign Nathan and Ty bond over Pokémon and discuss Omelet's agency growth, Culver City headquarters, and how digital branded content is disrupting the traditional Hollywood production assistant pipeline.13:08–15:13 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Connecting with Ty Stafford and Episode Reference Ty shares his social handles, followed by Nathan plugging past episodes and transitioning into sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator.15:13–18:52 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Sponsor Message: HostGator Website Hosting Nathan runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, teasing Ty about naming his own client's CEO before concluding with standard sponsor promos and podcast wrap-up.

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

0:00 · Nathan 75% · guest 25%0:00 · Nathan 75% · guest 25%3:00 · Nathan 27.1% · guest 72.9%3:00 · Nathan 27.1% · guest 72.9%6:00 · Nathan 32.3% · guest 67.7%6:00 · Nathan 32.3% · guest 67.7%9:00 · Nathan 48.1% · guest 51.9%9:00 · Nathan 48.1% · guest 51.9%12:00 · Nathan 67.1% · guest 32.9%12:00 · Nathan 67.1% · guest 32.9%15:00 · Nathan 47.6% · guest 52.4%15:00 · Nathan 47.6% · guest 52.4%18:00 · Nathan 80.2% · guest 19.8%18:00 · Nathan 80.2% · guest 19.8%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 8:58 Boundary setting on client retainer size

Ty resists disclosing confidential agency deal terms, hesitating and stating he probably should not discuss the exact figures.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 9:02 Drilling down to the contract range

Nathan refuses to let Ty dodge the financial question, immediately narrowing the scope to six vs seven figures to extract a concrete range.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 2:40 Explaining the strategy of converting brand lovers to can lovers

Ty educates Nathan on the nuanced marketing challenge Red Bull faces when competing against 5-Hour Energy and coffee for office workers.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 6:01 Real-time auditing of client social posting cadence

Nathan demonstrates sharp live preparation by pulling up Red Bull's live feed and pointing out their relentless 15-minute posting frequency.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Top Tribe Weekly Contest Winner Announcement 3411 Nathan introduces Ty Stafford and asks him to articulate his hybrid role between strategy and creative at Omelet Agency. Ty explains the nuanced challenge of shifting Red Bull's social messaging from high-energy action sports to workplace beverage consumption without alienating the core audience.
Social Media Distribution and Measuring Engagement 6423 Nathan pulls up Red Bull's current Facebook page in real time to drill Ty on their high posting cadence and ROI tracking metrics. Ty explains the difficulty of directly attributing can sales to organic social engagement and shares their target reach benchmark.
Production Economics and Agency Retainer Structure 5336 Nathan presses Ty on the exact economics of the production budget and retainer model. When Ty initially hesitates to reveal client deal terms, Nathan pushes for a specific ballpark figure, prompting Ty to confirm a six-figure contract.
Omelet Agency Clients and the Pokémon Super Bowl Campaign 5312 Nathan and Ty bond over Pokémon and discuss Omelet's agency growth, Culver City headquarters, and how digital branded content is disrupting the traditional Hollywood production assistant pipeline.
Connecting with Ty Stafford and Episode Reference 1100 Ty shares his social handles, followed by Nathan plugging past episodes and transitioning into sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator.
Sponsor Message: HostGator Website Hosting 4312 Nathan runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, teasing Ty about naming his own client's CEO before concluding with standard sponsor promos and podcast wrap-up.

Statements from this episode (7)

Disclosure
Red Bull is shifting social strategy from entertainment to direct beverage sales
“Traditionally, Red Bull is known for making such incredible action sports content. But a thing that they're trying to work on now is making brand lovers into can lovers. They want to make sure their social is translating into some sales.”
Ty Stafford Apr 25, 2016 ▶ 2:43
Assertion Not checkable as stated
5-hour Energy and coffee crush Red Bull in the workplace beverage market
“So at work is a big element right now for Red Bull five hour energy and coffee are crushing that market. And they want to remind consumers that Red Bull is a good thing to drink while you're there.”
Ty Stafford Apr 25, 2016 ▶ 3:12
Insight
Measuring whether social video views drive offline retail purchases is almost impossible
“This is what makes it so incredibly hard is that to measure this is really almost impossible. We're measuring it mostly based off of brand affinity.”
Ty Stafford Apr 25, 2016 ▶ 5:17
Insight
Red Bull's high posting frequency dilutes its average video view counts
“It's insane, but it's because they have a global network of content creators, and they have to service all of those pieces of content. So, in some ways it's incredible, in other ways it's, it can lower their average view count.”
Ty Stafford Apr 25, 2016 ▶ 6:12
Disclosure
Omelet aims to keep individual Red Bull social video costs under $1,000
“If we can keep each individual video I mean, below a thousand dollars, then we're crushing it.”
Ty Stafford Apr 25, 2016 ▶ 7:14
Disclosure
Red Bull pays Omelet a six-figure annual contract for social video campaigns
“We're talking six figures.”
Ty Stafford Apr 25, 2016 ▶ 9:06
Insight
Branded content allows young directors to bypass Hollywood's slow production assistant track
“Well, and it's a means to kind of break the traditional model where you would be a PA on a set until you're 30. And then you do that till you're 30, and then maybe get a chance to direct a TV spot, and then you maybe get a chance to direct, it just, this way i…”
Ty Stafford Apr 25, 2016 ▶ 12:43
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