The Value of Partnerships and where it can take your brand

Summary

Becoming NEXTonSCENE™: Episode Summary

Title: The Value of Partnerships and Where It Can Take Your Brand
Host: Jackie Zuck, NEXTonSCENE Media, LLC
Guest: Nate Cook, Brand Partnership Architect
Release Date: June 12, 2025

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1. Introduction

In this enlightening episode of Becoming NEXTonSCENE™, host Jackie Zuck welcomes Nate Cook, a seasoned expert in brand partnerships, to delve into the pivotal role partnerships and public relations (PR) play in elevating a brand’s presence and influence. The discussion is enriched with personal anecdotes, professional insights, and actionable strategies aimed at entrepreneurs, influencers, and brands aspiring to expand their reach through strategic collaborations.

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2. Nate Cook’s Journey into Brand Partnerships

Nate Cook shares his early fascination with brand partnerships, tracing it back to his childhood observations of iconic commercial collaborations.
“Even when I was three years old, I was intrigued by how someone put together these brand partnerships,” Nate reflects (00:54).

This curiosity blossomed as he attended sporting events like Yankees games, where he pondered over the strategic placement of brand signage, laying the foundation for his career in brand partnerships.

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3. Defining Brand Partnerships

Jackie prompts Nate to clarify what brand partnerships entail, addressing a common area of confusion among listeners.
Nate explains, “Brand partnerships involve being a liaison, putting together the story between two brands, an athlete and a brand, or an influencer and a brand,” (04:02).

He emphasizes that successful partnerships are not merely about connecting two entities but about crafting an authentic narrative that resonates with the target audience from both sides.

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4. The Importance of Authenticity in Partnerships

Authenticity emerges as a critical theme. Nate highlights the necessity of genuine alignment between partnering brands to avoid perceptions of inauthenticity, which audiences can quickly detect.
“Our audience can tell within 10 seconds if a partnership is not authentic,” Nate states (06:53).

He cites the unsuccessful partnership between LeBron James and Kia, attributing its failure to the lack of alignment with LeBron’s established brand image.

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5. Metrics and Project Management in Partnerships

The conversation shifts to the significance of metrics and effective project management in brand partnerships. Nate underscores that brands now demand comprehensive metrics such as Return on Investment (ROI), impressions, and engagement rates.
“Brands want to see metrics, updates, data, and ROI,” Nate notes (06:53).

He advises that successful partnerships require meticulous project management, including clear communication, deliverable tracking, and constant stakeholder engagement to ensure all parties remain satisfied and informed.

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6. Navigating Conflict of Interest and Negotiation

Jackie introduces the topic of potential conflicts of interest in brand partnerships, prompting Nate to discuss strategies for managing such scenarios.
Nate suggests flexible, short-term contracts over long-term exclusivity to allow for future collaborations without restricting opportunities.
“The best strategy is to do one-off, three to six-month campaigns to test the partnership,” he advises (07:54).

Additionally, Nate highlights the importance of negotiation skills and having a supportive team to avoid undervaluing one’s worth during deals.

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7. Engagement Over Follower Count

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the shifting priorities from follower counts to engagement rates in securing brand partnerships.
“Followers are super overrated now. Brands are really looking for engagement and relatability,” Nate asserts (09:20).

He explains that brands prefer influencers who foster genuine interactions with their audience over those with large but passive followings. Nate provides an example contrasting a celebrity with a disconnected brand partnership against a relatable influencer with high engagement.

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8. Successful Campaigns and Case Studies

Nate shares compelling case studies from his career, illustrating the impact of strategic brand partnerships.
One notable example is his work with the Big 12 Conference, where he orchestrated community-centric events that involved high-profile brands like Monster and Chick-fil-A, demonstrating the power of integrated brand activations.
“These activations were stressful but incredibly rewarding, proving that I could manage Fortune 500 campaigns,” Nate recounts (10:48).

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9. The Synergy Between PR and Brand Partnerships

Nate articulates the intrinsic link between PR and brand partnerships, positing that effective PR is foundational to successful brand collaborations.
“PR is the mother of brand partnerships because visibility and touchpoints are what brands look for,” he explains (13:28).

He elaborates that a strong PR presence ensures that both the influencer and the partnering brand gain mutual visibility, enhancing the authenticity and reach of their collaboration.

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10. Building and Scaling Brand Partnerships

Jackie and Nate explore strategies for building brand partnerships, particularly for emerging influencers and small businesses. Nate advises starting with local brands to build a portfolio of successful collaborations before approaching larger companies.
“Start with your local community brands and build your reps before targeting Fortune 500 companies,” Nate recommends (16:33).

He emphasizes the importance of having a long-term vision, maintaining professionalism, and being selective about partnerships to ensure alignment and mutual benefit.

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11. Transitioning from Gifting to Paid Partnerships

The discussion touches on the transition from receiving free products or services (gifting) to charging for partnerships. Nate suggests that this transition depends on demonstrating value through tangible metrics and successful campaign outcomes.
“Show how you’re moving the needle with conversions or engagement to justify charging for partnerships,” he advises (18:29).

He highlights the necessity of proving one’s impact through data to secure paid deals with larger brands.

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12. Final Insights and Advice

Nate concludes with valuable advice on maintaining professionalism and fostering strong relationships in brand partnerships.
“Be a good person, be honorable, and don’t take advantage of brands. Reliability and integrity go a long way,” Nate emphasizes (22:23).

He also underscores the importance of soft skills, such as punctuality and gratitude, in building long-lasting and fruitful partnerships.

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13. Conclusion

Jackie wraps up the episode by reiterating Nate’s invaluable insights and encouraging listeners to apply these strategies in their own brand partnership endeavors. She also invites the audience to connect with Nate through his various social channels for further guidance and collaboration opportunities.

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Notable Quotes

• Nate Cook (00:54):
  “Even when I was three years old, I was intrigued by how someone put together these brand partnerships.”

• Nate Cook (04:02):
  “Brand partnerships involve being a liaison, putting together the story between two brands, an athlete and a brand, or an influencer and a brand.”

• Nate Cook (06:53):
  “Our audience can tell within 10 seconds if a partnership is not authentic.”

• Nate Cook (09:20):
  “Followers are super overrated now. Brands are really looking for engagement and relatability.”

• Nate Cook (13:28):
  “PR is the mother of brand partnerships because visibility and touchpoints are what brands look for.”

• Nate Cook (16:33):
  “Start with your local community brands and build your reps before targeting Fortune 500 companies.”

• Nate Cook (22:23):
  “Be a good person, be honorable, and don’t take advantage of brands. Reliability and integrity go a long way.”

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Connect with Nate Cook

• LinkedIn: Nathaniel Cook
• Instagram: @mr.urban.sportsandentertainment
• TikTok: @mr.urban.sportsentertainment

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This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for anyone interested in leveraging brand partnerships to amplify their brand’s influence. Nate Cook’s expert advice underscores the importance of authenticity, strategic planning, and maintaining strong professional relationships to achieve sustainable success in the realm of brand collaborations.

Transcript

[Jackie Zuck]

Welcome back to Becoming Next on Scene, everybody. It is your host, Jackie Zuck. It is another awesome day for another awesome episode of how to become Next on Scene in your fields of business or in your passion. I do have my daughter in the background today while I'm recording this intro, so you might hear her giggles and laughs with my dog. And that is just the authenticity of my podcast. So today I'm so excited. This is definitely more of a personal close to home podcast for me. I'm so excited. I have the amazing Nate Cook coming on talking all about the importance of partnerships and PR and how they work hand in hand together. And this is so close to home for me because I feel like as somebody who works in public relations day in and day out, I know the importance of partnerships and what they bring to the table as you build your rapport as a thought leader, as an expert in the industry. I mean, you absolutely benefit so much from creating partnerships with brands that can really excel your influence. And also, I mean, Nate talks more about this in the show, but it always has to be about the authenticity behind it, right? So I think, I think you're really going to find this podcast super inspiring today. Nate has such an incredible resume creating partnerships with really well known brands. And so we are so excited also because Nate does. He. He does. Has a lot of things. He does, but he is part of our team as well. So he helps create brand deals for our clients as well, which we're so excited about. So learn from the best and if you will be at our event in June, Nate will be there. So if you haven't gotten your tickets yet For Nexon team's 10 year anniversary showcase supporting humankind, we would love to see you there. Tickets are flying fast. We are almost sold out of VIP tickets actually. By the time you listen to this, hopefully we will be full with VIP tickets. So can't wait that you learned. Can't wait to hear all the amazing things you learned about today from the amazing Nate. Stay tuned for him. The ups, the downs and all the in between. What it takes to become next on Scene. Are you next? Follow us at Next on Scene. Welcome back to becoming Next on Scene, everybody. I am so excited to be here with the amazing Nate Cook, who is an architect when it comes to brand partnerships. Nate, welcome to the podcast.

[Nate Cook]

Yes. Thank you so much, Jackie, for having me on on this beautiful day. I appreciate it.

[Jackie Zuck]

I'm so excited. You are such a rock star, so talented in your craft. So let's talk about PR and partnerships. Work Hand in hand. How did you fall into the world of partnerships?

[Nate Cook]

Yeah, so basically I fell in the world of partnerships. I always had like an intrigue for how this partnerships were. Even like when I was young, just looking at commercials and like, even like back in the day, like watching like Michael Jordan with Gatorade or things like that. It's like, who put that together? And that was. I was always more intrigued in that than even looking at like the athletes or the product. I'm like, there's someone behind the scenes. I don't know who it are. I don't know how it works. Cause I'm only like three years old. But somebody put this together. And I would say like, that was like my first introduction. And then when I started going to like baseball game, I remember going to Yankees game and I'm looking at signage, I'm looking at brands. I'm like, somebody put the Yankees and his brand together. And that was kind of like I would say my introduction into brand partnership. Cause I always intrigued and I remember getting on my dad's nerve and my accident, like we would see like, hey Hertz. I'm like, hey dad, how did Hertz get that billboard up here? He's like, I don't know. I'm just watching the game and just shut up, enjoy the game. But I always was intrigued about stuff like that. So I would say that would be. It was like my introduction to brand partnerships. I always was curious about that.

[Jackie Zuck]

Can you define what it is? Because I think people like don't like they see it, but they don't understand it. So can you define it?

[Nate Cook]

So basically, brand partnerships is coming as being a liaison, putting the story together between, whether it be two brands, athlete, influencer in a brand, and you're telling some kind of story between them. So you're marriaging them together and you're the liaison. So your job is obviously connecting the dots, putting them together. But also what a lot of people don't understand is you have to tell the story from both sides. So you're essentially serving two masters. You're telling the side from the brand. And turn aside from whether it's an event, an athlete, whatever, you're telling their story and you're meshing that together to make it work and make it authentic. That's what true part of brand partnerships. It's not just bringing two things together. It's making it authentic and actually telling the story that makes sense. That's resonates to whoever audience they're trying to target.

[Jackie Zuck]

And I want to Even elaborate on this more because talk about the difference that it can make on both sides of it. Because it's so significant. Right?

[Nate Cook]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zuck]

We can even start first with the, like, let's say it's an athlete and a. And a brand. Like, can you give us an example?

[Nate Cook]

Yeah, sure. So if you look like, for a perfect example, look at Hertz with Tom Brad and what he's done over the years. The market share that he's increasing hurts the brand visibility, introducing them into new audiences and how it benefits. Like athlete Tom Brady is now, he's introduced into the auto world that maybe he wasn't introduced to. He's introduced to audience that don't necessarily like football now. I mean, they're not football people, but now they're fans of him. And now he's branded himself. And it's also for influences and athletes. It's like you want to get your reps in. So now when you do good with one brand, brands talk now you're getting pitched. Now your team's getting pitched to other different products and opportunities and services. But the key thing is for both sides, you have to actually tell a story, an authentic story. Because our audience have become super, super smart in this. They can tell you within 10 seconds that this is not authentic. Like, this is just a money grab. There's no. There's no alignment behind this. So what I usually do, if I work with particular athletes or influencers, I do what you call is like audits, and I break down, like, what do you actually like, what are you passionate about? From foundations to brands. What is your identity? And then I go out and find things that align with the identity and the reason for that, because the one thing you never want to do is do something that's super inauthentic. Like, like perfect example, like the Kia LeBron James. People knew LeBron James not driving no Kia. So that partnership never really transitioned and morphed into what it could be. Now, if he's Maserati or McLaren or something like, that's more authentic to him because they know those. The kind of cars you drive, no one with billion dollars is driving a Kia. So that was like one thing I always show people. Like a major case study of something that's inauthentic partnership.

[Jackie Zuck]

I love this. And then in terms of like, because you see it from both sides, like stats, right? Like brands asked for, like, do they ask metrics? Like, I've kind of seen mixed bag personally. But tell me, like, what you see because you're in it.

[Nate Cook]

Yeah, I Think they do. I think definitely now with the landscape that we ended, definitely want to see what RI is. They, they always want metrics, updates, they want data, they want impressions, they want return investment. And one thing, what a lot of people before they, they get in this space, they just like hey, I just want to broker the deal. You need to have project management skills. That means making sure deliverables are being met, making sure that all the stakeholders are happy, constant communication over communicating with them or things like that, being able to put together proper decks, runs of shows, whatever you're doing, you want to over communicate. And that's one asset aspect of this business that people don't understand. You have to have tight, tight, very tight project management skills.

[Jackie Zuck]

And then in terms of, because I feel like I've heard about this before but like conflict of interest. So let's use this as an example. Right. So you were just talking about Tom Brady with Hertz. If another company reaches out to you as a representation saying they're a competitor, like how does that work? Can he, can he work with them after a certain period of time? Or like is there a window?

[Nate Cook]

Yeah, I think now more back in the day, like high level talent would be locked in for say two to three year contracts. And that means exclusive. That means you can't do anything within that field and within that industry. Excuse me. Now athletes are getting smarter, say hey listen, I'm not. If they want me to do an exclusive, I'm not doing no more than three, six months. We can do some social content, we do some campaigns. But I don't want to lock yourself in because also now what you're doing is you kind of take yourself out that of that industry. Because now it hurts with Tom Brady that now maybe Cadillac might be interested, maybe like I said, McLaren might be interested and you're losing out on opportunities. So I would say the best, I would say strategy is just do like one off. So maybe like a three month campaign, six month campaign. See how the partnership is. Because it's like a marriage, Jackie. Like you don't want to marry your husband or wife or whoever your of is after a day. You want to give it time to see if there's something I really want to partake in. So I always tell athletes that. But you have to have a partnership mission driven and you can't be about money grabs. That's one red flag. If I see someone that's about money grabs and I'm just looking to get check from brands, I don't deal with it because it's not authentic. And everything is not about money. You want long term partnerships.

[Jackie Zuck]

No, it's so true. And then what would you say too when it comes to like, like getting a brand deal or a partnership? Like what's your take now on follower accounts? Engagement counts. Can we talk about that too? Like let's play a role.

[Nate Cook]

I think followers are just super overrated now. Like that's not what brands are looking for. Like obviously you have to have some kind of robust following, but they're really looking for engagement. How are you tackling your audience and things like that and also how you being relatable to the common person. The reason why a lot of high level celebrities now and brand partnerships I have kind of got diluted and not as popular because it's not relatable to the common person. That's why you see streamers, you see regular people like, hey, they all become so popular because people remember like hey, this guy was, you know, packing my groceries at Target last year. Now he's has a million dollar brand deals and things like that. It's relatable, you know what I mean? And with celebrities, sometimes they're so far away from reality. A lot of campaigns as you see it, Jack, all the time on social, you're looking on Internet or watching TV or whatever, it's not authentic and it doesn't resonate, you know, and it really, really like I've got the company like a couple years ago they, they spent the house on Snoop Dogg to do some kind of smoking campaign. It didn't resonate just because he's a super far from, he's a super away from the regular person. But if you would have got like an influencer that was into like CBD or in marijuana, but maybe had maybe 30,000 followers, but he had a crazy amount of, she had a crazy amount of engagement, things like that. That's what kind of brands are kind of gearing to right now.

[Jackie Zuck]

Can you talk about some like successful like campaigns that you've done? You have a great resume, like inspiring stuff.

[Nate Cook]

Yeah, sure. So I would say one of probably the biggest campaigns I did a couple of years ago is when we work with the Big 12 Conference. So basically Big 12 Conference is one of the top conferences in collegiate sports schools like Texas, Oklahoma, who's at SEC right now. They used to be the Big 12, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Kansas, all those schools encompass the Big 12. And a friend of mine who just became the chief marketing officer for the Big 12 reached out to me and said, Nate, you know, we Want to make history. Because that's my motto. I should trademark it. But I said, let's make history. So everybody I know I work with, I always end calls with that. If I could remember, like, let's make history. He reached out to me, he said, nate, you know, I want to potentially do three things. I want to have an activation at Rucker park, which is like a monument park. And there was one of my clients in New York, a basketball park. He wants to do something with the community. And the third is he wants to basically disrupt. He want to be disrupted while doing it. So we came up with the Big 12 at the park. So we had this big event where Big 12 coaches will come out. All the professional coaches, basketball players would come out to the park, you know, engage with the community, play with the kids, you know, doing super grand activities, things like that. And we was able to get, like, cold water involved. Hard Rock Hotel was involved. The local Chick Fil a in Harlem came and donated chicken. And a whole bunch of. It was a super great activation. And it was one time where I worked on other things, but me being like, the direct contact where it was all on me, it was something that was super, like, stressful, but was rewarding. I started realizing, like, big time Fortune 500 companies, I can do this. And then I started rinse and repeat. And then I did a campaign with lids at the park. And we did a big campaign. And we have Monster coming back to the park again this year as a title sponsor. So those are some kind of activations that I really was. I did a lot of other things, but it was a lot of that. I wasn't really, like, the point of contact. Like, I did a lot of the work, but these kind of activations, like, they're calling me every five minutes. That's why I say, like, the project management side, Jackie, is so important, especially when you deal with big brands. And I tell people that they're like, hey, I want to do a Fortune 500 campaign with the Fortune company. And I want. I have this influencer, someone I'm connected with, or this idea. I say, but the biggest key is the project management side. You know what I mean? Because that is like, stakeholders call you every 10 minutes. They want updates every 10 minutes. You're trying to get data for them, you're trying to get impact. They need reports and this. Maintaining all that stuff. It's pretty tricky. But it's rewarding.

[Jackie Zuck]

No, I love it. And then, like, in terms of. Because you and I talk about this all the time, but the value of how PR and partnerships like work hand in hand and the value of both of them. So from your perspective, I would love for you to share the value.

[Nate Cook]

I think you can. You don't have brand partnership without pr. I always say to me, PR is the mother of brand partnerships. And the reason why that's one of my thesis is because visibility, who you getting out there, who you reaching out to there, that's the touch points that brands want to see. So when a brand reaches out to me, say hey Nate, I love this influence, I love this athlete. But I don't see them in place anywhere. I don't see them on red carpets, I don't see them doing media tours. That's what they want. Because while they do those tour again go back to telling the story, they can attach their brand to that. So like if you're monster, you have an influencer and they going on the crazy media tour, they're doing tmz, they're doing fox, doing this, whatever it is, the red carpets they can attach and do activations and things like that. But if they don't see you out there, they're not going to be attracted to it. It's not going to make sense for them because then they going to have to try to get you out there and they're going to have to kind of use their agencies they work with to kind of leverage things. So that is so important. You getting out there and being visible is a central part of brand partnership. It's essentially a part of it. Of what? Brand partnership, the visibility part. That's all what brands ask for.

[Jackie Zuck]

No, I love this and I think to your point. So I've seen from a PR side, I've seen two things. I've seen companies come to me with super small audience but like they have great engagement. Right. And then I've seen people that just want followers. And like you and I were just like that's not the answer. Right. So can we just like elaborate more that because I feel like it's, it's a catch 22.

[Nate Cook]

Yeah. Because followers doesn't really, in this day and age, when we first had advent of social media that was very important, building followers and followers now people know like it's not to say it is not. It's not really hard. You see viral people do it all the time. They gain a million followers but their lack of engagement is low and their brand partnerships is low. So sometimes you see somebody like they have five main fathers, but how they only working with like two or Three brands, that doesn't make sense. And then this person over here has 25,000 followers and every week they're in new campaigns and doing content because that's important, engaging, no matter. And I always try to tell clients is that no matter what your, you optimize your audience, you make the best use of it and you get to know your audience and things like that. Look at the comments, look at who's following you, look at how you can engage with them and things like that. It's super, super important. The second part too is I always tell people as well as part of brand partnership is attach yourself to a foundation, something in the philanthropy world because it makes people heart melt and people heart melt. They will start following you and they'll find out that you really are a part of a cause or something that's bigger than you and I, you'll get the massive amount of return. It's kind of like something that I kind of almost require for people I work with is like you have to be attached to somehow a foundation, a non profit, a give back or something. Because that is tremendously in telling your story.

[Jackie Zuck]

I'm with you, you know this.

[Nate Cook]

I'm so yeah, it's very important.

[Jackie Zuck]

Yes, yes, yes. All of it. So important. So who, like, who is your ideal person to come in? Like where are they at in their business? Obvious. Worked with athletes, you've worked with popular influencers. Like can you share? Because like this audience that listens is kind of all over.

[Nate Cook]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zuck]

When are they ready for brand partnerships?

[Nate Cook]

I think they're ready for brand partnerships. And one thing I always say is when they start reaching out to you, brands start reading and it necessarily. That's what I said. Like you have to have long term vision. It's not always about the money with a brand start reaching out to you and sometimes it's about like product placement. Mean like hey, let us give you some free product at your event or your function or let's do like a campaign and see how it goes or things like that. When they start reaching out to you and sometimes if either they're viewing your stories or sometimes they're viewing what you have going on or sometimes you may have in an event and they'll bring a rep out there that you don't even know and things like that, when they start kind of like I ain't reaching out to you, that's good. But a lot of times too, you have to make sure your ducks is in the road, Jack. Because a lot of times we want what we're not ready for. I've seen so many times people crash and burn relationship especially with bigger brands because they have a way shorter tolerance than smaller brands. So if you're working on brand partners, start with your local community banks or your local brands and get your reps in. And I would like tell people like you're not going to go to the gym and be able to run a 5k marathon tomorrow. You have to start working on reps. And that's why I tell people never go after that and they never felt Jackie, they'll go after the rich me like me. This is way too much for me. This is overwhelming. Why I'm like, exactly. Because they don't have the top and then also too they don't need your business. So if you're a big company, they're like, okay, if you can't do it, we can't. I can go get 100 people brand can hold your hand and you can kind of build together. So you have to just be very careful what you ask for.

[Jackie Zuck]

A lot of times I love that and I love the philosophy too with the gift. Like be open to the gifting piece too because it is all about the relationship building which is another thing you and I talk about all the time. So what would you say like in terms of once you have like you feel like you have a like how is a good along a long enough test to be like okay, now I can ask to charge. Like now I can ask to charge. You know like I always like wonder that from an outsider.

[Nate Cook]

I would say it varies just depend on the size of the brand. And budget wise that's just kind of like the dark side of working with a small brand because sometimes they don't have the flexibility budget wise. But I think that is key. Like if you can show how you're moving needle whether conversions or if it's hey, hey, they put a, a code hey, shop Jackie. And you can see like how many people are going clicking on your site, click rates or things like that. Conversions or engagement. If you have something tangible metric to show them that. Because you can use that data for another big brand too as well. So if you go like to your local gym and you like look at this data I've done, we did influencer campaign. You could pitch that to the Planet Fitness up the street. You can pitch that to LA Fitness or things like that that are constantly looking for, you know, content creators, influences, partnerships or whatever it may be. So always utilize that data. So I would say I my, my sweet spot is one campaign I would do that with and see how that goes. And if it goes very well, that you know, eventually they're going to have to start spending you some money or things like that.

[Jackie Zuck]

I just think brand partnerships is like where the world's going. Because your point, like, like, just out of curiosity, like the biggest like packages you've seen, like, what do people even, like, what do they even pay now at these, like, I'm sure you've seen millions. I don't know.

[Nate Cook]

Yeah, so yeah, I would say, like the thing is too, and this is about negotiation skills, this is why it's important to have PR and a team. It's important to have a team because a lot of times I see people negotiate themselves out of a lot of money because they don't really know what they're doing in that space. And brands see you come, it's like, it's like I would say like blood in the water for a shark. If they see you on a call, you're just all over the place. You don't know how to negotiate. They're going to lowball you a lot of times. So it's really like having a team and investing in that team and things like that. And also it's always over delivering too with the brand. That's why PR is so important. So where brands see that and updating them, say, hey guys, you know, if you know someone is following you from a certain brand, tell them, hey, I got two or three placements this month. So imagine if your brand next to me and I'm going to be at a red carpet next month. I'll be at like that wonderful event that you have coming up and stuff like that. That stuff matters. And that's exactly what brands look at. And you need a team. If you don't have a team, brands really will start looking like with, I would say they wouldn't want to work with you, but they would really be skeptical because what a lot of times people realize the brand, whoever your connect, has to sell that to somebody else too. It's not always just them. So when they're like, hey, was a PR person on the call? How's their manager? You know, how's that? They're like, well, it was just them. And they're like, well, you know, we may not want to deal with that. I see that, I see a lot of deals and that's happened so much get killed. And I have a brand that reach out to me was like, oh, this person, I just reach out to him is like, oh, you know, I don't need pr. I don't need this and that. And they're like, okay, that's a red flag.

[Jackie Zuck]

No, I love that because to your point, just adding value to, like, what you do. But, like, you keep the systems in order. Like, you deliver the timely things. Like, if you're not doing that, the opportunity is, like, gone. Like, these are so important, like, especially for even credibility, like, in your business, in. In life, I feel like, because, Jackie.

[Nate Cook]

Brands want to know that you're running your own business. So when you're in, whatever you are, they want to know that you are the CEO of your own business. So no CEO works alone. So when you say, like, hey, you know, I'm doing this, I'm working alone, that's a really red flag. And as people don't realize, too, I would say this is cliche, but be. Just be a good person, too. Be honorable. Be a good person. Don't. Don't try to take advantage of brands. Like, if you know a small brand, don't try to overcharge them. Really work with them. I know it's cliche, but that will get you a long way. That is a long way. Because I know a lot of people that work with smaller brands, and then they'll reach out to a bigger brand. That smaller brand would like them a great, like, reference letter or really know someone at that brand and be like, this person was great to work with. They were on time, they made deliverables, their team was great. That stuff goes a long way.

[Jackie Zuck]

No, it's so true. Because even if you don't, like, I think a company would rather have somebody that's reliable long term. Like, whether you're making sales. Like, it's the whole process. Like it is.

[Nate Cook]

Yeah. And they'll vet you out, too, Jackie. Like, I know there's some big brands that have affiliates with smaller brands, and they'll work. They'll have a talent sheet. Someone had pitched some talent. They'll go to that small brand and ask them, like, how was it working with them? It's extremely important. It's extreme. And they'll put up there, like, hey, first thing they asked about was the money. Everything was about the money or this and that. It wasn't authentic or there was hard to work with. All those kind of things is so, so, so important.

[Jackie Zuck]

No, you just have so many nuggets, Nate. I'm like, is there anything else you want to share?

[Nate Cook]

I was just so. I'm just. I think people just overlook that so much. Like, that's something that you can't teach is being a good person. And the soft skills, like, because most of everything else, it's like repetition. You, anything you do more and more you get better at, but that's soft skills and being on time. And I said like, small thing. I took it. Write the thank you note. If they say, hey, Jackie, we're gonna do a month deal and this is what we're doing, look forward to work with you. Just send them a thank you. No. And you know, appreciate them. And if they have a foundation come out and maybe help them out or things like that. And it's just so, so, so, so important.

[Jackie Zuck]

So cool. And then wait, side note, you also had a client that was pitching at the White Sox game, right? Or something?

[Nate Cook]

Yeah, tomorrow. Tomorrow. Yeah, yeah, tomorrow. Yeah, we had. I went out to Chicago tomorrow for a couple. I'd probably back Sunday or Saturday. We are going out there and that just go back to relationships again. And a lot of people know that I make a phone call or I can reach out to people, but I've always had good relationships with people. And it's. And that's one thing, like, I'm very select. And that's one thing good about being like a great at your craft. You can be selective with who you work with. So I only work with people that are like mission driven, that really want to build strategic partnerships that will go the extra mile for the brands or whoever it may be. Because that stuff goes a long way.

[Jackie Zuck]

I love it and I want to throw in too. Like, I think part of what people see with PR and partnerships is you can get the press like all day. Like, they don't always generate sales, even with brand.

[Nate Cook]

If you're not in the long game.

[Jackie Zuck]

Yeah, you gotta market these things.

[Nate Cook]

Yeah. It's also the long game.

[Jackie Zuck]

So I think that that's another thing. I get asked a lot because, like, I know people that have been on the Today show made no sales. Well, you didn't promote it. You didn't promote it. Like, you just like, it's just, just part of the game.

[Nate Cook]

It's a personal thing. And you know, one thing I was telling. I make this analogy, right? And, and two things. Some people reach out and be like, hey, you know, I've been burnt before by pr, brand partnerships, or manage, whatever. I was like, okay, so if you have a toothache and you had a one bag dentist, can you go to the next dentist and say, hey, I don't want to pay or invest you. Because the last dentist didn't do me right. He's like, no, I'm not touching you until you pay me. Like that's the way of life is and things like that. And it's an investment. Like you can't like. And I tell people if you have a car, say you, you put tires on your car this month, you can't go and say next month, oh, I need help with my engine. But I just pay for my tires, I can't pay for the engine now. That's not how life works. You know, you got to constantly invest in yourself. And if people don't do that, I don't deal with them no more.

[Jackie Zuck]

Yeah, I mean I think it's just such no matter what happens, even the bad experiences, like they were good learning experiences, this is not what I want. Like, I want more for myself. Right.

[Nate Cook]

Like, but then also Jackie too, what a lot of people especially like when brand deals don't go good from the talent side, they don't self audit themselves and what did they do? It's always the brand wanted this or this. It didn't alignment. Well, why wasn't alignment? You know, because I'm looking at the call logs and you had a scheduled call at 12, you didn't get on 12:30 and we had, you had appearance for you supposed to be that one. You didn't get there to 145 and you left at 2. So it's all these things I look at and things like that. And when the brands, they'll send me the information and then I'll talk to the talent and you know, they'll tell me everything on this side. But I'm like, the data shows that you wasn't really the easiest person to deal with. So all that stuff is important.

[Jackie Zuck]

No, I love this. These are like amazing nuggets. So how can people like follow you, get in touch with you like.

[Nate Cook]

Sure. My LinkedIn is my full name. Nathaniel Cook. I love LinkedIn. That's one of my best, my vehicles. I'm on Instagram too. Mr. Urban sports and Entertainment. I'm on Tik tok as well. Mr. Urban Sports Entertainment and always willing to talk help people out anything that they need. In the brand partnership space is growing, it's evolving. One thing is too, as I would tell people before you get in this space, I know you see the glitz in the grammar, you see people doing million dollar deals and stuff like that, but really just hone in and get your reps and in. That's the biggest thing. I would say work with small brands and as you keep working with them, you keep getting your reps in, the bigger brands will start coming.

[Jackie Zuck]

I agree. Because I think it's also like the confidence too. Like your point, you get experience. Like, you have reference. Like, I love.

[Nate Cook]

And I test for a lot of people, too. Like a lot of my buddies that are like CMOs and things, people I know, I'm like, okay, well, pitch this person right here. You say you want a big company, you got this talent, you want to broker the deal we're going to call and pitch them. And the way they get rattled and stuff. And because they don't have their reps in and they know right away they don't have their reps in, there's nothing wrong with that. Getting reps in. And also too, there's nothing wrong with as well learning from your mistakes or things like that. There's nothing wrong with that. Don't always focus on what we're wrong. Like you said, focus on what can I learn from this and not repeat the same mistakes.

[Jackie Zuck]

I love it. So good. You're the best. Like, Nate is the best. I'm so excited. Also too, he does work with next on scene. So we love having him a part of our team too. So you're just the best. So thank you so much. Everybody follow Nate on all his channels. Check him out. And thanks so much, Nate. This was awesome.

[Nate Cook]

Thanks, Jack. Thank you for having me. Of course.

[Jackie Zuck]

And everybody, stay tuned for who's next on scene. Are you next? Follow us at next on scene.