Balancing Passion and Practicality | A Conversation with Mattel

Summary

Podcast Summary: The GaryVee Audio Experience – "Balancing Passion and Practicality | A Conversation with Mattel"

Release Date: January 27, 2025

In this episode of The GaryVee Audio Experience, entrepreneur and social media mogul Gary Vaynerchuk engages in an insightful conversation with representatives from Mattel. The discussion delves into the synergy between passion and practicality in business, the evolution of personal branding, and the impact of recent global events on personal and professional lives. Below is a detailed summary capturing the key points, notable quotes, and overarching themes of the conversation.

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1. Introduction to VCON and Veefriends

VCON Evolution and Strategy

• Gary Vee opens the discussion by highlighting the inception and growth of VCON, a three-year conference series tied to his Veefriends brand. Initially launched as a digital collectible (NFT), VCON serves as a foundational element ensuring value beyond digital sales.

  "When Veefriends was invented as a brand, I always knew I would do trading cards and collabs and cartoons like we just announced Meet Me in the Middle kids books." ([00:26])

• Expansion Locations: Over three years, VCON has expanded from US Bank Stadium in Minnesota to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and this year, it moved to LA Live, aiming for a broader, non-traditional venue to attract diverse attendees.

  "We thought LA Live was the right location. And based on yesterday's vibes, I think we're off to a good start." ([02:24])

Culture of Camaraderie and Balance

• Emphasizing the importance of a positive and practical culture, Gary discusses the camaraderie fostered at VCON, aiming to balance enthusiasm with real-world pragmatism.

  "It's positivity, but it's not delusional cult baloney. It's positivity, but it's practical. Hard work matters." ([03:42])

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2. Navigating Passion and Practicality Post-Pandemic

Impact of COVID-19 on Personal Lives and Business

• The conversation shifts to the profound effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Gary reflecting on how it has reshaped personal connections and professional priorities.

  "A lot of us realized we reconnected with our spouses or our parents or our kids, changed us forever." ([04:05])

• He introduces his latest book, "Meet Me in the Middle," which explores finding a balance between work and life, advocating for a middle ground where both aspects thrive without sacrificing one for the other.

  "Balance is the key to life." ([05:39])

Personal Anecdotes on Work-Life Balance

• Gary candidly shares his own struggles with being a workaholic, balancing his entrepreneurial drive with personal relationships. He acknowledges the sacrifices made and the importance of finding equilibrium.

  "I could have went to that weekend. Like, in hindsight, I could have went to the Vegas for that weekend." ([05:39])

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3. Foundational Values and Personal Growth

Influence of Upbringing

• Gary attributes much of his success and work ethic to the values instilled by his parents, emphasizing hard work, integrity, and the importance of family.

  "I was born in the Soviet Union. When we came to America, I lived in a studio apartment, smaller than the stage you and I are on right now. With six family members, I had nothing. But I had love in the house." ([05:47])

• He expresses gratitude for his parents' teachings, which he leverages in scaling his ventures like Gary Vee and Veefriends.

  "I would argue a lot of what I do with Gary Vee and Veefriends is me scaling what they did for me." ([06:53])

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4. Exploring "Meet Me in the Middle" and Collaborative Projects

Introduction to "Meet Me in the Middle"

• Gary discusses his new children’s book, "Meet Me in the Middle," a dual-sided narrative featuring Patient Pig and Eager Eagle. The story illustrates the balance between patience and eagerness through a basketball-themed plot.

  "It's a kid's book that you can read from either side. So one side is Patient Pig story and the other side is Eager Eagle Story." ([07:01])

• The positive reception from both adults and children underscores the book's impact on diverse audiences.

  "This is the first time that I'm getting emails from parents saying, my kids have asked to read the book ten nights in a row." ([07:57])

Animation Collaboration with Moonbug

• Gary reveals an exciting partnership with Moonbug, a leading animation production company, to develop a Veefriends cartoon series. The project aims to deepen emotional connections with core characters, ensuring they resonate with audiences akin to beloved childhood icons.

  "We focus on six core characters of our 250 plus characters in our world... there's nothing like YouTube kids right now." ([08:06])

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5. Wellness, Adversity, and Personal Development

Approach to Wellness

• Addressing personal wellness, Gary emphasizes the importance of balancing work with mental and physical health. He acknowledges that maintaining wellness requires stepping out of comfort zones.

  "I think that work, balance and wellness comes in different forms... I've gotten better at it the last 10 years because I want to live longer and happier." ([09:11])

Embracing Adversity

• Gary underscores adversity as a cornerstone of success, sharing his vulnerability in personal relationships versus his public persona. He highlights the ongoing journey to align his internal vulnerabilities with his external strengths.

  "I need to finally be accountable, that this is my kryptonite. Like, I got real lucky. Most things work for me, but this was a real vulnerability, and my life is better for it." ([10:03])

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6. The Evolution of Personal Branding and CPGs

Rise of Personal Brands in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)

• Gary discusses the transformation in the CPG landscape, where personal brands now play a pivotal role. He contrasts past limitations with the current ease of distribution and marketing afforded by digital platforms.

  "Logan Paul and KSI didn't have the money to do television commercials and get Walmart distribution in 1990. Today they do." ([11:13])

• Reflecting on his own success with Empathy Wines, Gary predicts a future where personal ownership and branding dominate the consumer market.

  "I believe that I did Empathy Wines in 2017... in 15 years, many of the popcorns, sneakers, I mean, everything will be owned by the human being." ([11:58])

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7. Personal Reflections and Influences

Influential Figures and Nostalgia

• Gary shares personal reflections on influential figures from his youth, expressing admiration for Randy "Macho Man" Savage and the impact of nostalgic figures on his identity.

  "He's one of the only people I grew up idolizing and loving that I never got to meet. Because he passed away." ([12:07])

• He emphasizes the lasting impact of childhood experiences and the importance of maintaining a connection to one's youthful passions.

  "That childhood era that shapes so much of your life. I'm so grateful that we all now live in an era where grown ups can be kids." ([13:02])

Appreciation for Collaborative Efforts

• Gary expresses enthusiasm for collaborative efforts that revive beloved intellectual properties, demonstrating his commitment to nurturing cultural icons.

  "That's why I love your business... You have so many big IPs, big gym. I'd love to see that come back and get a little love." ([13:02])

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Conclusion

In this episode, Gary Vaynerchuk and his Mattel guests provide a comprehensive exploration of balancing passion with practicality in both personal and professional realms. Through discussions on VCON, Veefriends, personal values, wellness, adversity, and the evolving landscape of personal branding, the conversation offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs and creatives alike. Notably, Gary's candid reflections on his own challenges and triumphs add depth to the dialogue, reinforcing the podcast's reputation for authenticity and actionable wisdom.

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Notable Quotes:

• "It's positivity, but it's not delusional cult baloney. It's positivity, but it's practical. Hard work matters." – Gary Vaynerchuk ([03:42])

• "Balance is the key to life." – Gary Vaynerchuk ([05:39])

• "When Veefriends was invented as a brand, I always knew I would do trading cards and collabs and cartoons like we just announced Meet Me in the Middle kids books." – Gary Vaynerchuk ([00:26])

• "I need to finally be accountable, that this is my kryptonite. Like, I got real lucky. Most things work for me, but this was a real vulnerability, and my life is better for it." – Gary Vaynerchuk ([10:03])

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This episode serves as a testament to Gary Vee's commitment to fostering meaningful connections, both through his entrepreneurial ventures and personal growth journeys. Listeners are encouraged to explore his latest projects and embrace the balance between passion and practicality in their own lives.

Transcript

[A]

This is the GaryVee audio experience. Hey everybody. Before we start today's podcast, I put out a new deck. I know the pyramid deck changed everyone's Life. Go to GaryVee.com attention. A free how many pages does it sid? A free 47 page deck that is free. That will change your business, your life, your brand, your world. Go check it out. Now to the podcast.

[B]

Gary Vaynerchuk, Gary V. Welcome.

[A]

Thank you, Dave.

[B]

Good to see you. Good to be here. Thank you for having us. A little a few things on Gary. He is a serial entrepreneur, Chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia and creator and CEO of Veefriends. Known as Gary Vee, he is considered one of the leading global minds on what's next in culture, relevance and the Internet. Gary is a best selling author who has written eight books.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Including two released this year.

[A]

It's like three more than I've read.

[B]

Day Trading, Attention and the one that I want to talk a little bit about. Meet me in the Middle. I know the two little the two books that you just came out with. Mattel Creations partnered with Gary and Veefriends on Uno v Friends. Now it's almost been three years sold out. We also did a Masters of the Universe Skeletor Skilled Skeleton two pack a couple of years ago, which was amazing.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

We're going to figure out what's next.

[A]

Yeah, we're talking right before. It might be time for a third collaboration.

[B]

Yeah, I think we're ready. We're ready for it. All right, let's start off with just VCON itself. We're here, we're live. For folks that don't know about VCon.

[A]

When Veefriends was invented as a brand, I always knew I would do trading cards and collabs and cartoons like we just announced Meet Me in the Middle kids books. But it launched as a digital collectible, an nft. But what was important about those digital collectibles, unlike physical collectibles, is you could have a contract on the token. And so I wanted to bring very high value for the original Veefriends launch where if God forbid, the digital collectible didn't take off, what you were really buying was the three years worth of the conference. And so that's what we did. And VCON is the foundation. This is year three. We did it in US Bank Stadium where the Vikings play in year one in Minnesota, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis where the Colts play. And this year we mixed it up. We went to a bigger city and a Non football stadium. We thought LA Live was the right location. And based on yesterday's vibes, I think we're off to a good start.

[B]

I agree. I agree. Good vibe. Amazing vibe here. There's a level of camaraderie here of getting to meet new people. Something that you've talked a lot about. What is that kind of culture that you're instilling and you're looking to instill with folks as they go about and think about their lives and being here today?

[A]

Good virtues matter to me. Like, I don't know, like, I want to be one of the most successful businessmen of all time, but I'm not willing to compromise. You've had the luxury of interacting with me behind the camera. I'd like to think we haven't talked about this, but I'd like to think in every turn you can tell, like, oh, this is a good dude. Like, my people seem like they're happy with, you know, that matters to me at every situation, even when there's adversity or issues. I'm so flattered to hear what you just said. I think in the last 24 hours, the people that have never been to a VCon have never double clicked into what I'm doing here in my other parts of my world have universally been texting me, my phone is being blown up of like, man, the way people are talking in the elevator or I was getting a cup of coffee. Like, there's a level of positivity, but it's practical. I will leave with this. It's positivity, but it's not delusional cult baloney. It's positivity, but it's practical. Hard work matters. That's why there's the hard working wombat, you know, and so that's where it's at.

[B]

Yeah. As we all come out of the pandemic.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And a lot of things have changed and some things have not. What have you seen kind of change and you talked a little bit about earlier, that combination of passion and practicality.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Kind of finding yourself and understanding the duality of it. How do you think Covid has impacted folks? And are we still coming through that kind of.

[A]

I mean, Matt. Massively. Massively. I mean, I can't wait for the documentaries and the movies and the books written about COVID on a human post effect. I think a lot of us realized we reconnected with our spouses or our parents or our kids, changed us forever. I think a lot of people started realizing a lot. We do a lot of silly Things like travel for one meeting, you know, we've learned a lot. People have found some of their passions. Running family, Friday night dinner, Sunday night dinner, music. They rekindled with it. But I think right now we're finding more of our practicality. I think we've gone through the ups and the downs, and I think we're gonna find that middle. Yeah, that's why I wrote Meet me in the Middle. I think everything is good if it's in balance. Work, life. Balance is great. But if you go all life and the business goes out of business, well, then you're not going to have life. And so on the flip side, I'm such a workaholic. I can tell you from personal experience and people around me, you're. When you're all in on work, you sometimes pick up your head and you're like, wait a minute, I should have. I've got my college buddies here, for example, who are my homies. But my 20s and 30s, they'll tell you they barely saw me. I was building. And we're at dinner late last night and they're telling stories and I wasn't there. One part of me is happy. I'm proud I built something for my family. Another part of me is like, man, I could have went to that weekend. Like, in hindsight, I could have went to the Vegas for that weekend. And so balance is the key to life.

[B]

Yeah. For definite. Your parents are here today. What were the values they instilled in you when you were growing up?

[A]

One of the reasons I like being a public figure is all the accolades I get aren't mine, they're theirs. Real talk. Like, when you think about being a human being, like, what did you do? Like, you had your DNA and then you had your parents. And the only other thing that gets any impact is your environment, your hood. Right. What era you grew up in. That's a person. So when I get these, all these nice accolades, I get happy because my parents killed it. I was born in the Soviet Union. When we came to America, I lived in a studio apartment, smaller than the stage you and I are on right now. With six family members, I had nothing. But I had love in the house. And my mom made it so cozy. So I knew early on money had no impact on happiness. And then my dad, he worked his face off every minute. That's where I got taught the work ethic, and my mom, for that matter. So they taught me hard work. They taught me, you know, word is bond. They taught me, like, family over everything. So I'M a. I'm an incredibly fortunate dude. And I would argue a lot of what I do with Gary Vee and Veefriends is me scaling what they did for me.

[B]

Amazing. Amazing. Talk a little bit about the new book. You've got Meet me in the Middle. It's an interesting way to tell a story.

[A]

Thank you. Yeah, It's a two sided book. Big shout out. Manny Galan, who used to work at Veefriends, kind of pitched me the idea because he knew that this whole world is pulling from opposite directions. So it's a kid's book that you can read from either side. So one side is Patient Pig story and the other side is Eager Eagle Story and they're both going to play basketball. Patient Pig's just a little too patient. And that patience is the best. But if it becomes complacency, you lose. Eagerness is amazing, but if you're a little too eager, you get sloppy and you make mistakes and you see the values of being eager and the values of being patient and then they meet in the middle and help each other get a little to the middle. It's been very satisfying. I've gotten emails my whole life back to these books from grownups saying, you helped my business, you help my family. This is the first time that I'm getting emails from parents saying, my kids have asked to read the book ten nights in a row. That's a different kind of feeling.

[B]

That's very cool. Yeah, that's awesome. This fall.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You've got a cartoon animated series coming with the guys at Moonbug. Tell us a little bit about it.

[A]

Moonbug and I have teamed up for the Veefriends cartoons. We just played the first ever public preview for 30 seconds on stage. I'm very excited about it. We focus on six core characters of our 250 plus characters in our world. It's a big deal. Like I said on stage, if I don't figure out how to get people to fall in love with those characters. The reason everybody wants Skeletor is because I watched he man after school every day from 1984 to 1986 and now I love Skeletor. You know, if you are unable to get people to fall in love with your characters, you will not build anything. There's nothing like YouTube kids right now. That's the Saturday morning cartoons after school cartoons for us. Right? That's how we watched them. YouTube Kids is that now. And I know that I have to win on YouTube Kids, which is why I went to One of the most significant animation production companies in the world in Moonbug, and I'm excited about it.

[B]

That's awesome. That's awesome. You're a public figure. You're doing a lot of things. You work a ton. You also talk about wellness and the need for all of us. How do you approach wellness for yourself?

[A]

I think that work, balance and wellness comes in different forms. I've been good about passion and. And mental, but food and working out didn't come natural to me. Still doesn't. But I've gotten better at it the last 10 years because I want to live longer and happier. So that one is a perseverance through being comfortable with being uncomfortable doing something that doesn't come natural to me. And that's something I think all of us have to develop as human beings. If you're unable to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, it's very unlikely you will achieve.

[B]

Yep. You've talked a lot about the need for adversity.

[A]

I think adversity is the foundation of success.

[B]

Yeah. We've all had failures in life.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What's. What is one that you've had that's formed you, shaped you, that's made you a little bit better afterwards.

[A]

It's a crazy one because as a public figure, it's my strength, but in private, it's my weakness. I struggle with kids, with people I love. I kill it in a, like, I can candor publicly, like nobody's business. But like Dustin, who I care about, it does. It's harder for me to my mom, to my relationships, to my children. Candor is hard for me because I don't want to scare people or upset them, especially in the workplace. I really struggle with it. And I've had to really, in my mid-40s, three, three, four years ago, I had to kind of look myself in the mirror and say, look, I don't want to go to the grave being a hypocrite. I talk about fighting through, being accountable. I need to finally be accountable, that this is my kryptonite. Like, I got real lucky. Most things work for me, but this was a real vulnerability, and my life is better for it, and my companies are better for it, and my relationships are better for it.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. VFriends is an example of a personal brand, CPG. You've talked a little bit about this consumer packaged goods. Why do you think that there's a larger kind of constellation now of. Of personal brand?

[A]

CPGs that are the distribution of media and retail have been commoditized.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Logan, Paul and KSI didn't have the money to do television commercials and get Walmart distribution in 1990. Today they do. I believe that I did empathy wines in 2017. So I did this seven years ago, built a per and I sold that to Constellation Brands. It was a huge deal for me and my partners. I feel like we're the preview. I think in 15 years, many of the Popcorns sneakers, I mean, everything will be owned by the human being. They will be the face and the owner, not the spokesperson. When you own the brand, you're married.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Different game.

[B]

Totally. Uno.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

If you could play with anyone dead or alive.

[A]

Randy the Macho Man Savage.

[B]

Ooh. Why? Tell us why.

[A]

He's one of the only people I grew up idolizing and loving that I never got to meet. Because he passed away. My career didn't get to that level where those things were afforded to me at the time. And I really am sad. I would have liked to thank him for so much happiness that he brought me. And the promos that he used to cut were crazy. And so he was just flamboyant. Plus Queen Elizabeth, like his manager. I feel like the first time I saw her was the first time I'm like, wait a minute, I'm becoming a man. Like, you know, and so he means a lot in my life. And I would have loved to like, give him a little reverse and draw four and see him react. Macho man versus me. Uno would have been.

[B]

It's amazing how much we are shaped by the experiences we have when we are young.

[A]

That's why I love your business. That's why I love your company. 7 to 15, 4 to 13. You know, some of us just grew up faster than others. Like childhood.

[B]

Yeah, all of it. Yeah.

[A]

But like that, that moment where you're not a gaga goo goo and you're not a grownup. That middle, that childhood era that shapes so much of your life. I'm so grateful that we all now live in an era where grown ups can be kids. When we were growing up, you had to like, give up being a kid now. ComicCon and all this, like, all the, like, it's so cool. And, and it's one of the reasons I think your company is having such an incredible resurgence and, and I, I cheer for y'all. You have so many big ips, big gym. I'd love to see that come back and get a little love.

[B]

It's been conversations about, I would love.

[A]

To see Big Jim make a run back. And so it's a big factor in one's life.