March 2, 2026

Laura Hutfless: Turning Initiative Into Impact

Laura Hutfless: Turning Initiative Into Impact

Growth doesn’t wait for permission — and neither did Laura Hutfless. In this episode of No Wrong Choices, we explore how a childhood shaped by both military discipline and creative expression prepared Laura to build a career defined by initiative, resilience, purpose, and compassion — a path that ultimately led her to found FlyteVu, an entertainment marketing and creative agency. Laura rose quickly in the entertainment world by selling bold ideas, building powerful brand-talent partnerships...

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Growth doesn’t wait for permission — and neither did Laura Hutfless.

In this episode of No Wrong Choices, we explore how a childhood shaped by both military discipline and creative expression prepared Laura to build a career defined by initiative, resilience, purpose, and compassion — a path that ultimately led her to found FlyteVu, an entertainment marketing and creative agency.

Laura rose quickly in the entertainment world by selling bold ideas, building powerful brand-talent partnerships, and learning how to turn creativity into strategy. Her biggest leap came when she recognized a market gap — that brands needed guidance navigating culture just as much as celebrities did — and decided to build something new.

Along the way, we explore the turning points that shaped her leadership, her commitment to mentoring others, and the campaigns that proved marketing can create real impact — from a groundbreaking Super Bowl collaboration to a Make-A-Wish moment that changed lives — reflecting her belief that giving back should be part of how business works, not an afterthought.

We also talk hiring, AI, life’s unexpected chapters, and how motherhood reshaped her perspective as a leader.

This is a conversation about growth, purpose, and building a career that evolves with who you are.

🎧 Listen now for insight from a leader who believes meaningful work — and meaningful lives — are built one intentional choice at a time.


To discover more episodes or connect with us:



00:03 - Jumping To Growth Over Money

00:47 - Host Intro And Guest Setup

01:12 - Founder To CEO Transition

02:17 - Childhood: Military Meets Art

05:44 - College And The Pivot From Design

08:27 - Nashville Hustle And Early Breaks

11:42 - Cold Calls, Big Wins At WME

14:40 - CAA: Leveling Up Beyond Country

17:25 - Hard Feedback That Built A Leader

19:36 - Spotting The Brand-Agent Opportunity

22:07 - Launching FlyteVu And Early Clients

25:24 - Scaling Smart And Staying Nimble

27:55 - Leading By Empowering Others

30:04 - Purpose As A Business Advantage

33:02 - Make-A-Wish And Real Impact

36:06 - Serena Williams And Bumble Super Bowl

39:10 - Mentorship, Chapters, And Timing

42:01 - Adoption, Resilience, And Support

45:22 - Hiring For Soft Skills

47:39 - AI’s Role In Creative And Strategy

50:09 - Closing Reflections And Takeaways

WEBVTT

00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:08.560
When I think about my career and all the jumps I've made, it's always been jump into growth.

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Money has followed.

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I don't hire at that level based on resume, based on skill set, based on whatever degree you have.

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I hire based on resilience, based on hustle, based on how you communicate with me, how you show up, executive presence.

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I can teach the rest.

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Now my role is to find really talented people, place them in their gifting, give them the tools they need to succeed, and then get out of the way.

00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:51.600
Hello and welcome to the Career Journey Podcast, No Wrong Choices.

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I'm Larry Samuels, and I'll be joined in just a moment by Tushar Saxena and Larry Shea.

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This episode features the dynamic CEO of FlyteVu, Laura Hutfless.

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Before we bring her in, please be sure to follow the show wherever you're listening right now.

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Your support enables us to keep bringing these great stories to life.

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Let's get started.

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Now joining No Wrong Choices is Laura Hutfless.

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Laura is the CEO and co-founder of FlyteVu, a creative and entertainment marketing agency that connects brands to pop culture with purpose at the core.

00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:28.799
Laura, thank you so much for joining us.

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Hi, thanks for being here.

00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:31.599
I'm excited.

00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:38.079
So to get all of that right, uh I often write these intros and assume that I've I've gotten things correct.

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Was that a the proper setup?

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Yeah, that was perfect.

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Those were my lines.

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Perfect.

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So if you would, please, you know, tell us who you are in your own words.

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Uh I'm Laura.

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I'm the founder of Flight View, as you mentioned.

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Started the agency about 10 years ago.

00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:00.239
Uh I actually uh sold the agency about six months ago.

00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:02.239
I'm still on as CEO.

00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:06.560
So now I've transitioned from founder to CEO, which is a very different role.

00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:08.479
I was gonna say, is that better or worse?

00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:10.159
Uh it's just different.

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There's uh it's it's just different.

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And it's it's exciting and new and fun in different ways.

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Uh and so our agency uh helps our clients who are brands connect to pop culture in many different ways from celebrity endorsements to commercials to experiential activations, um, integrating the pop culture moments and conversations.

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And so uh we do something different every day.

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Sounds fascinating.

00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:37.919
Um I'm Larry Shea.

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Nice, nice to uh meet you and and thank you so much for joining us.

00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:43.199
Um, I get the fun part.

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I get to bring you all the way back to the childhood because so much of our career journeys are influenced by who we were from the beginning.

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So, where did you grow up?

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Um, was this always the dream, or was it something else?

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Well, I grew up all over the country.

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My dad was military, so he was the commander of an aircraft carrier, and my mom was an art teacher.

00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:13.120
So I have worked between the creative worlds and uh bureaucracy my whole life.

00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:15.599
Yeah, you are very well versed in both, right?

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Somehow made that into a career now.

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Uh, but I was a really creative child.

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I think I was naturally gifted in art.

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Uh, that was really encouraged in my household.

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Um, and so I wanted to go into an art-related field.

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Um, my dad said I had to make money, so that became graphic design.

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Um, and I was a graphic design major at North Carolina State University.

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So decided to pursue school design.

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I didn't know what that meant.

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I just knew I got to do art.

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So, Laura, I'm Tushar, by the way.

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Um, and you know, that sounds really interesting.

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So, growing up, um, obviously you have that the military background, your military background through your father.

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Um, how did you see yourself?

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Do you think that your father's leadership skills, and we'll get into a little bit more about the childhood in a moment, but you know, it's very interesting to say that, you know, obviously you were founder, CEO now, which means you are a leader of people.

00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:14.479
And is I I would have to think that so much of your leadership skill now was influenced by your father, being obviously the man who is a Navy man himself, a commander, etc.

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Yeah.

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Uh after he retired from the Navy, he became a venture capitalist.

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Uh so I very much followed my father's footsteps.

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I am very much my father, just in my personality and even my sense of humor, or sometimes lack thereof.

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Like that is my that is my dad.

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Um, and so I definitely did follow in his footsteps, uh, took the business route.

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He really taught me a lot along the way.

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Um, and so that's been a really special, special relationship that I have with him.

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Talk, talk a little bit about the art stuff though.

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Did you ever want to just pursue that professionally, or was it always gonna be in a business capacity because, as he said, you need to make some money?

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Yeah, I don't think I knew what opportunities were out there for kind of art or I only knew drawing and painting.

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Like I didn't really know anything beyond that.

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I knew graphic design.

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And actually at that time, there weren't as many fields in that space as there are now with kind of video game design and experimental design and all the things that um have come about in the last 25 or so years.

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Uh, and so I just I only knew that was the path.

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And so I went to school, just knowing I loved art, knowing I wanted to create things.

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Um, and then that's where I learned there were other opportunities.

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I started getting into film, uh animation.

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Um, pretty much everybody in school wanted to be a Disney animator.

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That was the dream.

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Um, and it was mine actually for maybe the first two or three years.

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And then I fell in love with country music.

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Um, I was in North Carolina, big hub for country.

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And so I started taking internships in anything in country music.

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So I worked at the country radio station, I worked at Sugar Hill Records, which was a label based in North Carolina, ironically.

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Uh, and so I just started networking in the industry, and then I decided I wanted to be an art director at a record label.

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That was my dream, and that's why I moved to Nashville.

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What was your time like in in high school and college, especially in those formative type of years when you kind of began to, you know, maybe say to yourself, okay, I want to make, I want to make a career out of, you know, being an artist.

00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:35.839
I mean, and I guess that kind of follows to another question, which is, you know, do you see yourself or did you always see yourself um going the route of becoming a maybe a musician or an artist?

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I mean, you know, after doing a little bit, obviously we've all done research on you.

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It seems that that kind of really jumps out at me that you know, you in many ways wanted to be an artist in some sort of in some way, which you've now obviously turned into a career in another direction.

00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:52.319
Um, I was definitely entrepreneurial when I was young.

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Uh and I made art uh a job, meaning, I mean, I was always making things.

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Like I was making pot holders and selling them in front of the grocery store.

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Like I remember having a babysitting.

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It was a really much pyramids game.

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Like oh geez.

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I really could.

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I was 12.

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And I you can say that now.

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Yeah, I would draw the flyers.

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I mean, I hand drew like a hundred flyers and would distribute them around the neighborhood.

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Like I was always using art to make money in some way, uh, which also I think is part of my dad, you know, like you want to eat, you gotta work.

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Like that was drilled into me.

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You refuse to be a starving artist.

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I understand, right?

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Yeah.

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So I was always finding ways to kind of build things or make money using my creative skill set.

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Um, and so that just naturally, I think that was natural.

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No one really taught me that.

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Um, and that was really driven.

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So I loved art, but I also was competitive.

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And so I played sports, I was in a lot of team sports.

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Uh, I was a figure skater, competitive figure skater growing up.

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So I had these two sides, like the artist in me, but then the competitive business side that I think I get from my father.

00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:07.360
So combine the two and kind of that's and here we are.

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Yep, here we are.

00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:11.120
So, how did you focus all that?

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You talked about the design, passion for country music.

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We know that your first job, I think, was in the talent agency world.

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How did you enter that?

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How did you pursue that?

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How did that job come about?

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It wasn't the first job in Nashville.

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So this was again a long time ago before LinkedIn and social media.

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So the only way you were able to get a job is if you networked, you knew somebody.

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So I moved to Nashville, knew very few people, just tried to meet everybody I could.

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I think I worked a retail job on Music Row.

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Uh, and I just would try to meet some people for coffee.

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I finally uh had an interview at a record label, and I walked in and I showed them my portfolio, and I was so excited that maybe I could start a career there.

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And I'll never forget the uh art director there told me he looked, took one look at me and said, you should be in a music video.

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Oh, geez.

00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.000
Where is this conversation going?

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Um yeah, this comes back around because he later applied for the a job at Flight View.

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So it always comes back around.

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But very funny.

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Okay, this is gonna be a little more difficult than I thought.

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So that didn't work out.

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Uh, but through a connection, uh, ended up getting an interview at Willie Morris.

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Big talent agency.

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I had no idea what they did.

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I just knew it was in music.

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Again, I took in my portfolio, and this time a female head of HR looked at it and she said, Man, you're really creative.

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And I know, look at your resume, you are top of the class, valedictorian.

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If I gave you a job as a booking agent, you would do it well, but you wouldn't love it.

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It's not your gifting.

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I cried because I wanted the job.

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Right.

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Uh, but she sent me away.

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And a few weeks later, she called me back and she said, We just hired our first sponsorship and endorsement agent.

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She said, to be honest, I don't even know what that means, but she needs someone who can create PowerPoints.

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And I saw your portfolio and I think you could do that.

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And I said, Yes, I can.

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And so they hired me.

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And the beauty of that is I went straight onto a desk.

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And as you know, I avoided the uh the mail room, the legendary mailroom.

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The legendary mailroom.

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Uh so I rem I remember that because it was so formative.

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Like she really gave me the role that fit my gifting instead of just placing me in a gap that she needed to fill.

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And so I owe her a lot for really directing my career.

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You're the one that skipped the line.

00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:40.159
Yeah.

00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:40.960
There are many.

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For those who don't know, we should interject.

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So that there's this, I don't know what to call it, that this this legendary way to enter the world of being a talent agent.

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And one of those writs of passage, one of the famous ones, is um young people getting a job, pushing a mail cart for like $12,000 a year at William Morris just to get in the building.

00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:10.879
And that's how countless really powerful, famous people have gotten started.

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And what we're discovering is that Laura didn't have to do that.

00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:18.480
So she's more creative than uh Michael G lettes on, right?

00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:20.240
Pretty special.

00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:24.080
Um, let's so let's talk about like getting in the door though.

00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:28.320
But would you say that networking is probably one of your greatest skills?

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Is because that's a lot of how these amazing jobs come about and how our career path is is built journey by journey.

00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:38.960
Was that a huge part of what you were doing when you were younger?

00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:41.519
Um I would say it was required.

00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:43.840
There's no other way to meet anybody.

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I didn't have a family connection, I didn't live in the market already.

00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:50.639
Like there was no other way than just to meet people.

00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:56.559
Um, every meeting I took, I would ask that person for two more connections.

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That's how I built that network.

00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:01.440
And that that's advice I give to my team now.

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Don't ask for a job, right?

00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:06.960
Don't ask for something that's hard for them to do.

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Ask for something easy.

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Can you make an introduction for me?

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And even if they made one out of the two, that's your next person.

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So just always take the next step.

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Like you're always just trying to ask for the next thing.

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Um, don't go in asking for the whole world.

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Something that they can easily get you.

00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:24.639
So that led to a lot of connections in the industry.

00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:28.480
Did did that come easy for you, or was that something that you had to work on?

00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:38.960
I think that came easy because I'm going back to my days of selling pot holders and going door to door with my babysitting business.

00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:41.679
Uh, you know, it's a sale, it's sales.

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You're selling yourself, like you're making connections, you're figuring out how to connect with people, finding something in common, right?

00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:54.240
And and also growing up uh moving every three years because of my dad's job.

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I had to adapt to the new city, the new environment, the new kids.

00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:06.480
As a kid, that was hard, but that taught me a lot about how to relate to people so that I could fit into that culture or that group.

00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:17.840
Uh, so I look at kind of how life prepares you as you do on this podcast, which is why I was so excited to be on it, is kind of everything in your journey prepares you for, you know, the next try.

00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:18.480
That's right.

00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:20.320
What was your time in North Carolina State like?

00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:21.600
Go pack, by the way.

00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:24.080
Um, what was your time at NC State like?

00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:28.960
Um you know, obviously where you found your your real love for graphic arts.

00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:30.480
Um what was that?

00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:31.840
What were the what were those years like?

00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:41.279
Was did you go in knowing that this is what I want to do, or was art essentially the baseline for what I wanted to do with my life knowing and then finally finding that that one passion there?

00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:49.200
Yeah, well, the way their design program is set up, at least back then, the first year it was fundamentals.

00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:58.960
So you didn't actually have to decide graphic design, animation, interiors, and any of the subgroups until everybody went through that first year.

00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:06.320
So that first year gave everybody a chance to really focus on creativity, like how to think outside the box, how to use mediums you've never used before.

00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:09.759
Um, and I was coming, I just graduated from a high school in West Virginia.

00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:12.480
So this was like small town to big city.

00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:15.519
So that first year was probably the most formative.

00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:22.320
I had a great professor uh who really took a liking to me and really gave me lots of opportunities.

00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:25.360
Um, and so I just got to explore.

00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:31.200
And I I chose North Carolina State and that design school because of that fundamentals program.

00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:36.080
The other school, like Savannah College of Art and Design, like you had to go in knowing what you wanted to do.

00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:37.200
And I didn't know.

00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:40.480
I didn't have a lot of exposure to the world or to arts.

00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:42.559
Again, I was in West Virginia.

00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:47.279
So I think that was so important that first year to understand.

00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:49.679
Wow, I love to draw, I love illustration.

00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:52.480
I probably don't want to just be an illustrator.

00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:58.559
Let's try graphic, let's try animation, let's try all these other things that I haven't even been exposed to yet.

00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:05.039
So that time at North Carolina, and obviously um, you're at NC, you're at NC State.

00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:06.799
What what what years are we talking about here?

00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:09.360
Like right before 2000, right in the mid-90s, correct?

00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:11.120
Oh boy, you're gonna give my age away.

00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:13.120
Um 2000 to 2004.

00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:14.960
All right, so 2000, 2004.

00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:21.039
So you're talking about like the the beginnings of new technology coming into such a field, right?

00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:27.519
So, you know, uh we always talk about sometimes it's not it's better to be lucky than good, but sometimes it's always good to be lucky as well.

00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:38.000
Um, so here is one of those instances where it's like, you know, you're kind of basically coming into a field where you can become really step on the vanguard of new technology coming into this field, right?

00:15:38.159 --> 00:15:38.720
Okay, yeah.

00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:53.120
And here's where it went south for me is I realized through my first internship in graphic design during college at Huffy Bicycles, by the way, that I did not want to be a graphic designer.

00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:54.720
Oh, interesting.

00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:55.919
But that's important too.

00:15:56.080 --> 00:16:02.320
Yeah, I could not sit at a computer all day and move fonts around or images.

00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:03.679
Oh my god, that sounds terrible.

00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:09.039
By the way, this was back when I think the programs we had were illustrator paint and Photoshop.

00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:10.399
Like that was it, right?

00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:20.639
I realized I loved art, I could visually see it, but the act of just doing that work was not as satisfying to me.

00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:35.519
Um, and so I think that's what led me to see what could I do in music as an art director versus just a graphic designer where there was more strategy and there was uh, you know, just a lot more challenge in some of those other elements.

00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:43.120
I didn't have any idea or I wasn't even aware that there were such things as ad agencies or making agencies, sure was all I knew.

00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:45.360
So I think that's why I focused there.

00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:51.279
Um, but I learned that through that internship of uh making green machines and Disney bicycles.

00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:55.200
Well, you mentioned agency.

00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:59.039
Let's jump jump to the future, uh so to speak.

00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:01.360
So you entered WME.

00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:08.960
We know you eventually wind up at CAA, but but tell us what it's like as a young person entering that world.

00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:12.240
I I can't imagine how exciting it must have been.

00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:14.240
It was really exciting.

00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:20.880
I was also working for one of the only female agents uh in the national office at the time.

00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:23.599
And she was new into the field.

00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:26.559
So this was again 20, 25 years ago.

00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:35.119
Uh, there were few artists or celebrities who were willing to take endorsement deals because they still considered it selling out.

00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:37.839
They would take deals in Europe, right?

00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:43.920
As you recall, a lot of celebrities were in Schwarzenegger famously did so many commercials in Japan, right?

00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:44.400
Correct.

00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:49.359
But in America, especially for music, they they still frowned upon deals.

00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:53.279
And the first deals we did were for John Mayer and Blackberry.

00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:55.440
I think Brad Paisley was the first country artist.

00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:58.000
Like it was it was just starting.

00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:01.119
That world was just starting because there wasn't social media either.

00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:08.559
So the sponsorships were tour sponsorships, bus raps, like very traditional kind of tour signage, especially in music.

00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:10.559
And we we handled mostly music.

00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:15.440
Um, so uh she just said, Listen, I'll take the A-listers on the roster.

00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:18.640
You can take everything else, which was great.

00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:19.039
Wow.

00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:20.160
It's amazing.

00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:20.640
I know.

00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:20.960
Wow.

00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:25.519
Very few get that opportunity because most sit on the desk as a booking agent.

00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:28.160
They just take phone calls and they help with routings.

00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:36.880
But this was really an open book to say, go out and sell whatever you can sell, because it's only the two of us managing this whole roster.

00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:39.680
So if you disclose something, it's better than nothing.

00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:41.359
Um, so true story.

00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:46.160
I took the phone book and her sponsorship book.

00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:51.440
So she would go to these conferences and come back with these binders of names of everyone who attended.

00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:51.759
Right.

00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:58.400
So I would take the phone book, I would take the sponsorship books, and I would highlight brands and brand names and I would cold call.

00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:13.519
So one of my claims to fame and how I kind of escalated my career quickly was I called Suzuki, cold called the head of marketing, and pitched a Christian rock band named Cutlass.

00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:16.720
I look back at that and I'm like, that was crazy.

00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:18.559
I don't know why I did that.

00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:22.000
But the band was, they were really big motorsports fans.

00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:25.119
And so we pitched it, sold it.

00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:28.559
It was such big news in the Christian music space.

00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:28.880
Yeah.

00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:37.519
Got the cover of Billboard, and it got so much press uh around this deal, obviously huge in in in that world.

00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:39.839
Um, and then that elevated my career.

00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:45.759
So that's how it's uh to Tushar asked the question before, which got us into trouble with figuring out your age.

00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:50.960
But but I have to ask, in this moment, are you 23, 24, 25 years old?

00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:52.240
Oh, that's incredible.

00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:53.119
23.

00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:53.440
Yeah.

00:19:53.680 --> 00:19:53.920
Wow.

00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:54.240
Yeah.

00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:59.920
And I give her a lot of credit for empowering me to do that and coaching me along the way.

00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:03.920
And I think I had a lot of protection from her in that space.

00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:11.279
And, you know, you know, the atmosphere and the culture of agencies two decades ago uh for a young woman coming into that space.

00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:18.640
And and looking back, I was very lucky that I had an agent who really empowered me in that way.

00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:24.880
So 23 years of age, you're on the cover or your hands on the cover of Billboard magazine.

00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:25.440
Yes.

00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:26.720
Nice way to start.

00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:28.160
That's wild.

00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:44.400
Um, I'm glad you talked about that aspect of it too, because how pivotal, how monumental was it that this was the person who brings you into this world, and how differently could your career have gone had you been under uh, you know, a man's tutelage or what have you.

00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:49.119
It just seems like it was a perfect storm of conquering mountains.

00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:50.480
I was really lucky.

00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:54.880
Um, didn't realize that uh until much later in my career.

00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:56.880
Uh but yeah, she really empowered me.

00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:08.079
And there were there were quite a few brands too who uh so brands were the folks we were negotiating with, you know, for these endorsement deals who uh gave me an opportunity.

00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:14.160
Uh there was one particular meeting where we were selling our roster to a particular brand to sponsor.

00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:17.039
Um, they were looking for a tour to sponsor.

00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:23.039
Um, and I'll never forget, I was still an assistant, but I was in the room because my agent brought me into the room.

00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:24.799
She always gave me opportunities.

00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:33.519
And uh the CEO of the brand, after we had presented everybody, uh, he turned to me and he said, Laura, who should I pick?

00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:37.519
And this is the table with the most powerful agents.

00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:39.440
And I was like, I can't get this wrong.

00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:41.680
Not riding on this.

00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:44.559
And I gave him my real opinion and he ended up sponsoring that band.

00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:46.559
Um, and I'll tell you, it was Rascal Flats.

00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:48.319
Uh wow.

00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:50.720
You know, at the height of height of Rascal Flats.

00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:55.519
And uh it was just great to be given the opportunity to be in the room.

00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:59.759
And I always say, if you're given the opportunity, walk in the room, but be prepared.

00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:05.200
It had to be so empowering for you.

00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:26.000
Um I I have to ask though, did this early start in your career, did it satisfy the creative part of you that like half entrepreneur, half creativity, was it satisfying enough to, you know, know that you were taking care of your own vulnerabilities, your own self, and this is creative enough for me.

00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:26.960
This is okay for now.

00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:31.039
Or was there more, there needs to be more on that side of things?

00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:50.559
Um, no, it satisfied it because there's so many challenges in those deals and putting those deals together, even how you pitch the opportunity to the manager have to be like honestly a study of human psychology because you have to understand you're doing two sales, like you're selling to the brand, like the idea to the brand.

00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.920
And then once they buy in, then you've got to go sell it to the talent.

00:22:53.920 --> 00:23:03.039
It's a two-step process, and you've got to understand how to shift that sale or the that positioning to appeal to them.

00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:07.279
Um, again, working between the creative and the corporate my whole life.

00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:13.119
Um, and I think that takes a lot of creativity in how to do that.

00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:15.839
So that was even like next level challenge.

00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:17.359
Like I could make a PowerPoint.

00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:18.640
Great.

00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:25.359
But now how do I come up with an idea and sell it to two different parties who have two different goals and objectives?

00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:34.160
And how do I come up with a campaign or deal that's going to accomplish both of those, get their feedback, tweak it, you know, like that was a that was a challenge.

00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:35.920
And so I loved that part of it.

00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:39.200
I loved coming up with the ideas and selling them.

00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:45.359
You were at uh you were at William Morris for I I want to say just under a decade, if I'm if uh if I'm correct in my research.

00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:46.559
Just under a decade.

00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:50.160
I was only at William Morris for about two years as an assistant.

00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:50.640
Right.

00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:57.599
I left and went to a company called Echo, uh, which was a startup in Nashville and eventually sold to Ticketmaster, right?

00:23:57.599 --> 00:24:01.359
Which is when then CIA came and made me an offer.

00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:04.000
And I was at CAA for about eight years.

00:24:04.319 --> 00:24:06.960
Well, your time at CAA, why make the jump to CAA?

00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:08.240
Good question.

00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:16.160
So I had just left Ticketmaster that gave everyone kind of packages when they bought Echo, um, and I had to book a business.

00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:21.279
So I was in the middle of negotiating a lot of deals, which didn't transfer over to Ticketmaster.

00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:22.880
So I took that business on.

00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:27.759
I was negotiating, making the commission, making the best money I've ever made in my 20s.

00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:33.680
Uh, I think anything was better than the $28,000 I had been making as an assistant at William Morris.

00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:36.799
Uh so I was even with even with landing deals.

00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:37.359
Oh, yeah.

00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:38.880
Assistant pay was capped.

00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:39.279
Yeah.

00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:39.759
Okay.

00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:41.119
Assistant pay was capped.

00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:42.319
Um, which is fine.

00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:43.200
I learned a lot.

00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:45.440
Like, don't have any complaints about that.

00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:46.400
Just learned a lot.

00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:54.640
Uh anyway, was working on my own, had taken this book of business, didn't have any intention of going back to a talent agency.

00:24:54.640 --> 00:24:54.880
Right.

00:24:54.880 --> 00:25:05.519
Um, and Rob Light, who was the head of the music department or still is a partner there, uh put in calls, and the head of the national office kept putting in calls.

00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:11.839
And as I'm sitting there brokering these deals on my own in my little apartment at 25 or 26, it's incredible.

00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:18.240
I realized I could do this, but my I can't grow here.

00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:19.039
Right.

00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:19.440
Right.

00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:20.480
Go to CIA.

00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:24.400
I can learn about book deals and I can learn about movie deals and I can make connections.

00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:29.519
And it's really hard to make connections at 25 in a little apartment in Nashville by myself.

00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:34.079
So I eventually took the job at CAA, not because of the money.

00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:36.079
I was making better money on my own.

00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:40.079
It was for the opportunity to grow and connect and to learn.

00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:46.000
And when I think about my career and all the jumps I've made, it's always been jumping to growth.

00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:47.599
Money has followed.

00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:49.759
Um, and so I'm really glad I made that jump.

00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:51.039
I learned so much at CIA.

00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:56.880
I always say, if you're gonna start your career, like that is such a wonderful um school.

00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.920
It is like a school for entertainment.

00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:00.960
Sure, sure.

00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:07.200
What's an example of an early success or a meaningful success that you had at CIA?

00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:09.279
A meaningful success.

00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:11.839
Uh well, I was hired in as an agent.

00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:17.200
I was the first sponsorship agent in the Nashville office.

00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:20.079
There was one in LA already.

00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:23.279
Um, and so I had the whole country, country roster.

00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:32.960
Uh and then as my as I closed deals, then agents in LA would want you to work on their business as well.

00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:44.799
Um, so I had been working in country a long time, uh, but then a pop artist by the name of Michael Bublé on his team, which was a big step for a country artist from Nashville, right?

00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:47.599
For um an agent in Nashville.

00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:51.519
And I sold a deal to uh Behringer Wine.

00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:53.599
So it was Michael Bublé and Behringer Wine.

00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:55.119
It was a massive deal.

00:26:55.119 --> 00:26:58.000
Um, I was so excited because I was a fan of his music.

00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:02.480
Um, and that was a pretty big deal because Rob Light represented Michael.

00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:06.079
So it was a talent represented by a partner, right?

00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:07.759
And I landed endorsement.

00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:08.720
Right, right, right.

00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:11.279
Um, he had a really fun manager.

00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:28.240
And so just to be able to get that deal done uh and be respected by like these men in the music industry who are older and have you know so much experience, for them to trust me with that and to lead that was a big deal outside of the Nashville market.

00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:36.000
Um and I never forget we we uh went over to Napa for a week with Michael to kind of shoot this campaign.

00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:37.839
And we went to all the wineries.

00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:41.680
And so just from an experience standpoint, that was pretty cool.

00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:43.200
Wow, that's amazing.

00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:43.680
Yeah.

00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:45.119
So what about?

00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:50.160
So we've talked about forward, we've talked about highlights, we've shared great stories.

00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:51.599
What about a setback?

00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:54.720
It seems like everything is going right at this point.

00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:58.799
You're you're on the climb, you're on the ascend, you're killing it.

00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:08.160
Um, was there a moment when you were at CAA where something went really wrong or not the way you expected, where you had to overcome something?

00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:12.240
I don't know that I had major any major setbacks at CAA.

00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:16.480
I can talk about setbacks all day long in building Flight View as an entrepreneur.

00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:16.720
Okay.

00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:18.240
I want to keep protecting.

00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:24.720
But I will tell you a moment that it wasn't a setback, but it did knock me back.

00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:26.960
Um or maybe my ego.

00:28:26.960 --> 00:28:28.240
I'll say that.

00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:38.799
Uh you know, I was I was a top performer, top earner, worked really hard, uh, always got great reviews, always got great bonuses.

00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:44.640
Uh and then one year Rob flew in to give me my review.

00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:50.480
Now he's two steps above and I thought I'm getting promoted.

00:28:50.480 --> 00:28:52.960
And I thought in my head, I thought, this is it.

00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:55.279
This is the year, I'm gonna be partner, you know, all those things.

00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:58.960
And he comes into my review and says, You're doing a great job.

00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:01.839
You're obviously, you know, your numbers are great.

00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:05.359
Uh but you're not gonna get promoted.

00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:11.839
And here's why you're a great independent uh earner, right?

00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:13.839
Like you're great working independently.

00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:14.160
Right.

00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:15.599
People don't want to follow you.

00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:19.359
And to be a good leader, you have to earn the respect of your team.

00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:23.039
And you're gonna have to figure out how to do that uh to be a leader.

00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:24.640
And I thought, no, a leader is a title.

00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:26.640
Give me the title, and then everyone will respect me.

00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:27.839
Right, right, right.

00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:30.319
That is exactly what I thought.

00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.119
And he was so right.

00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:35.759
Like now I I didn't realize it in the moment.

00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:44.079
I was really disappointed in the moment, but he's a great leader, and he really like leaned in to say, look, you need some more time to figure this out.

00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:45.279
How do you win people over?

00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:48.160
How do you accomplish things through people instead of yourself?

00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:51.680
Like, that's all the things he was trying to teach me, which does make me a leader.

00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:53.599
I didn't know how to do those things yet.

00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:56.720
Um, and so he was right not to promote me.

00:29:56.720 --> 00:30:02.799
But as now I'm running a company, you know, of 40, 50 people uh and and growing.

00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:05.599
Now I'm not doing the work.

00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:07.599
I'm accomplishing results through others.

00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:09.200
And so that's what he was trying to tell me.

00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:19.119
And that is maybe some of the best advice I'd ever received, but it was the first time I ever had anything negative, or I didn't get the promotion, or I didn't get what I wanted.

00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:23.599
Um, and that was, and and now I appreciate the gift of feedback.

00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:24.160
Right.

00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:24.559
Yeah.

00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:25.519
So much more.

00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:27.680
So that was such a gift that he gave me.

00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:29.759
What did you do with that information?

00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:32.000
How did you take action?

00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:37.200
My initial response wasn't great, I'll be honest, which I don't think it was.

00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:40.880
I don't think I realized again, I had never had the gift of feedback.

00:30:40.880 --> 00:30:43.759
It had always been good up until that point.

00:30:43.759 --> 00:30:47.200
So I didn't maybe really understand how to take that.

00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:52.400
Uh but thinking through that, he was right, right.

00:30:52.400 --> 00:30:59.039
And at the same time, we can get into this, but the opportunity for Flight View was starting to arise.

00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:05.599
And so I think how I used how I used that was when I started Flight View is really understanding how to build teams and how to lead.

00:31:05.599 --> 00:31:12.319
Um, were all tools I had to, I had to learn and I had to get a coach to teach me because I didn't know how to do it.

00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:14.400
Yeah, that's where I was gonna go.

00:31:14.400 --> 00:31:26.079
At this point, you started to think about starting your own business, or were you just trying to grow with the company and learn as best you can and and it's not a part of your daily thought process at that point?

00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:36.960
I the thought of running my own business had never crossed my mind uh until several of the brands that I had been negotiating with started asking me to come work for them.

00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:57.440
At the time, social media had kind of come into the space, influencers were starting to pop up, uh, lots of brands were trying to figure out how to get into the space, and they were very confused about how to uh navigate pop culture and all the rights holders, because there's agents, managers, publishers, actually in music, labels, all the things.

00:31:57.440 --> 00:31:59.599
And I saw an opportunity.

00:31:59.599 --> 00:32:08.559
The entrepreneur in me, which I didn't didn't know that's what it was called, started to see that talent had agents, but brands didn't.

00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:15.920
And brands aren't doing this often enough to most of them to have kind of a full-time team at this point.

00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:20.000
Uh and so I thought, well, I could go be the brand's agent.

00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.559
Like I could go represent the brand in these deals that that really hadn't been done before.

00:32:24.559 --> 00:32:27.519
And so I told all the brands, I don't want to come work for you.

00:32:27.519 --> 00:32:29.039
There are three or four at the time.

00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:33.519
I don't want to come work for you, but I could start my own shop and you can hire me.

00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:35.200
And they all said yes.

00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:38.000
So, well, I have business.

00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:42.000
It's enough money that I can live off of it.

00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:44.640
Like I have business coming in from the get-go.

00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:48.559
And maybe this is a real opportunity that I should consider.

00:32:49.359 --> 00:32:52.720
And can you define for us what that means?

00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:56.640
You're going to the brands and exactly what are you doing for them?

00:32:56.960 --> 00:32:57.359
Yeah.

00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:01.039
So the brands are all trying to accomplish something.

00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:07.599
They're trying to be more relevant, they're trying to attract a younger audience, they're trying to sell a product.

00:33:07.599 --> 00:33:16.319
Um, and they're all wanting to do that through celebrity or through pop culture because these celebrities are speaking to the audience that they want.

00:33:16.319 --> 00:33:21.519
Um, and so they're all trying to find what I call the right megaphone for their message.

00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:30.640
Um, and they needed help figuring out how to identify that megaphone or megaphone moment, um, what it is, how to how to structure the deal, how to negotiate it.

00:33:30.640 --> 00:33:34.559
And so those are all things I could help them with because I'd been on the other side for so long.

00:33:34.559 --> 00:33:43.279
Um, and I think for me, I was ready for the next challenge of not just finding the right talent, but let me help you build the program.

00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:48.880
Because you're not gonna get the talent you want unless the program is good, right?

00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:52.640
Talent are getting they're getting smart about this.

00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:58.160
Like they want to be aligned with good programs that elevate their brand.

00:33:58.160 --> 00:34:01.519
It's not about just holding a product and endorsing it anymore.

00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:04.799
Like they got to be co-owners owners in this program now.

00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:05.359
For sure.

00:34:05.599 --> 00:34:12.719
So that's where brands were starting to realize that um and where I could help them navigate that, having been on the talent side for so long.

00:34:13.119 --> 00:34:24.719
Is that your is that where you can uh came up with the idea of pop culture and purpose that it's not simply it's not simply the you know the product that you're trying to sell, it's also the story behind it, right?

00:34:25.119 --> 00:34:28.480
Yeah, so purpose has always been really important to me.

00:34:28.480 --> 00:34:29.519
It's my why, right?

00:34:29.519 --> 00:34:30.480
Everyone has why.

00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:30.880
Right.

00:34:31.039 --> 00:34:43.519
Um, and I realize the power of pop culture and brand, uh really when combined, like power or pop culture celebrity with money behind it really can have a lot of impact.

00:34:43.519 --> 00:34:45.760
We've seen we see that even in the election.

00:34:45.760 --> 00:34:51.280
Like we know the power of that, and even more so now than it was 10 years ago when I started.

00:34:51.280 --> 00:34:59.360
Um, and so I just said, if I'm gonna do this, I want to create campaigns and programs that impact people for good.

00:34:59.360 --> 00:35:11.440
So whether there's a give back component integrated into the actual campaign, um, whether a portion of the proceeds go to a nonprofit, um, whether actually changing something in culture.

00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:26.800
There was one program we built actually for Bumble, um, where we did a deal with C3, which is a festival group, um, and they committed to equal representation on festival stage stages, male-female, um, instead of the stat was only about 17% of women.

00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:28.639
So they connect to 50-50.

00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:37.440
So, like that would that to me is a brand using their dollars, right, in sponsorship, but creating real impact for the future and real change.

00:35:37.440 --> 00:35:41.119
So those are the campaigns that I wanted to create and build.

00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:49.440
Um, it wasn't fulfilling for me just to pair celebrity A with product, you know, to sell product.

00:35:49.440 --> 00:35:53.840
Um, and so that's where I knew there was an opportunity, and I knew it would connect with consumers.

00:35:54.639 --> 00:36:04.079
So who, I mean, obviously you were so successful, and you know, you're uh with what William Morris, you're landing your fur essentially landing that first advertising deal there.

00:36:04.079 --> 00:36:10.480
Who was your first who was your first client here with FlyteVu that you were able to really, really explode with them?

00:36:10.719 --> 00:36:11.039
Yeah.

00:36:11.039 --> 00:36:14.159
Uh there were two, two first clients.

00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:19.920
Uh one was Cracker Barrel, and we were their agency for seven years.

00:36:20.239 --> 00:36:22.239
Did you tell them to keep the keep the guy on the barrel?

00:36:27.119 --> 00:36:29.119
Uh we were not involved in that.

00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:31.760
Uh, and Red Cross.

00:36:31.760 --> 00:36:39.119
And two really great brands, strong brands out of the gate, uh, where we did a lot of great work for several, several years.

00:36:39.119 --> 00:36:40.639
So those were the first two.

00:36:41.440 --> 00:36:42.960
So those are your anchors.

00:36:42.960 --> 00:36:44.800
How do you scale your business?

00:36:45.119 --> 00:36:46.480
Well, I had a business partner.

00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:50.880
So a man by the name of Jeremy Hawley uh started the company with me.

00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:53.840
He was at Warner Brother, Warner Brother Records.

00:36:53.840 --> 00:36:57.039
And so together, I was really lucky to have a partner.

00:36:57.039 --> 00:36:58.400
That was helpful.

00:36:58.400 --> 00:37:00.559
Uh, but we each brought an employee.

00:37:00.559 --> 00:37:03.840
So I brought my assistant from CIA, he brought somebody in.

00:37:03.840 --> 00:37:06.159
And so the four of us started.

00:37:06.159 --> 00:37:10.400
Uh, we had let our respective companies know.

00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:14.159
In fact, I had brought them into this plan months before we started.

00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:21.599
Uh, and again, Rob Light, such a mentor of mine, had said, you need to do this.

00:37:21.599 --> 00:37:23.119
I see the opportunity.

00:37:23.119 --> 00:37:28.480
Um, you can't do it here at CAA because that's not our model, but you know, go fly.

00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:30.960
Um, pun intended.

00:37:30.960 --> 00:37:35.760
And he was nice enough to give equipment and office space.

00:37:35.760 --> 00:37:40.400
And at the time, like I didn't fully realize the value of that, right?

00:37:40.400 --> 00:37:45.840
For the first six months, we worked out of CAA's offices until we could afford our own space.

00:37:45.840 --> 00:37:52.239
And so that early gift, truly just a gift, uh, was really helpful in getting started.

00:37:52.639 --> 00:37:55.039
Yeah, I think that's always the hardest part, right?

00:37:55.039 --> 00:38:00.559
The transition from I have this safety net, this this position, and now I'm gonna go out on my own.

00:38:00.559 --> 00:38:06.400
It seems like that whole platform was a really smooth transition for you.

00:38:06.400 --> 00:38:08.719
And I don't think that's normally the case.

00:38:08.719 --> 00:38:10.159
Did you feel that way?

00:38:10.639 --> 00:38:13.039
Yes, because we were really intentional.

00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:15.360
Relationships mattered to us.

00:38:15.360 --> 00:38:24.320
And my relationships with Rob and the team at CA mattered because I knew we were all gonna still be working in the same space.

00:38:24.320 --> 00:38:28.639
So, you know, we we communicated our intentions.

00:38:28.639 --> 00:38:31.920
I rolled out the model of what I wanted to build.

00:38:31.920 --> 00:38:34.880
Um, I believe in transparency and trust.

00:38:34.880 --> 00:38:38.400
And so Jeremy did the same on his side.

00:38:38.400 --> 00:38:46.559
And so there I mean, we even spent months wrapping up our work with our respective companies at the same time.

00:38:46.559 --> 00:38:52.639
We were building Flight View and putting things in place because we wanted to leave well.

00:38:52.639 --> 00:38:54.960
Right, that was important to us.

00:38:55.360 --> 00:38:57.280
Relationships, it was really important to us.

00:38:57.360 --> 00:39:00.000
So there wasn't an abrupt gap.

00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.239
In fact, if anything, we were exhausted because we were trying so hard.

00:39:04.239 --> 00:39:05.920
We had immediate work.

00:39:05.920 --> 00:39:07.519
In fact, this is a true story.

00:39:07.519 --> 00:39:10.559
So, uh, again, what in that overlap?

00:39:10.559 --> 00:39:15.360
Uh, Cracker Barrel had asked us to come pitch and they had a brief.

00:39:15.360 --> 00:39:17.840
And I said, Jeremy, why don't we answer this?

00:39:17.840 --> 00:39:19.119
Like, we can try.

00:39:19.119 --> 00:39:21.920
I didn't even know what answering a brief meant, to be honest.

00:39:21.920 --> 00:39:24.159
So we put it together.

00:39:24.159 --> 00:39:26.079
Him and I went to pitch it.

00:39:26.079 --> 00:39:30.960
Uh, a few days later, the CMO calls and says, I want you to know that we're awarding you the business.

00:39:30.960 --> 00:39:32.960
This is a retainer business.

00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:36.000
And she's, and we didn't have the name Flight View yet.

00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:38.880
And she's so what's the name of your company?

00:39:38.880 --> 00:39:42.960
And I looked, did you said a completely different name that it's not the name now?

00:39:42.960 --> 00:39:45.280
And she said, Well, okay, who's on my team?

00:39:45.280 --> 00:39:47.039
And I said, Well, who do you need on your team?

00:39:47.039 --> 00:39:47.920
Yeah, I don't know.

00:39:47.920 --> 00:39:48.960
I have to build this.

00:39:48.960 --> 00:39:50.719
So that's really how we operated.

00:39:50.719 --> 00:39:53.119
Like brands would come to us and I would say, What do you need?

00:39:53.119 --> 00:39:54.800
And then I would just build it.

00:39:55.599 --> 00:40:01.119
Okay, so you're so your initial staff seemed like it was just you, your partner, and two other people, right?

00:40:01.119 --> 00:40:02.239
So four people total.

00:40:02.239 --> 00:40:03.840
So what have you scaled up to now?

00:40:03.840 --> 00:40:05.760
Like how many people now are under your umbrella?

00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:08.159
Uh, we're probably around 45.

00:40:08.159 --> 00:40:10.719
Uh, and now we're scaling very quickly.

00:40:10.719 --> 00:40:14.400
So I think our intent was to keep it small and nimble.

00:40:14.400 --> 00:40:17.119
So we always hovered around 2530.

00:40:17.119 --> 00:40:23.199
Uh, I I liked that number because we were able, we called ourselves the SWAT team for our clients.

00:40:23.199 --> 00:40:27.760
We could come in, we could do a project quickly, efficiently, effectively.

00:40:27.760 --> 00:40:30.639
Uh, and in pop culture, you have to move fast.

00:40:30.639 --> 00:40:38.239
And and not only would brands hire us, but agencies, because the big WPPs of the world can't move as quickly as we could.

00:40:38.239 --> 00:40:45.599
So to turn quick talent deals, to turn quick activations, a lot of the big agencies would hire us and white label us.

00:40:45.599 --> 00:40:49.679
So that was an effective revenue stream for us too.

00:40:49.679 --> 00:40:55.360
So we always stayed somewhat small, but we were doing big campaigns in global work.

00:40:55.360 --> 00:40:58.960
Um, we would contract out to other teams for projects.

00:40:58.960 --> 00:41:10.159
And then in April of this past year, uh, a uh private investor with a holding company, DMG, um, Driftwood Music Group came in and acquired us.

00:41:10.159 --> 00:41:11.840
Uh, and now we've been scaling.

00:41:11.840 --> 00:41:14.639
So we've doubled in size in the past six months.

00:41:14.960 --> 00:41:15.760
Congratulations.

00:41:15.760 --> 00:41:17.440
Congrats, that's great, unbelievable.

00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:17.920
Yeah, amazing.

00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:20.159
How do you view yourself as a leader now?

00:41:22.159 --> 00:41:24.239
Uh yeah, as a leader now.

00:41:24.239 --> 00:41:27.760
My job has shifted from, as I mentioned, doing the work.

00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:29.760
From founder to CEO, actually, right?

00:41:29.920 --> 00:41:41.280
Uh and now my role is to find really talented people, place them in their giftings, give them the tools they need to succeed, and then get out of the way.

00:41:41.679 --> 00:41:44.159
And have the self-confidence to be able to do that.

00:41:44.159 --> 00:41:44.800
Yeah.

00:41:44.800 --> 00:41:46.320
That you've hired the right people.

00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:46.800
Yep.

00:41:46.800 --> 00:41:49.760
I think when you trust your team, it's real easy to do that.

00:41:49.760 --> 00:41:57.519
And we've been really lucky to hire some really exceptional folks in the last few months and folks who have taught me so much.

00:41:57.519 --> 00:42:00.400
Because remember, I never came from a ad agency.

00:42:00.400 --> 00:42:05.039
So I don't know how it's supposed to be done or how it how it's done other places.

00:42:05.039 --> 00:42:14.079
Um, so bringing in all of that knowledge has been really fun the past six months to take kind of the best of and continue building.

00:42:14.880 --> 00:42:18.079
So I then I need to revisit an earlier question.

00:42:18.079 --> 00:42:22.079
Does that satisfy the creative part of your world?

00:42:22.079 --> 00:42:28.000
Because that's very different than your earlier upbringing, where you're very much involved in the creativity.

00:42:28.239 --> 00:42:29.199
Yeah, it does.

00:42:29.199 --> 00:42:31.840
I'm still involved in the create creative side.

00:42:31.840 --> 00:42:32.960
That that is my love.

00:42:32.960 --> 00:42:34.000
It always will be.

00:42:34.000 --> 00:42:37.920
So, you know, I still get to speak into campaigns and I get to see them presented.

00:42:37.920 --> 00:42:44.239
But I will tell you now, you know, I've looking back, like I've had I've had the fun.

00:42:44.239 --> 00:42:49.440
I've been to the award services, I've been backstage, I've hung out with celebrities, I've traveled.

00:42:49.440 --> 00:42:56.159
Um, now it's really fun to see others get that opportunity and to be able to provide them that opportunity.

00:42:56.159 --> 00:43:02.480
Um, I get more joy out of that and giving back than I do doing it myself.

00:43:02.480 --> 00:43:05.280
And they there's a quote, I can't claim it.

00:43:05.280 --> 00:43:07.440
It's like, if you want to get there fast, do it alone.

00:43:07.440 --> 00:43:12.000
If you want to get there, you know, and be successful, do it together.

00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:17.360
Um, and so that's my, you know, as an agent, I got there fast, but I got there alone.

00:43:17.360 --> 00:43:24.159
And it's so much more rewarding to get there as a team now and see everybody win.

00:43:24.480 --> 00:43:24.960
Wow.

00:43:25.360 --> 00:43:29.519
Can you talk to us about uh a campaign or an initiative?

00:43:29.519 --> 00:43:39.039
At the beginning, we talked about how you're really focused on giving back and everything needs to have a purpose, and you're very involved with music cares and all sorts of other things.

00:43:39.039 --> 00:43:47.360
Can you give us an example of a campaign or an initiative that you were a part of that that you were incredibly proud of?

00:43:47.360 --> 00:43:53.760
That just like a a success or a highlight in terms of giving back and helping others.

00:43:55.119 --> 00:43:56.960
I'll give you a campaign.

00:43:56.960 --> 00:43:59.519
It's not it's not the most well known.

00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:08.480
It's not a Super Bowl ad, like it's not the the shiny uh sparkly one that everyone that gets ad weight coverage.

00:44:08.880 --> 00:44:09.119
Yep.

00:44:09.119 --> 00:44:10.719
Although I have to ask you for that afterwards.

00:44:10.719 --> 00:44:12.079
That shiny key, right?

00:44:12.480 --> 00:44:13.119
That comes next.

00:44:13.119 --> 00:44:14.639
That next.

00:44:14.639 --> 00:44:20.000
But one that was really meaningful that I think speaks to what's important to us as an agency.

00:44:20.239 --> 00:44:20.559
Yeah.

00:44:20.719 --> 00:44:24.719
Uh was one for a campaign called uh in a brand called Zilla.

00:44:24.719 --> 00:44:26.800
It's a reptile brand.

00:44:26.800 --> 00:44:34.079
They provide uh pet supplies for reptiles, small brand, small budgets.

00:44:34.079 --> 00:44:41.519
Uh, and we had aligned them with uh a big A-list celebrities uh bearded dragon.

00:44:41.519 --> 00:44:43.519
I did a deal for a bearded dragon.

00:44:43.519 --> 00:44:44.159
Wow.

00:44:44.159 --> 00:44:48.559
Um make a long story short, that deal fell apart.

00:44:48.559 --> 00:44:51.760
Um, and everyone was devastated because it was huge.

00:44:51.760 --> 00:44:53.199
It was gonna be huge for the brand.

00:44:53.199 --> 00:44:58.079
And I'm a firm believer that when something doesn't work out, just let the universe go.

00:44:58.079 --> 00:45:00.400
Like it's meant there's something better.

00:45:00.400 --> 00:45:05.280
So we ended up working with another celebrity called 24K Golden.

00:45:05.280 --> 00:45:09.599
He's a sm like uh he's a rapper, but not a RBR.

00:45:10.079 --> 00:45:10.480
Yeah, absolutely.

00:45:10.880 --> 00:45:13.920
Yeah, um, really good kid, really nice.

00:45:13.920 --> 00:45:25.519
Uh, and so we did the campaign, and one of the ideas during the campaign was we were trying to find uh a make-a-wish for some child who wanted a bearded dragon.

00:45:25.519 --> 00:45:28.880
Couldn't find it during the course of the campaign, but we still executed.

00:45:28.880 --> 00:45:29.840
It was great.

00:45:29.840 --> 00:45:34.719
Uh, right at the end, I get a call for make-a-wish, and they're like, We have we have a wish.

00:45:34.719 --> 00:45:36.800
And it's a little little boy.

00:45:36.800 --> 00:45:39.280
Um, prognosis is not good.

00:45:39.280 --> 00:45:41.920
Uh, but he wants, and we have to move fast.

00:45:41.920 --> 00:45:46.159
This is one of those urgent wishes, and he wants a reptile zoo in his garage.

00:45:46.159 --> 00:45:50.239
And I was like, called the brands, you know, hey, it's not in budget.

00:45:50.239 --> 00:45:51.119
We're gonna do that.

00:45:51.119 --> 00:45:52.880
Like agencies, we're gonna come in for free.

00:45:52.880 --> 00:45:55.760
If you want to do this, we're in, we'll execute this.

00:45:55.760 --> 00:45:57.840
She said yes immediately.

00:45:57.840 --> 00:46:04.079
Um, just so happened that this child, this is in Michigan, small town of Michigan.

00:46:04.079 --> 00:46:13.599
Uh, the date that we were gonna do this, that 24K, his tour uh would be at a city about an hour away from this location.

00:46:13.840 --> 00:46:14.239
Oh, wow.

00:46:14.480 --> 00:46:16.800
Called him up and said, 24K, there's this kid.

00:46:16.800 --> 00:46:20.159
Would do you even think you could get in a car and drive over and meet this kid?

00:46:20.159 --> 00:46:21.199
And he was like, you know what?

00:46:21.199 --> 00:46:22.239
I'm gonna do you one better.

00:46:22.239 --> 00:46:25.679
I'm gonna fly my beard to Dragon In and I'm gonna give it to this kid.

00:46:26.000 --> 00:46:26.320
Wow.

00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:26.880
Oh, wow.

00:46:27.599 --> 00:46:28.400
Talking about it.

00:46:28.400 --> 00:46:30.000
So he did.

00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:35.920
Um, looking back, man, if we had partnered with that original talent, none of that would have happened.

00:46:35.920 --> 00:46:37.199
It wouldn't end up.

00:46:37.199 --> 00:46:39.119
I know they wouldn't have done that.

00:46:39.119 --> 00:46:48.559
Uh, and so he he drove an hour and a half each way to farm town and to this uh to this child's home and gifted him the spirit of dragon.

00:46:48.559 --> 00:46:50.639
The child could not speak at this point.

00:46:50.639 --> 00:46:52.159
He spoke through a computer.

00:46:52.159 --> 00:46:57.760
Um, and he just cried and was so overwhelmed um with this moment.

00:46:57.760 --> 00:47:01.760
Uh, and all the kids in the family, several others had health issues too.

00:47:01.760 --> 00:47:07.519
And it was just this moment of wow, like we got, we got to really change this kid's life.

00:47:07.679 --> 00:47:09.039
Like sure it did, absolutely.

00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:12.159
What an incredible opportunity and a gift we have.

00:47:12.159 --> 00:47:13.599
And just everyone came together.

00:47:13.599 --> 00:47:16.719
And it wasn't about the money, we didn't get paid, you know, it wasn't about any of that.

00:47:16.719 --> 00:47:20.400
It wasn't about celebrity, we didn't even do press around it, like it wasn't anything.

00:47:20.400 --> 00:47:23.360
It was we have this opportunity and we're all gonna say yes.

00:47:23.360 --> 00:47:28.880
So those are the those are the campaigns or the programs that again have purpose.

00:47:28.880 --> 00:47:29.840
Like there was a repeat.

00:47:30.159 --> 00:47:30.559
Absolutely.

00:47:30.559 --> 00:47:34.480
And and and why you do what you do to it to a great degree.

00:47:34.480 --> 00:47:39.280
I I have to ask the other question, uh, because we teased it coming into this.

00:47:39.280 --> 00:47:40.559
The Super Bowl.

00:47:40.559 --> 00:47:43.760
Um, you did put together a Super Bowl campaign.

00:47:43.760 --> 00:47:45.440
Can you talk to us about that a little bit?

00:47:45.679 --> 00:47:46.559
Yeah, we did.

00:47:46.559 --> 00:47:51.840
It didn't start out uh with kind of the dream of Super Bowl.

00:47:51.840 --> 00:48:00.639
Uh, it started out because we were working for a brand called Bumble, and the founder of Bumble, Whitney Wolfheard, wanted to work with Serena Williams.

00:48:00.639 --> 00:48:10.639
Uh the time Bumble, uh, everyone knew them for dating, but they had launched Bumble Biz and Bumble BFF, so three other or two other verticals of the app.

00:48:10.639 --> 00:48:21.280
Uh, and so she felt Serena really represented uh kind of success in all areas as a really strong, strong woman and strong female role model role model.

00:48:21.280 --> 00:48:24.400
And so she said, Laura, I want to work with Serena.

00:48:24.400 --> 00:48:26.639
Go make it happen.

00:48:26.880 --> 00:48:31.039
And I said, Well, challenge.

00:48:31.440 --> 00:48:32.400
Sure, no problem.

00:48:32.400 --> 00:48:33.280
Sure.

00:48:33.679 --> 00:48:34.320
Yeah.

00:48:35.440 --> 00:48:37.760
We don't have Nike money, right?

00:48:37.760 --> 00:48:39.519
Like, not even close.

00:48:39.519 --> 00:48:43.760
And as I started to think about it, again, this is the creative side.

00:48:43.760 --> 00:48:45.519
Like, how do I overcome this challenge?

00:48:45.519 --> 00:48:45.920
Yeah.

00:48:45.920 --> 00:48:53.360
Having worked on the talent side, I know at that level, money doesn't always mean everything to that talent.

00:48:53.360 --> 00:48:56.880
Like Serena doesn't need another million dollars or five.

00:48:56.880 --> 00:49:04.719
Like Serena is really maybe wanting to be positioned differently, or maybe there's something else that we can help her accomplish.

00:49:04.719 --> 00:49:05.119
Yeah.

00:49:05.119 --> 00:49:13.119
Um, so kind of after some phone calls, I realized Serena had never been positioned as a businesswoman, only as a tennis star.

00:49:13.119 --> 00:49:15.440
She's an incredible portfolio of investments.

00:49:15.440 --> 00:49:16.880
She's very smart.

00:49:16.880 --> 00:49:23.840
Uh what if Serena came in as a partner in Bumble's VC fund that invested in women of color?

00:49:24.480 --> 00:49:24.639
Right.

00:49:24.880 --> 00:49:25.360
That was the pit.

00:49:25.760 --> 00:49:26.480
Great idea.

00:49:26.719 --> 00:49:29.360
Um, that was a three-year commitment.

00:49:29.360 --> 00:49:34.880
Uh, we brokered that deal, and then we decided to launch the partnership at Super Bowl.

00:49:34.880 --> 00:49:37.119
It was a male-dominated event.

00:49:37.119 --> 00:49:41.519
Uh obviously lots of eyeballs on that space.

00:49:41.519 --> 00:49:54.239
Um, and we decided let's put together the first all-female team to create the spot, which would be making Super Bowl history that had never been done before in a very male-dominated field and space.

00:49:54.239 --> 00:50:03.039
Uh, so that's where Super Bowl came about, but it really was a much larger partnership that we decided to kind of make a big impact in that moment.

00:50:03.360 --> 00:50:09.199
Obviously, you see yourself now, uh, or I'll assume you see yourself now as a mentor for so many others.

00:50:09.199 --> 00:50:11.360
Uh, you know, those who have worked underneath you.

00:50:11.360 --> 00:50:22.159
Um, and uh it seems to me, if uh correct me if I'm wrong, that so much of the experience that you've got that you gained during your during your career's ascension is due to that.

00:50:22.159 --> 00:50:30.239
You know, your first, obviously, your first mentor over William Morris is a woman who uh was a woman who who obviously you know really put you out there to to work.

00:50:30.239 --> 00:50:32.159
Uh, and then obviously your time at CAA.

00:50:32.159 --> 00:50:36.480
What is your what's your philosophy now as a mentor for other women?

00:50:36.480 --> 00:50:38.719
Or for others in general?

00:50:39.280 --> 00:50:40.960
What's my philosophy?

00:50:40.960 --> 00:50:45.519
Oh, so many, so many, I can think that so many ways.

00:50:45.519 --> 00:50:52.880
Uh yeah, it it's even hard for me to think of myself as a mentor because I'm still learning.

00:50:52.880 --> 00:51:06.079
You know, like I I know I am, and I know I do, but I don't know, there's something about it of like I'm still learning from others, and I'm still like so like if I use the word mentor on you, it's like what are you talking about?

00:51:06.079 --> 00:51:09.920
I'm still looking for mentors.

00:51:09.920 --> 00:51:11.199
Like I'm still learning.

00:51:11.199 --> 00:51:12.159
We all are, I think.

00:51:12.480 --> 00:51:15.119
No, we often say here is that you know, mentors need mentors, right?

00:51:15.119 --> 00:51:16.239
So we often say that a lot.

00:51:16.480 --> 00:51:16.880
Yeah.

00:51:16.880 --> 00:51:26.400
Um, I think what I if I'm if I'm mentoring somebody or I'm leaning in, you know, I say now I lean into those who also lean in.

00:51:26.400 --> 00:51:38.079
Like there's my team is awesome, but it's like in order to get mentorship, you know, it's a it's a relationship where you're both leaning in and giving.

00:51:38.079 --> 00:51:42.400
Um what's my philosophy on mentoring young women?

00:51:42.400 --> 00:51:47.280
Uh my biggest philosophy is you can't have it all at once.

00:51:47.280 --> 00:51:50.159
You know, the chap we talked about chapters.

00:51:50.480 --> 00:51:50.719
Right.

00:51:51.280 --> 00:51:57.039
And I think for women, it's really encouraging them to think about chapters and planning ahead.

00:51:57.039 --> 00:52:04.000
So for me, I I made the jump to start my own company when I was in my early 30s.

00:52:04.000 --> 00:52:09.280
I did that because I knew I wanted to adopt.

00:52:09.280 --> 00:52:15.440
We haven't talked about that yet, but I wanted to adopt, I knew most likely that maybe on my own.

00:52:15.440 --> 00:52:22.000
And in order to do that, I would need financial freedom and I would have to be able to control my own schedule.

00:52:22.000 --> 00:52:26.400
The only way to do that was to own something, right?

00:52:26.400 --> 00:52:28.559
And be in a position to do that.

00:52:28.559 --> 00:52:33.519
So that's one of the reasons I started my own company too.

00:52:33.519 --> 00:52:37.280
I had the business, but that was the real reason is I decided, let's take the risk.

00:52:37.280 --> 00:52:39.840
In my early 30s, that was the time to do it.

00:52:40.079 --> 00:52:40.320
Right.

00:52:40.639 --> 00:52:45.920
It wasn't the time to do it when I already had two young children, because you don't have the time then.

00:52:45.920 --> 00:52:55.840
So, like, think about the chapters in your life and when you have more time for it to dedicate to your job, or when you want more time for your personal life or other pursuits.

00:52:55.840 --> 00:52:59.519
And I think for my team, I'm always talking to them about chapters.

00:52:59.519 --> 00:53:01.599
Like, what chapter of life are you in now?

00:53:01.599 --> 00:53:03.599
And, you know, how do you balance?

00:53:03.599 --> 00:53:11.280
And I hate the word balance, but how do you prioritize, you know, what it is you want in this chapter that will set you up for the next chapter?

00:53:11.280 --> 00:53:15.760
Um, so just being intentional with the choices you're making and thinking ahead.

00:53:16.000 --> 00:53:20.079
I I do want to talk about work-life balance too, because that's so important.

00:53:20.079 --> 00:53:27.119
Um, but while we're on this subject, very quickly, um, talk about uh uh empowering women in this industry.

00:53:27.119 --> 00:53:29.039
It's probably a male-dominated industry.

00:53:29.039 --> 00:53:30.239
Are are we better?

00:53:30.239 --> 00:53:34.960
And how much further do we have to go to empower women in this industry?

00:53:35.440 --> 00:53:38.559
Well, my company is about 90% women.

00:53:39.119 --> 00:53:39.599
All right.

00:53:39.599 --> 00:53:40.960
So you're doing great.

00:53:41.519 --> 00:53:42.480
Opposite.

00:53:42.480 --> 00:53:46.159
We really try hard to hire some more men.

00:53:46.159 --> 00:53:53.679
Um, so yeah, I I think maybe because I'm a female leader and women are attracted to that, I hear that a lot in interviews.

00:53:53.679 --> 00:53:55.280
You know, why are you looking to leave?

00:53:55.280 --> 00:54:01.360
Well, I'm looking for female leadership so I can see what it can look like ahead.

00:54:01.360 --> 00:54:12.719
Uh, so I think naturally people, uh, women are attracted to my company because they see me and they see a very female-led leadership team.

00:54:12.719 --> 00:54:20.159
Um, so I don't notice it as much now because I'm a little insulated in in my flight view bubble.

00:54:20.400 --> 00:54:20.639
Right.

00:54:20.639 --> 00:54:21.760
Yeah, it's a good thing.

00:54:21.760 --> 00:54:23.760
And you're doing your part, which is great.

00:54:23.760 --> 00:54:25.599
Um, so talk about the family life.

00:54:25.599 --> 00:54:27.519
How do you um balance?

00:54:27.519 --> 00:54:30.880
You brought up um um a very personal thing for you.

00:54:30.880 --> 00:54:33.360
If you want to talk a little bit about that, that would be wonderful.

00:54:33.360 --> 00:54:39.760
And then how do you balance a very full career with your life outside of work?

00:54:40.000 --> 00:54:40.639
Yeah.

00:54:40.639 --> 00:54:45.920
Uh so when I turned 40, I decided to adopt.

00:54:45.920 --> 00:54:50.400
Um, and uh I was paired with a birth mom.

00:54:50.400 --> 00:54:53.920
Uh, he wanted to make a birth plan and she picked me.

00:54:53.920 --> 00:55:01.199
Uh, and so Evelyn, my daughter, was born uh unfortunately premature, a little unexpected.

00:55:01.199 --> 00:55:07.119
And when we talk about hurdles and running a company, that was definitely a time that was a challenge.

00:55:07.119 --> 00:55:10.400
Uh, we spent several months in the hospital.

00:55:10.400 --> 00:55:16.400
Um, she overcame several health challenges and kind of became healthy enough where I could bring her home.

00:55:16.400 --> 00:55:25.760
Uh, but those first two early years were really difficult uh to run a company and uh to be there full time as a single mom.

00:55:25.760 --> 00:55:42.000
Uh I was really lucky to have a business partner who just is the most wonderful human uh that exists, I believe, that picked up a lot of a lot of that work during that time, and then also a team uh that was really supportive during that time.

00:55:42.000 --> 00:55:48.880
So I think again, having a community, having support, everybody needs it.

00:55:48.880 --> 00:55:51.519
Um, because you never know what's gonna pop up.

00:55:51.519 --> 00:55:52.559
Best made plans.

00:55:52.559 --> 00:56:01.119
In fact, I had made a plan, knowing I was gonna adopt, um, we had made a hire uh that could be a GM while I was gonna be out.

00:56:01.119 --> 00:56:05.440
Right the day my daughter was born, uh, again early.

00:56:05.440 --> 00:56:09.280
This was unexpected, he let me know he had taken another position.

00:56:09.519 --> 00:56:10.159
Oh, wow.

00:56:10.480 --> 00:56:15.840
So my plan uh to be able to take some time off didn't happen.

00:56:15.840 --> 00:56:18.639
Uh and that's entrepreneurship, right?

00:56:18.639 --> 00:56:19.920
That's running a business.

00:56:19.920 --> 00:56:24.880
And so I I couldn't control that decision, uh, but I could just control my attitude about it.

00:56:24.880 --> 00:56:28.239
And everybody else pitched in and we made it work.

00:56:28.559 --> 00:56:29.760
How's your daughter now?

00:56:30.000 --> 00:56:32.639
She's so good, she's so feisty.

00:56:32.639 --> 00:56:38.159
She's she's my hardest boss yet.

00:56:38.400 --> 00:56:41.840
Uh you have now two jobs, obviously.

00:56:41.840 --> 00:56:43.760
You have two or three jobs at this point, right?

00:56:44.000 --> 00:56:45.760
I have multiple jobs, yes.

00:56:45.760 --> 00:56:50.079
Uh, I tell people, you know, it's it is all about priorities.

00:56:50.079 --> 00:56:50.719
Yeah.

00:56:50.719 --> 00:56:59.760
Um, you can't be a mom, full-time mom, be a full-time CEO, you know, be at the top of the game in your health journey.

00:56:59.760 --> 00:57:02.960
You know, you can't uh you can't do it all.

00:57:02.960 --> 00:57:05.519
And so you have to have priorities.

00:57:05.519 --> 00:57:09.039
And in this chapter, my priorities are my job and my daughter.

00:57:09.039 --> 00:57:12.159
And so I'm doing a really good job at those two.

00:57:12.719 --> 00:57:13.280
I was gonna ask.

00:57:13.280 --> 00:57:21.760
So like how has that now influenced you as a leader within your own company, being a being a parent and being a full-time parent, and obviously being the leader of your company?

00:57:21.760 --> 00:57:23.760
Well, how how's that how's that influenced you?

00:57:24.000 --> 00:57:25.920
It's given a lot more empathy, right?

00:57:25.920 --> 00:57:27.679
It has given me a lot more empathy.

00:57:27.679 --> 00:57:39.599
Um, now that I've been through some really hard challenges, uh I now recognize, you know, in others when they may need a break or we may need to make adjustments.

00:57:39.599 --> 00:57:43.519
And we really try to do that at Flight View again for those different chapters.

00:57:43.519 --> 00:57:51.599
Um, and as partners, my business partner and I, you know, we were constantly talking about he had things in his life where I picked up more.

00:57:51.599 --> 00:57:53.599
There were times when he picked up more.

00:57:53.599 --> 00:57:55.199
I think that's what makes a team.

00:57:55.199 --> 00:57:59.679
So I think within Flightview, we're always like we have the team mentality, right?

00:57:59.679 --> 00:58:05.039
There are some days when you might have to cover for somebody, but then there are days and they're gonna have to cover for you.

00:58:05.039 --> 00:58:07.440
And that's how we get there as a team.

00:58:07.760 --> 00:58:14.480
And that's uh the benefit of having a partner with uh who you have a long-standing relationship with that you can completely trust.

00:58:14.480 --> 00:58:15.679
You're you're very lucky.

00:58:16.000 --> 00:58:17.199
I am very lucky.

00:58:17.199 --> 00:58:22.079
And I realize that now we kind of went into the partnership not really knowing each other well.

00:58:22.239 --> 00:58:22.559
Yeah.

00:58:23.920 --> 00:58:33.119
And now that I've seen so many other partnerships not work, oh, and and I understand I am so lucky.

00:58:33.119 --> 00:58:39.599
I I would just say God gifted me with a man of integrity who has values and morals.

00:58:39.599 --> 00:58:42.320
Because listen, you know, we talked about generosity.

00:58:42.320 --> 00:58:45.280
10% of all profits would go to charity.

00:58:45.280 --> 00:58:47.199
We decided that from day one.

00:58:47.199 --> 00:58:53.039
But there were many years I called him and said, Okay, look, I think we should give double.

00:58:53.039 --> 00:58:54.239
I think we should give back.

00:58:54.239 --> 00:58:55.519
Now that's his money too.

00:58:55.519 --> 00:58:59.599
And his was sure, do it.

00:58:59.599 --> 00:59:01.360
Didn't even ask any questions.

00:59:01.360 --> 00:59:10.480
There was a time, um, it was right after the Super Bowl campaign, uh, is when I realized I'm on this treadmill and I can't get off.

00:59:10.480 --> 00:59:16.000
Like I'm really worried, like I'm chasing something and I don't really like where this is going.

00:59:16.000 --> 00:59:17.519
I said, I need to take a break.

00:59:17.519 --> 00:59:21.920
And I went to this wonderful place called On Site, which is an emotional wellness retreat.

00:59:21.920 --> 00:59:27.039
Um, and I called him and I said, Listen, I'm gonna cancel all the press I have.

00:59:27.039 --> 00:59:28.000
I have to go here.

00:59:28.000 --> 00:59:30.800
Like I I really just need a break.

00:59:30.800 --> 00:59:34.559
Um without missing a beat, he said, I'm proud of you.

00:59:34.880 --> 00:59:35.519
Wow.

00:59:35.519 --> 00:59:37.920
It's more like a family than a partner.

00:59:37.920 --> 00:59:38.159
Yeah.

00:59:38.480 --> 00:59:44.960
I I'm telling you, he was the best gift in this journey that I could have.

00:59:44.960 --> 00:59:47.920
So many, he's so gifted at being a partner.

00:59:47.920 --> 00:59:55.119
He should, he should teach a master class and so patient with me along the way as I learned how to be a better one, too.

00:59:55.440 --> 00:59:56.480
That's incredible.

00:59:56.480 --> 00:59:57.039
Yeah.

00:59:57.039 --> 01:00:14.960
Speaking of a a master class, um, so to speak, we've entered uh a very interesting time uh in terms of technology and the workplace and industry, et cetera, et cetera, where things are are changing so fast that it's sort of difficult to make heads or tails of things.

01:00:14.960 --> 01:00:28.000
And young people who are entering the workplace today are justified and being a little nervous about what the opportunities are in front of them when things are changing so fast.

01:00:28.000 --> 01:00:40.000
As somebody who's been down the road, who is established, who is in a uh an evolving marketplace, what advice do you have for young people who are entering the workplace today?

01:00:41.599 --> 01:00:44.239
Uh back to relationships.

01:00:44.239 --> 01:00:49.679
Um, I actually don't interview young people entering the workforce.

01:00:49.679 --> 01:00:51.360
I don't interview for skill set.

01:00:51.360 --> 01:00:58.159
No, I think they've been taught, they go to college, they learn a skill, and they're going to be hired based on their resume or what they can do.

01:00:58.159 --> 01:01:07.360
I don't hire at that level based on resume, based on skill set, based on whatever degree you have.

01:01:07.360 --> 01:01:16.480
I hire based on resilience, based on hustle, based on how you communicate with me, how you show up, executive presence.

01:01:16.480 --> 01:01:28.880
I can teach the rest, or you can teach yourself the rest, because there's so many programs now that you can just learn on your own, especially when we're talking about design and AI tools and all the tools that are out there.

01:01:28.880 --> 01:01:29.360
Yep.

01:01:29.360 --> 01:01:32.559
Um, so I'm hiring based on soft skills.

01:01:32.559 --> 01:01:40.400
Uh, and so that's my advice is practice speaking, practice presenting, show up well, network.

01:01:40.400 --> 01:01:47.840
I just had a interview, best interview I've had in a long time with a young woman out of college, and she'd had some internships.

01:01:47.840 --> 01:01:51.199
And I said, What's what's kind of the hardest challenge you've had in that?

01:01:51.199 --> 01:01:56.960
She said, first day, they give her a project and she's supposed to animate some content.

01:01:56.960 --> 01:02:00.400
She said, I didn't, I wasn't an animator, I didn't know how to animate.

01:02:00.400 --> 01:02:03.840
So next 17 hours, I taught myself how to animate.

01:02:03.840 --> 01:02:06.880
And I now I'm the animator.

01:02:06.880 --> 01:02:10.400
And I was like, You're hired, you know, because that's the attitude.

01:02:10.400 --> 01:02:14.400
It's like, great, let me learn, let me teach myself.

01:02:14.400 --> 01:02:16.960
There's so many tools out there to learn it on your own.

01:02:16.960 --> 01:02:19.280
Back when I was in school, that wasn't the case.

01:02:19.280 --> 01:02:21.760
You had to go to school to learn the programs.

01:02:21.760 --> 01:02:23.440
Now you can do it on your own.

01:02:23.440 --> 01:02:32.960
So I look for people who are proactive, who are entrepreneurial, who are honestly kind of breaking things, trying new things, taking risks.

01:02:32.960 --> 01:02:35.280
So that's what I look for when I hire.

01:02:36.079 --> 01:02:39.199
Um, you mentioned uh artificial intelligence just a moment ago.

01:02:39.199 --> 01:02:57.599
So obviously we see all over the place about how AI and you know, most recently we've heard a number of large tech companies talking about how they're going to down the how they're you know laying off, they're laying off employees for the for wanting to essentially make their jobs more uh they're AI friendly, so to speak.

01:02:57.599 --> 01:03:03.599
Um, how do you see artificial intelligence in your field influencing the future of the field?

01:03:03.920 --> 01:03:04.320
Yeah.

01:03:04.320 --> 01:03:07.280
Definitely in the creative space.

01:03:07.280 --> 01:03:10.239
Uh creates a lot of efficiencies.

01:03:10.239 --> 01:03:13.920
And I'm talking about visual work, um, back work.

01:03:13.920 --> 01:03:20.719
So when we are pitching concepts to brands, it's not about keynote slides and storyboards anymore.

01:03:20.719 --> 01:03:23.280
We can actually show them the commercial spot.

01:03:23.280 --> 01:03:28.320
By the way, it took us half the time to make that than it did the keynote deck, right?

01:03:28.320 --> 01:03:29.039
Right, right.

01:03:29.039 --> 01:03:37.519
Because even in concepting and being being able to pitch and sell an idea has completely changed that space.

01:03:37.519 --> 01:03:49.119
Uh as far as identifying kind of opportunities for brands, we're actually in the middle of creating our own technology, um, AI software that will help us do that at a faster pace.

01:03:49.119 --> 01:03:54.320
Um, so I'm really excited about that, and I'm happy to share more when we when we roll it out.

01:03:54.320 --> 01:04:01.840
But I think AI has completely transformed, you know, our work uh versus even a better or worse?

01:04:01.840 --> 01:04:03.119
Uh better.

01:04:03.119 --> 01:04:03.679
Yeah.

01:04:03.840 --> 01:04:04.079
Okay.

01:04:04.239 --> 01:04:04.960
I think better.

01:04:04.960 --> 01:04:09.039
Uh I think it's challenged us that we now have to think bigger.

01:04:09.039 --> 01:04:10.719
We have to be more creative.

01:04:10.719 --> 01:04:15.280
Um, AI is a great research tool, just even from an ideation perspective.

01:04:15.280 --> 01:04:18.639
Like great research tool, um, great for creative.

01:04:18.639 --> 01:04:21.519
Uh, but AI will only pull from what it knows.

01:04:21.519 --> 01:04:26.800
So I think that's where the challenge is, is we've got to come up with ideas that it doesn't know.

01:04:26.800 --> 01:04:29.280
And so that's the push for the team.

01:04:29.280 --> 01:04:30.880
So I think it's made us better.

01:04:30.880 --> 01:04:32.960
It will make good creatives better.

01:04:32.960 --> 01:04:35.440
It'll make average creatives go away.

01:04:35.440 --> 01:04:42.239
I think it'll make it'll make it'll definitely divide um uh the crowd.

01:04:42.239 --> 01:04:44.559
And so I'm I'm really excited about it.

01:04:44.559 --> 01:04:46.639
I like to adopt new technology.

01:04:46.639 --> 01:04:52.239
Um, it's again what I look for in my team is how do we innovate, how do we get ahead of it, how do we use it.

01:04:52.639 --> 01:04:53.039
For sure.

01:04:53.039 --> 01:04:57.920
Well, you you've clearly been doing that throughout your entire journey from one step to the next.

01:04:57.920 --> 01:05:05.920
And um, this has truly been a remarkable conversation for for those people out there who want to learn more about Flight View.

01:05:05.920 --> 01:05:08.559
What should they know and where should they go?

01:05:08.800 --> 01:05:10.320
Yeah, you can go to the website.

01:05:10.320 --> 01:05:14.400
It's flightview.com, FlyteVu.com.

01:05:16.079 --> 01:05:16.480
Perfect.

01:05:16.639 --> 01:05:17.599
Our work is there.

01:05:18.159 --> 01:05:19.519
Well, Laura, thank you.

01:05:19.519 --> 01:05:20.320
This has been great.

01:05:20.320 --> 01:05:21.920
This has been absolutely fantastic.

01:05:21.920 --> 01:05:23.760
Thank you so much for joining us.

01:05:24.000 --> 01:05:25.760
Yeah, thanks for asking great questions.

01:05:25.760 --> 01:05:26.639
That was fun.

01:05:26.960 --> 01:05:38.960
So that was Laura Hutflist, who is a great example that, and I guess living proof that it is possible to turn creative passion or transform it into an incredibly successful business career.

01:05:38.960 --> 01:05:40.800
Larry Shay, what are your takeaways?

01:05:40.960 --> 01:05:42.639
Yeah, fascinating conversation.

01:05:42.639 --> 01:05:45.440
Really, really uh good advice, great advice.

01:05:45.440 --> 01:05:50.719
I mean, she talks about resilience and hustle in in candidates, right?

01:05:50.719 --> 01:05:54.480
Like today's today's people who are trying to get jobs.

01:05:54.480 --> 01:06:00.800
I love what she said about you know, practice speaking and presenting, because that's Everything, right?

01:06:00.800 --> 01:06:04.320
How you carry yourself, your executive presence, as it were.

01:06:04.320 --> 01:06:06.239
And she talked about that quite a bit.

01:06:06.239 --> 01:06:11.760
Um, but also just taking all your opportunities to learn, you know, don't wait for somebody to show you the way.

01:06:11.760 --> 01:06:15.280
Figure out what needs to be done and doing it, learning how to do it.

01:06:15.280 --> 01:06:21.920
Even if you don't know anything about being an animator, they taught themselves in a day, you know, like go get it, man.

01:06:21.920 --> 01:06:27.440
So yeah, she had some great things to say about just the hustle, you know, aspect of things.

01:06:27.440 --> 01:06:29.679
And it was really, really great conversation.

01:06:42.400 --> 01:06:43.119
For sure.

01:06:43.119 --> 01:06:54.079
You know, I think one of my takeaways, and Larry, I'm glad you brought up the soft skills uh aspect in terms of being able to deal with people and present and have presence.

01:06:54.079 --> 01:06:58.000
Um I'm I'm a college professor now, and it's sort of interesting.

01:06:58.000 --> 01:07:02.159
I hammer that point every single class.

01:07:02.159 --> 01:07:09.920
A class doesn't go by that I don't bring up the word authenticity or the phrase soft skills all the time.

01:07:09.920 --> 01:07:17.840
And she has both of those qualities uh, which are clear, and uh, and obviously it's carried her a long way.

01:07:17.840 --> 01:07:25.199
Um, you know, beyond that, one of the things that that caught my attention was the fact that she grew up in a naval household.

01:07:25.199 --> 01:07:38.880
Her father was a naval commander, and and I'm I'm curious, and and I guess intrigued by the fact that it clearly instilled this discipline and drive in her that has carried her a very, very long way.

01:07:38.880 --> 01:07:42.800
So, you know, with that, uh just an inspiring conversation.

01:07:42.800 --> 01:07:45.039
I'm so glad that we had this opportunity.

01:07:45.039 --> 01:07:49.440
Laura Hutfliss of Flight View, thank you so much for joining us.

01:07:49.440 --> 01:07:51.679
We also thank you for joining us.

01:07:51.679 --> 01:07:58.000
If you enjoyed our conversation, please support No Wrong Choices by following us wherever you're listening right now.

01:07:58.000 --> 01:08:08.159
You can also join our growing community by connecting with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, or by visiting NoWrongChoices.com for great additional content.

01:08:08.159 --> 01:08:14.880
On behalf of Larry Shea, Tushar Saxena, and me, Larry Samuels, thank you again for joining us.