Navigating Personal Branding and the Pursuit of Creative Opportunities

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What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we sit down with Oren John, the internet’s creative director. In this episode, Oren breaks down why most branded content flops and how to fix it. He unpacks the secret to building a world around your brand, the one framework every creator needs before scaling, and why playing it safe online is the fastest way to stay invisible.

We dive into value vs. entertainment content, how to stand out in a feed full of noise, and the metrics Oren actually tracks when building a personal brand. He also shares his take on content “moats,” why he welcomes flops, and how to position yourself for both influence and income.

If you're tired of copying trends and want to build something original that actually resonates, this episode is your blueprint.

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Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:10 - Brand Storytelling in 2025

2:31 - TV series content

4:01 - Creative vs Content Quality

5:39 - brands crushing in 2025

7:08 - World Building

11:17 - Tarte Cosmetic brand trips

12:54 - $100k Artlist Giveaway

13:46 - Value vs Entertainment creators

16:17 - Embracing the flop

17:53 - Formats that win on social

19:25 - Do carousels still work?

21:01 - Why video wins

23:15 - Merging value and entertainment

24:07 - How to go from value to entertainment content

25:18 - Building in public

26:37 - What brands miss the mark on

28:11 - Cannes Festival

29:13 - LinkedIn

30:29 - Creating content while working a 9-5

32:03 - Oren’s first brand deal

32:48 - You just gotta be hotter

34:04 - Fitness talk

35:36 - Dialing in positioning

39:45 - How to crush facebook ads

41:17 - Creative Volume

42:34 - The photoshoot playbook

45:34 - The Laker’s content playbook

46:59 - Why Oren uses Notion

48:46 - Don’t copy the biggest brands if you want to win

50:02 - How to build real community

51:50 - How to crush live events

52:55 - Your environment matters

56:21 - Cost to content

57:29 - Hiring

58:43 - Oren’s YouTube strategy

1:02:36 - People still underestimate the creator economy

1:05:01 - The TikTok Shop playbook

1:05:42 - A.I. ads

1:07:50 - Cultivating an audience that wants to buy

1:10:35 - Breaking down the 505 brand

1:20:10 - A.I. software that Oren uses

1:21:49 - Quality vs. Quantity

1:22:30 - How Luxury brands can win on social

1:23:22 - Oren’s clothing brand

1:26:31 - What Oren’s learned from making his own products

1:29:28 - How men vs. women shop

1:31:36 - Men’s bags

1:34:12 - The next 6-12 months

1:35:06 - Advice to your 18 year old self

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