School of Hard Knocks Podcast Adley Kinsman | How She Went From Broke Creator to Running One of the Internet’s Biggest Media Machines
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Oct 15, 2025 
Adley Kinsman, a media entrepreneur and creator known for her incredible reach, shares her inspiring journey from bankruptcy to building an eight-figure media company. She discusses how she engineered virality, the importance of authentic storytelling, and her unique five-six-30 method for niche discovery. Adley explores the psychology behind creating viral content and why staying relatable matters even as you scale. She emphasizes building a strong personal brand and offers insights on monetization through audience engagement, forecasting the future of micro creators and shoppable media.
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Virality Is A Deliberate Formula
- Virality can be engineered by deliberately designing videos with specific retention and comment outcomes.
- Small intentional elements often decide whether a video gets 1M or 10M views.
Hold Ownership; Delay All-In Deals
- Avoid all-in partnership deals early; hold ownership and bet on yourself as long as possible.
- Use fair opt-outs and delay signing management until you’ve proven leverage.
Chickens In A Bathtub Went Viral
- During bankruptcy, Adley improvised a Facebook video with chickens in a bathtub that hit 19M views overnight.
- That viral moment taught her to lean into her authentic voice rather than copying trends.