Making $$ as a YouTuber, ChatGPT, the TikTok Algo & Celebrity Cap Tables with Finn McKenty

Finn McKenty is one of my favorite YouTube content creators who is also a brand strategist and marketing director. Between his Punk Rock MBA and personal channel, Finn has over 500k subscribers on YouTube. The Punk Rock MBA looks to promote career, business and life advice for the DIY community. Finn skillfully analyzes the cultural significance of punk and metal like a tenured English lit professor. With deep research and an incredible wealth of knowledge, you can easily find yourself going down a YouTube rabbit hole for hours on topics like how “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater changed music forever” or “what actually killed grunge?” We talk about his process and what it takes to make a living as a YouTuber. 

Finn also has a successful career as a marketing strategist and brand coach. We discuss what impact OpenAI’s ChatGPT will have on marketing, how to create content for viral lift on TikTok, whether being an entrepreneur is truly punk rock and why he thinks celebrity cap tables are a dumb idea.

I am a big fan of Finn’s and his brutal honesty when it comes to mentoring founders, entrepreneurs, and band members. His advice is very direct and to the point. We geek out on a lot of topics and try not to hold back any punches. If you are interested in popular culture, music, brand marketing, data analysis and what it takes to make a living as a YouTuber, then I think you’ll enjoy this episode.

Discussion Topics:

(1:37) Icebreaker – Artists that capture the zeitgeist of the 2020s.

(9:16) Reverse engineering the TikTok effect.

(18:29) ChatGPT for marketers.

(24:07) Is being an entrepreneur punk rock?

(35:27) Digital marketing business case: GetGood Drums.

(42:45) Succeeding as a YouTuber.

(1:05:32) Celebrity cap tables are dumb.

(1:16:31) Rapid fire questions.