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The Tim Ferriss Show
#643: Todd McFarlane, Iconic Comic Book Artist — Lessons from Stan Lee, How to Make Art that Outlives You, How to Compete with Corporate Giants and Win (While Having Fun), Dealmaking Strategies, War Stories from Wall Street and Lawyer Land, Taking Responsibility for Your Life, and Why Creators Need to Smash Limits
Dec 16, 2022
02:47:49
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Quick takeaways
- Creating higher-quality and more detailed products can allow you to compete with major brands.
- Taking control of the manufacturing process can ensure the quality and detail of your products.
- Partnering with major retailers can provide credibility and exposure for your brand.
- Challenging traditional norms and pushing boundaries can lead to success in your industry.
- Creating your own path in business and capitalizing on unique ideas is crucial for survival.
- Consistently staying in the market and building value over time is key to building a successful brand.
Deep dives
Creating Value in the Toy Industry
Todd McFarlane entered the toy industry by recognizing the importance of providing value to consumers. While other toy companies focused on traditional toys and marketing strategies, McFarlane decided to create higher-quality and more detailed action figures. By offering more value and pricing his toys slightly higher, he was able to compete with major brands and secure deals with major retailers like Toys R Us and Walmart.
Taking Control of the Manufacturing Process
Rather than relying on existing toy manufacturers, McFarlane took control of the manufacturing process by creating his own toys. He quickly realized that making toys involved sculpting them out of clay, creating molds, and working with factories in China. By having control over the production process, McFarlane was able to ensure the quality and detail of the toys, setting his brand apart from others in the industry.
Making Strategic Partnerships
McFarlane strategically partnered with major retailers like Toys R Us and Walmart, showcasing the value and quality of his toys. While other companies struggled to secure meetings with these retail giants, McFarlane's impressive presence and success with other retailers caught their attention. By securing deals with these major retailers, McFarlane's brand gained credibility and exposure, leading to further success in the toy industry.
Disrupting the Toy Industry with Innovation
McFarlane disrupted the toy industry by challenging traditional norms and pushing the boundaries of what toys could be. He refused to settle for mediocre toys and instead focused on creating realistic and highly detailed action figures. By combining innovation, quality, and strategic marketing, McFarlane was able to build a successful toy brand and leave a lasting impact on the industry.
Creating Your Own Path in Business
In this podcast episode, the speaker emphasizes the importance of creating your own path in business. They discuss the challenges faced when going up against big corporations and the importance of being quick and nimble in order to survive. The speaker also highlights the significance of finding a unique niche and exploiting weaknesses in the market. Overall, the episode explores the speaker's journey as a trailblazer in their industry and the lessons they have learned along the way.
Overcoming Challenges in Retail Placement
This podcast episode delves into the challenges of selling toys once they are placed in retail stores. The speaker discusses the common practice of paying for placement and the difficulty of breaking into established territory. They also highlight the importance of value, quality, and unique brand selection in attracting customers. The episode explores the speaker's experiences in navigating retail placement and finding alternative avenues for sales.
Taking Calculated Risks and Capitalizing on Opportunities
In this podcast episode, the speaker shares their experiences of taking calculated risks and seizing opportunities in different industries. They discuss the importance of capitalizing on unique ideas and being willing to invest in them. The speaker also emphasizes the need to find the right balance between managing the business side and preserving time for creativity. Overall, the episode highlights the speaker's entrepreneurial mindset and their willingness to venture into new territories.
Success in Media Industries and Building Enduring Brands
This podcast episode explores how the speaker has achieved success in various media industries, including toys, music videos, and comics. They emphasize the significance of brand recognition, quality products, and finding opportunities in niche markets. The speaker also discusses the importance of endurance in building enduring brands and how maintaining momentum and constantly challenging oneself leads to successful outcomes.
The Importance of Persistence and Brand Building
Todd emphasizes the need to keep pushing forward and building a brand over time. He shares his belief in attrition, the idea that consistently staying in the market, even during low points, helps to build value and create recognition in the long run. Todd uses personal examples, such as his comic book series Spawn, to illustrate the importance of continuing to make progress despite challenges and setbacks. He encourages listeners to keep going and not give up, as time becomes the biggest value for building a successful brand.
Planning and Flexibility in Creative Endeavors
Todd discusses his approach to planning in creative projects. He admits that he often doesn't have a detailed roadmap for his storylines, choosing to figure things out as he goes along. He shares his belief that having a long-term vision and a few key goals is important, but being too rigid in planning can hinder creativity. He provides examples from his own experience with Spawn, highlighting how unexpected ideas and changes can enhance a project's mythology. Todd encourages embracing flexibility and adapting to the creative process.
Lowering Expectations and Being Resilient
Todd advises listeners to lower their expectations and not rely on others to make them happy. He encourages adopting a mindset of not caring about the opinions or judgments of others. Todd shares personal stories and observations to demonstrate the importance of focusing on one's own goals and not seeking validation or approval from external sources. He emphasizes the need to embrace discomfort, push through adversity, and cultivate resilience as an essential trait for entrepreneurship and personal success.
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Todd McFarlane (@Todd_McFarlane) is an Emmy- and Grammy-winning director/producer and creator of one of the world’s best-selling comic books, Spawn. He is best known to many comic book fans for his work as the artist on The Amazing Spider-Man, for which he co-created Marvel’s top villain, Venom.
Todd is the CEO of Todd McFarlane Productions, McFarlane Toys (one of the US’s top action-figure manufacturers), and McFarlane Films. He is also a co-founder of Image Comics, which debuted Spawn in 1992, selling 1.7 million copies of the first issue. In 1997, Spawn was made into an Emmy Award-winning animated series on HBO and a live-action feature film that grossed over $100 million. In 2019, Todd made history with Spawn #301, earning the Guinness World Record for longest-running creator-owned superhero comic book series.
Please enjoy!
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This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
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This episode is also brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, LinkedIn Jobs can help. LinkedIn screens candidates for the hard and soft skills you’re looking for and puts your job in front of candidates looking for job opportunities that match what you have to offer.
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[05:58] The wit, wisdom, and work ethic of Stan Lee.
[29:50] Todd’s four corners: video games, TV, movies, and toys.
[41:46] Learning the art of toycrafting and beating the industry at its own game.
[49:11] Dumb luck at Toy Fair.
[1:03:31] Toy marketing and distribution circa 1994.
[1:10:51] The play Todd made with a $3 million baseball.
[1:18:08] Todd gets in a hockey fight.
[1:24:12] Bringing Spawn to TV.
[1:27:57] Being the dumbest guy in the room can win you Emmy awards.
[1:31:17] Cancellation.
[1:32:38] Todd is bilingual — in art and business.
[1:38:50] How Todd finds time to create while managing his businesses.
[1:43:49] Brand matters.
[1:49:44] Making a music video, winning another Emmy, and almost killing Eddie Vedder.
[1:56:33] The momentum of success.
[1:59:15] The surface area of (dumb) luck.
[2:01:07] Building worlds that will endure.
[2:08:13] Building characters who will outlive their creator.
[2:15:13] Today will not be perfect, so lower the bar and dance if you want to.
[2:24:45] Is Todd’s wife married to a monster?
[2:30:50] Be the second person.
[2:35:48] Parting thoughts.
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For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.
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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.
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