Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating Wild Broke. I'm your host, Coley Witt, and today we have very special guests, Alex Media in the building. Usually I do not read bios or anything, but this is very short, but I want you guys to get a full encompass of what Alex does. So. Alex Media is a filmmaker and producer recognized for his work across major comedy and
digital platforms. He's a co host of Flagrant Podcasts, which we all know and love, the director of Andrew Schultz Netflix special Schultz Saves America, producer on the Brilliant Idiots podcast, co owner of WTF Studios, where we are today. We are not in studio, so he will not be cooking for us, and which is a full service production facility, which if you've watched any of our remote remote episodes
we always tape at WTF. We don't cheat on him unless he is overbooked, which today he was slightly overbooked, very very overbooked, And so I cheated on him for like a micro one session down the street, and I came right back to where I belong WTF Always I forgive it. Yeah, I had no choice.
Forgive, but we fixed that problem. We're adding another space we did.
Okay, I'm in. You know, I'm going to speak some other good things into fruition for La too. You know, we'll see. But anyways, before we get into Alex's story, we got to know what you and I are going to be eating today.
Okay, So my struggle meal. When I was young, I had a lot of cereal because I didn't know how to cook. And to this day, to this day, I still don't know how to cook.
So you still don't know how to don't know how to cook? Okay.
I make two things I could do steak like a nice restaurant sake.
And I love how you added that you could really do this steak, you know, like not.
Just regular steak, like good stick cut steak. And a mac and cheese. My mac and cheese. I took my mom's recipe, I improved it a little bit, and I make it one time a year Thanksgiving.
Wow. Yeah, I love how you also semi hated on your mom in that bit.
No, I mean, I gotta give it a credit. It's not like I came up with the recipe, but I took her recipe.
And improved it though. Okay, so not only did you improve her dish, I'm wondering how Yeah, go ahead open it. We're gonna be eating it. So Alex has a nice twist to his honey nut cherryos. I have never had this. Go ahead, tell tell everybody what we're doing to this honey.
So when I was young, I also like sweets. I had a problem with sweets up until about a year ago when I was diagnosed as being pre diabetic. So now I got I got everything.
Yeah, diagnosed, I'd be thinking I'm invincible when it comes to candy. But it's possible.
Yeah, it's it's a problem. It's anything sweet in the house. It's gone in like five minutes. But now and now I got it under wrapt. So this might send me, you know, relas me. But Okaynat, I don't.
Oh, he does have it. Okay, the sarment. So we're gonna do the So are you gonna live large tonight? Yeah? Yeah, okay, okay.
So we got the terials and then I would either add sugar or honey, but the honey. I would steal the packets from McDonald's cause they would have the honey packets that you would get. Oh yeah, yeah, but it's better with the honey, cause honey cheerios. You know, you gotta stay on bread.
I've never done this, so go ahead.
So you got stay over here. So you gotta lightly lightly drizzle, but you have to cover all the surface area and then once you do that, oh yeah, it don't matter, it's all going the same place.
Okay.
So yeah, nice little circular motion. You gotta cover all the top. Yeah yah, you should have saw it. You should have saw my frosted flakes. Yuh, like I used to cover it and sugar. It's crazy. Also, they're not gonna be able to hear you.
Okay, so I didn't know if you were like black post or whatever, but I was like, you know, what.
Are you wearing a wireless bike?
No?
Oh, they're not gonna be able to.
I forgot.
Yeah, we doing podcasting alright. But then it's very important. The same way you did that with the honey, you have to do it with the milk. You have to pour the milk slow and like cover the honey or else it's not gonna like break down.
Oh okay, yeah, cause I see it grouping up.
There exactly, So you gotta like that and make sure you get all the spots.
And when did you come up with this theory?
When when you're a kid you got mad time for.
Someone that doesn't cook, you invested a lot.
Okay, but I had a lot of cereals, so I had taught to you don't change it. I've tried different things.
When was the last time you had this dish?
It's been years? Like cereal, I try to stay away from, you know, the carbs. Now I'm just high protein, low carb diet. So this is gonna be a nice low treat for myself.
It's gonna be a treat. But I want to see, like how much nostalgia comes from you eating this?
Oh man, this is gonna spike my insulin happily.
But you're pre pre right. Do you have to monitor your insulin if you're Look how happy he is.
Look at that you got you gotta I'm on now, come on now, I ain't.
Gonna I purposely tried to get the spoon with the honey on it. I'm not gonna front. Yo, you live, you live.
Mm after I do it, my mom's back and you know, little change make it a little better.
I'm not gonna lie. I would totally do that as an adult moving forward like this is really good.
Oh yeah, I would to, and I'm probably gonna do this when I get home now. Yeah, oh that.
Was good, Yo, that was actually really good, like really good, impressively good shout outs to. So take me back to that era. What was going on in the household? What was the household looking like?
So I grew up in far Rockaway, Queens. It's not the best. It's probably a low income neighborhood. And my parents got divorced when I was eleven, so single mom, household and yeah, so you know, money was always tight. And I wouldn't say we didn't have food on the table, but it's just like, as a person who didn't cook, I would have to wait for my mom to come home, and she would usually come home late from work and we would get dinner. But up until then, you got a fan for myself.
And this was the classic, the og classic. And when you were getting these honey packers curious, it was like you going home from school, You like, man, that cheriot is gonna be hitting different today.
Oh yeah, absolutely absolutely, And.
So you would go and like grab your little honey package that along the way I'm literally envisioned because.
You know, like you know, you would stop in McDonald's babies. Sometimes you can get the happy meals. Sometimes you just you know, steal some ketchup packages. There's some sugar, some money, whatever you need.
Okay. So single parent, household kind of walk me towards you becoming an entrepreneur, creator, filmmaker, producer. What is like the first steps of like tingling in that direction.
Oh wow, so that came much later in life. I never knew what I wanted to do, so I'll try to speed through it because I've lived a lot of lives. Like you know, back when I was younger, I was kind of, you know, a knucklehead, like getting into dumb shit, gang stuff, selling drugs, that type of bullshit. And then but I also got straight a's in school, so it's like I kind of like lived the double life. I was like a nerd when I go to school and
then I come home and hang out with gangsters. So it was just like I always just got experience to a lot and not sure what I actually wanted to do. Fast forward to when I started working, Like you know, I was because I was an entrepreneur with you know, drug stuff. I just always wanted to make money. So it's like, even throughout high school, I was working, so I would leave school. I had a part time job at like kmart cafe or whatever, and then I got
a sales job. I didn't like that, but I was making good money, like for some reason on telemarketing and I could I could sell some cable.
So did you do you know if you liked the idea of making money more or did you like what you could do with the money more?
What I can do with the money. I like the freedom.
Okay, so you liked what you could buy with the money or the freedom to do.
To do stuff that I wanted to do. Yeah, Because it's like I lived in far Rockaway, which is like about maybe like almost an hour and a half two hour drive from Manhattan, but I would like to come into Manhattan. So I hated that train ride, and so I wanted a car. So in like sixteen, I was able to buy myself a car. Yeah, an entrepreneur. Yeah, So I was like driving into the city, driving all my friends and stuff like that, getting into a bunch of trouble, but you know, yeah, and what.
Was your mom feeling about your entrepreneurial ways in the fact that you could manage money.
She never knew what you never knew?
So how did you get a car without her? Like figures?
I had a job, like I had the Kmart cafe.
Okay, okay, so you had got it so very smart. Okay. So and she didn't catch on when you buy a car.
I mean, she didn't like the people I hung out with, but like you know, I was. I didn't get in trouble and I was get good grades and stuff like that. So only child, No, I have an older sistant.
Oh yeah, okay, so you're doing your entrepreneur thing. What's your first big legit entrepreneur play.
I feel like this studio is the one. Yeah, because it's like I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. I just knew that I wanted to be happy doing whatever I did. So it's like I went to college. I studied psychology at first, didn't want to do that. Then I switched over to nursing. I actually went to nursing school. I'm a graduated r N took my end collects. I could be a nurse if I wanted to, but now things expired. At this point I
didn't like nursing. Then I went to law enforcement. I became a court officer here at Manhattan Supreme Criminal Court. I did that for about three and a half years, and then the editing thing was just fun. Like I used to just do that, a fun little thing on the side, where it's like me and my friends, we would like go on vacations and I would tell all of them, yo, send me a picture, send me your videos, and now I would just like edit it together and make us like a little promo real just so we
could throw it on MySpace or something like that. And so I enjoyed doing that. I didn't know that was necessarily a job. So then I just started to reach out to people I liked and I admired. I liked hip hop, and I liked comedy. And at the time, Sipha Sounds he was DJ at Hot ninety seven, and then he also was starting to do stand up, so like I reached out to him initially because I was like, oh, hey, I see you're pivoting to do, you know, stand up?
Is there any additional way I could help you? I just offered help.
Wow, And that was like a DM.
Yeah, just a cold DM. And so I started following him and first time ever picking up a camera, but I just lied and said like, oh yeah, I know how to use the camera and shit like that. I just borrowed my friend's camera and was following him on DJ sets, and then I would also film him doing like a little bit of stand up and stuff like that. And from there I kind of just like got better at it and then met more people within an industry.
So then I met Andrew, and I started working alongside with Andrew, and that around the time I met him was when I was a court officer, so I was like doing my court officer job. But then also I would leave during my lunch break and film brilliant adiosts.
Wow.
Yeah, So I would have it because they the iHeart building was like right across the street, so I would like just take off my fucking vest and I would still be in my uniform and shit and a runover set up the cameras film brilliant Idiots run back. So many times I got in trouble because I would come back late from filming and.
You would have to be very Oh you said you would be.
Late, yeaheah, I would be. I got in trouble quite a bit.
Okay, Yeah, so you're doing this, At what point do you start to say I'm making money doing this.
It got to a point where I just couldn't do both. So, like I got good to the fact that a lot of people were requesting my services and I just didn't have enough time. And then like Andrew took me aside. He's like, yo, I need a full time videographer. And it's like Pete gave me an amount and it was more than I was making at the time from the court office job. And so I just left that.
Now, backtrack, before Andrew did that, how were you able to set your rates? That had to been a process for you too, right, that.
Was super difficult. Like I even to this day, like I got an assistant or manager just because I don't like to have those, So it was like whatever they offered.
So, yeah, the time you had started, you had started doing it pro bono, right yeah. Yeah, and then like.
I wasn't even get paid. I don't think I didn't get paid until probably working with Andrew.
Wow. Yeah, shout outs to Andrew.
Yeah, yeah, you know, so sometimes white Man's good. Yeah.
So okay, so you're doing so you go full time with Andrew, but you're still doing side stuff. I can't imagine to go one hundred percent like.
Some things as favors, like I'm doing it, you know, just because I admire or like the people's work, like sometimes they would hit me off or something, but it wasn't significant to leave my job type money.
So you were doing like more BTS for Andrew. When do you start doing get the special or was the special part of the package?
No, So when he brought me on to do full time, that meant I followed him everywhere. So every single weekend he was on the road doing I filmed every single show and then I would edit the show down and we would find clips that we can post because he was one of the first comics to post a joke a week like nobody else was doing that because it's like they tore that same material. They don't want to
burn it. But he's like a genius when it comes to comedy, and his crowd work is like unbelievable, So we can use those crowd work moments because those are you know, once in a it's only going to happen that moment, so you can burn those. And so I was filming. I was filming and editing Brilliant Idiots Flagrant, following him on the road every weekend editing his stand up. We were also doing another like vlog series and stuff like that. So I was pumping out at one time
six hours of original content. Wow per week like filming editing.
Yeah, but you're also getting to travel on all this, So I had like all these amazing perks.
Yeah, right, amazing. Yeah, I've seen all of America, even the not so fun parts, go to America, I've seen it all. And then traveled the world with him. Yeah. It was dope.
And then how did you end up meeting him?
I think through Cyphus Sounds. He was a guest on Cypher's podcast at the time. And then, funny enough, my name's not actually Alex. I just chose a fake name because I was in law enforcement and I didn't want to get whatever I was doing outside to like get me in any trouble, and so I chose a random name, Alex Anderson. Just so happens, Andrew knows some comic named Alex Anderson. So when I reached out to him via DM, he thought he was talking to that other person that
whole time for about like four months. So we were going back and forth, and he used to do this thing where he's like, oh, thought of the thought of the day or something like that. He would just like walk around notice something and like film a front facing video just to his ig stories of like funny take
on that thing. Every day I would grab it, edit it, send it back to him and like, oh what do you think of This just annoyed him for about like maybe two months doing that shit, and he would like respond, He's like, oh I like it, Oh tweak this, But then he would never post it. I'm like, why are you doing this? You're never going to use the fucking ship, but you like it. He thought he was talking to his friend that holds up.
Wow, that's why he wasn't posting it.
Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah. So then when we finally met in person on Seipha's podcast, I was like, oh, yeah, I'm Alex. You've been talking to He's like, so we just have a funny laugh after that, and then he was like, oh shit, I know, like this is what you do.
And so then he was like all them times, these videos I could have been using it. That's incredible. I think a lot of people think money, money, money, But it's just funny how like indirectly you pursuing like a passion project ended up, you know, redirecting your past.
Yeah. I just never like to do anything I don't want to do, and I've been blessed enough where i haven't had to do it for that long. So like jobs, I didn't like it, I just wouldn't stay very long.
Yeah, well you pivoted out really really. Wait, I learned that about waitressing and fast food when I was like a teenager. I said, oh, these are two industries you can't be and I knew right away. I said, you have to you have to be successful at something because this right here is not your thing.
Yeah. But and like court officer was like a glorified security guard and no offense to the job. But it's like it was just so boring, Like it's like I'm just literally standing there telling people shut up, take your hat off, quiet down, like for eight hours.
I can't even imagine you're doing that.
Oh yeah, you.
Gotta send us like a throwback pick though.
Oh yeah, I think I still got one up on my Instagram scrollback.
Okay, so then at what point does so you're you're growing with Flavorant. Now Flavorant are you a founding member of Flagrant?
So I started it with them, but I only started as production.
Yeah, so I'd end up on the other side.
It was honestly, I just got close with the guys because I would see him so often and we would have great banter. So I have extreme stage right, Like, if you put me in front of a group of people ask me to talk, I'm gonna have a panic at Like, I don't like it. I don't like attention, even this is low whatever, but I've gotten better at it. So they just noticed, or I guess they saw something in me where it's like, oh, you know, like he has good things to offer to the show. So they
just added a mic in the room. So even though I'm behind the cameras, they just had given me my own mic. So if I added anything to the conversation, like, feel free to do it. And so it was just like a slow roll into it to the point where it's like I became a voice on the show. And then yeah, and then Andrew was just like, yo, it's time.
Stop stop hiding.
Yeah time, I love that.
Yeah, I love your guys. Dynamic. I feel like he's definitely like one believes in you and just keeps throwing like, oh.
Yeah, he's an awesome guy. He's misunderstood to a lot of people, but he's he's an awesome person.
He means well, I can see that.
Yeah.
I don't know though, but I can see it. I can see you know, you could tell a lot of about people by like who they surround themselves with. And he's surrounded with Charlemagne and everybody. You're like, okay, you good, good people good. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. You gotta give it. So where does WTF end up coming in?
Okay? So then so I'm working for him full time where traveling, and then the pandemic happens, and so now half of my work is cut because we can all longer travel, he can't do shows, and so I'm like, oh shit, this is a big monetary hit. Yeah, and I'm like I need to come up with, you know, something else, another revenue stream and then something that's like
COVID proof. So this like this came to me where it's like, hey, working with him, I've had to figure out how to do everything because we would just shoot stuff guerrilla style where it's just like, hey, we're gonna do a commercial shoot, we need this is this figure it out? And so then I had to learn lights, I had to learn audio, I had to learn camera. I had to learn editing and how you learn YouTube and stuff YouTube. Yeah, YouTube University for the most part,
and just trial and error. I definitely made some mistakes. Document the mistakes of like me fucking up audio and past episodes of Flagrant and just like not just missing something, or like if a power line is touching an audio line, you get this little buzzing in Yeah.
We had that at our studios. It is we'd be like, unplug everything.
The power line is touching an audio line, you get a buzz.
And mother, that's what you just cured. So many problems for our studio right now. They'd be like, RACOLLI replace the XLRS. Replace it. I'm like, yo, I don't think it's the XLRS. They just don't just wake up one day and say we're expired.
You know, a lot of it was just trialing error and then I just got good. And so the idea was like, hey, I been We've had to shoot our podcast at so many studios that were shiit like really just like bad customer service, poor conditions. I can do this better, and so I basically emptied out my savings, took out a little business loan, and I first spoke about the I spoke about the idea with Weezy because, like, Weezy's like one of my best friends.
Let me just tell you I'm not gay or anything, but if I had like a choice to be gay, Weezy would be my number one.
I mean she's by though, you know what.
I'm saying, Like if God forbid, like it would never happen, like one hundred percent would never happen. You're straight all the way. But like if someone was like, you have to Weezy personality, Weezy on everything. Personality of course supersedes her looks. Honestly, Weezy would be my number one.
She's my best tie. But that ship out of it, I could like was.
She was my favorite episode of Eating While Broke and we've done five seasons. There's another girl that now rivals her, but Weezy. If people would be like, who's your favorite episode, I'd be like, Wheezy, Wheezy's my fuck favorite.
Hopefully this hope, but probably not your story.
He has stories, yeah, like stalkers and ship like I had so many problems after her episode.
I was like, oh really bad. Oh yeah that we have a bad stalker guy and yeah, talk about it.
But no, so I wanted to hear this, this story about how you and weazy so you hit up wheezy.
Yeah. So, And this is funny that we're having this conversation now because I was talking with this comic last night Alex Babbitt, funny guy, and we were like it was like a therapy session. He's like, you know, why do you think you have this stage fright or whatever? And it's like I couldn't figure it out. And eventually, long story short, we got to the point is I'm afraid of failing, and then I'm afraid of failing in front of people. That makes it worse. So it's like, wow, that's deep.
That was all in want.
Yeah yeah, yeah, like we we was going in it and I really think that's the thing. It's like I don't like to fail, Like I like to do things that I feel confident or passionate about because then I put my effort into it, and talking in front of people, I don't feel confidence, so I never attempt to do it, and it makes it even scarier because I'm like, oh, I'm going to fuck up and say something wrong in front of people.
And then it's like, yeah, So I remember the first time I met you, like four years ago, you did seem very shy.
Yeah.
I don't even know how we did it. I think I said something to you. Maybe you're promoting WTF. But I got your number, but you were very shy. I was shy to at the time, but you were shy.
I'm still shy now. I just I've gotten a bit more, especially being in front of the camera a bit more with Flagrant. I've gotten a little bit more comfortable. But yeah, I'm still the shy, introvert guy that liked to just be behind the computer screen. That's my comfort zone.
Okay, So take us back to you and weezy.
Okay, So we were drunk on a beach. I tell her about the idea. I only feel comfortable telling her. I don't know why. I guess I'm just comfortable enough with her. And I knew that because she works in the industry, she would have like ideas that can make
this thing better. And then I'm like, you know what, I'm afraid of not being able to do this shit, Come and do it with me, and so I really just like I need you to help me, like make this dream come true because I don't think I have the capability to do it myself.
Wow. Yeah, and that's what you said to.
Her, Yeah, something, But we were talking to Beach, so probably it wasn't as.
It's interesting that you said that because you're the one that had the idea, you had the the seed in you.
Yeah.
Yeah, but then you had and you clearly were going to go on this track, but you just wanted a partner to Yeah.
And then also it's like she has so many like qualities that I lack, like being able to just put yourself out there and out going, like she's great with promotion, marketing, all that type of stuff. Me I I just want to be the guy who connects a bunch of cameras and lights and hope, you know, we can get a good picture on screen and fill.
The space, right yeah. Yeah. Because also it's a significant investment if you started in New York, right, Oh yeah, it's versus La La La. There's some negotiations, but New York is definitely.
Yeah, it's rough, but yeah, we and it was just an ideal during COVID.
Yeah, so then what's your next play? After that?
It was just perfect timing because it's like COVID, everybody's home podcast boom is happening, so now everybody wants to get into podcasting. So it took off after the first studio, like within six months, we needed a second one, and now we're like up to five in New York. And then we have one.
We're five in New York. Yeah, how how could I not get an extra studio?
Five in New York?
Where are the other locations?
So it's like each set I would consider one, so this will count. And then Midtown we have two and now.
Oh yeah, yeah that's right, Okay, yes, you're right.
And then we just got another space in Midtown opening up. And this one, I like, I tried something new, so you know, like a white psych or like a white wall. It looks like just an infinity room, So I just built that inside of a studio.
Wow.
And then I have it like all set up for podcasting, commercials, all that stuff. And I'm excited about this because white Sykes you usually have to pay per thing so it's like you can rent the space, but then you have to pay extra for lights, you have to pay extra for cameras, extra for audio. By the time you do that, it's like maybe one thousand dollars for an hour. I'm gonna do the same thing but offer it at like four hundred dolls. So I'm just gonna undercut the whole industry.
And now you're probably.
You're gonna you're gonna be like, what app was it? I what is it?
Steve?
When they used to steal Yeah, yeah, iTunes or whatever, You're like, you're gonna do it again, but in video and audio. I like that. Yeah. I used to always wonder though, because you guys have such big, big names. This is probably messed to ask on camera. But you have so many you have people like my company that's very small, and then you have some big talent right that comes in. Do they all end up paying the same price?
Yeah, And that was a thing that you know, I wouldn't say we argued about, but we definitely went back and forth, and I was like, you know, I want to keep prices down because I definitely want our people to be able to, you know, use the studio and yeah, Like I just wanted accessible for everybody, and I think that's part of why we're so busy. It's because, yeah, it's affordable. I should rent this out for a lot more.
But I want everybody to be able to And I personally feel good that It's like I'm providing a space for people to, you know, try to do something and if they take if their show takes off, it's like that shit started here. It's like dope. And I've had a lot of success stories of people signing pretty big deals after they started here.
Oh please let that. Yeah, even though I was very lucky, I did a similar thing with Dolly at La La So I had told her during pandemic, I was doing a legal activity with weed or whatever. Yeah, her my company like crashed and burned, like personally of COVID, Like I had an events company that was like the second the NBA canceled, it was over. So I was doing like terrible stuff. We lost a crazy amount of money. Don't even like thinking about it. But I also followed
SBA loans, so I'm still paying board. But anyways, I had called Dolly and I was like, I want to do the show eating while broke but I had been out the industry for like ten years, and I was like, yo, you're still doing walling out this now? Mind you. Nick was also getting canceled for wilding out at the time, for the jew comments whatever, So I call her up like, yo, I don't even know if I have industry contacts anymore. Whatever,
fuck with me for real. So since you just left walling out and you probably had more plugs, you come on board eating while broke this idea, I have, not knowing that Charlemagne was like within six months of that conversation making her president of Black effect to which on a call, you know, and you see the snowball effect of like right place, right time. But I went I do the same thing kind of that you went through with Wheezy, where it was like, look, I may have
a negative part. And I'm also shy about the fact that I had been out the game so long and then to come back and be like, hey, I want to do this show. And by the way, guys, I'm gonna be on the other side of the camera that you would never expect me to be on. So you know, it's nobody had faith I could do it or whatever.
Was it scary for you.
It was mainly scary because Dolly was like, Yo, we should have pretty V doing and I was like, I like pretty V. But this show needs to be real stories, like it can't be gimmicky. We're not making fun of this place. We're inspiring from this place. Yeah, and so I was like, it's gonna have to be me and I been I was pregnant and Dolly was like absolute, not only are you going to first time, but you're
gonna be pregnant. I was like, Cardi B's rapping on stage right now with a belly, Like I'm thank God for Cardi B. And she flew in and was like, we're gonna see if you can do this. And that was scary because Dolly showed up and I was like, scare And then she said right after I was done, she was like, this is you. This is where you're supposed to be at and I was like what and she was like you you can stay.
Oh that's awesome, And I was like, yeah, that's awesome. I'm about to embark on that journey as well. So it's like now my next move, I'm working on a show for myself. Yeah. So it's like we all see the discourse online. It's like it's so polarizing, and so this side versus that side, and it's like everybody's in their echo chambers and stuff like that, and I don't feel that's a good representation of what people really are.
And so this show it's like a play on old school radio where it's just like you know, the call in radio. You have a topic and then everybody calls and tells us how they feel about it. But now it's like my new age take to it is you have to show your face, so there's no hiding behind everything. It's all video call So it's a live show, a live show.
Every live show live.
So I do it on YouTube every Sunday eleven o'clock and then if you want to call in, you have to sign up to a Patreon. So it's like I want you to be invested if you actually want to, you know, give your take or whatever. But everybody can watch your free It's but it's so fun.
I get you already started it.
Yeah, I've been like doing practice episodes. So here's another thing. Afraid to fail. I've been doing practice episodes maybe like a couple of months now, and it's like the show is rated. I think it's amazing, and I'm just so nervous to like announce it publicly. And here's probably the first place that I'm talking about it publicly right now. And so I'm nervous in this book.
Oh when you let me know when the weeks we sign it.
But it's called A m Mornings, I probably should see.
It's crazy with all your success that you still have this bug in you.
Oh yeah, I like just doing stuff new and that excites me. If if I don't, if I'm not excited, or if I don't want to do anything, I have the luxury that I don't have to do it.
No, the bug I was talking about is that fair? Bud?
Oh? The fair?
Because you would think you would think that with all your leads, you would say, okay, you don't have the fear, especially even now that you've been on the other side of the couch, you've been on the flagrant that you've been on this side, right, Yeah, but you still have that like scared to release fear of failure in front of people.
Yes, so flagrant. It's an easier lift for me because it's almost like I can imagine the cameras aren't there, and I'm just talking with my friends that I've been friends with over ten years now, and also Andrew and Akosh. They're the big stars, like they drive the show. Like I'm kind of there, you know, supplementary to them driving the show, and so I don't feel that I have to drive it. So it's like a lot less pressure on me. This one. It's like, oh shit, I'm doing
a show. I'm the host. And it's like, so that's why it's it's nerve racking.
Where do you tape your show up?
At my studio?
Here?
The Midtown one. Okay, you should see the new set.
The new set is Oh, I gotta go see. I want to try and see it before I least the white.
Cycle and I have another side that looks so dope. Yeah. I just each set, I just keep making better. I love it.
I love it well, I love it all right. So I was so you and Weezy. I thought you guys had met through horrible, but it sounds like you guys had a long.
Oh no, we actually we met through horrible. Yeah. I met her because she was trying to get signed with loud Speaker, which Brilliant Idiots is also under it's owned by like Chris Murrow, and so I just bumped into her and Mandy when they were like waiting to have a meeting and they were talking with other people about their show. So I'm just like overhearing, I was like, oh shit, the concept this is fire, Like I can
spot good content. And at the time, they were only doing audio, and I was like, guys, this has to be video, Like you have to add the video component. And they were like, well, you know, one money time all that type of stuff. I was like, you have to do video. Let me provide video for you. And the first couple months I was working for him, I was barely getting paid. So that's one of those things where it's like even at the time I was doing jobs, I was doing that for free or I think maybe
I was getting fifty dollars some low amount. But yeah. But then at some point video to their show and then their show like four x stoor like four hundred x some.
Crazy number of course, because now you have the beautiful faces.
Yeah, I'm like, people need to know that.
What I thought was interesting and I thought about this with your story was at some point you guys separate, Oh yeah, and I think what I saw from it as an outsider was like you established your worth, right, you established the value you bring and then there was obviously a disagreement, whether it was pay or or whatever.
I asked for fifty.
Dollars fifty dollars more. I love that you did it and risk walking away because I think sometimes that triples your value where people go. You could try to head your bets with someone that costs less, but are they gonna one care about it? Are they going to have enough integrity to really care about the end product, which you always do, Like even in my studio, we don't have these cameras. You know what I'm saying. These cameras are like ten times what you even know.
I like detail out like quality.
Yeah. Yeah, but I think that it said a lot when you walked because it also showed that they it developed, like we need him right and did you see that?
I did see it, and you know not, you know, there's still my friend. But it's funny because you know, after I stepped away, they were the show didn't look as good. But yeah, but they figured it out, they rebound it. They're great there. I'm actually working back with them now. But now I'm there creative director instead of the producer. Okay, yeah, okay, yeah, but yeah, like and I guess it's just just how I operate, Like I go by energy. If something feels good, I stay there.
If it doesn't feel good out Okay, I've never been afraid to leave something.
Do you think the fear of I wouldn't. I don't know. Obviously you had your therapy session. You're saying, but you say fear of failure as an entrepreneur at this point, do you really categorize it as like a fear of failure. I can't understand the fear of failure in front of others. I get that, I get that, but the fear of failure as an entrepreneur if you've succeeded so.
Much, I mean, this ship could stop any moment. Like I never feel like I did it, you know, because it's like, hey, what if people just stop wanting the podcast? You know, I'm kind of fucked. But yeah, like I I think doing it, I'm more it's less fear for me to try other like entrepreneurial you know, task like I I can start a business. I probably have seven businesses right now.
Awesome, that's pretty good though, it's really good. It's good at juggling and delegating. Yes, So what were what would what would you say are the key things that keep you on top of the surfboard?
First would say, if you're with someone, have an amazing partner. My fiance is phenomenal. She makes me a better person, so that's great. And then your team, Like I have a great assistant, he keeps me. He's probably the person you've been talking to in emails because I just give a passwords yeah Texas VI Texas.
Yeah.
But if you're talking in emails, it's not me most of the time. But yeah, And it's just like, yeah, just have a good team around you and surround yourself with good people, good energy, like the same way. I've learned so much from Charlotte and Andrew. They've had the same good people around them like for the longest and that's part of their success. And so I just I see them do something and it works. I'm same.
What about cash flow and budgeting money stuff?
So I've had to learn that because coming out of the regular corporate American world, it was like, you know, you have a guarantee check whatever the case is. The taxes get taken out and all that stuff. I remember the first year where I was officially like working as a contractor and not like a nine to five. I wasn't putting money away for taxes, and then that first tax bill, I was like, oh shit, like that was a shock. Gotten a lot better at that now, but yeah, like,
thankfully this studio is working. Thankfully, Flagrance doing phenomenal where I'm pretty comfortable and like now I'm able to like have a little fun because it's like before it was just for ten years straight, I just had my head down and I was working.
But how do you balance the cash flow and the growth of the companies with employees and payroll and all that.
So with we have like team that does all the accounting, payroll and all that stuff. But another thing I'm really proud about at WTF, like we pay more than everybody. Like I've I wouldn't say recruited people, but there'd be people that worked at other podcast studios that came here and they're like, holy should I make double working there? And it's like I have some engineers that made six figures. Wow, Yeah,
that's so amazing. Yeah, And like in New York you need to make some money to survive in this state. But yeah, we just luckily with the success of the first one first studio. I mean we've I haven't had to like get any outside money, any outside funding. We just paid off the studio, made more money, opened another studio with that money, and so we're just doing it slow. If we were to get like a investor, we can probably open up ten studios tomorrow. But I like it going out of space.
Yeah, stay still, yeah, okay, well, where can everybody keep up everything Alex? Which, by the way, I I've always liked Alex. I like this extra X on it. I literally always think about it whatever I see. I like the extra ex makes so much sense, and like, what a creative mom, only to find out that the mom doesn't exist. I like the brand. I love it, and the whole Alex media is just so nice awesome.
But now I know everybody knows me as Alex. Now, like the only people will call them my real neighbor is my mom and maybe a couple of my best friends from childhood. No, she calls me Alex. She met me as Alex. That's crazy.
Yeah, I like when it's funny because now I was talking to my little brother Eagle. He's like, I know, Alan, you know my little I was like, I don't think he knows what we're related.
He's like, I did not know you were related.
He was my little brother and he was like.
The comedian right, yeah, I did not know.
Whenever people find out and I'm like the wits, the wit, but yeah, yes, I call him. I describe him as the guy that he just surprisingly hasn't gotten canceled yet. He straddles that fan so well. He straddles that one you know, the one wheel bike. He straddles it and you're like, oh, somehow missed it.
Those people I love to be around the right there.
They just and you love to watch it because it's like so great. But you're like, so maw, he's made it out. Yeah so but and Thensama was like Alex yeah, And I was like, yeah, I finally get to sit down with him. But they thank you so much for sitting down and having some cheerios with me. Yes, og classic, and I hope to get a picture from you later.
It's honey with honey nut cheerios, It's sugar with frusted flakes, and it's cinnamon with cinnamon toe.
Scrunch cinnamon on extra cinnamon on the cinnamon to scrunch. Now cinnamon and sugar.
Na, Actually I would do cinnamon and.
Sugar, but now too in the containers. Now really you can get the cinnamon sugar.
Mane Oh shit, see I should have invented that.
All right, guys, thank you so much for tuning into another episode of Eating while broke. Keep up with everything alex media and can you shout out the new show? Oh?
Yes, so the new show it's called A m Mornings. You can just go to AM Mornings dot com and you find out all the information from there. It's live every Sunday eleven am YouTube. It's really fun. Check it out.
Shout out WTF studios.
Oh yeah, absolutely if this is the best podcast studio in the world, so head over to WTF Media Studios dot com. We have locations in New York, LA. We also do off site and we do that around the world. If you want to shoot a podcast, I've shoten podcasts in Paris, I've shotten all over America. Yeah, we do that and we keep our casts very low so that way we can provide a good service and you can afford it.
Yes, thank you. Guys, peace out, peace