Vaynerspeakers is on the look out for the underexposed with an amazing and authentic story.

I love the idea of unnoticed, right? Because it's something where there's something to notice, you just haven't noticed them, right? And we think very similarly. You know, we say it's finding people who are underexposed but deserve to be overexposed. So someone who has an amazing message that, you know, if people are listening, they'll hear it.

Hello and welcome to this episode of The Unnoticed Show, all the way actually from the Big Apple. I've got Zach Nadler here, who's the CEO of VaynerSpeakers. Zach, thanks for joining me.

Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Oh, no, absolutely my pleasure. Now, I'd love you to share with us about how the Venus Speakers Bureau is gonna help the unnoticed of the world to get noticed.

Yeah. Well, I think we, we obviously, we represent a small group of speakers, but what we do is try and inspire others, right? We wanna show people, you know, the best tactics, the best strategies, How do you get your message out there? What a positive message can actually do. And I think we really are— we aim to set an example, right? You know, we can't help every single person in the world through representation, but we can through example and providing people an idea of, you know, what we do and the effective way that we've done it and an opportunity for them to kind of, you know, mimic some of the strategies is something that we hope that people take away.

And on one of the podcasts that I'd heard you on, Zach, which struck me was you talking about sort of removing the transaction from the engagement, really focusing on the purpose. Can you just share with us what do you mean by that? Because it's potentially a really hopeful message for all of those entrepreneurs and people out there who have got great messages to share but who may not be sort of A-listers. So could you just share with us about that? I'd love to hear about that.

So, you know, we started the business, we very much started with the idea that we want to, you know, be different. We don't want to just be another speakers bureau. There's enough out there already. And one of our our kind of early focuses was, you know, thinking through about not just the customer but also our clients. Every event we feel is, is different and unique and can't be treated the same. Same thing goes for every customer, every client, and we want to really remove the transactions. If all you're focusing on is the transaction and scalability, you don't really have much chance for success, right? Long term, you're not going to build relationships. We look at it as something where if we remove the transaction, everyone's going to come out of it feeling much better because at the end of the day, you know, the transaction is just a small piece of what actually goes down, but because the money's involved, people really focus on that.

And how do you think this is going to play out for those people that are, if you like, lower down the transaction value, maybe outside of America? Because, you know, many listeners for this show are based in actually Asia, Africa, Latin America. So do you think there's a role for these speakers in other markets to speak in America or for Americans to speak overseas. Can you share with us the sort of international view that you've got in this kind of pandemic era?

Yeah, I mean, I think there's 2 things to it. I think one, anyone who's trying to break out into a new market, it's just like any product, you need to have awareness, right? So that's creating awareness in the same ways you would otherwise. I mean, I know this is an area that you know very well and, you know, You have to make people aware of your product. If your product is yourself, you gotta make people aware of yourself. If you're not marketing yourself in other languages, you can't expect people who speak other languages to know who you are, want to hear from you. And I think as it relates to a relationship, I think it's more important overseas, outside of America than in other places. I mean, rather, it's more important in other places than in America. I actually think that when you're in a smaller market, the relationship becomes more beneficial to you, right? You can actually, you can use that to your advantage. Right? You can create lasting relationships and groups wanna bring you back because there may be less speakers where you are. And so if you can really be an impactful individual and build a relationship to where people say, I wanna work with that person again, it really does benefit you in the long run.

And do you see any trends that are in America and that are different in other parts of the world about, you know, what is of interest on the speaker if you like, circuit? Are certain organizations in America looking for certain kinds of topics and speakers, and maybe in Europe or Asia for different ones, or do you see a sort of a global trend?

There's a little bit of both. I think coming out of the pandemic, obviously, we expect that resilience is going to be a topic, and grid. These are things that are going to be global, right? Everyone is dealing with this. How do you overcome these obstacles? How do you move forward? How do you rebound from this awful time, right? But I think that there are things that are more territorial. I think there are certain topics that are more exclusive to an area. And it's also an interesting thing because the global market really is many individual markets, right? You're there in the UK and I think speakers who may resonate in the UK may not resonate in Spain, right? And it's much shorter than it is the US and maybe they resonate here, maybe not. It's all about what that individual message is and what that person's background is, right? If someone was on a very successful TV show from the US that is streamed to Paraguay. Well, they probably could do things in Paraguay, whereas if they're not seen there, it's going to be very difficult. But if you have a message that is, I don't want to say evergreen, but something that's useful to anyone, then you should be able to build a market for yourself anywhere. Because if you can impact people and help people regardless of where they are, the internet has democratized information and allowed it so that anyone could build a marketplace in any part of the world. So if you want to just you know, broadcast generally from any part of the world, others can see you anywhere, right? YouTube doesn't say, you know, you're not gonna be able to be seen in Australia. So you will have the opportunity to build a market for yourself anywhere, but you have to put the time and effort in to actually do that and make it a message that people actually wanna hear about.

Yeah, and I think you've touched on a wonderful point there about the democratization of media technologies there. Are there any technology platforms that you know, Vayner speakers are using, Zach, to help your current portfolio of speakers to share their messages worldwide? Are there any particular platforms? Because Zoom is obviously one, but it's really reached its threshold, I think, in terms of interactivity and connectivity, right?

Well, I keep saying, you know, this, this last year, right, we've done more virtual events than I ever expected we would be doing in a year. I'm expecting that we'll probably continue to do plenty of them moving forward. I also think what's going to be interesting is, are there other platforms that come? So we've all kind of gotten comfortable with Zoom, right? But if you remember 10 years ago, we were all on Skype. No one's using Skype now. And I think that there's a lot of other platforms that have kind of come out of the mix. And I keep saying this, there's a billion-dollar opportunity for one of your listeners if they can figure out how to replace not the video conferencing so you can have a conversation like this or have one speaker speaking to many, but if you can replace the, let's grab a drink after this session, or let's have breakfast tomorrow morning and talk about that deal. That's the thing that's been missing. And I think people can try to replicate, you know, after parties and VIP experiences, but it's not the same as being networking kind of one-on-one or one-to-many. And I think that those are things that people have missed. And I think that that's the biggest opportunity. I haven't seen anything that's come even close to replacing that kind of face-to-face interaction. But as it stands, I mean, we remain pretty tech agnostic. There's probably 10 to 15 different platforms that we've used in the last year. We often try to be malleable and work with whichever is most preferred by the customer. But at this point, our clients are all kind of their own IT individual, right? They know more about the tech side than anyone because they're the ones on the, on the screen all day long.

Yeah, exactly. And for the, the talent, you talked earlier on about, you know, VaynerSpeakers looking for maybe some jewels, some gems, the people out there that we would call unnoticed. Can you just share with us a little bit about the strategy that you've got to uncover these Unrecognized speakers.

Yeah, I love the idea of unnoticed, right? Because it's something where there's something to notice, you just haven't noticed them, right? And we think very similarly. We say it's finding people who are underexposed but deserve to be overexposed. So someone who has an amazing message that if people are listening, they'll hear it. And I think that's the key point. You have to have that audience to listen. And we recognize that we have a platform, so we have the ability to help broadcast and amplify the message. But it's finding individuals, and we're very proud of the people we represent. They're all very individual in their own way, and they all have very different messages. And we find that they're— it's exciting to be able to share these different messages and be able to broadcast that with a megaphone. But it is very much so, we look for the unnoticed, right? The underexposed. And we do our best to overexpose them. Let people say there's too much content on these individuals, we've seen them too much. You know, that's a good place to be.

And interestingly then, it sounds as though, VaynerSpeakers, you've got a sort of a plan for the portfolio or stable of speakers that you have. Can you just share with us about the structure of the kind of speakers that you're working to assemble? Because it's quite a position of privilege and power in a way to collect so many people that have so many wonderful things to share. You have quite a lot of authority, don't you, in shaping public opinion, possibly in dialogue, by who you can share access with?

Yeah, I think we do consider it a privilege to work with the clients that we have. It's pretty remarkable, and, you know, we hope to continue to add to that roster. I think that we do take that responsibility not lightly, right? We really want to be able to be proud of those that we represent, and we are today, and we plan to be in the future. I think it's something where we don't actually make the decisions on who gets booked for an event, right? It's our job to educate and advocate for our clients. So we, you know, it's our responsibility to make sure that our customers know what their options are and connect the dots, you know, between a speaker and an event, right? Need to understand what that event is looking for, you know, what the win on the board would be for them. And then hopefully it's one of our clients. And one thing that we take very seriously is our clients don't, you know, cookie-cutter speech it, right? They don't just come out and give the same speech they've given 50 times. Right? They figure out who the audience is, who the company is, why they're being brought in in the first place, and then do their best to create a really custom message. And that's not something that you see every day. It's not the way it used to be in our industry. So we take that as kind of the guiding light, the main principle for what we do, right? Maybe they have a story that everyone loves to hear and that can be their greatest hits, right? You wanna hear that your favorite band play your favorite song, but you know, you also wanna hear other songs. And your favorite song may be different than the next guy's favorite song. So it's about understanding how the value from a speaker comes out. And we look for speakers that can do that, speakers that have a message rather than have a speech.

That's a really good point. I guess that comes back to your idea of being an engagement, not a transaction, that actually each one is suited to the audience rather than the speaker themselves.

Exactly.

Can I ask you how well you think maybe some Asian speakers will fare or can fare in European and American markets? What's your experience of how well they travel?

Well, I think that there's a number of things at play, right? There have obviously been successful people who have crossed, you know, country lines all over the world. I think language barrier is obviously a main one that, you know, is being broken down on a regular basis, right? I think there are parts of the world where English is taught from a very young age. And so if you're able to speak in a common language like English that is spoken in multiple nations, you're going to have more success. But I think it's also understanding kind of, again, the platform and kind of the message. So if you're an Asian speaker, look at it like music, right? If you're a pop star in Hong Kong, right, you may not be breaking out in other areas, right? People may not be listening to you widely in other places. So similarly, you're not going to tour Australia if no one's buying your album in Australia or streaming your music. Right? So it's very similar for a speaker, right? If you are unknown in a region, it's gonna be tough to go out there and be on main stages. However, there are things that can do that. We have an event actually this summer where we have a client who, it was supposed to be live in Singapore. It's not going to be. It's now going to be virtual. But the idea of bringing an American-born person over to Singapore, it's an international crowd. And I think they translate this into about 20 different languages. So they do the work of simultaneous translation so that everyone can enjoy it. The idea is that a message, if it's a strong enough message, is going to help anyone out there. And so it's understanding your own kind of cultural relevancy and turning that to other people. So if you come from a particular background, you have things that are very specific to you and stories and relationships and thoughts that you have, and a lot are going to be common with other people like you. But if you want to speak to a crowd that's not like you, you have to find ways to connect with that crowd. And that works in a lot of different ways, right? You know, as you talk about working with business owners and entrepreneurs, if you come in and treat them as if they're all employees, then you're gonna have a very difficult time having a conversation like that. And it's the same exact thing if you're speaking on stage. You got to know who your audience is and make sure that, that you can be authentic but still speak to them in a way that's going to be powerful and meaningful for them.

So it sounds as though one of the challenges for these speakers is that they've got a sort of a polished and practiced presentation, but it has to adapt each time to the different situation. Do you coach speakers and presenters in your portfolio to do that, or is that a skill set that you'd expect them to have when they come to you?

I think it's something you hone over time, right? We don't coach or write speeches for our clients, but we do provide them with the information they need to perfect their craft and make sure that each presentation is custom. It is a difficult thing, but I think it goes back to authenticity, right? If you're a speaker and you know your world inside and out, whatever your topic is, it can be on change management, on taking risks, overcoming obstacles. If you know your message, then you should be able to understand how to connect it to a different audience. And that sometimes takes more research than otherwise, right? Sometimes you're going into an audience where you're like, I've spoken to a crowd of insurance brokers before. I know what to do here, right? Other times it's like, wow, I've never spoken to teachers, right? It's a very special audience. I have to make sure I connect with them. And so just thinking through things like that and how a joke may not play, right? Because you may be in a bit— I've had a client who, uh, we'll say is known for having colorful language, and he did an event in front of 10,000 Mormons, and I can tell you he did not curse. And so when I can tell you that anyone can adapt, it's possible. And it's just, it's just a matter of putting effort in, right? If you're a band, you have to know that you're gonna play music that's gonna affect that crowd. But maybe, you know, if you have a song that, that, you know, did better in one country or another, you're gonna probably lean on that song. So you just have to know your audience and be able to craft your message, but own the content, right? If you can't, you know, stand on a soapbox and talk about the thing that you're most passionate about, then you shouldn't be out there in the first place.

Yeah. So it sounds as though as a presenter or a speaker, as you say, like a musician, you kind of have your own style and your own form of composition. But you're having to think of new tunes to stay relevant and stay up to date, right? What about then people starting and playing small local gigs before moving to big ones? Because one of the observations— and you have a daughter and I have children— there's a sort of an expectation that you could be Kim Kardashian quite quickly, and yet people don't see all the work that goes on, uh, the sitting in garden sheds recording at night, for example, before you get a lucky break, right? Do you help people?

The 20-year overnight success.

Yeah, exactly. In my case, it might be 20, 25 to 30 if I'm not frozen over. But what do you recommend for all those people out there, the unnoticed out there that have got some great messages? Because a lot of people actually will have lived through a lot of hardship and maybe learned a lot in the last year to 2 years, and they'll have some good stories to share. And how do you How do you help them or suggest they kind of move from stage to stage, Zach? Because they're not going to go from no stage to top stage.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think, you know, first off, I think the analogy kind of talking about our kids, I think is really interesting, right? Because a different generation, they're growing up with different rules, right? You see these overnight successes. Somebody releases a song on TikTok and then 2 weeks later they're playing at the Grammys. That's a reality and that you and I did not know. That wasn't a possibility for you and I, but it is now. And I think that just goes back to the internet democratizing information. If you have a great story, tell it, share your story, find people who want to hear it. And the more you share that story online, you even think back to— it's crazy to say this, but I think it was now 10 years ago when Justin Bieber became a phenomenon. He just played a song on YouTube and someone saw it, and the next thing you know, history was made. That was 10 years ago, and it's so much easier now to create content, right? To build a podcast studio in your garden, right? I'm sure it's a lot easier today than it was 10 years ago, and it just keeps getting better. I mean, Zoom wasn't a thing we were using 2 years ago. So being able to take advantage of all the technology and the opportunity is how you get to spread your message. But it's also important that you be self-aware to know what message are you telling that people want to hear, right? Because like you said, a lot of people have had hardships over the last year, but if a lot of people have had hardships, then it's almost so relatable that you have to stand out. And that doesn't mean you have to have the saddest story. You just have to know how to tell your story and make it relatable. Just telling the story doesn't necessarily help someone, but if you're able to provide information about what happened to you and how that's something that can benefit someone else, right? I have one client who has led a very fruitful life. has had all sorts of crazy experiences, done a million things I would never even dream of doing because I don't want to put myself through the agony of running 100 miles or climbing up a mountain without a shirt on. These things don't sound like fun to me necessarily. But what I love is he tells the stories because he's gone through it, and I can now listen to his stories about the lessons he learned because he went through it. So, I don't have to do it myself, but I learned something by hearing his stories. It's the same thing. Right? You've got a great story. Figure out what the best way to tell it and then tell it as much as you can.

And I think you also made a very good point there about on the whole, people are not presenters as a mainstream activity, right? They're living life, accomplishing things, challenging themselves in whatever way. And the presenting is their way of sharing what they've accomplished or what they've learned. It's not the end in itself, right? And that also seems to be a key point that it's not fame. that you're looking for. It's the ability to serve and to share. And that maybe comes all the way back to our Venus Speakers profile. Are there certain kind of people that you're looking for within the Venus Speakers, Zach? Any particular theme or trend that you're looking for?

We really aren't. We try to be as open-minded as possible. I think it's funny nowadays everyone's a multi-hyphenate, right? So you're not just a speaker, you're not just a podcast host, you're not just an author, you're not just on TV. You have to do 50 things. It's kind of funny if you look back, like we used to joke and you'd say like, growing up as a student, you can't just be in band. You have to be in band and play soccer and you have to do this and you have to volunteer. That's the only way you're going to get into university. Well, it's kind of funny because now as adults, it's the same thing. You have to do 50 different things to be noticed, but you do 50 different things because it separates you from other people and allows you to differentiate. And really, that's what we're looking for. We're just looking for people who are different, differentiated themselves in the marketplace. They have a great message to share. They're authentic. And frankly, they're good people. We only want to work with good people. We keep a small roster because we love the people that we represent. I love my team and I want to keep it that way. I don't want to rock the boat by bringing anyone in who's maybe too much to handle. I'll choose my words carefully. But I think, yeah, we don't look for any particular type of person. Or any profile of an individual. You have to be this successful, you have to have this many followers on social media. Those are all kind of periphery numbers and things that don't really quantify success in our world. I can point to a lot of people who have millions of views on TED Talks and don't speak regularly. I can point to a lot of people who have millions of followers on Instagram and don't speak regularly. So you have to put the whole package together and be authentically you. And those are ultimately the people that we look for. But frankly, there's a lot of them out there and we're a fairly small, you know, 2.5-year-old company. So we're doing our best, but eventually we'll be able to represent the world.

And if people want to find out more about you, where can they contact you?

Yeah, please, vainerspeakers.com. You know, check us out, reach out to me. I'm eminently available. So I'm always happy to help with any event or any opportunity or even just a question. You know, hit me up on all social media and I'll be there to help.

Is you're a multi-hyphenate yourself, Zach. Thank you for telling me a new term. And of course, we were also told as children that you should— you only need to be good at one thing to succeed. But what you're saying now is we need to be good at many things, which may be a challenge for us that are struggling with multitasking.

Well, I will say, you know, if you are, if you are very good and the best at something, that works too, right? But even then, once you become the best, people are like, great, what's your next chapter? It's like, I just perfected this. Why do I need to do something new?

Oh dear. Oh dear. On that note, Zach, I think it's been wonderful to have heard about your new chapter as well at VaynerSpeakers after a long and illustrious career, which we didn't go into today because we've only got 20 minutes. But people can come and find you and share and listen to you on many other occasions. So thank you very much for joining me on the Unnoticed Podcast.

Absolutely. Thanks for having me. It's been a lot of fun.

It surely has. So thank you to Zach Nadler, who's joined us all the way from the Big Apple, from Manhattan, in fact, on the Unnoticed Show. And one of the key takeaways for me really is about the, the need to be authentic and to do your thing, live it and love it. And if you've got something to share, to share that and not pursue that as the end in itself, but to be able to serve And if you do that, then you will have an audience. And who knows, maybe VaynerSpeakers may help you with that one day. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Unnoticed. Goodbye.