Being Your Own Hypeman
Photo by Andrew Fenichel
The last seven months, admittedly, have been some of the most difficult of my life.
If you’ve followed along with what I’ve done up until this point, you probably noticed a stark drop-off in both content production and news from me and Unplugg’d. You might’ve seen us pivot in the fall to a completely different venture, and you might’ve pondered on the radio silence during the majority of the winter, save for an article or two.
Or not. Hey, it’s your life!
People often talk about the ups and downs, romanticizing “the journey” and “the grind,” but the reality is that when stuff hits, it can hit hard. And for me, it hit pretty hard.
I’ve been working on a story since December that talks about a lot of this. It’ll be out on Sunday. That story examines a lot of themes, from life to career to passion to mental health, as well as some of the lessons I’ve learned. If you find yourself on our mailing list, or a frequent viewer of our content, I think you’ll find it to be a worthwhile read.
But that story is for then. The theme of this letter is quite different, and yet forever intertwined with that story. Because even if I took a “break” during the cold winter months, time to focus on my physical health and my personal relationships, I was still constantly thinking about Unplugg’d, and planning my moves for what came next.
I’m excited to say that that relaunch date is drawing closer and closer.
When I’ve looked back at the last two years or so, I see the views we’ve accumulated, the amount of creative ideas we’ve put out into the world, the following we’ve built, and I feel really proud. But what gives me the most joy are the little moments, some of which are documented, and some no one remembers besides me.
I’m not sure if Airkenny knew how nervous I was during our interview. (Photo by Andrew Fenichel)
I remember when I recorded my first-ever podcast interview with a guest, debuting with Ken “Airkenny” Weiner, a famous sneakerhead who I’ve followed for years. He agreed to come up to Evanston and meet Andrew and I in my dorm, where we would record in the Radio Room. He was so impressed with everything I was doing that he made an offhand comment about voting for me when I announce my presidential bid one day, which was pretty funny to me, because I guess he didn’t notice how insanely nervous I was the entire time.
I remember when I was bed-ridden with mono at the end of my freshman year, and I was working up the strength to deliver the final pitch for Launch, a pre-accelerator program I was participating in. There wasn’t a ton of money on the table, but I cared so much about that pitch that I sent some notes to Andrew four hours prior and he agreed to do it. To the shock of the people present, I ended up dragging myself all the way up to Tech, clicked through the deck as Andrew pitched, and celebrated as we tied for first place.
I remember working on my ‘Rap and the N-word’ piece for an entire year, recording hours of interviews and waking up every single day thinking about it. When I finally published it in September 2018, I received an overwhelming positive response, where the keywords “rap n word” saw my article top Google; also, in exploring some of the analytics, I followed a link to a high school English teacher’s page where she had assigned the story as homework. I’m really thankful for two of my friends, Jake Liker and Kenny Allen, as well as my sister, Amelia, for working hard to help me edit a story that toed a very tricky, complex line.
I remember going to the West Loop with Andrew to record a podcast with Spikeball CEO and founder Chris Ruder, who had come to speak in one of my classes…and I somehow went against every grain in my introverted body to walk up to him and get his card. Afterwards, Andrew and I were filming man-on-the-street interviews for The Hot Takes Show — we were asking people if hot dogs were sandwiches (before we left Spikeball HQ, Chris said they weren’t) — at the Bean downtown when a security guard walked up to us. “Who are you all with?” she asked me, as she explained that media wasn’t supposed to film at the park. “Don’t worry, ma’am — we’re college students, this is for a class project,” I calmly replied. “Oh, okay, you guys are good,” she said, and walked away as we proceeded to ask people silly questions.
(On a side note: it always amazes me that if you have a camera, tripod, and microphone, the average person immediately assumes you’re super legit, even if you’re two college dudes wearing hoodies in 30-degree weather and sporting runny noses.)
I remember writing a perspective piece on Kanye’s Yeezy line and the complexity of “hype,” only to see a verified reporter tweet a link to it and refer to me as a “pundit.” While it wasn’t really a big deal, it made me realize how even if it often feels difficult to build a platform people care about, if you take the time to really understand a topic and communicate it in a well-thought-out manner, people will treat your content as professional and with respect, even if you’re a teenager.
I remember getting the phone number of Justin Jackson, one of my favorite athletes and a running back for both Northwestern and the Chargers. We texted back-and-forth for several months before settling on a time to record a podcast…which ended up coming together four hours before I would be flying to London on a week-long, school-sponsored trip. Also, I hadn’t yet packed my bag. Luckily, I was able to make the trip across the pond in time.
I remember making the long trek down to Hyde Park with Andrew and recording an interview with a Chicago freestyle rapping legend in Sam I Am the MC, who surprised us by opening up the pod by laying down some bars off the dome. We kept in touch in the following months, and when he ultimately recorded the themes for The Hot Takes Show and my podcast, I couldn’t have been more ecstatic to open the email and happier with the results.
I remember pulling both episodes of The Hot Takes Show off, even though both times we recorded, it certainly didn’t feel like they would come together (those present would agree, too). I also remember sitting in the editing bays for three straight days with Dhruv Mehra as he weaved his magic and created a fire intro and awesome cut of our second episode. To him, Maggie Brill, Geena Vetula, and everyone else who helped make that dream become a reality, I’m incredibly grateful.
I remember making my second trip down to the West Loop as I interviewed Threadless Founder and CEO Jake Nickell. As I made the hike, I dragged a heavy backpack — filled to the top with a soundboard, mics, and other recording equipment — from the El to the bus to Threadless HQ. Turns out, I walked to a building that was being renovated, and as I awkwardly checked out the elevator to see if my destination was upstairs somewhere, a suit walked in and acknowledged I was clearly lost (the elevator needed an employee key card). “Oh, Threadless? Yeah, they moved across the street,” he told me. Thanking him, I embarrassingly rushed out, and recorded the podcast with Jake. Afterwards, touting a bag that felt like a million bricks, I sprinted after the bus, only to barely miss it and wait 30 more minutes in what amounted to a 2.5-hour-long trip back to campus.
One night, Jeremy wandered into the meditation room. You can’t spend ALL of that time working.
I remember meeting Jeremy Larkin for the first time, talking for about two hours and walking away unsure if he was really profound or really goofy — he would probably tell you he’s both. I remember recording all those episodes of ‘Whistles’ with him, Jared Thomas, and Jake Saunders, and the crew of crazy characters who would pull through, such as the Internet’s favorite lifting coach. At first, Jeremy and I would stay after recording in The Garage as I taught him how to edit the audio himself, but even after he figured it out and would edit on his own, he’d still work alongside with me late into the night, giving me rides to Chik-fil-A and back to my apartment.
I remember attending ComplexCon with a friend and entrepreneur in his own right, Ashton Keys, and walking around the physical manifestation of Complex’s brand. While the convention itself was more hype than substance — I distinctly remember thinking about it as an event made purely for social media — I found it really fascinating to see how a media company wielded their following to create alternate revenue streams and sell out t-shirts.
I remember meeting Thomas and Andrew Parkinson — collectively referred to as “The Parkinson Bros.” — and instantly hitting it off. Even if they got paired with us as mentors without knowing a whole lot about the media world, they always wanted to learn, and proceeded to dive into our brand, consume our content, and act as some of our biggest fans. Plus, talking to them about their early days creating Peapod was one of the funniest podcasts I think I’ve ever recorded.
And finally, I remember my final pitch for Wildfire coming together a week or two out from Demo Day. I was in the shower when the whole thing clicked and I decided to swap a medium I detest (power-points) and edit a video. I remember the moment when after reaching out to Justin Jackson again, he agreed to film and send in a video that would be prominently featured in the pitch. When we got the video one afternoon, there was a look of awesome, happy shock from Owen, and I’m sure I appeared the same way.
I also remember how anxious Owen was the morning of the pitch — even though he wasn’t pitching, which was the hilarious part of it all — and how I was surprised by how confident and calm I felt about the whole thing. I can see it in my mind’s eye like it was yesterday, the moment when Melissa said, “And your winners are…Powder Blue Media!” and I walked up to hold the giant check, with Owen excited as hell and thumping me in the back and Karim trying to hide how excited he was (he failed).
I remember that feeling because of all the work I had put in not just that summer, but also for the two years prior, the culmination of all these moments along the way, big and large. How I had worked so damn hard to create this expansive portfolio of work without a desire for the limelight and any real motives outside of a passion to create. How it was a weird, exciting, newfound feeling to receive recognition for this project I’d devoted so much of my time and energy into, and I couldn’t wait to get back to work with a bump in our bank account.
I remember sitting around The Garage afterwards, kind of dumb-founded. Karim stayed pretty late, basking in the day’s glow, as well as my roommate, Peter, who had come to support. We sat there until everyone filed out, and eventually, said our good-byes to Karim and made our way to the Lakefill. As summer in Evanston tends to be, the nighttime was beautiful, and as Peter and I started to stroll by the glistening water and glittering Chicago skyline — me holding the giant check in hand — I heard a voice call out, “Yo, Nate!” It was Jeremy, and he walked over and asked, “Oh, the pitch was today — how’d it go?”.
I remember all of these specific things as I sit here, typing away late into the night, with one of those big, dumb smiles on my face.
A lot of my college experiences have been defined by what I’ve created with Unplugg’d, as well as the people I’ve met and the connections I’ve made along the way. While I wouldn’t trade these memories for anything, I’ve also learned that you don’t want to let these things define who you are. “Work-life balance” is one of those things that everyone always talks about, and while I don’t think anyone ever truly masters it, I do think there’s merit to striving towards a feeling of equilibrium.
At the same time, though, I think it’s really important that we do stop every once in a while to reflect on those passion projects we dive into, and why we do what we love. For me, I know that I love to create content, but I also love the branding and storytelling side of business. If I can grow this thing into something sustainable, a brand that really resonates with people and creates a following, that would be incredible; at the end of the day, though, I can’t help but grin ear-to-ear when I look at my portfolio of work and everything that I’ve accomplished.
That’s why I believe in being your own hypeman. Take the time to celebrate your wins, and get excited about the things you know excite you. Because if you don’t — and if you constantly worry that you’re not doing enough — you’ll get stressed, and burnt out, and every aspect of life from health to relationships will feel the consequences.
Believe me. I know from experience.
We’re excited to be nearing our official Unplugg’d relaunch! We have a ton of incredible projects to share with you, as well as some awesome ways to get involved and join our community. For now, you can sign up for NGL’s newsletter here and explore our website as we continue to update it!