The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway - How We Vet Sponsors, Hollywood’s Decline, and Building Adult Friendships

Episode Date: December 12, 2025

Scott Galloway answers questions on how Prof G Media vets sponsors and why we avoid crypto and gambling ads. He also gives advice for someone navigating Hollywood’s slowdown, and how to build real friendships as an adult.  Want to be featured in a future episode? Send a voice recording to [e-mail], or drop your question in the r/ScottGalloway subreddit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Support for the show comes from Paneri. For more than 150 years, Paneri watches have showcased the brand's rich heritage of Italian design and Swiss horological expertise, making it the perfect timepiece for modern heroes. So this is my weakness. I have several Panorai watches. It's the only watch I wear, and trust me, Paneri is the way to go. Panorai's new Luminar Marina timepieces honor the brand's storied legacy and history of pioneering innovation while enhancing iconic aesthetics, reliability, and function. Visit panorai.com to discover the world of panorai and find the boutique nearest to you. That's P-A-N-E-R-A-I.com. Support for today's show comes from Bit Defender. The holidays are the perfect time for bad actors to try and pry your information away. Bit Defender is looking to stop them.

Bit Defender was voted one of America's best cybersecurity companies by Newsweek and a PC mag pick for its best tech products of 2020. list trusted by experts and businesses small and large bit defender keeps your data your devices and your family safe from online threats whether you're concerned about privacy protecting your identity scams or other threats to your digital life bit defender has got you covered visit bit defender.com slash trusted to see why experts and renowned brands trust bit defenders stay protected this week on the gray area how different is gooning from impulsively watching YouTube videos or TikTok reels or binging shows on Netflix. Fundamentally not that different.

I mean, what they're actually watching is irrelevant. I mean, I guess, again, in this case, they are masturbating a lot of the time. So it would look somewhat different. But that aside, it's the same. That's this week on the gray area. New episodes every Monday, available everywhere. Welcome to Office Hours of Propchee. This is the part of the show where we answer your questions about business, big tech

entrepreneurship, and whatever else is on your mind. If you'd like to submit a question for next time, you can send a voice recording to Office Hours of PropaggyMedia.com. Again, that's Office Hours of Prophtymedia.com. Or post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit, and we just might feature it in our next episode. Question number one. Our first question comes from Intrepid ad 1285 on Reddit. They say, how and how much do you guys bet sponsor?

And how much do you think influencers should research sponsorships? So our primary consideration is really comes down to two things. Kha and Cheng. It's not a severe betting process, but it's pretty, it's pretty, it's really strange across the entire Propge universe. We did some analysis. We only have 38 advertisers. And Profi is probably at this point across all our podcast, probably a, I don't know, a top line $20 million business. And it's only 38 advertisers.

But it's pretty basic. The majority of the brands we recognize, and it's like if it's Rangerover or Sacks or LinkedIn or Microsoft, yeah, we like those companies and they're credible. The immediate red flags or the no shoes, no service you're out of here, are one crypto. Don't do crypto ads. And that's not because I don't think there are certain well-lit bright corners at crypto that probably,

I do think Bitcoin's a tangible asset class right now. I've made two crypto investments at exactly the right wrong time I might add. I'm literally the definition of a retail investor that once crypto hits $120,000, I think, well, I should get in. I think it closed it $85,000 a day. But I wanted some exposure to it in case it goes to a million dollars, so I don't hate myself. But in general, I find that crypto, the majority, 99% of the tokens are shit coins and just speculation with no underlying cash flow or scarcity value.

And I think they prey on young men, and that is one of the things that I think would really benefit a lot of young men is if they got out of the house and started making their money and connected sacrifice and discipline and showing up and showering and putting on a tie or putting on a uniform and showing up 10 minutes early, connected that to making money as opposed to believing seeing screenshots on Reddit of someone who made a bunch of money on ether, cum rocket, or some stupid fucking coin. I think in general, gambling may be the next opiate crisis, and these things are consumption. They're fine. If you're having a good time, fine. But what I hate about them is people under the impression of the impression you're going to make more money and you're going to hold on it on to it for the long term, and you're helping finance a company that will grow in value and you share in the cash flows of that company after it uses your capital to grow. That is not what crypto is. Unfortunately, that's not what most stock trading is right now. and we're turning into sort of this casino economy.

Tyler Scanlan's done really good work on this. And I feel like it especially preys on the young and mature male brain, six and seven gambling addicts are young men and also, not young men, men. It's also got the highest suicide rate because if you had a meth addiction, people would notice and move in. If you have a gambling addiction, you can spend your kid's college fund, your inheritance, mortgage your house, and nobody knows, and you feel as if there's no way out.

So we don't do crypto. we don't take gaming ads, which would be a substantial increase in our advertising revenues because these guys have a lot of money and our advertising freaking everywhere. We also don't, if a financial services company pitches us, that's when we actually do some vetting. Like if Fidelity or Vanguard or Acorns, companies that I think are helping young people establish economic security want to advertise, we love those firms. What I don't like is somebody, of these quote-unquote funds that take onerous fees and are basically just spinning investors. And they're going to do really well, but the investor, him or herself, is not going to do well.

So we've turned away some of the sketchier or stranger investment products that we can't validate. That's generally our approach to it. And what I do find is that if I talk about a brand a lot, they reach out because it's, It's more fun to speak to something organically that you love. But the thing about host readovers is it's more authentic, and we get about $45 CPM. CPM costs per 1,000, get 1,000 people listening to your podcast, an advertiser will pay $45 for an ad that reaches those thousand people. And it's because when you hear my voice, you're less likely to skip the ad, and you're more likely to believe I like the product. And I do like the product.

I've had an American Express card for 40 years. I've had a black card for 20, 30 years, because it makes me feel important. It's basically a platinum card sprayed black that I pay $5,000 a year, but I think it signals my worth as an investor and a mate. Isn't that pathetic? Isn't that pathetic? And it works. And it works.

Anyways, Amex is a sponsor. But it's pretty easy to make a judgment call. Most of our brands are big brands or tech brands and say yes. Occasionally something's weird or do a little bit of diligence. But I do think, I don't know if you have a marginal or moral obligation, look, it's a capitalist society. If people want to spend money on your pod fine and it's legal, but I don't want to be seen as spending a ton of time talking about the struggles of young men and then endorsing products and mendacious fucks. I like public.com. They don't pay for order flow. I find them more responsible. And I think Robin Hood are, what's a term, mendacious fox, basically. spinning young men into trading every day, and 95% of day traders end up with less money.

So I do have some, like, personal peccadillos or biases. But basically, we, at the end of every show, we run through advertisers who have approached us, new advertisers, and we decide thumbs up, thumbs down. And I would say two-thirds thumbs up, but a third are thumbs down. Thanks so much for the question. Question number two, Justin from L.A. Hey, Brockgie. My girlfriend has been lucky enough to have worked consistently in Hollywood for the last 10 years. But this past year, many filming jobs in Los Angeles have begun to dry up and she has found herself out of the job for the longest period of her career. The city and state are trying various incentives to get filming back. But after listening to your insights on the future of Hollywood, I've become more convinced that Hollywood will not return to the level of its former glory. I've been trying my best not to sound too alarmist about her industry, but I've been hinting that she may need to consider a more steady work arrangement if these gaps become

longer and longer. She loves the industry and leaving it fills her with trepidation. As someone who has rebuilt himself more than once, I'm wondering what advice you have for someone that not only has to rebuild themselves, but also has to reinvent themselves and their career. What suggestions do you have for someone going through the biggest pivot of their life? Love the work you do. Keep on rocking. Justin in L.A. Justin, this is a tough one. And content production, the spending is actually level. It hasn't gone up.

It's level globally. The problem is it's essentially flowing downwards from a big screen to a medium-sized screen and TV, but mostly to a mobile screen. So what I tell young people is the return on your investment, financial and human capital, is inversely correlated to the size of the screen. If you're in the business of trying to make content on a big screen, you're fucked. So look, your industry is in, or her industry is in structural decline or malaise. And then to add insult to injury, Los Angeles is really struggling. And Los Angeles has been struggling for about a decade because the cost of production there is just more expensive and they don't have the tax credits.

Now, Governor Newsom attempted to supersize it, I think, with an additional $750 million. But when you look across the size of the business and the economy in the California, he didn't really see. supersized it. He just added, I don't know, would you like fries with that? But he didn't supersize it. And I'm in the midst of producing a series on big tech, based on my first book before, with Netflix. And if we most likely, I would imagine, we'll start shooting or when we get to production in New Jersey, because New Jersey has offered these enormous tax credits where you get about 30% of your top line back. And California's nowhere near that. Georgia has them. Canada has them, you know, there's big, you know, these nations put in place big tax

credits to try and attract the people who will then spend money on catering and costume design and go to the restaurants and stay at the hotels there. So I think that being in your industry in L.A., like I'm outlining all the reasons why she's struggling, which doesn't help in terms of what to do next. So there's a couple things. Is there a geographic arbitrage? Would she be better being somewhere else. If she's already ready to travel, I don't know if you have kids, but she might have to. I'm good friends with an actor who's killing it right now and has been in a bunch of the top movies. And he's in Budapest and then he was in L.A. last week. And then he's doing all sorts of stuff all over the world and he's geographically flexible. He just

kind of goes where the work is or where the money is. The standard for what you do next is, one, you look at your skills and think, where would my skills be applicable somewhere else? If she's in charge of, I don't know, she does scout location. You know, the people who come, I've had my place rented for movies a couple times and a team shows up and figures out if it's the right place. If you're in charge,

if you're a line producer or someone, line producer's the wrong term, the person who actually makes this shit happen, they filmed Westworld on my block in Soho, and I thought, whoever's organizing this would be a great event planner. Do you have organizational skills, ability to recognize talent,

manage a bunch of vendors? Okay, have you considered saying to your next friend who has a wedding, I would like to plan your wedding. What are you doing? You know, there's going to be more and more money in event planning. I just came up with this. I really like this because people are now recognizing that experiences matter more than things. Rich people have a lot of money. And when they throw their kids Bob Mitzvah, they're not spending 20 grand. They're spending 80 grand. So that's just an example. I'm not suggesting she should be an event planner, but sit down and write down. What are the skills required to do what she does in Hollywood and then just take the term Hollywood out and say where might these skills also be also be applicable? Also be open to asking for help and that is reach out to a bunch of people in the industry or better yet people who were in the industry and made a successful transition out if she's looking to get out. The other thing is if she's decided like ride or die, I'm staying in L.A. for whatever reason, you know, maybe you you have a good job there, maybe her family's there.

It's, I would say, the best way to get a job is to be a social as possible, and that is to go out and be a social and meet people, tell them you're looking for work, be aggressive. I think a lot of times people in certain industries are used to people calling them and having a certain amount of demand, get off your heels onto your toes, be more social, be out, be networking, think about where your skills might be applicable in other industries, and just take off all preconceivable. notions of what's prestige and what isn't just what would your skills lend themselves well

and to another industry be incredibly social and tell people you're you're looking for work also don't be too hard on yourself the lowest thing that could happen is you get paralyzed and don't do anything and just kind of like mope around and then you know some basics every night put together a list of the five three five things you're going to do every day success is a series a small acts of discipline done every day. But we all go through this. When I first moved to New York, I just had no fucking idea what to do with my life. I had thought I was going to be rich because my company had gone public, then went out of business. And I'm like, oh, wait, I'm not rich. And so every day, though, I try to say, okay, I'm going to get out of the house. I'm going to

meet people. I'm going to, I'm going to, you know, try and make some progress. Don't be a snob. You're not above other industries or doing something else. And forgive yourself. Every day, a small series of actions, where do your skills apply somewhere else, and just be very aggressive and realize that this is an economy now that is for, in that industry, that is for hustlers and people out, calling people and trying to get meetings. Sorry, it can't be more prescriptive or more helpful here. I think that industry is going through a pretty serious shift. Pretty serious shift.

Anyways, thanks for the question. We'll be right back after a quick break. Support for this show comes from LinkedIn. If you've ever hired for your small business, you know how important it is to find the right person. That's why LinkedIn Jobs is stepping things up with their new AI assistant. So you can feel confident you're finding top talent

that you can't find anywhere else. And those great candidates you're looking for are already on LinkedIn. In fact, according to their data, employees hired through LinkedIn are 30% more likely to stick around for at least a year compared to those hired through the leading competitor.

That's a big deal when every hire counts. With LinkedIn Jobs AI Assistant, you can skip confusing steps and recruiting jargon. It filters through applicants based on criteria you've set for your role and services only the best matches so you're not stuck sorting through a mountain of resumes. LinkedIn Jobs AI Assistant can even suggest 25 great fit candidates daily so you can invite them to apply and keep things moving. Hire right the first time. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com slash prof, then promote it to use LinkedIn jobs. new AI assistant, making it easier and faster to find top candidates.

That's LinkedIn.com slash prof to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Support for the show comes from Chime. If time is money, then using a clunky, outdated online banking platform could be costing you. Chime gets that. Chime isn't just another banking app. They're changing the way people bank. They unlock smarter banking for everyday people with products, including my pay,

giving you access to up to $500 of your paycheck any time and getting paid up to two days early. For get overdraft fees, minimum balance fees, or monthly fees, CHIME is billed for you, not the 1%. With CHIME, you can build your credit history, stress-free, with your own money, thanks to the new CHIME card. CHIME is not just smarter banking. It's the most rewarding way to bank. Join the millions who are already banking fee-free today.

It takes just a few minutes to sign up. Head to chime.com slash PropG. That's chime.com slash propG. Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services, a secured Chime Visa credit card and my pay line of credit provided by the Bank-N-A or Stride Bank N-A. My-Pay eligibility requirements apply and credit limit ranges $20 to $500. Option.com may have fees or charges. See chime.com slash fees info. Advertised annual percent and yield with Chime Plus status only. Otherwise 1.000% APY applies, no men balance required. Chime card on time payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Results may vary. See Chime.com for details and applicable terms. Support for the show comes from Upwork. You're the CEO of your business. You're also the CFO and the IT department and customer service. It's time to find some support. Upwork Business Plus helps you bring in top quality freelancers fast. It gives you instant access to the top 1% of talent on Upwork and fields such as marketing, design, AI, and more. All ready to jump in and take work off your plate. Upwork Business Plus,

takes the hassle out of hiring by dropping trusted freelancers right in your lap. Instead of spending weeks sorting through random resumes, Upwork Business Plus sources and vets candidates for skills and reliability, it then sends a curated short list of proven expert talent to your inbox in just hours so you can delegate with confidence. That way, you're never stuck spinning your wheels when you need a skilled pro and your projects don't stall. Right now, when you spend $1,000 on Upwork Business Plus, you'll get $500 in credit. Go to upwork.com slash save now and claim the offerability.

before December 31, 2021, 2025. Again, that's upwork.com slash Save. Scale smarter with top talent and $500 in credit. Terms and conditions apply. Welcome back. Our final question is from Jeff, who emailed us.

Jeff writes, Hey, Scott, in your new book, you suggest we periodically audit our health, nutrition, money, and friendships. On most fronts, I'm doing great. I'm a mid-30s male who exercises, sizes daily, eats clean, and can comfortably pay for the rent of my Brooklyn apartment. That said, I'm struggling to build new relationships with people who really challenge and

inspire me. I've tried volunteer groups, sports leagues, and creative communities here in New York City. These endeavors are all meaningful, but haven't led to those uniquely stimulating relationships. Any suggestions on how to expand your network of friends in an authentic, non-transactional way, especially in a city? Thank you for all of your work. So the first thought I had, the fact you're even thinking this way means you're going to be fine. It's the kid or the person who just always makes excuse has an immediate autoimmune reaction to stay at home and not be a grab. I went out and met friends last night, this guy who's this magnificently successful guy and his lovely wife, and I have to force myself to do that because I'd rather just stay at home at this point in my life.

I'd rather just sit around and wait for the ask answer. also give some friendships a chance to marinate sometimes people and i feel that inspiring up front but maybe they have a different friend network but like what what is the key to friendships it's sort of ubiquity and getting out and being open also i met this guy i'm getting these PRP shots in my shoulders and the orthopedic surgeon has been doing it i said to him i said hey i actually asked him i said are you single he's literally like this handsome doctor, right? And I think he said yes. And I thought, oh, my God, I know so many women that I would like to set you up with. Let's get together some time and I'll, maybe I'll, you know, if you're up to it,

I'd like to say you up because I'm constantly hearing from women, do you know any guys? And or economically and emotionally viable guys, I should say. And he's reached out to me a couple times and said, hey, do you want to go to a hockey game or something? And I so much respect that because he's about, I think he's about 20 years younger than me. He's like these young doctors just killing it. And he wants to hang out. And when I was his age, I didn't have the confidence to just text people and say, let's hang out. And I really, like, want to hang out with this guy. He lives in New York. I live in London. But I'm looking forward to seeing him and hanging out. My friend was in town last night. We're very good about staying in touch or we're new friends. But I wouldn't be afraid to just

be like, hey, man, a couple times I've said to people, guys, after dinner, I'm like, I feel a really great vibe with you. I'd love to hang. And most, men aren't comfortable saying that. And so I would be willing to express like, hey, let's get together. I do a lot of mandates. I go out with men a lot. And that is, I'll just say, hey, let's grab dinner and go out. But the fact you're getting out, the fact you're even thinking about this, I get the feeling you're just tracking. The fact that you don't find these relationships that inspiring or that interesting, what I would say is to anybody who meets somebody and there's not sparks right away. It's like, give it a second coffee and never know how it might

develop. But just the fact you're thinking this way means you're going to be fine. And also just the key to all of this is touching grass. What I mean by that? Getting out of your house, getting in the presence of strangers, being open, being friendly. And at least twice a week, whether it's a church group, writing class, non-profits, sports league, whatever it is, and just being very open to meeting people and follow up and express interest in friendship. But I don't know, boss. I get the sense like you should be mentoring me. I think you're going to be just fine.

Thanks for the question. That's all for this episode. If you'd like to submit a question, please email a voice recording to office hours of proptuemedia.com. Again, that's office hours of proptuemedia.com. Or if you prefer to ask on Reddit, just post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we just might feature it in an upcoming episode.

This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez, our assistant producer is Laura Gennar. Drew Burroughs is our technical director. Thank you for listening to the Proptoe Pot from Property Media. Support for this show comes from Odu. Running a business is hard enough. So why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? Introducing Odu.

It's the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one fully integrated. platform that makes your work easier, CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce, and more. And the best part, O-DU replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you? Try O-D-O-for-free at O-D-O-O-O-O-com. That's O-D-O-O-O-O-com.