The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast - The Director Behind Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next Video - Hannah Lux Davis on Productivity, Motivation, & Honing Creativity

Episode Date: August 20, 2019

#209: On this episode we sit down with Hannah Lux Davis. Hannah Lux Davis is an American music video, commercial and film director known for her work with artists such as Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, ...Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Drake. She is also the director behind Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next music video. On this episode we discuss productivity, motivation, and how to hone in on your creativity. To connect with Hannah Lux Davis click HERE To connect with Lauryn Evarts click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM To Call the Him & Her Hotline call: 1-833-SKINNYS (754-6697) This episode is brought to you by one of our favorite skin care lines of all time ELEMIS. Elemis is offering all TSC Him & Her listeners the opportunity to purchase the Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm travel size for just $5.00 to cover shipping and handling. Visit www.elemis.com/skinny to get your balm and 15% off additional items at checkout using promo code skinny15 at checkout. This episode is brought to you by THRIVE MARKET. We use Thrive for our online grocery delivery on a weekly basis and we also now get our wine at Thrive! They provide the highest quality products and ingredients delivered straight to our door with unbeatable prices.  Produced by Dear Media 

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 The following podcast is a Dear Media production. size for just $5. And this is just a cover shipping and handling. So you're going to get this bomb that I have talked about so many times. I'll explain within the episode how to use it, but it's this buttery, delicious spa-like bomb that is insane for taking your makeup off. All you have to do is visit www.ellemas.com slash skinny. That's www.ellemas.com slash skinny to get yours. And remember, of course, to use the promo code skinny15 at checkout to get 15% off your first order at Elemis. All right, let's get into the show. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. Fantastic. And he's a serial entrepreneur. A very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you
Starting point is 00:01:05 along for the ride. Get ready for some major realness. Welcome to the skinny confidential, him and her. I think millennials today and the people just graduating think they can just like jump right into something that you've built, like been doing like for maybe 15 years and think that you have like are entitled to just be up there doing it. And I'm like, no, like you don't see all the hustle and crazy hard work and sacrifices that all these people have done. And yes, there's talent that can sort of like jump ahead and like, sort of like get you noticed, like, you know, when you're, when you're younger, which is great. And like young talent, fresh talent is great. You're not entitled enough to sort of just stay there in a way that's like,
Starting point is 00:01:47 you have to put in the work. What up, guys? Welcome back. Happy Tuesday. That clip was from our guest of the show today, Hannah Lux Davis. She is an American music video commercial and film director. She is major. She's worked with artists like Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Lil Wayne, and Drake to name a few. Michael, Taylor, what's up? I know it's Taylor's birthday week. He is really chomping at the bit to talk about his birthday. He's one of those people. He made a very specific point for us to mention that it is his birthday week. So everybody go wish the old BNC, the bare naked cucumber, happy birthday on his Instagram.
Starting point is 00:02:24 He asked for that. He said, can everyone please go wish me a happy birthday? It's at Tales You Die. So if you're feeling festive and you want to celebrate Taylor's birthday, just go to at Tales You Die. T-A-I-L-S. And I'm not quite sure what at Tales You Die means, you know. It's too long of an explanation. Let's just, I'll save them. I feel like you need a mission statement on what it means. So we need to get your brand under control. How old are you now? Let's not disclose that for the public. Why? Let's say you're above thirties. Listen, I don't know about men celebrating birthdays above thirties. I think it goes at your 30th birthday. You can celebrate your 40th, 50th, 60th. I never celebrate my birthday at all because bad shit usually happens
Starting point is 00:03:03 to me. So I'm kind of superstitious about it and I try not to make a big deal or draw much attention to myself. Oh yeah. I forgot about the time that you fell asleep in Vegas on the street. Well, that was, that was a fun weekend, but I usually don't do anything for my birthday. I'm usually, it's usually, to be honest, if I'm, if I'm being completely honest, actually, I think of my birthday is usually probably the saddest part of the year for me. For some, for some, I'm like, sit there. Oh, shit. I'm getting older.
Starting point is 00:03:28 Pull out your violin. It's coming to an end. I could be dying. I don't know. But you know what? I feel younger because of all the things that I learn on the podcast, as I say. It's kind of like when you celebrate your birthday in Vegas and you end up sleeping on the street, not with a sleeping bag.
Starting point is 00:03:41 I honestly might have been. You know what my theory is, is these people that amp up their birthdays too much and they make this big deal of birthday. What happens is then they go all out on their birthday. And what happens is you usually end up getting too fucked up. These people that do this. And then bad things happen. And that's when the problems start occurring,
Starting point is 00:03:57 like sleeping in the streets in Vegas. Like what you did, Taylor. When my birthday comes around, it's like nothing's happening. I don't want to make... No, you don't want... No, here's... Michael's smart. So Michael doesn't make anyone do anything.
Starting point is 00:04:07 So when other people's birthday comes around, everyone makes you do everything. Listen, when I had our wedding, when we had our wedding, I didn't want any groomsmen, no best men, because I knew if I made anybody a groomsman, like say there's eight guys that are groomsmen or five guys, I know then they feel obligated to make me one, which means when they have their wedding, they're going to say, hey, do you want to be a groomsman? I have to wear a stupid suit. It's not going to be custom to me. It's going to be from some weird store that I don't want to shop at. And then I have all these obligations. So what I try to do is create situations where nobody's obligated to me, which means I'm not obligated to them.
Starting point is 00:04:38 Here's my strategy. I don't make a big deal of my birthday at all except to one person, you. I act like it's literally the biggest day of the year and you've never seen anything like more extravagant. Listen, people, nobody ever thinks about it this way. If you make a big deal of whatever celebrates your wedding, your birthday, your cat's birthday, your kid's birthday, whatever it is, and you make people show up for that and you make them feel obligated to do it, then guess what? When they have something, you're obligated to them. It's a losing strategy. So yes, you want to sacrifice everybody celebrating you for the day. Okay. Some people want that,
Starting point is 00:05:13 but then just know that that comes with the territory of you having to celebrate everybody you made celebrate for you. And so I don't want any of those obligations. Well, it plays into self-awareness. I have never been asked to be a groomsman. Maybe that speaks to me as a friend, but also it's how I want it. All right. Well, we do have a friend that is a groomsman at every single person's wedding. He's literally a groomsman at like someone that he's met once wedding. And guess what?
Starting point is 00:05:36 He's miserable. And I'm just going to say, Weston, you're miserable. I called him out a little bit. Listen, I don't care. Whatever. Fuck it. Whatever. Who cares?
Starting point is 00:05:44 We're calling people out. You know, guys, I don't want to be obligated. All right. Well, you're not obligated. If any listener is getting married and they need a groomsman, I will be a groomsman. I'll be a hired gun. Yeah, if you want Taylor to show up at your... I mean, you know, that's different.
Starting point is 00:06:02 You know, Taylor could show up at your wedding and pick enchiladas off your dad's plate. He could also, you know, like he did to me, tell me that I have a bigger dick than anyone at the wedding. Remember that wedding speech that you did, Taylor? I'll be the cooler. That's someone who goes in like casinos when someone's winning and they go down, they sit down, they kind of like break the flow. People are probably listening, being like, God, Michael's such a dick. He doesn't be obligated. Listen, if you're in the hospital three in the morning, you're in jail 5 a.m., I'm your guy. I'll come pick you up. I'll come help you.
Starting point is 00:06:27 He is your guy. But you want me to show up for your kid's birthday or be your groomsman or do whatever? I'm not the guy. I'm the wrong guy. I'm not interested. I don't want to do it. You don't have to do it for me. You're kind of reclusive like that.
Starting point is 00:06:38 Leave me out. Leave me out. Yeah. As a matter of fact, don't even invite me to your birthday party. I'm good to go. You're in a mood today. All right. Listen, Hannah Lux Davis.
Starting point is 00:06:47 Okay. Creating music videos. Lauren, we should maybe do a music video for the CSE podcast. I think that'd be kind of cool. Okay. Taylor can direct it. Taylor, you can dress up as a groomsman. We can have all sorts of recurring characters. You know what? I think I'm going to be the first one to create a music video for a podcast. Hannah, can you help us with that? Yeah, that would be a sight to see. All right. Hannah Lex Davis. She is a major American music video director in Hollywood, and she has directed things like Thank You Next with Ariana Grande. That's right, you guys. She brainstormed that whole concept. It came to life. That was so insane. She's also worked with Demi Lovato,
Starting point is 00:07:20 Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Drake, Miley Cyrus, to name a few. She is sick. You should also know that she was named by Billboard as pop music's most in-demand director. We are so excited to welcome her to the show. We really pick her brain on this episode and we dive into it. You're ready? Before we dive into that, I'm going to tell you exactly how I use my Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm. Okay. First of all, if you're removing your makeup with a wipe, you're pulling on your face, and I am not a fan of pulling on my face. So here's what I do. I go home. I have my makeup on. I take my cleansing balm. I put it all over my face. I've showed you guys this on Instagram story. I like to let it sit for five to 10 minutes. You could wash it off right away,
Starting point is 00:08:04 but I'm just a fan of letting all the goodness seep in. So it's like a balm, kind of like a lip balm without the stickiness all over your face. You're walking around, you're letting it do its thing. Then you wash it off very carefully. I like to use a baby cloth to remove it. And then I even sometimes rub a little extra around my eyes to really remove the eye makeup. And it is the best. It leaves your skin so buttery, so nice, so dewy. I can't explain it. It's one of those things you just have to try. This product is on the master list and I could not be more excited because they're giving all TSC, him and her listeners, the opportunity to purchase the Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm Travel Size for just $5. And that's just to cover shipping
Starting point is 00:08:45 and handling, guys. This is a product that you're going to try and travel size and you're going to immediately order again. You're going to be obsessed, okay? So all you have to do is go to elemis.com slash skinny. That's elemis.com slash skinny to get yours. And remember to use the promo code SKINNY15 at checkout. You're going to get 15% off your first order at Elemis. You guys, this is like a spa situation for your face that removes your makeup in the most delicate way. Enjoy. This is the Skinny Confidential, him and her. We are here.
Starting point is 00:09:18 We're live with Hannah. Where do we meet Hannah, Michael? I think Instagram. Instagram. Yeah, Instagram. Through Krista. Shout out to? I think Instagram. Instagram. Yeah, Instagram. Through Krista. Shout out to Krista and Dave. Michael's going to make you get so close to the mic.
Starting point is 00:09:30 Well, think about it like this. I always do the, Lauren doesn't like this example, but it's like fist apart, you know, like right there. And then I always go like this. And so you can see if I bump off. Audience is really particular these days about the sound. I know you're just very particular. No, they love it.
Starting point is 00:09:44 They write me and they say, Michael, way to be on that sound. I'm so glad that you're finally in studio. It took so long to book because your schedule is insane. Our schedule is insane. Yes. But can you just kind of give an intro to the audience? I mean, I'm sure they've heard of you, but just give a little intro. Yeah, I'm Hannah Lux Davis and I am a director and you probably have seen my work because I do videos for artists like Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Demi Lovato, Halsey, Anne-Marie, Jason Derulo, David Guetta. It's funny, I get here and I'm like, wait, what have I done? But yeah, a lot of artists, a lot of mainstream artists and pop girls are kind of like my bread and butter. Okay, let's go back. How do you get into this? Well, let's take it back.
Starting point is 00:10:28 You get into it by persistence, I'd say. I started, I moved here from Seattle when I was 18, and I went to film school. I went to LA Film School. I went to New York Film Academy, both in Los Angeles. They're both year-long vocational schools. And while I was here, I could have made a short film like the rest of my peers. But instead, I decided to make music videos because I was obsessed with them since I was like a little kid because I grew up loving TRL. And I realized that, you know what, maybe a short film was not going to come out of me.
Starting point is 00:10:59 As a director in film school, you kind of have to write your own material. And at that point, I was just not in a place where I was like, oh, yeah, I feel confident in writing a script and then spending like 15 grand on this short film that's going to do absolutely nothing for me. But I did see sort of like an opportunity in creating music videos at that level, because at that level, you can reach out to real bands and real singers and collaborate with them. And so that's what I did. I reached out to people and this is so far back that it was way before even MySpace. It was Pure Volume. Do you guys remember that? No. Yeah. Pure Volume. What was that? It was just kind of like a, it was like a SoundCloud type
Starting point is 00:11:36 website. And I found artists on there that were, I thought were cool. And I reached out to them and I said, Hey, I really love to make your music video. I'm in film school. I'll pay for it. And, um, that's a pretty goddamn good deal. It is a good deal. And I even flew a band down from Seattle. Like you flew them yourself. Well, it was all part of the budget. Wow. Okay, cool. Yeah. So, um, so yeah, that's kind of how I got started and just sort of like
Starting point is 00:12:01 dipping my toes in it when I was 18, 19 years old. And then, so while I was in those two film schools, I did six music videos. Those I did like, and I, one of them was on 16 millimeter film, which was like super cool. And yeah, they were just like sort of just for these bands that were really, nobody's not on really a label. And then from there, I, you know, I had these like six videos that were kind of my calling card at that young age and this is before Instagram so you couldn't just like promote yourself it was very much like it was just going into this void of barely YouTube yeah where did that stuff live in that void because it was and I know I remember the TRL MTV days and then obviously now a lot of it's on YouTube and the internet but like in that in between before where would it live
Starting point is 00:12:42 it lived really on the band's websites. It lived on, I think MySpace was starting to really be a thing at that point for artists. And so I think on MySpace and then YouTube came around right then as well. But yeah, it was just sort of like a weird space in music videos. And it was a weird time in music videos back then for bigger artists too. It was kind of like, where are we going with these? They kind of fell off for a while, right? Yeah. Because they were massive and then they kind of stopped and now like massive again. Oh, totally. And, and so then from there I was able to just sort of like, okay, I love music videos. I love
Starting point is 00:13:17 directing. I was editing them as well. And I was always very hands-on in all different parts of the process. Cause as a kid, I was like messing around with cameras and filming and kind of doing like, what was that called? Punk or punk, not punked, but it was like those skater videos that were always being made. Uh-huh, I know what you're talking about. So we would just go around with friends skateboarding and just sort of cut these videos together to music, and that was something I really loved.
Starting point is 00:13:42 So after film school, I graduated when I was 19 and I would start to PA on sets. And I realized that I was, I hated to PA because PA is like a production assistant. And at that point, you're not really like in control of anything you're doing. You really just at the whim of what people are asking of you. And that to me was kind of terrifying because I didn't like coming in not prepared. I didn't like coming in not knowing what my task was going to be. And so it made me really, really nervous and anxious all the time. It sounds like you're entrepreneurial. I guess I was.
Starting point is 00:14:12 I mean, the fact that I did music videos, knowing that it would be a better business move for me as opposed to making a short film. I feel like at a young age, I was able to like sort of recognize that was like the smart choice. Is that the typical path though, right? So you're going to film school with some friends friends in film school and then when you get out they're like okay now make a short film and that's how we're gonna get that's how you're gonna get out there is that the path they set forward well right now i think it's a little different because
Starting point is 00:14:33 there's so much branded content and there's people needing content more than ever because there's so many platforms for it so i feel like right now it'd be it'd be easier i think to break in and you could and you can work more with little amount of money because you can – there's so many tools that are so cheap. Like back then, it was like thousands of dollars for editing software. And now you can make something on your phone that you could have made on this crazy expensive editing software like 10, 15 years ago. And so as I was hating PAing, I discovered that, you know what, for me to be on set, which I knew was like going to be a valuable thing, I really need to find a path for myself that will allow me to be in the action and not as like a PA. And so I decided to go to makeup school and I went to makeup school for like a six
Starting point is 00:15:16 month program here in LA. And all the while I'm still like, you know, the main goal is to be a director, but I knew that makeup was going to be a way for me to kind of get on set and have creative conversations with people that, you know, would sort of, you know, I'd be in the mix more and sort of be able to be around the action and learn and soak things in that were or soak things up that were going to be valuable for me as a director. And then from there, I was also editing. So I was editing anything I could. I edited the weirdest shit for like no money. And then from there, I just sort of like you just keep hustling. And I think I just never stopped. And a lot of people that I went to film school with, or maybe moved here when they were 18, I'm 33 now. I think
Starting point is 00:15:54 a lot of people when they get here, and they realize how hard it is, they just sort of stop and just slowly fade out and like, start to do other things. And maybe that sort of takes over. And I just never stop. I feel like that's so interesting that you say that, because when we were first connected through Krista, I went and stalked your page, and then you and I have just had conversations back and forth on Instagram. And you can feel that about you. You can feel that you're a hustler, and you're not going to take no for an answer. And I love that about you. Is this been something that's just ingrained in you, or is it something that you learned? I think it was ingrained in me and I think it was always my way. I always like really thought even as a little kid, and this comes down to like the psychology of it
Starting point is 00:16:33 all, is I always felt like I really had to be good at something. Like I always knew that for me to like sort of get attention, I think I had to be really, really great at something. And so I did all these sports. I did all sorts of things growing up. I was on drumline growing up. So I was always in activities and was always really, really busy as a kid. And so I always knew that if I was just good and busy at something, not just busy, but just good at something and always busy, that I was going to get attention for that, whether that be like, oh, she's always doing something or just always eyes are always on me. And so I was able to sort of recognize that at a young age. And I think that sort of drive just really stuck with me as a way just to sort of, you know, have, I guess, attention.
Starting point is 00:17:16 There's a fine line. I think you touched on something important for young people to think about, right? It's a fine line between being persistent and being hungry and being, you know, basically putting yourself out there compared to there's another thing about being annoying, right? Like, I think you nailed it when you said like, you had to be good at something. You had to have a skill. A lot of young people just say, I'm just going to pursue, pursue, pursue, and just bother, bother, bother this person and ask and ask and ask. But it's at the meantime, they're not thinking about acquiring like, what is the skill that I can offer that they don't have? What is this? What is this piece of labor that I can bring to the table that's not being done?
Starting point is 00:17:50 And I think that's where people get in trouble. They think it's just being hungry and just being, you know, persistent, but you need to bring something to the table. Yeah, I think DRock's like that. Gary Vee, DRock is just like that, what he just said. DRock like brought it to the table just like you did. Yeah, I think there has to be intention behind it. And you can't just be blindly being hustling and hardworking and just going at it. You really do kind of have to have what is the... Even if your goal is not something that's very crystal clear,
Starting point is 00:18:18 because a lot of people, it's a lot of pressure to always try and be like, oh, this is what I want to do. I'm going to go after it. Having that thing, that's a really lucky thing to have. And I think I was lucky enough to where I found my passion at a very, very young age. But a lot of people don't know what they're doing, but they know they like certain things or they just want to be, you know, you know, in the mix on like a certain sort of, you know, era in whatever the industry may be or the avenue in the industry they may be in.
Starting point is 00:18:45 But I think you just got to have like intention of just creating something that is quality. Well, I think a lot of people, I won't just distinguish young people. I'll just say people in general, they don't know what they want to do because they think that, okay, I'm just going to be a body. I'm going to show up. I'm going to go after this organization or this person or this client. And they put themselves out there over and over and over again. But in the meantime, they're not putting in the work to acquire whatever that new skill set is. Like you said, you were editing, you were on set, you were tasting all of these different
Starting point is 00:19:11 facets and figuring out, okay, what is it you actually like to do of all the different things that you did do, whether that was editing or filming or doing makeup or PAing. A lot of people jump into an organization and say, I want to do this, but they don't taste all the different things that you have to put into doing it. Yeah. And so people get lost and say, I don and say, I want to do this, but they don't taste all the different things that you have to put into doing it. And so people get lost and say, I don't know what I want to do. And it's because you haven't tasted enough. What was the epiphany of when you felt like, oh shit, this is working. Like, is there a music video that you did or someone that you worked with where you were like, it's happening. It's all, it's all happening. Yeah. It's funny. There's been a few of those moments in my career where I'm like, oh, this all really
Starting point is 00:19:45 fits like this. This is clicking because for me, I feel like it really does go back. And I'm sure you both can bring up things like, oh, yeah, all this is coming together. And I see why I was like so into that as a kid. But like I was always collaging. I was always, you know, being really creative with my hands. And I always loved like, you know, magazines and layouts and all that sort of thing. And then my sister, my youngest sister, she's a performer, she does musical theater. And I was always watching her perform. And I was
Starting point is 00:20:12 always being like, let's not make that face when you make when you hit that note. I was just kind of like, I was like, you know, I guess, without even realizing I was directing her, like in her performance, if I if she asked me to watch, and I would she would always sing the national anthem. And so I'd always like, sort of like critique her performance if I if she asked me to watch and I she would always sing the national anthem and so I'd always like sort of like critique her performance and like how she presents herself and like the way she sort of like you know walks out there and so I think it really started like really far back then so like that was kind of like something where I'm like okay I really like working with people and like sort of directing women especially but um there's been a few times where I've been like, yes, this is really clicking.
Starting point is 00:20:45 And I think one of them, and this is a very obscure video, one of them where I was like, oh my God, this is so much fun. It was a video I did for Fifth Harmony for That's My Girl. They're obviously no longer a group like that anymore, but when they were, and it was like the last video of the five of them, which was a big deal, I think. And we were doing like a dance performance in this, it was a very post apocalyptic sort of video. And we were doing a dance performance outside and there's like lots
Starting point is 00:21:10 of debris and they were in these like really tattered, like sexy outfits. And I just remember watching them like sing and do this crazy choreography and all these moving parts were happening and like debris and smoke was everywhere. And it just felt like a really big sort of moment. And I remember watching Monitor and being like, wow this is this is really happening this is like all really coming together in a way that I didn't all of a sudden I was like am I too rude like it was just a really cool moment where I'm like oh I actually really do love this so fast forward you're basically directing I would say I would say this is like the top music video of the last 10 years i mean right like it's it's major ariana grande's thank you next yes how'd you get there oh my goodness
Starting point is 00:21:55 yeah that video is it's it was a rare moment to where even on set every extra every pa every every person on that set could feel we were creating something really special. Because you played on nostalgia in the smartest way. It's like every girl can relate to what you guys did. Yeah, it was so much fun. So how that one came about. So my first collaboration with Ariana was in 2014. I did the Bang Bang video with Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, and Ariana Grande. That's when I first met Ariana. And on that one, I remember just being like video with Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, and Ariana Grande. That's when I first met Ariana. And on that one, I remember just being like, oh my gosh, she's like such a ball of energy. She's just like, her voice is insane.
Starting point is 00:22:31 And she was so young at the time. It's crazy to think how young she was. But she just really knew her brand really well, even back then. And it's been like really cool to see her really evolve in a way that's just, I'm just like so happy for her. And so that was sort of the beginning of our working relationship. And from there I went on and I did love me harder. I did focus. I did into you all these videos. We just sort of really got like a really great
Starting point is 00:22:56 trust going and collaboration and really great process. And she's super, super hands-on. What is that process? Like, how does it like, say you guys want to pick this song and you're going to start specifics. Cause you know how I am. Yes, of course. Give us like the exact specifics. I'll do the specifics with thank you next. Cause I think it's a really fun one because even just like the meeting that we had in the first time I heard the song, it's like, it's so insane. So I was, this was back in like October of this, you know, this past October, I was in New York about to shoot her video for Breathe In. And that one was like a really beautiful ballad. It was a really beautiful video. And it was one of those instances
Starting point is 00:23:31 where she really let me have a lot of creative freedom with that one. And so I was just in her apartment and we were just kind of going over the creative and she sort of just kept stopping me to be like, but wait, I want to talk about the next one. Like she's very much like, but the next, the next, the next. And then she played me this song and there was like no name yet, I don't think. And she played me Thank U, Next. And the first verse was like, obviously it mentions Sean, Ricky and Pete.
Starting point is 00:23:59 And I remember being like, oh my gosh, she just went there. Like she just said these names in a way that's so specific that really no artist has done before of her caliber, listing these ex-boyfriends' names in the first verse of the song. And that was something that I was like, this is going to be, this is like, it's so authentic. And that's something that she, I can go on and on about why I think she's so on like on the pulse and just like really killing it right now. But for this one specifically, she was like, let's, let's start brainstorming for this video. And she's like, I really want to do something around a burn book,
Starting point is 00:24:34 like mean girls. And I'm like, Ooh, mean girls. Like, obviously I'm obsessed. It's like one of my favorite movies. And so she, so it started out with just like this like concept around mean girls. Should we make like a mean girls video? Just totally just mean girls. And then she was like, we can make a burn book. But instead of it being like bad things, we write about like our ex-boyfriends in this burn book. And it's more of like a book of like gratitude and like being thankful for like the ex and
Starting point is 00:25:00 like what you've learned from them. So it was a really cool like take on not only like, you know, making Mean Girls our own, but a really cool way to sort of redefine what a breakup song is and really turn it to a positive, which I think is so important right now for artists to really take something that's really like could be a serious thing that's like heartache and making it sort of light and kind of giving hope in a way where I think an artist hasn't really done like that before. So from that, it was like, okay, we're making it be a Mean Girls movie or a music video. And then we just sort of being, we were just like spitballing about just like other films sort of in that genre and that time that we were
Starting point is 00:25:38 just obsessed with. And that became like Legally Blonde, 13 Going on 30, and Bring It On. And as we were doing that, we were like, okay, wait, there's something way deeper here that I think is really cool and special is that each of these films, it's like a strong female lead and they're getting over some adversity or a breakup, some heartache, and really coming out on the other side a better person. And so we were really sort of playing on that in a way that just made it unique, you know, to sort of tie them all together. And then how can we make this specific to Ariana?
Starting point is 00:26:12 So that was like the challenge then. Guys, before we get into that, we're going to take a quick break and talk about Thrive Market. How many of you need a little bit of a refresher on Thrive Market? We've been talking about it for a long time. One of our favorite partners of the show, Thrive Market, your one-stop shop for high-end, high-quality,
Starting point is 00:26:29 and highly discounted groceries, household supplies, beauty supplies, supplements, and most importantly, my smoothie supplies. Most importantly, dates. We love the dates from Thrive Market. Michael has been making this smoothie. If you have not watched my Instagram story, boy, are you missing out. People thought you were on crack cocaine. My smoothie is basically as addictive as crack cocaine. Throw a little athletic greens in there, some celery, a couple of dates, Thrive dates, and boom.
Starting point is 00:26:56 Well, there's a lot more in that smoothie. But guys, one thing I want to tell you, I get all of these supplies. Lauren gets all these supplies from ThriveMarket.com because we do not have the time to go to the grocery store and go up and down the aisles. Thrive Market makes it easy. You get high quality, like I said, highly discounted groceries, all sourced from the best places at Thrive Market. The other day I had $50.
Starting point is 00:27:17 I gave myself a $50 budget on Thrive to spend and my cart was full of like 15 things. It was wild. I was getting Michael's beef jerky, some popcorn, the kettle corn specifically. It's so good. Raw almond butter, dates, the whole thing. You can also get my favorite fiber gummies, Sweet Smarts. You know what else Thrive's really helped me with? Picking smart and healthy snacks. I no longer go up the grocery aisles and grab all the bad things. I grab all the alternative healthy snacks from Thrive Market because they have it all sourced there. Yeah, they really have the best products. And also like who goes to the grocery aisles and grab all the bad things. I grab all the alternative healthy snacks from Thrive Market because they have it all sourced there. Yeah, they really have the best products and also like who goes to the grocery store anymore. It's just not efficient for time. It's
Starting point is 00:27:52 so much easier to have it delivered straight to your door. It takes the middleman out of it. You know you're being healthy. You feel good about yourself. I am obsessed with Thrive Market. I don't think I'll shop anywhere else ever again. And guys, like I said, everything is 25 to 50% below retail, which is the most important part. We also have a TSC dedicated Thrive page. It has all my favorites. You're going to find Justin's Almond Butter, Rao's Marinara, the spicy one, and Organic Coconut Oil. All you guys have to do is go to thrivemarket.com slash skinny, shop your heart out. You're going to love it. You're going to get access to all quality organic foods straight to your door. Again, guys, that's thrivemarket.com slash skinny for 25% off your first order plus free shipping. That's thrivemarket.com slash skinny. Okay. But do you sit on the floor and
Starting point is 00:28:34 cut out? How does it, do you take pictures? Like how does the whole, when you get on set that day, I'm sure you come prepared. It sounds like you're a prepared person. So what are those things that you have? Is it a binder? Is it a poster board? Like what is it pictures? Have you guys already dressed up? Like what does that look like before the prep for it? Yeah. Well, you've said two things specifically that we definitely did do. We did sit on the floor and like talk about the idea. And we just said they had all this like fruit everywhere. We're just like animals were everywhere. She had her pig. It was just like, it was like a farm and it was so much fun. And we just sat on the floor and we just talked through everything. And then from there, I put together what's called a treatment, which is really just sort of like a creative sort of sales pitch on like what it is we're
Starting point is 00:29:15 going to be making. And it has pictures in it. And it's like a beautiful sort of display, like PDF document that is, you know, writing out like what it is we're making, the tone of it, and then like tons of photos and sort of reference images of the look and feel. And obviously for this one, we had a really good base, which was the films. So there was like, you know, pulls from that and, and we had like, you know, fashion and how can we make it Ariana? So from there, I just, you know, it's a, it's a huge long process, but to sort of like sum it up. What is that? Like, what is the link from start to finish and how long something like this takes well usually in music videos it's very very very fast we have like no time at all we're lucky if we get a week to prep the job which is really really
Starting point is 00:29:54 insane considering the crew can be like a hundred people cast can be another hundred and then you have multiple locations multiple wardrobe looks and tons of moving parts so and the record company sets like helps finances and set this up or how do you guys yeah the label will pay for the will pay for the video and just like a little bit of like a like a briefing of like how you this all sort of comes together is usually how it works is it's not what i just described you normally in a director and an artist don't just have that you know hey come over and let's figure out what we're going to make and then the label just gives us the money usually there's like a budget and an artist don't just have that, you know, hey, come over and let's figure out what we're going to make. And then the label just gives us the money. Usually there's like a budget and they have a single and there's a whole plan. And then, okay, which director should we go out
Starting point is 00:30:33 to to write a treatment? And then the directors write a treatment. But this is why Ariana Grande is so relevant because she's not doing what everyone else is doing. She's doing it her own way. It sounds like you guys are also friends on top of it, which is like a whole different layer to the music video. And I think that that's why it resonates. It's like creating content the old way is not working for the new way. And she goes where attention goes. That's so, and that's why she's smart. Yeah. No, it is so, that's so accurate because it's so great. And I think the more, and I always say this, the more successful, I think a video is the most successful when it's so authentic to the artist. And as simple as that concept sounds like, oh, that's easy. Just make it, just make it like them. No, it really has to
Starting point is 00:31:15 come from first the song, like, is the song great? Because without the song, you don't have a great video, period. But if this, if the concept and like the timing of everything is not really in the pocket for the artist, I just don't think it's going to be as successful. Well, especially when you get a bunch of people, executives in somebody's ear saying like, this is what I think, this is what I think. That's not your job, right? Your job is to operate or run a business and bring deals, not get in the creative process. Yeah. I mean, there's certain departments at record labels that do facilitate how a video is made and they have, and they have their job for a reason. And I think, you know, they've given me a lot of opportunity to like be in a position to where I
Starting point is 00:31:51 can be, you know, on Ariana Grande's floor talking about thank you next. So there is a, there is purpose for that. I just think that when artists are able to, and not all artists are like this, not all artists do like have that full picture, like 360 view of their brand and what they want to do. She's a specifically a case where she knows she's 10 steps ahead and she knows what she wants to do all the time. So when you walk in, do you have a poster board and a binder or how do you know what shots to shoot? Like, like I want to know, is it in your calendar? Get, take me to the micro. Yeah. So from there we have, you know, the treatment that we're going to do. We have our shoot days that we're,
Starting point is 00:32:30 you know, we're, we're gearing up to go after and we find locations, which, you know, takes a long time. We have our cast. And then I have all these sort of references I put together more specifically down to like, okay, what is the school going to look like? What are the posters going to look like on the wall? What are the backpacks going to look like that these extras have? What is their wardrobe going to look like? What's their hair and makeup references? And I kind of put together all these different things that have, you know, that are just like these really cool visual aids that I distribute. Cause really the biggest part of being a director is being able to communicate a vision and an idea. So my job is really to sort of curate all these sort of mood boards and distribute them to the right
Starting point is 00:33:10 departments. And then we put together a schedule, which takes a long time. And we sort of come up with a plan of attack. And then I do go to set with the binder because it has like everything in it. And I like a physical copy because I find it's much faster to just walk into a room and then be like, no, I wanted the eyeliner like this. And I can show the page and the picture and I can get really, really specific. And I think there's a time and place for that sort of specificity. And I love to sort of be collaborative with the people I bring on and hire. But I like to also have like a really strong idea of what it is that I want to do, you know, even before going to set. So everybody has a strong, you know, vision as well. So what happens after the success of that video in your personal life? Yeah, that was definitely, I'm sure that was a game changer. You're overwhelmed. No, it was a
Starting point is 00:33:55 moment. It was a really cool time because it was a, it was a cool time when it's, it's cool when it lines up with also, like I said, the song and that was a, it was like a moment in pop culture for the song, for her, it really opened up and you hit it said, the song. And that was it was like a moment in pop culture for the song for her, it really opened up and you hit it earlier how it like brought up all this nostalgia. And I think it was, it was a time where people were really craving that sort of like comfort of nostalgia, you know, and I think it really opened up her audience. And it brought in fans that were maybe not quite as young and it brought in guys, it brought in like older people that were like into the films back when they came out and it just really started a conversation around just like pop culture and
Starting point is 00:34:30 why is nostalgia so big right now like all of a sudden like nostalgia became like a thing and um so that was really cool to sort of be a part of but like you know why i think nostalgia is big right now and maybe i'm wrong but i was i was thinking about it the other day i was watching this this show and they like had this breakfast cereal it's like old breakfast show that we all used to have I think that information comes at us so fast no there's so much such an influx of it and at the time you know we were all growing up when our parents were growing up it's comforting but also the information was limited right there was like these specific shows these specific brands you could only see a few of them especially in like a grocery store you can only have x amount
Starting point is 00:35:04 of shelf space if you're watching Disney or Nickelodeon like you only see a few of them especially in like a grocery store you can only have x amount of shelf space if you're watching disney or nickelodeon like you only see a few shows and now there's so many options that i don't think that there's necessarily something as a society younger people are banding around to be like that's our thing that's what i'm gravitating towards we're like yeah i pulled up this i don't know if you remember this show like some stupid intro of that show salute your shorts back in the day yeah and exactly taylor you gotta insert the theme song to salute your shorts in here just little like some stupid intro of that show, Salute Your Shorts back in the day. I love that show. Exactly. Stop, Taylor. You got to insert the theme song to salute your shorts in here.
Starting point is 00:35:29 Just little things like that, where like that song could come on and Lauren would be like, oh my God, it'll take you back to childhood. I don't know. Maybe there's a few things, but I think a lot of the kids now they have access to so many different things that we're not all centralized consuming just a few different things. Okay. Whose idea was it to have Krisris jenner in the video
Starting point is 00:35:45 and just can we talk about how iconic that was yeah yeah it was definitely ariana's because we um we were like oh should we get amy poehler we definitely tried to get we wanted to get a lot of like the cast um from the films because we thought it'd be really fun to like have like a little cameo of like the actual person right and they still they still say no, like even with that success? And then as we were like going through the process of like just sort of naming people, we were like, oh, Kris Jenner. And Ariana had the idea. And I think she just shot her a text, you know?
Starting point is 00:36:19 And at that point, I think Jennifer Coolidge and her were like DMing because Ariana does a really good Jennifer Coolidge impression. So and then she just like DMed her like right then like hey I'm doing this video I really want you in it and it became like this like really fast moving fast moving thing and it was it was really cool just to see like her reach and just how excited she got about it and we got Jonathan Bennett from Mean Girls and then we got one of the extras not extra we got Jonathan Bennett from Mean Girls. And then we got one of the extras. Not extra. We got one of the character types from Mean Girls. The army pants and flip flops girl. We got her to be in it. And it was just fun to go after some of the people.
Starting point is 00:36:53 But then also make it personal to Ariana by using her friends. You know, more in line with the culture and moment of today. Are you nervous when they're like, oh, you're going to be filming and directing Ariana Grande's Thank You, Next video? And by the way, can Keeping Up with the Kardashians also come in and film Kris Jenner? Like, there's so much happening. Like, the stimulation. You must have been exhausted the next day.
Starting point is 00:37:15 Oh, my God. No, I go into what's called a set hangover afterwards. And it's a real thing. It's worse than a hangover because you can't just cure it with, like, some Advil. I get it when I do, like, a meetup or a live speech. i know exactly what you're talking about you need to recharge adrenaline thing and i'll be just like in pain like and that gets somebody has to come over with an iv drip like it's i can't even like leave my bed it's awful and because you're operating on a lot of adrenaline yeah and i'd never drink enough water but now that i'm like starting to like drink more water it's like a
Starting point is 00:37:42 little less but yeah the adrenaline is really what gets you. But yeah. So the pressure of that, knowing that this is like such a moment, cause it is rare when you're on set and you're like, oh, this is a big deal. Like you don't go into something like, yeah, this is going to be the shit. Like you just don't like, that's stupid. But for this one, it was definitely a different thing. And I've never experienced that before. And I think it was just a lot of preparation and knowing that I'm covered and can like really like cover myself if something were to go wrong, because it always does. You never have all the time you need. You never have all the things that you need. You never have enough money.
Starting point is 00:38:20 You never have enough resources. As big as our budget was, you never have all the things to really execute in the way that it should be. So you're constantly being thrown curve balls and you never know what's going to come up. So the more prepared I am, the more I feel like I can handle whatever's thrown at me. And then, yeah, I'm going to be on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Sure. Just make sure I have somebody there to do my hair. And I'd love light to follow me around. I want to know. So I want to know what happens after the success of that video, because I imagine other artists, prominent artists in the space. Oh, wow. Look how that thing just crushed it. Did they start reaching out, trying to poach or how does that all work
Starting point is 00:38:57 for you? Like, what do you know what to say? Yes. And no to no. Yeah. It's tricky. And I'd like to say like, oh yeah, not all the artists are after me. No, they're not. Like, it's more like, oh, she's it's tricky. And I'd like to say like, oh, yeah, now all the artists are after me. No, they're not. Like, it's more like, oh, she's Ariana's director. So they kind of like stay away. Wait a minute, though. Wait a minute. I saw that you just shot Kylie Skin.
Starting point is 00:39:14 And you might correct me. Is the word shot or direct? I say both. Like, yeah, I shot that. OK. Obviously, I didn't. Everybody who knows like. And that was major.
Starting point is 00:39:21 It was so cute. So did Chris see you directing thank you next and then say hey hannah can you also come do carly skin while you're at it yeah no it's funny i really feel like you never know what jobs are going to lead you to what which goes back to you know even when you're starting out as like a tangible piece to like take away from this like you really should be saying yes to everything and do it with like a really great attitude because you never know what's going to lead to something else. Well, you also don't know who you're like.
Starting point is 00:39:47 I think you can even take that down to the micro and say you never know who you're going to meet. And you have to think about every interaction as what it's going to be later, even if you think it's not important or that person's not important. Totally. You never know like how like, oh, this PA randomly from like five years ago is now going to be part of like the music department at some random, like, you know,
Starting point is 00:40:05 company, you never know what's going to happen. So it's really important just to say, really stay a good person. It's like those people, you know, when you meet them and they're at, we, Lauren and I call them like the,
Starting point is 00:40:14 the over the shoulder lookers where they, they meet you, but maybe you're in like a setting where there's more important people and they're looking over your shoulder waiting to meet the next. Those people are always fucked. I call that a lily padder. That's a lily padder. You know, like a frog goes to lily pad to lily pad waiting to meet the next. Those people are always fucked. I call that a lily padder. That's a lily padder. You know, like a frog goes to lily pad to lily pad to get to the other lily pad.
Starting point is 00:40:29 I like that because there's been a few instances where I can like even think of right now where I've met people and like, but this was like four years ago. And like, I met people at something and they were like, oh, hey, yeah, yeah. And they're like looking behind me for the next person. And I'm just like, I remember you. And like, it's, listen, it's not a big deal. I'm not like losing sleep over it, but it's funny. I totally remember them
Starting point is 00:40:52 and I wouldn't like choose to work with them. We experience it. Somebody will come on the show, we'll have them on. And then they're like, okay, maybe. And then later, like, you know, the show grows and then they'll come back around and say, oh, actually now I want it. And it's like, get the fuck out of here, man. You know what I mean? It's part of the game though. It's fine, you know the show grows and then they'll come back around and say oh actually now i want it and it's like get the fuck out of here man yeah it's part of the game though it's
Starting point is 00:41:08 it's fine you know it happens but i liked it i always say the reason those people are fucked is because you know like it's not linear right like you could start on let's just say there's levels like level one to ten somebody could be on level one but before you know it they could jump to level 10 and if you treated them like shit when they're at level one like now that they're level 10 they're not going to come back you never know like where someone's going to go i always tell michael i'm like i don't ever want to be interviewing someone on this podcast because of the number of followers they have if they can provide tangible takeaways to the audience we always put the audience first then i'm happy and not even if
Starting point is 00:41:42 they have 100 followers no you guys are so great at that. Like your episodes have lots of value. Sometimes there's people that have no following but they just have a really interesting story. So that's what we hope to do. Who has been the worst person
Starting point is 00:41:55 to work with if you're allowed to say? I can't say that. You can't say that. You're crazy. I'll tell you off air. Okay. I'll Instagram.
Starting point is 00:42:02 I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Okay. Who's been the best person to work with besides Ariana Grande? What does it rhyme with? No. Who's been the best person to work with? Can you imagine?
Starting point is 00:42:13 Yes, I can imagine. Okay. I'd say, I mean, I love working with people who have a strong vision for themselves because I feel like we're able just to get really specific about what they want to say and do in their video. I just worked with Halsey on her video for Nightmare. And that was a really cool moment because that was like very much about like female empowerment. And it was, and it had all the makings of something that could really make a lot of noise for her. And so it was fun to work with her on a project where she was like coming back out again in a way that she had you know
Starting point is 00:42:45 been on her last project and now this is going to be the beginning of her next thing and she had a really strong vision for herself and um she was able to really focus in on like characters she wanted to be in ways she wanted to look and like a world that she wanted the video to live in so i love to work with an artist who can kind of give me that that like those starting points and to then so then i can collaborate with them further to then, you know, create something again, that's very authentic to them. But that, but not, like I said, not all artists are like that. I work with another artist named Anne Marie who yes, has like a strong idea for herself. And she's like so, so, so talented and a really great performer, but maybe we're not having these
Starting point is 00:43:22 really in-depth conversations about what the concept is. But when I work with her, I feel like she's just really engaged and she gives me something on camera that's just so special. Like it really, like she's just so good. It just like touches your heart and it feels like sunshine wrapping all around you. When you directed Kylie Skin, was it something that you worked with her directly on or is it something that they gave you the idea? They said, this is what I want to do. And then you went and directed it. For that one, it was a very last minute situation. Like I i got the call on it like on a friday and we shot on monday yeah but she had been working with somebody on the set design for a while i think and they were just sort of keeping that in their back pocket but they didn't know
Starting point is 00:43:57 when they wanted to execute it so um that was something where um it was i was interviewing the family like separately on like what skin care was like for them growing up and sort of their skin routine and really sort of just sort of like probing them with things where they could just talk about skin and confidence and creating a story more broadly around skin and not so specifically around Kylie's skincare line. So that one was really sort of a conversation with her and her team. Okay, what's the goal here? Okay, we wanna talk about skin. We wanna talk about confidence. Great, and I'll create some questions
Starting point is 00:44:33 that can sort of like lead into some of those answers that will create a story that's like one to two minutes long. And then we wanted to do some beauty shots of her. And then we wanted to see a tutorial where Kylie and her friends and, and Chris were able to sort of use the products. And so we had the idea to, you know, remove the mirror and have the camera where the mirror would be and to have them sort of like
Starting point is 00:44:54 washing their face in a real sink and then like looking up to cameras if that were the mirror. So that one, it was just kind of like, what do we want to hit? Like, what are like the sort of bullets we want to get out of this? And then, okay, let me see how I can like make that happen for you. And then what's the look and feel that you're going for? Great. Let me get with the team and we'll execute. What a fun job you have. In a way, you are a content creator. Like you're, I mean, in a way, no, no, no, no. But like a content creator, when you hear that you think blogger nowadays, you are a complete content creator. That's, I wouldn't even describe you as a music director. Like you're, you create content for a living. Yeah. I mean, at first, well, when I, when I started out really, I was like, oh yeah, I'm a music video director.
Starting point is 00:45:33 And now I'm like, well, I'm not really like a film director. Cause I don't just do like film and I haven't done like a narrative, like a feature yet, but I'm a director, but then like, oh, director of what? Director of sales, director of marketing. And so it becomes like this. Okay. Titles are really difficult in 2019. It's been a big, like, you know. You're whatever the fuck you want to be. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:45:50 I'm a direct, I'm like a creative director. The hardest time when people ask like what I do. Oh, I'm sure. I don't know. Just say you're Lauren's husband. Well, listen, for a long time, I think that's how people, you know, we're living in a time now where you, you know, for there's like bugs have a single focus in their life, right? Like if you're an ant that you have a single focus, if you're a bee,
Starting point is 00:46:08 there's, but humans, you evolve over time. Right. So it's true. Right. So like, I think for a long time, people strive mosquitoes in our house right now, and they strive to have this singular focus in this one thing they were good at forever. But, you know, like the Romans, you go... From ants to Romans. I love it. Well, you go, you know, maybe you started as like you were in school and then you became a soldier and went to war. And then maybe later you go and you come back and you operate a business. And then later you participate in the Senate and politics. And then later you become a philosopher. Like, that's like, that was the scope of their life. And I think that's what people are getting back to is they're saying, okay, I could be this thing to start. And then I evolved to this and this and this.
Starting point is 00:46:46 Yeah. I don't think you want to strive for a singular focus anymore. Like I said, that's where the birds. Yeah. I think what's really helped me in my career is being multifaceted and having a lot of skills. Like I'm able to edit my videos, which I do. I'm able to, I'm able to like look at something and be like, oh yes, the style is great. This makeup is great. This would look really good on this person. I'm able to like look at somebody and be like, yes, that's going to be great. Let's put more of that, more of that, less of that. And I'm able to really sort of assess the look of something. And I think that comes down to taste as well. But I'm also able to like take photos. I'm able to edit what the photo looks like. I'm able to sort of like put together a
Starting point is 00:47:20 visual treatment that can be impressive to show that I have taste and, you know, that shows that I can be on the same wavelength as them and able to communicate that. And I think if you limit yourself just to one thing, when you're starting out, you could really like, you know, it could really do you a disservice. You're obviously very successful. I know you're married too. What's an ideal morning for you? If you're at home, I know you're traveling a lot, but if you're at home, is there anything that sets you up for success? Oh my God. It's so, I was just telling my friend this right now because I, right now, everything in my life is
Starting point is 00:47:54 so chaotic and I hate that right now. I feel you. It's driving me crazy. Like everything. I have like an unpacked suitcase. It's just like very much chaotic. And I don't have a home office right now because we're redoing everything. And so an ideal morning and what sets me up for success is organization and having like a really good grip on and simplifying. I think I'm just getting rid of more and more clothes like every single day, I feel like, because I'm like, oh, I'm not going to want to wear this to some random thing, maybe in a year, like it's in my way. So I think like simplifying things. Ideal mornings. I have to work out really, really, really early because if I don't, I may not get to it.
Starting point is 00:48:32 What time do you wake up? I wake up at 5.50. What? 5.45. Hold on. 5.50. What time do you go to bed? I mean, if I'm lucky, like 10.30.
Starting point is 00:48:41 You and Michael, man. No. No, no, no. I'm going to get you on the early train the early no i like a 7 a.m wake up don't fuck with my sleep this is not by choice like i mean it is because i'm doing it but listen if i had it my way i'd wake up at 8 i'd work out like at 11 i'd start my work around 3 but no if i don't if i don't prioritize like getting that shit done out of the way then i who knows if i'll be able to get to it because in my job, I don't get to plan my
Starting point is 00:49:05 day. I get things thrown at me all day. Yes, I can plan my day with like on certain days. I'll be like, okay, I have a meeting after this. I have a color session tonight. Like that's what I'm doing after this. But, but tomorrow I have nothing on the calendar like scheduled, but I'm probably going to be thrown something. And so if I'm thrown something and I haven't worked out yet then like i'm not going to be able to do it so i have to do it first thing it's literally just going on the offense right because for me it's the same thing it's like here we go you're gonna get on your soapbox but if you're up in your head and you get all your shit done then once people throw things at you you're not on the defense i don't want to fuck up my hormones and i feel like for me i need to wake up up at seven. Like it just, I eat more if I don't,
Starting point is 00:49:46 Michael, I know my body. No, I wish I had that luxury. Like you're in a very cool spot. Yes, I'm sure you're like, it's going to change though. When I launched product, I know that. Yeah. I know you're like the biggest woman in the world, but like for me, I just can't, I don't have the luxury of like being, Oh, this is, I get to like dictate what my afternoon looks like i my job is really to feel the text from an artist oh i have to go to that thing now like it's it's well you could coming up this is what i'm saying you could you could have that life you could do that but then you're sacrificing the other things right like yeah well it's just like for me i could do the same thing i could get up at like 10 30 11 maybe 12 roll out of bed maybe like take a walk
Starting point is 00:50:24 yeah i think the sacrifice would be i would not be able to work out like that would but i'm saying same thing. I could get up at like 10, 30, 11, maybe 12, roll out of bed, maybe like take a walk. Yeah. I think the sacrifice would be, I would not be able to work out like that. But I'm saying you might like the sacrifice could also be, you wouldn't have all the opportunities that you've had. And that's what I'm saying. The thing about doing difficult things and having mental toughness and doing things that other people won't do is it sets you up for opportunities that other people won't get. Is this a job at me? No, it's not. It's just, it's just the truth, right? Like, like when I think about like, if there was somebody competing with me and they're like, okay, well, you're going to get up at five and I'm going to get up at eight and like, I'm going to work at my pace. You're going to work at yours. I'm like, yes. And see how that ends,
Starting point is 00:50:54 right? Because if it, if it comes down to like, you're going to work with me, you're going to work with the person who's doing the other strategy. Like probably that person will end up working with me as the way they would end up working with you. And my only point is to give yourself a competitive edge over people that aren't willing to try to take that edge. Okay, maybe I'll wake up at 630 tomorrow. I want to ask you a personal question because I always ask personal questions on this show. Has your life with the people that you grew up with or family or people that have been close to you, has that been difficult? It's a good question. I'm starting to think about a lot of the relationship
Starting point is 00:51:25 that you built and it's relationships that I'm sure a lot of people would like to have oh god the fake cough and just get it out get it out I did I'm starting to wonder how has that impacted some of your personal relationships I'm sure there's been some people that have been completely supportive and I think maybe there's also been some people that it's been a difficult transition or some people that are like all like this is my favorite hey lauren i was in your second grade class two things to the back oh actually it was the other teacher yeah you maybe remember me we played on the playground once i'm like what i'm asking you sometimes with with what you're doing can you promote my products oh gosh yeah i'm wondering
Starting point is 00:52:04 if that's impacted some of your personal relationships. Yeah, what are the dynamics? Yeah, I think it really affected my relationships in the beginning of my career, like a lot, because I was always canceling. Not like the people I'm, let's like take away like the last few years, right? But in order to really make it in this business, and I think we're kind of touching on this, you really do have to sacrifice a lot and you have to give up a lot of time to like the last minute things. So if I were to have dinner plans and my girlfriends and I that I've known for 10 years who I met in LA,
Starting point is 00:52:32 if I were to have dinner plans with them and it got to a point where I had to cancel all the time, if they got angry that I had to keep canceling and then all of a sudden like they'd be like, well, you know what? We're not going to be friends anymore. I'm like, fine. Like, that happened so many times. That's why you're friends with Krista. She gets it. Oh, my God. Girl, she gets it. She gets it.
Starting point is 00:52:50 Like, that happened so many times, like, growing up here in LA. I mean, you know, I had my, like, formative years here, I'd say. So I feel like I'm, like, kind of from here in a way, even though I moved here, like, 18. But that happened a lot. Like, a lot of friendships ended. A lot of relationships really suffered because of it. And it's the people who stuck around. Like I have a best friend who I've had since I was 17 years old.
Starting point is 00:53:12 And she like totally gets it. Like everybody I'm friends with now, like they get it. And they're maybe also in the same sort of position to where they have to like get up and go or like cancel something last minute because something comes up. And that's really the nature of this industry, not my specific job, but like the entertainment industry of things coming up. So, I mean, if anything, it's weeded out people that, you know, maybe we're not going to be a good fit long term, which is great. And I mean, my husband, he's my producer. He's my executive producer.
Starting point is 00:53:40 So we work together, which is fantastic. How is that? It's in the beginning of the really, we met working. Okay. He produced a video that I directed almost eight years ago. And it was very instant. He had a girlfriend at the time. I like, it was like, I was a mess.
Starting point is 00:53:57 They called me Hurricane Hannah back then. And we met and it was like instant. I'm like, oh my God, why haven't we been best friends before? Like, why weren't we best friends? Like, it was like a very instant, like, oh my God, why haven't we been best friends before? Like, why weren't we best friends? Like, it was like a very instant, like, oh my God, this is amazing. We're going to be friends forever. This is great. And then we started to hang out more and hang out more.
Starting point is 00:54:11 I'm like, oh no, you're going to be my husband. You're going to break up with that girl. And which I made him do. And so what I'm trying to get to is that I found people in my life who are now my closest friends and really my family. And it's a really tight group. Like I don't have like a million people. We had like 60 people at our wedding. And it's those people that sort of get it and understand the lifestyle and support it and are not going to be like weirded out or angry at me for canceling dinner the night of. Well, I think this happens on every level, especially with young people,
Starting point is 00:54:42 right? You run around, it's like your little your little your little gang and then you maybe get a relationship or you get a job or you and like people get so pissed like this is not i i was sitting with lauren and west another day and i was and we were joking around and you know we i was like listen i don't want to spend the rest of my life just with you too like i need to evolve and it's like i love them and i want to be with them who are you gonna hang out the But the point is, we're constantly improving and growing as people. And I think that the people closest to you that love you the most can understand and appreciate that. And the ones that maybe don't or maybe they're for selfish reasons, they don't get it, right?
Starting point is 00:55:15 You have to let people evolve and go on their path in life. Yeah. What's one piece of advice you would give our millennial audience? Oh my gosh. Okay. So I'm going to take a little tangent here because the millennial audience i love you guys but you can't cut the line you have to put in the work you cannot cut the line just end the show now that's good like taylor pull this clip like i
Starting point is 00:55:38 think millennials today and the people just graduating think they can just like jump right into something that you've built, like been doing like for maybe 15 years and think that you have like are entitled to just be up there doing it. And I'm like, no, like you don't see all the hustle and crazy hard work and sacrifices that all these people have done. And yes, there's talent that can sort of like jump ahead and like sort of like get you noticed, like, you know, when you're, when you're younger, which is great. And like young talent and fresh talent is great, but that doesn't make you, that you know when you're when you're younger which is great and like young talent and fresh talent is great but that doesn't make you that doesn't you're not entitled enough to sort of just stay there in a way that's like you you have to put in the work and i think a lot
Starting point is 00:56:15 of young people today don't put in the work well nobody owes you anything nobody owes me anything nobody owes you anything nobody owes lauren anything taylor like that's what people need to understand like your mom and dad don't know you anything your friends don't know you anything the public doesn't know you anything you have to put in the work it's like baking a cake you need a little patience a little execution a lot of execution um you need what you were just saying like you can't cut the line i don't know what that would be called like patience i guess in my experience too when you in in instances in my personal life i won't speak everybody, when you do cut the line, it's short-lived. Yeah. And usually it's a painful fall. Yeah. I'd have to go that. It's a short-lived,
Starting point is 00:56:51 like a blip. But I think how you, I think the consistency of quality is what's going to make you get noticed in a way that will be long lasting and actually worth it and pay off. Book, resource, podcast you would recommend to our audience that you think would bring them value? Well, yours. Thank you. No, I really do think you guys are doing an amazing job. And every episode is just jam-packed with value
Starting point is 00:57:16 and fun takeaways. We have fun with it. Very entertaining. There was a book I just read that I really, really loved. It is by Abby Wambach, who is a former Olympian soccer player. And she is somebody who retired a couple years ago, and she wrote this fantastic book called Wolfpack. Wolfpack. sort of like a new rule book is sort of what she's calling it for young women and women everywhere. And you could read it and love it too, Michael. But it's a book that really sort of, it's really great tangible takeaways of like how to really just lead and be a leader in whatever circumstance
Starting point is 00:57:58 you may be in and really to really shine light on putting in the work. And yeah, it's really, really great. I can't say enough good things about her message. Wolfpack. Yeah. All right. I'm going to get that. I feel like I need that. Where can everyone find you?
Starting point is 00:58:14 Pimp yourself out. Instagram, website, everything. You can find me on Instagram at HannahLuxDavis. And my website is HannahLuxDavis.com. And yeah. And it's Lux with L-U-X. L l-u-x what's your next project you're working on what's the next one i have some things coming up with ariana grande and a couple unexpected projects with her and i also um i'm doing a docuseries on the women's world cup cool which
Starting point is 00:58:40 is happening right now which is why i'm also obsessed with abby wombach and yeah killing it thank you so much for coming on. You're amazing. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for coming on the show. Wait, don't go. We are still doing the giveaway for Primal Kitchen. We are going to pick the winner on Friday.
Starting point is 00:58:55 So make sure you enter before then. All you have to do to win a basket of $300 goodies from Primal Kitchen is go to my latest Instagram at the Skinny Confidential and tell us your favorite Primal Kitchen product. So easy. Guys, they're going to pick three of you to win each $300 Primal Kitchen filled goodie basket. So head over to my Instagram at the Skinny Confidential, tell us your favorite product, and we will pick a winner on Friday. As always, thank you for listening. This episode was brought to you by Thrive Market. Thrive Market
Starting point is 00:59:24 is your one-stop shop for high-end high quality and highly discounted groceries supplements beauty products household supplies thrive market guarantees its customers 25 to 50 below retail on all items because it cuts out the middleman go to thrivemarket.com skinny for 25 off your first order and free shipping again that's thrivemarket.com slash skinny for 25% off your first order and free shipping. When you do that, you'll also be taking the Lauren's page. So you see everything she just talked about.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.