Tom Diaz is the Coordinating Producer at Bright Bay Creative, where he contributes to the production of Netflix automotive TV shows. His first experience in the automotive industry was as a co-owner of a muffler shop in 1992. Despite not knowing what a muffler or catalytic converter were — or how to run a business — Tom’s passion for cars helped him to learn quickly. He found his muffler-related niche in import racing, and mufflers from his shop were routinely featured on the cover of Super Street, an import magazine. He then opened an auto accessory store which laid the path toward helping with the sponsorship of a TV show. 

In this episode…

Were you a fan of the show Pimp My Ride? It aired on MTV for six seasons from 2004 to 2007. Did you notice the difference between seasons 1-4 and seasons 5-6? According to Tom Diaz, who was part of the show’s production team, the show started to go downhill in its fifth season. At that point, he says everything on the show was fake — fake stuff, fake owners, fake cars, and a fake cast. Are you curious about the behind-the-scenes craziness involved with producing that show?

On this episode of Gain Traction, Neal Maier and Matthew Peters are joined by Tom to talk about the making of Pimp My Ride. Tom shares how he broke into the automotive industry and how his journey led him to television production. He explains how he got involved with Pimp My Ride and his experience helping with the show’s production. Tom tells an emotional story about how the owner of Strada Wheels helped him solidify his current role in TV production. Don’t miss this fascinating conversation!

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• Tom Diaz talks about his background and how he got involved in TV production
• Why people working on automotive television shows were often not happy with Tom 
• Tom gets emotional as he shares how his friend helped him start working with Bright Bay Creative
• Which tires has Tom been particularly fond of over the years?
• What are the most exciting things about producing shows like Pimp My Ride?
• The challenges of working with multiple shop owners while creating content

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Tom Diaz on LinkedIn 
• Pimp My Ride
• Street Designs Inc on Instagram
• Strada Wheels 
• Ryan Friedlinghaus IMDb
• Rico Aiello on LinkedIn
• Neal Maier on LinkedIn
• Matthew Peters on LinkedIn
• Tread Partners

Sponsor for this episode...

This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners. 

At Tread Partners, we provide digital marketing for multi-location tire dealers and auto repair shops. 

By using our strategy, branding, and marketing services, we help shops sell more tires and put more cars in bays.  

We’ve helped companies like Action Gator Tire, Colony Tire and Service, and Ulmer’s Auto Care Center bring extreme growth in paid leads, ROI, and searches. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Visit www.treadpartners.com or email [email protected] to learn more.