The Furious Curious

Today we’re talking about LINKTOK: Why LinkedIn Is the New Frontier for Creators with special guest Brendan Gahan.

Brendan Gahan is the CEO & Co-Founder of Creator Authority, the first LinkedIn influencer marketing agency.

A pioneer in the creator economy, Gahan has been doing influencer marketing since 2006, launching one of the first YouTube/creator partnerships.

He drove innovation with early TikTok branded hashtag challenges and influencer partnerships for the Obama administration, the Olympics, and numerous Fortune 500 brands.

Gahan contributed to two agency acquisitions, including the sale of Epic Signal, which he founded, to Mekanism, where he became Partner & Chief Social Officer. Mekanism was then acquired in 2022.

His accolades include Forbes 30 Under 30 (Marketing & Advertising), LinkedIn’s Top 10 Voices in the Creator Economy in 2022, and Digiday’s Digital Video Agency of the Year for Epic Signal. Campaigns he led have won multiple industry awards, including One Show, Shortys, Effies, and Cannes Lions.

Gahan sits on the VidCon advisory board and advises and invests in creator economy startups.

In our conversation, Brendan breaks down LinkedIn’s unique advantages for creators, how they can succeed on the platform, and offers a peek into how LinkedIn’s algorithms work. We also discuss growth tactics and predictions you’ll definitely want to hear.

LINKS:

⁠creatorauthority.co⁠

linkedin.com/in/brendangahan

FOLLOW:

⁠Linkedin.com/company/the-furious-curious⁠

CREDITS:

Hosted and produced Britton Rice, along with Alex Detmering, David Harper, Nicole Lazar, and Alexander Woell. Our original logo is by Nate Betts.

©2025 The Furious Curious

Co-host Alex dives deep into the current world of advertising with H/L agency's very own Roselyn Pla, Daisy Serafini, and Dallas Baker. They discuss how the industry has evolved, the impact of data-driven decision-making, the rise of influencer marketing, and the growing influence of AI on creativity. H/L shares insights on breaking into the industry, pushing creative boundaries, and maintaining authenticity in a crowded, fast-paced digital world.

ABOUT H/L

H/L is an independent advertising agency committed to making a lasting impact—for its clients, its people, and the communities it serves. With a mission to meaningfully advance business, careers, and culture, H/L goes beyond great ideas to build momentum that drives real, measurable growth. Every campaign, media strategy, and market gain is part of a bigger vision: to create opportunity and lasting impact.

Headquartered in some of the most culturally rich cities in the U.S. and beyond, H/L draws strength from the diverse perspectives of its team—known as H/Lers. This diversity fuels creativity and brings unexpected insights to every engagement. The agency is deeply connected to the communities where it lives and works, giving back generously and drawing inspiration from the people and places that shape it.

H/L is known for cultivating long-term client relationships—often spanning decades—thanks to its values of inclusivity, adaptability, and relentless pursuit of what’s possible. At its core, H/L is an agency that’s not just based in communities—it’s made by them.

LINKS:

hl.agency

FOLLOW:

⁠Linkedin.com/company/the-furious-curious⁠

CREDITS:

This episode was hosted by Alex Detmering, produced by Britton Rice, Alex Detmering and Nicole Lazar. Videography by Yavor Vesselinov. Our original logo is by Nate Betts.

©2024, ©2025 The Furious Curious

What do 314-mile foot races and viral ad campaigns have in common? In this episode of Furious Curious, Britton and Alex sit down with Andy Pearson — VP of Creative at Liquid Death — to unpack how ultra-endurance running informs high-level creative thinking, brand-building, and navigating chaos.

From hallucinating gingerbread men during 100-mile races to directing absurdly brilliant ads for one of today’s most unconventional brands, Andy reflects on why pushing limits physically helps sharpen creative instincts mentally.

This episode explores the meditative power of movement, the cultural rise of ultrarunning, and the importance of playing more — even in a world obsessed with metrics. It’s a lesson in how absurd ideas, when fully committed to, can change the game. 

LINKS:

ievenwrotethissickurl.com

liquiddeath.com

FOLLOW:

Linkedin.com/company/the-furious-curious

CREDITS:

Filmed and edited by Yavor Vesselinov, with additional production by Weston Simpson and Johnny Matlack. Hosted and produced by Britton Rice, David Harper, Alex Detmering, along with Alexander Woell and Nicole Lazar. Original logo is by Nate Betts.

Key Chapters with Timestamps 

[00:01:00] Origins of Ultramarathon Passion – Discover how a book, a hangover, and a mountain view launched Andy’s endurance journey. 

[00:05:00] Ultra as a Response to Creative Burnout – Running became a counterweight to the brutal ad agency grind. 

[00:07:00] Mental Shifts & Emotional Toughness – Why ultrarunning teaches resilience, trust, and calm amidst chaos. 

[00:08:00] Hallucinations & Spiritual Moments – From gingerbread men to skull-shaped rocks — endurance breaks the brain in fascinating ways. 

[00:10:00] The 314-Mile Vol State Race – A survival story of gas station food, shin splints, and driveways for beds. 

[00:14:00] Running as Moving Meditation – Running as active mindfulness, and how it fuels Andy’s creative process. 

[00:20:00] Why Running Isn’t Just Escape — It’s Strategy – How the mind opens up to clarity and inspiration mid-run. 

[00:22:00] The Cultural Rise of Ultrarunning – Tied to economic downturns, social media, and a longing for nature. 

[002600] Creative Crisis Management – On-set chaos mirrors ultrarunning — problem-solving, triage, and focus. 

[00:29:00] The Inner Standard – Why Andy always chooses the weirdest thing on the menu — and how that ethos shapes work and life. 

[00:33:00] Liquid Death as a Character, Not a Brand – Creative decisions come easier when you ask: “What would Liquid Death do?” 

[00:36:00] Dumb Ideas with Brilliant Logic – From $500 cookies to corpse-paint collabs — the genius of taking dumb ideas seriously.

[00:42:00] Contagious Fun & Inviting Others In – Why joy and playfulness are Liquid Death’s ultimate community-building tools. 

[00:47:00] Failing Forward: The Beauty of the DNF – Success is overrated — failure teaches more. Ultramarathons and comedy agree. 

[00:51:00] The Barkley Marathons: Designed to Break You – Andy’s firsthand account of the most infamous, unwinnable race in the world.

Hello Furious Curious listeners. We will be back in ’25 with a slate of new epic episodes and a few suprises. 

In the meantime, we will continue to surface the best of our previous episodes in our feed for you to enjoy, ya know… just in case you missed them the first time.

Enjoy your Q4, we’ll see you soon. And stay curious.

In this episode, The Furious Curious dives into the world of altered states of consciousness and their potential to enhance creativity and problem-solving. Hosts David and Britt discuss techniques for achieving these states without substances, including Gnostic states—altered consciousness reached through singular focus. They explore methods such as holotropic breathwork, sleep deprivation, polyphasic sleep cycles, lucid dreaming, binaural beats, and hypnagogic light sessions.

The hosts share personal insights and experiences, emphasizing the importance of consistency, intention, and journaling for tracking progress and gaining valuable insights.

Takeaways:

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: Unlocking the Power of Altered Consciousness

01:34 Exploring Gnostic States: Achieving Singular Focus

04:08 Understanding Altered States of Consciousness

05:28 Techniques for Inducing Altered States

08:05 Holotropic Breathwork: Breathing to Bypass Ordinary Consciousness

13:01 Sleep Deprivation: Pushing the Limits of Wakefulness

26:45 Polyphasic Sleep Cycles

28:14 Lucid Dreaming

29:52 Reality Checks for Lucid Dreaming

37:31 Binaural Beats

45:07 Hypnagogic Light Sessions

Sources:

Gnosis (Chaos Magic)

Altered State of Consciousness

Breathwork (New Age)

Holotropic Breathwork Research

Altered States Without Drugs

Lucia Light Experience

Ness Labs: Altered States

Sleep Deprivation and Hallucinations

Polyphasic Sleep

The Science of Hypnagogia

Holotropic Breathwork

Lucid Dreaming Techniques

Sleep Cycles Explained

Books:

Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming - Clare R. Johnson, PhD

Holotropic Breathwork - Stanislov & Christina Graf

Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction (2nd Edition) - Susan Blackmore

Follow Us: LinkedIn: The Furious Curious

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Britton Rice, along with David Harper, Alexander Woell, Chase Domergue, Alex Detmering, and Nicole Lazar. Our original logo was designed by Nate Betts.

Music:

“All Comes Crashing” by Metric

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©2024 The Furious Curious

Summary

In this episode, The Furious Curious delves into the world of online gurus, discussing how to avoid becoming a “fluffluencer.” They explore the reasons behind the rise of online gurus, including the demand for simple answers in a complex world and the accessibility of social media. An online guru is defined as an internet personality who offers simple or secret solutions to complex problems. The hosts highlight red flags to watch out for, such as overblown promises, lack of credentials, high-pressure sales tactics, cult-like behavior, lack of transparency, promoting dependency, and an excessive focus on the guru. They also identify green flags, including realistic expectations, credentials and experience, empowerment, ethical conduct, and a focus on personal development.

The episode covers topics like discernment, sharing ideas online without becoming a full influencer, the importance of personal experience, understanding concepts versus real-world application, the dangers of creating bad guys and in-groups/out-groups, using flash for credibility, and using vulnerability at manipulation. The hosts emphasize the importance of self-awareness, humility, and genuine intentions in content creation.

Takeaways

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction: Online Gurus and Fluff Fluencers

09:01 - The Rise of Online Gurus

18:06 - The Education Gap and the Demand for Practical Knowledge

28:46 - Red Flags: How to Spot a Scammy Guru

32:33 - Green Flags: Signs of a Legitimate Online Guru

35:27 - The Difficulty of Calling Out Red Flags

37:22 - Navigating Negative People and Cutting Them Out

38:21 - Sharing Ideas Online Without Being a Full Influencer

39:45 - The Importance of Personal Experience

41:39 - Understanding Concepts vs. Real-World Application

47:52 - Avoiding the Creation of Bad Guys and In-Groups/Out-Groups

51:59 - The Pitfalls of Using Flash for Credibility

53:49 - The Manipulation of Vulnerability

Follow

LinkedIn - The Furious Curious

Credits

Hosted and produced by Britton Rice, with David Harper, Alexander Woell, Chase Domergue, Alex Detmering, and Nicole Lazar. Original logo by Nate Betts.

Music

“Cult of Personality” by In Living Colour

Sources

Fake Online Gurus: The Art of Deception

Economic Distress Stimulates Religious Fundamentalism

A Plague of Gurus: How the Internet Was Flooded with Fake Success

YouTube: The Art of Deception

LinkedIn: Jason Vana

_______________

©2024 The Furious Curious

Exploring empathy fatigue and its impact on creators. Understanding the differences between empathy, sympathy, and compassion, as well as the symptoms of empathy fatigue.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Introduction: Empathy Fatigue and Its Impact on Creators

10:20 - Chapter 1: Recognizing Audience Exhaustion

17:01 - Chapter 2: Creating Calming Content

20:26 - Chapter 3: Embracing In-Person Experiences

24:21 - Chapter 4: Avoiding Empathy Fatigue as a Creator

31:36 - Chapter 5: Cultivating Empathy

35:24 - Chapter 6: Connecting with Your Audience

FOLLOW:

LinkedIn - The Furious Curious

CREDITS:

Hosted and produced by Britton Rice, with contributions from David Harper, Alexander Woell, Chase Domergue, Alex Detmering, and Nicole Lazar. Our original logo was created by Nate Betts.

KEYWORDS:

empathy fatigue, creators, empathy, sympathy, compassion, symptoms, audience exhaustion, calming content, in-person experiences, emotional energy, writing exercises, mindfulness meditation, understanding audience

MUSIC:

“Emotion” (Curls)

SOURCES:

_______________

©2024 The Furious Curious

The Dead Internet Theory is an online conspiracy theory that asserts much of today’s internet activity is generated by bots and AI rather than real people.

This week, Chase, Harper, and Alexander break down Dead Internet Theory, why it’s important, and what it means to create in the age of AI.

This is The Furious Curious podcast, where we explore culture to inspire creators.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:20 - Definition

06:00 - Examples

07:40 - Suspending Disbelief

10:10 - Youth and the Digital World

12:30 - Downsides

13:20 - What the Bots Say About the Bots

14:20 - Hypotheticals

15:20 - The Alternatives That May Re-emerge

19:05 - Reasons Why: A Premium on Human-Made

21:40 - Reasons Why: The Rise of Large Language Models (LLMs)

23:15 - Reasons Why: The ’16 Election

24:20 - Media Literacy

26:10 - The Evolution of Twitter (X)

27:15 - “The Inversion”

29:40 - Reasons Why: Do Social Media Companies Love Bots?

31:10 - Reasons Why: The Rise of Fake Images

35:52 - The Creative Opportunity

FOLLOW: LinkedIn

SOURCES:

Wikipedia: Dead Internet Theory

Springer Article

New York Magazine: How Much of the Internet Is Fake?

The Atlantic: Dead Internet Theory

YouTube Video

CREDITS:

Hosted and produced by Britton Rice, along with David Harper, Alexander Woell, Chase Domergue, Alex Detmering, and Nicole Lazar. Our original logo is by Nate Betts.

©2024 The Furious Curious

Can K-Pop inspire copywriters? Does pickleball explain virality? Are comic books a branding masterclass? 

We think so. 

Because we believe curiosity creates opportunity, wonderful ideas hide in weird places, and exploring, inspires. 

If you’re like us, you’re a curious creator with a culture-wide mindset. You find inspiration outside the lines — even if your work lives inside them. You revere the collective genius of culture because you know it says something new and useful every day if you listen. You ask “why” to truly understand, then ask “why it matters” to apply it.

If this is you, get ready. 

Pack your compass, grab your bag, and join us as we roam cultures’ corners, peaks, and valleys looking for inspiration. We’ll leave no stone unturned, no question unasked, and no territory unmapped in our quest to make sense of the world — so you can make your mark on it.

Welcome to The Furious Curious — we explore culture to inspire creators.