The Matt Balaker Podcast

The Matt Balaker Podcast

By The Matt Balaker PodcastBusiness
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The Matt Balaker Podcast episodes

  • Pete Karabas on Building Your Career

    Pete Karabas had a steady career in real estate. But he took a different path. Find out why.

    More about Pete Karabas:Pete Karabas is a Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners, where he is responsible for origination, due diligence, and execution of investment opportunities in addition to developing strategic partnerships and fundraising initiatives for the firm. Pete is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of BDSA and sits on the Board of Directors of Front Range Biosciences, two of KEY’s portfolio companies.
    Prior to founding KEY, Pete spent four years as a member of Partners Group’s Private Real Estate Group where he was responsible for originating opportunities, conducting due diligence, and executing portfolio transactions.
    Prior to Partners Group, Pete spent three years at Equity Residential where he focused on the acquisition and asset management of Class A multifamily properties.
    Pete holds a BBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Originally a Chicago native, he moved to Denver in 2016 to help build out Partners Group’s U.S. real estate team. After seeing the growth in the cannabis industry first-hand, Pete pivoted his career to focus on connecting investors with early-stage cannabis companies.

    40 min
  • Barry Katz - Comedy Mogul

    Barry Katz shares his insights on comedy's past, present, and future. Hear his story.

    More About Barry Katz:
    Barry Katz is an Emmy and Grammy nominated TV-film-record producer, talent manager, and podcast host.
    Katz is universally known for representing iconic artists like Louie Anderson, Ken Jeong, Andy Dick, Hasan Minhaj, and Mike Epps, giving the first quality stage time in New York City and Boston to future stars like Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Sarah Silverman, Anthony Clark, Dave Attell, Bobcat Goldthwait, Dana Gould, Timothy Olyphant, Denis Leary, and the late Patrice O’Neal, as well as helping launch the careers of some of the most extraordinary comedy artists in the business—including Dave Chappelle, Nick Swardson, Louie CK, Felipe Esparza, Bill Burr, Frank Caliendo, Marc Maron, Whitney Cummings, Bill Bellamy, Judah Friedlander, Wanda Sykes, Bert Kreischer, Jeff Dye, Jim Gaffigan, Dane Cook, Steve Byrne, Jeffrey Ross, Neil Brennan, and former and present SNL stars Darrell Hammond, Jay Mohr, Melissa Villasenor, Jim Breuer, and Tracy Morgan.
    Throughout his career, Katz has sold 39 out of 40 stand-up comedy specials he produced and has brokered an unprecedented 100 TV development deals, created 3 television shows, and executive produced over 50 different specials, documentaries, reality shows, and scripted series including the YouTube TV produced Telethon for America (with Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Jennifer Lawrence, Pete Davidson, Alicia Keys, Charlize Theron, Ray Romano, Chelsea Handler, and Jane Fonda), NBC’s Whitney, Netflix’s The Road Trick, FOX’s Action, HBO’s Tourgasm, Showtime’s Jay Mohr: Happy. And A Lot, History Channel’s Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery, TBS’s Frank TV, Comedy Central’s Whitney Cummings: Money Shot, CBS’ Welcome to New York (Letterman’s first produced sitcom), HBO’s Heidi Fleiss: The Would-be Madam of Crystal, the syndicated Bellamy/Tim Meadows/Jon Lovitz/Vivica Fox sitcom Mr. Box Office, and 7 seasons of the Emmy-nominated NBC series Last Comic Standing.
    Katz started his involvement in the film business when he helped Chappelle and Neal Brennan (who eventually went on to create Chappelle’s Show) sell the cult classic Half Baked to Universal Studios and went on to produce several films after that, including Employee of the Month (starring Jessica Simpson and Cook), Good Luck Chuck (starring Jessica Alba), My Best Friend’s Girl (starring Kate Hudson and Alec Baldwin), I Killed JFK (about the only living person in history to admit to killing Kennedy), and Misery Loves Comedy (starring Tom Hanks, Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, and Larry David).
    Katz was the first manager to work with a comedy artist to use social media to accelerate their career, with Dane Cook. At the height of his popularity, he was able to press a button on his computer and sell out 2 shows in one night at Boston Garden and 2 shows in one night at Madison Square Garden for a total of 75,000 tickets sold in less than a week—which had never been done before. In the recording world, he has produced Grammy nominated, multiple gold, platinum, and double platinum albums, while becoming the only manager/producer to debut a comedy album in Billboard’s top 5 national charts–twice.
    In other facets of the business, Katz was one of the driving forces and co-founders of Comedy Dynamics, which has become one of the largest independent comedy production and distribution companies in the world. Additionally, he was involved in the original sale of the Emmy-nominated Comedy Central Roasts to the network, which has become one of the longest running, most profitable, annual specials franchises in the history of TV.
    https://www.barrykatz.com/

    1 hr 7 min
  • Danielle Patterson on Art, Business, and Family

    Danielle Patterson exemplifies resourcefulness. She parlayed undiagnosed dyslexia and her father's job loss into a lifelong commitment to networking and learning. Balancing her love for family, art, and business, she is at the forefront of the family office industry. Hear her story.

    MORE ABOUT DANIELLE PATTERSON
    From an early age, I often heard people say, "Danielle, you have a real talent for saving money." Little did many know, my journey held untold stories. By the time I hit 28, my husband and I found ourselves facing the daunting prospect of bankruptcy.
    Let's rewind to my childhood – picture a young me orchestrating yard sales, convincing neighbors to buy odds and ends. Growing up in a bustling household with hardworking parents and three siblings, we were instilled with an unwavering creed: to understand the worth of a dollar and carve your own path.
    As a resourceful Californian, I set my sights on the University of California, Santa Cruz, maneuvering to avoid the hefty expenses of out-of-state tuition. Ingenious financial moves by my dad enabled me to participate in work-study programs, ensuring student debt wouldn't shackle my dreams. After graduation, I found myself managing the gallery of world-renowned National Geographic Photographer, Frans Lanting. Marrying the man of my dreams, and acquiring a home by the West-Cliff shores, everything seemed to fall into place. However, the seismic tremors of the 2008 financial crisis shattered our plans.
    In a bid to preserve our beloved home, we adopted resourcefulness, selling belongings, renting out our house, and setting forth fresh horizons on the East Coast. Grateful for the haven provided by my husband's parents, we toiled relentlessly to rebuild our lives.
    Steering clear of the art world, I found stability in a job that blossomed into a 7-year career, culminating in my role as Business Development Manager. Throughout my tenure, I elevated revenue by an astounding 300%. Despite financial success, a yearning to build something personal persisted.
    Fortune favored me as I partnered with an enterprising Fund Manager who had pioneered several financial service companies, streamlining capital raising. From this collaboration emerged "Family Office List," to which I took the reins, transforming it from a rudimentary Excel product into a dynamic platform, revolutionizing the Family Office intelligence.
    As a founder, funder, mother, wife, and the Chief of Everything, I reflect on my journey spanning diverse fields – from fine art to sales, marketing, business development, and finance – weaving the vibrant fabric of my life connected by threads of resilience, a penchant for meaningful connections, unconventional thinking, and an unwavering growth mindset. Each step carved the path to where I stand today, and for every opportunity, gratitude abounds.
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-patterson-/

    42 min
  • James Peyer on Living Longer, Better

    How can we live longer and healthier? James Payer has dedicated his career to finding out. Hear his story.

    James Peyer is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Cambrian Bio. He also holds multiple board and executive roles across Cambrian’s pipeline. He has spent his entire life dedicated to the mission of finding ways of preventing people from getting diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s instead of waiting for people to get sick. James was previously Founder and Managing Partner at Apollo Ventures, the first global longevity-focused venture capital firm, investing across the US and Europe. Prior to Apollo, James was a biotech R&D specialist at the New York office of McKinsey & Company, serving major pharmaceutical clients. He earned his PhD in stem cell biology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a National Science Foundation Fellow and received his B.A. with special honors from the University of Chicago.

    49 min
  • Flea Market Mogul - Chad Wade

    Chad Wade vowed to never go bankrupt. A stint in the slammer didn't help his job prospects. So he took matters into his own hands. He launched his business at a flea market. Then he built his own own brick and mortar shop. Now he's an entrepreneur, consultant, and YouTuber. Hear his story.

    More about Chad Wade
    Chad is the CEO of UNS Wholesale and owns three retail smoke shops in Louisville, Kentucky. Join him as he shares valuable insights and expert advice to help you start and grow a successful business. Subscribe now to build the future you deserve.
    https://chadwadetv.com/
    https://www.youtube.com/c/ChadWadeTV

    47 min
  • Creating Your Own Career - Tiby Erdely

    Tiby Erdily didn't wait for his dream job to come to him, we went out and found it. This may have meant driving to schools he didn't attend, but he got the job. He was influenced by entrepreneurial parents, Top Gun, Pretty Woman, and San Antonio tacos. Hear his story.

    MORE ABOUT TIBY ERDILY
    At KEY Investment Partners, Tiby is responsible for structuring and leading investment opportunities, developing the marketing and client relations initiatives, driving firmwide strategic initiatives, conducting due diligence on deal opportunities, driving proactive outreach for deal sourcing opportunities, and leading co-investment syndication processes. Erdely championed and led KEY’s first investment in BDS Analytics (‘BDSA’) and championed the formation of KEY’s advisory board. Erdely currently sits on the Board of Open Book Extracts, Katalys, Botanica and Day Three Labs, KEY portfolio companies.
    Prior to co-founding KEY, Tiby spent three years as a member of Partners Group’s (SIX: PGHN) client solutions team, where he was responsible for raising flagship funds and sourcing opportunities. While at Partners Group, Tiby worked with the various deal teams learning Partners Group’s approach to sourcing deals and conducting due diligence.
    Prior to Partners Group, Tiby spent four years with Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), working most recently for the Fundamental Equity team in Goldman Sachs Asset Management (‘GSAM’).
    Tiby was born and raised in San Antonio, TX and holds a BBA in Finance from The University of Texas at San Antonio where he graduated with honors. In his free time, Tiby enjoys skiing, traveling, hiking and live music.
    https://keyinvestmentpartners.com/

    41 min
  • Talking Real Estate with Amy Rubenstein

    Amy Rubenstein is the CEO at Clear Investment Group and Partner at Windy City RE, both real estate investment firms that have owned and sold over a half billion dollars of properties since 2005. She is originally from Chicago and graduated from Brandeis University, Cum Laude. She has been working in real estate for the past 20 years and holds a real estate licenses in the states of California and Illinois. Clear Investment Group invests in large distressed multi-family complexes throughout the country including Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, New York and Illinois. Amy's portfolio includes multi-family properties, retail and office. She specializes in creative structuring and stabilization, maximizing the financial performance and the revitalization of acquired assets. She is also a major philanthropist in Arts and Education, specifically in the theater world. Amy serves as Artistic Director at Windy City Playhouse, an award winning non profit professional theater company in Chicago with a specific focus on immersive works. She was the co-creator of the smash hit Southern Gothic and A Recipe for Disaster, a food comedy with celebrity chef Rick Bayless.

    https://youtu.be/Irsei3XAmME

    47 min
  • Start up Coach Jeff Finkle

    Named one of the “25 Angel Investors in New York You Need to Know” by AlleyWatch in 2014, Jeff has been a venture investor for ten years, an angel investor for eight years. Jeff is CEO of Arcview Ventures, the manager of The Arcview Collective Fund, the first member-managed fund in cannabis. He also serves as Chairman of the Evaluation Committee and Treasurer of the ARC Angel Fund. Jeff has been actively advising startups at Reitler Advisory Group and publishes insights to his blog www.finkabout.it.

    He is a frequent panelist, speaker, and judge on venture investing and pitch competitions in NY. Jeff has also guest lectured and held office hours for many incubators/accelerators including Start-up Leadership Program, 37 Angels, NYU Polytech Incubator (New York City and Brooklyn), DreamIT Ventures, and FashInvest. Prior to his work with angel and seed groups, Jeff was a partner of Odeon Capital Partners, an early-stage venture capital fund. Prior to Odeon, Jeff was an operating executive at CA, Inc., and Cheyenne Software, Inc., where he served as GM of the Unix Division, VP of Corporate Development, VP of Corporate Marketing, and Director of Product Management. Jeff also serves as Chairman of the Board of WellLife Network, a not-for-profit offering residential, clinical, and day programs to 25,000 individuals with developmental, psychological, and behavioral disabilities in NYC’s five boroughs and Long Island.
    http://finkabout.it/

    45 min
  • Longevity Investing - Robin Lauber

    Robin Lauber is a serial angel investor and entrepreneur, having co-founded his family office and private investment firm Infinitas Capital, the real estate company GreySky Properties Holding AG, and two VC funds with Korify Capital and Prediction Capital, among other entrepreneurial endeavours. He looks back on over 10 years of VC and Real Estate investing as well as incubating, building, and scaling numerous ventures. His entrepreneurial journey includes bringing Dunkin’ Donuts to Switzerland, where he successfully exited the business in 2020. He graduated from Basel University with a BSc in Business Administration and Cass Business School with a MSc in Entrepreneurship.

    29 min

About The Matt Balaker Podcast

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We interview experts in business, comedy, and literature in hopes of free riding off their knowledge.