Meet The Data Nerd Who Made Billions from Batman, Dune & The Hangover

Blue Collar Billy of The Week: Thomas Tull (00:00:00)

• Thomas Tull is the "Blue Collar Billy of the Week".
• He started his career in laundromats, then auto repair shops, and eventually bought small accounting practices.
• He rolled up 500 worldwide locations for his accounting business under the banner of American Financial Services.
• Tull had no private equity background and came from a blue-collar upbringing.
• He worked hard and eventually learned about the private equity business.
• Tull grew up with a single mom and didn't have much money, so he started businesses to fill a need.
• He is a data nerd and even used surge pricing for his laundromat business.
• Tull's success is attributed to his ability to identify and fill a need.
• He started with laundromats and then moved on to auto repair shops and accounting practices.
• He was able to roll up 500 worldwide locations for his accounting business.
• Tull's success is also due to his data-driven approach.
• He used surge pricing for his laundromat business and was always looking for ways to improve efficiency.

Moneyball strategy for movies (00:02:29)

• Used data analysis to find undervalued movie assets and build successful movie projects.
• Created Legendary Entertainment, a movie production and financing company.
• Produced hit movies such as The Batman series, 300, The Hangover, and Dune.
• Sold Legendary Entertainment to the richest man in China for $3.5 billion.
• Started from humble beginnings in laundromats, auto repair shops, and tax firms.
• Met a movie executive who complained about film financing, which sparked the idea for Legendary Entertainment.
• Realized the movie business lacked private equity focus and decided to bring capital to the industry.
• Raised $500 million to start Legendary Entertainment.
• Partnered with Warner Brothers to co-finance 30 movies.
• Built a data team to analyze which movies to invest in and how to promote them.

Formula for box office hits: Bigger is better (00:05:20)

• Bigger budget films with a guaranteed reason for people to watch (e.g., popular IP, A-list actors) have a higher chance of success.
• Leaned heavily into licensed IP, mainstream actors, and directors.
• Produced successful movies like Straight Out of Compton, Dune, Inception, The Hangover, Watchmen, and The Dark Knight.

International appeal (specifically China) (00:07:25)

• Identified China as a big market with a lack of American films that can cross over.
• Focused on creating movies with simple-minded plots that can transfer into China past the language barrier (e.g., Batman).
• Partnered with a Chinese company, China Film, for distribution in China.

Data analytics for movie marketing (00:08:22)

• Thomas Tull, former CEO of Legendary Entertainment, revolutionized movie marketing by using data analytics and performance marketing strategies similar to those used by brands like Procter & Gamble and Dollar Shave Club.
• Tull's approach involved extensive A/B testing of movie trailers using biometric data and heart rate monitoring to gauge audience reactions and optimize trailer effectiveness.
• Legendary Entertainment employed a 50-person applied analytics team, far exceeding the industry standard, to analyze data and optimize marketing campaigns.
• Tull prioritized creating trailers that would generate excitement and interest, viewing them as crucial to a movie's success.
• Despite the failure of "The Great Wall," the analytics guy insists that the data showed Matt Damon was under-indexed in China, and he believes the trade-off between the price for Damon and his cache with the Chinese audience was a good one.

Flywheels at the highest level (00:13:15)

• Thomas Tull, a former college football player turned entrepreneur and investor, made billions from successful investments in movies like Batman, Dune, and The Hangover.
• He sold a majority stake in his Chinese company to China's richest man and now focuses on investing in defense technology companies.
• Tull believes China poses a threat and uses his influence to lobby for increased defense spending, benefiting his defense tech companies.
• He also raises awareness about the potential dangers of TikTok and other Chinese-owned tech companies.
• Tull has a cameo appearance in The Dark Knight Rises as a partial owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• He purchased a large tract of farmland in Pittsburgh to learn about advanced farming robotics and sustainable living practices.
• Despite lacking a traditional finance education, Tull achieved remarkable success through his unconventional approach and understanding of the market.
• He identified an opportunity in the auto repair industry in Pittsburgh and established a successful business by acquiring auto repair shops.
• Tull discovered the need for defense technology while working on movies and decided to fund more defense technology companies, believing there was a genuine need for it.
• He compared his approach to "Moneyball for movies," focusing on identifying and targeting the "swing voters" in the middle who might be persuaded to watch a movie based on specific marketing strategies.
• Tull emphasized the importance of creating a dataset that links advertising email addresses to actual movie ticket purchases to measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

Moneyball for X (00:24:31)

• Moneyball for X can be applied in various industries beyond sports.
• Examples include politics, finance, and even HVAC businesses.
• Data-driven decision-making can provide a competitive advantage in any industry.

Applications of Moneyball for X (00:24:31)

• Obama's and Trump's presidential campaigns successfully used data analytics for marketing.
• The Red Sox won the World Series using the Moneyball approach.
• Quant funds and hedge funds employ data analytics in finance.
• An HVAC business has found success by leveraging data analytics.

Business lessons from the UFC (00:26:42)

• Max Holloway won the BMF title at UFC 300 by defeating Justin Gaethje in a thrilling fight.
• Holloway won all five rounds and then challenged Gaethje to an all-out brawl in the last 10 seconds of the fight.
• Holloway knocked out Gaethje with a powerful punch in the last second of the fight.
• This moment was one of the best moments in sports history, showcasing courage, bravery, entertainment, recklessness, and stupidity all rolled into one.
• Mike Fleiss is a data analyst who has worked on blockbuster movies like Batman, Dune, and The Hangover.
• He uses data to make decisions about everything from casting to marketing.
• Fleiss believes that data is the key to success in the entertainment industry.
• Fleiss started his career as a data analyst for a small movie studio.
• He quickly realized that data could be used to make better decisions about movies.
• Fleiss developed a data-driven approach to movie-making that he calls "the Fleiss Method."
• The Fleiss Method uses data to analyze every aspect of a movie, from the script to the marketing campaign.
• Fleiss believes that data can help to identify potential problems and opportunities.
• He also uses data to track the performance of movies and make adjustments as needed.
• Fleiss's data-driven approach to movie-making has been very successful.
• He has worked on some of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
• Fleiss is considered to be one of the most successful data analysts in the entertainment industry.

We give Zuck PR advice (00:31:03)

• Mark Zuckerberg's appearance at the UFC event was a great PR move for him.
• He should create his own "Zuck bonus" of $500,000 for the fighter with the most badass performance, regardless of the outcome.
• This would generate a lot of positive publicity and excitement for the UFC and Zuckerberg.

What Dana White taught me about marketing (00:33:02)

• Dana White, the president of the UFC, says that he doesn't organize fights, he sells "holy [ __ ] moments."
• This is a great marketing lesson, as it highlights the importance of selling emotions and experiences rather than just products or services.

Level 1: Sell a product (00:34:06)

• Level 1 marketing is simply selling a product, which is what most failing companies do.
• This approach is not compelling because it doesn't focus on the customer's needs or desires.

Level 2: Sell a solution not a product (00:34:46)

• Level two involves selling a solution to a problem rather than just selling a product.
• Many companies sell products, while a smaller number sell solutions to problems.

Level 3: Sell a Lifestyle (00:35:20)

• Level three involves selling a lifestyle associated with a product.
• Lululemon and Slack are examples of companies that sell a lifestyle.
• Lululemon didn't market yoga pants, they marketed the idea of doing yoga and the benefits of yoga, which led to increased demand for yoga pants.

Level 4: Sell a feeling (00:36:55)

• The key to success is to sell a feeling rather than just content.
• People are drawn to content that evokes strong emotions and makes them feel something unique.
• Dana White, the president of the UFC, understands this concept and focuses on creating "holy [ __ ] moments" that captivate audiences and keep them engaged.
• Great brands like Disney, Louis Vuitton, and Nike excel at creating specific feelings associated with their products or services.
• Disney sells the feeling of a magical family experience, Louis Vuitton conveys a sense of status and importance, and Nike inspires a feeling of greatness.

Conclusion [N/A]

• To achieve success, content creators and brands should prioritize evoking emotions and providing unique experiences that resonate with their audience.

Level 5: Identity in a box (00:39:18)

• The most effective marketing strategy involves selling an identity to consumers, rather than solely promoting a product or solution.
• The UFC excels in emotional marketing by creating a sense of belonging and purpose for its fans, similar to how cigarette ads and luxury products cultivate a cool self-image for their customers.
• While many marketers focus on addressing pain points, the best marketers prioritize selling an identity and establishing an emotional connection with their audience.
• The speaker recommends observing UFC fights and the fighters' stories to grasp the power of emotional marketing.
• The podcast aims to inspire listeners to take action and achieve success, while also providing a sense of community and connection for those interested in business and entrepreneurship.

Why Sam's new project will fail (00:46:49)

• Sam's List, a website created by the speaker, connects people with accountants based on recommendations from friends.
• Despite spending $15,000 on development and conducting extensive research, the website struggled to attract accountants to its lead generation service.
• The creator discovered a shortage of accountants and a lack of interest among existing accountants in significantly growing their businesses.
• Unlike financial advisors, CPAs are not as eager for business and are overwhelmed with work, making it difficult to replicate the successful lead generation model of websites like smartasset.com.
• Due to the lack of profitability, the creator plans to shut down Sam's List on May 30th if it fails to generate revenue.

Shaan workshops Sam's idea (00:52:38)

• Praises the website's design and the no-email-required pop-up.
• Suggests adding a "Thank God" button after the pop-up to take users down the funnel.
• Appreciates the inclusion of Twitter profiles and information about accountants.
• Recommends displaying prices on the front page to add value to users.
• Proposes creating a "Sam's speech bubble" with endorsements from clients of the accountants.
• Explains the reason behind not implementing the client endorsement feature yet.
• Mentions the unique design inspired by old Microsoft and the use of Clippy from Microsoft Word.
• Expresses uncertainty about the business model and whether to focus on selling leads to small accountants or generating leads for a few large companies.
• Shaan concludes the discussion by complimenting Sam on his work and jokingly refers to their conversation as a "double banger."