#38 | Craig Levinson | Building Personal Brands

Entrepreneur Craig Levinson on growing up in South Africa and New Zealand, pro basketball, and helping celebrities and creators monetise their brands. Born in South Africa, then he relocated to New Zealand with his family before moving to San Diego to pursue a collegiate basketball career which turned into a short-term professional career. Craig has seen a lot of the world, and now settled in LA he is a successful entrepreneur working with celebrities, athletes and creators monetize their personal brands across social media platforms. To learn more about Craig: https://cltalent.net/ Chapters 0:00 Welcome Craig Levinson 2:35 South African roots 5:07 Basketball in New Zealand 7:42 Inspired by American basketball films 10:12 Realising he was good 12:45 Paying his own way on a student visa 15:22 What's the worst that can happen? 17:55 Playing in the mecca of basketball 20:29 His mother checking in 23:01 An unusual arrangement with a teammate 25:34 His game as a wing 28:10 Dislocating his ankle 30:46 A 43-inch vertical 33:19 Staying in Southern California 35:50 Working with Zion Clark 38:20 Never had a resume 40:56 Ryan's friend's side business in Hong Kong 43:28 Doors into entertainment 45:59 A supplement company before gummies 48:36 Lessons from a failed brand 51:11 Conor McGregor in Road House 53:50 Being methodical with opportunity 56:27 Strategic partners 59:00 Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul 1:01:31 Enjoying the process 1:04:01 Aspire and Magic Johnson 1:06:31 Give 100% of what you have that day 1:09:01 Building the agency carefully 1:11:34 Ryan's choice at Addis Ababa airport 1:14:10 Back in South Africa with Zion 1:16:42 Never star-struck 1:19:18 Back on the court after the ankle 1:21:55 Why Los Angeles 1:24:26 A friend's Kilimanjaro climb 1:27:03 Wind on Aconcagua and Elbrus 1:29:33 Mount Whitney The Ryan Pyle Podcast is ad-free by choice. If you enjoy these conversations, you can buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ryanpyle Ryan's TV series are streaming around the world. Follow the Podcast X: https://x.com/RyanPylePodcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylepodcast Follow Ryan Pyle YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanjpyle Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanpyle X: https://x.com/RyanPyle Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpyle https://www.ryanpyle.com