Franki Chan: Why your marketing doesn’t work and how to be authentic

Franki Chan is a punk. No, not like that. He got his start by responding to a flyer that said "if you’re antiracist, antigovernment, vegan, we’re trying to find a drummer.” From that day on, the DIY punk scene in Indiana became his life. Years later, he would move to LA, realize the seriousness of punk rock was missing one thing: fun, and launch a club called Fucking Awesome with his new friend and fellow unheard-of DJ, Steve Aoki. Though they didn’t know it at the time, the two were at the forefront of a movement that would not only change music, but even impact the way culture spreads around the world by bringing fun back into nightlife and creating an environment that’s more inclusive than exclusive. Nowadays, Franki runs his label / agency, IHEARTCOMIX —where he also illustrates all of the releases — and until recently, the event series Check Yo Ponytail. All of this places Franki at the intersection of music and geek culture, maybe like a cool version of The Nerdist. Franki drops by the studio to tell us about what it took to be able to let go of Check Yo, and how he constantly reinvents his future. Lot of good lessons here for entrepreneurs, not to mention aspiring comic book artists. Get it! And you better not forget to subscribe and leave us reviews and comments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices