Share Coke with Will & Friends: Who Raised 13+ Billion to Buy Paramount & All They Got Was a Podcast

Michael Vonn co-founded the media company FAME in the 1990s alongside Oscar-winning producer John Daly (The Last Emperor, Platoon). Michael often calls himself “the most famous unknown person in the world.”I can semi-relate. I’ve always believed life is a series of mirrors—young and old—each of us playing a character in the Creator’s larger story. Michael is one of those mirrors I was clearly meant to meet. And in a strange way, I’ve become convinced that much of what I’ve walked through over the last few years wasn’t just for me—but to complete something God positioned him for, that he ultimately stepped away from or went against the will of.I was introduced to Michael through Torrey Gambill, during a moment in my life that still feels unreal to say out loud. Torrey was running the Super PAC United 4 America to help elect RFK Jr. as president. He eventually walked away from that world to join me in the attempt to acquire Paramount. That alone says everything about how improbable this journey became—presidential figures, political dynasties, and Hollywood power structures colliding all at once.There were countless “acts of God” signs that made it clear Michael wasn’t meant to be a passing chapter in my life. The most striking: his granddaughter—still a baby—and I share the same birthday, the same way I once shared a birthday with my grandmother. And that was only one sign among many.Some connections don’t make sense on paper.They make sense spiritually.In this conversation, Michael and I go deep—into faith, God, media, power, politics, legacy, and purpose. It’s not about agreement. It’s about understanding. About timing. About what happens when two people meet at the exact moment they’re meant to.Listen to this conversation.It may enlighten you the way it did me.

When I was staying on and off in Marina del Rey with a friend in Marina Del Rey, I spent a lot of time working out of the Coffee Bean near the AMC 6 theater. It’s one of the few spots with outlets—and interestingly, it’s the same theater Dean Hadley, who attended Piney Woods School, grew up going to, and the same theater I saw Spiderman : Across The Spider-verse, (see Nick episode for the spiderweb themes) with Dean which was voiced by my lead in Cut Throat City, Shameik Moore.That shopping center mattered to me for another reason too. It was one of the visual set pieces I always imagined while dreaming about rebooting They Live. Some places just hold ideas differently.One afternoon, sitting there working, I met a man who seemed to know everyone who walked through the door. His name is James Legge.As we talked, I realized James has lived many lives in one. He started out as a Michelin-star-level chef, working alongside Wolfgang Puck when Spago first opened in the 1970s. From there, his journey took him around the world—opening high-end restaurants, building experiences, understanding hospitality at the highest level. Today, James is a gemologist, among many other pursuits.What struck me most wasn’t just his résumé—it was his depth. His understanding of craft, excellence, and culture across decades.That world—hospitality, food, experience, atmosphere—is a core pillar of the Love Street Experience. Because of that, I’ve brought James in as an advisor to what Tommy Bina and I are building long term: Love Street Utopias around the world.This episode captures the very first conversation James and I ever had. Not long after, he joined us again at Canyon Country Store with Tommy Bina and Michael Vonn. You can find episodes with both of them as well—one owns the store, the other I met through my work and connections during RFK Jr.’s presidential run.This is how Love Street grows.Through real conversations.In unexpected places.With people who’ve lived full, layered lives.Enjoy the conversation.

This is Elsa.I met her during the past year I was displaced in Los Angeles—after raising billions of dollars to attempt to acquire Paramount, believing with everything in me that the path I was on was divinely guided, and then losing everything when the Paramount acquisition didn’t happen. What I thought was the end of something turned out to be the beginning of something far more important.Meeting Elsa was not an accident.She’s a sweet Spanish-American woman. An artist. Once upon a time, an incredible musician. Like so many in the industry, people took advantage of her—stole her work, claimed her ideas, and left her without protection. Now she’s dealing with serious vision problems and has no clear way to get the help she needs. Not because solutions don’t exist—but because access doesn’t.During 2025, I met countless men and women like Elsa. Some displaced for months. Some for years. Some for decades. It reshaped me. It reshaped the mission. And it’s a major reason the Troy DeVolld Foundation exists—to make sure human beings, especially artists, don’t have to endure what Elsa has endured… or what I did.This is a problem no politician is truly addressing. No titan of wealth is solving. And the truth is uncomfortable: homelessness could be ended—here and globally—if those with the means chose action over excuses and empty words. I walked it so no one has to ever again.This conversation was recorded at a simple bus bench across from UCLA, right outside the Ralphs supermarket. And that bench matters. This is where I want to host a weekly podcast series—meeting people where they actually are, not where it’s comfortable or polished.Elsa’s story matters.Her voice matters.And so does listening.Enjoy our conversation.

Met Nick at around 3am, sitting outside a Denny’s in Westwood.He’s a displaced veteran who turns wire and mesh into spiderwebs. Real ones. Detailed ones. And if you know me, you know spiderwebs mean something. My ex-fiancée has a diagram tattooed on her back—an invisible map where everything is connected. So when I see webs show up in my life, I take notice. To me, it’s always been a reminder that everything connects… eventually.That Denny’s is one of the only places left in Los Angeles that’s open 24 hours and has outlets you can actually use. Post-COVID, that matters more than people realize. Especially in a college town. There’s nowhere for students or artists to go work around the clock—and that makes zero sense. That realization helped shape the early vision for the Love Street Experience: hotels and spaces in college cities that connect legacy artists with Gen Z creators, day and night.At the time, I was displaced. I worked wherever I could—Hollywood, the Canyon Country Store with Tommy Bina, hotel lobbies, and a lot of late nights at Denny’s. I wasn’t hanging out. I was working. Endlessly. Eventually, even places that had known me for years couldn’t let me stay. Still, I always knew I had somewhere safe to sit, charge a device, or even just use the restroom. And I know how rare that is. Most people in that position don’t have that.Nick and I crossed paths in one of those quiet hours the world doesn’t see. And I’ll never forget him. It was one of the most meaningful encounters of my entire journey.This episode is about connection. About survival. About art. About Veterans. And about the invisible web that holds all of us together—whether we realize it yet or not. 

As a born-and-bred New Yorker (from Long Beach), Vito DeCandia was literally brought up in a pizzeria. He was stretching dough by the age of 12. His lifetime of baking eventually led him to the West Coast, where his wife was from. Two years ago, he opened ⁠Angel City Pizza⁠ in Venice, where he continues to make what he knows: NYC style slices, squares, and even Grandmas!For Vito, pizza is more than just a business — it’s a calling. Born into a family of pizzaiolos, Vito’s roots in the industry stretch back to the 1960s when his uncle opened a pizzeria in New York. His father, fresh from Italy, soon joined the family business, solidifying a legacy that Vito was destined to carry forward.But running a pizzeria wasn’t always the plan. “I didn’t originally come out here to open a pizzeria,” Vito admits. “This business, no matter what it is, always, always brings you back.” When the wildfires tore through Los Angeles, he knew exactly what he had to do. “I lost my mom to a fire. So anytime something like that happens, that’s right where my mind goes first.” Within a day, he provided pizza and community for those who needed it most.Vito showed Will that same kindness for years — but that kindness mattered most when everything fell apart. After giving up his home in Venice Beach and losing everything in the pursuit of Paramount, Will found himself homeless. During that time, Vito DeCandia, at Angel City Pizza, made sure Will ate whenever he walked through the door — no questions, no judgment, just love.Separately, Will formed a deep friendship with Tommy Bina at the historic Canyon Country Store — a landmark tied to music, counterculture, and creative history. Through hours of honest conversation about life, art, faith, and the next generation, the two realized they shared a common belief: the real work ahead is for the kids, not the industry.From those two relationships came one mission — not to chase Hollywood, but to build for the next generation.So the Share Coke with Will podcast will launch in two locations:Angel City Pizza (with Vito) — rooted in fatherhood, community, humor, and the Gen Z crowd right next door at Venice High School.The Canyon Country Store (with Tommy) — rooted in legacy, storytelling, healing, and the cultural lineage of Laurel Canyon.Two hosts.Two homes.One message: Take care of the kids first.As the podcast grows, Will plans to bring in:Griffin Johnson (10.5M on TikTok) — through their shared management.Three-time Grammy winner J. Ivy — Will’s longest creative collaborator.And continuing alignment with Jaime King, who stood alongside WPC during the Paramount movement.What was once intended to be a Gen Z division inside a major Hollywood studio is now becoming something more real:Lucelle Studios — built through Ocala, Florida and Piney Woods School in Mississippi — where young people will learn, create, and rise.So what do you get when you mix:a former film producer,a three-time Grammy-winning poet,a Gen Z cultural voice,and a New York pizza craftsman…split between Laurel Canyon and Venice Beach…You get a group of people who Share Cokeand tell the truth —about the dream they almost landed,the studio they didn’t get,and the movement they’re building anyway.Sometimes Plan B is really Plan A in disguise.Because you don’t have to own a studioto change a generation.

John Watzke is the owner of the ⁠Ocala Drive-In Theater⁠, which he restored and reopened in 2011 after finding it vacant in 2010. Coming from a family with a long history in the movie business, Watzke runs the drive-in as a passion project, showing movies seven days a week and also hosting other events like concerts and graduations.At one time, thousands of drive-ins dotted the country. Today the number is just more than 300, according to driveinmovie.comBut the renewed interest in the drive-in continued even after the indoor theaters reopened.“The pandemic brought the recognition of drive-ins back,” Watzke said. “It brought the drive-ins back into the limelight when people started realizing, ‘Hey, they still have drive-ins,’ and what a great thing it is—it’s a family outing.”The Ocala Drive-In opened in 1948 and shut down in 2002 only to reopen a year later before again closing in 2007.In 2011, Watzke stepped in, renovated the property, updated the equipment and personally handled the day-to-day operation. The work paid off—Watzke now recognizes regulars from St. Augustine, Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Daytona who make the commute to enjoy the inexpensive outing. The drive-in charges $6 per adult and $3 per child for two movies. Ticket sales account for only 20% of the revenue, Watzke said. It’s the concession stand that keeps films on the screens.“It’s a family gathering, okay?” Watzke said. “Family gets together. They come to the drive-in. They’re spending at least four to five hours or more together.”And if you ask someone about a movie they’ve seen at a drive-in, he says, “they’re going to tell you what drive-in they’ve seen it at, what vehicle they were driving, who was with them—it becomes a memory.’ Even before the pandemic, however, Watzke continued to improve the drive-in experience and expand options. They installed FM transmitters to broadcast sound through car stereos instead of through window speakers. They upgraded the projectors, and Watzke also added a second screen.The drive-in also shows more than movies. They feature concerts—video and real-time. Blake Sheldon, Garth Brooks, Bon Jovi, and Jimmy Buffet have all appeared on the Ocala screen along with Christian artists, For King and Country and Toby Mac. The drive-in has also hosted girl scout events, school award ceremonies and CF graduations.Whatever the event, the drive-in allows families the chance to come together as a family and that’s what Watzke is all about—the memories.For Watzke, it’s also a family affair. His father and his grandfather were movie projectionists. His brother, Charlie, operates a theater in Waveland, Mississippi.“I was raised in the theaters—my family has been, uh, 108 years working in theaters,” he said.Background: Watzke grew up in the movie industry and has a passion for drive-ins, which he sees as an important part of movie-going culture.Restoration: He and his brother bought the 1948 drive-in, renovated it, and reopened it in 2011.Operations: The drive-in shows movies seven days a week and also hosts events like concerts, graduations, and other gatherings.Business model: Watzke emphasizes the importance of concession sales for the drive-in's survival and focuses on showing family-friendly and animated films.Recent events: In 2023, the drive-in was temporarily closed due to significant flooding that impacted the property and Watzke's apartment, which is located on the premises. John and William and his family are working together to build a movie studio and human experience Utopia at the Ocala Drive In. Clevinger discusses his vision for that in this conversation that Will's mother is also a part of, Kathy having attended the drive in since she was a young child in Ocala, now 71 years old. Rooted in Legacy Clevinger and company have big plans for what's ahead all connected to the vision that was behind the pursuit of Paramount.

Iranian Immigrant Tommy Bina and his family have been the owners of The Canyon Country Store for the last 40 years, also known as Love Street.Tommy has been the gatekeeper to the legacy of the counterculture era of music that was birthed at the store in the late 1960's by Jim Morrison and The Doors, Momma Cass of the Mommas & Poppa's, Crosby Stills & Nash, and many other iconic acts and artists who frequented the store and made some of the greatest pieces of art of all time given to the world in music and film/tv. After pursuing a bid to acquire Paramount Global Studios instead of Skydance, led by the son of the richest man in the world, Larry & David Ellison - William and his friends were led to Love Street and the Bina family. Through the work they have done in the past year, along with a partnership with one of Americas oldest remaining historically black private boarding schools located in Mississippi, Piney Woods - they have all worked and untied together for justice, education, and to set art and children free. Legacies can't be bought, they an only be created in divine time. Join us for a conversation about life, legacy, and history while sharing some Coca-Cola.