Build the Business, then Build the Show.
I’ve been writing about The Shift for a while now—so let me remind you what I mean. Since 2020:
- 60 million people have walked away from corporate jobs and moved back to their hometowns or the suburbs
- 2,000+ CEOs have been fired or stepped down
- 18% of the U.S. now prefers a nomadic lifestyle
If those numbers sound massive—it’s because they are.
We’ve never seen this kind of work and culture realignment in modern U.S. history.
And here’s what most people miss: a lot of those 60 million people didn’t just leave any job. They left Nike. Facebook. NBC. Or like me, they walked away from their local sports radio station. We left what felt like power, perks, and prestige—because the ladder was gone. There was nothing left to climb.
The closest comparison to what’s happening now? 1920 to 1925—a time when media, industry, and retail collided all at once. Radio, film, cars, and consumer brands exploded. Culture flipped from local to mass-market in less than a decade.
That means your next creative partner, marketer, chef, or co-founder probably isn’t hiding in some big city pitch deck. They’re already in your neighborhood. On your Discord server. At your kid’s birthday party. You just have to look up and start building.
Now, we’re watching that system collapse—and something new take its place.
But this time, the shift isn’t industrial.
It’s personal.
Ownership. Distribution. Community.
Food. Content. Culture.
It’s all up for grabs—and the people grabbing it are small teams that move like families and build like founders.
That’s why I keep saying:
Small teams are the next millionaires.
Not because it’s trendy—because when art, commerce, and content are aligned, small teams can do what big systems can’t: adapt quickly, build trust, and create something that feeds itself.
You’re not just building a brand anymore.
You’re building a platform for your people.
Art is your passion.
Content is your voice.
Commerce keeps it alive.
What We Built Together
That’s exactly why I co-created Feast or Famine—a much-needed project built with my new business partners. It’s a traveling BBQ business and content series rooted in Eagles fandom, community storytelling, and the local businesses we actually believe in.
Chris Apple—the mind behind the fast-growing Whitebull BBQ brand—and I had both been carrying versions of the same idea since 2018. But when we finally put our heads together this spring, it clicked:
Every Philadelphia Eagles fan—no matter where they live—is craving a real Philly tailgate experience.
So instead of building just another podcast or pop-up, we decided to create something that could bring that energy anywhere.
Even if we’re traveling to a dive bar in Nebraska that claims to be the local Eagles bar—we want to show up, fire up the smoker, and make it feel like Jetro Lot at the Lincoln Financial Field on a Sunday at 1 p.m.
Over the last year, I also brought in Nick Cicione from 2Moods Vodka Seltzer in Conshohocken, PA and Sarkis Panossian from Township Line Pizza in Drexel Hill, PA—because each of us had a piece of the bigger picture.
We didn’t come together for a collab.
We came together to solve real problems:
- Chris needed a real home base for his BBQ—but still wanted to stay mobile.
- Nick needed help getting 2Moods into more retailers—and holds a powerful Pennsylvania distiller’s license that allows us to sell alcohol anywhere in the state.
- Sarkis wanted more revenue without giving up his Sundays and Mondays with his family—and wanted to finally explore retail sauces.
- And I wanted to a build a family business with people I trust—not another podcast that relied on constant sponsors just to stay alive.
So I put everyone in the same room.
No pitch decks. No fluff. Just one clear goal:
Let’s stop building four separate businesses—and start building one machine that grows all four.
We’re creating an original show and podcast—and thanks to the networks we’ve built over the years, we’ve already started bringing in sponsorship dollars to help reduce food costs. That means we can serve $35 BBQ plates for $25 without sacrificing quality.
We’re leveraging Chris’s 100k+ Instagram followers and 11k+ YouTube subscribers to drive real demand.
We’re marketing Nick’s product like it’s ours—because it is now. His cans help sell more BBQ plates, and those plates help move more 2Moods cans.
And behind the scenes, I’m making the deals—for this brand-new LLC we’re forming, for each partner’s growth, and for the community we’re feeding
We’re building a new model—and so far, it’s working.
Building the Show
Feast or Famine is a BBQ tailgate show disguised as an Eagles podcast. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, it’s our version of what local content should feel like—messy, passionate, loud, unfiltered, and full of flavor.
I’ve been podcasting about the Philadelphia Eagles since 2012.
The old me would’ve poured hundreds of hours into making the perfect Eagles show, growing it to 10,000–20,000 subscribers. Then I would’ve tried to build a business around it.
But I’ve lived that road. It almost never works. You burn out before you break through.
So we flipped the model:
We built the business first. Now the content exists to fuel it.
We're not just creating a show. It’s a full-stack system. Every channel. Every drop. Every format.
OUR FAMINE EPISODES
🗓 Tuesdays & Fridays
🎧 3–8 minute audio podcasts
📱 1–2 short-form videos on IG + YouTube Shorts
These are the gut-punch ideas. The “you know what I was thinking today?” rants that don’t need 10 minutes to hit.
“What’s the worst thing you could possibly eat before a football game?”
“Who made the first emotional Eagles food memory in your family?”
That kind of energy. We’re not chopping up clips here—these are fully original drops built for short-form platforms like Reels, Shorts, and TikTok.
Each one has its own vibe, tone, and takeaway.
Fans are the culture—not just the audience.
OUR FEAST EPISODES
🗓 Mondays & Thursdays
🎥 20–25 minute YouTube + podcast episodes
This is the main course. Each Feast episode builds on something that hit hard in that week’s Famine episode drop. We go deeper about Eagles games. We stay longer. We keep it real.
Sometimes it’s a celebration.
Sometimes it’s therapy.
Sometimes it’s a tailgate in someone’s backyard.
But it’s always rooted in food, Philly, and the people we serve.
Twice a month, we throw surprise parties with fans.
We are randomly going to knock on someone's door, smoker in tow, and say:
“Can we throw you a party for two hours?”
If they say yes, they can invite whoever they want—even the whole block. We film the hang, feed the crew, talk Birds, and turn it into an episode. We’re traveling to you just as much as you’re traveling with us.
We also invite fans, tailgaters, and cooks of all kinds to pitch dish ideas for both Township Line Pizza or Whitebull BBQ menu.
If we love it, you’ll cook it with us at a tailgate or pop-up, and we’ll run it on the menu for a week—with 100% of the profits going to you.
It’s a show you can be part of, not one you just watch.
One of our first major guests? The head chef of the Philadelphia Flyers. That’s the kind of culture we’re building—Philly food, Philly people, Philly stories—with space for everyone at the table.
And as we grow, the more people we bring in, the more sponsors we’ll attract.
That means more giveaways. More cash prizes. More chances to co-create.
This is how we serve Philly fans and the community.
The Feast or Famine crew loves Philly sports (okay, yes, I’m a Cubs fan—stop judging).
But when the Eagles, Sixers, or Flyers are on, we ride together. We’ll be yelling at the TV, slinging brisket, and taking delivery orders over livestream—whether it’s from Township Line Pizza, a random parking lot, or someone’s driveway in Fishtown.
And in the offseason? You’ll catch us in the woods with a grill and binoculars, talking Birds while watching warblers.
That’s what Feast or Famine is: Philly food. Philly sports. And wherever the hell life takes us in between.
Building the Business
We don’t just want to throw parties and make great content. We want to build something that lasts—something that becomes real infrastructure for Philly fans, families, and founders just like us.
Whether this becomes the best BBQ catering truck in the state, a wildly successful sauce and spice brand, or a string of brick-and-mortar spots across Pennsylvania… the outcome will be shaped by the people we serve.
We’re going to keep showing up—backyards, driveways, dive bars, breweries, retail shops—anywhere people want us.
One day, I’d love to run a pizza shop—or maybe what we’re building now—with my family. A place my two non-verbal stepsons and my daughter can step into if they ever want to. Not because they owe me anything—but because it’ll be there, waiting. And along the way, I want to connect with other Eagles fans living in autism households—families like mine, balancing therapies, chaos, joy, and everything in between. I want them to know: this life we’re building? It’s possible.
That’s who I am building this for. That’s who we’re cooking for and that’s who we hope shows up every week—whether in person, or through the screen.
The real success isn’t going viral. It’s building something that feels like home—a place where people feel seen and want to stay.
We built the commerce first.
Then we designed the art.
Now we’re making the content and telling the story.
This isn’t a brand.
It’s a blueprint.
And yeah—you should follow it.
