This week, we sit down with writer and media strategist Ryan Holiday who is the former director of marketing for now bankrupted and controversial manufacturer American Apparel. He is the author of six books, including “The Daily Stoic” and most recently “Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker and the Anatomy of Intrigue.”
Holiday was covering the Hulk Hogan vs Gawker and founder Nick Denton litigation, which was bankrolled by Thiel (who owned 10% of Facebook pre-IPO), and leads to a $140 million verdict against Denton & Gawker. Soon after, both Thiel and Denton reach out to Holiday, to share the parts of the story that never made it into court. Thus was conceived an idea for a book.
When doing research on Holiday in preparation for this interview, I was surprised to learn that he had written a book — The Daily Stoic — I had previously read. The book has become extremely popular in Silicon Valley and Among NFL players and coaches.
He discusses how certain web-only media outlets became digital sweatshops. The reinvigoration of media outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post are a direct response to this click happy blogs; so too are the rise of podcasts and audible books for people who want more in-depth discussions as opposed to superficiality.
His favorite books are referenced below; our conversation transcript will be available here tomorrow.
You can stream/download the full conversation, including the podcast extras on iTunes, Bloomberg, Overcast, and Soundcloud. Our earlier podcasts can all be found on iTunes, Soundcloud, Overcast and Bloomberg.
Ryan Holiday’s Authored Books
Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday
Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday
Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday
Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising by Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday’s Favorite Books
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen
Tough Jews : Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams by Rich Cohen
The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism by Upton Sinclair
Life by Keith Richards
Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War by Charles Flood
Grant and Sherman: Civil War Memoirs (2 Volumes) by Ulysses S. Grant
Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman by William Sherman
Sherman: Soldier, Realist, American by B. H. Liddell Hart
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
