Who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Vito Glazers, and I am the CEO of One World Publishing. I originally started the company in 2011 as a digital advertising and content publishing company, but have evolved into a company that helps individuals, brands and causes tell their story through traditional channels like television, radio and news media, as well as new media outlets like social and digital news outlets.
What has been one insight or lesson that has been most helpful in your career?
One insight that has helped my career have longevity, is the insight that once things start going well, and seem stable, it’s time to start investing in the next idea. Media, like many other industries, is evolving rapidly and disrupted frequently. It requires continually staying ahead of the curve, so as soon as something seems like it is getting comfortable, that means that the end is probably near as many others will jump on that opportunity and dilute it. By reminding myself to never get comfortable, I am able to continually innovate new opportunities.
What has been your favorite mistake? A mistake that in retrospect led to a great lesson and progress.
My favorite mistake was trusting the wrong people with money early on in life and getting burned. I am grateful that this happened then for two main reasons. The first reason is that the money I had stolen from dishonest people early in my career, turned out to not actually not be that much money later on in life. The second reason is that it happened while I still was young enough and had a lot of energy to recover, and reinvent myself and pursue new opportunities. Once you get a bit older, it becomes harder to recover from big financial hits, so I am grateful that those happened to me while I was still young enough to bounce back.
Project forward ten years. How will your industry or field be fundamentally different then? What opportunities do you see?
The way we consume media and tell stories continues to rapidly change from day to day, let alone from year to year, or decade to decade. I can’t even remember how we used to consume media ten years ago, maybe it was DVDs or Blu Rays. Now nearly all content is consumed digitally. Even car radio is through satellite now. The one trend I see continuing for the next decade and beyond, is that instead of having huge celebrities and influencers that are appealing to very broad audiences, we will continue to have more niche influencers who will have smaller but more loyal tribes. Since people can access and stream content easier and for a lower cost than ever before, it lowers the barrier of entry for more content creators to be able to create for smaller audiences.
What are some bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?
The worst advice I have heard in the media and publicity businesses is that peers are competitors and not collaborators. The truth is that in the media business there really is no competition between individuals because everyone has something different to offer.
In the last two years, what have you become better at saying no to?
I pretty much say no to any opportunity now that is not a direct fit for whatever it is I am working on at the time. I used to want to pursue every profitable or seemingly profitable deal that came my way. Now I focus more on fitting things inside my wheel house. It is the idea of compound focus. If someone wants me to be involved in their project, I am happy to as long as it is in line with my exact trajectory at that time. I also have gotten better at saying NO to giving discounts. I have learned to value myself and my work and negotiate around other things like quality of work, delivery time, and personal relationship, instead of just lowering my price to get more business. This is something that took some time to get the confidence to do.
What is the one book you recommend most often and why?
The book I recommend the most often is The 50th Law by 50 Cent and Robert Greene. It is one of my favorite books that I buy as a gift for almost all of my clients who are trying to become authorities and influencers in their space. It is a great book because it is based on the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, which is an awesome book, but it can be a lengthy and challenging read, and it also requires a lot of visualization of how those old laws can be applied to the current times. The 50th Law covers all the same 48 Laws of Power, but 50 Cent gives a contemporary example of how he applied all of those universal laws to leverage his contemporary music career. There is a lot to be learned in that book, and it is easy to apply.
What advice would you give a smart and ambitious recent college graduate? What advice should they ignore?
My advice for a recent college graduate is this, “It’s not about who you know, it’s about who knows you.” Get yourself out there. Even if you don’t want to be a public figure, or an entrepreneur, still take the time to build your personal brand and control your reputation online. It does not matter who you know anymore, if they do not know you, or do not know how you can help them. Get out there, get yourself known, use our generational advantage to leverage social media to build a following and prove your expertise.
What is your favorite quote, one you aim to live by?
“Don’t be a hater, be a collaborator” – this is a quote I tell younger people getting into the media industry. Instead of focusing on who is your competition, or how you can take out or undercut other people in your field, focus on how you can all work together to build each other up, and give each other access to the resources we all possess individually. Some people in the media might have great connections for television, while others have great connections for online media outlets. Instead of competing, come together and figure out how to offer each of your clients’ television and online services, and work together to grow and offer your clients a better experience, rather than competing and only hurting yourself.
If a recent graduate wanted to reach out, what would be the best way to connect with you?
The best way to connect with me is through my Instagram. I do a livestream at least once per week and do live Q&A about anything from how to start a business, to how to make a margarita and everything in between. I love engaging with my audience on social media because it allows me to know who the people who are following me are, and helps me keep a pulse on what is going on. I am always excited to connect with recent graduates to help inspire, motivate and direct them in the right direction.