Built to Last: The Curious 5 with Erick Brownstein

Reconnecting with a long time collaborator, business partner and solid friend to unlock the secrets of what lives up to "Whoever tells the best story wins!"

I connected with Erick—“E” to many—for a quick dive into his career defined by sharp storytelling and serious impact: 5 billion organic views and 200 million shares created. E and the Shareability team are masters at turning unclear ideas into campaigns with national reach, engagement and new platform defining strategies. I’ve seen them guide clients from confusion to clarity—fast—through strategic planning, creative activation, and breakthrough engagement. Let’s get to it.

Hey E, tell us more about your journey to where life finds you today before we get into the 5 questions.

“From spending time with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and working with nonprofits, to launching a live poker show in Vegas, my journey has shaped how I think about real and resonant stories that move people. Currently, I’m the Co-President of Shareability, a creative and strategic partner to some of the world’s most iconic brands. Although we make social content and execute influencer campaigns, our real superpower is helping companies like YouTube and Google figure out what actually works in today’s culture, (for example, we're YouTube & Google's lead influencer strategy and measurement partner). Putting our expertise to work, Shareability co-founded Down Home with Tim McGraw and Skydance, a next-gen media and entertainment company rooted in the rise of Country culture.”

1. What’s a belief in your recent career you’ve changed your mind about in business, marketing, growth, or leadership?

“Having been responsible for driving revenue for over a decade at Shareability, I was always looking for ways to share our message or our value proposition with a variety of different potential clients or customers. One thing I've realized is that chasing is not aligned with attracting. It's not necessarily that you don't need to take action and proactively do things, but it's a mindset shift. There's a great company called "Win Without Pitches" and they had a big impact on changing my perspective on effectively driving revenue and sales.”

2. What’s one decision that a brand made which looked small from the outside—but changed everything internally?

“Everyone points to Duolingo as the go-to example of a brand crushing it on social, but it’s actually one of the best case studies of how a seemingly small and even silly action can create huge internal change. What started as a few low-budget TikToks featuring their unhinged owl mascot turned into a full-blown brand voice shift. It gave their team creative autonomy, unlocked a new audience, and helped reposition a language app as a cultural player. It really shifted perception and redefined what their brand could be.” Find out why Portugese entered the Top 10 language ranks on Duolingo in 2024.

3. Where are customers trying to go that a product you've worked on doesn’t help them yet?

“We've always tried to point towards where the puck is going, and this has guided the development of our social content and strategy products and services. However, we've often found that companies are not ready to go all-in on social because their house is not in order, or because they are still encumbered by outdated assumptions about how social media should be used for brand building as well as conversion. In cases like these, where the educational journey is long, we may not be able to bring the depth of our strategic work to them.”

4. How do you separate signal from noise when you're flooded with data?

“I’m going to answer this through a personal lens rather than a technical/data one, mostly because I'm not involved enough in the day-to-day of our work, pulling insights from data. When I'm flooded with information every day, every hour, every minute, the only thing that keeps me sane is having some real clarity on my priorities. When I know what I’m actually trying to move forward, it gets a lot easier to scroll, scan, and swipe past the noise. Otherwise, I’d be guided by and ultimately make decisions based on Slack notifications and trending tweets.”

5. What’s one principle of team-building you’ve borrowed from a high-performing team—inside or outside of business?

“Let's use a high-performing team that is relevant for both of us, Coach K and Duke basketball. Krzyzewski built deep personal relationships while holding the team to shared standards, not top-down rules. He didn’t lead by micromanaging or creating a rigid playbook. He led by caring about his players as people first, and then inviting them to help define what excellence looked like. That combination of trust and mutual accountability stuck with me. In my experience, when a team feels seen and invested in the culture they’re building, they perform at a much higher level, and they’re a lot more fun to work with.”

Bonus: What's one of your favorite meals and why? Think hard, expect the reader to book a reservation right then and there.

“A favorite meal needs to go beyond just the food. In the book, "Unreasonable Hospitality," Will Guidara describes gives a behind-the-scenes look at how radical generosity and obsessive attention to detail transformed his restaurant Eleven Madison Park into the world’s best by putting people, not just food, at the heart of every experience. Through that lens, TWO of my favorites are Bavel in Downtown LA, (Israeli inspired and always amazing), and Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica. They've been around forever and have expanded to become a restaurant group. They use seasonal ingredients from farmers' markets, and the service is incredible. The food is mind-blowing every time. And then one more for the big bonus. Hiko Sushi. The fact that they are not open on the weekends because they can't buy fresh fish from the market should tell you everything. A total sleeper that's been around for a long time and gets some bad reviews because they ask people to leave if they are not aligned with the program.”

Thanks and a special shout out to you Erick, I look forward to our next meal together. If you’re looking for a little more from E, check out this 2022 piece on Medium where he discusses the role and impact of mentors.