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Show Notes:
Creating long term relationships is key to growing a successful business.In this episode, Adam Torres and Darren Prince, Founder of Prince Marketing Group and Author of Aiming High, explore Darren’s new book, Mission Matters: World’s Leading Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Top Tips To Success (Business Leaders Vol. 7, Edition 8).
Watch Full Interview:
About Darren Prince
A marketing expert in sports and entertainment with over 25 years of experience and over $500M in deals negotiated.
Prince Marketing Group represents and works with some of the worlds biggest icons such as Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Larry Bird, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jerry West, Chevy Chase, Charlie Sheen, Carmen Electra, Denise Richards, Oscar Delahoya , Roy Jones Jr and the late Estates for Evel Knievel and Smokin Joe Frazier and others.
Over the years, PMG has developed many long lasting relationships within the celebrity community, making us a top celebrity/athlete agency. My company, The Prince Marketing Group, has direct access to thousands of stars in film, television, music, sports and fashion, in addition to other influencers and experts.
An entrepreneur, as a marketing firm CEO, we have extensive experience in all aspects of public relations, marketing and reputation management, having led assignments for Fortune 500 companies and start-up companies, government agencies, academic institutions, corporate executives, politicians, non-profits, and luminaries in the business, entertainment and media worlds.
Prince Marketing Group (PMG) started in 1994, the first client to sign was none other than Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Soon after Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Dennis Rodman, Pamela Anderson and Chevy Chase followed.
Prince Marketing Group is currently a multi-million dollar business that has negotiated over $500 Million in deals and currently secures marketing deals, arranges signing/memorabilia appearances, commercial licensing, product endorsement, and voice-overs.
An esteemed expert and influencer in marketing I regularly offers insights in the media, including appearances on CNBC, Bloomberg, “The Today Show,” and Fox News. he has been featured in Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek and more.
About Prince Marketing Group
The Prince Marketing Group was established in 1994, and has quickly become one of the fastest growing and most efficient sports and entertainment-marketing firms in the industry. PMG has developed the trust of some of the most respected and recognizable names in sports, music, and entertainment. their star studded celebrity roster is led by Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Hulk Hogan, Dennis Rodman, Roy Jones Jr. and Carmen Electra. In addition, PMG represents the licensing for properties that include the legendary Evel Knievel estate, as well as the late Smokin’ Joe Frazier. Additional licensing projects have included Donald Trump, Britney Spears, Joe Manganiello, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Palin, and Burt Reynolds. Furthermore, we are not limited to only offering their exclusive clients. PMG works in conjunction with other agencies and has direct contacts to many other athletes and celebrities worldwide.
Here at PMG they help corporations, charities and licensees from all over the world to achieve their goals, whether they are looking to raise capital, establish brand identity, or both. It has been proven that using athletes or celebrities to endorse products or events will greatly increase the rate of success.
They know that people are always interested and intrigued by famous people, and it only makes sense that a celebrity will draw immediate interest and awareness towards your company. This can be achieved by proper promotion. Try using their clients at your grand opening, corporate party, for print advertisements and television commercials. Using an athlete or celebrity’s image to promote your product line or services will be a great asset and can get your company to rise above past your competition. With a famous face behind your company or product it will almost instantly make consumers know who you are.
If you already have a well-established company that perhaps simply needs an extra boost, nothing helps to motivate employees better than a Motivational Speaker. Let a real champion come and speak to your staff. Let them know what it is like to be a winner and why they always need to strive to be the best. they’ve seen how celebrity speakers can help to raise the moral and confidence in each and every individual.
Their staff here at PMG is very qualified and can assist you with any kind of event or promotion. Simply contact their office and let us know what you are planning along with the date and budget and leave the rest to us. They will let you know which specific clients are within your budget, fits your demographics and will not only help accomplish your goals but to also maximize your results. PMG knows the importance of matching up that special someone with your company to motivate each and every colleague around them to achieve their goals.
Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, , I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres, and if you’d like to apply to be a guest in the show, just head on over to mission matters.com and click on Be Our Guest to Apply. All right, so I am happy to announce that we have Darren Prince back on the show.
He’s founder of Prince Marketing Group, author of Aiming High, and Now, so happy to say a published author with Mission Matters in our latest business leaders series edition. So, hey Darren, I just wanna say welcome back to the show and congrats. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. It’s been a long time coming, bunch of scheduled delays, but here we.
Man, I have been watching you over the last couple of months. And when it comes to promotion, when it comes to advocating for your clients when it comes to really getting your message out there and building personal relationships and, and business relationships and really just being an advocate for, for healthy relationships.
I mean, you’re, you’re the guy and. Further into that, we’ll talk about the book, we’ll talk about some of the projects you’ve been working on. Of course, we’re gonna talk about aiming high your previous release. But before we get into all that, we’ll, we’ll start this episode, the way that we start them all with our mission matters minute.
So, Darren, we at Mission Matters. We amplify stories for entrepreneurs, executives, and experts. That’s our mission. Darren, what mission matters to. I think kind of what we touched on our chapter, I believe if I can spread a message of how to be the ultimate relationship builder, get yourself to a successful financial place, but most importantly, have the peace of mind and self-love internally, and being mindful of your mental health along the.
As I was victim to not paying attention to that last one with my opiate addiction for 24 years. That’s it. And now my biggest mission is being a service to others and helping pay forward not just in my personal life, but professionally. . Yeah. F fantastic. And, and really great to have you back on the show.
So I don’t want to assume that maybe some of our, our newer listeners and our, our newer guests have, have heard some of our previous recordings and interviews. So, I mean, let’s, let’s take a moment and maybe start from the beginning and talk a little bit more about your background and really how you got started in, in entertainment and also representing, you know, world-class celebrities and stars like Magic Johnson and Hulk.
Well, I’m a pro, so I can wrap this up in about 45 seconds. I grew up in Livington, New Jersey. Had a great loving mother and father, but always had self-esteem issues, anxiety problems, feeling of less than, and I had an experiment in sleepaway camp from bad stomach pains. I took Demerol from a nurse and my life changed forever.
Mm-hmm. . Became addicted to that for the few weeks I was there. Lied to the nurse, went to the hospital, did everything I needed to do to build up the fact that the pain was so bad and came back. Experienced something very similar with a dentist that my mom took me to for opio opioids. I was taking for wisdom teeth.
But now at the same time, I built a very successful baseball card business and was making a ton of money. So I didn’t need the doctors anymore. That business exploded. Eventually got into the sports an entertainment autograph signing. Got outta that when I was 24 years old with a very high end opiate addiction and started Prince Marketing Group in the mid nineties with Magic Johnson as my first client.
He still is to this day. Worked with the Lake, great Muhammad Ali, smoking Joe Frazier. Eva kva. And to this day we’ve had clients for decades from Hulk Hogan and Rick Flair, Charlie Sheen, Jerry West. There’s so many. Denise Schrier, it’s Carmen Electra Chevy Chase. And here we. . Yeah. So I want to let’s, let’s dive into the book.
So the, the title of, of your chapter and what you wrote. So, business success comes from personal relationships. So just a, a couple of the headlines within the book. So make, helping the other personal priority schedule a personal lunch instead of a business lunch. Putting full effort into each interaction is vital.
Never take the relationship for granted. Don’t forget about the in-house relationships. So we won’t cover, you know, every headline, every single thing in the book today, cuz we still do, we still want people to go out and buy the book. Of course, of course. But but first off, I was curious, so, I mean, lots of different things you could have wrote about long career top levels of entertainment.
Why did you choose this topic to present in the book? I believe it’s still overlook. You know, I think everybody, you know, wants to be a sales rep. Focus on the money, focus on the success. When my late father always instilled in me relationship building is everything. If you put the relationship first, the business will come.
And the same way my life is about recovery, Adam, you know, I believe that, you know, it’s our job to be of service is help others, not because I’m expecting something. But I just know it just manifests that way. And it’s the same way in business. Nobody spends enough time finding out their birthday, their background.
Mm-hmm their significant others, their special hobbies and interest. And that’s been the key to my success for close to 30 years. And you know, people often say one of the most connected, you know, agents in the industry and it’s got nothing to do with the business side. I think it’s cuz I care. Any client of mine will tell you.
99% of our calls and when we meet up, it’s about life. I was at Hulk Holcomb’s house last week in Tampa for two hours, and he was on the phone right now. I asked him if we brought up one thing about business, nothing. No business whatsoever. So there’ll be people that watch this and they’ll say, and this happens often.
You know, they’ll say, well, that’s Darren and that is, you know, of course he’s, he’s, he’s working with Hulk Hogan, or he is working with Chevy Chase. He’s working with these top celebrities and stars. So, of course, but me, you know, I’m, I’m a financial advisor or I’m a lawyer, or I’m this, or I’m that. Like, does what you’re saying in those tools and those practices, like, does that translate into, let’s just say a traditional.
A hundred percent. If anything, mine’s a hundred times harder. How do you penetrate a global celebrities of a personal relationship that’s been screwed over and they’ve all got their horrendous experiences they’ve been through. I mean, if I could do it at this level, any sales rep, any position, lawyers, doctors, sales rep you know, investment banker a hundred times easier.
Mm-hmm. Just following the basics that I, that I talk about in Mission matters. . Yeah. And I I wanted to ask, I wanted, I wanted your perspective on that cuz I, I, I always preach this on mission matters and I always use this story about when you know, I was a financial advisor and, you know, there’s different types of, I, I haven’t been in that business in many years now, but when I was.
You know, I was the person, I was at the birthday party, I was at the Briss, I was at the, you know, I was at the celebration, I was at the home closing. Why I wasn’t making money or getting paid for these things, or I wasn’t counting the hours to me, like just that natural curiosity and just understanding and, and wanting to have a good, you know, quality of living and to not just feel like the individuals are, are quote unquote clients.
Like the way I saw it was, You know, they were an extension of my life, extension of my quality of living. And I’m making a difference in their lives as well, like as human beings, like as connected individuals for, you know, over and above what contract we have signed or what percentage or this or that.
It’s like at the end, we’re all humans and we wanna feel connected and of value as well. Like, like how do you, how do you kind of approach that piece of it, like, like the connectivity and also like just wanting to be part of, of value and, and help. I, I think for me it comes naturally. It might take a little bit of development for, for certain people, but you understand when you do that.
Most importantly for me, that really gives you the ultimate self-confidence and, and the self-esteem that you know, we’re all, I think looking for. It’s not about the flashy cars and jewelry and houses. I think when. Make it so personal, you actually care and make that the top priority. It just comes back to you and just like you did, I did the same thing.
I’ve been out of pocket for years and years and years and I still do to go to events, birthday parties, functions, holiday dinners, whatever it might be, not for any other reason. Then I want to continue to strengthen that personal bond. You know, there’s been times where going to events, Other businesses actually come out of it because I’m there more as a friend than a business associate, and I’m sure you could attest to the same thing.
And so you know, this is kind of, kind of, I won’t say for everybody, but let’s just say for some things in, in the media kind of counter trend to take this position. But in my mind, like I’ve never counted the hours. I don’t count the hours. I still consider it a privilege to be able to to this day to have you on the show, to have individuals to be able to help them tell their stories and to do that.
Whereas, you know, sometimes people are expecting this immediate like microwave. Society gratification of, I went there, I’m supposed to get business, like something is supposed to happen now. But I’ve very much taken the long approach in all of my relationships, whether it’s media, whether it’s when I was an advisor and anything else like that.
It sounds to me like you’re definitely in it. For the long haul. And you take the, the long approach to building relationships as evidenced by your, you know, 30 year plus relationships with many individuals. Can you speak on, on kind of just that concept, because I feel like it’s so counter trend to what we hear in the media and in news today.
I mean, I like sometimes I hear the expression, overnight success and yeah. , people wanna look at me sometimes as an overnight success. Yeah, an overnight success that took 20, 25, 30 years and it’s still working and we’re still, you know, achieving and attaining more, and always trying to grow and build and cultivate new relationships because nothing happens overnight for, for anybody.
You know, if you have that quick. mindset, you know, it, it, it’s gonna hurt you, you know, in the long run could be a short term gain for a lifetime of pain and mistakes. And it just, that’s just not reality in the world of business. I, I think the key is if you are younger and you are trying to build something that’s gonna be your legacy surround yourself too with a lot of mentors people that have the success we’re trying to get to, because you can.
And save a fortune of money and years and years of mistakes and heartache from their mistakes. But you could also gravitate and accelerate growth by everything they’ve done to become successful. something else that you talked about in the book. So scheduling a personal lunch instead of a business lunch.
I’ll tell you when I, when I saw this the first time and I read it the first time, I smiled from ear to ear because I’m like, it’s just one of those things that I feel like can make anybody stick out because again, this is one of the things that, to you it’s basic and it’s, I. . But to most, when they read that they’ll, they’ll kind of like do a double tick.
Like, huh? Like why ? What has that meant to you in your career? I think it’s everything. I mean, I love when people ask me about it, cuz then I know they’re really real cuz it doesn’t happen often. Clearly I have enough that are strictly about business, but even if it’s strictly business, I’ll spend 90% of the time making it about personal when I’m there.
Kind of bring them over to that as well. Cause I don’t wanna sit there and talk a business for, for two hours. You know, you can knock that in five minute mm-hmm. and then build a personal rapport and a personal bond and a trust. The rest of the time I’m still doing it. I mean, I think it’s just so super important and it just feels good, you know, that it’s not just about, Hey, how do we make money together?
You know, you, you could develop real friends. Business world and you can almost like change it, where now it becomes a personal friendship and a love and a bond and a trust first, that you get the blessing of doing business with each other too. . Yeah. And I, I completely agree with that. And one of the things that used to I, I mean I haven’t really, I haven’t smoked a cigar in years, but when I was a pretty active financial advisor, that was one of my favorite things to do with clients.
And they were always shocked cuz I, I wouldn’t talk about business the whole time. And they’re like, why? Why aren’t you talking about business? I thought like this had to be a pitch or you. Sell me something or that had to be, and I, and I just quite frankly wasn’t, I mean, that can, like you said, you can sum that up in five minutes.
You can do that over the phone, you can do it other times, especially nowadays when we have like such limited, in my opinion FaceTime, world War one-on-one and we have time. Make that human connection. Like we’re not on Zoom, we’re not on the phone. Like, like why waste that, that time that we have to really be at each other’s lives and get to know each other with with the numbers.
Like that’s, we can always deal with that . Exactly. Yep. In-house relationships, so this is one a again, another. As I look through the themes of what you wrote and what you presented, like these are every single one. It. Counter to where I feel like many people are are going so in-house relationships. Talk to me a little bit more about what that’s meant to you in cultivating those and really keeping, keeping a clean shop.
And I think that’s okay Mo most people, you know, that work with us, you know, stay with us, you know, forever. I make sure the environment is really chill. Everybody kind of knows what their role is. There’s weeks and months and days that could be a little bit. Crazy than others. And then others are chill.
I believe in, you know, giving people time off when they need it cause I know what it does for me. But you know, at the end of the day, I think it’s so cute to have the right team. But as we touched about a little bit and mission matters and you and I have offline, I think when things are great it’s important to, to reiterate that things are great or, you know, take care of individuals when, when they’re perform.
better. And, and I think when mistakes are made, there’s, there’s ways to go about that. I’m not one of these drill sergeants that just, you know, erupts them. May be disappointed in the moment, but I think there’s also ways to give constructive criticism where rather than, you know, one of my agents or employees can get down and out you know, the conversation end with them having a feeling of, oh, I know I couldn’t do better.
All right, so for everybody watching and listening to this we’re, we’re gonna pause on the discussion about the book. You wanna know more about, you’re gonna, you’re gonna have to pick up a copy, but I do wanna spend some time on this interview. And, and while I have you on the line, Darren talking about aiming I, hi.
Hi. So your, your previous release I’ve seen you on on. Tour now for, I don’t know, over the course of the last year on on big podcast shows, doing big interviews and really getting the message out. So for those that are unfamiliar with the book, maybe give us a little bit of the background. So Aiming High is a collaboration of my professional career I guess you could say.
taken the world on a fly in this wall journey on what it was like and what it’s still like to be part of the SuperAgent life. While I was deep in my own hell suffering with the 24 year opiate addiction. And by the grace of God, how I came out on the other side and found recovery sobriety piece and.
Since you’ve been out promoting the book and really, and really spreading your message is, is there anything that’s kind of surprised you along the way? I, I don’t wanna say surprise, but you know, Jay Shetty’s a very good friend and obviously having a platform to be on his podcast on the top on the world.
Him and I still sent screenshots back and forth that area, year and a half. and the transparency and the vulnerability and the forthcomingness of individuals that saw that interview and were so impacted by it and have either started going to 12 step meeting therapy have changed their life, not just from drug protection and alcoholism, you know, it’s about mental health too.
What they have to do to try to cure that depression, anxiety. Whatever, you know, feelings of self-doubt, self-worth there was just so much identification for so many individuals around the world and it, it’s just the greatest feeling, you know, to wake up one morning, get a DM or two on my Instagram or Facebook or website where somebody said, you know, I don’t, I know you don’t know me, but I watch your interview once a week and it’s changed my life, or it saved my brother’s life, or my sister’s life, or my mother’s or my father’s.
It. . You know, I wrote the book almost as a form of therapy to help some people and help change and save their lives. I just didn’t realize how much it would change mine in the process. So one of the things that I, I like to talk about pretty often, but, but I’m a publisher, right? So we sell books, we create media, we create marketing.
And so I’m always trying to get individuals to, to go out there and to tell their story, like, and I don’t whether they’re. Working with Mission Matters, whether they’re work, they do it themselves, use another publisher. Like I don’t care. Like, the point is, is what you’ve just now described is to me, is the power of story and the way that us sharing our own, our own insights into our lives can really help others and can really make a difference in their lives as well.
Because what I’ve found over the, over the course of doing this is that, you know, some people are gonna warm up to my voice, some are gonna warm up to your voice and your message, like we’re all in. own, you know, path in our own, let’s just say milestones or points in our life journeys. And those stories are so helpful to hear, to know that either we’re not alone, if we’re going through some of the same things, or if we’re maybe, or if we’re maybe, you know getting out of some tough, tough times in looking back to know like, Hey, we can do it too.
What would your message be for others that are maybe out there that have a story to share or something to tell? Books, podcasts, doesn’t matter. But the idea of sell, of sharing your story to help others, like what would you tell to those that are out there that are considering it? I think it’s almost like you have a responsibility.
Mm-hmm. , you know not everybody believes in God. There’s gotta be a power greater in ourselves to come out of your own hell or, Adversity and turn your life around. I think it’s a big being then all of ourselves that allowed us to get to that place. And it’s not just for ourselves, it’s to spread the message to, to help others as well.
That there is a way out of whatever that struggle that you dealt with was. . Yeah. Yeah, I agree with that. And in terms of, I want some of the the professional opinion out there. So for the let’s just say, you know, you’re not a, you’re not a, a Hulk Hogan, or you’re not a, you know, a worldwide celebrity and you’re, you’re a business owner or a business leader, and you’re thinking about going to get your, your message out there, whether it’s, you know, doing something like a podcast or book or otherwise, What, what kind of, what kind of promo tips or what are the tricks of the trade from your vantage point that people should consider doing to get on, to get on platforms and just to get their name out there?
I mean, I think a lot of individuals sometimes, whatever it might be that they struggled with, especially in the corporate world, are afraid about judgment and the stigma and, you know, I didn’t, personally, I didn’t think twice about it. And fast forward, no pun intended, magic wrote, magic Johnson wrote the forward to aiming.
There’s so many different groups that, that we have a division two Prince digital group that helps you know, first time authors and you know, writers that wanna help get their message out there. The ebook you know, printed book, we now, you know, can do that for you guys as well. You know, public relat.
Because to me, that’s what matters the most. You know, if you’ve got a story that needs to be told, why not tell it? You know, all, all that does. You know, I didn’t write aiming high Adam to, to make money just by default, really took our business to another level. Personal brand, you know, because of that, I wound up starting my own foundation, high Foundation, which a hundred percent of the proceeds goes to scholarship people on native mental health and substance abuse.
Well, Darren, I have to say it has been great having you on the show. I continue to to be in your corner and to be a fan and to watch the promo, all the other efforts you’re doing. I know we have some shows that we wanna get you booked on as well to get the message of Amy High out there and also all the other, all the other things that you’re working on.
That being said, so if somebody is. Watching this or listening to this Darren, and they want to connect with you and Prince Marketing Group, whether it’s booking you on a show or for, or, or talking about keynote events or other things like that. What’s the best way for people to follow up? So, my Instagram is at agent underscore dp.
The business website is print marketing group.com. I’ve got my personal website to official Darren Prince dot. . And if anybody’s listening that you know, it’s near and dear the, the Dis Opiate Epidemic Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse, they can go to aiming high foundation.org which is my 5 0 1 and any contribution that would be greatly appreciated.
Fantastic. And we’ll put all that information into the show notes so that our audience, and I’ve got a Facebook too, Darren Prince in Los Angeles. So people are old school and they’re not on Instagram. You can find. . Awesome. And we’ll we’ll put all those all the links and things like that into the show notes so that our audience can just click on them and head right on over and check out your content.
And speaking of the audience, if this is your first time with Mission Matters or engaging in an episode robot, bringing on business owners, entrepreneurs and executives, and having them share their mission, the reason behind their mission, and really what drives them and motivates them to go out into the marketplace and make a.
If that’s a type of content that sounds interesting or fun or engaging to you, we welcome you hit that subscribe button because we have many more mission-based individuals coming up on the line and we don’t want you to miss a thing. And Darren, really, it has been a pleasure. Thanks again for coming back on the show.
Thanks, man. I’ll talk to you soon.
