Transcript

THE HIDDEN POWER BEHIND CONTENT CREATION: DISTRIBUTION EXPLAINED || DAVE BEHAR || EPISODE 052

From Code To Winning · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 56 min · 9,884 words · 173 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "THE HIDDEN POWER BEHIND CONTENT CREATION: DISTRIBUTION EXPLAINED || DAVE BEHAR || EPISODE 052", an episode of Code To Winning published September 3, 2025 (56 min, about 9,884 words). It mentions 18 people, works and ideas, including Dave Behar, ION, Google LLC, Winning Mindset, Salt Lake City.

What this episode is about

The main topic focuses on the evolution of content distribution, highlighting the journey of ION and its transition from traditional media to a multiplatform approach aimed at maximizing reach across various screens. Key points emphasize the importance of personal branding in today's digital landscape and how effective distribution strategies can enhance visibility and growth for content creators and their businesses.

Key takeaways

  • In 2000, ION foresaw a world beyond discs, tapping into the streaming revolution before it was fashionable.
  • Today, everyone’s a network—if you’re not building your personal brand, you’re just a spectator in the game.
  • Rewind the clock to Blockbuster days: it's a wonder how far we've come from physical rentals to instant streaming.
  • ION's journey mirrors tech evolution: from multi-channel sports to OTT supremacy—a testament to adaptation in media.
  • Visionaries don't just predict trends; they create them—ION's commitment to all-screen access sets it apart from skittering competitors.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Blockbuster, Dave Behar, AON, ION
  2. – 10:00: ION, Artificial Intelligence, Google LLC, Salt Lake City
  3. – 15:00: Artificial Intelligence, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles
  4. – 20:00: Winning Mindset, Instagram, VidCon, Facebook
  5. – 25:00: Google LLC
  6. – 30:00: DNA
  7. – 35:00: Google LLC, Artificial Intelligence, Instagram
  8. – 40:00: Salt Lake City, Los Angeles
  9. – 45:00: Salt Lake City, Winning Mindset, Instagram
  10. – 55:00: Winning Mindset, Peak Performance
  11. – 56:03: Dave Behar

Notable quotes from "THE HIDDEN POWER BEHIND CONTENT CREATION: DISTRIBUTION EXPLAINED || DAVE BEHAR || EPISODE 052"

  • Well, I actually started ION in 2000, so turn of the century, if you will, and we started out is before the pipes were really opened up on streaming and such. So, we were in multiple media.
    about Dave Behar · at
  • The studio. He's also a co-author of one of two books that are bestselling in the United States as well peak performance and also Winning Mindset.
    about Peak Performance · at
  • Yeah. We actually started ION in 2000. So, turn of the century, if you will. And we started out is before the pipes were really opened up on streaming and such. So we were in.
    about ION · at
  • It's not like Fast forward to today where it's like it's another set of things to be considering and the first thing you think about is maybe AI or something. So we have ion…
    about Artificial Intelligence · at
  • Do customized like campaigns. Right now we have performance max campaign where people are looking at their Google maps and like there'll be like a popup ad or so forth as well.…
    about Google LLC · at
  • And it's not hey, it just comes by chance by itself. It's okay, now it's like how to better connect your brand DNA, whether it be a true scaling business or just your personal, passions.
    about DNA · at
  • Improvement. So, and we want to make sure we're we're there with you the whole way. And, that's part of the winning mindset, right? It's to win, you've got to be able to have…
    about Winning Mindset · at
  • Inspiration. Like in terms of this, I called like a few of my guys. I'm we're going straight downtown Salt Lake right by the Goldman Sachs and all the big commercial building, the temples and all the stuff there.
    about Salt Lake City · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Dave Behar — Person · Main guest · 3 mentions · first at
    Founder/CEO interviewed about building ION, media distribution, localization, and monetization for creators and brands.

Books & papers

  • Winning Mindset — Book · Credential (guest as co-author) / thematic anchor · 4 mentions · first at
    Used to connect entrepreneurship, distribution strategy, and the episode's framing around winning and goal achievement.
  • Peak Performance — Book · Credential (guest as co-author) · 2 mentions · first at
    Cited by the host to establish Dave Behar's authority and alignment with the episode's 'winning' theme.

Companies & orgs

  • ION — Company · Core topic (guest's company) · 2 mentions · first at
    Central company discussed: a multi-platform distribution network with local and categorical channels, positioned as complementary to social platforms and focused on creator monetization.
  • Google LLC — Company · Referenced platform (ads/maps) · 5 mentions · first at
    Appears in discussion of Performance Max and Google Maps ads; ION is positioned as not a direct competitor to Google Ads but a different hyper-local database-driven approach.
  • Instagram — Company · Referenced platform · 3 mentions · first at
    Used as an example of short-form distribution (reels) and as a complementary channel to ION for creator growth.
    It works in like in with those that are in Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube as well, right? So it comp it complements it rather than competing with it.
  • Blockbuster — Company · Historical reference · 3 mentions · first at
    Used as a marker of the pre-streaming era to contrast ION's 'all screens' approach and the shift away from discs.
    Over any screen versus being about the discs or anything like that back in what would be the blockbuster even early Netflix days.
  • AON — Company · Referenced entity (likely misnaming ION) · 3 mentions · first at
    The host repeatedly asks how 'AON' can help distribution; guest corrects to ION, implying AON is a mistaken reference rather than a separate company in this episode.
    How can distribution and how can AON end up like helping get more reach for me and end up like building more of my personal brand as well?
  • Facebook — Company · Referenced platform · 1 mention · first at
    Listed among social platforms that ION complements rather than competes with for creator distribution.
    It works in like in with those that are in Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube as well, right? So it comp it complements it rather than competing with it.
  • Mr. Video — Company · Historical reference (South Africa video rental) · 1 mention · first at
    Used as a South African analogue to Blockbuster to illustrate pre-streaming consumption habits.
    Think the year 2000 I'm from South Africa so Blockbuster was still big there but we have our own we had our own called like Mr. Video which is very similar to Blockbuster. So going out with my father on a Friday night.
  • Rumble — Company · Referenced platform · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as an alternative streaming platform used by creators, supporting the point that creators distribute across many networks.
    Are YouTubers. I came across a lot of streamers that were streaming on like some were even Rumble, some were streaming on Twitch.
  • UFC — Company · Referenced sports organization · 1 mention
    Mentioned via the host interviewing a UFC fighter, illustrating creator content types that could fit ION Sports distribution.

Concepts & topics

  • Artificial Intelligence — Concept · Referenced concept · 3 mentions · first at
    Discussed as a modern consideration in distribution; guest downplays ION as an 'AI platform' while acknowledging automation and contrasting it with human-driven workflow.
  • OTT — Concept · Core topic (distribution medium) · 4 mentions
    Cited as part of the shift to 'all screens' distribution and as an area still considered early/infant despite years of growth.
    Between... mobile and the internet and OTT.
  • DNA — Concept · Core theme (identity/brand essence) · 1 mention · first at
    Repeatedly used to describe ION's identity (brand DNA) and the importance of aligning creator brand DNA with distribution and monetization strategy.

Places & events

  • Salt Lake City — Place · Example market/location · 4 mentions · first at
    Used as the primary example of ION's hyper-local distribution model and the host's home market for localized reach.
  • VidCon — Event · Referenced event (where host met guest) · 2 mentions · first at
    Serves as the origin point of the host-guest connection and a context for discussing creator platforms and streaming ecosystems.
    Awesome stuff. It was great to bump into you in VidCon.
  • Los Angeles — Place · Referenced location · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as the studio setting and as a sports-market example (Lakers) for audience reach strategies.
    Place. That's that's where the reach happens. So if you're on as the example would be on Salt Lake City, I on Los Angeles on any small town in North America and for that matter…

Full transcript with timestamps

Well, I actually started uh ION in in 2000, so turn of the century, if you will, and we started out is before the pipes were really opened up on streaming and such. So, we were in multiple media categories and of course things like surge and e-commerce. And then we developed further into our production, our distribution, and you know, this is where we are today. So Ion basically it was about multiplatform primarily viewed over any screen versus being about the discs or anything like that back in what would be the blockbuster even early Netflix days.

Okay. So yeah in this case it's it's all screens and so we're excited about that. You know between you know of course mobile and the the internet and uh OTT

so much a campaign for a YouTuber or somebody out there like with a podcast. How can distribution and how can AON end up like helping get more reach for me and end up like building more of my personal brand as well?

Well, I love the term personal brand because you know everyone today is a network.

The code to winning insights you need today to seize the world tomorrow. Yet again, we are still in the golden state and of course the city of angels. We have a wonderful guest. If you are very curious and interested in learning about distribution as well for your business, um this is the episode for you. I have the founder and the CEO of O Network in the studio. He's also um a co-author of one of two books that are bestselling um in the United States as well uh peak performance and also Winning Mindset. How ironic and perfect to segue into the code to winning as well. So without further ado, our amazing guest um in you know the studio today we have Dave Behar. How you doing today sir?

Absolutely awesome. Awesome stuff. It was great to bump into you in uh VidCon. Hell yeah. Good seeing you.

You recognized me. You thought it was somebody else and I was like you know I never ever sees an opportunity for me to be able to have a conversation with somebody. When you bumped into me I'm like well it's my chance. Let's let's talk and figure out. And then I think um I know that you do a lot in distribution. You have um

you work a lot in the media field and so forth as well. And when I spoke to you about like needing a studio, I know you offered your services and all that. And I think I never heard a response in about like a few hours. I saw this studio and I'm like, you know what? I'm going to bring Dave over here as well. I'm hoping you're enjoying it. I hope you like the scenery.

Great studio. Awesome stuff. Let's just segue straight into uh ION network. ION.

ION. Well, same thing. There's those three letters, too. Okay. Perfect. Perfect. Thanks for the correction there. Can you tell us a bit when you started the company?

Yeah. We actually started uh ION in in 2000. So, turn of the century, if you will. And uh we started out is before the pipes were really opened up on streaming and such. So we were in multiple um media categories and of course things like surge and e-commerce

and then we developed further into our production, our distribution um and you know this is where we are today.

Awesome. And now we have you know our platform is is uh you know it's a it's a great it's a great platform.

All right. And if you were to tell I mean it's such a when you speak about the streaming services and all that I think the year 2000 I'm from South Africa so Blockbuster was still big there but we have our own we had our own called like Mr. Video

which is very similar to Blockbuster. So going out with my father on a Friday night.

Yeah. Getting Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2, Rush Hour 3, renting it out and returning it the next day when you had to like rewind the VCR as well. I'm old enough to remember that. That was also like early Netflix.

I only found it out. I never even heard about Netflix until like later on as well. So

yeah. Was that like um a market was it was very new, right? And so was like was that an opportunity for you to end up like starting um AON? Well, so so Ion basically it was about multiplatform uh primarily viewed over any screen versus uh being about the uh you know discs or anything like that back in what would be the blockbuster even early Netflix days.

Okay. So yeah, in this case it's it's all screens and uh so we're excited about that. You know between you know of course mobile and the the internet and uh OTT.

Awesome. And right now with uh about 25 years into it um going 26 as well. What was the vision that like painted this picture for you to be able to start this?

Well, the opportunity I mean I spent um you know many years in uh with my a couple other startups that I exited um and those are in primarily sports and uh we built a couple companies. One was worldwide and we definitely had utilized media and we did many events uh over well broadcast and cable uh which was what we did in part of our um kind of multi- channelannel mix to promote

those events those leagues those brands but then basically the opportunity and uh as the internet opened up um saw it saw it early of being where things were going to be viewed watched and you know it's not like Fast forward to today where it's like it's another set of uh things to be uh considering and the first thing you think about is maybe AI or something. So we have ion intelligence which is prevalent today in our world in our DNA but then it was about starting out with our brand ion and uh you know being the original there's been a few knockoffs uh since and of course um

several we've had to take to justice uh you know in federal court but uh likewise um it's uh it's it's a great run. It's uh we have a great team and the team is growing. Um and now even more so we uh we you accept all sorts of content creators into the network because they're looking for distribution.

So you know the vision was was really all about um being a a dominant player in in the platform space

and certainly we have a great brand. So no, I love that so much. And you know in a in this day and age 2025 where content is literally everywhere.

Yeah. In what role does distribution and what does the distribution power actually look like for content?

Well, are you talking about in in terms of just simply like online or over the air?

Over the air. Over the air. Well, over over the air. I mean, I I think that it's more about like appointment type of TV, and that's a a good thing, but at the same time, we're talking about distribution where people already are and want to watch that affinity and us being able to be the organization behind a significant amount of that organization in terms of distribution. So we basically have our ion network in thousands of channels both from a local standpoint and a categorical standpoint like ion sports as just one of the many categories and uh that's a place for folks that distribute their shows their content and um so there's you know a number of of platforms that you would think of first um historically and YouTube being one of them of course but uh and some of the other social media platforms, but uh in our case, you know, we're about business. We want to help people succeed

and monetize their great work and um at the same time be a great place for viewing.

Okay. And now for my example, so I do I have a YouTube channel probably going to touch 35,000K. I have um a team where um a media team back in Utah and also have my YouTube partner manager. What happens is that we do uh customized like campaigns. Right now we have performance max campaign where people are looking at their Google maps and like there'll be like a a popup ad or so forth as well. Um and at the same time like it's just been so much a campaigns for a YouTuber or somebody out there like with a podcast. How can distribution um and how can um AON end up like helping get more reach for me and end up like building more of my personal brand as well?

Mhm. Well, I love the term personal brand because, you know, everyone today is a network and so you're just simply uh going to become an ioner and for that matter um you know the levels that you have you're following you're already in many ways an eye influencer and so we're going to have you come into our world and you know for instance this particular episode you know it'll probably be on ION and uh you know as a result of course people love you and uh rather than just being let's call it a YouTuber you be an ironer so let alone being a pioneer so

so is there a way um I does does it help build more of my social media presence if I end up like utilizing ion

well big time yeah because basically um there's a few things one is we would have local channels in the case of Salt Lake City not just ion Salt Lake City but also the suburbs and basically every town in Utah as an example. So in this case, you're going to be seen in four more places. And in this case, you're talking about um we're marketing within those communities. It is the community's, you know channel

and uh so they have a deacto channel for for their town. In that case, you're localized as well as um you know, a leader in the in the space, you know, category. Love that. Love that. And and just another followup. So obviously with over 25,000 um local channels and also affiliations um you did speak about that and how would you also follow up on that ensure that it reaches the right audience as well like what is what what does ion do to ensure?

Yeah. Well, first of all, we've got a great great team to ensure that. But at the same time, by the nature of the channel itself is how then the affinities uh take place. That's that's where the reach happens. So if you're on uh as the example would be on Salt Lake City, um I on Los Angeles uh on any small town in North America and for that matter beyond, you're going to be found. And there's a marketing strategy behind uh those channels.

All right. So, what kind of content performs best on a ion? And what are you looking for in deciding what to bring someone on show on a show?

Well, contentwise, um so first of all, we have this localized reach. Localization, one of my favorite ion words. um where you're going to be hyper local in any town in North America and to some extent globally of course

I mean the network is viewed globally but and then categorically if you have a sports show whatever it is including what is live sports you know where there's competition going on such

we have the ability to distribute that multiplatform in every town let alone under ion sports So, example, if you're into nutrition or you're into um well, health or your kids content, whether you're a kids influence or not, family,

that's where ion kids, ion family comes um and is distributed on all the local channels also.

So, we have our categorical networks, we have our local network. And no, there's there more like more that's there's more that goes into it because it's simply um having you reach your targeted audience where there is very little you know I mean you have a lot of people snacking and watching and and all that from all sorts of places but organizationally that's how we organize

the content how we organize the shows and even if it's the smallest of small pieces of content Um but we do like the idea of also having shows and you know in the case of of you know obviously now with um how popular shorts and reels and so forth is we have additions you know so it's kind of edit.

Perfect. No, I like that. And so, but looking back obviously in 2000 and right now 2025 um how have has has um ION end up like transforming over time to try and utilize AI and also how technology has just quickly rapidly like moved towards this industry.

Yeah. So, you know, we don't it's the best way to describe it. We don't incorporate what you would call AI and utilizing it. Hey, this is an AI platform by any means.

Is there some automation? Absolutely. There has to be in order for people to fi rapidly find, you know, shows and assets and things like that in the network. But um the evolution there was definitely a vision and then intuition uh what was ahead. So we're actually in many ways right where we'd like to be. And it's even hard to argue that because we just are who we are and that's our DNA,

you know, and our vibe. So, um it's it's an exciting place to be right now. Would we have liked to have been there back then? Well, there there wasn't the um um things weren't being consumed the same way and being looked for the same way, you know, 25 years ago, but we still had our revenue. we still had our our purpose always purpose driven you know with the ion brand of course so

okay um and I know one of the things you mentioned ev it's evolution you know and then collaboration more and more really helps things along um and that's with you know great folks that have great shows and content and other things and as well as what is the monetization factor of being a great um you know business solution

um besides simply transactional e-commerce, etc. And so, you know, just over the course of time, we've gotten better and better at it.

And how expensive um or like what are what are rates looking like for somebody who's trying to like get like distributed his content within io as well

for you? Five bucks. No, listen, you know, part of it is uh how wide you you're looking to go. And you can say how kind of like the cost per thousand changes but um in in there's a traditional sense and then there's also where do we want to go and how quickly

because we are also talking about not to be um suggestive of AI not either playing a role or um automation and that is to scale you know as quickly as possible. So, you know, your show, but uh what happens is is that um um you know, we might get into a more creative partnership to help make it happen versus say this is what we're charging. Um so that all relates to that um let's call it that creator, but also the brand and any other organization that wants to come into the network and succeed by our our model, which is it's a great one, you know. So, so we're we're open as far as our pricing model and so forth. We do have what you would call a kind of a you can call it a media kit, but at the end of the day, there's a um there is a distribution fee per market, per per uh town, etc. and it is based on population.

But you know those kinds of situations it it does come down to what that show is and and what that brand is trying to achieve because we'll be consultative about it and I think that's really really important because at the end of the day there's not meant to be any price barrier

you know it's it's you know an open platform. So then what in from entrepreneurial perspective and also like content creators, what would you say is probably the biggest misconception people have with media distribution?

Well, you've got to figure just like a great um you know startup is who's your audience? You know, it's like who do you want to reach, need to reach? You might want to be having viewers and an audience in the millions and that's fine, but where's your core? Where's your core audience?

You know, are you a business guy? Have you had this business success? Are you a you know, again, it could be like a fitness guru or some kind of um influencer in a certain specific space or want to only reach certain demographic and in that case that's of course who you want to reach first and who you're uh there to influence and then you scale from there. So, um that's just a you know, I think that's a fundamental, right? But rather than just kind of spraying it out and hope people like me, people like us or whatever the show is, you know, because uh yeah, you where do you resonate most? And um you know, just like well, we're focused here and this is what market we want to win.

And I think that's you know, just part of your winning mindset as an entrepreneur. And how would you say then um these content creators cuz right now I realize especially when you and I were at VidCon that it's not just people that are YouTubers. I came across a lot of streamers that were streaming on like um some were even Rumble, some were streaming on Twitch.

Sure. 24/7 just like streaming. And then you even had others I had other other people that were like Tik Tok streaming and then one guy had like a massive following and people like watching as it was going about as well. And so and one of the things you did stress on is that the fact that it's not necessarily in competition but it's more complimentary with what um ION is doing right now. So it works in in in like in

with with those that are in Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, you know, YouTube as well, right? So it comp it complements it rather than competing with it.

Right? So there's a couple things. One is we we love marketing against shows and content creators and whatever it is that's on the network. That's one. Two is there's a number of platforms out there. And the ideology is that everyone either has their favorite the way that they operate, whether it be ease of use or their reach or at least the intended reach. At the end of the day, we're actually proactive. You know, we're proactive network. So we really seek um you know great people and to be part of us um in what we do but not to be competitive with those other platforms because it's a big world out there.

every individual whether you want to say hey your personal brand everyone who has you know has a network has their personal brand too of course

um they should be in a number of places and for that matter uh as far as we're concerned as part of our audience network is if you're coming into um ION then we're going to also reach others in other networks as well.

Okay. Now I'm I'm glad you you kind of stressed in on that. Um I think obviously before you and I started I told you the amount of knowledge I have on distribution cuz in my mind there's there's only like one way Google ads and getting a reach out there collaborating with bigger brands collaborating with like bigger guests you sharing stuff on their social media vice versa which has been working as well um a lot but in terms of distribution I've never really thought about uh things that way but like with the network and like potential for growth it just sounds amazing every time body has a network, you're always just thinking cable and that's

that's cable as in c TV cable. So, you know, like a network or like media network. It's that's like what comes in mind, you know, cuz I don't think I think I don't think people watch cable no more. It's become an obsolete form of like

um market, you know, unless you're watching sports or the Super Bowl or football and stuff like that, but for the most part, you can get that on like a Hulu kind of like additional sports subscription. And so, yeah, media distribution, it's getting it obviously to the right faces and the right people and the right audiences. And I think that's very important because

would you say then there's a bigger problem with people sometimes growing too fast because one thing is that I I've been seeing growth, but the nice thing I'm I'm enjoying right now is the people that have been subscribing to my channel are actually watching it. So, I don't have to have dead subscribers. I have actual people. And so it's like one of those uh the reason we've been releasing content every day um in terms of food uh we started in June till December every day Monday to Friday with the entire goal of trying to get 100k subscribers in terms of like obviously performance max campaigns Google ads whatever we may be

well subscriber-wise I mean you know that's not the only people watching you of course that's people who've decided to subscribe

exactly you know and then we'll seek you to go back to without a subscription so I think that that's could be a misunderstood term Also, it's nice to have that many subscribers, but people do hit the subscribe button and don't necessarily go back and watch again type of thing or watch with frequency.

So, that's where metrics come into play. And, uh, you know, distribution, it's very interesting. um it's still what you would call early even though distribution over the internet and mobile even OTT it's it's it's in many ways still in its infancy even though there's you know 15 20 years at it you know type of thing so

um you know end of the day and then it's also got to consider the groups that are on the platforms not just hey look at my channel here or there it's who are in these groups groups and um that those are also your audiences that are affinity based whether it be in a locality or in a you know some kind of sports group a certain sport etc. So the ability to reach those, it doesn't just happen by chance. You generally have to create a relationship that is relational to them, you know, and so they become your, you know, ultimately your consumers. And for that matter, subscriber and if you got some swag in your uh studio store, well, guess what?

You know, they're more likely to buy versus a general audience, if you will. You know, so

you know what goes along with distribution is targeting. So and um one of the things I liked a lot and obviously you stress a lot on like sports nutrition because um um ION really operates on many verticals. Yeah.

And so but with when you spoke about like sports, nutrition and business, how do you keep those brand lanes sharp and also effective?

Oh, you mean the network brands like ion sports? Exactly. Well, you got to have continuous great programming. you know, come in and and connect with your audiences, communities, um, events, things like that. But at the same time, it's, you know, making sure that, uh, the integrity of our brand continues, um, with how we're shown and and branded. And so, we try to continuously update what that is. Of course, branding isn't our DNA. I mean, I

my my brand and business development background. So I make sure that our team is is sharp in those areas

and for that matter on behalf of the content creators. So if anything we again want to champion great content creators

and great brands for sure which is part of even the monetization puzzle and I think that's the entire purpose which I want to say when you spoke about monetization right now um because

it's a great iron word man. No, I I think at the end of the day, this is the capital of capitalism, like you know, the United States as a whole. And I'm originally from South Africa, born and raised obviously there. And I I've realized how many people have found joy in building personal brands, networks, but also doing what they love and monetizing.

You got to love You got to love what you're doing. You got to have fun. And it's not like, hey, it just comes by chance by itself. It's like, okay, now it's like how to better connect your brand DNA, whether it be a true uh scaling business or just your personal, you know, passions.

And so that's it's critical. And which which segus right now because I've seen extremely big and massive channels and I found out that like even though they're monetized like the engagement and stuff and like the endorsements are not really there and you even get smaller channels that are doing super well in terms of just constantly being consistent doing the lives getting the super chats as well.

How can um ION end up like helping content creators get monetization and like maximize as much as possible? Well, so our business was more or less founded on those principles versus it's true that we are technology and media company but and and often you know let's call you know years past etc companies great technology companies have failed because they didn't have the business component the monetization component with how they actually make money in our case I mean I could throw out just some you know simple words but and one of them is like the word sponsor. Although people, oh well, I know what a sponsor is. Well, is there the alignment? Is there the actual alignment with your brand, with your again content, your message, uh, frequency? And so, we put that all into perspective because we're used to doing those deals. We're actually then at the same time because of the distribution and and all those things that happen on

the hyper local level that is where the money is and that's where we can really uh perform great for those that are in the network that want distribution. So you know that's that's what's key. differentiation, but at the same time um you also rely on ION for the the you know what is the vibe of you know your your style of content.

Okay. Your show. So perfect. So so we're going to we're you know in other words you might just simply upload like you would on there's a few other platforms that you can simply upload and do.

Exactly. I was going to give you an example about what I do. We're going to say guess who's here besides inviting you into our family. Right. But you're there so we can not just say I'm going to start throwing some ads in there and and do that, but at the same time um get into what you want to achieve. If you don't know what you want to achieve, whether you're you're you can call yourself a content creator or you're a brand and you're doing your own stuff in house or even have somebody else doing it for you. Um we're still going to go in from like an agency level. We love working with agencies because at the end of the day, they want the best outcome for their client.

And of course, you do too. So, we want to know that besides saying, "Oh, well, we know what you need as part of a solution." So, it's not just again random, you know, a random process here. It's okay now, let's go make money together. let's go kick some ass together, you know, and in the category and that audience which is probably pretty significant and for that matter pretty significant in our own network. And if we don't necessarily have that level in our network today, we'll have it tomorrow because that's our goal and that's our plan. And then it's about campaign,

okay? Because we're marketing you, you know, type of thing. So it's it's an exciting place versus just being let's call a technology platform or even an age-old media uh model or something like that like just television today. I mean you even mentioned with cables like yeah there's there are some dying breeds we saw and I saw all that at a very early stage you know of of what was going to be happening with the thing called the internet. So, you know, and then digital and streaming and obviously mobile where most people are watching today, you know, making sure that, you know, horizontal or vertical, you know, but what about both?

So, um, versus it being only one sizefits-all. Perfect. So, the right now this is the interview you're going to be doing to me. So, I'm I'm in your office right now. Okay. I walked in

and I'm like, "Okay, I'm going to tell it break down everything I'm doing." Okay.

So, I'm interviewing you. You're interviewing me right now. I'm entering your office. I'm letting you know everything I'm doing with like my my content and stuff and what we're looking at and what the vision is and stuff like that. All right. So,

hi Dave. Thank you very much for allowing me to come to your office. Um, I want to let you know I have a a big vision, not just the 100K subscribers. Right now, I've been releasing content every single day,

right? and I'm breaking down. My media team is cutting up a few reels and we keep like pushing it. It's doing super well, especially on Instagram. We have it's just it it's popping on people's feed, so it's already being pushed by the algorithm as well. So, we're doing fine there. um our subscriber count with the ads. We we are fearing the fact that we're spending way too much on ads, which is it's it's doing well in terms of getting subs there, but it's like are they watching other episodes or cuz we have a disparity between the big ones that blow up and then you get your few that just like stay in like a thousand or so, then you get others that are like 26, 27. There's no middle ground. So, people like what they like and so forth.

And then the next thing I have is that the entire thing is that um I want to try and like utilize what I'm doing right now with like my content creation and trying to build like a massive community for like podcasters as well where we we kind of like just network with people and

well creating your own network is basically what you're talking about. Yeah, exactly.

And then furthermore I mean first of all I love that thinking. Yeah and that's yeah that's pretty much it. that's where it is and then just continue to build but at the same time still end up like monetizing doing courses helping people um

start a podcast elevate their podcast upscale and reach a higher podcast. So we want to make sure that we use the right PR if we even need one right mean like Google ads if we even like so that's my goal what can you do for me Dave

Mhm. I'm in your office now. Okay, welcome to our office in beautiful Hermosa Beach. Well, Manhattan Beach, too.

There we go. Um, but we also might, by the way, um, be taking a walk down the Strand because that might be one of our most effective meetings.

Love that. So, basically, you're able to, now it's really not meant to be a uh, a competitive product to Google Ads. you know, you're buying Google ads, like you're buying those words and this and that and spending x amount of dollars. So, in in our case, there is some of that fundamental in our network, but it's it's much more than hyperargeted towards the town because the town our business operates more off of the database in every town in North America.

Okay? We're talking about residents and businesses. Wow. you want to reach a business or business sector sector in that town or a you know the residents let alone mo moving more and more into what is the demographics of those. Now granted you say well gosh I can kind of do that and somehow my targeting is on some of these networks. Well sort of but the difference is you can call it algorithm you call it AI whatever you want to call it. There's something about human driven workflow. Okay. So we have our platform automated platform that's going to have you target anybody you want because we see it as a campaign that's not just based on an algorithm but by handholding it to happen.

How do you do that though? Well because we know our database the database is the marketplace. Okay. It's not just, well, we think people are doing searches on these keywords and or I'm able to show an ad for your show or content, whatever it is, or do a real and then it pops up and this and that. The reality is is we're here to market your show. And that does take great automation. You can call it algorithm to a certain extent and and AI, but we're talking about humanpowered stuff, okay? It's about the vision and not just relying upon technology, relying on AI to do the work. Now you say, well, yeah, that's what everybody's doing, what everybody's thinking. And it's the next thing. The end of the day, I mean, and still, granted, AI as an example has been around for years. It's just we're now noticing it from a consumer standpoint and the adoption of it.

Precisely. So your content, you're here in the office. We want to get to know you

whether you're in the office or not because we'll go do it through a you know a remote call or you know some kind of Zoomer or whatever to get to know you. But um what's your goals? You're at 100K now. Let's call it subscribers. What's your overall goal? And then who do you really want to reach? and then we're able to put it into the proper, you know, I'm going to call it cylinder or silo or algorithm. Um, but we're going to do that based upon our our model. So, we have a very organized model and distribution capability in the network and then outside the network.

So then we're driven by metrics. Of course, any network would want to have a growing number of subscribers for all of their content creators or just provide the tools to have you do that. And our toolbox is getting only better, of course. But at the end of the day, we make up for that because we actually care. You know, you know, it's the human element. It's the protocol by which you know as if we're the agency but we're like then I'm gonna call it an agency of agencies but we work great with being able to say well reaching those things that we have the capability to do. So we're able to reach into communities deeply and and it is population-based.

So you say, "Well, I mean, what about South Africa as an example besides, let's say, here in North America?" And it's like, "Well, do you want to rock it in all of Utah?" Let's do that.

Wow. Okay. Now, it's not meant to be vague. It's meant to be, well, how many towns are in the state of Utah?

Exactly. How many people are in Salt Lake City? Well, last I check, you know, million plus, right? Well, how many people are in Salt Lake City that are subscribed to your channel or subscribed to your content? So, at the end of the day, we're now talking about that would be goal number one if you want to take care of your hometown.

Okay? You take care of your backyard and we want to make sure that happens. And for that matter, you know, it is it's where collaboration plays a role. you know, we'll want to make you a star, let's say, more than you already are.

Okay, that's music to my ears, Dave. Well, seriously. I mean, this is why we're here. This is what we're made of versus again just a platform or slotting in shows or something like that. I mean, we've had to sue people that are, you know, stole our intellectual property in having it be a different ion than what we are. And, uh, of course, fortunately, we were first. And then that's you know the vision is to carry out what we're able to do from the original from the original vision. And so a lot of collaboration a lot of activation that plays a lot of uh role in you know events. I mean the examples I mean here we are in studio uh you know downtown Los Angeles um where the great Lakers play and a number of other great sports teams and um do you want to reach that audience during you know the game let alone um as a result of having an interview with one of those athletes in studio. Um, and

it's like, okay, well, they have their following obviously and they have their audience in greater fandom. And it's like, well, now you have a chance to reach them, too. And that's part of the strategy.

That's powerful. It's personal brands, it's brand brands, and um, you know, then who's bringing it and that's what we're, you know, we're here for. So, it's kind of cool.

Wow. You do a better job at interviewing me than I interview you. Well, wait. Who's who was interviewing her? We're in our office now, right?

So, it's all good, man. No, I think it kind of explains it a bit. I think it it actually opened my eyes because like I said, I I never really understood distribution. I know you said it like when you and I were having cuz I never seen an opportunity to always like when I bump into somebody, I'll always have a conversation with almost everyone. Yeah. And sometimes it's a um it's an inconvenience for the people I'm with because

so I wasn't the lucky few. I was part of the lucky many. I think you were the lucky few because I had to make sure I got you in studio. So there's a difference. Many are called and few are chosen. So

there you go. No no distribution. I mean, you know, by default, we we have to define what distribution is because there's a great three-letter word at the end of distribution, ion. So, you know, it's it's it's key. And um so, we're going to do whatever it takes. And if for some reason we can't get you there, which gosh, that's where technology kicks in, right? because utilizing our automation, our our capabilities besides saying, you know what, maybe we need to reversion this part of our network a little bit to better reach because it's it's continuous, you know, evolution, continuous improvement. So, um, and we we want to make sure we're we're there with you the whole way. And, uh, that's part of the winning mindset, right? It's to win, you've got to be able to have that reach. and um you know and then we're competing actually with ourselves not other platforms. we compete to continue to you know win internally or I

internally so it's like um and so that's why we also like to have uh you know athletes on our team you know all that because know about winning through the distribution pieces those people who have you granted it's like if you don't have a a great following uh initially it's like let's help you get there

which led to my next question as well because I was gonna try and Hey, I wanted to phrase it the way I wrote it down here as well. Um, is that I can't find it, but my my my purpose is what about those people that have great content, great concept, and have a great message too, but unfortunately don't have the following as well. like how do you how does um ION end up utilizing their tools to try and help boost their reach as well?

Okay. Well, I mean f first of all we are talking about business modeling of of one of the reasons we exist and we are talking about distribution. So the ion local network has over 25,000 towns in it. So, we're going to take your show and we're going to broadcast it across all those channels

immediately having the biggest distribution you could have by far then you what you already may have now if you're just getting rolling okay I mean maybe we're your first place versus let's call it uploading into YouTube or Instagram or wherever you're going with it. Remember this is you've got to establish your followings in those, you know, uh by having people like or follow or whatever it is to get them in the first place. But we're much more of like a direct marketer that is going to the people ourselves to make sure that your show is distributed no matter who you are. Now, it doesn't mean that all of a sudden the playing field is leveled because part of it is what is your um content about?

What is your show about? What is your even if live competition, what sport, do people want to watch that? So, we're not going to be shoving stuff down people's throats in any community per se,

but it is the opportunity for them to succeed at a far larger level in towns across, in this case, North America. Fascinating.

Okay. So, and then we also categorize, hey, I want to watch great nutrition stuff in my town. Okay. Hopefully there is local nutrition folks besides a national influencer, you know, national brand, etc. And one way or another, it all is one big happy family, you know.

That's awesome. So, just like-minded people, great vibe, you know, let's just get together and have fun, make money, um, bigger distribution, subscribers, which, you know, we that's a great iron word in of itself, of course. And so, we want those things to happen for those that are in the network.

Okay. And that's the network of champions. Oh, that's money right there. That's powerful.

Well, it's winning. I mean, so we we want to help you win. Exactly. It's not like, hey, we want to win and beat those guys. It's like, we're here to win together. And it's not even a participation trophy. It's like, no, let's go. Let's get it done, you know.

And 25,000 um that's that's a lot. And is it done through short form content or is it done according to what the audience prefers? And how do you how do you

It's the audience choice. Okay. They get to snack or they get to watch whatever is there, you know, and that's that's important stuff.

I guess you and I have to make an appointment before I leave. We already did. We were done. You were already in our office and I'm kicking you out.

No, that's that's amazing because it's not just that. It's um building a a brand new studio like this was inspiration. Like in terms of this, I called like a few of my guys. I'm like, we're going straight downtown Salt Lake

right by the Goldman Sachs and all the big commercial building, the temples and all the stuff there.

I just love like the scenery now. We're trying to get like a thing and and not just that, it's about um trying to be unique for our market as well to try and attract the right people that they end up like coming down there utilizing you know the media team everything from scratch and

and I think it's one of those stuff that yes I can we can follow the traditional way of how we're doing stuff but like let's try and test out

distribution and what would you recommend people do? How long would you say they should test out? Cuz many people are very skeptical. Like I'm never shy of like investing in myself and like my businesses and stuff like that. But um I'd say for most people are like uh I don't want to keep paying. I don't know if I can trust this thing. Uh let's just do it the old traditional way. Let's go do knocking. Uh you know what I'm saying? What would you say with someone like that? What's the time frame would you say that could give this thing a shot and try it out?

Well, I guess it's depends on what you're talking about. Is it a show or is it a product or is a combination? So why are you doing what you're doing? And what is your your cost and your expense part of it? Because if you know in in a product sense, what's their cost of goods? What is it cost to produce something either on a daily, hourly, monthly basis?

And then the ROI needs to be what it is. So obviously you want to make more money than you are spending and it's like that time frame you mean if you're talking about building a company and building a business it's like I mean at what point do you have to pivot you just need to go and maybe get out and sell more goods you know sell more um sponsorship brand partnerships that might come differently than what you might think though like rather than hey just want to sponsor uh you want to sponsor my show. It's like what is your show doing? Who is it reach? Where is it integrated in? You can call it society or culture, let alone a locality. That all of a sudden enables for that monetization to exist and hit your numbers because now you have more value to the town, to the community, let alone the market category, you know, and hopefully that makes sense. And it's

um and then it's like well what is your business development capability? And that's where kind of where we come in also. It's like well we want to help sell your show

even in your town and because there's a channel in your town also besides a national network we have.

Okay. So, um, we want to be supportive because if you have ambition, we're right there with you versus, ah, just another person or company we have to slay. No, just the opposite because it's a big world out there.

Oh, wow. This is about enablation and collaboration and all that good stuff. So, I mean, it's like we're going to want to be supportive of you in your local market, let alone help you grow globally, for sure, and be relentless about and have those conversations about it. It doesn't happen just like that. So, when you talk about time, how much time do you, you know, take before you have to say, well, we're out of this or we're going to keep it's like, well, it depends on what your goals are and what your monthly nut might be. You might be operating at a pretty low cost.

Therefore, you may have a little more space to to grow more, but um you don't want to spend your future. You know, even if you have all the money in the world, you know, you got to play it right. make sure your model aligns with, you know, what the market will take. Wow. You know, it's like, and then again, whether you're personal brand, it's like we could be talking about, well, there's a very good chance that you're a local hero already or you have a success path because of maybe a sport you played.

Are you even reaching that fan base or that audience? They even know you have a show. So it's like what performance metrics did you chase down as part of your model to success and to win and you know you want to put on that you know that you know you want to go you you want to be in it to win. So um we're going to just have you know you don't need us for that per se. It just needs to be in your own mentality right to win. So, and one of the things I did like that you mentioned as well is that you end up having a few of uh sports athletes that are that have partnered up and and that are in the io ION. I don't know. It's it's my accent.

It's all good. One of those is it's uh there's other threeletter word brands. Some of them are ancient in some ways. Um

I don't know why it's so hard to say ion. It's ion. What do you have your eye on?

I'm out here making io n and I was like, what the heck am I speaking in tongues? What's going on right now? KG, you got one job.

It's almost like you can whatever you can call me whatever you want as long as you call me.

I've never heard that one before, but I might end up using him. Go ahead. And actually, you can uh use it royalty-free.

No copyright, right? No copyright, you know. Now we're good then. Now we're good now.

Royalty free license. Free license. Oh my gosh. One of my interviews actually got flagged on my YouTube but

Oh man. Yeah. But anyway, we're gonna not flag you. We're going to wave the flag and say, "All right, here he is."

That's exactly what I need. That's exactly what I need. Yeah. But, um, how do you end up, uh, bringing those sports athletes to collaborate and work with you? And do you have any names or is it like confidential and stuff?

It's not meant to be anything confidential, but what do you are you referring to like

the sports network, the ion sports like? Yeah. We we're we're open for business to broadcast all sorts of sports. Every sport, you know, there's over 100

athletes that work with you guys. Yeah. So, we have athletes on the team. We also have athletes that we, you know, that are in the competitions and are, you know, even have a few shows and stuff. So, okay. You know, but the example would be is that it's related to the local market and and or if they're nationally based. Um because we accept content from everyone, right? So, we don't necessar So, let me see how to how to better unpack this. Um, we're wide open for any athlete to to join the network, of course. And athletes andor folks that have played sports that may not be still active. Um, yeah, we have a handful that that work in the business for sure. And then depending on the local markets, um, where they're not as active in the day-to-day of our business, you know, they're at least on the court, you know, or doing things that are, you know, event related.

Now, I'll have to talk to you in person regarding that because it's something I'm doing as well, a business we're doing with athletes and all that, but

it's something that, uh, we should be launching the end of January next year. Mhm. But just to give you a brief overview, uh I've interviewed a few athletes as well, a UFC fighter in Florida.

Great. Um I'm interviewing a lady. I'm going to be going to uh DC. She plays with the DC as football team for women. It's like an NFL like different league.

I've interviewed like a basketball lady. And was like bikini football or No. No.

But it's women's football. What? Flag football? No, it's actual football. Soccer.

No, football. Okay. Tackle. tackle. Okay. Well, there's all sorts of renditions which is it's really makes the world go around, but it's it's uh it's interesting because

I mean I love entrepreneurship. At the end of the day, you still of course have to

attract those brand partners and have to have the viewership and for that matter butts in the seat if it's live competition. So, it's that integrated stuff that is so important because nobody likes empty seats. But I mean there's I guess women's tackle football could be successful. I know there's been a few attempts.

Oh, they're doing they're doing super well. But yeah, and it it seems to be growing because it's been getting some endorsements from some um retired NFL Hall of Famers cuz right now if you look at the WNBA, it's been blowing up, you know.

Um you look at the the class of 2024 that end up coming through. uh the um Angel Reese, the Caitlyn Clarks, and like how the trajectory of the viewship and like the the drama on court like it's just such a

like a fun sport to watch. um what's it like the LA Sparks, you know, like people actually, you know, and I think maybe it doesn't have that much of a reach right now, but it seems to be doing super well like from what I've been seeing, especially in bigger cities like your coast, east and west coast, not necessarily more like

everyone everyone has their favorite thing to watch, right? Have their has their affinity whether they were

a former athlete or not, right? M so um yeah I think it could all succeed whether it be again in certain niches or at a broad scale depends on who's behind it and and what they're made of and how much they want to win.

I love that. Yeah. Awesome. Now, now you wrote or you're co-author of peak performance and also winning mindset

and the code to winning. Obviously, we know I for our guests the insights they need today to seize the world tomorrow

from co-authoring those two books that are bestsellers and your experience in business entrepreneurship. I always ask all my guests this question towards the end. What does the term winning mean for you?

Victory. You've reached your goals. Uh, typically it's a championship situation that you're at the top of your top of your game and you you keep it there.

Love that. You know, love that. And hopefully you've taken a number of people along with you for the ride.

I think that's very important. You know, the ship rises with the tide. Uplift and help others as well. Because if you've seen the vision, it's good to bring others along with you.

For sure. Well, Dave, if you could look at the camera right there and let our guests know where they could get a hold of you, if they want like media distribution, if they want to like connect with you, if they want to meet you in person or schedule a meeting, could you let our viewers know by looking at that?

Yeah, I mean, you can just reach me out at uh davidions.com. Throw me an email. I respond to my emails. Um, and you can look around socials for me a little bit, but that's the easiest way to hit me. And uh I look forward to seeing you.

The co-winning insights you need today to seize the world tomorrow. Dave Behar, thank you very much, sir.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "THE HIDDEN POWER BEHIND CONTENT CREATION: DISTRIBUTION EXPLAINED || DAVE BEHAR || EPISODE 052"?

Dave Behar (Guest), Unknown Host (Host).

What is "THE HIDDEN POWER BEHIND CONTENT CREATION: DISTRIBUTION EXPLAINED || DAVE BEHAR || EPISODE 052" about?

The main topic focuses on the evolution of content distribution, highlighting the journey of ION and its transition from traditional media to a multiplatform approach aimed at maximizing reach across various screens. Key points emphasize the importance of personal branding in today's digital landscape and how effective distribution strategies can enhance visibility and growth for content…

What is mentioned in this Code To Winning episode?

18 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Dave Behar, ION, Google LLC, Winning Mindset, Salt Lake City, Artificial Intelligence. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "THE HIDDEN POWER BEHIND CONTENT CREATION: DISTRIBUTION EXPLAINED || DAVE BEHAR || EPISODE 052"?

The episode runs 56 min; the transcript is about 9,884 words in 173 timestamped sections.

More from Code To Winning

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.