Frank Michael Smith has built one of the biggest audiences in sports content—over 3 million followers, 2 billion views, and major partnerships with brands like Underdog and PointsBet. But this fall, he’s betting on something entirely new: Solo Survivor, a live, elimination-style fantasy game that blends sports, trivia, and real-time payouts.

In this episode, Jake and Tyler sit down with Frank to unpack why he walked away from lucrative brand deals, how he’s using content to scale a real product, and what his leap into tech says about the next phase of the creator economy.

Whether you're building in sports, media, or tech, this conversation is a blueprint for what creator-led businesses can look like at scale.

00:00 – Intro00:39 – What is Solo Survivor?01:30 – Why Survivor Format?02:11 – Frank’s Fantasy Sports Start04:07 – Lessons from Brand Deals06:27 – Creator Value Gap07:05 – Launching Five Card Draw08:26 – Solo Survivor Business Model10:25 – Launch Surprises12:28 – Why Big Platforms Haven’t Done This14:47 – First-Mover Advantage17:30 – Content as Growth Engine18:50 – Viral Event Ideas20:51 – Balancing Brand and Business22:03 – Monetization as a Creator24:15 – Why Build Something Bigger25:28 – The 30K User Goal26:26 – What Has to Work27:37 – Exit Strategy28:55 – IP and Watch Parties31:51 – Recap