He built three 7-figure brands. Shut one down. Then grew his personal Instagram account from 0 to 150K followers in three months by turning content into a system.

In this episode, Caleb Ulffers breaks down the exact playbook founders can use to grow faster through short-form video (even if you’ve never posted before).

We talk about gear, process, mindset, and why founder-led content is the most powerful growth channel in the world. If you’ve ever wondered how to start, what to post, or how to make content actually drive sales: this is your episode.

🎧 Watch the full thing: hookedpodcast.com

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Caleb’s background and how he rebuilt post-Haven

03:30 – Why short-form content is the new founder moat

07:00 – The “Cut 30” system that changed everything

11:15 – Why most videos flop (and why that’s okay)

13:30 – The real reason consistency beats virality

17:00 – Building series and systems that scale

20:00 – The inbound power of founder-led content

27:00 – Caleb’s gear, setup, and scripting process

31:00 – His 90-day playbook for brand growth

39:30 – Getting your first sponsorships the right way

44:00 – The mindset shift every creator needs

What if your next marketing campaign didn’t need a single dollar in ad spend?

Ben Schaefer, co-founder of Cinque, built a 400-person community in San Diego through authentic experiences (surfing, music, and connection), all grown through organic social. No ads and no agency. Just people who cared.

In this episode of Hooked, Ben joins Julia and Nick to break down how he turned one simple idea into a viral movement, and why Gen Z’s scrappy approach to marketing is rewriting every rule in the playbook.

🕒 Timestamps

00:00 FYP Palm Reading – what Ben’s TikTok feed says about creativity

07:40 The new art of editing and why Gen Z storytelling hits differently

10:50 From a bank job to building a viral community

17:30 The power of posting before you’re ready

24:00 How Cinque grew with $0 in ads

33:00 Why community converts better than campaigns

40:00 Partnerships that double reach and build momentum

49:00 Ben’s hot take: LinkedIn is the next big growth channel

53:40 Gen Z’s marketing advantage and what brands can learn

What You’ll Learn• How to turn community into your best growth channel• Why “fake social proof” is a powerful testing tool• How to build hype before you build product• Why Gen Z outperforms big brands at authenticityWatch or listen to the full episode of Hooked now → ⁠hookedpodcast.com⁠

How do you build a tech startup that actually brings people together and then walk away from it to chase your dream?

In this episode of Hooked, Playkit co-founders Julia Pintar and Nick Sanchez sit down with Avery Kokka, the 23-year-old co-founder and former CMO of Plots, a venture-backed startup backed by a16z that’s reinventing how Gen Z connects IRL.

Avery shares how she turned her passion for live events into a viral growth engine and how she’s now channeling that same creativity into a full-time career as a DJ and artist.

Highlights From This Episode:

(00:06:00) – The chaotic truth about growing on TikTok as an artist

(00:08:15) – How Avery and her team used events to acquire their first 100K+ users

(00:14:45) – The college playbook: why LMU’s “boring” nightlife became her unfair advantage

(00:18:50) – The secret to competing with bigger startups: relationships and scrappiness

(00:22:00) – Julia’s lesson on why giving value always wins (in startups and life)

(00:24:30) – The “college page” strategy that took Plots from 0 → 300,000 users

(00:32:30) – Knowing when to drop what’s working (and when to pivot)

(00:38:40) – “People don’t care about your brand… they care about the humans behind it.”

(00:40:10) – How Julia hacked early TikTok growth by adding her face to brand videos

(00:45:30) – Do views really equal conversions? The truth about organic attribution

(00:53:00) – Avery’s transition from startup life to music and what losing someone taught her about risk

(00:55:00) – Why building your life around what you love is the ultimate act of creativity

What You’ll Learn:• How to build community-first products that grow organically• Why authenticity beats polish every time on social• How real-world experiences can power viral growth• What it takes to transition from tech to creative work• How to think scrappy when you can’t outspend your competition

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

Follow Playkit for more conversations with founders, creators, and operators rethinking what growth looks like in 2025.

This week’s episode is just us (Julia and Nick) answering the top questions we’ve been getting from founders and creators about UGC, virality, and scaling content.

From how to find your first creators to how some people are making $10K+ a month filming TikToks, we’re breaking it all down this week.

Whether you’re a founder trying to drive installs or a creator trying to land your first brand deal, this one’s for you.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro

DMs from founders + creators → today we answer your biggest questions.

1:02 – How to find your first creators

Marketplaces vs. posting your own “I’m hiring” TikTok.

3:40 – What is UGC (and how it’s different from influencers/ads)

Old UGC vs. new UGC.

5:47 – Coaching creators to go viral

Hooks, iteration, tracking analytics, and teaching them to think like TikTok users.

9:57 – What to do after a viral hit

Why you should double down on what worked and mine the comment section for iteration ideas.

11:24 – What is a UGC ambassador program?

How dozens of creators posting at once creates mini-trends.

13:05 – What makes Playkit different from other agencies

From Julia’s creator background to a Gen Z team that posts daily.

14:56 – How to stand out as a new creator

The 3 content pillars every personal brand needs.

19:25 – How much money UGC creators actually make

From $100 a week to $10K/month and why brands are hiring full-time creators at $200–300K salaries.

21:32 – Wrap-up

DM us your questions for future episodes!

This week on Hooked, we sit down with Anna Greene, PlayKit’s Head Strategist, crochet YouTuber with nearly 100K subscribers, and the Gen Z marketer behind hundreds of millions of TikTok views.

Anna’s journey is anything but traditional: she went from being a teenage photographer working with brands like Vogue, to running a viral crochet channel in high school, to studying computer engineering (before realizing she hated it), to finally leaning into social media and marketing. This path that’s now made her one of the sharpest strategists in UGC.

In this episode, Anna shares what it’s like to build authority as a Gen Z creator, how she battles imposter syndrome, why “just post” is lazy advice, and why authentic content always beats perfect aesthetics.

If you’re a founder, marketer, or young creative looking to break into content, this conversation is your blueprint.

Highlights

00:00 – Intro banter & Anna’s first podcast appearance

01:00 – Favorite podcasts & crocheting while listening to true crime

02:00 – Anna’s role at PlayKit and viral strategy background

06:30 – Starting a crochet channel during COVID & going viral on YouTube

08:30 – Monetizing crochet tutorials vs. patterns vs. ad revenue

10:30 – Why crochet (and “grandma hobbies”) became cool again

12:00 – The power of evergreen tutorial content

13:30 – Switching from computer engineering to marketing

16:00 – Teenage photography business, Vogue features, and early brand work

20:00 – First sponsorship deal with Locket & entering the UGC world

22:30 – How Julia’s cold DM got Anna onboarded to PlayKit

26:00 – Building confidence as a young strategist & battling imposter syndrome

31:00 – Why “just do it” is the cure for perfectionism and paralysis

33:00 – Being Gen Z as a superpower for marketing

38:00 – Why “just post” isn’t enough & the importance of authenticity

39:30 – The death of aspirational influencers and rise of relatability

42:30 – Why content creators are salespeople (and what that means)

44:30 – The “bangs TikTok” story & how the internet reshapes self-image

50:00 – The dark side of influence: overinflated presence & mental health risks

57:00 – The fleeting nature of influencer fame & burnout cycles

01:01:00 – UGC vs. influencer: how to monetize without the downsides

01:04:00 – Why UGC works better than polished brand ads

01:08:00 – Where content formats are headed & staying ahead of consumer fatigue

01:14:00 – How to turn being “chronically online” into a career skill

01:18:00 – Anna’s live breakdown of how she’d market a hypothetical app

01:30:00 – Relationships, self-belief, and why support systems matter

01:34:00 – Anna’s growth after leaving a relationship that held her back

01:35:00 – Closing reflections & where to find Anna online

Alexis Hedley went from posting one viral TikTok in college to managing 200+ creators and millions of views as Playkit’s Campaign Manager.

In this episode, she pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to succeed as a creator or land your first role in the UGC space. From monetization frameworks to horror stories of creator outreach, Alexis shares the tactical insights every founder, brand, and aspiring creator needs to know.

What you’ll learn:

• How Alexis went from creator → strategist → campaign manager.• The 4 monetization “buckets” every creator should know.• Why you don’t need a huge following to make money.• The right way (and wrong way) to pitch brands.• What creators get wrong about “finding a niche.”• Why startups are the best place to launch a content career.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Cold open: Alexis on content & monetization

0:09 – Intro to Alexis Hedley, Campaign Manager at Playkit

2:00 – The For You Page, TikTok Lives & how algorithms influence behavior

14:00 – Alexis’ background: small-town California → Ole Miss → first viral TikTok

23:00 – Breaking into startups with no experience (and first big lessons)

26:00 – The money behind UGC: what creators actually charge

30:00 – Creator outreach horror stories & how to stand out

35:00 – Why startups are the best way to break into content + taking initiative

46:00 – Running her first campaign, making $10K in bonuses, & helping friends quit jobs to create full-time

56:30 – How Playkit structures creator pay: weekly payouts + bonuses

1:02:00 – Finding your niche: what you love to create vs. consume

1:06:00 – The 4 monetization buckets every creator should know

1:13:00 – The evolution of UGC: hook + demo → skits → founder-led content

1:23:00 – Rapid fire: craziest excuses, proudest moments & final advice

If you’re a founder or creator who wants to grow your engagement and eventually monetize your accounts, you’re going to love this. Tune into this episode of Hooked on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Garrett Rothstein (founder of Queue, ex-Snapchat, Bird, Quibi) shares how he turned TikTok into a growth engine, engineering features for virality, building a captions matrix, and iterating 100+ times before hitting his first breakout video.

If you’re a founder, marketer, or creator, this is a masterclass in how to design products and content for distribution.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Cold open: 100 TikToks before the first viral hit

1:15 – Intro: Who is Garrett Rothstein & how Q + Playkit teamed up

4:00 – Building Q & engineering the “swipe with a friend” feature for TikTok virality

9:20 – The captions + iteration matrix (inspired by MrBeast)

12:00 – Why some videos flop & others go viral: hooks, pain points, and couples content

19:20 – Triggering comments, planting Easter eggs, and why shares matter most

25:30 – The comment section as the new Reddit

31:10 – Lessons from Snapchat, Bird, and Quibi

36:00 – Gamification, streaks & consumer psychology that drive growth

39:00 – Founder life: balancing CEO duties with content creation

44:30 – Staying sane: health, habits & mental resilience

48:20 – Advice for students + how to get hired as a creator

56:30 – The future of AI in content: slop vs. real utility

1:07:00 – Rapid fire: biggest flop, consumer psych tricks, daily routines

Whether you’re scaling a startup, running campaigns, or just curious about how virality actually works, this episode will leave you with playbooks you can apply right now.

Don’t forget to listen, subscribe, and share Hooked on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube to catch every new drop.

Chris Josephs (founder of Autopilot and the Pelosi Stock Tracker) joins us for a no-BS breakdown of what makes each platform tick, and why creators and brands keep getting it wrong.

We cover how Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter actually work, why authenticity always beats polish, and the creator strategies that scale. If you’ve ever felt lost about what to post and where — this episode gives you the playbook.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro: who is Chris Josephs

6:00 – Why DMs are still the most underrated growth channel

12:00 – The origins of the Pelosi Tracker

18:00 – Instagram vs TikTok vs Twitter: what creators miss

25:00 – Authenticity vs polish: why raw TikToks win

32:00 – How to find the right type of creator for your team

41:00 – The right (and wrong) way to use AI in content

51:00 – Organic vs paid: where the real growth comes from

1:02:00 – The Third Door mindset for creators and founders

1:10:00 – Advice for anyone trying to break into startups or content

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