Brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 800M+ users, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Shopify global commerce platform providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business. Todd McFarlane (@Todd_McFarlane) is an Emmy- and Grammy-winning director/producer and creator of one of the world’s best-selling comic books, Spawn. He is best known to many comic book fans for his work as the artist on The Amazing Spider-Man, for which he co-created Marvel’s top villain, Venom.Todd is the CEO of Todd McFarlane Productions, McFarlane Toys (one of the US’s top action-figure manufacturers), and McFarlane Films. He is also a co-founder of Image Comics, which debuted Spawn in 1992, selling 1.7 million copies of the first issue. In 1997, Spawn was made into an Emmy Award-winning animated series on HBO and a live-action feature film that grossed over $100 million. In 2019, Todd made history with Spawn #301, earning the Guinness World Record for longest-running creator-owned superhero comic book series.Please enjoy!*This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.More than a store, Shopify grows with you. And they never stop innovating, providing more and more tools to make your business better and your life easier. Go to Shopify.com/Tim for a FREE TRIAL and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features.*This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.*This episode is also brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, LinkedIn Jobs can help. LinkedIn screens candidates for the hard and soft skills you’re looking for and puts your job in front of candidates looking for job opportunities that match what you have to offer.Using LinkedIn’s active community of more than 800 million professionals worldwide, LinkedIn Jobs can help you find and hire the right person faster. When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim.*[05:58] The wit, wisdom, and work ethic of Stan Lee.[29:50] Todd’s four corners: video games, TV, movies, and toys.[41:46] Learning the art of toycrafting and beating the industry at its own game.[49:11] Dumb luck at Toy Fair.[1:03:31] Toy marketing and distribution circa 1994.[1:10:51] The play Todd made with a $3 million baseball.[1:18:08] Todd gets in a hockey fight.[1:24:12] Bringing Spawn to TV.[1:27:57] Being the dumbest guy in the room can win you Emmy awards.[1:31:17] Cancellation.[1:32:38] Todd is bilingual — in art and business.[1:38:50] How Todd finds time to create while managing his businesses.[1:43:49] Brand matters.[1:49:44] Making a music video, winning another Emmy, and almost killing Eddie Vedder.[1:56:33] The momentum of success.[1:59:15] The surface area of (dumb) luck.[2:01:07] Building worlds that will endure.[2:08:13] Building characters who will outlive their creator.[2:15:13] Today will not be perfect, so lower the bar and dance if you want to.[2:24:45] Is Todd’s wife married to a monster?[2:30:50] Be the second person.[2:35:48] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The transcript contains an advertisement for Athletic Greens and Shopify.
Stan Lee's global impact as a co-creator of Marvel's superhero characters is comparable to that of Walt Disney. Considered by many to be the "grandfather" of the comic book industry, his work influenced generations of fans and creators alike.
Todd McFarlane shares a story about a friend who eventually got a hearing aid and how it changed his life. He also talks about the most common question reporters ask him and his work in comic books.
The podcaster talks about his final encounter with Stan Lee, and how he was one of the few people allowed inside Stan's house after his wife passed away.
The speaker reflects on how Stan Lee's humble and polite nature was influenced by his Canadian background and how he was the best celebrity in terms of interacting with fans.
The speaker shares his experience about promoting his brand and how he believes that getting people to know the core of their brand is essential for advertising it properly.
The podcast discusses the strategy behind selling a $5.99 toy for $6.99 by providing $7.99 worth of value.
The podcast discusses the story of how Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to Apple and the process of creating it. The episode also briefly mentions LinkedIn Jobs as a tool for finding new employees.
The line between toys and sculpture can be blurred, as seen in a high-end Japanese showroom. Quality comes at a price, whether it’s a $10,000 car or a collectible toy.
The speaker recalls a scenario where he had to bend down and walk into a small room with 40 other people, who all stood up and snapped like they were in an army barracks.
Todd McFarlane shares his business tactics in starting small to gain leverage in major stores and then using that leverage to increase sales.
In this episode, the speaker explains how the cost of adding extra joints, movements, and paint jobs increases the cost of toys, including the reasons why McFarland Toys weren't making cooler toys.
The host discusses the allocation of product percentage in retail stores, placement fees, and the importance of diversifying product offerings for companies.
Todd McFarlane, founder of McFarlane Toys and creator of Spawn, discusses success, his approach to business and the importance of finding talent to help delegate work.
The speaker shares his passion for drag racing and his journey towards owning a funny car. He emphasizes the importance of persevering through both good and bad times to achieve one's goals.
Todd McFarlane, the creator of the "Spawn" comic book series, discusses the importance of creating memorable characters that will live on after the creator has passed away. He also talks about the planning process for his own series.
In this episode, the speaker emphasizes on how traditional success metrics have changed and the importance of keeping one's humanity intact while facing competition to succeed. He advises not to aim for people’s liking but instead to set one's own goals and strive towards them.