July 23, 2025 • 44 mins
On this episode of NFL Players: Second Acts, hosts Roman Harper and Peanut Tillman sit down with former receiver turned headphones entrepreneur Mark Clayton. Mark reflects on his journey from not taking football seriously, to becoming a first-round pick out of Oklahoma. He also shares the football and life lessons he got as an NFL rookie from Ravens legends Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Mark’s biggest move may have come after football. He describes how he found his new passion as the founder of Livv Headphones, a premium audio company. Clayton shares the lessons he carried from the locker room to the boardroom—building a brand with the same dedication and vision that powered his NFL journey. It’s a story of reinvention, resilience, and what it really takes to thrive after the final snap.
The NFL Players: Second Acts podcast is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Media.
You can learn more about Mark's products at Livv Audio here: https://livvaudio.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22418970153&gbraid=0AAAAA-FN0Scb1SalMrZorV3qHSbPg5V8b&gclid=CjwKCAjw7fzDBhA7EiwAOqJkh9GMecBbumldAA748PpBkNasZvrWpxJm9pRmBVhxyw9hEE1jO7dUiRoCLd0QAvD_BwE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
What's up, everybody?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I peanut to him and this is the NFL Player's
Second Act podcast and with me as always as my
trust to co host mister Roman Harper.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
What's up. I'm doing well, man.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Really excited about this our next guest, because I've competed
against this man. We have friends of similar friends, and
it's been really really cool to actually get down and
sit to talk to him, compete against him in college,
and now actually getting to see face without them face
mask and underneath the helmet and actually get.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
To talk to him. I'm fired up about it.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Hey, he's a seven year event. He is the founder
and creator of a headphone company. Ladies and gentlemen, please
welcome to the pod. Mark Clayton's.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Appreciate it. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Mann. Glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I see you're still rapping out of that Baltimore Ravens.
Speaker 5 (00:53):
I love it, you know. At this point, to me,
I'm like a big fan. I'm a fan that has
creative ideas.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Yeah, but I'm just a fan.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Are you a creative?
Speaker 4 (01:02):
I am a creative. Be an architect.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
I wanted to be an architect actually, and then those
Labs was whooped my ass, and so I.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Went on, okay, yeah, because you know, so I didn't
know what a creative was. My wife is a creative.
And then we've done the pod with Nate Berlisson. He's
a self proclaimed creative as well. So when you meet one,
you're always I'm always a little Fascinated's like you guys
think with the other side of brain than I do.
When you guys look at things, you look at it
(01:32):
from a total different lens.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
Everything is a math problem. Everything is is something can
be better. You always are looking, well, not even that
you're looking. You just see a solution in a situation,
no matter what it is. You just that's just how
your mind is wired.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
So absolutely so how serious were you in high school
about joining the Air Force? After high school? I think
you said, I received my first college letter from Texas
A and M, which is Armed Forces University. In a way, well,
they actually have more than anybody because they got them
all overseas.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
True that that's a very large court right there.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
And and you said you started to getting more from
engineering schools because coach Ozzie made it a point to
know what we're what we were interested in. And reached
out to the schools on you guys behalf.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
Indeed, coach Oz was a god saying bro like he was.
He he made it a point to know his guys
like he spent time with us. We didn't, you know,
exit meetings was not a thing in high school.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I'm sure it was not.
Speaker 5 (02:38):
And so he would spend time with us and just
ask questions and get to know the players one by one.
And that led to getting the offers from the engineering schools.
And you know, I really was going to go to
the Air Force because my whole family background was military.
I had had an uncle in the Army, h granddad
in the Navy, and we had a marine. But nobody
(02:58):
had went to the Air Force, and I thought learning
to fly would be dope, and so that in architecture,
I felt like I could fall in one of them
in the Air Force and be good to go school.
I wouldn't get recruited. I was a j I was
on junior varsity, I was starting on junior varsity. And
then I would line up or I was third string
on varsity that quarterback. The two starting quarterbacks got or
(03:20):
the starter got hurt, the backup got hurt. I had
to play. We played de Soto. We went over there
and we left there bait beat down. And after that,
coaches like, hey, look, I think we're going to change
your position and movement the receiver.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And that's that's.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
So you guys get beat down by the Soto, which
is normal, fairy, I agree.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
To this day.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah, so that happened.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Was it that bad that he was like, hey, we
got to move you or it just the way you
explain that story, just tell you took a.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Big a little bit more in depth. So we were
not let's relive it. We threw the ball, but we
didn't really throw the ball. I wasn't I could throw
the ball, but I could run it. I was quicker
more than I was arm. So we ran a little
ran a little option, and then we got the eye
formation and then we would play pass and try to
throw the ball down the field. That game, I think
(04:23):
I think we probably crossed the fifty yard line twice.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Damn.
Speaker 5 (04:29):
So whoever leading this, that's really that. It was thirty
to zero. You know, defense kind of held up, you
know for offense that didn't.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
It's pretty good and you know, ain't nobody got in
high school.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
So yeah, rolling, Yeah, I ain't really like that either.
Yeah yeah, yeah, it was pretty bad, okay, but yeah,
I mean and it sent me to receiver. I played
one game at the end of that I had one
catch for ten yards, I remember, and then we got
in the spring in seven or seven hit and it
just clicked.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
That's when seven on seven really started to start. Ninety
eight kind.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Of yeah, and had the big state.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
The state terment.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Yeah, we went there. See.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
It's crazy how Texas is because nobody else in the
country is doing seven on sevens like this.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
We've been I've been doing it to Texas.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
We've been doing California is another school because California has
always thrown the football, even when the eighties and early
nineties when everybody was still just run the football.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
California. Yeah yeah, def Tevor all those guys.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
California's always throwing the ball, so you always went and
got your quarterbacks. Texas is right on that list as well.
I got to give you guys tons of credits for
text Thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I take them, I appreciation, thank you.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
I still rather take Florida, but I'm I.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Don't know why don't set it out loud again.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
You might get you we do.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
When do you think you started to take football real seriously?
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (05:53):
My junior year in college, well, going into my junior
in college, before that, I was a I took basketball,
that was all about basketball, and then getting into college
was I was kind of happy, go lucky.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
I wasn't.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
I didn't expect to go to college and so to
be there was just you know, I'm playing with house money. Yeah,
and I treated it like that. Going into my junior year.
One of my boys will people's he uh he just
he challenged me.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Over the summer.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
I was just kind of coasting through, you know, our
drills and all that. Was like, bro, what the hell
you doing? Like like, bro, you so like you got this, this, this,
and you just waste like you you're wasting your time.
Like bro, you can be great, like put the work.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
In and yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
And so from there, for whatever reason that that that stuck,
and you know, me and Jay White uh started spending time.
I was like, hey, let's let's go after and we
just started spending extra time together. And then from that
day going forward that junior year, I ended up you
know the first time I made All American team yeah, uh,
the numbers were crazy. And then then I saw I
(06:56):
got that the letter that you get, you know, once
you get done with the season, I give you your
draft grade. That made it, you know, it made it
very real as to where I was at. And then
going into that spring if my senior year we all
came back, we decided to stay because we had just
lost to L.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
S U.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
A and a tough one with that spirits had to
pick six on this.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
Ye put it away, but uh yeah, and you would
get back. And that year for me was like it
made sense as to my position just as a leader,
and so putting the work in and then bringing guys
with me was a lot of my senior year. But
prior to that, it took you know, my boy will
(07:37):
to you know, getting my ass.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Is there any regret as to why you didn't probably
work that hard or taking that seriously your first three years?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
No, I had a great time. Like, yeah, I had
a great time in college man.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
I you know, again it was just like my life
where I come from and what my future was in
my mind. This was absolutely it blew that out the water.
And so I had a great time. I enjoyed, you know,
college young. I enjoyed my friends, I you know, enjoyed
the coaches, the mentors.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Beginning to speak. I started to speak for the first time.
Speaker 5 (08:15):
And remember my sweaty palms before I go out in
front of the church to you know talk, right, all
that at seventeen and eighteen.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I did not regret that at all. It was it
was it was awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Did you have to do the Eastern speech?
Speaker 4 (08:29):
Not the Eastern speech? Okay, it was it was the
high school. It was like the youth group at my
first yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
So you know, first of all, I fill in some
blanks for what Mark just said. Jay White is actually
Jason White, the quarterback I played against him. I was,
I was thinking I was at the game I played against.
He tours a c L Yes, what year was that?
In Norman and Norman that was versus us I was
actually playing versus Alabama. He tours a cl like right,
(08:57):
and from it, nobody touching, nobody touched. He literally just
went down.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Both of his a cls was untouched.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Like yes, all right, so out couch double damn ye.
But Jay White was a great college quarterback. Great and
then Jamal Brown has a very similar story. Big Priers
about you. He's like, dude, this du Mark clam was
like nobody, bro, and then just out of nowhere. And
I think, I don't know if he knows that story
what you're talking about with your boy Will just like
(09:25):
sometimes it takes somebody to tell you how great you
can be before you actually believe it yourself.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I think it's that's true.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So we had this conversation before, like, it's just something
So for me, I always thought that everybody that made
it to the league wanted to be in the league,
like all the good players, yourself, myself, you. I thought
everyone just wanted to do it since they were a kid.
And not until you and I were talking, would you
say you're going in into your junior year? Someone said, ye,
(09:55):
senior year, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
You're I can go to the league. It's just this
is my year in college. I didn't even think I was. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
But for both of y'all, that baffles me because I'm
just like, you didn't know you were that good to
not go to the league. Nah, And I'm I was
the complete opposite, where I was just like, this is
what I gotta do. I got here and I had
goals and plans and I wrote everything out like this
was my vision. So I always think it's it's I
don't want to say crazy, but it's just I'm also
(10:27):
just kind of like, damn, they didn't.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Think they were good enough to go to the league.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
It took them that long, Like you didn't know you
were that like natural naturally talented athletes.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Like it's just no, yeah, So that when I hear
your story, it makes me think of myself and then
it's exactly what Pete that's saying, bringing us aw full circle.
It's like people have these times and getting to know
you through the lens of my boy PRIs Jamal Brown,
like who talked about you all the time.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
You guys are all same draft class pretty much, and
so it was it year before, but or you got
the same.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Uh no, no, same he was before me.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Okay, yes, So it's just really really cool to hear
your side of it all. And what I want to
know is, like, what does it feel like to be
one of six wide receivers taken in the first round
In that two thousand and five draft class. You had
Braylan Nevers whose number three overall, Troy Williamson number seven,
(11:23):
Mike Williams I mean, man, dude, everybody knew Mike Williams
at the time, and then you had Dog and then
you had Matt Jones.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Who Matt Jones the quarterback jack?
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Yeah, like college, he got me one time we played
played him. No, he ran like an r p O
and then oh he riding.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
And then that stride. I mean it was like, you know, dude,
and I was.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Like, who the hell is this forest coup? Then I
was like, the first time in college the only person
to ever run away from me, couldn't couldn't get him.
I was hurt my soul.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
No, no, no, no, he hurt Jones.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
I played against them three three dude, Oh yeah, he
ran away from this.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
From did that versus everybody?
Speaker 4 (12:16):
He's six six yeah, yeah, thirty yeah, forty yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
And then three eight you were the twenty second overall pick,
right behind him, and then Roddy White.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Yes, Atlanta. So how did that feel when you are
in that list? H I mean, I mean you had
a quarterback drafted in front of you that play wise,
that's kind of weird.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
But it was six six and ran a four three yeah,
project little We'll take a chance. O. Man, It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
I mean you.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
It is thinking through everything that you had been through
and all the you know, all the work you put in,
but kind of those moments where it was like my
freshman year in college, I was going to quit because
of the workouts was too hard. Big Priz told you
about my you know, stature. But I was one forty
eight when I got there, and I couldn't do one
(13:07):
thirty five.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
We got to when I got to college.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
So I say that again.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
I was one forty eight, Yeah, and I landed on
campus in Norman, and I could not lift one thirty five.
I got stuck on that. And then we went out
and run fo I ran a four seven four, And
then it was so on the nut to work out.
Oh No, I played all the other sports so I
didn't have to do the offseason workouts.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
So I was just coach, I'm too busy.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
I'm in basketball and I'm not doing football workout. Then
I go to track, I tried tennis, I tried anything
just to not do the off season workout.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
I wasn't. Football was not I was. I wanted to
play basketball anyway.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
First, right fast forward, and it's like, you know, you're
you're thinking back to these moments of I struggled in
the weight room. I was going to quit the university.
I tried to my grandmother's in Oklahoma City Lord wrestler. So, uh,
I go up there and I'm like, I'm I'm I'm
home for the summer. Like we don't, we don't have
to go back. We're off, and so I'm just gonna
(14:06):
get a job and work the rest of the summer.
And I was going to just be working. Probably a
few days into a girl it's like, I'm you know,
I'm sure you're supposed to be doing the workhouse right now.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
And I was like, nah, we're good, We're good. So well,
let's go up there and ask coach. So she rolled
me right on up there. She wrote you right back,
and it was like what you doing? Where you being?
Where you being?
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Mark?
Speaker 4 (14:27):
You know, she was like, well he told me that
they off, y'all gonna be on.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
I was like.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
The whole ride up there just like a damn, I know.
Speaker 5 (14:38):
Here we go, and so, you know, getting office and
Coach like, you know, what's what's up? What's going on?
Like I'm like, man, this is tough. Like I don't
I tore my peg muscle. You know, trying to lift
all you know. Way, he was like, man, look it's hard,
but you ain't the only one struggling. Bro, Like you're
gonna be all right, Like you say something, you feel
(14:58):
like that coming off, Come say something, and you know
from there it was just like the other bros came like, Bro,
like you're trying to quit for real, but they're like
we too, Like you had to just suck, but it's
we're gonna get We get through it together.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Absolutely So came back to university.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
But I'm thinking those moments you know along the way
and the other coaches pulling it to your boys, pushing you.
That led to being able to get drafted in the
NFL and being the first round pick on top of
that was just like mind blowing. I couldn't you know,
contain like much. You know, a lot of guys you
start weeping.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
It was. It was beautiful.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
So two thousand and five, you're in the draft, go
to your team. What was that welcome to the NFL
moment for you?
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Night?
Speaker 5 (15:46):
It was on the field. It was a Monday night game. Uh,
the first game, rookie game, Monday night game. We played
Coats actually, so Peyton Manning, Reggie Stoke, Harrison like they're
on that side, you know, doing the warm ups, and
it was real at that point for me, who I've
looked up the Peyton you know they're doing. So I
(16:07):
was like, I'm I'm standing you know, you're on the
half and the other half. And I was close to
the fifty kind of watching them do their thing where
we were supposed to be doing our thing, and coach like, Clay, get.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Your ass over here. You got cast there, I got.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
And then you know, shortly after that, it's time for
announce and then and then Ray uh comes out there
introduced defense and Ray came out.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
How was that seeing Ray? How was that seeing Ray?
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Like the whole thing the first.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
Time, that first time, the first speech and the first dance,
is like I felt like I was on I could
go on defense.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
I can knock somebody out.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
Yeah, it makes hair on your you know, your next
stand up like he just he got that fire bro.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
It was it was just I was like, wow, this
is crazy. You're in the whole.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
You know, you're in the huddle and the guys in
the front and here and then you get further to
the back.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
You got here. But really with Ray. Bro, you could
feel it, like.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
In the in the back the circle, like that dude
was just ferocious and it came through and you know,
I'm on offense, but I felt like I want to
go in safety, run the alley.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
You know, did you did you ever play in Baltimore
and see Ray come out?
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Yeah? You did?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
We played him in We played y'all one year. It
was a snow.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Storm and we came to you guys.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Know we we played you guys one year. There was
like a huge snowstorm to where we came and it
was like the snow messed up our travel. We ended
up losing the game.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
But did you coming? I don't think that's no.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
I think my mind no, I didn't. My mindset was
just like trying to hit somebody. I don't think it's
like that for the teams Like.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
I would probably have to disagree because I was I
was on the I was just sideline and my man
Pierson Pralue, who had seen him. He's like, I was
like looking down trying to go with some heart right
about to come out.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
You gotta see this. He's like, I'm like, Bro, I'm
not stating that heart. Stand up. You got to see this.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
So I stood up on the bench just to watch,
and then I got it because like you hear about it,
you see it on TV, but actually witnessing and watching it,
it is different.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It's a real gladiator, it is.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
But it just didn't do it for me.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
I was fine.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I guarantee, you and I are probably just saying if
you was on another team, ain't nowhere like yeah, I'm
just I'm gonna go absolutely.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
You say that, you know I don't remember.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
I don't remember him doing it.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
I'm talking to Mark.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
You say that, and you're the same guy that got
yelled at for staring at Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne
like when you're supposed to be working.
Speaker 5 (18:39):
So my appreciation for an elite, elite passing attack a
whole nother level.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Okay, So what was it like joining the Ravens team
that was so veteran led I mean with guys that
you knew ed Reid ray Lewis promise thirty thirty seven,
thirty seven, wie roll yea el Carter Oh role was there,
(19:08):
he was Derek Mason, Derek Mason. What was it like that?
And that would never happen again? You'll never have that
thirty Yeah, I think it's.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
That team and then that Washington team probably before that
when they brought off from veting, but uh no, that
that was.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
It was incredible. So as a as a.
Speaker 5 (19:28):
Rookie, you know, you go in and you know, I
kind of expect something similar to college in that you
know everything is going to be you know, organ organized
in in a way where you have to be on
this schedule, do this, you gotta do this, you gotta
with Billy, we the veterans kind of set the schedule
(19:48):
and what we were going to do.
Speaker 4 (19:50):
And you know, I didn't.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
I didn't even have to stay at the training camp
my rookie year. It was weird, Like I was like,
this is different. I'm not hindsight. I'm thinking about like,
dang was crazy. I mean I remember practices where you know,
and Raby like or I'd be like, hey, hey, coach,
this is that it was too sloppy, and it was
too sloppy. All right, weep, we're done. We'll come back
(20:13):
out here later. That's that's enough. Somebody gonna get hurt.
We're out here and then we'll come back put the
work in. And it was just crazy to see how
coach Billick worked with Ed ray J like the veterans
to put the team or set the schedule or do
whatever it was gonna or or whatever it's gonna be.
(20:33):
And so that was Yeah, that was special. I mean hindsight,
listening to other stories and how it was in other
places like that, was that was really special to experience.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Yeah, we ain't never had none of that. Coach said,
get out there and go.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
You gonna go?
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it. What did you learn about
leadership being in those guys, being around those guys.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Saying saying the saying the necessary.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
In college leadership? Yeah, then when you went to the NFL. Yeah,
completely different.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
It is different.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Everybody. Yeah, everybody grown. They do their own thing and
that you know, I think the part of that is upstairs,
like knowing who you bringing in there, and then there's
there's a knowing who you can say what to, you know,
knowing who you can yell at or whatever or not.
But in the in the league, it was it was
like everybody's expected to just show up and do your job,
(21:25):
Like I don't. Yeah, it's not like uh college where
you need all these pep talks and you need coach
to you know, get in your ass on the time
and all that stuff. It was it's more, it's more work, bro.
It was like, you show up, do your job. Leadership
was more to me the guys that just showed up
and did what they needed to do and if somebody
(21:47):
was really struggling, like reach out and help. But apart
from that, it was lead by example more so than
burb like you, I don't I don't think you need
like a pep talk, you know at that point, like
you know how to get yourself ready for a game
and go get your I've done.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
One of the things that I noticed when we played
music wasn't a big deal, and then when it finally
came out, everyone had chords and then they had to
put their the phone or whatever on their armp or
they pocket or they put it on the thigh or
something real quick.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
And you got this longs yep, you.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Got this chord like this that you're trying it to
the way you're trying to move it around. At what
point did you know, like, yo, I want to create
a headphone. I want to get into this headphone business.
Because they had I'm sure I don't even know, Like
at what point did you know, you want to get
into the headphone business.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
So the actual business didn't happen, or thinking like, oh,
this can actually be a business was twenty fourteen, okay,
prior to that. Prior to that, it was I just
had I had my problems with the headphone, yanking the chord.
That one fell off, I broke that one. I broke
that one over there and this one. I don't want
(22:59):
to get wet in the pool, so I can't really
like go too hard, so I want to take my time, yea.
So in all those experiences, it was just like, man,
I don't want.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
It in here.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
I like I like over here is I like big bass?
I like the sound just closed off. So I love
that that that full immersive experience. And it was like,
why isn't there an over headphone that is more secure
than all of these headphones that are out here? And
that happened in the in the the little treadmill swimming
pool in Saint Louis, And so from there I went
(23:28):
and sketched the design because the few that I had
broke flew forward and I was like, man, what if
the headband set back a little bit? And we added
we added some tension to it, but sitting it back,
I think gives you a point of contact plus the
two on the side that'll give you a little more security.
Speaker 4 (23:45):
And so that's where the concept started.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
You know what, you guys just take me back to
when I was trying to run out there with the cord,
and that was when the iPhone would break because the covering,
you know, I mean the sections on them weren't that great. No, no, like,
so the moment it hits was cracked. It's just that
was a bad place for me because that was the music.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Though, I mean, it's one of my music.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
What of your music?
Speaker 3 (24:12):
But that is a that's a very personal bad time
and I think I broke two or three iPhones at
the time.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Understand are they are they waterproof so or sweat proof?
Speaker 4 (24:21):
As far as like so sweatproof, water resistant.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Water resistance, So what's just what's the difference between water
resistant and waterproof.
Speaker 5 (24:30):
So water proof is the ability to take those headphones,
submerge them underwater for at least five minutes and they
still function. Okay, well really thirty you up to thirty
minutes and they still function. Water resistance is of the
ability to sweat or have the headphones be sprayed by water,
(24:53):
running in the rain or something like that. Water resistant,
and there's different levels of water resistance, but ultimately you
is needed to not crap out when you're sweating, and
if you want to run the ring, that's an option.
But waterproof is not possible because there's sound, and so
sound is basically moving air, and if air can't move,
(25:14):
you're not getting base. And so you would have to
completely seal the cavity to create a waterproof headphone.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
But it will sound like you can do it, but
it won't sound good.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Hold on, so you pick up on all that because
I don't think.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
I don't think.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
I don't think I knew sound was just air like
yeah yeah, movement like movement.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
So it does make sense because like you really really
can't hear anything.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
When you're underneath water.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
Sounds like it's muffled, yes, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
So actually, okay, I get it. That doesn't make sense. Now, Okay,
you're connecting dots to me. And so for all of
those that want to look at your headphones as a
different option, why.
Speaker 5 (26:02):
Why Because anybody that has worked out, or has ran,
or has done anything active in an over your headphone,
and to this day continue to do so because the
over experience is a full, full, immersive sound experience. Anybody
that has done that has had the problems that I've
had and many of us have had with even just
(26:23):
a little of that and that circuit flying down there,
laying back right here, and that's circer flying over there.
But just when it comes to an over your headphone,
there needed to be a headphone that was designed from
the concept to a final that was for the active lifestyle.
And so our deal is anybody that today works out
in and over your headphone, we're for you. Like the
(26:45):
security doesn't only offer the ability to move more, but
it also gives you the ability to have a better
sound haul. And so what I talk about often is
passive noise cancelation. Everybody knows active noise cancelation, which is
done through some microphones or whatnot, But passive noise cancelation
is the result of a really good seal on your headphone.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
And you get that with the.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Sorry.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
Okay, so what because like you know, you always think
about scale when you have a business and you're starting
up things, how do we we sell? But then all
of a sudden, how do we scale and I keep
hearing you and I guess I've never really thought.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
About it that much. I just always did what was easier.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
But the actual overhead headphone, it's a total different client
than some that just prefer just the hearing. We had
this discussion in here before you came, because I didn't
realize how big of a difference to client. Tell is
that some people just like, no, I want this is
what I want, and some people like, I just want this,
(27:50):
And so how do you how do you get those
that probably don't want overhead to come over here and
once you try it, you're not gonna want to go back.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Well.
Speaker 5 (27:59):
Over your headphones is actually recently, in the last couple
of years is beginning to outpace in ears because things
like here for tig, you know, and you can wear
in ears and they're perfectly find which we have in
heres too.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
You know, we have a suite of product. But this
is this is you.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
Know, for me, if you're going to go to market
and really playing this space is really hard, like you know,
having to start a business and building it is hard,
and so your market fit you need to go where
there is the lower barrier of entry. And to me,
in the over over ear space. There wasn't a there's
there's ones that people use and work out in, but
(28:37):
there wasn't one design to work out in. And so
that's that's where that's where we're entering the market. And
then all the products that will follow will be versatile
active products. And so so a person that wears in
the in ear that still deals with the inner.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
Falling out, does it still happens.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
You lose one, you break one, you step on one
because it failed right there, it still happens. Our message
essentially is the same. We're identifying with a similar pain
point and we're offering a solution that says, you know what,
we're gonna limit just all of what's happened with headphones
in falling or falling out or whatever it is while
(29:18):
you're being active.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
And so that's what Live offers.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
And so we can we can cross you know, platform
and go with the overer people and the inner people,
and we'll we'll pull some inner people you know into
the fold. But that's i was not our focus. We
have something for them too, which I just found another
pattern which is going to be really dope on an
in their piece.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
So I want you to look into the camera right there.
Take ten seconds, fifteen seconds. Tell the people where they
can buy your product, the name of your company, what
it is that show camera.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Right there there?
Speaker 5 (29:50):
What's up everybody? It's Mark Clayton, founder of Live Audio.
And you can go to liveaudio dot com and check
us out if you want to see a lot of
all our content that were put together.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
Live Audio on Instagram.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
And TikTok, Facebook across all platforms, but l I v
V audio dot com check us out. It is the
first luxury sport over ear headphone made for the active lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Now where did you come up with the name of the.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Live so when?
Speaker 5 (30:23):
So the first concept that I made, I thought it'd
be a good idea to have free runners, the parkour
guys that jump off stuff and do all the flips,
test it. Uh, And so I connected with because I mean, shoot,
you don't have an over here that stayed put. Are creative,
These guys are going to really push it to the limit.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
And so I had, you know, a good group of guys.
Speaker 5 (30:42):
And one of the guys still up with Jesse Leflair,
who he's a stunt double from Marvel Marvel.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
He was this his real last name La Flair.
Speaker 5 (30:52):
Like, yeah, for what he does. I'm like, Bro, your
mom knew right, that's a great guy. I knew no,
But I had one of the guys in Miami.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
He was doing the past with the over on and
we talked after. I was like, what did you think
you ever thought you could do any of that well
with some over your headphones? Like no, it was crazy.
I just felt like I was just flowing. I could
just free flow. And it was just like I could
just I.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
Was just living. And when he said living live stuck
to me. I was like, oh, like you just you live? Huh.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
And from there it was just like, yeah, I think
live would be a good name. And then you know,
you get creative with it and as you think through
what the security and the over offers is more life,
the ability to kind of live freely from the distractions
from all of the things that we have all experienced
in an over ere and the inner headphones.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Well, let me be one.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Of the first to congratulate you on securing a million
dollars in funding. That's that's that's a huge accomplishment. I
don't even know, Like, so how does one go about
the funding? Is it just hey, you pitch it to
a company, a group individuals.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Ourselves, friends and family first.
Speaker 5 (32:11):
And first, you know, I had to believe in it first. Yeah,
I had to you know, put up cash first. And
part of that where it was like, all right, I'm
in kind of you know, put uh steal cold to
my feet and it was like, let's get it, and
then you know, making sure. So hearing really like in
the beginning was like hearing people say no, but being
(32:34):
fortunate to hear guys tell me why they said no
really helped me craft and hone my message. And then
I saw, like you know, all every every pitfall or
every kind of you little space where I needed to
fill in the blank. I was able to fill it
in through connecting with people who would give you critical feedback.
(32:56):
And so as an athlete, we're built like that and
I'm like, no, it's I'm okay, thank you all right?
Speaker 4 (33:02):
So what was it like? What did you think?
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Like?
Speaker 4 (33:04):
What do I need? What? What would make you say yes?
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Right?
Speaker 5 (33:08):
And a lot of those conversations helped me get to
the place where you know, not only was the product
in a good spot on the back end from a
development standpoint, but the business model was in a much
better place, and I understood, I learned, and so I started.
Twenty thirteen was kind of the first where oh Live
could be a thing, going back and forth to China,
(33:30):
dealing with industrial designers, dealing with fulfillment centers. Look at
I mean really, learning supply chain management ultimately is like
I just pay for an education post career in supply
chain management and product development and industrial design and marketing,
and I'm getting these experiences just because I'm trying to
get this headphone done, which was really cool. And so
(33:53):
now when I'm in a room and depending on who
I'm talking to, I can speak to all aspects of
the business because I've actually lived it now. And so
that investment piece is really you're just you're just moving
and you know, there's investors, angel investors all over the place.
There's you know, other athlete investors, and and you're just
(34:14):
having conversations. You know, everybody asked you know what you've
been up to or what what are you up to lately?
What are you into now? And in that space is
you know the opportunity to kind of to pitch if
you will, and then you know, from there, either develop
a relationship that goes beyond what comes from an investment
or not, it doesn't matter. And I think part of
it that is that too. It's not you know, trying
(34:37):
to get the investor. It's looking for a good relationship
that will help spur you along that could lead to investment.
And so the first you know, Guy Mark Brian was
one of my first guys. We bet on a golf
course and so I always talk about golfing the value
of golfing and you know, being able to get on
a golf course and have conversations, conversations and at superb.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Sorry, you've got time you start talking about golf, getting excited,
get a little I could little ants.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
A little antsy.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
You're looking at Taylor like.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
Squeeze in.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
That's number one. Great job on the on the elevator pitch.
I can tell that you've practiced it. You watch yourself
in the mirror, do it? You all these things the
important things that you have to do when you start
out a company. How many times did you work on
this elevator pitch? Because I love the word in terms
(35:41):
that you use luxury brand, Like I'm telling you what
it is and you're not guessing I'm giving it to
you right now.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
This is not just anything. This is luxury brand.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
That is why the price point is where it is
because these are not average headphones.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
These are not just athletic used headphones. This is different.
This is different, tell me about it.
Speaker 5 (36:05):
And so, as you know, in all of these conversations,
the cool part is when you get you know, somebody
who can see the vision and then their wheels their head,
they start they will start spending. As to being creative,
and that is a huge part to like you said,
it's like a creator, you know, like being creative. It's
(36:26):
like creatives and everybody's creative. But sometimes it takes other
people to help bring out creativity in other people. And
so in a conversation, somebody will get going and be like,
oh man, well what about what if you called it this?
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Or what about that? Or what maybe we should get
it into this place.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
And I get excited because I'm like god them like
we're in you see, like you see what I see?
Like now we're about to do something special, which is
the same with all all of our investors and you know,
all of our influencers and athletes that are with us.
But with with that piece is just like if I can,
if I can get you on the same page, then
(37:07):
we're we're we're gonna be We're gonna be good together.
Speaker 4 (37:09):
Like I'm we're gonna be great.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
So where do you see this company in its future?
Like what is ultimately your goal?
Speaker 5 (37:18):
My goal is to is to is to build it
to a point it's to exit, it's to to still
kind of walk through my really walk through my my
product plan. I got a product roadmap that's really dope.
I think I think there's a place for a lot
of advancements and integrations in the audio space, uh, headphones, virtuality,
(37:45):
a number of things, and so you know, getting it
to a point, exiting a bit, and then staying involved.
From a product standpoint, I love just concepting and designing
and I mean our in ears. I'm so excited that
we just last week without the patent on it, and
so it's that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
That really so I want to see how creative you
are with this next one. You get four people, four
picks of mount rushmore. People that have had influence, people
that have loved you, people that have poured into you,
people that have when you did something wrong, they kind
of got your right back on the path of righteousness
(38:26):
from the time you were born till right now. Yeah, yeah,
fourteen six. So who would those four people be?
Speaker 4 (38:37):
Just good?
Speaker 5 (38:39):
And so let me see Grandma.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
Mom.
Speaker 5 (38:46):
Uh, those are the Grandma because she's shaped mom and
my mom is in my experience with my grandma was
was was so blessed.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
And just the one that brought.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Praying Grandma, that's the one that brought me back. You know,
life is full of many little deaths and resurrections, and
that was one of them. But now that that Grandma
that took to me back. Uh, and then my mother
obviously the roast she's played is like it's invaluable that
I'd say brit Venables walking in people school BV coming in.
(39:29):
It just completely shifted the trajectory of what.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
Was going on.
Speaker 5 (39:35):
And then posts that I'd say, a guy named Dale
a lot. Uh, he's kind of walked with me into this. Uh,
he's just I got a half that one person through
and then this one has like half a face half
(39:56):
of faith. One is Dale is the guy named Tillian introduction.
He's he's like a big brother pastor speaker. And then
Dell is similar pastor creator and so he's designer and
then Tullan is just you know, period gospel U. But
(40:17):
those those guys are have been anchors just in terms
of me growing post career as a CEO, an inventor,
a creator as well as a man of God.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
At what point did you start talking earlier in this
conversation you said, I didn't talk?
Speaker 1 (40:40):
No, what changed for you?
Speaker 3 (40:43):
Because you're not only a leader, but you're a business owner,
You're an entrepreneur. Like all the things that you have
to speak on, you got to lead it. You gotta
sell it before anybody else buys it.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Like what changed for you?
Speaker 3 (40:57):
Because I look at you, I couldn't imagine you like
just being a non talker. And this was even in
throughout high school. You said that, Yep, what changed for you?
Speaker 5 (41:09):
I think the more I did it, it was like
it was like it's not that bad. And then when
you know, kids or somebody else will come up and say,
I really appreciate what you said. I really appreciate that.
Like I was going through this and I needed to
hear that those moments were a part. Yeah, do is
(41:34):
like you know, you get to what life is really
about and it's about connection.
Speaker 4 (41:38):
It's about relationships.
Speaker 5 (41:39):
It's about loving people, and that which is what I
see through my business and the guys that you know,
our on the team we work, you know, work together,
want to love them, love their family as well, set
them up to do well. And we do that for
each other. And then you know, same with my family,
same in community. But speaking came from or just feeling
(42:01):
more comfortable. Speaking was the fire that was put there
that I now know that the Lord uses me to
inspire people, to encourage people, and to love people.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
That's the beauty of a I think the beauty of
this podcast is the relationships that Rome and I get
to build with the guests that we have. And it
just we often say it all the time, like we
get inspired from all the guests. We pull and take
something man from every single guest that we have that
you guys pour into us and by you sharing your story,
(42:35):
I can't thank you enough. Congratulations. You know, you got
the you got your headphones, and you got more things
coming up in your business.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
More than.
Speaker 5 (42:47):
Wife shout out, shut out, shut out wifey No.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
But you just you seem like a solid dude who's
got a lot of great things. Happening in his life
right now, and you put it in the work. You've
done the work, and I'm really excited to see the
next season for yourself and your company and your family.
And I'm just wishing you the best of lucks in
that in that next season.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
Man. I appreciate that, brother, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
Man.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
All I've learned is that encouragement matters.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
Yeah, it changed Mark Clayton's life. Do you may just
have a young person who not even think about Hey,
I appreciate it. The encouragement piece is beautiful. So thank you, man,
appreciate your sharing.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Mark.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
And I hope all of our viewers and listeners really
enjoyed this podcast today and uh wherever and I want
to thank you guys for always tuning in. Make sure
you give us a five star rating, give us a
wherever you pick up your.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
Podcast is Apple Podcast.
Speaker 3 (43:43):
iHeart radio, and make sure leave us a review five stars,
like comments like subscribe or.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
Work. Yeah that word did it right? I get us
out of it.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Check us out. Check out our NFL YouTube channel. You
can check us out all the good stuff. I'm Peanut.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
That's Mark.
Speaker 3 (44:09):
And when I mess up on here, I don't say hey, cut,
let's start it over.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
I just get through it. I treat you like live TV.
We out, we out,
What's up, everybody?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I peanut to him and this is the NFL Player's
Second Act podcast and with me as always as my
trust to co host mister Roman Harper.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
What's up. I'm doing well, man.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Really excited about this our next guest, because I've competed
against this man. We have friends of similar friends, and
it's been really really cool to actually get down and
sit to talk to him, compete against him in college,
and now actually getting to see face without them face
mask and underneath the helmet and actually get.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
To talk to him. I'm fired up about it.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Hey, he's a seven year event. He is the founder
and creator of a headphone company. Ladies and gentlemen, please
welcome to the pod. Mark Clayton's.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Appreciate it. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Mann. Glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I see you're still rapping out of that Baltimore Ravens.
Speaker 5 (00:53):
I love it, you know. At this point, to me,
I'm like a big fan. I'm a fan that has
creative ideas.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Yeah, but I'm just a fan.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Are you a creative?
Speaker 4 (01:02):
I am a creative. Be an architect.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
I wanted to be an architect actually, and then those
Labs was whooped my ass, and so I.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Went on, okay, yeah, because you know, so I didn't
know what a creative was. My wife is a creative.
And then we've done the pod with Nate Berlisson. He's
a self proclaimed creative as well. So when you meet one,
you're always I'm always a little Fascinated's like you guys
think with the other side of brain than I do.
When you guys look at things, you look at it
(01:32):
from a total different lens.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
Everything is a math problem. Everything is is something can
be better. You always are looking, well, not even that
you're looking. You just see a solution in a situation,
no matter what it is. You just that's just how
your mind is wired.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
So absolutely so how serious were you in high school
about joining the Air Force? After high school? I think
you said, I received my first college letter from Texas
A and M, which is Armed Forces University. In a way, well,
they actually have more than anybody because they got them
all overseas.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
True that that's a very large court right there.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
And and you said you started to getting more from
engineering schools because coach Ozzie made it a point to
know what we're what we were interested in. And reached
out to the schools on you guys behalf.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
Indeed, coach Oz was a god saying bro like he was.
He he made it a point to know his guys
like he spent time with us. We didn't, you know,
exit meetings was not a thing in high school.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I'm sure it was not.
Speaker 5 (02:38):
And so he would spend time with us and just
ask questions and get to know the players one by one.
And that led to getting the offers from the engineering schools.
And you know, I really was going to go to
the Air Force because my whole family background was military.
I had had an uncle in the Army, h granddad
in the Navy, and we had a marine. But nobody
(02:58):
had went to the Air Force, and I thought learning
to fly would be dope, and so that in architecture,
I felt like I could fall in one of them
in the Air Force and be good to go school.
I wouldn't get recruited. I was a j I was
on junior varsity, I was starting on junior varsity. And
then I would line up or I was third string
on varsity that quarterback. The two starting quarterbacks got or
(03:20):
the starter got hurt, the backup got hurt. I had
to play. We played de Soto. We went over there
and we left there bait beat down. And after that,
coaches like, hey, look, I think we're going to change
your position and movement the receiver.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And that's that's.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
So you guys get beat down by the Soto, which
is normal, fairy, I agree.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
To this day.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah, so that happened.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Was it that bad that he was like, hey, we
got to move you or it just the way you
explain that story, just tell you took a.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Big a little bit more in depth. So we were
not let's relive it. We threw the ball, but we
didn't really throw the ball. I wasn't I could throw
the ball, but I could run it. I was quicker
more than I was arm. So we ran a little
ran a little option, and then we got the eye
formation and then we would play pass and try to
throw the ball down the field. That game, I think
(04:23):
I think we probably crossed the fifty yard line twice.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Damn.
Speaker 5 (04:29):
So whoever leading this, that's really that. It was thirty
to zero. You know, defense kind of held up, you
know for offense that didn't.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
It's pretty good and you know, ain't nobody got in
high school.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
So yeah, rolling, Yeah, I ain't really like that either.
Yeah yeah, yeah, it was pretty bad, okay, but yeah,
I mean and it sent me to receiver. I played
one game at the end of that I had one
catch for ten yards, I remember, and then we got
in the spring in seven or seven hit and it
just clicked.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
That's when seven on seven really started to start. Ninety
eight kind.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Of yeah, and had the big state.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
The state terment.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Yeah, we went there. See.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
It's crazy how Texas is because nobody else in the
country is doing seven on sevens like this.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
We've been I've been doing it to Texas.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
We've been doing California is another school because California has
always thrown the football, even when the eighties and early
nineties when everybody was still just run the football.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
California. Yeah yeah, def Tevor all those guys.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
California's always throwing the ball, so you always went and
got your quarterbacks. Texas is right on that list as well.
I got to give you guys tons of credits for
text Thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I take them, I appreciation, thank you.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
I still rather take Florida, but I'm I.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Don't know why don't set it out loud again.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
You might get you we do.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
When do you think you started to take football real seriously?
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (05:53):
My junior year in college, well, going into my junior
in college, before that, I was a I took basketball,
that was all about basketball, and then getting into college
was I was kind of happy, go lucky.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
I wasn't.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
I didn't expect to go to college and so to
be there was just you know, I'm playing with house money. Yeah,
and I treated it like that. Going into my junior year.
One of my boys will people's he uh he just
he challenged me.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Over the summer.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
I was just kind of coasting through, you know, our
drills and all that. Was like, bro, what the hell
you doing? Like like, bro, you so like you got this, this, this,
and you just waste like you you're wasting your time.
Like bro, you can be great, like put the work.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
In and yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
And so from there, for whatever reason that that that stuck,
and you know, me and Jay White uh started spending time.
I was like, hey, let's let's go after and we
just started spending extra time together. And then from that
day going forward that junior year, I ended up you
know the first time I made All American team yeah, uh,
the numbers were crazy. And then then I saw I
(06:56):
got that the letter that you get, you know, once
you get done with the season, I give you your
draft grade. That made it, you know, it made it
very real as to where I was at. And then
going into that spring if my senior year we all
came back, we decided to stay because we had just
lost to L.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
S U.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
A and a tough one with that spirits had to
pick six on this.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
Ye put it away, but uh yeah, and you would
get back. And that year for me was like it
made sense as to my position just as a leader,
and so putting the work in and then bringing guys
with me was a lot of my senior year. But
prior to that, it took you know, my boy will
(07:37):
to you know, getting my ass.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Is there any regret as to why you didn't probably
work that hard or taking that seriously your first three years?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
No, I had a great time. Like, yeah, I had
a great time in college man.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
I you know, again it was just like my life
where I come from and what my future was in
my mind. This was absolutely it blew that out the water.
And so I had a great time. I enjoyed, you know,
college young. I enjoyed my friends, I you know, enjoyed
the coaches, the mentors.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Beginning to speak. I started to speak for the first time.
Speaker 5 (08:15):
And remember my sweaty palms before I go out in
front of the church to you know talk, right, all
that at seventeen and eighteen.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I did not regret that at all. It was it
was it was awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Did you have to do the Eastern speech?
Speaker 4 (08:29):
Not the Eastern speech? Okay, it was it was the
high school. It was like the youth group at my
first yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
So you know, first of all, I fill in some
blanks for what Mark just said. Jay White is actually
Jason White, the quarterback I played against him. I was,
I was thinking I was at the game I played against.
He tours a c L Yes, what year was that?
In Norman and Norman that was versus us I was
actually playing versus Alabama. He tours a cl like right,
(08:57):
and from it, nobody touching, nobody touched. He literally just
went down.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Both of his a cls was untouched.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Like yes, all right, so out couch double damn ye.
But Jay White was a great college quarterback. Great and
then Jamal Brown has a very similar story. Big Priers
about you. He's like, dude, this du Mark clam was
like nobody, bro, and then just out of nowhere. And
I think, I don't know if he knows that story
what you're talking about with your boy Will just like
(09:25):
sometimes it takes somebody to tell you how great you
can be before you actually believe it yourself.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I think it's that's true.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So we had this conversation before, like, it's just something
So for me, I always thought that everybody that made
it to the league wanted to be in the league,
like all the good players, yourself, myself, you. I thought
everyone just wanted to do it since they were a kid.
And not until you and I were talking, would you
say you're going in into your junior year? Someone said, ye,
(09:55):
senior year, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
You're I can go to the league. It's just this
is my year in college. I didn't even think I was. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
But for both of y'all, that baffles me because I'm
just like, you didn't know you were that good to
not go to the league. Nah, And I'm I was
the complete opposite, where I was just like, this is
what I gotta do. I got here and I had
goals and plans and I wrote everything out like this
was my vision. So I always think it's it's I
don't want to say crazy, but it's just I'm also
(10:27):
just kind of like, damn, they didn't.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Think they were good enough to go to the league.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
It took them that long, Like you didn't know you
were that like natural naturally talented athletes.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Like it's just no, yeah, So that when I hear
your story, it makes me think of myself and then
it's exactly what Pete that's saying, bringing us aw full circle.
It's like people have these times and getting to know
you through the lens of my boy PRIs Jamal Brown,
like who talked about you all the time.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
You guys are all same draft class pretty much, and
so it was it year before, but or you got
the same.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Uh no, no, same he was before me.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Okay, yes, So it's just really really cool to hear
your side of it all. And what I want to
know is, like, what does it feel like to be
one of six wide receivers taken in the first round
In that two thousand and five draft class. You had
Braylan Nevers whose number three overall, Troy Williamson number seven,
(11:23):
Mike Williams I mean, man, dude, everybody knew Mike Williams
at the time, and then you had Dog and then
you had Matt Jones.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Who Matt Jones the quarterback jack?
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Yeah, like college, he got me one time we played
played him. No, he ran like an r p O
and then oh he riding.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
And then that stride. I mean it was like, you know, dude,
and I was.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Like, who the hell is this forest coup? Then I
was like, the first time in college the only person
to ever run away from me, couldn't couldn't get him.
I was hurt my soul.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
No, no, no, no, he hurt Jones.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
I played against them three three dude, Oh yeah, he
ran away from this.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
From did that versus everybody?
Speaker 4 (12:16):
He's six six yeah, yeah, thirty yeah, forty yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
And then three eight you were the twenty second overall pick,
right behind him, and then Roddy White.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Yes, Atlanta. So how did that feel when you are
in that list? H I mean, I mean you had
a quarterback drafted in front of you that play wise,
that's kind of weird.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
But it was six six and ran a four three yeah,
project little We'll take a chance. O. Man, It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
I mean you.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
It is thinking through everything that you had been through
and all the you know, all the work you put in,
but kind of those moments where it was like my
freshman year in college, I was going to quit because
of the workouts was too hard. Big Priz told you
about my you know, stature. But I was one forty
eight when I got there, and I couldn't do one
(13:07):
thirty five.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
We got to when I got to college.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
So I say that again.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
I was one forty eight, Yeah, and I landed on
campus in Norman, and I could not lift one thirty five.
I got stuck on that. And then we went out
and run fo I ran a four seven four, And
then it was so on the nut to work out.
Oh No, I played all the other sports so I
didn't have to do the offseason workouts.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
So I was just coach, I'm too busy.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
I'm in basketball and I'm not doing football workout. Then
I go to track, I tried tennis, I tried anything
just to not do the off season workout.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
I wasn't. Football was not I was. I wanted to
play basketball anyway.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
First, right fast forward, and it's like, you know, you're
you're thinking back to these moments of I struggled in
the weight room. I was going to quit the university.
I tried to my grandmother's in Oklahoma City Lord wrestler. So, uh,
I go up there and I'm like, I'm I'm I'm
home for the summer. Like we don't, we don't have
to go back. We're off, and so I'm just gonna
(14:06):
get a job and work the rest of the summer.
And I was going to just be working. Probably a
few days into a girl it's like, I'm you know,
I'm sure you're supposed to be doing the workhouse right now.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
And I was like, nah, we're good, We're good. So well,
let's go up there and ask coach. So she rolled
me right on up there. She wrote you right back,
and it was like what you doing? Where you being?
Where you being?
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Mark?
Speaker 4 (14:27):
You know, she was like, well he told me that
they off, y'all gonna be on.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
I was like.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
The whole ride up there just like a damn, I know.
Speaker 5 (14:38):
Here we go, and so, you know, getting office and
Coach like, you know, what's what's up? What's going on?
Like I'm like, man, this is tough. Like I don't
I tore my peg muscle. You know, trying to lift
all you know. Way, he was like, man, look it's hard,
but you ain't the only one struggling. Bro, Like you're
gonna be all right, Like you say something, you feel
(14:58):
like that coming off, Come say something, and you know
from there it was just like the other bros came like, Bro,
like you're trying to quit for real, but they're like
we too, Like you had to just suck, but it's
we're gonna get We get through it together.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Absolutely So came back to university.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
But I'm thinking those moments you know along the way
and the other coaches pulling it to your boys, pushing you.
That led to being able to get drafted in the
NFL and being the first round pick on top of
that was just like mind blowing. I couldn't you know,
contain like much. You know, a lot of guys you
start weeping.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
It was. It was beautiful.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
So two thousand and five, you're in the draft, go
to your team. What was that welcome to the NFL
moment for you?
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Night?
Speaker 5 (15:46):
It was on the field. It was a Monday night game. Uh,
the first game, rookie game, Monday night game. We played
Coats actually, so Peyton Manning, Reggie Stoke, Harrison like they're
on that side, you know, doing the warm ups, and
it was real at that point for me, who I've
looked up the Peyton you know they're doing. So I
(16:07):
was like, I'm I'm standing you know, you're on the
half and the other half. And I was close to
the fifty kind of watching them do their thing where
we were supposed to be doing our thing, and coach like, Clay, get.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Your ass over here. You got cast there, I got.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
And then you know, shortly after that, it's time for
announce and then and then Ray uh comes out there
introduced defense and Ray came out.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
How was that seeing Ray? How was that seeing Ray?
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Like the whole thing the first.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
Time, that first time, the first speech and the first dance,
is like I felt like I was on I could
go on defense.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
I can knock somebody out.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
Yeah, it makes hair on your you know, your next
stand up like he just he got that fire bro.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
It was it was just I was like, wow, this
is crazy. You're in the whole.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
You know, you're in the huddle and the guys in
the front and here and then you get further to
the back.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
You got here. But really with Ray. Bro, you could
feel it, like.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
In the in the back the circle, like that dude
was just ferocious and it came through and you know,
I'm on offense, but I felt like I want to
go in safety, run the alley.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
You know, did you did you ever play in Baltimore
and see Ray come out?
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Yeah? You did?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
We played him in We played y'all one year. It
was a snow.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Storm and we came to you guys.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Know we we played you guys one year. There was
like a huge snowstorm to where we came and it
was like the snow messed up our travel. We ended
up losing the game.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
But did you coming? I don't think that's no.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
I think my mind no, I didn't. My mindset was
just like trying to hit somebody. I don't think it's
like that for the teams Like.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
I would probably have to disagree because I was I
was on the I was just sideline and my man
Pierson Pralue, who had seen him. He's like, I was
like looking down trying to go with some heart right
about to come out.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
You gotta see this. He's like, I'm like, Bro, I'm
not stating that heart. Stand up. You got to see this.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
So I stood up on the bench just to watch,
and then I got it because like you hear about it,
you see it on TV, but actually witnessing and watching it,
it is different.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It's a real gladiator, it is.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
But it just didn't do it for me.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
I was fine.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I guarantee, you and I are probably just saying if
you was on another team, ain't nowhere like yeah, I'm
just I'm gonna go absolutely.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
You say that, you know I don't remember.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
I don't remember him doing it.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
I'm talking to Mark.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
You say that, and you're the same guy that got
yelled at for staring at Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne
like when you're supposed to be working.
Speaker 5 (18:39):
So my appreciation for an elite, elite passing attack a
whole nother level.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Okay, So what was it like joining the Ravens team
that was so veteran led I mean with guys that
you knew ed Reid ray Lewis promise thirty thirty seven,
thirty seven, wie roll yea el Carter Oh role was there,
(19:08):
he was Derek Mason, Derek Mason. What was it like that?
And that would never happen again? You'll never have that
thirty Yeah, I think it's.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
That team and then that Washington team probably before that
when they brought off from veting, but uh no, that
that was.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
It was incredible. So as a as a.
Speaker 5 (19:28):
Rookie, you know, you go in and you know, I
kind of expect something similar to college in that you
know everything is going to be you know, organ organized
in in a way where you have to be on
this schedule, do this, you gotta do this, you gotta
with Billy, we the veterans kind of set the schedule
(19:48):
and what we were going to do.
Speaker 4 (19:50):
And you know, I didn't.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
I didn't even have to stay at the training camp
my rookie year. It was weird, Like I was like,
this is different. I'm not hindsight. I'm thinking about like,
dang was crazy. I mean I remember practices where you know,
and Raby like or I'd be like, hey, hey, coach,
this is that it was too sloppy, and it was
too sloppy. All right, weep, we're done. We'll come back
(20:13):
out here later. That's that's enough. Somebody gonna get hurt.
We're out here and then we'll come back put the
work in. And it was just crazy to see how
coach Billick worked with Ed ray J like the veterans
to put the team or set the schedule or do
whatever it was gonna or or whatever it's gonna be.
(20:33):
And so that was Yeah, that was special. I mean hindsight,
listening to other stories and how it was in other
places like that, was that was really special to experience.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Yeah, we ain't never had none of that. Coach said,
get out there and go.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
You gonna go?
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it. What did you learn about
leadership being in those guys, being around those guys.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Saying saying the saying the necessary.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
In college leadership? Yeah, then when you went to the NFL. Yeah,
completely different.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
It is different.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Everybody. Yeah, everybody grown. They do their own thing and
that you know, I think the part of that is upstairs,
like knowing who you bringing in there, and then there's
there's a knowing who you can say what to, you know,
knowing who you can yell at or whatever or not.
But in the in the league, it was it was
like everybody's expected to just show up and do your job,
(21:25):
Like I don't. Yeah, it's not like uh college where
you need all these pep talks and you need coach
to you know, get in your ass on the time
and all that stuff. It was it's more, it's more work, bro.
It was like, you show up, do your job. Leadership
was more to me the guys that just showed up
and did what they needed to do and if somebody
(21:47):
was really struggling, like reach out and help. But apart
from that, it was lead by example more so than
burb like you, I don't I don't think you need
like a pep talk, you know at that point, like
you know how to get yourself ready for a game
and go get your I've done.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
One of the things that I noticed when we played
music wasn't a big deal, and then when it finally
came out, everyone had chords and then they had to
put their the phone or whatever on their armp or
they pocket or they put it on the thigh or
something real quick.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
And you got this longs yep, you.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Got this chord like this that you're trying it to
the way you're trying to move it around. At what
point did you know, like, yo, I want to create
a headphone. I want to get into this headphone business.
Because they had I'm sure I don't even know, Like
at what point did you know, you want to get
into the headphone business.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
So the actual business didn't happen, or thinking like, oh,
this can actually be a business was twenty fourteen, okay,
prior to that. Prior to that, it was I just
had I had my problems with the headphone, yanking the chord.
That one fell off, I broke that one. I broke
that one over there and this one. I don't want
(22:59):
to get wet in the pool, so I can't really
like go too hard, so I want to take my time, yea.
So in all those experiences, it was just like, man,
I don't want.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
It in here.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
I like I like over here is I like big bass?
I like the sound just closed off. So I love
that that that full immersive experience. And it was like,
why isn't there an over headphone that is more secure
than all of these headphones that are out here? And
that happened in the in the the little treadmill swimming
pool in Saint Louis, And so from there I went
(23:28):
and sketched the design because the few that I had
broke flew forward and I was like, man, what if
the headband set back a little bit? And we added
we added some tension to it, but sitting it back,
I think gives you a point of contact plus the
two on the side that'll give you a little more security.
Speaker 4 (23:45):
And so that's where the concept started.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
You know what, you guys just take me back to
when I was trying to run out there with the cord,
and that was when the iPhone would break because the covering,
you know, I mean the sections on them weren't that great. No, no, like,
so the moment it hits was cracked. It's just that
was a bad place for me because that was the music.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Though, I mean, it's one of my music.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
What of your music?
Speaker 3 (24:12):
But that is a that's a very personal bad time
and I think I broke two or three iPhones at
the time.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Understand are they are they waterproof so or sweat proof?
Speaker 4 (24:21):
As far as like so sweatproof, water resistant.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Water resistance, So what's just what's the difference between water
resistant and waterproof.
Speaker 5 (24:30):
So water proof is the ability to take those headphones,
submerge them underwater for at least five minutes and they
still function. Okay, well really thirty you up to thirty
minutes and they still function. Water resistance is of the
ability to sweat or have the headphones be sprayed by water,
(24:53):
running in the rain or something like that. Water resistant,
and there's different levels of water resistance, but ultimately you
is needed to not crap out when you're sweating, and
if you want to run the ring, that's an option.
But waterproof is not possible because there's sound, and so
sound is basically moving air, and if air can't move,
(25:14):
you're not getting base. And so you would have to
completely seal the cavity to create a waterproof headphone.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
But it will sound like you can do it, but
it won't sound good.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Hold on, so you pick up on all that because
I don't think.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
I don't think.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
I don't think I knew sound was just air like
yeah yeah, movement like movement.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
So it does make sense because like you really really
can't hear anything.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
When you're underneath water.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
Sounds like it's muffled, yes, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
So actually, okay, I get it. That doesn't make sense. Now, Okay,
you're connecting dots to me. And so for all of
those that want to look at your headphones as a
different option, why.
Speaker 5 (26:02):
Why Because anybody that has worked out, or has ran,
or has done anything active in an over your headphone,
and to this day continue to do so because the
over experience is a full, full, immersive sound experience. Anybody
that has done that has had the problems that I've
had and many of us have had with even just
(26:23):
a little of that and that circuit flying down there,
laying back right here, and that's circer flying over there.
But just when it comes to an over your headphone,
there needed to be a headphone that was designed from
the concept to a final that was for the active lifestyle.
And so our deal is anybody that today works out
in and over your headphone, we're for you. Like the
(26:45):
security doesn't only offer the ability to move more, but
it also gives you the ability to have a better
sound haul. And so what I talk about often is
passive noise cancelation. Everybody knows active noise cancelation, which is
done through some microphones or whatnot, But passive noise cancelation
is the result of a really good seal on your headphone.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
And you get that with the.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Sorry.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
Okay, so what because like you know, you always think
about scale when you have a business and you're starting
up things, how do we we sell? But then all
of a sudden, how do we scale and I keep
hearing you and I guess I've never really thought.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
About it that much. I just always did what was easier.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
But the actual overhead headphone, it's a total different client
than some that just prefer just the hearing. We had
this discussion in here before you came, because I didn't
realize how big of a difference to client. Tell is
that some people just like, no, I want this is
what I want, and some people like, I just want this,
(27:50):
And so how do you how do you get those
that probably don't want overhead to come over here and
once you try it, you're not gonna want to go back.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Well.
Speaker 5 (27:59):
Over your headphones is actually recently, in the last couple
of years is beginning to outpace in ears because things
like here for tig, you know, and you can wear
in ears and they're perfectly find which we have in
heres too.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
You know, we have a suite of product. But this
is this is you.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
Know, for me, if you're going to go to market
and really playing this space is really hard, like you know,
having to start a business and building it is hard,
and so your market fit you need to go where
there is the lower barrier of entry. And to me,
in the over over ear space. There wasn't a there's
there's ones that people use and work out in, but
(28:37):
there wasn't one design to work out in. And so
that's that's where that's where we're entering the market. And
then all the products that will follow will be versatile
active products. And so so a person that wears in
the in ear that still deals with the inner.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
Falling out, does it still happens.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
You lose one, you break one, you step on one
because it failed right there, it still happens. Our message
essentially is the same. We're identifying with a similar pain
point and we're offering a solution that says, you know what,
we're gonna limit just all of what's happened with headphones
in falling or falling out or whatever it is while
(29:18):
you're being active.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
And so that's what Live offers.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
And so we can we can cross you know, platform
and go with the overer people and the inner people,
and we'll we'll pull some inner people you know into
the fold. But that's i was not our focus. We
have something for them too, which I just found another
pattern which is going to be really dope on an
in their piece.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
So I want you to look into the camera right there.
Take ten seconds, fifteen seconds. Tell the people where they
can buy your product, the name of your company, what
it is that show camera.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Right there there?
Speaker 5 (29:50):
What's up everybody? It's Mark Clayton, founder of Live Audio.
And you can go to liveaudio dot com and check
us out if you want to see a lot of
all our content that were put together.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
Live Audio on Instagram.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
And TikTok, Facebook across all platforms, but l I v
V audio dot com check us out. It is the
first luxury sport over ear headphone made for the active lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Now where did you come up with the name of the.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Live so when?
Speaker 5 (30:23):
So the first concept that I made, I thought it'd
be a good idea to have free runners, the parkour
guys that jump off stuff and do all the flips,
test it. Uh, And so I connected with because I mean, shoot,
you don't have an over here that stayed put. Are creative,
These guys are going to really push it to the limit.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
And so I had, you know, a good group of guys.
Speaker 5 (30:42):
And one of the guys still up with Jesse Leflair,
who he's a stunt double from Marvel Marvel.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
He was this his real last name La Flair.
Speaker 5 (30:52):
Like, yeah, for what he does. I'm like, Bro, your
mom knew right, that's a great guy. I knew no,
But I had one of the guys in Miami.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
He was doing the past with the over on and
we talked after. I was like, what did you think
you ever thought you could do any of that well
with some over your headphones? Like no, it was crazy.
I just felt like I was just flowing. I could
just free flow. And it was just like I could
just I.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
Was just living. And when he said living live stuck
to me. I was like, oh, like you just you live? Huh.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
And from there it was just like, yeah, I think
live would be a good name. And then you know,
you get creative with it and as you think through
what the security and the over offers is more life,
the ability to kind of live freely from the distractions
from all of the things that we have all experienced
in an over ere and the inner headphones.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Well, let me be one.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Of the first to congratulate you on securing a million
dollars in funding. That's that's that's a huge accomplishment. I
don't even know, Like, so how does one go about
the funding? Is it just hey, you pitch it to
a company, a group individuals.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Ourselves, friends and family first.
Speaker 5 (32:11):
And first, you know, I had to believe in it first. Yeah,
I had to you know, put up cash first. And
part of that where it was like, all right, I'm
in kind of you know, put uh steal cold to
my feet and it was like, let's get it, and
then you know, making sure. So hearing really like in
the beginning was like hearing people say no, but being
(32:34):
fortunate to hear guys tell me why they said no
really helped me craft and hone my message. And then
I saw, like you know, all every every pitfall or
every kind of you little space where I needed to
fill in the blank. I was able to fill it
in through connecting with people who would give you critical feedback.
(32:56):
And so as an athlete, we're built like that and
I'm like, no, it's I'm okay, thank you all right?
Speaker 4 (33:02):
So what was it like? What did you think?
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Like?
Speaker 4 (33:04):
What do I need? What? What would make you say yes?
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Right?
Speaker 5 (33:08):
And a lot of those conversations helped me get to
the place where you know, not only was the product
in a good spot on the back end from a
development standpoint, but the business model was in a much
better place, and I understood, I learned, and so I started.
Twenty thirteen was kind of the first where oh Live
could be a thing, going back and forth to China,
(33:30):
dealing with industrial designers, dealing with fulfillment centers. Look at
I mean really, learning supply chain management ultimately is like
I just pay for an education post career in supply
chain management and product development and industrial design and marketing,
and I'm getting these experiences just because I'm trying to
get this headphone done, which was really cool. And so
(33:53):
now when I'm in a room and depending on who
I'm talking to, I can speak to all aspects of
the business because I've actually lived it now. And so
that investment piece is really you're just you're just moving
and you know, there's investors, angel investors all over the place.
There's you know, other athlete investors, and and you're just
(34:14):
having conversations. You know, everybody asked you know what you've
been up to or what what are you up to lately?
What are you into now? And in that space is
you know the opportunity to kind of to pitch if
you will, and then you know, from there, either develop
a relationship that goes beyond what comes from an investment
or not, it doesn't matter. And I think part of
it that is that too. It's not you know, trying
(34:37):
to get the investor. It's looking for a good relationship
that will help spur you along that could lead to investment.
And so the first you know, Guy Mark Brian was
one of my first guys. We bet on a golf
course and so I always talk about golfing the value
of golfing and you know, being able to get on
a golf course and have conversations, conversations and at superb.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Sorry, you've got time you start talking about golf, getting excited,
get a little I could little ants.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
A little antsy.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
You're looking at Taylor like.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
Squeeze in.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
That's number one. Great job on the on the elevator pitch.
I can tell that you've practiced it. You watch yourself
in the mirror, do it? You all these things the
important things that you have to do when you start
out a company. How many times did you work on
this elevator pitch? Because I love the word in terms
(35:41):
that you use luxury brand, Like I'm telling you what
it is and you're not guessing I'm giving it to
you right now.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
This is not just anything. This is luxury brand.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
That is why the price point is where it is
because these are not average headphones.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
These are not just athletic used headphones. This is different.
This is different, tell me about it.
Speaker 5 (36:05):
And so, as you know, in all of these conversations,
the cool part is when you get you know, somebody
who can see the vision and then their wheels their head,
they start they will start spending. As to being creative,
and that is a huge part to like you said,
it's like a creator, you know, like being creative. It's
(36:26):
like creatives and everybody's creative. But sometimes it takes other
people to help bring out creativity in other people. And
so in a conversation, somebody will get going and be like,
oh man, well what about what if you called it this?
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Or what about that? Or what maybe we should get
it into this place.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
And I get excited because I'm like god them like
we're in you see, like you see what I see?
Like now we're about to do something special, which is
the same with all all of our investors and you know,
all of our influencers and athletes that are with us.
But with with that piece is just like if I can,
if I can get you on the same page, then
(37:07):
we're we're we're gonna be We're gonna be good together.
Speaker 4 (37:09):
Like I'm we're gonna be great.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
So where do you see this company in its future?
Like what is ultimately your goal?
Speaker 5 (37:18):
My goal is to is to is to build it
to a point it's to exit, it's to to still
kind of walk through my really walk through my my
product plan. I got a product roadmap that's really dope.
I think I think there's a place for a lot
of advancements and integrations in the audio space, uh, headphones, virtuality,
(37:45):
a number of things, and so you know, getting it
to a point, exiting a bit, and then staying involved.
From a product standpoint, I love just concepting and designing
and I mean our in ears. I'm so excited that
we just last week without the patent on it, and
so it's that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
That really so I want to see how creative you
are with this next one. You get four people, four
picks of mount rushmore. People that have had influence, people
that have loved you, people that have poured into you,
people that have when you did something wrong, they kind
of got your right back on the path of righteousness
(38:26):
from the time you were born till right now. Yeah, yeah,
fourteen six. So who would those four people be?
Speaker 4 (38:37):
Just good?
Speaker 5 (38:39):
And so let me see Grandma.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
Mom.
Speaker 5 (38:46):
Uh, those are the Grandma because she's shaped mom and
my mom is in my experience with my grandma was
was was so blessed.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
And just the one that brought.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Praying Grandma, that's the one that brought me back. You know,
life is full of many little deaths and resurrections, and
that was one of them. But now that that Grandma
that took to me back. Uh, and then my mother
obviously the roast she's played is like it's invaluable that
I'd say brit Venables walking in people school BV coming in.
(39:29):
It just completely shifted the trajectory of what.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
Was going on.
Speaker 5 (39:35):
And then posts that I'd say, a guy named Dale
a lot. Uh, he's kind of walked with me into this. Uh,
he's just I got a half that one person through
and then this one has like half a face half
(39:56):
of faith. One is Dale is the guy named Tillian introduction.
He's he's like a big brother pastor speaker. And then
Dell is similar pastor creator and so he's designer and
then Tullan is just you know, period gospel U. But
(40:17):
those those guys are have been anchors just in terms
of me growing post career as a CEO, an inventor,
a creator as well as a man of God.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
At what point did you start talking earlier in this
conversation you said, I didn't talk?
Speaker 1 (40:40):
No, what changed for you?
Speaker 3 (40:43):
Because you're not only a leader, but you're a business owner,
You're an entrepreneur. Like all the things that you have
to speak on, you got to lead it. You gotta
sell it before anybody else buys it.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Like what changed for you?
Speaker 3 (40:57):
Because I look at you, I couldn't imagine you like
just being a non talker. And this was even in
throughout high school. You said that, Yep, what changed for you?
Speaker 5 (41:09):
I think the more I did it, it was like
it was like it's not that bad. And then when
you know, kids or somebody else will come up and say,
I really appreciate what you said. I really appreciate that.
Like I was going through this and I needed to
hear that those moments were a part. Yeah, do is
(41:34):
like you know, you get to what life is really
about and it's about connection.
Speaker 4 (41:38):
It's about relationships.
Speaker 5 (41:39):
It's about loving people, and that which is what I
see through my business and the guys that you know,
our on the team we work, you know, work together,
want to love them, love their family as well, set
them up to do well. And we do that for
each other. And then you know, same with my family,
same in community. But speaking came from or just feeling
(42:01):
more comfortable. Speaking was the fire that was put there
that I now know that the Lord uses me to
inspire people, to encourage people, and to love people.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
That's the beauty of a I think the beauty of
this podcast is the relationships that Rome and I get
to build with the guests that we have. And it
just we often say it all the time, like we
get inspired from all the guests. We pull and take
something man from every single guest that we have that
you guys pour into us and by you sharing your story,
(42:35):
I can't thank you enough. Congratulations. You know, you got
the you got your headphones, and you got more things
coming up in your business.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
More than.
Speaker 5 (42:47):
Wife shout out, shut out, shut out wifey No.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
But you just you seem like a solid dude who's
got a lot of great things. Happening in his life
right now, and you put it in the work. You've
done the work, and I'm really excited to see the
next season for yourself and your company and your family.
And I'm just wishing you the best of lucks in
that in that next season.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
Man. I appreciate that, brother, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
Man.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
All I've learned is that encouragement matters.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
Yeah, it changed Mark Clayton's life. Do you may just
have a young person who not even think about Hey,
I appreciate it. The encouragement piece is beautiful. So thank you, man,
appreciate your sharing.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Mark.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
And I hope all of our viewers and listeners really
enjoyed this podcast today and uh wherever and I want
to thank you guys for always tuning in. Make sure
you give us a five star rating, give us a
wherever you pick up your.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
Podcast is Apple Podcast.
Speaker 3 (43:43):
iHeart radio, and make sure leave us a review five stars,
like comments like subscribe or.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
Work. Yeah that word did it right? I get us
out of it.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Check us out. Check out our NFL YouTube channel. You
can check us out all the good stuff. I'm Peanut.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
That's Mark.
Speaker 3 (44:09):
And when I mess up on here, I don't say hey, cut,
let's start it over.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
I just get through it. I treat you like live TV.
We out, we out,
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.