Welcome back to Luminaries, a weekly deep-dive into the minds moving culture, capital, and code. I’m Matt Medved.

This week’s guest might be one of the most influential names in media you’ve never heard. He’s no stranger to the digital asset space, but that’s not what he’s known for. What sets John Shahidi apart is his uncanny sense for what’s next and one of the sharpest instincts for digital culture I’ve ever encountered.

We first crossed paths during Grammy Week in Los Angeles back in 2017 and ended up hitting six parties in one night. I was struck by his rare mix of access and humility. Event at capacity? We were waved in. Line of VIPs out the door? One quick word with the host and we were inside. Not an ounce of entitlement, just quiet confidence and deep relationships doing the work.

As founder of Shots Podcast Network and president of Happy Dad and Full Send Network, Shahidi is a master at connection building. Through him, I met stars like J Balvin and Post Malone well before they blew up. During my Billboard years, we worked closely to break stories and spotlight rising talent as Shots made its push into music. Since then, I’ve watched him make major moves into podcasting and politics, always a few steps ahead in his grasp of the attention economy.

Before we dive in, we’ll be announcing a private Luminaries Salon Q&A with John for our Premium members in the coming weeks. Not yet in the inner circle? Upgrade here to join us.

John Shahidi has made a habit of being early.

Long before YouTube minted millionaires and podcasts could make or break political campaigns, the 45-year-old entrepreneur was already quietly building the infrastructure of internet influence.

It’s hard to imagine now, but back in 2009, the landscape of social media was sparse. “The only public social networks were YouTube and Twitter,” Shahidi recalls. “Facebook was private profiles only at the time. There was no Instagram yet. There was no Snapchat. Obviously no TikTok.”

With an instinctive grasp of digital’s potential, John and his younger brother Sam Shahidi founded Shots Studios to help celebrities engage directly with fans online. At a time when the term “influencer” didn’t yet exist, their first collaborations with Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, and Chad Ochocinco broke new ground, drawing millions of views but earning little respect from traditional advertisers.

John Shahidi and Mike Tyson. Credit: Courtesy of Shots.

“Views and engagement weren’t currency yet,” Shahidi explains. Brands balked at investing meaningful money in digital, still pouring budgets into TV and radio. Sam suggested leveraging his development background to create mobile apps for their celebrity partners, monetizing digital rights directly. The strategy worked: a few thousand downloads in Apple’s then-nascent App Store began generating modest revenue and catching eyes.

But the most pivotal shift occurred one fateful night at Justin Bieber’s 18th birthday party. Bieber’s father had reached out through Mike Tyson’s Twitter account, and Shahidi, overseeing Mike’s social, spotted the message and seized the opportunity.

“That’s where I met Justin,” Shahidi says. “He introduced himself and asked what I did. I told him I ran Mike’s YouTube and social. He goes, ‘I’m a huge fan — I watch all the content.’ I mentioned Mike’s game, and he said, ‘I have it. I beat the whole thing.’ I tested him: ‘What happens at level five?’ He answered immediately. That’s when I realized he really played it. Wild.”

“Views and engagement weren’t currency yet.”
JOHN SHAHIDI

The two stayed in touch, and Bieber eventually told Shahidi he wanted to invest in the company. Soon after, he came with an idea of his own: a social network instead of a game. That idea became the Shots app, which launched in 2013, years ahead of Instagram Stories or Snapchat. It allowed users to post disappearing photos in full screen, with optional filters and no visible follower counts.

“Justin didn’t want to just be a face,” he says. “He wanted to learn. He sat in on meetings. He asked questions. He was curious about tech in a way most artists weren’t.”

John Shahidi and Justin Bieber. Credit: Instagram (@john)

Shots Called Early

Shots quickly gained traction among rising Vine stars, including King Bach, Jake and Logan Paul, Lele Pons, and Rudy Mancuso. While most Silicon Valley giants still underestimated these creators, Shahidi immediately recognized their potential. When Twitter expressed interest in acquiring Shots, negotiations faltered over a narrow fixation on Bieber’s exclusive content rather than seeing the broader vision.

“I kept saying, ‘This isn’t a Justin Bieber content deal. You’re buying a company he happens to invest in.’ They didn’t get it,” Shahidi recounts. “I remember messaging Jack Dorsey, who was coming back to Twitter, like, ‘Bro, these people are crazy. These creators are the future.'”

The deal fell through, but a new opportunity emerged. When Shahidi learned Vine was shutting down, he acted decisively. Leveraging insider information, he approached YouTube with an ambitious plan.

“I went to YouTube and said, ‘I have intel that Vine’s going to shut down. Support me. Get these creators financing upfront.’ They agreed. Overnight, we moved Vine stars to YouTube.”

This mass migration proved transformative. Shots Studios evolved into a creator-first network, expanding into music and leveraging YouTube’s global reach to build entire ecosystems around talent. “We started as a comedy studio,” Shahidi recalls. “But over time, we realized we were building more than sketches. We were building careers.” By helping artists like Marshmello, Anitta, Alesso, and Lele Pons rise to global prominence, Shots became a dominant force between 2016 and 2020.

Shahidi credits much of that growth to YouTube’s structure. “YouTube made stars,” he says. “TikTok makes clips. That’s a big difference.” He recognized YouTube as a singular platform where audiences could build lasting connections with creators.

“Creators will always need three things: distribution, monetization, and ownership.”
JOHN SHAHIDI

“We only had the traction we did in music only because of our power with YouTube,” he admits. “In every meeting we had with Universal and Warner, we were known as the YouTube geniuses.”

The secret to his success during this period? “We used to look at audience retention before anyone else did,” Shahidi says. “If someone had high retention and no followers, we’d sign them.”

In an era obsessed with follower counts and vanity metrics, he prioritized staying power. “I didn’t care if they had 2,000 followers,” he adds. “If people watched the whole thing, that meant they had something. We could build around that.”

Another underrated insight? Shahidi knew where long-term leverage lived. While others chased short-term virality, he focused on building the infrastructure creators needed to thrive.

“Creators will always need three things: distribution, monetization, and ownership,” he says. “If you can help them with all three, you’re building something real.”

John Shahidi and Kyle Forgeard. Credit: Courtesy of Shots.

From Podcasts to Politics

The arrival of the pandemic brought another major shift in the digital landscape. Shahidi remembers vividly: “Everyone stopped making content. YouTube threatened demonetization if creators violated COVID guidelines.”

Amid the uncertainty, the Shahidis placed a daring bet on the Nelk Boys, a Canadian prank crew unafraid of YouTube’s restrictions. As most creators paused output or played it safe, Shahidi saw opportunity. He pivoted hard into podcasting, launching the Full Send Podcast with Nelk’s Kyle Forgeard. Their big break came when UFC’s Dana White introduced them to then-former President Donald Trump.

Shahidi recalls Trump’s initial skepticism: “Trump didn’t even know what a podcast was. He did it as a favor for Dana.” The episode blew up instantly. Then YouTube took it down, triggering a media firestorm and only fueling the hype. What started as a favor turned into a flashpoint.

“It changed everything,” Shahidi says. “After that, we realized how powerful podcasting really was. You could get millions of views, have real conversations, and cut through all the noise.”

“Podcasting gave him a way to bypass the traditional gatekeepers. Talk directly to people. And people listened.”
JOHN SHAHIDI

Podcasting became Shots’ superpower. Full Send quickly emerged as one of the internet’s leading shows, drawing top talent from Elon Musk to Will Smith. “After Elon appeared on Full Send, he told me he was buying Twitter,” Shahidi recalls. “He even invited me to invest.” In turn, Shahidi helped Musk reinstate Trump on the platform and get him posting again.

“Everyone wanted to come on,” he continues. “It became the new late-night show. The new press tour. But unfiltered. That’s why people liked it.”

Looking back, Trump’s appearance on Full Send reshaped political media. Recognizing the influence and intimacy of the format, Shahidi began advising Trump on his podcast strategy, encouraging him to lean in. Trump ran with it.

“Love him or hate him, he understands media,” he says. “He knows attention. Podcasting gave him a way to bypass the traditional gatekeepers. Talk directly to people. And people listened.”

John Shahidi with President Trump, Elon Musk, and more at a UFC match. Credit: X (@john)

Shahidi attributes Trump’s podcast success to the openness and lack of censorship podcasting offers — a stark contrast to traditional media’s rigid controls.

“He saw the numbers, he saw the reaction. I think it clicked for him — this is where the audience is now,” says Shahidi. “It used to be that if you wanted to run for office or push a message, you had to go on cable news. Now? You go on a podcast.”

One of Shahidi’s most influential partnerships began when Kid Rock introduced him to comedian Theo Von. Von’s raw style was gaining traction, and Shahidi quickly stepped in to help him book major guests like JD Vance. As his audience exploded, Von ascended to the top ranks of podcasting, with Shahidi playing a quiet but pivotal role in his rise.

“I think Theo Von is probably the best podcaster in the world,” he says. “When I started with him, he was only doing like 40,000 views. I said, ‘Bro, you’re better than your views. You’re gonna be huge.'”

“Theo wanted to do it his way,” he continues. “No scripts. No filters. Just real conversations. That’s what makes him so good.”

Shahidi believes that deep connection is what sets great podcasters like Von apart.

“An average podcast is 48 minutes. So if you’re listening to 48 minutes of the same person every single week, eventually you’re going to know their personality and their behaviors… the big thing is trust in the podcasters,” Shahidi says.

That authenticity also became a defining line in the sand. He recalls Kamala Harris’ team reaching out about appearing on Von’s show, but only if they could approve the questions in advance and retain editorial control.

“Our producer said, no, we don’t do that here,” he says. “We don’t send questions in advance. We don’t let you edit. We don’t let you review. And that was it, they passed. But that’s the difference. Our audience would know. You lose trust fast if people sense something’s off.”

John Shahidi and Theo Von. Credit: Courtesy of Shots.

The Ownership Era

Shahidi is now guiding Shots into the future by doubling down on podcasts and creator-owned products. His formula is clear: “Every creator should have a podcast. Every creator should own their own company… If your business model depends on YouTube ads, you’re not building a business — YouTube is.”

While podcasts build the audience, products build the empire. One of the clearest proofs of that strategy is Happy Dad, the hard seltzer brand the Shahidis launched with the Kyle Forgeard in 2021. Packaged in bold, beer-style cans and targeted at a male demographic often overlooked by competitors, Happy Dad sold out instantly at retail and has since moved over 230 million cans. Despite minimal PR or ad spend, it’s now a top-five seltzer in the U.S.

“We built a beverage company off a prank channel,” he says. “People said that was impossible. But that audience? They show up. They wait in line. They support. They’re loyal. You just have to give them something real.”

“Look for a product that’ll bring a new demographic into the category.”
JOHN SHAHIDI

Shahidi applies the same lens when advising other creators. “Adin Ross and I talk every week about what his Happy Dad looks like,” he says. “Bieber and I talk all the time.” His first directive? “Look for a product that’ll bring a new demographic into the category.”

That instinct extends beyond physical products. Shahidi sees the rise of memecoins as the latest iteration of a rapidly evolving attention economy, one that mirrors earlier shifts in digital media. “It’s like the early internet,” he says. “At first, no one trusted links. Eventually it’ll get cleaned up and become legit.”

While he acknowledges the crypto space is still rife with speculation, he believes sustainable models will emerge. “You just have to sit back and watch. If you’ve got the stomach to gamble, you can gamble. If not, just buy Bitcoin and get some sleep.”

With the Shots Podcast Network thriving, Shahidi eyes untapped opportunities, urging creators toward underexplored niches. “It blows my mind there’s not a single standout AI podcast,” he notes. “No one’s cracked it yet. But the one who does will own the next era.”

Would he ever start his own podcast? After decades of shaping internet culture from the sidelines, Shahidi remains right where he’s always preferred to be: just out of frame, quietly calling the shots.

“I don’t really want to be front and center” he says, smiling. “I don’t like being the face of things. I truly like working behind the scenes.”

Editor’s note: Premium members are invited to an upcoming private Luminaries Salon Q&A with John Want access? Join us here.