Meet Finn Bailis | Founder & CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Finn Bailis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Finn, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk taking has played a massive role in my career and I consider it to be one of the most important things for a young entrepreneur to leverage in their development.

Most people consider risk on an ´is it worth is basis´ — meaning if the worst thing occurred, would the value you gained still be worth the losses you took. Well, if you don’t have much to lose than the experience alone is always worth the risk you took.

I try to mitigate my liability by having frankly ´very little to lose.´ I mean this in a literal context, having very few expenses, not too much leverage (car payment, mortgage) and little to no unnecessary obligations (a dog, cat or commitments) or a surplus of personal belongings. Of course this sounds like it is coming from a place of privilege, but it actually is not. Since I was about 14 my biggest goal in life was to complete college, with a great education and toolkit of skills, but absolutely zero obligations. I believed that by opening myself up to a world of possibilities, I could take on any challenge with any amount of risk, and I had nothing really to lose. The result of that planning has been countless opportunities across the world, in different sectors and with different requirements. None of which I would have been comfortable rationalizing the risk, if I had to ask a friend to watch my dog, or had to make sure I could cover my car payment, or pay for a storage unit to keep all my belongings…. because I didn´t have a car, or a dog, or a lot of belongings.

What should our readers know about your business?
So, Global Media Assets is my business. On the surface, it may seem similar to many other companies in the marketing industry, which is often perceived as saturated, soulless, and dry. However, I’d like to explain why we are different from other media production platforms and influencer marketing services. For one, we are neither of those things. We are a tool that empowers the creative, the artist, and the freelancer. We have no interest in influence. This is something I am very proud of because I struggle with the way our society is operating. An obsession with quantifiable fame has taken over the majority of our youth, and unfortunately, for good reason. Having followers or a lot of likes is a seriously valuable thing. A person with a certain number of followers is literally more valuable (in a business context) than one without. However, having followers once meant you must have had talent, or you gained your fame first and the followers came after. I no longer believe this is true. You can get a lot of followers now by succumbing to the mindless trends of the internet, devoting time to the application, and trying to do nothing more than the same. This is something I would like to end, and for that reason, Global Media Assets is waging a war on influence, and we are doing it by empowering the talented.

This vision came from my work with The Deans List Organization, an action-sports non-profit I co-founded. The Deans List’s mission is to support aspiring action sports athletes and filmmakers, usually through media, because, unfortunately, as an action sports athlete, it is the only way to really make money. I realized, though, that these individuals were extremely talented and could make an actual living by producing ads instead of filming movies and traveling for comps. This is the tool that Global Media Assets is delivering: a platform that allows brands to work with the most talented individuals in their industry.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
– So, I would start at capital one cafe (not endorsed) for some work and potentially a free coffee. Most of my friends work remote, so this is a solid place right in the center of the city to get stuff done.
– Then I would hope they are headed to the mountains, whether it is to ski or bike, I would recommend they head to Eldora, stay away from the traffic, and get to checkout boulder on the way.
– I am a huge denver sports fans so I would have to recommend they check the schedules and if possible attend any of the great 4 sports team events.
– Finally I think topping the day off with a meal at illegal Petes, would do the trick 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Kazahana is a little sushi restaurant in Telluride, Colorado, my hometown, where I returned to work after finishing a B.S. in aerospace engineering and an MBA in international business. I had just taken my worst business loss in life and was not only extremely financially unstable but mentally unstable as well. I was lost and scared. So, I moved home and started working labor while researching potential careers. I couldn’t stand to face the people of my hometown, friends and family, donors who had given me scholarships, invested in my success, and mentors who gave me their time and trusted in my future. In my eyes, I had failed them all. I was beaten down by life and felt like a failure.

However, I eventually worked up the courage to serve sushi at Kazahana. It was logistically a dream. I could work from 4 pm to 10 pm every day, giving me plenty of time to focus on my business, and I could make enough money to survive. I lacked humility, though. I was scared to face those mentors, teachers, and peers, look them in their eyes, and take an order — but I did it. And I am so glad that I did. I learned more in a few months serving sushi than in all of my aerodynamics classes combined, and I grew more as a person in those months than in an entire year abroad. When you lack humility, it is impossible to truly absorb the lessons around you and grow. Serving sushi with an MBA taught me how to grow, how to get over myself, and truly learn. I am still serving sushi a couple of days a week, and I love it.

Website: https://www.globalmediaassets.app

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Finn_bailis/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finn-bailis-558914146/

Twitter: https://x.com/Finn_Bailis

Image Credits
Josh Fairmont & Bash Jelen