Chris Krewson’s Post

Want to know the secret ingredient to successfully start a company with co-founders scattered across different locations? 🌎 Let me share our #bontastic story ⬇️ Picture this, co-founders scattered across different locations. The challenge? Building a fortress of trust within our team. The solution? A meticulously detailed founders' agreement 📝 An agreement that addresses the core of our operation: ✅ No clock-watching or recording of absences ✅ Welcoming the future of work with 100% remote-friendly processes ✅ Equal pay for equal roles, no exceptions ✅ The driving founder takes the lead in operational decisions My personal pre-condition of starting a new company was, that I can work with a strong co-founder team, based on trust. Fast forward to today. ⏭️ Months of relentless efforts later, we are happy to get the official incorporation next month. The same timeline sees the MVP of our product bont, making its debut.✨ The founders' agreement plays in this a crucial role.🔑 Curious about what such an agreement entails? Drop a comment saying AGREEMENT for an anonymised version. 📩   ---------- #bontastic story no. 4 We're #buildinpublic Check us out at bont.ai and don't forget to hit that follow button on Linkedin: bont 👀

Finding My Superpower Among the Giants I am incredibly lucky to work with, collaborate with, meet, and be surrounded by individuals who are way smarter and more educated than I am. Many of them have started their own companies or climbed high up the corporate ladder. They're amazing at what they do—be it in design, technology, law, consulting, branding, or construction. Watching them work is inspiring, and I sometimes wish I had the same ability to focus—their "superpowers," if you will. Looking back at my career of almost two decades, I've started or been a partner in nine different companies. Despite a voice inside me labeling each as a failure, I learned a lot. The truth is, I had the guts to chase after dreams and jump into new ideas headfirst, and not all of them were failures—they succeeded in creating the life that I wanted. So, the question that surfaces is, "What is my superpower?" My "superpower" lies in my holistic understanding of business, allowing me to work and think outside the box. I can orchestrate brilliant minds across countries and industries, connecting the right dots and shaping complexity and ideas into clear, understandable concepts that everyone can get behind. I'm sharing this to let you know that I've embarked on a new venture called Twenty Eighty. While it may not be relevant to everyone, your support in connecting me with the right people could make a significant difference. If you know someone who could benefit from my "superpower," or if you're curious yourself, please don't hesitate to get in touch or explore more at www.twenty-eighty.jp.

It's a bittersweet day today. I got my first rejection letter, for an ideal job that I was targetting in agriculture and soils. At least I know that my resume made it past the ATS, so that's a positive! Today, I also got notified that our team pitch to the SVG Ventures | THRIVE Studio program got accepted. We're going to get a chance to further develop and refine our idea, in a meaningful and structured format! When I weigh out these two pieces of news, I take the perspective that one would help today, but the other will help pay dividends in the future. To be clear, there's no expectations that our idea is a million dollar one. But understanding the process, and having a network that's tied into innovation and tech, in a constantly changing world, is a great network to be part of. These are the values, and beliefs, that my teamates: Shelley Longman, Denise Grimm, and I bring to this program: Do things having a growth mindset. Let's see where this road takes us!

New Beginnings: Introducing Problem Child I’ve deliberately been very quiet on Linkedin for the past few months, and here’s why. Today marks an incredibly exciting milestone as we officially launch Problem Child – a special projects collective born out of a passion for pushing boundaries and solving the unsolvable. Alongside my brilliant co-founder, Carmen Grace Walker, we’re here to tackle the challenges brands face today (and the ones they don’t even know they’ll face tomorrow!) with bold, creative solutions. After over 20 years working with some of the world’s most exciting brands, I’ve seen firsthand the need for a fresh, flexible approach that meets today’s fast-paced demands. That’s why we designed Problem Child around a nimble, adaptive model that can tap into top-tier talent and specialist expertise exactly when and where it’s needed. From launching bold campaigns to reimagining brand identity, our goal is simple: to offer clarity and creativity for the challenges our clients are navigating. Partnering with Amplify and working with Jonathan Emmins and the Amplify team just felt right from day one – their vision and dedication to creating meaningful cultural connections align perfectly with ours. Can’t wait to share more very soon!  #ProblemChild #BrandTransformation #NewBeginnings #FemaleFounders #MarketingInnovation

Many of my close friends and industry peers don’t know what I do as the founder of RockWater. So here’s my “about me”… I also explain my origin story, has some ups and downs! —- We do financial and strategy advisory for media, commerce, tech. From M&A and fundraising to consumer research and go-to-market planning. i.e. think of us like an investment bank and management consultancy for the creator economy! 🤷♂️ WHY ROCKWATER - Blue chip, global clients. 85% rehire rate - Experience as operator / investor / advisor - 20 yr veteran of media / commerce/ creator economy 📈 WHAT WE DO - Buy / sell-side M&A, capital raising - Market research and intelligence - Go to market planning 💪 OUR CLIENTS - Startup to post IPO - 14 countries across NA, EUR, Latam, Asia, MENA - YouTube, Paramount, Team Coco, Portal A, FilmNation, XL Media, Whistle Sports, Atmosphere, Revry - 70+ lifetime projects 🤳 MY STORY I grew up 1 hr outside NYC in a Wall Street community. My career plan was always finance. So in 2005 my career started as a banker. Turns out, I focused on M&A for content distributors. Cable, telcos, and then increasingly OTT for video and music. I burned out, faced conflict with leadership, and needed a career change. So in 2010 I went to biz school. I was an avid social media user, and worked for Pritzker Group. They made early bets in digital video via the Google Original Channels Program. That connect led me to joining Big Frame as COO in 2012. A year later I hired my old banker boss to sell us to AwesomenessTV. There I learned what it took to go from scrappy content startup to a billion-dollar modern studio. But here’s what got me to launch RockWater... I heard 2 things often while at Awesomeness: (1) you’re collaborative to work with, and don’t bring sharp elbows like the rest of Hollywood (2) you focus on generating profit, and sustainable biz models. Amazingly, that was rare in the early digital days! So with those words of encouragement, I founded RockWater Industries. Goal = build a modern advisory shop to help operators and investors build better. Focus in media x creator economy. ...and nearly 70 client projects later, I'm still doing that today! 🏚 WHAT ELSE? - I invest in rental real estate properties in Omaha and Savannah - My heart lives in the ocean and mountains. Surf, snowboarding, backcountry, and hiking. —- DM me if you’re a founder or exec and this story resonates. #media #creatoreconomy | RockWater Industries

Today, We Unveil Problem Child! I’m so proud to finally share Problem Child with the world! A special projects collective set out to tackle the challenges brands are grappling with today – and the ones they haven’t even seen coming yet. Co-founding this venture alongside Beckie Stanion has been amazing, and we are just getting started! Problem Child is all about making waves. We’re not here to take the easy route; we’re here to approach every project with a fresh perspective, assembling bespoke teams of specialists who know how to think differently and bring creative strategies to life. Having worked on some of the most incredible projects with global A-List talent at the forefront, and seeing firsthand what it takes to make a lasting impact, I can’t wait to bring that energy to everything we do at Problem Child. Our partnership with Amplify brings a level of scale and global reach that’s rare in a boutique model, allowing us to flex from big-picture strategy to thorough execution without losing that personal touch. Jonathan Emmins and the Amplify team, share our bold vision and we’re excited to shake things up together! Here’s to the start of something exceptional – redefining what creative problem-solving means and turning BIG ideas into impactful action. hashtag #ProblemChild #BrandInnovation #CreativeStrategy #DisruptiveThinking #FemaleFounders #Partnership

⭐ Choosing Reputation was no leap of faith for Thrive Communities; it was a meticulously calculated decision. 🏢 Paul Edgeman, SVP of Marketing shared, “when I joined Thrive nearly seven years ago, one of the first things I noticed was our need for a comprehensive solution to manage business listings, reputation, and review requests. Everything we were doing was manual, with no syndication, and we had minimal reporting capabilities. It was a significant pain point. Property Management is a high-touch industry, and it can be challenging to show residents that we’re genuinely here to help them.” 🤝 Reputation’s suite of modules addressing Thrive’s pain points – from business listings management to analytics – stood unmatched. ➡ Read their full story here: https://lnkd.in/eaCt7zEd

Taking a second to celebrate a small win 🎉 As the week comes to a close, I wanted to share a feel-good moment that brought a smile to my face and reminded me how important the little things are. Working in a startup is a wild ride – and I love every minute of it! One of the things that never fails to make me chuckle is when a partner tells me about a conversations they had in DMs thinking they were talking to someone else on the team not realizing it was me. When I tell them it was also me they were talking to the reply is, "Wow, you're everywhere!" and you know what? I am, and I love it. This week, Anna Carr shared some heartwarming feedback from one of our new partners at Slate Milk. He shared how he always receives a reply in whenever tagging Slate in a story post. My manager's response, "Yes! That's Morgan for you!" It's so rewarding knowing how much our community enjoys engaging with the brand. It brought to mind countless conversations I've had with my friend Lindsay about the power of nurturing relationships and building community, even in the simplest ways, like a DM. Sometimes it feels like I'm deep in the weeds, but moments like these remind me how important it is to lay a strong foundation for successful partnerships. #StartUpLife #CommunityBuilding #PartnershipsMatter

At Yellow Tail Tech, a sense of community that developed organically from the beginning. This has a significant impact on our business and how we operate. The job market is challenging right now—finding a place to work is hard enough, but finding a company you love? Even harder. As a leader, I want my employees to fall into the latter category, so I put as much energy into them as they do into the expertise in their roles. What’s the easiest way to create a sense of community in your business? Listen to your employees. You hired them to do a job—now, trust them to do it. #techcommunity #business #companyculture

I need to come clean. I have been taking more credit than I deserve. Here’s the reality: In the first few months of the year, we had gaps in our production schedule. Our team was working but not at capacity. For the new business on the block, it was to be expected. But I still didn't like it. → People were talking about recession → Everyone thought AI would replace their Video Teams → Layoffs in tech were everywhere, and creative industries were not too far behind To attract new Clients for Viewix I started posting every day on LinkedIn. As I spent more time on the platform, watching massive creators like Matt Lakajev, Noam Nisand and Beatrice Vladut I noticed more and more of what worked. In 2024, on Linkedin: People follow people, not companies. That’s when it hit me: It's a harsh truth, but People don't care about "we". “We made this TV Commercial.” 
 “Our team is different because.” 
 “We have these values.” It sounds nice, but honestly? When was the last time you looked up a company on Linkedin? It's few and far between. Again, People follow people, not companies. So I shifted my narrative on Linkedin, to saying "I" when really it was "We" all along. People started paying more attention. My profile gained 5,000+ followers in a couple of months and now... We are booked out until 2025. The Video quality that Viewix produces isn't because of me. It's because we are lucky to have a talented bunch of young, hungry creatives on our Team looking to do their best work. Here's the Viewix Team: Steve Chestney, Angus Roche, Elliot Grancha, David Esdale, Nicolas Nalbandian & Farah Despi. So, when I say “I,” it’s really “we”—all of it. It’s not the biggest sin, but I really value transparency in my life. Quick question for you: Who’s your team? Even if it’s just the people who believe in you, ensure they’ve got your back as much as mine. That's worth focusing on. PS. We are hiring again! If you know an experienced Video Editor looking to improve their skills and join a young hungry team, get them to DM me.