I want to use today’s newsletter to talk about my father -
Alex Cooper (AC).
Of Call Her Daddy.
Spotify’s fifth most listened to podcast.
So yeah, I’m not here to talk about my real father, Bruce Busacca. And she’s not here to talk about the weather.
Sex, baby!!!!
She’s here to talk about sex. Female to female. Girl to girl. Woman to woman.
That’s right!
It’s a girl’s *first* locker room.
And there’s something special about being a girl’s first… safe sex space.
Her and Sofia Franklyn.
They’re 23. They’re poor (they’re 23, come on). And they’re at a bar - talking about SEX.
It’s graphic. It’s vulgar. And their words attract a lot of attention. From some fellow bar goers.
Who make a proposal.
Start a show they say! It’ll be fun they say!
The year is 2018.
And podcasts are IN.
So yeah, these nice, young ladies listen to their little bar crowd.
And they start Call Her Daddy (CHD). One week later!!! Which, BTW, hits 2 million downloads.
In two months!!!!!
There’s something you should know about AC.
She’s gritty.
Her first business partner is Harvey Weinstein’s righthand man. Some creepy old dude who over-serves AC at Catch. Then takes her to his office for a 10 pm “business meeting.”
It’s crazy. But hey, it’s entertainment. And this s*** happens in entertainment.
AC escapes.
And is DM’d by none other than Dave Portnoy, king of content/CEO of Barstool Sports.
He lobs an offer. And when Mr. Righthand Man finds out that Dave is in the picture, he lobs a threat.
“If you pick Barstool over me, I will make sure you never work another day in this industry. And yes Alex, that is a threat.”
Too bad. So sad.
She and SF choose Barstool (ha!). Three year contract. Lots of exposure. Great move.
BTW, Barstool’s C-suite is mainly women.
CEO. CRO. CFO. All ladies.
Boys will be boys. And girls…they’ll be girls!!!! Strong, powerful, independent.
Now the world works in mysterious ways, and AC is pretty f****** lucky that some old creep didn’t take advantage of her in a dark boardroom. But don’t confuse “luck” with grit.
Dave Portnoy didn’t just “happen” to slide into AC’s DMs. They ran in the same New York crowd for years. Before CHD, AC vlogged and held jobs in broadcast journalism.
CHD’s success is a culmination of hard work and intention.
The year is 2020.
And “the fathers” split up (gasp).* Making AC the single host and “father” of Call Her Daddy.
Most of us know the juicy details, but for those who don’t, check the footnotes.*
The year is 2021.
And AC signs a three year contract with Spotify for $60 million.
It’s proof - that content is currency.
And yeah, I’m a big fan of Alex Cooper. A lot of people think she’s raunchy. And I think they’re jealous.
So take one from Alex Cooper. She’s DTB. Down to business. And hey, so are you!!!!
And that’s the skinny.
*Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn split up over a dispute with Barstool regarding their contract and how much money they were paid. Listen to AC break it down here. And SF break it down here.