Radical Content

Eric Gray
  • 5.0 (5)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to Radical Content a new content and social marketing show where our mission is to help brands stop interrupting and start connecting. Eric Gray, former head of Fortune 500 Social and Content teams, now the founder of Maverick Content Studio, highlights how content & engagement is the brand-building superpower you are missing. On this podcast we talk to the brand leaders, creators, and storytellers who have built rabid fans, to help us learn how marketing can shift from transactional selling to a brand that entertains, connects, and creates raving fans. Radical Content is a Maverick Content Studio production. Maverick Content Studio is a social and digital-first content agency helping the biggest brands engage the next generation of fans. If you need help with social media, YouTube, podcasting, or building a fan-first content strategy email us at hello@maverickcontentstudio.com.

  1. FEB 3

    Any Brand Can Win on Social (Here's How)

    What if the challenge isn’t your brand... but how its story is being told? We unpack how Jenn has driven hundreds of thousands of views by rethinking mindset, storytelling, internal partnerships, and creative strategy. This conversation isn’t about gimmicks or chasing trends, it’s about uncovering the stories already inside your brand and learning how to tell them in a way people actually care about. If you’re a social media manager or brand-side marketer trying to stand out with limited resources, skeptical leadership, or a category that feels overlooked, this episode will completely reframe what’s possible. What you’ll learn from this episode: Why unexpected categories often have a creative advantage on social The mindset shift required to earn real attention and interestWhat Jenn learned building social for live events, culture-driven brands, and airportsHow internal relationships unlock better access, storytelling, and contentThe difference between managing social and leading creative strategyWhy taste, curiosity, and cultural awareness matter more than tactics

    31 min

  2. JAN 19

    The Exact Org Structure I Used to Scale a Social Team from 2 to 24

    One of the most common questions I get from social media leaders is: “What should my social team actually look like?” In this episode, I walk through how to structure small, growing, and enterprise-level social teams, why org design should always support strategy, and how the right structure creates speed, creativity, and collaboration. We get into real-world realities: underfunded teams, lack of buy-in, reporting lines, and how to build a model that actually scales without killing momentum. If you’re trying to earn credibility, grow your team, or design a structure that leadership can believe in, use this episode as your blueprint. What you’ll learn in this episode: The starter, growing, and enterprise social team structures (and when to use each)Why your org structure must be a resource to your strategyThe core “triangle” every strong social team needs: strategy, creative, and communityHow pod-based team models unlock speed, collaboration, and scalabilityWhere social should report inside large organizations (and why it matters)How to put people in the right seats so both the work (and careers) flourish  👀 Watch this with your team. 📩 Share it with your boss.   📬 Subscribe to the Radical Content Newsletter and get The Content of the Week! MaverickcontentstudioMAVERICK CONTENT STUDIO     💬 Connect with Eric on LinkedIn: Linkedinlinkedin.com/in/ericgray    📲 Follow Me on Instagram: Instagraminstagram.com/theericgray   🎥Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: YoutubeEric Gray     Episode #43

    13 min

  3. JAN 14

    How Social Media Managers Should Actually Be Using YouTube

    If you’re a social media manager, content lead, or brand-side marketer trying to make YouTube actually work, not just exist, this episode is for you. We talk audience clarity, packaging, hooks, education-first content, and the mindset shift that most teams never make when it comes to long-form video. This isn’t about chasing trends or “gaming the algorithm.” It’s about understanding how YouTube really works, how it learns who to show your content to, and how to build a channel that grows intentionally over time. What you'll learn in this episode: Why YouTube is always learning who your content is forThe biggest mistake brands make by creating content that’s “interesting” but not valuableHow to get brutally clear on your target audience (and why this should show up in every title you publish)How to rethink hooks, the first 5 seconds, and getting to the point fasterThe real role of titles, thumbnails, and packaging in driving growthHow to balance platform best practices without losing your creative voiceThe mindset shift that changed how I think about YouTube forever  👀 Watch this with your team. 📩 Share it with your boss.   📬 Subscribe to the Radical Content Newsletter and get The Content of the Week! MaverickcontentstudioMAVERICK CONTENT STUDIO     💬 Connect with Eric on LinkedIn: LinkedinEric Gray - Maverick Content Studio | LinkedIn    📲 Follow Me on Instagram: InstagramLogin • Instagram   🎥Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: YoutubeEric Gray     Episode #42

    13 min

  4. JAN 6

    The Social Media Reset: What Actually Matters in 2026

    It’s 2026, and a lot of the things social media professionals have relied on for years are starting to break. In this episode, I’m unpacking the biggest shifts I see coming for brand social teams as we head into a new year. From AI pressure and shrinking resources to the rebirth of creativity and storytelling, these aren’t surface-level predictions or trend-chasing takes. They are the real strategic shifts social leaders need to understand if they want to stay relevant, build influence, and actually drive brand value in the next era of social. If you are a social media manager, director, or content leader feeling the tension between algorithms, AI, leadership expectations, and creativity - this episode is your reset.   What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why social teams will be asked to do more with less and how to respond strategicallyHow AI is changing content, platforms, and even word-of-mouth discoveryThe growing importance of long-form storytelling and YouTube for brandsHow fandom, community management, and real connection will separate winning brandsMy honest take on unhinged, Gen Z-style brand social and where it may be headingWhy the most successful brands in 2026 will focus on being memorable, not just visible  👀 Watch this with your team. 📩 Share it with your boss.   📬 Subscribe to the Radical Content Newsletter and get The Content of the Week! MaverickcontentstudioMAVERICK CONTENT STUDIO     💬 Connect with me on LinkedIn: LinkedinEric Gray - Maverick Content Studio | LinkedIn    📲 Follow me on Instagram InstagramLogin • Instagram   🎥Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: YoutubeEric Gray     Episode #41

    12 min

  5. 12/29/2025

    How I Got Promoted from Social Media Manager to Director

    Going from social media manager to director inside a Fortune 500 brand doesn’t happen by accident, and it definitely doesn’t happen by just “posting great content.” In this solo episode, I break down the real, behind-the-scenes playbook that helped me grow from a social media manager to Director of Social in just four years at a Fortune 500 company. This isn’t generic career advice. It’s an honest look at the strategy, credibility-building, internal politics, mistakes, and mindset shifts most people never talk about, but that actually determine whether you get promoted or stay stuck. If you’re a social or content leader trying to gain influence, earn a seat at the table, and move faster inside a big brand, this episode is your roadmap.   What You’ll Learn in This Episode: How to get strategic fast and align your work directly to business goalsHow to become the internal “expert” leaders trust and listen toWhy reporting loudly (and smartly) matters more than you thinkHow to build internal champions and navigate corporate politics without selling your soulHow thinking bigger than “social” is what ultimately unlocks leadership opportunities  👀 Watch this with your team. 📩 Share it with your boss.   📬 Subscribe to the Radical Content Newsletter and get The Content of the Week MaverickcontentstudioMAVERICK CONTENT STUDIO     💬 Connect with Eric on LinkedIn: LinkedinEric Gray - Maverick Content Studio | LinkedIn    📲 Follow Me on Instagram: InstagramLogin • Instagram   🎥Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: YoutubeEric Gray     Episode #40

    16 min

  6. 12/16/2025

    8 Red Flags Your Brand Will Never Take Social Seriously

    In this episode of Radical Content, I break down eight red flags that signal your brand is holding social back - from lack of resources and outdated leadership mindsets to micromanagement and broken org structures. Drawing on 18 years building social teams at EA SPORTS and Universal, I share real examples, hard truths, and practical ways to navigate these challenges. If you lead social, content, or brand at a company and feel like you’re constantly fighting uphill, this episode will hit home.   What You’ll Learn in This Episode: How to recognize when “do more with less” becomes a career-limiting problemWhy legacy, performance-only mindsets make social nearly impossible to scaleWhere social should live in an organization and why reporting structure mattersHow micromanagement kills creativity, speed, and trust on social teamsHow to build business cases that unlock resources, autonomy, and creative freedomWhat it means when a company discourages creators and why that’s a major warning sign  👀 Watch this with your team. 📩 Share it with your boss.   📬 Subscribe to the Radical Content Newsletter and get The Content of the Week! MaverickcontentstudioMAVERICK CONTENT STUDIO    💬 Connect with Eric on LinkedIn: LinkedinEric Gray - Maverick Content Studio | LinkedIn    📲 Follow Me on Instagram: InstagramLogin • Instagram   🎥Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: YoutubeEric Gray     Episode #39

    19 min

  7. 12/08/2025

    Marriott Head of Content reveals how big travel brands scale content teams

    In this episode of Radical Content, I sit down with Annie Granatstein of Marriott International to break down how one of the world’s biggest travel brands approaches storytelling at scale. We talk about her journey from journalism to The Washington Post to overseeing massive global content programs, including award-winning Amazon Prime series that reached more than 20 million viewers. Annie shares how Marriott builds strategy, solves business problems with storytelling, and balances long-form content with fast-moving social. If you want to learn how top brands create meaningful stories that drive real results, this conversation is packed with insights you can use immediately.   What You’ll Learn in This Episode: How a journalism mindset elevates brand storytelling and sharpens strategic creativityThe way Marriott built (and scaled) a world-class content engine across hundreds of channelsHow to balance long-form, high-production storytelling with fast-moving, always-on social contentThe systems and standards big brands use to maintain quality, consistency, and creative excellenceWhy today’s creators set the bar for brand storytelling and how to apply those techniques to corporate content  👀 Watch this with your team. 📩 Share it with your boss.   📬 Subscribe to the Radical Content Newsletter and get The Content of the Week: https://maverickcontentstudio.com  💬 Connect with Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericgray/  📲 Follow Me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/theericgray 🎥Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ericpaulgray   Episode #38

    41 min

  8. 11/24/2025

    How To Keep People Watching Your Content (Every Social Pro Should Do This)

    In this episode, I break down the exact four-part framework I use to hold attention, increase retention, and 10x video performance across every platform. After 18 years of creating content for EA SPORTS, Universal, and major brands, I’ve learned that great content isn’t magic, it’s science. I walk you through the hook, the story, re-engagement, and the payoff, and show you how each step influences the algorithm. If you want your audience to watch longer, learn more, and take action, this episode gives you the blueprint.    What You’ll Learn in This Episode: How to engineer a powerful hook that locks attention in the first 3–4 secondsWhy getting to the story quickly increases retention (and kills bounce rates)Simple re-engagement tactics that keep viewers watching until the endHow to pay off your video so the audience feels satisfied and the algorithm rewards youHow this four-step framework immediately increases views, watch time, and distribution  👀 Watch this with your team. 📩 Share it with your boss. 📬 Subscribe to the Radical Content Newsletter and get The Content of the Week! https://maverickcontentstudio.com   💬 Connect with Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericgray/   📲 Follow Me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/theericgray  🎥Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ericpaulgray

    5 min
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About

Welcome to Radical Content a new content and social marketing show where our mission is to help brands stop interrupting and start connecting. Eric Gray, former head of Fortune 500 Social and Content teams, now the founder of Maverick Content Studio, highlights how content & engagement is the brand-building superpower you are missing. On this podcast we talk to the brand leaders, creators, and storytellers who have built rabid fans, to help us learn how marketing can shift from transactional selling to a brand that entertains, connects, and creates raving fans. Radical Content is a Maverick Content Studio production. Maverick Content Studio is a social and digital-first content agency helping the biggest brands engage the next generation of fans. If you need help with social media, YouTube, podcasting, or building a fan-first content strategy email us at hello@maverickcontentstudio.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Eric Gray
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Radical Content