Ryan Holiday is a media strategist for notorious clients like Tucker Max and Dov Charney. After dropping out of college at 19 to apprentice under the strategist Robert Greene, he went on to advise many bestselling authors and multi-platinum musicians. He is the Director of Marketing at American Apparel, where his work in advertising was internationally known. His strategies are used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube and Google and have been written about in AdAge, the New York Times, Gawker and Fast Company. His first book, Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator, was a Wall Street Journal bestseller. He currently lives in New Orleans with his rebellious puppy, Hanno.
A few words about this site. I don’t do the standard blog stuff. I use the second person a lot (and for that bio, apparently, the third). You like that. I try to talk about the things that I wish blogs would talk about more often: life, dealing with assholes, how to be self-critical and self-aware, humility, philosophy, reading and strategy. And by those things I mean those things in a thoughtful and practical way, not seo-bait and bulleted list stuff.
Anyway, there is a core group of readers here and you’re welcome to join us. There is a monthly email of reading and book suggestions which can be signed up for here.
Some of my bigger posts:
The Narrative Fallacy (also see The Soundtrack of Your Life Delusion and The Second Act Fallacy)
Advice to a Young Man Hoping to Go Somewhere
Schemes and Scams
Read to Lead: How to Digest Books Above Your “Level”
Contemptuous Expressions
A False Sense
Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs
The Experimental Life: An Introduction to Michel de Montaigne
Is This Who You Want to Be?
The Dress Suit Bribe
And finally, here is a small update on me as well as a recent interview…if you’re curious who I am exactly.
Hello Ryan, I am a fan of your blog and writing. I own a surfing website/ real estate brokerage/ travel agency in Costa Rica. Do you surf? Thought you would be an interesting person to spend a few days with, and we have the coast pretty much wired. Strange email, I know, but I am an eternal entrepreneur and enjoy learning and sharing with folks who have done extraordinary things.
Have a good one brother!
Erik
Strange question but, were you mentioned in Tim Ferris’ book?
You love Meditations yet you follow Tucker Max, isnt that bit of incongruent?
I don’t follow Tucker Max. He is my friend and one of the best ones I have at that. I owe him an incredible amount and I don’t think he’s ever asked for anything in return. Not incongruent at all.
but he didnt just randomly become ur friend…you had to follow him at some point b4 he became ur friend so something at some point was incongruent
Ryan,
I just discovered your blog , great and short ideas ….
I am strugling to figure out how to become a partner at this firm , I wish to establish the company into Mexico as a complete industrial solutions and we are missing the human touch to get the business done … business is about people right ???
You rule, dude!
hi ryan
are you still 21? tim says you’re 24. not that it matters but it knod of does . . .
I didn’t think there was another person in the world who thought Meditations was the coolest book ever. Besides the genocide on the Marcomani tribe, Marcus Aurelius was pretty awesome.
I’ve been trying to compile a list of my own. My ridiculous OCD often gets me stumbling on the small things that don’t matter, but I try to focus and find principles that can apply to anything. Do you have a list of your own meditations?
Thanks,
-Armi
lol….”besides the genocide” lmfao
F&$k, I haven’t read a single one of the books on your reading list.
I have one for you, albeit a quite famous one, an easy read, but personifies determination and will power: Hans Ulrich Rudel – Stuka Pilot
Regarding working in an organisation I found The Rules of Work to be a must read.
Would you advise 48 laws of power over Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer?
Cheers
Yes
Congrats on the book deal, Ryan. Can’t wait to read it.
I listened to your audiobook. Kudos for reading it yourself. Effing amazing. I feel like a bag has been lifted off my face and I can see the word for what it is. Where can I get the last one or two pages of your book in text format to post as a quote? I want to post that brilliant shit on my facebook wall and I’m too lazy to buy a real book and type it out.
What page/paragraphs? (It should be searchable on Google Books or Amazon, but if not I’ll try to post it)
Ryan,
I’ve read quite a bit of your writing and am in the middle of your book. I’d be very interested to hear more about your creative process. How do you decide what approach your going to take with each client? I would imagine that it differs greatly if a client is a service provider vs. a retail product like American Apparel vs. a Tucker Max book. Assuming that this isn’t found in the second half of your book, do you have any writing that describes how you come up with your various strategies?
Normally I do not learn post on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to take a look at and do it! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thanks, very great post.
Thanks for your marvelous posting! I actually enjoyed reading it, you’re a great author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will come back in the foreseeable future. I want to encourage you to definitely continue your great posts, have a nice afternoon!