Darren Prince - Author of Aiming High

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 That day I made over $1,000 that afternoon selling hearts, and I thought I found my calling.
 Basically at first five were magic, Larry, Pamela Anderson, Smoking Joe Frazier, Chevy, and maybe Rod, and at that time.
 This side was a burden firing sensation.
 I heard the voice tell me in this year I've got you and you're ready and I stood up and it wasn't me.
 The first point, right in the toilet.
 The hardest part of ending is starting again.
 We're listening to the Radcast.
 If it's radical, we cover it.
 Here's your host, Ryan Alford.
 Hey guys, what's up? Welcome to the latest edition of the Radcast.
 I'm Ryan Alford's your host. We're talking stars today.
 We're talking truth. We're talking discovery.
 We're talking to Darren Perence. What's up Darren?
 Thanks for having me and I appreciate it. All good.
 Hey man, fascinating story. I'm looking forward to getting into it.
 As we talk pre-upisode, all these layers and marketing, what you do with the stars.
 But then the discovery, the darker side maybe, but how you found light as the best selling author of aiming high.
 Excited to talk about that and of course the CEO of Prince Marketing Group.
 I know it's come to be a great discovery, a great talk.
 I really appreciate your time.
 Same here.
 Cool man. Well, Darren, for those that maybe are discovering you as we get along,
 I want to get to your story and all that.
 The day job is agent to the stars.
 Do you call yourself that?
 I've talked to some of these guys.
 You're pretty grounded, but how do you classify the day job?
 They knew me over the past 14 years.
 I'm just privileged to work with some of the most iconic athletes and celebrities of all time.
 The broke in me has a reminder every day on my light from what the media used to refer to me as.
 When I was real out there and full of myself, a super agent was the title.
 I actually have a tattoo which I write about on my book, which was pretty dumb back in the day in 1995.
 I think around when I started the agent who was 94, when I started the agent who was Magic Johnson as my first client.
 I needed it, I believed, all the hype.
 My dad made me rest in peace with Father's Day coming up.
 Reminded me one day that they don't call you a super agent because you're anybody super because Magic Johnson is super.
 Remember that.
 It's called borrowed interest.
 That's what I tell clients all the time.
 We need to borrow some interest because you aren't very interesting.
 That doesn't give a fuck about it.
 It does what your dad might have been trying to say.
 But obviously, look, you've been successful.
 You didn't just happen, so you got to take some claim.
 Any of us are super or not or should have tattooed.
 I have tattoos, but I've never been a, I don't know.
 You could just score balls enough to call myself any monitors.
 I don't know.
 I will regret on one day.
 I don't care.
 It's just hard to me.
 Daryl, for everybody listening, you've got a fascinating story.
 Obviously, we're going to plug the book.
 People can learn all about you.
 I'm going to let you tell whatever that.
 Some I condense.
 It didn't have to be condense.
 We got all, we got time.
 But, you know, let's talk about a little bit of that professional journey.
 So I started a baseball car business when I was 14 years old.
 When my friends thought it was kind of corny and not cool anymore.
 In the mid 1980s around 1983, 84.
 I had four different jobs, squeezing orange juice at a supermarket
 and delivering newspapers, working at a peterian,
 a stockboy at a sneaker store.
 I just took all that extra money.
 I was fascinated with baseball boards.
 And by shoe boxes from friends, 20 bucks, 30 bucks,
 whatever it was.
 My friends that did collect were into the stars of that era.
 Don Maddenly, Roger Clements, Kirby Pocket, Daryl Strawberry.
 And I just had a fascination for the older ones that weren't as cool looking.
 But I knew in my mind from getting a price guide back.
 Then there was only one called CCP Current Card Price Guide.
 Way before Beckett for anybody that's listening and knows Beckett.
 And it was a newspaper that I'll come on to a week.
 I knew the older ones had value.
 So I betrayed the newer ones that I'd get out of the pack.
 And it's all stinky ones that pick up from their fathers,
 their uncles and their grandfathers.
 Not realized.
 So it's amassing a massive collection.
 And it was my teacher who I'm still close with.
 It is daily, a lowly challenged or introvert business class
 to go home and create a business overnight.
 I actually had one.
 I just did an execute.
 So when I came back home that day after school,
 I went downstairs to speak to my dad and said,
 hey, dad, I need insurance starting a business.
 I have my baseball cards.
 And my mom and dad would always see that shoe boxes lined up
 particularly with stickers and labels.
 I'm watching each box.
 But I don't think that any idea of the value.
 Remember they grew up in an era where they threw them out.
 You know, you put them between your bicycles.
 So they made that.
 In a way, so the condition was destroyed.
 And he's like, what do you need?
 I said about eight or nine.
 And he goes, all right,
 because God food, there's ever a flood or something.
 I'll get a thousand hours with the homeowners.
 And I look, I said, that eight or nine thousand.
 I'd eight or nine hundred.
 So no matter how dad it was an entrepreneur,
 my mentor, my closest friend took such a special interest in me,
 which meant a lot because, you know,
 I mean, correlate how I became a drug addict.
 It was because I felt less than I never felt secure.
 I never felt good enough.
 I didn't feel smart enough.
 I was in special, I'd classrooms and labeled as learning disabled
 and verbally bullied and teased because of it.
 And so meant so much to me that you wanted to sit down
 and understand how I had so much value and what was my plan
 to sell them.
 And I picked a newspaper at this big.
 And I said, look, there's a baseball card show in two weeks.
 I want to get a table.
 It's $20.
 And I could buy so-and-trade all day.
 I think I'll do really well.
 And I spent every day after school.
 It was the Gary D. mentality.
 It could be Gary existed.
 But he's my boy, too.
 We always talk about the craziness of the baseball card boom.
 But he's done it's amazing.
 And so I executed.
 And that day I made over a thousand dollars after selling cards.
 And I thought I found my calling.
 But the interesting much as I'm buzzing as I'm flying as I felt that home.
 I was an extrovert.
 I knew so much about the business.
 I knew so much about cards.
 I felt like I was the young gun in the industry,
 the young fuck that everybody was looking at for advice.
 And you know, one of the cards to buy,
 to put away, to invest in.
 But until I got home and I had pocket full of cash and bought new cards.
 And I had to step to my inventory.
 I had this feeling of emptiness.
 That would really never go away.
 I had this feeling that even though I just had that moment.
 I'm still sitting at home and I don't let them know I go to school tomorrow.
 I feel like a complete total loser.
 That is never going to go anywhere in life because he's an idiot.
 And can't learn what everybody else learns.
 That's powerful.
 That's tough growing up feeling that way.
 Like in your highest moment, you felt in a way you got to enjoy it for 10 minutes, right?
 I mean, it's like, I remember the baseball cards though.
 I mean, I had, see, I got in, unfortunately.
 You're young right now, Nate.
 What do you, you got in in the 90s?
 Well, it was, I'm, I'm 44.
 So, so, but that don't, those, you know,
 don't rust tops years where they made too many of them.
 And like, you know, that's what happened.
 Yeah. 89 to 88 to.
 89 to protect held somewhat of a value with.
 Griffith Jr. 89 square football did okay.
 You know, that kind of held its value.
 My one saving grace.
 I got into basketball cards.
 I had the flu.
 I had the flu or basketball cards from 86 onward.
 You know, that was like the first thing I had inherited or bought.
 Even I was, you know, I was like 10.
 I love it.
 So I still have some of those.
 And then the freaking, all the, then they made too many of the,
 the, I forget the name of it.
 I don't know what score.
 I don't know.
 Score.
 Score basketball cards.
 Yeah.
 Made too many of those, I think, after a certain round.
 It brings back some of the best memories though.
 In about two years, you know, my boy Jason Coons is one of the biggest in the industry.
 Oh, he has scored.
 It's got me back into it.
 And now I got this fun little side card hustle.
 Matilda has won only agents here.
 You know, the girls go crazy.
 But I get stuff in and packages come one after the other.
 And I'm looking.
 I'll tell them stories.
 You know what this was worth, but I could have bought this for 25 years ago,
 or what I sold this exact card for, like 10% of what I had to pay for it now.
 Yeah.
 But I'm loving it because the market back.
 And then it's healthier than ever, especially non baseball,
 which I don't think I bought many baseball cards.
 It's all basketball at this point.
 Yeah.
 I got, uh, I ran into it by John Stockton, rookie card.
 Like I was like going flip and through a box.
 And it was in like one of those glasses.
 I was like, I mean, I don't have like thousands of thousands,
 but probably still has several hundred that are probably worth something.
 But I'm telling you got a lot of listeners right now that are very intriguing.
 Probably I was talking about sports cards.
 I don't know.
 Oh, look it over.
 It's my show.
 Yeah.
 So what happened from there, man, was like, I, uh,
 I eventually got out of the card business at 19.
 I dropped out of college.
 I did really well.
 I had a point eight, six DPA.
 I was an academic probation, but I was making probably four or five hundred thousand
 a year of selling cards at that point.
 I sold my company and, uh, started a memorabilia company because I was very intrigued
 by having the ability to have relationships with athletes and celebrities sit in a hotel,
 where I'm with them.
 I have a guy like the hominale who is most recognized human on our sign of a bunch of box
 and gloves and trunks and photos and the coolness of it was much sexier.
 And, you know, wasn't like a little bit too nerdy like the card thing.
 And I did that for about four years.
 And that's how I developed all the relationships.
 I started working with Matt Johnson, Chevy Chase, Smoke and Joe Frazier.
 May he rest in peace, Evil Kenybal, another one.
 You know, Dennis Robman, Hulk Holden, Ric Flair.
 And by developing that relationship with relationship,
 building us so key nowadays, I was able to eventually, I got out of that business
 and started Prince Martin Group in 1994 and magic had enough faith and trust
 and belief in me that it began my first client.
 That's cool.
 I mean, you know, there it is.
 Like you just name dropped, like some of the most iconic stars are like the last.
 And it's not even I picked it from a humble guy.
 I remember doing.
 I was doing the design when the book came out with a big boxing network, my boy,
 Iraq and an AK.
 He just like shook his head because you just realized the names that guy was like,
 it's my life, man.
 I don't, I'm not dropping.
 I'm just to drop them.
 You know, you know,
 less than fortunate to be around some of the most cultured iconic stars of our time.
 But more importantly, great, great people, great human beings that understand
 life is about given back.
 And 99% of our coals at this point, 29 years later with magic is about life.
 And my journey of recovery and house my family and the love he used to have for my dad
 when he was alive and my dad had for him.
 I mean, you know, when my wedding party, my first marriage, you know, magic,
 Dennis Rodman, smoke and Joe Frazier all flowing all in the wedding party.
 You know, they become family, you know, they take us so much beyond business because
 they're circle to trust a limited amount of people so small in that world.
 And I mean, everything, my 50th birthday, you know, magic, you know,
 who's there with his whole family, he jail you so the doiders,
 why of his executive staff, Dennis came and I, you know, stuff like that means the world.
 And I think so much more than just money just to see that love and that trust and that bond
 that we're able to develop.
 And that's the end of the day.
 I mean, I think you know that like we're all human.
 You know, like these guys get put on pedestals and they should be.
 I mean, they've got natural skills and talent that have, you know, blessed them.
 And you know, they are so rare like back to baseball cards.
 Talent is rare.
 Baseball cards are rare because of the demand and the demand for sports and to watch it.
 But the rarity of the elite athletes is what creates them.
 But you scratch underneath it all and we're all human beings.
 They're all human beings.
 Exactly.
 You know, so to develop those relationships.
 And trust me, they have tough days.
 I mean, all of them, you know, just like anybody else.
 And, you know, Carmen Electron, I a couple of times a month,
 we'll have an hour, two hour call about life.
 We laugh her butt off.
 You know, I have that with them as every one of them.
 And every Thanksgiving, I say it all the time and interviews.
 My first two tax messages I got before I can even get to them or typically Hulk and Ric Flair.
 You know, you get a woo in a, you taking your vitamins?
 What's up brother?
 What's up brother?
 And then what's up brothers?
 I got a little bit of both the two goats of WWE world.
 I know.
 I want to come back to some maybe some favorite favorite moments and we'll work our way
 into the recovery period and, you know, maybe even a little before.
 I know it's been the whole puppy episode on that.
 And I do want to focus on it.
 But talk about at the core, you name all these stars for people listening.
 You know, influencer markings become this stuff.
 I mean, we're talking about the original like influencer marketing, right?
 You know, sports sponsors at marketing.
 I mean, talk about what you do or have been doing and continue to do for these stars.
 So our listeners kind of understand that dynamic that side of the handful of deals have
 been passed probably six weeks was two weeks.
 Guys with magic on two keynotes, one which is a Kyle Sarah, 12 billion dollar company based
 at a Tokyo.
 We spoke to 5,000 people the week before that was with my boy Marcus from a session proof big
 conference in Vegas, probably 5,000 people.
 Rick Flair signed an NFT deal.
 I've had a couple months back.
 He just filmed a commercial for Kevin Harrington is a client to Shark Tank judge for a group
 that he's consulting for new image, which is a product called Mount Everest and an ED supplement
 for men.
 Carmen Electra is shooting a female company this Friday, which is called Screamer Gel.
 And we did a campaign for door dash.
 He signed it in my office.
 It was my BP.
 We go back 42 years.
 He literally sent up that first baseball.
 Joe with me.
 He did a door dash campaign for wall Frazier, the NBA legend.
 He did a gold campaign for Mike Huckabee, the Republican candidate from years back.
 And Chevy Chase.
 He just signed.
 We have an endorsement deal that's rolling out with Keynes raising Keynes chicken.
 So we're kind of all over the board with these very unique opportunities that either come or wire
 that we go out and find.
 Yeah, that's a fascinating part for me is like these guys are huge names.
 Everyone you named in Chevy Chase.
 We talk about a whole episode.
 That's my favorite actor of all time.
 Favorite comedies of all time.
ображ.
 Best ever.
 Thank you very little.
 And I can go back and do it.
 Chevy Stanley.
 And he's got three daughters and text a couple of weeks ago.
 I texted him just to have a happened Memorial Day because you are my son because they always remember that.
 Him and his legend his kids are.
 He's a special one and just incredible impact on pop culture.
 or how many people gravitate now towards Christmas vacation.
 And I think I have to be a man
 to really understand Katty, Shaq, and Fletch.
 Yeah.
 I think they crossed the line back in that era.
 Jeffy and I always talk about
 there's things that you definitely couldn't get away with now.
 Yeah.
 Fletches is the greatest body of work.
 He ad-libbed it in probably the entire film.
 It is incredible.
 And you know, well, you wouldn't have a,
 you can have your towel, I'll just hit a water buffalo.
 It's just like this is the most random
 things I've ever taken.
 It's hard to be on your health.
 It's like a very big thing to say about it.
 To this day, I'm at the country club.
 It's a double barrier.
 I mean, it's just non-stop.
 I mean, the vacation films up in Blessed
 and not only does no one work with him and his family,
 but Beverly D'Angelo, I'm going to see her in a couple weeks.
 And I've met all the kids that played Rusty and Audrey.
 And that's nice too.
 But I mean, that's the other thing.
 Like I get like whole and his kids broken neck
 are very near and near to me.
 Like, you know, we kept up.
 Yeah, it's very special.
 You know, I can't say enough about it, you know.
 What, who's your longest running client?
 Is it magic?
 Magic, yeah.
 Magic Larry Bird started right after him.
 Actually, I have an autograph signing book for him next Monday.
 And it's basically at first five,
 where magic, Larry, family, Anderson,
 Smoking Joe Frazier, Chevy, and maybe Rodman at that time
 is like sex, like right this heyday playing for the Bulls
 and 95, 96, the 72 and 10 season.
 Yeah.
 What do you think?
 So biggest misconception to being, you know,
 you don't call yourself anymore, but the super agent
 to the stars.
 Like, what's the biggest misconception?
 That luck can change the people job.
 And let me tell you, we have to work our part off.
 And we have highs and lows and drama and fires
 to put out, like you can't imagine.
 It takes a very special breed to work in this industry.
 It takes a very special breed to, you know,
 understand that a lot of times you're
 going to throw a lot of things up against the wall.
 It's not going to stick.
 You're going to get a lot of contractures,
 some extraordinarily wealthy celebrities
 that for whatever reason and the final hour
 could be weeks and weeks of revisions,
 tens and thousands of legal fees.
 And somebody on that celebrity side
 doesn't like something and it's a give and take.
 And Sam, just like that, a multimillion dollar project
 is self and it's happy time and again.
 And you just have to have very, very thick skin to understand.
 Until that dotted line is signed
 and that first wire comes in or that check,
 you don't have anything done.
 You know, my dad talked about it in a very young age.
 It makes it a little bit more, you know,
 fathomable to understand.
 It doesn't make it better when it happens.
 It still stings.
 But, you know, when he got a guy like Hulk Hulk
 and it was one of the most recognized humans on Earth,
 that's been very business savvy and smart
 with his investments.
 You know, it takes a lot when they're 60, 68 and 67
 to, you know, physically just to get out and do things.
 You know, mostly what we're looking for now
 with him are partnerships where it could be his name
 is likeness, equity stakes, those type of things
 because the appearances he'll do one or two a year
 and it's absolute mayhem.
 I mean, I've never probably outside of maybe Oli
 and Smoke and Joe is up there.
 There's nothing like being out with Hulk Hulk.
 It is notaride and fame.
 It's the alpha of the alpha of the alpha
 that I've seen Tom Cruise come running over
 and that masters almost in tears and spiel.
 But I mean, the biggest start
 where they come world, they become human
 when they see a guy like Hulk Hulk.
 Yeah, I think back to the WrestleMania's
 like having half a million people like,
 I don't know how many it was.
 It seemed like when I was a kid, you know,
 like just superstardom of superstardom
 but something about the wrestling stuff
 that transcends everything, right?
 Everything.
 Everything.
 Let's talk about where did it go South?
 It went South as the book says, you know,
 at my highest moment, I mean, the business was booming.
 But obviously within this crazy double life,
 I was probably taking and snorting
 and eating a dozen painkillers a day,
 oxycoms, percussets, and like it ends
 and when I leveraged the fact I was developing sciatica
 and the doctors, you know, believed it was that bad
 that I could take pain meds on a regular basis.
 For the first five or six years, man, it worked.
 You know, I tell people often all the time
 and I'm very careful when I speak to high school groups
 because they're my favorite to speak to that.
 I was a rock star at the first five or six years.
 I mean, just fearless and unstoppable
 and built in the agency and getting all the clients
 and couldn't getting all the brands attached to them.
 But at one point it was once living to use,
 turned out to using to lift.
 And I don't know the day that I woke up
 and took my morning pills or snorted on my elbow
 or I'd be getting them in my system, but they didn't work.
 And it actually started becoming like a crypt tonight.
 And I can never get that bad feeling to the point.
 I had to take more and more and more
 and have heard overdose in Las Vegas.
 You know, I went on a detox drug called Suboxone for a year
 but at that point I'm still taking anxiety meds,
 I'm taking Ambien at night, probably drinking a couple of days
 that we taking a mood stabilizer, anti-depressants.
 I was just a shell of myself when the gig was up
 and on July 1st, 2008.
 Just really when the first God moment happened in my life
 because I was sick and tired, I was like,
 if I'm in a desperation, I had to give up all the money
 and then I had the business and my uncle
 make he rest in peace.
 He passed last September.
 My uncle still was very near and dear
 with his girlfriend at the time on dry.
 I never met her before and she walked into my condo
 with him, paid a surprise visit.
 They were visiting my mom for Miami.
 I didn't even know who we're in town.
 And just said, are you okay?
 And for some reason I felt this connection,
 this human connection, I really never felt with anybody
 before and I told her everything.
 I said, oh my God.
 And having no idea who she was, what her history was
 and anything about our life and she could be a Raj,
 or an addict that your life's so managed by a city
 and she goes, he was your powerlessness at a hundred percent.
 She goes, again, I see the most important thing.
 She points to all the pictures on the wall
 with some of the biggest stars,
 some of the biggest events and whatever.
 And she goes, you realize that the disease of addiction
 does not discriminate.
 Doesn't matter if you're from Yale or Jail or Park Avenue
 or Park Branch because this stuff doesn't mean anything
 because you don't mean anything to yourself.
 Are you willing to do the work because I could help you?
 And that broke my soul and I started to cry
 and I said, I'm desperate.
 And she put me on a 36 hour detox plan,
 a 36 hours of 7 p.m.
 On a Sunday night, July 2nd, I was living in New York City
 at the Caroline Building.
 I came back from the gym.
 I'm trying to work out three times a day.
 Anything I can't get rid of the physical cravings,
 the horrific detox pains and I call term my uncle
 and I said, I can't freaking do it.
 I'm calling the doctor.
 I gotta get what I really need to get.
 I'm losing my freaking mind and my uncle
 then just stepped it up and grabbed the phone
 because I'm sick of your bull crap.
 I'm in recovery.
 I'm dry as in recovery.
 We can help you.
 It's time you check your ego.
 Get rid of it.
 Kick the crap out of this damn disease.
 It's been in your life since you were 14
 and get the life you deserved.
 And I hung up the phone and said, I can't freaking do this.
 And I thought I was going to another bottom
 but I ran into the bathroom.
 I locked the door and my then wife Simone
 is banging on the door, baby don't do it, don't do it.
 And I'm going for all the medicine cabinets
 to find tuna on our potted anxiety pills
 which she was allowing me to take during the detox phase
 and hindsight I probably shouldn't go into a real rehab.
 And I found two vikinins came out
 which were on the three open sets and took drugs so happy.
 It was such this relief.
 Oh my God, that I thought was a God moment
 until I fell down my knees for the first time I liked
 but the two vikinins sitting on my left hand.
 And I called and I screamed and I begged for his help.
 The first and only time in my life,
 I said, take the money, take the other,
 I take the business, I'm sick and tired, I'm desperate.
 I said, I'll do anything.
 If you can give me a single day of freedom,
 I will spend one day at a time
 if you take me out of hell, take another's out with me.
 And I had a white light moment.
 I'm sure you've had people tell you about it.
 I had a lightening bolt good from my body.
 This side was a burn in fire in sensation.
 I heard a voice tell me in this year,
 I've got to and you're ready and I stood up and it wasn't me.
 And this left hand at the first time, right in the toilet,
 that flushed the bills.
 And I walked outside into the living room,
 sweating, shaking, crying and I went onto a computer
 and I found a 12 step meeting in the upper 80s
 in a church that night and I ran downstairs
 in a gorgeous summer and I had a July 2nd, 2008.
 There was no Uber, I flagged the cab,
 I rolled the window down, I'm looking up at the sky
 and I said, oh my God, for the first time in my life,
 I wanted to stay still for a month,
 I wanted to get high, but that just happened
 and walked into this church basement,
 150, 200 addicts and alcoholics
 who I want to go to the state of mind.
 And the leader said, is there anybody new,
 anybody coming back, anybody that needs help?
 Not believe it was God that raised my hand
 because had is this so-called big time superager
 walk into a room and it mixes something like this.
 The humiliation, the embarrassment, the disgust,
 the way he's lived this double life.
 But it's in that moment when I put my hand up,
 I said, I'm an addict, I'm sick and suffering,
 I've had the most amazing life outside these rooms
 and I don't want to live anymore,
 I said, I need your guys help and that accountability,
 what about a dozen square extra brothers
 and sisters over to make right at that moment in the meeting?
 And they hugged me and they told me things
 like stick with the winners,
 it's easier to stay in recovery than it is to come back.
 If you want what we have and keep your mouth shut
 and do what we do, and most importantly,
 they told me something that just to this day,
 I'll never forget it.
 As they were hugging me and giving me support,
 they said, we've been where you've been,
 we are gonna love you if we ever learn how to love yourself.
 We got it.
 And I took the five days that those people told me
 added to the adjustment, accountability, action
 and acceptance and I rolled them up in a ball
 and I put them into my heart and into my soul.
 I went for one day to a week, a week to a month
 and I got to a year and slowly,
 but surely working on the steps and got them back
 until those moments in time of my life,
 this guy became whole.
 And my sponsor told me the most important thing
 after a year, he goes, you want to keep this?
 Is it me in thing life?
 I said, of course, he goes, you want this kept every day?
 I said, yeah, because when you better start learning
 how to keep this frigging damn thing alike,
 because that's how you keep it.
 And that's when my journey started.
 Man, that's powerful there.
 I mean, unbelievable, talk with Darren Prince,
 author, best seller of aiming high.
 Darren, I mean, I can't help but come back to like this moment
 I mentioned, like the humanity of, you know,
 we talked about the stars, but then you in that group
 of people like, you know, having to, you know,
 become humble and like, do as you had to do,
 but feeling, I don't know, that transcendent moment
 of wanting and knowing how to get to the other side of it.
 I mean, it's like, you have to want it for yourself.
 I mean, don't you?
 I mean, like, obviously you felt anybody listening,
 not to want it for yourself, no matter what we do,
 we're going to help point them on the right direction,
 but I truly had to give the desperation
 on July 2nd, 2008.
 I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.
 And I slowly, every game, that power of choice back
 in my life, putting this first to this day,
 it comes for everything.
 Because anything I put for recovery, I'll lose.
 And then once that happened,
 hope in recovery slowly being out.
 Do you still talk to the people from that,
 from that time period?
 Of course, man.
 I mean, I got my great John who, you know,
 I was probably in his upper 70s now,
 my sponsor Steve is my closest friend in the world.
 I hope, I hate calling him sponsor,
 because for spiritual brothers,
 some of the biggest advocates in the game are my family.
 Chris Herron, the ex-boss himself,
 he's friends in Novak, from Jack Estim, Ryan,
 and Jennifer Himnitz, Ryan Hampton,
 my publisher, my book, Anna Davis, got, I think, 20 years.
 And my writer, I found out, had like,
 Kristen, I think she has a dozen years.
 And, you know, it's a beautiful thing to be that,
 you know, all beyond that same mission
 to go out and push this message of hope
 and recovery from mental health, substance abuse,
 and no matter what you're suffering with,
 because things are getting depression by polar,
 you know, it's all about recovery.
 It's all about just tapping into that deepest party or soul
 that has a hole in it, and slowly becoming whole
 by doing the work.
 You know what I bet, and I have a lot of people tell me this,
 you know, it's one thing that you gotta get yourself right,
 but then you're like worried, okay,
 I gotta tell this story, or once you get there,
 how many people though have either gone,
 once you start telling that story,
 I hear a lot of people say this,
 I wanna hear your side of it,
 how much they can't believe, you know,
 they're worried about telling that story,
 what that would mean.
 And then how many people are number one support of,
 and number two have gone through similar things?
 Did you, did you go through that same type of thing,
 or did you feel?
 Marissa, I mean, when I wrote a evening a high,
 first time I broke my hand in anybody on Facebook,
 my mom was embarrassed.
 You know, I was so highly respected in my profession,
 not only, you know, just around town across the globe,
 I mean, she would at least need to be pressed in media,
 and you know, with my clients on red carpets,
 and you know, it's embarrassing to a mother,
 and I told her I didn't care.
 I go, the embarrassment is not getting sober.
 The embarrassment is having to hide that your child is suffering.
 And when I wrote a evening a high,
 my dad already passed about about a year and a half prior,
 and he was watching me write a book,
 and she was excited, but she also,
 she was also nervous, you know,
 that I was putting it out on the world stage,
 and it took all of about three hours.
 At first, anybody was on Chris Cuomo,
 and the next morning was Kadea New York,
 and she kept the call on the next morning.
 I picked the anniversary from October 1st, 2018,
 because that was the anniversary of Thriller, Manila.
 And if you have a copy of my book,
 we can send it to the opening.
 It's my historic encounter of getting those two
 rickal kings in the same room,
 and they were both passed at that point,
 and I was with them both for 16 years.
 Ollie, thanks to my dear friend, Harlan Werner,
 who allowed me in the Ollie camp and inner circle.
 So literally that next morning,
 my mom gets a call from an old friend from high school
 that follows her and follows me on Facebook
 and said, I just saw your son's interview.
 I cannot even tell you that I'm in tears as a mom.
 I'm cheering for him.
 The story is amazing.
 What he take the time to speak to my son,
 who's in his mid 30s that is struck one,
 so bad the drug addiction alcoholism.
 That's powerful.
 Dropped everything.
 And he got clean.
 Many others have gotten clean and stay clean.
 And from a mother, it was always the success
 of the age of life that made her so proud.
 I'm pretty sure if she's right here,
 next to me, tell you the same thing.
 It's not even close.
 And that, you know, like,
 and when you look back, like, you know, everyone,
 the first part of this story, we're talking magic,
 we're talking Hulk Hogan, we're talking the superstars.
 But now, you know, what you'll be proudest of in your life
 is how many people have you impacted
 and maybe get on the other side of it, right?
 I mean, didn't that the real power?
 That's not what you get in life, that's what you give.
 And I think I said it on Jay Shetty's
 at your friend or Omar's podcast.
 Don't forget what a one-up one but I go,
 what do I want in my tombstone one day
 when the time comes?
 You know, I want somebody that went deep
 into the hell of drug addiction
 and came out on the other side
 and sprinkled soap and recovery around the world
 to help the next sick and self-ferent person.
 That's it.
 At that right there, I'm good.
 I do, but I was supposed to do a thing of service.
 Well, I mean, you're doing what you're supposed to do
 and maybe that was God's way of why he kept you standing up,
 you know what I mean?
 Because a lot of people don't end up that way.
 They end up six feet under, you know?
 So when you come out and say,
 I mean, he got me choices, man.
 He kept locked up, covered up, or cleaned up.
 That's what I tell a big group that I speak to.
 I like that.
 I don't like it, but I like it.
 Because it's powerful like thinking about, okay,
 it's the truth though, you know?
 You know, but it's not just stopping the drink
 and the drugs and the substances
 or such a spiritual component to this, you know,
 I'm a neon light in my wall custom on,
 say what I mean, mean what I say
 and don't say it mean.
 I say that all the time.
 It's about just having a better balance of life
 and surroundings of people on those toxic ones
 on learning to keep your distance or removing them
 because their energy will just bring you down.
 You know, it's about the next time you're about
 to get into a disclaimer, remember I told you this,
 or it's in a text for strino pen and tongue and email
 or text like just don't engage.
 It's just not worth it
 because in five or 10 minutes,
 if you distract yourself with enough other things,
 you're not gonna remember why you were just about
 to go off on somebody.
 It's better to be all right than right.
 Those are all the tools that I have in my toolbox
 now to be the best version.
 I'm not always perfect, I'm probably 90% of the way
 they are still a work in progress.
 I love a moment here and there in the human.
 But that's what also makes me,
 you know, so obsessed with this mission.
 I mean, I'm gonna say that hearing and plan,
 quote, learn, plan, put them up in death of my left ear
 for 27 years and with the elder here
 told her a couple weeks ago because, you know,
 they had to put me on fentanyl in the ER
 in the surgery room,
 which I've never taken hated it.
 My girlfriend had to pick me up at the hospital
 and just did not like the way that I locked.
 She's never seen me like that.
 And, you know, I can't take hardcore opiate.
 So, I've learned this difference between drug use
 and drug abuse and it's been very humbling
 that, you know, maybe I take,
 I was able to take like THG gummies or THG
 they're very, very small dose, Tylenol with COVID-ins,
 very in touch with my network,
 my spiritual brothers, my spiritual sister,
 my big grandfather Steve,
 we met up that a month ago and it was a new jersey
 because this is why I tell people
 that foundation and connection is everything
 because I don't care how much time you have,
 it's truly one day at a time
 and you double down knowing the surgery was gonna happen
 because you know once that beast is open,
 I'm like, very minute to tell mate,
 that first day when I was lying in bed
 and excruciating pain and this was losing behind my ear,
 tell people when they say,
 do you think I'll be sober forever?
 Let me tell you something,
 that beast was alive and well.
 And when he comes out, all hell is coming with him
 and nothing comes first.
 He's outside of that, get what I need.
 But it's a beautiful thing to know that my foundation
 in recovery, I had hernia surgery at two years sober.
 Same thing, got through it within 25 hours,
 went on Tylenol and Advil
 and the old mate, that never happens.
 The old mate, this is a free pass man, yeah.
 You can actually get sobered, get into recovery,
 go through surgery, go through challenges,
 go through obstacles, never feeling so comfortable
 during uncomfortable time.
 I had it with my dad, I lost my dad
 and 32 days, perfect health, 82 years old,
 had an AR to aneurysm.
 But the blessing was because my perspective
 and perception changed and everything
 you had a sobered son for eight and a half years.
 Hey there, get to see the best side of you, right?
 Yeah.
 That's good.
 And how's business changed?
 I mean, obviously you're balancing the day job
 of still representing.
 Yeah, I do the best job I can balancing.
 And I mean, I think believe it or not,
 probably business was in a way stronger back in the day,
 but not too much and also we've lost a few clients
 that have passed away, but I'm okay.
 I don't need to be that guy anymore
 that has this crazy empire and private jets
 and mansions everywhere.
 That's what I thought I wanted.
 I'm good at having just what I need
 and able to take care of my staff, my mom,
 my sister, my girl, anything I need to do.
 And I live in a beautiful place in Brentwood.
 And again, my perspective and perception change
 that I just want to keep building the brand,
 maybe getting some more corporate clients
 that we love working with,
 because getting the corporate clients
 allows to establish new relationships
 with new celebrities after they work with a bunch of horrors.
 And that's the growth of the business.
 Yeah.
 What's your feeling today on,
 I mean, it's in line with what you do,
 but you know, I talked about it earlier,
 but bringing it full circle,
 influencer marketing and personal branding and all that.
 I mean, you know, in a way,
 it's what you do for a living.
 I mean, you know, a lot of these people
 have built their personal brand
 and then you're helping them monetize it.
 We're big on it.
 I mean, some of our celebrities have decent followings.
 They relate to the game.
 You know, magic probably has 12, 15 million hooks
 probably on the same collectively,
 but you know, they're also in a different genre.
 Like they need it, they do it,
 but it's not really going to ultimately change their life.
 They're so universally beloved
 and their iconic status is so, you know, secure,
 but we love it.
 I mean, we do all sorts of influential campaigns all the time.
 And you know, it's just such a great affect
 of innovative way,
 where you don't have to get on the plane,
 you could shoot something with your iPhone,
 hold up a product,
 do a little video shadow with a swipe up.
 I can't imagine I was representing Pamela Anderson
 in her heyday when we started working together, 1995.
 She'd be a billionaire.
 Multi-billionaire.
 I mean, I can't even imagine if it existed.
 Rodman and I used to laugh about it all the time.
 How phrase the auntie was back then
 that if he had social media to see what his life was really like,
 he'd be a hundred times bigger than, you know, he is now,
 you know, because his life would have been a TV show.
 Oh yeah.
 For sure, it would have been a full time.
 And then now he'd be the full time, you know,
 TikTok star who knows what I mean, like all that stuff.
 But I do tell people, you know, like,
 I mean, not everybody's cut out for it,
 but, you know, attention is influence and influence
 drives dollars, right?
 Yeah, I mean, and look at what you,
 the core of what you do and with the athletes,
 like, they've built a lot of your athletes and stars,
 no matter what it is, you know,
 they've built the audience from something else, necessarily.
 Exactly.
 Now we had a big campaign,
 we had a big campaign with UberEach for magic
 during the pandemic with Twitter and just unbelievable.
 You know, what are your ship products to his office?
 Get some professional photography or snap a picture
 in front of some of the stuff and post it.
 And it's just unbelievable, like this was non-existent
 when I started in the business.
 I know that it's stuff, dude.
 Who, I like to keep this on the open positive.
 So you can answer this or not answer this.
 You can plightfully decline.
 It wasn't on my outline.
 But who's the biggest pain?
 Can you name like who's the most difficult?
 Maybe you only work with him, you didn't know.
 I mean, Rodman was a handful,
 but, you know, we're still very close
 in those times that are difficult with me.
 I called me last week to just catch up.
 You know, I think outside of that,
 and we've been really fortunate.
 We've chevvy out of reputation back in the 80s
 and 90s have been a little bit of an ass,
 which, you know, his wife and I, old tease him about it.
 I don't think he kind of realized it at the time,
 but he is just the most incredible, funny person now
 is in his golden years and just enjoying life.
 I never had, I never saw it.
 There was always a different level of love and respect
 when we started hanging out in the mid 90s and work together,
 but I've heard it throughout the industry,
 but it never too difficult.
 I mean, I just don't think we can manage it.
 I don't think we can represent him, you know,
 because we represent each other.
 You gotta remember that.
 So if we're out here hustling,
 and fighting opportunities together,
 you've gotta make us look just as good as you make you look.
 Because otherwise, I can't build our brands.
 I can look for future business.
 And I only got one shot.
 I'm Darren Prince, nobody knows who I am.
 They all know who you are.
 So you make me look bad, I'm screwed.
 That's so true.
 Well, I didn't realize you represented Chevy,
 but you know, I was even gonna ask for a favor,
 but how do you message me offline, send me your address.
 I'll get you something signed by you.
 What could I get them on the podcast for 15 minutes?
 Or is that like no way?
 Yeah, isn't meeting in a while,
 but he does have this big can't paint coming up for raising canes.
 Maybe I can make it happen for you.
 That would be awesome.
 Do they have any raising cans in your area?
 I've heard the name.
 I've heard the name.
 What's that?
 I got one.
 There's one in Clemson.
 Yeah, Clemson South Carolina, that's 30, 25, 30 minutes up.
 And it might be a bit of work.
 I'm not guaranteeing if you have my word out while I ask,
 I will smoke to him and his wife.
 Cause he could do it right from his computer
 and that's amazing.
 Exactly.
 Oh man, that would be like, that would be on the bucket list.
 I didn't know it was even possible.
 My wife would like freak out because she knows
 how much I love to chase.
 I'm going to give you a couple of topics
 for we do a Rad or Fad.
 So Rad or Fad, Darren, the Metaverse.
 Rad.
 All right.
 Does we think it's here to stay?
 It's here to stay.
 It's just going to become more NFTs.
 Rad, the right ones, the right companies.
 All right.
 Boston Celtics or Dubs.
 Who?
 I grew up a dihard 80 Celtics fan.
 You know, Larry Perper, Patrick Sherman.
 The word Larry is like, it's a client, but it's going seven.
 I'm gonna say the Celtics.
 They're gonna pull it off game seven and in golden state
 just like Cleveland did.
 Ding, ding, ding.
 But time this releases that will all have been worked out.
 Well, we'll see if you're a prognosticator of the Celtics.
 I like the Celtics as well.
 I caught it in seven.
 So we'll see.
 Darren, man, working everybody fall long.
 I know they can find the book aiming high,
 but working everybody, you know, falling.
 Shaking against the Gram is ad agent
 under Square D.P. Darren Prince on Facebook
 should be Los Angeles.
 I think I'm on the only one.
 Printmarketinggroup.com is the business website.
 My personal site for recovery is official DarrenPrince.com.
 And then I've got my foundation for anybody
 who wanna make a contribution.
 A hundred percent of the proceeds go to scholarship people.
 It's gonna be aiming high foundation by the word.
 I do a lot of work with band-aid treatment centers.
 They have 14 properties of anybody who really
 is in need of help.
 Feel free to message me on Instagram.
 You want, you know, if you can't afford a book
 and, you know, you're interested in reading it
 to get the help that you might need.
 Message me again and we'll send out free copies.
 Darren, man, really appreciate the rawness,
 the realness and, you know, just coming on the show, man.
 Thanks, man.
 Hit me up with your personal information
 and we'll all keep in touch.
 All right, brother.
 Hey guys, you know where to find us
 worth the radcast.com.
 Search for DarrenPrince.
 You'll find all the content from today.
 See you next time with a radcast.