We recently connected with Adam Shapiro, Nate Shapiro, Tyler Zlatin and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Adam, Nate, Tyler, thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

Tyler Zlatin:
In the out-of-home advertising community, we’re seeing a significant shift towards campaigns that deliver a real ‘wow’ factor. It’s about standing out in a crowded market and breaking through the clutter. Clients are increasingly adding experiential activations that go beyond traditional roadside billboards, and what we’re seeing is that these campaigns are more memorable and viral with their target audiences.
At Ballyhoo, we’ve been able to keep up with these trends by curating unique activations for our clients. For instance, in Chicago, we partnered with Jameson to display banner ads on ferries during the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade (the largest St. Patrick’s parade in the country!). This activation placed their message right in the heart of the festivities on iconic vessels well known to the community, capturing the attention of hundreds of thousands who watched in person, on TV, and online.
Recently in Miami during F1, we collaborated with Smirnoff Ice to fabricate a custom barge with eye-catching visuals. A life-sized Smirnoff Bottle combined with the text ‘Surpr-ICE’, was floated around Miami’s top bars, restaurants, and events. To amplify it further, we blended influencer marketing, product sampling, and out-of-home advertising to create a 360 experience for their target audience.
The key for us has been to combine creativity with strategic placement. By staying ahead of trends and consistently delivering unique and engaging experiences, we’ve been able to help our clients create memorable interactions with their audiences.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Nate:
Ballyhoo Media was born from a shared love for the beach that we cultivated over many summers in Ocean City, Maryland. Growing up as umbrella boys, Adam and I spent our days on the sand dreaming about starting our own business. The inspiration came from a somewhat ironic place—the sky. We often watched aerial advertisements flying over the beach, a staple since our childhood, and wondered how we could bring this form of advertising into the modern day. That’s how Ballyhoo Media began.

Adam:
Since launching Ballyhoo, we have focused our energy on developing innovative media solutions on the waterways. Today, we empower waterway operators across the nation by delivering innovative advertising solutions that generate additional revenue streams, provide high-impact visibility for our clients, and support the preservation and enhancement of our waterways.

Tyler:
Our goal is to solve our clients’ problems by offering them distinctive and impactful ways to reach their audiences. One of the things I’m most proud of is our ability to consistently deliver creative solutions while making a difference in the communities we operate in. We have three community and environmental-based programs at Ballyhoo Media. They are our C-Program, R.E.E.F. program, and our Blue Beacon program. These programs demonstrate our ability to amplify messaging for government agencies and nonprofits, our commitment to ensuring all of our events are sustainable, and our steps towards investing in infrastructure solutions for environmental challenges.
We are constantly challenging our team to make our products and campaigns more sustainable, and we’ve become a leader in our industry for doing so.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Nate:
Absolutely. I’m constantly reading, listening, and learning. One of my favorite podcasts over the years has been ‘How I Built This’ which features in-depth stories of entrepreneurs and innovators. It’s a unique way to learn about some of the biggest brands out there and how they began.

A few recent business reads that have greatly influenced me include How Clients Buy by Tom McMakin, which offers invaluable insights into client relationships and business development strategies. The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge has been instrumental in shaping how we leverage data and technology in our sales strategies at Ballyhoo Media. And Scaling Up by Verne Harnish is probably the most influential book I have ever read to help with corporate strategy and execution. I highly recommend this book to businesses of all sizes that want to grow.

For personal growth and development, I couldn’t recommend Ryan Holiday any higher. I have read every one of his books and live by many of his modern stoic principles. The Obstacle is the Way is my all time favorite! Another book I strive to live by is, Peter Attia’s Outlive, my bible to healthy living in modern day.

Lastly, there’s no better way to learn than from the greats that have already done it. Steve Jobs and Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson are both all time classics that are packed with incredible stories and insights from two of the most successful businessmen of all time. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph is a fun read about the early days of Netflix. And finally, if I had to choose one book to bring with me on a desert island, it would be Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris.

I constantly look towards any resources I can find to not only enhance my management philosophy but also inspire innovative approaches within our company, helping us navigate challenges and seize opportunities.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

Adam:
We acquired T4 Media to expand our footprint in the passenger vessel market. This acquisition allowed us to infuse more manpower into T4’s existing advertising program, with the goal of transforming ferry systems into world-class modern out-of-home (OOH) programs. Just as all forms of transit operators have media programs, our goal is to help maritime operators benefit from this ancillary income, thereby reducing the tax burden on taxpayers and riders.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ballyhooboats.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballyhoomedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BallyhooBoats/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ballyhoo-media/
• Twitter: @ballyhooboats
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLEalrrBGb3DrSsBVQ3IUCQ

Image Credits

Dylan Mastriciano, Ballyhoo Media.