CREATING VIRAL SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT WITH TONY KARIOTIS | E031 PODCAST

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Tony Kariotis is a Greek-American social media personality, photographer, and travel enthusiast. He gained prominence through his Instagram account, @iamgreece, where he shares captivating photographs and stories from his travels around Greece. Tony is known for providing insights, tips, and guides for travelers interested in exploring various destinations within Greece, including its islands and the capital city of Athens.

Additionally, Tony gained viral fame through his creation of the "Ep! Apagorevete" series, which features comedic skits centered around the catchphrase "Apagorevete." These videos showcase humorous scenarios inspired by Tony's experiences during his travels in Greece.

Overall, Tony Kariotis has become a well-known figure within the Greek-American community and among travel enthusiasts for his engaging content and passion for showcasing the beauty and culture of Greece.

Tony Kariotis’ Website
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Tony Kariotis’ TikTok
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Tony Kariotis’ LinkedIn

Tony Kariotis sits down with George Stroumboulis in Manhattan, New York on the Invigorate Your Business Podcast to talk about all things social media, content creation, going viral, marketing and creating a media empire.

“I get people that I meet that have known me through Instagram for six months, a year, two years, and the first thing they say when they want to give me a compliment is I love the positive vibes you give out, everything you do.”
— Tony Kariotis

MEDIA RELATED TO THE EPISODE

Tony Kariotis sits down with George Stroumboulis in Manhattan, New York on the Invigorate Your Business Podcast to talk about all things social media, content creation, going viral, marketing and creating a media empire.

Tony Kariotis sits down with George Stroumboulis in Manhattan, New York on the Invigorate Your Business Podcast to talk about all things social media, content creation, going viral, marketing and creating a media empire.

Tony Kariotis sits down with George Stroumboulis in Manhattan, New York on the Invigorate Your Business Podcast to talk about all things social media, content creation, going viral, marketing and creating a media empire.

Tony Kariotis sits down with George Stroumboulis in Manhattan, New York on the Invigorate Your Business Podcast to talk about all things social media, content creation, going viral, marketing and creating a media empire.

Tony Kariotis sits down with George Stroumboulis in Manhattan, New York on the Invigorate Your Business Podcast to talk about all things social media, content creation, going viral, marketing and creating a media empire.

Tony Kariotis sits down with George Stroumboulis in Manhattan, New York on the Invigorate Your Business Podcast to talk about all things social media, content creation, going viral, marketing and creating a media empire.

ABOUT THE “INVIGORATE YOUR BUSINESS” PODCAST

The Invigorate Your Business with George Stroumboulis podcast features casual conversations and personal interviews with business leaders in their respective fields of expertise. Crossing several industry types and personal backgrounds, George sits down with inspiring people to discuss their business, how they got into that business, their path to the top of their game and the trials and tribulations experienced along the way. We want you to get inspired, motivated, and then apply any advice to your personal and professional lives. If there is at least one piece of advice that resonates with you after listening, then this podcast is a success. New episodes weekly. Stream our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, Amazon and all other platforms.

ABOUT GEORGE STROUMBOULIS

George Stroumboulis is an entrepreneur to the core, having launched several ventures across multiple industries and international markets. He has held senior-level positions at progressive companies and government institutions, both domestically and internationally, building an extensive portfolio of business know-how over the years and driving profit-generating results. George’s ability to drive real change has landed him in several media outlets, including the front page of the Wall Street Journal. George was born in Toronto, Canada to his Greek immigrant parents. Family first. Flying over 300,000 miles a year around the world puts into perspective how important family is to George’s mental and emotional development. With all this travel to global destinations, the longest he stays even in the most far-out destination is 3 days or less - a personal rule he lives by to make sure he is present and involved in family life with his wife and three daughters. To read about George’s global travels, stay connected with his blog section.

FULL SHOW TRANSCRIPT

George Stroumboulis - Host: 00:00

This episode comes from my personal favorite city of all time, New York City. I'm in the heart of Times Square and I get to sit down with a social media expert who has hundreds of thousands of followers across all platforms and where his videos have received tens of millions of views as well. Truly amazing. He is a master at creating content that goes viral and he has built a media empire, and we're going to dive into all of that in this episode. I sit down with Tony Kariotis on the Invigorate your Business podcast, with George Stroumboulis starting now. My name is George Stroumboulis and I'm extremely passionate about traveling the world, meeting new people and learning about new businesses, about traveling the world, meeting new people and learning about new businesses. Join me as I sit down with other entrepreneurs to learn about their journeys. This episode of Invigorate your Business starts now. All right, so we are in New York City and sitting here with Mr Tony Kariotis from Boston, so welcome. Thank you for having me, man, I feel like you're more New.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:10

Yorker than we are right now. I believe it or not. I haven't been to New York as much as the last couple of years. Right, but you were living here at one point One year in 2019, I was a part-time New Yorker.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:21

Part-time.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:21

Part-time. I was here some weekdays and some weekends, so I would go back and forth. Literally I'd say okay, for the next four days I don't have anything going on. I get in the car, I drive to Boston.

01:34

I go to Boston. I take care of what I need to take care of. Three days would go by. I'm like, all right, I got everything lined up here in the car. We're driving back to new york and after like a month of this the drive became so. I don't want to say quick, but like you would feel like you'd be in new york in a flash right, right right because I'd leave at night knowing there's no traffic. I'm like, all right, I'll be done. Exactly three hours and 18 minutes every time.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:57

You knew exactly well, it's the best of both worlds, but so high level right now. So tony started Greece media. Right, this is a business podcast, so we're going to talk about the business side of this. But Greece media is this all encompassing platform. You've created media company that covers, just like so many different elements. It's, it's, it's impressive what you've built and what you're building, just even downstairs. We're grabbing a quick bite and you're telling me about the next level and other stuff that you're adding into this family of offerings. But Greece Media includes advertising platform content creation, capturing we have on the background here, beautiful footage from the Greek islands and everything services for citizenship, languages just this all-encompassing umbrella that you've built. So very impressive. And then we'll talk about you know how viral your content has gone, the hundreds of thousands of followers, the millions of views, and then, hopefully, we can give some advice to other people aspiring to build their accounts and their brands and how to do that outside of Greece. Right, so welcome. Thank you so much for sitting down.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 03:08

Uh, we've been trying to line this up for a while, quite some time right.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 03:11

So just talk to me high level, like how do you pitch what greece media is?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 03:16

this pitch changes every day. It really does. It should it's what it's, the parts that I believe in the most that day, the ones that that come out of my mouth Right, right right.

03:25

Grease Media I have always envisioned being this umbrella hub for the Greek culture, the Grease in general, marketing Grease and, like you said, there's different parts to it. One is yes, we have built a pretty large following now. So one avenue is we do offer advertising to companies. If you want to put your product in front of potentially millions of people, we have packages for you. One other aspect is we help Greeks of the diaspora get their Greek citizenship, if that's what they want. We can even help them get out of the army, no guarantees.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 04:04

Who are you paying off for that?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 04:06

little fucking lucky. Um, but yeah, we help people who file for the citizenship get their passport. Um, it doesn't mean that we're gonna get it done in a month, but what we are gonna do is you're probably gonna get it done quicker this way, because the consulates, the embass, they're all known to not answer your phone calls. Yeah, but I have a team of specialists that have inns in every consulate on the planet when it comes to Greece. So let's say, for instance, you didn't have your citizenship, you'd come to me, we'd fill out some applications, I'd get you teamed up, they would file your paperwork and if you did it on your own, you might get to the point where you're six months in, you call them. What's going on? What's going on? You sit back, let her, let my team take care of it. They're gonna ones, they're gonna call them and say, hey, let me see george's file. Where is it? Where's it progressing? So it'll get done. It just won't be delayed gotcha.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 05:03

Um, what could someone expect, like on pricing, like someone listening today, like from start to finish? Take the worst case scenario of I don't even know what village, my mom's from.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 05:13

The most expensive I've seen it come out to is about $4,000 to $5,000. Okay, all in All, in Yep the least expensive is probably around $1,500 to $2,000.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 05:27

Gotcha. So that's if can you check up on this and see where it's at.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 05:28

Basically, the only thing that really differentiates it is how much paperwork needs to be taken care of, how much stuff that we have to dig up for you. But if your stuff you have all ducks in the order, in order and all the paperwork is prepared and we're just all we're going to do is submit it, it's going to be on the lower end yep gotcha um.

05:45

So yeah, that's the citizenship acquisition part. Then we have other things like travel services. Does anyone go and agree? So this targets the world, phil, helene's, people that want to go to greece. So we have custom travel itinerary building, travel agents, anything that comes to travel. A travel a a pretty diverse travel blog when it comes to all different parts of Greece. I have a team that puts together great blog articles. So, let's say, you're going to, you booked a trip and you, someone in your family, wants you to go see Naxos. You read this, you're going to get a pretty good idea. You're going to see where I can book hotels there, where I can get a boat tour. Can I book this boat tour? All that stuff is pretty well put together on the site. Absolutely. So that's the travel aspect.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 06:28

And I've seen it and it's like very detailed, the travel aspect. You also do custom right. So if there's an American family or Canadian or whoever right so just to the world and they want to go to Greece and the world tells them, go to Athens, go to Mykonos and go to Santorini right, but if they want a different experience. Your team can offer a package based on what they're.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 06:50

So there's different ways we can go about it. You can say I want to go to traditional route, team me up with a travel agent. Or we have a package that we call Greece Trips. Greece Trips is you go on our site, you fill out about 50 questions. It's basically a personality questionnaire. Then what we do is we take that and we build a trip for you. You don't get to pick anything okay we're going to build you a thing.

07:14

It's going to ask what are some places that you've been to already? Do you want to see somewhere new? So we'll put an itinerary together for you with all the bells and whistles. You can come back and say up to one time you can say I don't like it, start over, but you want to get one of those, yep, um. And then, if there's two versions of grease strips, is the standard one, where you take your itinerary, you run with it. Then there's the premium version where we will go out of the way and book you your after we decide the hotels you're going to stay at, the boat tours. You, you want to do this, this, this, this and this. We'll call in all your reservations. Make sure everything's taken care of.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 07:48

Awesome. So that's that platform. And then there's languages.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 07:53

We do have this part. I've teamed up with a few different language teachers and if someone wants to sign up to learn about the language, we can find them a great tutor.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 08:03

Amazing. So in doing this, you offer these services, but what the audience should listen, right Like stepping away from Greece for a second it's just your online presence across YouTube, instagram, tiktok. We're talking hundreds of thousands of followers across all your personal accounts, business accounts and several millions of views across content that's gone viral. Right? So you have different series with comedy, and we'll get into that. You have other just beautiful, your naked series where you'll focus on an island or an area and you just capture video and make it in this serene type, right Like you go into a fancy restaurant and you want that on the background. So just talk to me about that. Like, how did you even start getting into social media and building that?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 08:52

So that side of it started, I want to say, the summer of 2016,. I was on a trip. I was not in the content creation world, not on social media. I had my personal Instagram account. That's it. Noreece, no, I am greece, no, nothing. And then we went to milos and we saw that beach, sada kiniko. It was my first time I took this one picture and then afterwards, like I has a cool picture, I did a nice quick edit to it and I posted a line and it started getting. Before this, I never knew a post can go to the explore page and get all these crazy views like oh, that's cool, so many people saw this and it is unique, obviously. So then I'm like and then I got the travel bug, like the summer before. I'm like I want to find a way or it might have been that summer, this all could have happened that summer. I want to find a way to turn Greek island hop into my job. I literally said that to the people I was traveling with that's how old are you at this time?

09:47

this was seven years ago, so 33 so really quick.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 09:51

You basically, at that point, said something that everyone dreams about and you made it into reality right. Seven years later, you spend months at a time in gree traveling, going to how many islands are there? They say 6,000.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 10:06

They say 6,000, but 227 are inhabited.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 10:10

Okay.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 10:11

And I've been to. If I include uninhabited and inhabited, I'm at like 45.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 10:16

Jeez and a lifetime to go right, you need 20 lifetimes to.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 10:19

It's not possible to see it all.

10:21

So let me ask you, so you get that first post up, there goes viral you weren't a social, didn't grow like followers or anything, but I just saw the feeling of a post getting, yeah, traction. So then I'm like this gotta be something. Maybe the social media can do it. So I had this other page that we were promoting. We had started doing this greek night in boston part of my, so under the teddy k classic foundation, I do. We started doing this Greek night in Boston Part of my, so under the Teddicky Classic Foundation that I do.

10:46

We started doing this annual Greek night and we just created a page to post pictures from these nights. It was never designed to do anything more than that, right? So I'm like let me post it on that. And started doing an extra. I'm like, all right, people like pictures of Greece. So I started posting pictures from that trip on that page. It was growing, rip on that page. It was grown, it was grown and we had stopped doing that night. That year we did a few. We said that was it. Did it served its purpose. So I'm like that counts as sitting there. Let me just post some grease pictures. It was grown, it was grown, I'm like. And then I had the opportunity to have the at grease page. So I'm like, all right, this is I'm gonna start moving these here. And then that was going fast because obviously the page comes off as like it's Greece's page, so I had that. It's like a handicap.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 11:27

You're touching upon that briefly, but so the listeners understand. Uh, the handle Greece at Greece was available. How did you scoop that up? Can you share that?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 11:41

what I will say is right place, right, right time.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 11:44

Okay, great, so people understand the Greek national tourism organization, the GNTO. That job is to promote Greece. Handle is visit Greece right.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 11:57

Visit Greece GR visit Greece.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 11:59

Gr. Yours is just Greece, which is the ultimate handle right.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 12:02

It's like.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 12:02

Switzerland, canada. Like you own that account. Hundreds of thousands of followers there creeping up on the follower account that the actual government has and, in my opinion, like the content is incredible, you could say superior to that. Right Like you're doing, right Like the photos, everything, everything you post on that page. Is that your content?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 12:24

Not always there. I go through phases where I do post my work and then I'll go through a phase where we're going to start sharing people that tag our page, cause we get tagged hundreds of times a day. So a lot of people will post a picture. They'll do all their tags visit Greece. They'll always put Greece. So I'm like there's a lot of content out there, let's share the people's. So I'll put their video. I'll say video, it's credits, but credit by with their name. And then I'll if I during the summer it's mostly my work while I'm traveling around I'll post it on my, my personal page and I'm there, yep.

12:53

So after the grease page started growing, I'm like all right, I don't want this to be a page about me, because then there's a ceiling to it. I want, want this to really look like Greece, yep. So I need an identity page if I'm going to grow my personal side. So I used to follow this silly meme page unrelated to Greek. That was really big and in his profile it said the admin's name and it was basically the same username, but with the word I am before it. I'm like that's clever. I like that, yep.

13:25

I'm like that's clever, I like that. So I'm like, let's see if I am Greece is available. It was available, I snagged it right away and then I just started posting my personal pictures again just to quickly get the follower count up. And then after about, I always had my face in it and then I just said, okay, this is going to be my personal brand. I am said okay, this is going to be my personal brand. I am Greece and my company page is Greece, yep. And then that other page that we use for the Greek nights, which turned into Greek pictures, which turned into Greek memes, the hoopla Greeks. It's more of a fun page just to keep pulling people into the ecosystem, yep. But it's the Greece and I am Greece is what drives it all. What drives that?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 14:01

So the actual Greece page right Is that. Is that a monetization play or is it just help the overall brand that you're building?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 14:10

The at Greece. Yeah, and that's what pulls in our, the followers that see all of our products, our services, our travel blogs, our articles. Um, so yes, I mean that's where 80%, 90% of our followers exist.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 14:27

So I mean, let's get a little.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 14:30

Without those numbers our advertising packages don't hold water Totally.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 14:34

And for the listeners, go check out at Greece on IG, but it's 300 plus almost 400,000 followers.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 14:41

We surpassed 300,000 a couple of weeks ago. We're at like 320 right now. That's insane. That's insane, and I haven't really told many people this, but I also now have it on TikTok you got at Greece on TikTok Good.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 14:54

Just in time for the government to shut it down. Just in time to get it shut down.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 14:57

I actually got it in September. I didn't start developing it. Because of that, I'm like I want to wait till things calm down with TikTok before we spend time on it. So it exists. I put a few videos up there, but I never promoted it yet. Yeah, At Greece we have that. Just in case somebody else got it. That's huge. Then there'll be conflicts.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 15:19

While we're on the topic of the Greek government right and how they promote it, what do you think Like? Are they doing a good job or are they doing a poor job in marketing Greece today? And then let's go back 10 years ago, because it has changed.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 15:36

Let's uh, they go through waves. They go through waves where sometimes they're doing a good job here, and then they just disappear so okay, are you a politician?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 15:49

that was a very political like what could they do to improve? Because who's the uh minister to his room now.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 15:53

Kefalo yanni, I think she's back yeah, it cycles every year, so I don't know. Yeah, I don't know.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 15:58

So she used to be then the last, like the health guy comes in. It was the yeah, exactly, they are recycling people there musical chairs yes, but like you know, and then they did something special. So there are marketing guys in greece, right. So there's uh, steve vranakis big, big career outside of greece for google comes back. I think he was greece's first and only cMO chief marketing chief brand ambassador, so they did that. And then they did the virtual tour during COVID, right.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 16:29

So that was great.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 16:31

So, like you said, in waves there's some cool stuff they've done.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 16:34

It just doesn't stick. That's the problem. It doesn't stick. Like they'll come up with a nice idea, they'll push it for a couple of weeks and then they'll just you won't hear about it again, right.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 16:44

So what would you do if you were in that position? What would you do to improve it? What would you improve? Is it? It's not just Instagram, but like the campaign, like how would you promote Greece to the world in a better way?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 16:57

I think it just gets to become more fun. I think it comes off a little stale, right. I think you got to humanize it a bit more. Feel the audience be, just be more fun about it. I think that's why our pages did so are growing well, because we keep things fun. We keep things like it might be it might not be a meme page, but will be, will sound fun in the captions. I think that stuff matters rather than just basic static information. Yes, I'm not going to follow a page that just, oh, it posts a picture of the red beach and all it says is the location, but there's no feel to it, there's no personality to it, absolutely so how important is that?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 17:38

like just posting in general, like how important is the caption? Are people just scrolling?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 17:44

no, I think what it matters is being a personality, because what I have noticed where, at the speed I am, greece is growing. I believe in, even though it has a third of the followings. Greece has it's more influential of a page because there's a person behind it. There's's trust, there's an identity, yes, whereas, okay, greece business, I don't know who's really behind this. It's great, it gets its views, but when there's people like people, at the end of the day, you humanize it with the I Am Greece account.

18:21

If there's a person doing it with their face out there, it'll always do better than a big account. That's just a company name.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 18:27

That's great advice. So when you started building it, you have a great story, right With the charity that you started, the media appearances that you've done here, throwing out the first pitch at a.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 18:40

I didn't get to throw the first pitch, but I got to get on the field.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 18:42

Oh, you didn't throw it. Okay, this interview is over.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 18:45

The seventh inning. I was the only one on the field Get out of here, but they brought me out to honor me at the Fenway at the Boston Red Sox game. It was from the sideline. I came out to the outfield. I did like the presidential wave. How cool is that they read off a 60-second script about what I do.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 19:03

Okay, so we're going to pivot, we're going to come back to this. So Fenway, Boston, Red Sox top three fields in the country when it comes to baseball right Just historic, awesome, I've been there.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 19:16

And I was on the Jumbotron.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 19:17

Yeah, and we'll put up the B-roll to show that. But how do you even like?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 19:29

like why were you out there? I have no idea. He's just streaking across the field. I put a bed in Vegas that I'll streak the field. Um, no, so they. Every year there's Greek Heritage Night for the Red Sox and the Celtics, and when they were putting the Red Sox one together, I had helped get the basketball one get off the ground back in 2017. And then this committee that also does the Red Sox one. It's kind of like they've been running it now the last few years, which is great. They're doing a good job at it. And they reached out saying hey, you're going to be there, I'm going to miss the baseball one because I'm going to be in Greece. And they're like well, I just want to let you know that I was going to nominate you as the hero among us this year. The hero among us, among us.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 20:14

I like hero among us better.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 20:17

I think hero among us is a term the Celtics use, but the Red Sox have some other phrase.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 20:21

Okay, something along those lines.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 20:24

I'm like what does that entail? They're going to call you out on the field, they're going to talk about you for 60 seconds. You're going to get a little award. Get out of there. And I'm like, oh man, but I'm going to Greece.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 20:38

Once in a lifetime thing.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 20:40

I'm like Maria, so I might have to delay my trip a week. She's like Maria, so I might have to delay my trip a week. She's like why she goes, because this isn't she goes. What are you thinking about? And I'm like I should stay, yeah, or should I tell them? And she's like you're a genius, so we went right, and awesome night.

21:01

They do like the Greek dancing on the street before the game. They got people Everyone's wearing a Red Sox shirt that says I have a Greek night, with blue sleeves, Red Sox written in like a Greek-ish text. And then they like are on the sixth inning. We'll text you come, meet us right here. The guy's going to show you what to do. The camera guy will be there, so I'm there. I'm like the camera guy will be there, so I'm there.

21:29

I'm like nervous as hell. Right now I have to step on the field for all these people and I know like a lot of friends were in the stands too and they were like they knew it was gonna happen. Oh man, this is really I don't know what to do. The guy goes, calm down, I'm gonna be right there with you. You just look at people. You just look from here to here just go like this, go like this. They're gonna think you're looking at them, but all you're doing is just looking at the crowd. You're gonna be fine. And so they're like now we know we like to introduce this, this and this. I get out there and I'm just doing the presidential wave and it went by really quick so what were they reading?

22:02

it was honoring you for the teddy for my philanthropic, philanthropic work between the teddy k classic and greece media amazing yeah amazing.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 22:13

So you get that, which is cool. Now let's talk about teddy k. Now, yeah, since that came up. So you lost your father years ago, right? Yeah, worst disease cancer. And then you decide, hey, you know what, I'm gonna start something to honor him, yeah, and tie it in with your passion, which is basketball, right, and was it your father's passion as well?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 22:32

yeah, so basically we started the tournament because he was a really strong staple in the greek sports community in our area. Okay, uh, he helped get a couple of leagues off the ground, get started. Uh, he coached one of the teams the team that me, my brother, my sister played for throughout our high school years and we just felt it's only right let's do something, keep the memory alive tournament about. So he passed in november of 08 and by april of 09 we did the first annual and we kept it simple. That year we just said we're going to do a, an older division and a younger division. We had a total of like 12 teams.

23:14

That first year three-day event. It went by. It was the championship game was one of the most memorable games ever. It felt like like he was there for it ever. It felt like like he was there for it and fast forward. We're about 15 years in now. In around the ninth year, eighth year, we reached about 30, 28 or 30 teams that's huge yeah we had to go from originally it was like friday night to saturday till sund Sunday afternoon.

23:43

We go from Wednesday at 5 pm till Sunday night at 10 pm.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 23:48

Cramming it all in no way the first year you started it, how many years after your father passed? Like how long did it take to so he passed in November of 2008.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 23:58

The following April was the first annual.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 24:00

Oh wow, so you didn't wait at all. You got that going Very good and you've given over 40 scholarships.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 24:06

I read yeah, so um, we do one scholarship a year for the main prize, but a little bonus that we do for any senior. That applies if you don't win and let's say there was five more applicants the nut will we allocate another portion of the proceeds. It would divide it by the amount of applicants. That's amazing. So they'll just get a small check for being there being a portion of the proceeds and we divide it by the amount of applicants. That's amazing. So they'll just get a small check for being there being a part of the tournament.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 24:29

Yeah, so 15 years later, do you still feel like what you originally thought you would feel doing this for him? Yeah, like you feel like he's being honored every year?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 24:39

Yeah, for sure. And everybody comes in. It's no longer just a basketball tournament. I call it a basketball festival because it's literally five days. We got the grill going outside, we got music playing inside during timeouts and halftime. People are there just to see each other. People come just to be there for the Teddy K. People that don't even play basketball come because they know they're going to see some friends.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 25:03

They're going to hang out. And then there's the kids that come just to play. Yeah, and is it only Boston area?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 25:07

So around the ninth annual. So around six years ago is when we finally got our first out of New England. Team Brooklyn started coming.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 25:16

No way.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 25:16

Yeah, we had a few teams out of Brooklyn, new Rochelle now comes. We've got close to getting to Chicago a couple of years now. There's hopes that they're going to come this year. They've been trying each year. It's just that weekend for them has always been a little difficult. They said this year they're more than likely coming. We've had some other interest around the country, but coming out on a road trip is difficult.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 25:40

Yeah, absolutely Dude. It'd be cool to tie it in with Goya somehow.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 26:05

Right now in California the Goya League is going on and every church has their like. That's really cool. What has this? It's an extension of our goya league out there. Uh, and most of my friends in life were through that yeah, absolutely, and it's yeah, it's grown to some really cool places where we're even the greek news covers us. I got a friend that writes for the lakitika in greece and every year, each night, so like wednesday, the first night, I call him Like hello, hello score updates.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 26:29

And then Thursday night, hello this team beat this team.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 26:31

This team beat this team. I just send him the info. He goes all right, send me 10, 15 pictures each day. So the next day I'd go down to the Greek market, I'd pick up the Kyrgyz and back page the entire thing.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 26:48

You just see teddy k classic pictures with the covering the day.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 26:49

That's great man. And then on sunday night he posts our family photo that we take on the stage with the banner and he just puts another thank you by the cariotis family and we get the back cover that's amazing.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 27:00

Okay, so talk to me. Uh, you've had some big media experiences right Back in the motherland, the Barbara Walters of Greece. Like how would you even explain Menegaki? She's the.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 27:13

Yeah, it's like Alan Oprah, I guess.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 27:16

Yeah, sorry, I dated myself like Barbara Walters, barbara Walters, but she is the one and you were invited onto her show and featured about you, about your now fiance, which we'll talk about as well, maria. Uh, so talk to me about that and actually, before you even get into that, let's talk about your, your mini series, because that's what's kind of opened up a lot of doors for you. So the tag is ep, apa, whatever it is. So to the non, you know, uh, greek listeners, it's, you know, forbidden. Yeah, right, that's forbidden, it's the listeners.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 27:45

It's forbidden right. It's forbidden. It's the forbidden series. It's as simple as that, yeah.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 27:49

So talk to me about that, and where did?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 27:51

that even start. So the story goes we're on an island hopping tour. So this was my first year in Greece and Maria we had recently left, and Maria we had recently left, we were either in Mikros or Santorini and we went to Falegandros and from there we went there to meet up with a friend and then from there with her we went to Serifos afterwards. And one day we're just driving down to the bakery to grab our morning coffee, to head to the beach, and I start parallel parking in front of the bakery while Maria gets out. And then this guy, as she gets out, she's walking in. I'm like parallel parking. He just comes with his motorcycle and puts it behind me and he goes buy whatever. And I'm like, what did I do? And he didn't respond. He just left, he got off his bike and he walked away.

28:46

And then this lady comes out Could have been his wife. They probably both worked at the bakery. I'll park whatever they sweep up. And I'm like I'm just up in arms now. I'm like what the fuck am I doing wrong? She goes you can't park in front of the, you're blocking the view. And I'm like look, first of all, we're just grabbing three coffees. Second of all I go straight. That means they go up that mountain around here, around me, just to come back. No, I'm sitting right here. We're gonna be 30 more seconds. Look, she's already coming out the door. So then she gets in the car. She's what happened. I'm like, ah, these guys were just yelling at us and the rest of the day it was just. I Couldn't get out of my mouth. It was just sitting here like Pa'orevete, pa'orevete, pa'orevete. And then you notice, when the word's in your head, you notice how many signs in Greece say pa'orevete. But in Greece, ola pa'orevete, ala ole pitrepete.

29:37

Yeah, exactly, and for translation everything's forbidden but everything's actually allowed. You. Everything's forbidden, but everything's actually allowed, you're fine. So I'm like every few minutes like another one, another one. So then a week later, the three of us we had signed up to go do the this event and then afterwards they took us to a luncheon. Everyone's gonna go to the vet now, we're gonna feed you, great, and we're just sitting there, we're done now, and I'm just like playing with a toothpick.

30:03

And then this idea comes to my mind. I hand my phone to my friend across. I'm like video me for a second. I have an idea. She goes what she's video me. I'll tell you when to pause, and I'm just like I do a left right and then I'm like all right, that's all I wanted. She goes what was that? I'm like she knew the part, what I did. She started, so she chuckled. And I'm like she knew the part, so she chuckled and I'm like I think I got an idea. So then I posted that that's it, and I wrote Greek granddads, for no reason Greek grandfathers, for no reason Exactly.

30:35

And then a week later, that did all right. A week later, marie and I are up in Kavala to visit her family and they have this balcony and you can oversee, and um, she's sitting here. I'm just leaning over the balcony the way a grandfather would be surveilling the neighborhood greek surveillance yeah I like video me.

30:54

I got an idea, so I'm just like leaning over my yep so I post that and I just wrote the same thing, like greek grandparents surveying surveillance in the neighborhood did. Did it really well? So now we leave Kavala. We had went to another island, went to Lefkada. Then it was time to go to Kalinos and I had reservations at this villa that I promote every year and we were going to stay there. We went there and they have this beautiful piece of land. You have the balcony, you have a pool, you have fig trees, the balcony, you have a pool, you have fig trees Down below. You have a dock with the seas right there.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 31:33

I've seen your footage, magical.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 31:35

And I'm like Maria, I got an idea. We're going to do something. I got it. I'm going to be the old, grumpy Greek guy and you're going to be that cute little girl just trying to live life. We're going to be that cute little girl just trying to live life. We're going to start off. You're going to go into the fig tree and you're just going to. I'm going to video you. I'm going to come up close and all I need you to do is walk in and say, oh, I wonder if there's any good sika fig. And then imagine I yell F, because I don't want to yell it this close, it's not going to come out good, and just snap your head as fast as you can.

32:09

We did that snap. We shot it 15 times To get the right snap. Yes, and people texted me about this months later saying it's Maria's snap that sells this. It's Maria's snap. Let her know that. I personally said how great of a job she does on the snap. So she just turned like's terrific. So and then I'm gonna be up on the balcony holding my scotch and I'm just gonna like, and then I'm gonna take a sip and I'm gonna put it and that's the video clip. So we posted that. People like texting me, like oh, you have gold here, wrong with this, like come up with every concept. So then we have the pool and the number one rule in greece in hotels you're not allowed to dive in the pool right I'm like all right, here's the next scene.

32:57

You're gonna run, you're gonna say pool time, and you're gonna run into the pool. It's gonna cut to me. Uh, it's gonna. You're gonna hear ep, and then it's gonna come back to you and you're going to hear ep, and then it's going to come back to you and you're just going to try to freeze your tracks and then just face plant into the water and then I'm just going to say ep, I got it and that one blew up.

33:18

That one so far has close to 2-3 million views 2-3 million views on that one, and I know that one where she's just sitting there if I accumulate the 3 times I've posted it, the one that took us from a cute fun series to holy shit everybody in Greece knows it now is the baby one. Have you seen the baby one? You on the beach and his baby's crawling on my shoulder.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 33:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah so this was super organic.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 33:43

We're at the beach one night with my cousin, his wife and their baby, and the baby's just like nagging my arm and I'm like what? And then just me going, yep, gave me the idea. I'm like, oh shit, I'm like hey, jim video. I just give him the phone, I'm like just hit record and then he's like really crawling out. I'm like yep, and then he just freezes and starts crying, Right and that view. That video in the first 10, 20 minutes got 50,000 views and by the end of the week hit 2 million views.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 34:19

Within one week, I think so A week On IG or TikTok. This is on TikTok, tiktok, okay.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 34:31

And it got to the point where people took that screenshot and when they would do like their youtube videos youtubers when they want to say the word about whatever they just posted, that, yeah so then, that kid's still in therapy sessions by the way we go to athens at some point and we start feeling the attention people in the streets yep, I'm like, oh my gosh, the same trip.

34:53

Same trip within a week, that's insane I'm like, because we were heading up north. We stopped in athens first and people are noticing us, and on the drive up north we had our two friends of calinos come with. We stopped in larissa to grab coffee. Sorry. We went to cavalla again first because they wanted to come with us to go see maria's village. We went to cavalla again and the way down we did a few skits up there. One was like picking olives off of public trees and I'm running with the sandals. Uh, that one did really well. So we stopped in larissa and we're just walking through this. It was like siesta time, so like it was pitch quiet. And then this couple comes around the corner and they give us a double look, as all the four of us are trying to find a coffee shop, and they start chuckling. And then she's like, and then like bridge. You hear that. And then we turn around, we just start waving and they start cracking up. Isn't that crazy?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 35:47

though.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 35:47

Yeah yeah, it was nuts. We're like guys, this is some like. We just stopped in a random city along the way, Like this is probably everywhere right now. So now it's like really picking up traction. We're just pumping out a skid every other day.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 36:01

And then Are you still getting the same traction as it?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 36:08

Yeah, I were. I was hitting a half a million consistently on every one that you're. That's crazy bad, the average ones that weren't that like if they weren't super relatable. We'll still get close to a hundred thousand, but the relatable ones surpassed 500 000.

36:19

Jeez, those are a lot of eyeballs come yeah, yeah so I think so far we've hit like 35 million views on by whatever the 35 million views have seen that probably close to 40 now, because that 35 million it cooled off a bit but that 35 million was last season, yeah, I think since then it's got to be another 5 000 of just like randomly coming that's insane.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 36:41

So I gotta ask you on that, is that a chapter like do you think you could do more of this, or is that a chapter, and then what's next? I you could do more of this, or is that a chapter, and then what's next?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 36:49

I think it can continue. I think it can continue and I think the break was good, because if I just constantly shove it down people's throat, it could become eventually annoying.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 36:57

Right.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 36:58

So I think I do want to bring it back, but at the right time. Like I did recently, shoot a couple. We actually I've actually done a few as jobs now, okay, where people have called and said, hey, we want to do some advertising, but we want you to do an apartment, everything for our product, and we've done like three, we've done maybe five of those so far okay yeah, uh, those, those are fun and people get it all right.

37:19

He's actually doing business out of this now. So, like they respect it, they're not gonna leave a bag like a hater, is not gonna leave a bad comment there no, no, no, no, no.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 37:26

Well, and then the other thing I was going to say well, how do you and not everything has to be monetized, but the, the listener is probably like well, okay, 30, 40 million views, that's insane. How do you monetize that? Well, maybe not directly off that, but it creates another platform for you.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 37:41

Yeah, it creates more opportunity, more eyeballs, and more eyeballs can turn into more business, absolutely. There's people that I've done business with because they only heard about me through that Yep. So that's monetization.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 37:53

A hundred percent, and then this series takes off, and then you have all media in Greece looking at it now. So, coming back to that, yeah, so I'll tell you how they connected with us.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 38:02

Yeah, so on the episode we shot in Kavala that was just briefly said about the olive tree in the public street, so that video. We're just walking around town and our friends that came with us. The guy goes oh, here's an idea. Do one with the public olive tree, where they'll us three will be picking olives and you just say about whatever they're like, yeah, that's not a bad idea, let's do it, and but let's mix it up. Well, I'll be coming running after you guys. So it was Maria. Him and our friend put the name and there, so the scene starts where. But we gave this a different twist. I want I was like guys, make it more like you guys are the commenters at this point. We're like. This guy again Starts off with her picking olives and they just hear it and then she turns, she just goes like this she's like this guy again.

38:59

And then I'm just like and then you see this Maria going, and then I'm bought it and I'm running in sandals trying to chase them and it cuts. And then I saw a comment by someone the blue check back. Before blue checks were only given by instagram, yeah so I'm like who is this guy?

39:19

and I didn't know his name. He left a comment um complimenting the acting of the the and I go to his page. I'm like he works at Mega TV Eleni Menegakis on Mega TV so I go to her website and I realize it's the co-host.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 39:38

Oh, wow, okay.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 39:39

So, like, I left him a reply and he replied back. So I'm like, all right, he's talkative, let me hit him up in the DMs, absolutely. So I just DM him. So I'm like, all right, he's talkative, let me hit him up in the DMs, absolutely. So I just DM him, yep, and he replies, yep, I'm like I'll buy whatever he gives me a buy whatever to back. I'm like, what's up, man? Like thank you for the comment, the love, appreciate it.

40:00

Let me know your address. I want to send you a buy whatever to shirt for being a fan. You sent me a shirt. I'm like, yeah, I want to send you a shirt. He goes all right. So then we print up. We had some shirts printed up. So, um, maria did all the cute packaging, because if I would have just thrown in the box. So she's got them all cute. We gave him a sweater and a t-shirt. We go to, uh, the post office, like it'll be there in five weeks, I'm gonna give a crap when it gets, as long as it gets there. So we send it. And he never had replied to one other message. But he gave me his address. So I'm like that's all I need. But I didn't want to double text him now after a month. Hey, did you get the shirt? At this point, it's let God take care of this.

40:39

And then one day we get a mention in my story of a tag by somebody that works backstage with him, and it was just him. They were hanging on the backstage and he had his whatever the shirt on and I'm like maria, he got it and he's at work with it. Imagine he wears it on the air. I'm like, but I doubt it. But imagine he wears it on the air. So we're like, there's only one way to find out. We're watching it. So we, we get the laptop out, we put it on the on the. We're sitting on the couch we just placed right in front of us in the ottoman and the show starts. It's obviously focusing on her and the camera's slowly going like this and like it's just like boiling inside, like oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. He might be wearing. He might be wearing. It cuts to him about whatever. I jumped from this seat and I probably landed on the couch that was probably right over there. I just jumped like a chipmunk.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 41:29

Yeah, you're like my brand's out there, I'm like he fucking wore it.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 41:33

He fucking wore it. We're just like losing it. And then I quickly DM him like, hey, thank you so much for working on the show.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 41:41

This is incredible, that's a cool move on your part and theirs right, sending that, yeah, and move on on your part.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 41:49

And theirs right, sending that, yeah. And I never. There was no response since, all right, I'm gonna send you a shirt, there's no more communication. And then I sent him that he goes. Oh, of course, man, thank you, I love the shirt, uh, let. And then I'm like, yeah, well, let's connect to summer when I'm there deal. So summer comes around, I'm trying to reach him but, like greeks in the summer are tough to reach because they're all. They got their vacations.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 42:08

He's got a family, he's got a kid and he's a busy guy, right, he's doing yeah so one time I mentioned hi, mr bro.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 42:15

Next time let me know, we're in september, so we're end of september. We're in kalamata and I'm maria and I got a month coming to the end of the trip. We have like a, a month left. And I text him and I'm like, hey, I'm going to be in Athens Monday. Hey, you need to buy me a coffee. And I'm like, okay, this is good.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 42:34

That's perfect.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 42:35

So we get there and we meet him for coffee. It was me, maria and him and one of the coolest dudes you're ever going to meet.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 42:43

What's his name?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 42:43

What's his name? Savas Poumpouras, Shout out Savas, shout out Savas, ep apagorevete. So when I texted him while I was in Kalamata though he didn't reply with text he sent me a personal video. He was on his daily run and he goes. He's running and he Ep. Apagorevete . He just sent it back to me. He just sent it back to me. He just sent the video. He goes buizos, dipidia, and I'm like all right, so coffee's on for Monday. We go, we're having coffee. Really cool dude Like amazing, chat, amazing. And he goes dipidia. Why don't I just do a special on you guys on the Menegaki show? And I'm just like Larry David, mario, what do you think? What do you think? Pretty?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 43:30

good, you're a full-on boner.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 43:35

I think he noticed it. He got assed Exactly so he starts calling his crew and they're like I want you to look up this guy in Greece. Look at his videos. I want to do a special. Let me know what you guys think. He's showing them the videos while we're just having coffee.

43:53

Still, he's talking to them and he's like all right, I think we could probably do this thursday or friday that week, yeah, yeah and I'm like, look, our flight back is thursday, but listen, we're gonna change that, but just let us know when to change it, like, because, in case it's not this, just let us know when to change it, because in case it's not this week, let us know to change it the next week. Right, and he goes okay, deal, here's what we're going to do. Let's plan for Thursday, worst case Friday. But noon tomorrow I'll call you Confirmation.

44:21

Next day comes around and he goes oh, and I'll wear the shirt tomorrow for you guys again on the show. So we put on menegaki. He's got it on again again, okay, uh. And then he calls me like 10 minutes later ella, friday six o'clock. I gotta go. Bye 6 pm. Yeah, okay. And I'm like, oh, my god. But I want to backtrack to the night of coffee when he left, when we said, bye, nice meeting you, bro. That walk to the car with maria was one of the coolest feelings ever so, so what?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 44:51

what were you feeling like? What was it?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 44:54

we were speechless, we were walking. We just didn't know what to say to each other because, like we, obviously that was the goal of ours was to do something. To get on a tv show. I always and it was the minigaki show, because that's the show my mother watched, yeah, I watched. So, like, growing up, for us that was like, if you're on that show, you did something that was the show in Greece and not just Greece.

45:17

Yeah, there's 11 million people like it's broadcast to another 10 million people everyone would be asked for a watch, like when comes over the house yeah, so for me there's no other show Like these young hot shots. Great, you guys look great, you have a great audience, but you're not Menegaki.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 45:33

No, and you don't have that reach.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 45:35

You don't? Yeah, menegaki is the most influential woman in Greece, yep. So I smoke show, still at her age. So we didn't get to go to the studio. They did this off-site, so we didn't get to meet minigaki, but I actually looked at as a good thing. I got one more thing to go after ah, there you go, there you go.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 45:58

So so do you think finish?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 46:00

your. Oh, I was gonna say that night just to finish. Uh, yeah, we were speechless walking to the car, we just looked at each other, like we called our parent, like the family. We're like my mother just lost her shit, yeah, yeah, and she's like what? And then, um, what?

46:21

happened yeah, we recorded the show at a coffee shop up in like near northern athens. Um, it was a really cool interview and they're like all right, I'll probably air monday, bro, monday waited two weeks but maria had to leave because she had a uh, a job she promised she's gonna help her mother with and monday comes around. I'm like ella, bro, what do you think he goes? Ah, any day they're finishing it to Wednesday, thursday, friday and next week. Guaranteed next week comes around.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 46:55

And you're still sticking around waiting.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 46:58

I'm like Maria, I'm going to stay. Let's stay as long as you can. And it got to the point where, like, it didn't cause tension between us, but it caused frustration because she had to go back yeah, I didn't. Yet she could have gone back and come right back, but that's a waste of time on the planet.

47:16

And then one night I'm like you just have to have faith, trust me, give it to Monday. I know it's been two weeks, but give it to Monday. After Monday, do what you want. I just don't want, want. I want to watch it together here and I don't want to watch it separately.

47:31

and I don't want to watch it when you miss it because you're on a plane right so monday comes around and we usually go to this coffee shop in uh in the center to work and she just didn't want to. She wasn't feeling it that day. She goes. I'm just gonna stay in the house today to work, just hang here. I'm like I'll go to the coffee shop. I'll be back later to stay in the house today to work and just hang here. I'm like I'll go to the coffee shop, I'll be back later. I get in the car and as I'm turning the ignition I get a message from him or a call. I get a phone call. I'm like, oh my gosh, ella, he goes, ella décollecta. He says it's on the air.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 48:03

I'm like. You promised me a two-day notice Turn the car off.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 48:07

I run inside, knock, knock, knock, open the door. Open the door, she goes. What is it? She goes. I'm like 10 minutes. We're on the air. What, oh my gosh? We put the TV on, we're FaceTiming our parents and it airs, and it was.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 48:23

Cool segment, yeah, cool segment.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 48:25

Yeah, yeah, dude, and all from an idea, right, and then since then it's opened up other opportunities, yeah, so that, that airing that, and then and I'm like that friday was difficult because maria had like one foot out the door she was I have to leave. Like this is I don't know what to do right now. Right, and then I'm like just just have faith, it's going to work and it's going to be special. And then we will both literally there facetiming our parents so they can watch it too dude.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 48:54

So what are the learning lessons here? Like, if you look at okay, you got on air, it created promotion for you. You've made money through other avenues resulting from that. What are the lessons Like was it a send something to get someone interested in the clothing? Like, did that help? Right? Like in my world. It's like cool, you follow up, you send stuff. If you had to look back and say, hey, this is what I would do to try to replicate something again, what would you do? What would you say To replicate what? This again? Like this success that you had someone listening. It's like cool. Like, should I be sending stuff to people? Should, because people are busy and get bombarded from sending anything. Right, right, right like.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 49:35

I think that was just a nice gesture to sort of befriend him. Yep, yeah, and and more came out of it with him. So he invites us over the house. Well, before it aired, got to meet his wife, his kid, had coffee, and the goal was he also wanted to shoot five epipa whatever the clips with me. So we shot five different scenes up in his neighborhood. We did one where he's ordering a yuto like a tourist, where he puts all the extra ingredients. We did one where he's revving his motorcycle. He did one from I was standing on his balcony for something, and they were all great. They were all great.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 50:12

Yeah, so he's smart too. He's like man this series.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 50:19

He genuinely likes it because he comes from a prankster joke type of content creation too in his past. Okay, on YouTube, I believe.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 50:24

Okay, and he's latching on. Hey, this guy's getting millions and millions of views and he genuinely, genuinely liked it.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 50:30

from what he was telling me, he goes it's not the word you say, it's your delivery. Yeah, yeah, anybody can say it by whatever, it's a big deal, but it's yours, where you don't say the whole word either intentionally, which I love. Yeah, and that was always part of the idea. I don't want to just say, if I would have it there, it's too long of a word. Yeah, I want to sound like the 80 year old greek guy who's too lazy to finish the word that was. I said that since day one. Yeah, I wanted to sound like the old, 80 year old guy who's too lazy in life to spend enough breath to say that word I want it to be.

51:01

Not. If I would have it, I want it to be. You lose that, yeah, and then he got it. But there's people sometimes in the comments saying that don't know me, I don't get it. It didn't get a lot of hate, it got heavily good comments, but there's always someone who's critical and you'd get occasionally someone. Can we get someone that's Greek to say it?

51:22

He clearly doesn't know how to say it. And like, do you realize, like everything you see on the internet is scripted, yeah. And like do you realize, like everything you see on the internet is scripted yeah. Like, do you not think we thought this?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 51:30

through exactly, exactly. So talk to me. Take us back, like how have you been able to create big followings? And then like what go if you're teaching a master class? What are some do's and don'ts on? Like, hey, regardless of what industry you're in, you're trying to build company pages. If you own a company and then you're personal, give some experience because you're an expert in this area Consistency, and where your passion is to leave.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 52:00

If you don't, it's just not going to grow. I think people need to see that this is genuine. This isn't just another typical page. This is somebody spilling their heart out. I get people that I meet that have known me through Instagram for six months, a year, two years, and the first thing they say when they want to give me a compliment is I love the positive vibes you give out, everything you do. There's no hatred, there's nothing bad, you're always smiling, you're always positive. So put all that out there. Spill it out. If you're just going to go and post a picture of Santorini, you're going to say blue domes over Santorini. Why is that going to get traction? Right, we can see that everywhere. Yep, get creative with it. Yeah, and just, and and. Sound like a person, don't sound like a machine. Spit out some evergreen text.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 52:58

Yeah, you don't. So that's great advice. I love, cause anybody can take photos of monuments around the world or areas, right. But I love on your, your personal page, you get the photos of you taking the photos in the media. So you're like, oh, like, you know you're, you're posing in front of, uh, the skyline in sadorini, and it's like, and then you see the end result. I'm looking at the tv right now so people see, I love that aspect. I'm like, huh, like, and then my mind's like I wonder, like, how many cameras he had, what?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 53:27

did he do for batteries? People appreciate reveals so like if you see me behind the camera, they're like all right. So he produced that literally with just that camera.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 53:35

That's cool. Well, even looking at this stuff, I'm like man. He was there because that was like an eight minute shot, so he had to set it up on the side of the highway and then he's doing like it's work yeah, no, you gotta walk away, so it doesn't capture you breathing.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 53:47

It doesn't capture you stepping on the rocks, exactly.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 53:51

It's a lot of work.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 53:53

Some of these scenes I go five, six minutes. I would literally walk away and just sit there and just be like, well, I'd either plan the next shot or, if this one is just dragging out because I'm shooting the waves where I need a solid ten minutes of it, yeah, it's work, Cause you're sitting there like I want to go to the next scene but I can't yet.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 54:11

Yeah, absolutely what. Uh, okay, so that's advice on that. What, what are some things that you see online that people are doing? That's just. It makes you cringe where it's like. That's not how you build your personal brand, like for and just to kind of throw it out there. It drives me nuts when you just see people and you're like you clearly bought a following because the likes and the comments don't support and you'll see someone who's like. All of a sudden it's like 30,000 people out of nowhere.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 54:41

And what's sad is a lot of people don't realize this and you can fool a lot of people. So all you have to do right now to create a scam account, really buy yourself a hundred thousand followers, turn off commenting, buy 500 likes, buy a thousand likes per post and get yourself a blue check so no one can comment. This is a scam, right, and you're out there. They just constantly post that oh, buy this t-shirt. You might make a hundred thousand dollars out of that and you maybe you don't send them the shirts exactly, and who's gonna report that?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 55:13

who's?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 55:13

gonna report yeah, absolutely.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 55:15

So. There's a lot of ways you can get screwed online absolutely and just be careful. And then the other thing is take your time. It's with anything in life. You just things take time and then you're gonna have content that's gonna hit or not yeah, but I don't think that exactly answered your original question of like.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 55:32

What are the some of the like tendencies? People do that they shouldn't? I don't know, because I don't want to be critical, because everyone succeeds their own way. Um, I just believe like, don't be a douchebag, that's it. But what if, as long as you're not a bad person and a bad, bad personality, there's no reason not to like somebody?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 55:52

Right, right, and then just the the hater side of it. We were talking last night with Anthony at dinner about bad reviews. He was telling me about this restaurant and like just a horrible experience, and he still didn't want to go and comment.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 56:06

Yeah, I will never comment on yelp. Yeah, even if I have a bad experience.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 56:12

Absolutely. I ain't no rat, no, and it's even if it's a bad experience, like now your name is in the world, right, like I don't want to sit there and be like, ah, they were so rude and now my name's associated with that at the restaurant.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 56:23

Like, just let it be right, yeah, I, I actually have a uh, a really bad situation because of a yelp review and this doesn't relate to anything here, and you can crop this out if you want, if you don't think it fits meanwhile, I'm gonna clip this part so in my previous business that I was running, somebody left a comment being nice and it cost me $15,000.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 56:49

Okay.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 56:50

So when commented being nice okay, you got to explain how did that, got audited and they said, oh, we believe you had a staff, because here it says you have a great staff. And they went back and added tax withholdings for three years and I appealed it and for the most erroneous reasons they didn't allow me to appeal it. And now I help. They said be patient and appeal it when it gets assessed to your personal level geez, see so.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 57:24

So don't review, don't review exactly don.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 57:28

Well, you know what it could have been that day I might've had a friend over at the store and a customer came in. They probably helped them bring the box up, yeah, and they just assumed, oh, that was a staff, yeah, great staff. The person didn't do anything wrong, they were just saying, oh, great experience, staff helped me out.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 57:43

Yeah, you, it's so hard because now we're putting everything online and people could just see you know even posting about kids, and I always challenge like man, should I be putting my kids out there? But it's on my clothes. Yeah, it's. There's more evil than good out there. Right, talk to me. You said your previous life. So the family business was in the promotional.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 58:10

Yeah, we did screen printing, embroidery onto apparel, trophies, awards, engravings, laser cutting um, it's a business my dad opened back in 89 yep, uh, 2005. After from like 2002, 2004, I was like I'd come in part-time and help out, and 2005 I officially had taken over as the business owner. I ran it myself and I did that up until the pandemic hit. Because a year or two before actually more like three years before the pandemic hit my brother started getting involved because he had a career change. He went from the music industry, he was a DJ, flew out to Vegas every week Okay, would DJ at the Hard Rock, and come right back, oh, geez. And then he had kids. He goes. I don't want to do that ever again. I don't want to fly out to Vegas every week just to DJ.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 58:55

At the Hard Rock too. That was the spot for a long time.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 58:58

He even told me that Mark Cuban came up and requested a song one night and he only gave a $5 tip. Come on, are you kidding me? Come on, cuban. Come on, cuban. Five bucks, geez, our coffees were more than five bucks, literally. So, yeah, so he got into the business. He goes. Since you're not really building out the trophy part, maybe I come in and I'll build that part of the business as my own company do it.

59:26

Yeah, and then in 2019 came around and I started coming to new york as a part-time here. He started helping run my side of it because he saw I had one foot off the door without saying yep, and he knew I want to do this grease thing. So he's like, when the pandemic hit, I was. We basically talked about what are we going to do after this ends, and I'm like maybe this is the perfect time for you to buy me out and I'm done. And it's time for me to take that leap of faith on this Greece thing, because if I keep dragging it out and the store supports me, I may never have to put myself against a wall to make it.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:00:04

Yeah, conference on.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:00:05

You need to be pressured, you do. If you're still too comfortable, you know it's it's harder, it really is. Um, so yeah, 20 march 2020, I was done. He put a plan for when the pandemic ends to get things back rolling, and he has doubled the business from where I was at it amazing man and you're doing your thing, I'm my thing, and he doubled what the company was doing.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:00:27

Oh, that's good to hear. Boston we talked about this briefly in another session, but World Cup 1994.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:00:36

Yes, so you were what? 10 years old? I was? Yeah, 11. 11. So my brother 8, and my sister 7. So my dad.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:00:44

And I was 13.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:00:45

We came to Boston from Canada, yeah, and we probably bought stuff you guys may have, because we on the street before the stadium we had a like a a stand where so he threw the story he had a deodora license, remember deodora I have an autographed one in a frame at home. Yeah, so he had the official warm-up. Yeah, the t-shirts, the world cup 94 with the ball going like this. We had it all and he was cooking souvlaki.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:01:10

He had the grill going.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:01:12

So souvlaki and greek apparel he had the greek national hat, I think. He ordered 10 000 of those, yeah, and did he sell them up by the end of it, most of them and then we had like two cases left that we buried in the store and then he'd always hand one out to someone when they come by, yeah, yeah. And then we had gotten on the newspaper where they posted a picture of us like holding the shirts and souvlaki and just basically. I don't remember what the headline was, but we have that somewhere.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:01:37

That was the first time ever Greece got to the World Cup.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:01:40

Yeah, they didn't score a goal right or they didn't win a game.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:01:43

No, no, they didn't score, they didn't. So they lost four, nothing. Four, nothing to nothing. Right, the game I went to was against Nigeria. They lost to nothing. And I remember going to that game. And then what are those? The Mizzou? Yeah, so I remember getting that. I remember it was such a big deal going to the hotel the day of the game to meet the team Because my cousin from Greece was friends with number four. Okay, Knew him. And we're like, oh my God, we went there the day of and the day of I know I mentioned this before we go to the hotel and they're smoking and drinking coffee. They were playing Nigeria that day and I'm like we shouldn't even have access to this right now.

01:02:19

Totally other world. Right, yeah, but how was it growing up in Boston? So your parents left Greece, migrated to Boston.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:02:26

Yeah. So they, they immigrated from Greece and they ended up living in the same two-family house, and that's what I meant and that's how they met. We kept it close, right, yeah, and but my mother's dad was never supportive of it, so they lit. One of my aunts was like the messenger for them, even though they live right and they, they should be the one to help them a few months, to be the one to help them sneak out or get a letter to them, and this isn't that. And then one year he just beeped and said get in, let's get out of here.

01:02:59

And they just drove to san francisco and he loped and yeah and then my mother's parents were distant for a bit not forever, but like he was pretty upset about it honestly, I mean, my mother was young um, I have daughters now.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:03:17

I would murder mine if she did that right like now I get it.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:03:20

So yeah then. So to one extra layer to win my grandfather back over, for my dad's side was so. I was actually supposed supposed to be named Bobby, and my brother's name was supposed to be Tony, but they said, to get your my mother's dad to be welcoming and to get back in the picture, let's name the first kid Tony after him, as a nice little gesture. Yeah, so they did that, and by then things were warming back up and everything was fine.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:03:48

That's awesome man. So growing up in Boston, though the Northeast, it's like how was it just in general, so Boston, new York, up it's a tougher raw environment. Right, in that you know where you stand with people from here. I find right. I grew up in Canada, I lived in New York and I always knew people from the outside like New Yorkers are aggressive or they're assholes or they're this and that, but like when you live here they're just real. You know where you stand, I find yeah.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:04:17

I think so. No, I agree, uh. No, you got it spot on. You got it so in.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:04:22

Boston was. It was there rougher in like going there and just no, no Good childhood type thing going up there Depends on where you were.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:04:34

Were you in the city or were you in a suburb? And I think there was a line in the sand between the two, right right, where both were bad, but the ones in the suburbs knew how to get away with it.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:04:45

Exactly, I mean any city. I'm sure you have the good and the bad. Yeah, for sure. I want to ask you about AI in general. Okay, kind of going back to work. Is that helping you in your world with, like, the media, or is it? Oh, it's doing everything for me. It's doing everything. We made this coffee today using.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:05:03

AI.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:05:04

No, but I get. It's like so quick, so new and it's so useful in so many aspects, which kind of scares me right now. But we also use it in my business for so many different functions and we're trying to develop custom softwares to help us with estimations and everything. But I feel like we're going all in on this. Yeah, where you know, could it impede on what you're offering at some point?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:05:31

I think, the only. It's definitely benefiting, at least in my field. I think one thing people are going to realize soon that if you go on like OpenAI's site and you type in I'm going to Greece for 10 days, give me a beautiful itinerary, you're going to have it done in about three seconds. But you didn't hear that from me Right, but okay. It's going to be a good itinerary.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:05:52

Okay, that's what I was going to ask you. Is it a good?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:05:55

one where you're like, yeah, I've tested it, it works. Because it's pulling everything I can literally copy paste it and okay, this person filled out these 50 questions about what they're looking for. Build me an itinerary based off this. So, if you see, this is the list of places they don't want to see. They've already seen. Make it fit all the criteria, yeah, and by the time you press enter, it's already spinning.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:06:19

Yeah, and then like here's an example, and do that itinerary because someone in this group is handicapped and needs wheelchair access, right Like it's. Just it's so incredible how you could keep refining it, which scares me, and then you see so many jobs lost already from like journalists and all this stuff, because it does decent enough work. So then on the media side you can also do stuff like photos and create. So are you embracing?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:06:45

it. I'm not using it really for photos because I don't think it's realistic enough, right? But for instance, here's an example of how someone can take ai and basically build a news outlet. Let's say you wanted to spit out greek news. You can literally take an article from another greek outlet, say reword this yeah, copy paste, put it on your site. Yeah, absolutely. What work did you do?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:07:07

yeah, nothing, you nothing. You're creating the platform.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:07:10

But if you have an audience, people are going to read your article first. Yeah, even though it's made off of this guy's article with AI, Absolutely.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:07:17

I was talking to someone in the music industry that is creating AI artists, AI songs and actually having careers Creating fake people, fake sounds, fake everything.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:07:32

And there's already fake models on Instagram. Yeah, influencers all this, fake, fake influencers that post daily. They look the same every day. They might be wearing a different outfit. They might be doing it and they've gotten to the point where they have enough audience where they can sell promotion.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:07:46

That's insane. But yeah, I don't know On my end the minute I see that, like you'll even see videos online and you're like, oh dude, that's so AI generated, it's got the voice, but at what point is everything being generated by computers? We're on our end the minute I know that I don't even want to consume it, right.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:08:04

So I don't know it's going to be tough, right, so I don't know it's going to be tough. Like maybe they need to come to an agreement where post a certified reel at this point it's a great idea, but will they? Will the whole world get on board with that? Unlikely.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:08:17

Unlikely, you know, and plagiarism and everything Um so personal life. You recently got engaged.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:08:22

Yes, I finally did it guys.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:08:25

Let's talk about the nerdy Greek. I finally did it?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:08:28

Ah, the nerdy Greek. So, man, actually, if it wasn't for everything I do here, I don't know her right now For Grease Media at Grease, all that stuff, because she was following me on all my accounts, even down to my personal one.

01:08:48

And I didn't know it was just a random follower, and one year when I went to Greece the summer of the pandemic, I came back with incredible content, content. You can never reproduce Empty Greece in the middle of the summer, just doesn't happen anymore. So one of my devices crashed like a week after I came back and it shouldn't have bothered me the way it did, but because I lost some stuff and I was like, oh, I can never recreate this. I got into my feelings to the point where I was miserable. Oh my gosh, anyone around me is like I don't like you anymore.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:09:23

Yeah.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:09:24

And me and my buddy were working every day at a cafeteria and he's like you want to just get away and like go on a trip. And I'm like what do you? Got in mind because I could really use it right now he goes yeah, I know I could tell, and he goes, let's go down to florida. I'll rent a car, we'll drive, they'll stop in dc, we'll stop in atlanta and we'll go down to tarpon springs in miami. And we even came up with the idea in tarpon let's do like a little documentary and like interview greek owners and stuff like that. So we did all that. We went down, we stopped in dc, we stopped in atlanta. In atlanta we met up with another greek influencer lives there. We had, you know, with her, had a great time. Then we moved, moved it along and we got to tarpon. We did our little documentary, which we've never pieced together yet, which bothers me Because we got some good quality videos, really Interviewing all the owners on the street, in the popular touristy street.

01:10:16

Then we headed off to Miami and I stayed off social this week just because like it was a getaway. But I posted one story because on the touristy street in Tarpon there's this person, there's this little kiosk that sells sponges and they were demonstrating how to squeeze an organic sponge correctly. So I'm like oh, can you, can I get a picture video, quick video you doing that? And I posted on my story and I get a reply. When I'm in miami we're at south beach, we're just chilling on the beach, me and him, and I just get a. I'm going through my story replies and I see one from somebody and I just read it and it says oh, is that Tarpon Springs? And I'm like I reply oh, yeah, it is, but I'm down in Miami now and then, like an hour or two later, she replies saying oh, if you're ever back in Tarpon, I'm from here. If you want, let me know, I can show you around. This was really just a nice gesture for her as a host. There was nothing more to it from what she said.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:11:17

I call bullshit, I'm like yeah.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:11:19

I might actually be back in a few days because after Miami my buddy's leaving for LA. I might stay down here a little longer. We'll see. I had another friend in Sarasota. She said oh, if you're in Florida, come by, let's hang out for the day. I went there and from there it's only 45 minutes back to Tarpon. So I messaged her. I'm like, hey, I'll be in Tarpon tomorrow. If you want, let's grab that coffee. Oh, cool, what do you planned to meet there? I got there. So I needed a haircut badly.

01:11:51

So I went and got a haircut that morning and the lady because I usually get my fade with the plastic clips and she had metal clips and the metal ones, if you say the number, it's like half of the plastic. So she got skin the whole way. So it was to the point where, if you get the picture of the angle, look, I had no hair, okay, and like this is gonna be embarrassing, I'm gonna meet this girl, I'm gonna look awful, and uh. So she comes in super shy, cute and being all cute, comes up to me and she sits down and we're just talking, came out really nice and she's like oh, I can show you the street if you want after, let's go for a walk. We went for a walk and the next we made plans to do it again the next day, and then that night we had went to dinner. But no, we had went to see a friend of mine has a lukumala stand, which turns out to be my cousin. After a while we figured out, of course, yeah and uh, I take her there and my cousin like takes a picture of us eating. So I'm like she might be catching on at this point that I'm into her.

01:12:54

This might have been day three. Day two, we went for dinner somewhere and I wanted to say something that night. I didn't. I tell her to this day. I'm like I chickened out. I wanted to tell you that that night, but I let you get in the car and leave. And then, day three, he went for lucamalis at night and then she goes. If you want to hang out tomorrow, I can't, but I can the day after.

01:13:11

So the day after comes around, and that day, when she said that I walk her to the car, I'm like here's another chance. Tony, say something. I get her in the car, I close the door. I'm like see you tomorrow. I got so nervous.

01:13:29

So then, fifth day comes, she meets up and she's like, oh, you're still here. That's awesome because, like I kept telling I have to leave each day. I kept extending my trip, I kept telling which was true because I did have to get back or something, but I knew I had up to the fifth day to push it. And I'm like I actually I gotta leave tomorrow, though this time I'm not lying, I know I've been telling this every day. I might actually be leaving today at five, but if I don't leave at five, I 5,. I was thinking about going down to St Petersburg, because I didn't see that part. Would you want to come with me? Oh, yeah, sure. So now I'm like saying bye to her at like 4 o'clock. I'm like, yeah, I'm heading up to Boston, but you know you should come up sometime.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:13:59

I'm like really awkward hitting on her, hitting on her in the most awkward way.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:14:03

She goes oh yeah, come up, and I'm like all right she's into me, she's saying this crap, but I still for some reason just like chickening out. And then I just let her leave and I text her half hour later. I'm like, hey, I am going to stay, let's go to St Pete. She goes all right, I'll come back in about an hour. So I'm texting my friend now that lives in Calumet, la, but she's been living in guidance for a few years and I'm like, uh, I chickened out. I know I was giving the update all week because I told her I met someone that listen that. And I'm gonna she goes tony when she comes back. Enough of this bullshit, no more, extend to tomorrow. My like is this.

01:14:42

I can say it right now I'm done with this shit, I'm not gonna be a friend anymore. So she gets, she comes back and she gets out of the car and I just start like I have this huge smirk on my face, I know it's gonna come out this time and I'm like it's pretty obvious now, right, and she's still not catch. She didn't catch on, she goes. Obvious what I'm like. It's obvious that I, like you and I, went in for a hug, cause I'm like it's gotta be 90, yeah, and she just goes and I'm like, don't worry about it.

01:15:12

I just need to get that out like I want you to know where's the hole for me to climb into? But if you do want to go to st pete, we can still go. And she got in the car. She got in the car like holy shit, she got in the car. This is gonna be awkward, yeah, so like it's a 45-minute drive.

01:15:30

White knuckling, this Just quiet the entire time, clear skies out there and she's like, yeah, we're not talking. We get down to St Pete, we find this restaurant with an outdoor patio, we order food and we're literally I'm literally finding reasons to talk. I'm like, and I text my friend like it went bad, this, this and that and she just goes whoa, pump the brakes. It's either two things it's either you've been lying to me all week about everything you've guys done, or she is into you. Just give her time. I'm like all right, I trust you. I put the phone away. She comes back. I'm like you want to go for a walk by the pier? We're literally on the water. She goes yeah, sure, sure, quiet, we'll walk in. We're just walking into like darkness right now and like it's just the two of us and no one's talking, and then she just lets out this the longest. So she goes. So and I'm like, finally, thank god, she's gonna say something. And then she's like, about what you said earlier, I'm like yes, speak.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:16:38

Yeah, Because I'm going to jump off this pier right now. Yeah.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:16:40

I'm going to like, yeah, it's over here. And I'm like she goes. The way I react is not actually how I feel, and I'm like, oh, that's a pleasant surprise. And so then I'm like now I don't know how to act now, because I'm like you just put me through hell, yeah. So I'm like, oh yeah, that's, that's nice.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:17:02

I'm trying to give her back what she gave you.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:17:05

So I'm like cool, like um, yeah, that's nice. And like now we're like we both agree and we'd like to get to know each other, whatever. So I'm like there's a rooftop thing at the end it appears. You want to go up there and sit down for a drink. She goes yeah, that'd be nice. So we went up there. She started to loosen up a bit. So I do have some bad news. I can't extend this trip anymore. I do have to leave tomorrow. However, I do want to come back next month and get to know you. She goes yeah, yeah, that'd be awesome. So we're driving back home now. She passes out halfway through the ride. I'm just driving by myself. I drop her off and I didn't make a move or nothing. I just said she put me through hell, she's waiting until next month, yeah exactly so.

01:17:47

But I told myself after I drop her off, if she facetimes me instead of texting or call, I'm in. And then like 10 minutes later she facetimes to make sure I got home and like I think I'm good, I think I'm good, so then, so you knew that trip, like, and then I went back and we just did the facetime thing every day in the evening, just kind of like watch tv together.

01:18:07

And honestly, that month is what built the foundation okay being apart and getting to know each other was probably the most critical part of our relationship. If we went right into it, it could have been just a quick flip.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:18:18

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You guys slowly learned about each other and everything without being near each other, yeah.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:18:23

And then a month later, right after new year's, my um, yeah, my on new year's eve, my sister gave birth her first kid. And then, four days later, I took off to come down back to to get to know maria, and I spent a few weeks down there and things took off from there the rest is history.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:18:43

And she's been, she's been a rock right like even seeing like she's a big supporter yeah, huge supporter, biggest.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:18:48

She's my biggest fan.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:18:49

I'm a biggest fan well, even before it was like dude wife her up, what do you?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:18:54

it's time, and so here's the funny part in that DM. I went back to look at her reply after a while and I scrolled up and we had a small exchange two months prior and I'm like Maria, you DM'd me in the past. She goes yeah, I know I didn't make an impression, though, huh, and I'm like holy shit, but it was just one of those basic. She saw a story about greece and, as a fan of the page, she replied yeah, exactly, because it was the like the sliding doors in athens. And she replied oh, those are the best doors like. That doesn't need a reply. Yeah, yeah, exactly. So I'm like, yeah, but look at it, it didn't really need a reply. She goes I'm not actually bothered, just I got you in the end. We're good yeah.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:19:36

so I'm like, wow, I didn't know that a reply she goes. I'm not actually bothered, I got you.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:19:38

in the end we're good. So I'm like, wow, I didn't know that. And I'm like, so you double texted me yeah, yeah, yeah.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:19:44

So you'll always have that over her head. The rest of her life.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:19:47

So to this day she'll tell people that she slid in my DMs. She says it it sounds better from her coming, but her family's in complete shock because they said we've never, ever ever witnessed her do something like that To reach out and make that move To make it happen. When they said that my daughter did that, I was like you got the wrong person. She's not that person.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:20:08

She's not that person, but she just something made her do it.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:20:10

She said she goes. I don't normally do that, I never thought I would ever do that, but I just said, hey, it's worth it.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:20:16

That's awesome, dude. I wish you guys a good future. Kids, lots of kids, Thank you. Tarpon Springs yes, Give the listeners Tarpon Springs, Florida. What does that mean? There's people in Greece that talk about Tarpon Springs and what's that place that all these Greeks from one island are from, so give us a little head up that place that all these greeks from one island are from.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:20:38

So give us a little head up. So sponge diving is really sponges. Sponge diving in tarpon springs is a big big thing, always has been, and obviously sponge diving in kalinus was always a big thing, and way back when a lot of kalimians took off for either two places darwin, australia, and tarpon springs, florida really. So they're the two largest kalimian diasporas in the world and they came, obviously came there to sponge dive, for work, and they there's literally three.

01:21:08

If you go down what's the main street is called dodecanese. It's off of the main alternate highway. There's a greek flag on every pole of the street. Every store is either a greek gift shop, a greek sponge shop, a greek this, a greek restaurant, a greek that. A greek flag on every pole of the street. Every store is either a greek gift shop, a greek sponge shop, a greek this, a greek restaurant, a greek that, a greek that. And then there's two side streets, so this is called the canis, this one's called the athens, this one's called hope el pida, and it's just a portion of tyber spring dedicated to greece slashnos.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:21:35

Very cool, and Kalymnos is an island in Greece.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:21:37

And you're my mother's size from Kalymnos, but this street is all tourists in the winter. There is a Greek community that does go there. Occasionally. They'll go there for the coffee shop, the bar, maybe one restaurant, but most of it when you go there are tourists on vacation checking out a part of Florida. Really. Because, they tourists on vacation checking out a part of florida, because they hear tarpon springs is awesome.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:21:57

So from a greek community in the united states, astoria, still number one. Like where would you the top three? Ish uh yeah, yeah.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:22:06

Well, boston astoria, no yeah, story's huge, but tarpon springs from what they say is more numbers, not more numbers. More numbers per capita yeah, concentrated as well.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:22:22

Yeah, uh, so greek islands give the listener some. You're, you're an expert, you've been there. You don't just go for two, three days, like you actually go and stay for extended periods, capture content. Uh, let's give them some lists here. What, what are your three all-time islands? Not mainland question it's a tough one and I'm sure it changes every time it changes every single year. Okay let's, let's reframe this no, no, I'll give you single single, no kids, no fiancés, what?

01:22:51

what are the top three destinations for someone single to go see? And we're going to go through families, we're going to go through everything all right, you gotta look.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:23:01

Obviously, miko censoring, you get a lot of not hate. But like all right, I've seen that I don't need to go there anymore, so should we leave those out. Or, if you're single, you gotta go see me. You have to you guys yeah, absolutely.

01:23:13

Uh. Eos is another one for singles, I think. I think bottles can be seen as a singles person too. I think it's not just singles, but I think a single person can have a great time there. Milos is a really popular island now, but it's a couple's island. Okay, it's really growing in popularity. Those are the ones in the Quiklades that I kind of like scream at.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:23:33

Scream that, what about Okay. Scream that, scream that, what about okay? So now, couples, like, because you can, you could go to any island with anyone. But like, what do you say is more couples friendly and love.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:23:42

I would say probably. I think bottles doubles up. It can be a couple's island too, so you got bottles, naxos, actually naxos, I'd probably go family. So let's go bottles and milos and maybe come on the other side and go to like Zakynthos, kefalonia, lefkada, kerkira, all beautiful islands, yeah, yeah. And then the reason I'm not saying a lot of the Canis Islands because they're kind of tough to get to. They're far. But islands like Rhodes is really nice, but that can also be seen as a family island, sort of like Crete, and Naxos and Naxos.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:24:21

Yeah, so then family islands now yeah.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:24:24

Family. You gotta go Crete, you gotta go Rhodes, Kefalonia, Paros, Naxos. Those are the ones I scream out. I'll add one more for singles gufanisi, unique island no way I've never been what's good there.

01:24:43

It has a good night scene or nothing oh, really, it's basically you're there to just like escape and do nothing, just sit at the beach all day. Yeah, there are some beach bars and like a couple mini bars, but you're not going to find a club or anything like that. Everything is walking distance. There's a boat taxi. They'll take you beaches to beach so you just hop on. I think it's like 50 cents and you can ride it as long as you want to get to the next beach. It's pretty unique. It doesn't have a lot of development on the island, right, it's. It's known as, uh, quietly, as an athenian getaway. Okay, uh, oh, I left out some islands like Spetsis is a nice option. Families, even couples, in the Saronic, and then I think Patmos has grown as a singles destination.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:25:30

It's funny. You say, patmos, we're working with local government right now to do street lighting there. Okay, and Patmos, and I've never been, so I'm like give me an excuse to go there to light that bad boy up as well. But have you been?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:25:43

to Patmos. I went to Patmos for a day when I was leaving the Dikines I want to split my trip up back to Athens and I said I want to go see the Cave of Revelations.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:25:54

See, I didn't even know that, I didn't even see.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:25:55

I didn't even know that. Yeah, that was the only reason I said. I'm like, if I'm gonna go there, I want to see something unique. Yeah, and nowhere else in the world can they say the bible was written there, right. So I went. I finally got inside. It was not what I expected. I was expecting this like all. It is literally just like this corner of this room in like a cave format, and that's it. That's it. But it had a lot of build-up. They have, they've built like a cave format and that's it. That's it. But it had a lot of buildup. They built like a building around it. So when you go in, it's sort of like a shrine slash museum and then you lead up to the cave.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:26:25

Souvenirs over here so wait, I don't know the history. So part of the Bible was written.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:26:29

The book of Revelations was written there.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:26:31

Right there yeah.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:26:32

By who I yeah, by who I think St.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:26:37

John, really yeah, we're going to get some comments on that.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:26:41

How dare you? How dare you get it wrong, Mr? I Am Greece. Yeah, it was Paul.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:26:45

I'm like all right, I don't know, I'm going to be every priest I know. Exactly, blasphemy, blasphemy so yeah, it's just magical there. So anything? So yeah, it's just magical there. So anything else for the Americans that are booking, greece last year surpassed the highest numbers ever, right, 30 million plus. Yeah, every year. It's just breaking numbers, breaking numbers. Hotels are through the. The pricing is through the roof. Any tips or advice when people are booking versus just like Marriottcom and yeah, go to Greece-mediacom.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:27:15

There you go.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:27:18

No, but honestly, like, what are you bringing to the table that tour operators like do you have different access to?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:27:23

yeah, I do have different access to some tours and some hospitality deals, so we can probably get you a better deal that you'll find online. Some of them are gonna be the exact same ones you find online. I'm not gonna sit here and uh make anything up, but some stuff, yes, I can find better deals Boat tours on some of the islands. I have direct access with the operator. So if you're booking on a site like Viator, which TripAdvisor makes, you're paying them premium because they've got to take the cut the way Airbnb takes the cut. Everyone's got to take their cut. So, yeah, take their cuts. Um, so yeah, we, we, you probably. I always pitch that grease trips program that we do, where we design a trip where the to pay me for that grease trip will save you more on your trip than you did to pay me for that that's incredible because there's little things that'll save you.

01:28:11

So like you might have booked this and that ticket to get here and that ticket there, but I found a way where why'd you pay for a ferry and a boat that day, when you could have just taken this ferry and you didn't have to pay for a hotel that night? Yeah, and that just saved you 400 bucks.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:28:27

And your fee is a cut and, yeah, it makes total sense. So we're in New York city, right, I know you have places to go. I appreciate you sitting down with me. I know you have places to go. I appreciate you sitting down with me. Anything in closing on where to find you anything to talk about, like future plans, like what do you want to leave the listeners?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:28:45

with. We do have some new stuff coming soon. We're building something for those that are looking for accommodations in Greece. So when it comes to villas, hotels and stuff like that, stay tuned. We got something special coming rentals, or this is going to be. Uh, it's going to benefit the host and the guest. So we're building a platform that's going to eliminate booking fees for the host and it's going to guarantee the best possible rate for the tenant excellent that's.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:29:13

That's going to be great, because you're seeing a lot of property owners there.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:29:18

Frustrated by paying booking $100 or $200 a night, absolutely. So the way this will work is you'll come to this specific site we're building. You'll type in Santorini. You'll type in the date, not necessarily the dates. This is going to be more of a directory. So then when you find the hotel you like, there's going to be a few buttons. It's going to say book through the host or book on booking Yep. And if you click book on booking, that's on you. You're going to pay more Yep. But we're going to tell you to not look at that. But we might even eliminate that button Yep. But by pressing book through the host it'll take you directly to that hotel's booking site where you know you're getting the best rate and you know it's available. Sometimes you book on booking and you get a message the next day oh, that wasn't available.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:29:59

Absolutely so. When I lived in Kierkira, Corfu, I was part of the tourism side, so I would help the business development side and I remember working with like the local hotels, right with my director of the office, and this is where I was first introduced to. This is going to lead to the listeners knowing how to save money, but they pre-sell their rooms, right. So a hotel that has a hundred rooms, for example, may say you know what? I don't want to manage the booking, I just want my guaranteed cut for the season. Let me sell it to TUI or whatever the big tour operators are, and then you're at their mercy. Whatever they want to charge, right, but by going direct you eliminate the fees. Like it, it's a big deal. If you can get that up and running, I think it would change the game locally and then Airbnb locally.

01:30:48

So it's just a lot of fees, like on the, on the property owner side For sure.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:30:52

No, the, the, the platform is pretty much ready. We're basically entering the onboarding phase of getting people to list their listings yeah, and that's a big task right huge because you could take you can go two options. You can scrape the internet and put everyone on there and ask them to claim it, or just keep it. I, I didn't want to go that route. I wanted to go the route where, if you found us before everybody else, you get a benefit of being one of the fewer listed early on?

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:31:17

Yes, absolutely so when do you plan on launching that?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:31:21

The goal was probably this spring. I think we're still on board for it. We just right now, we've been kind of soft launching it, we've been teasing it. You can go to the website. The website's called GreekNestcom.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:31:34

Okay.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:31:35

You can go there and you can say it'll ask you where you're trying to view, where you're trying to stay, or if you're a host. You just press the little button on the top that says add hotel. It'll ask you to make an account and then it'll show you our free options and our paid options.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:31:48

Amazing. Good luck with that Free options.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:31:57

Basically, you can list it for free, but we're going to send them to bookingcom. Yep, but you're going to be on this platform. It's extra exposure. A paid program will get them to come directly to you skipping booking, skipping Airbnb. They'll either call you, email you or go through your website to book Perfect.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:32:08

Awesome man. Any other things coming up that, uh, that's a lot of stuff.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:32:14

I'm not, I'm not, I'm not that's, that's, I think, that's, I think we covered a lot of stuff dude, that's awesome. Yeah, we covered Greece. We covered the Teddy key classic, we covered the nerdy Greek.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:32:24

The nerdy Greek shout out Maria, yes, uh, yeah and just just keep growing. Uh, final question what, what are your plans for just your accounts? Are there numbers and targets that you want to hit, or is it just?

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:32:39

Honestly, I mean I sort of stopped paying attention to Like. I don't want to say not pay attention, I look at it but I no longer rely on it to say, okay, we need to get to this number to continue doing this. I think we've reached a point now where we have a global audience, so let's just put our products in play, perfect. Yeah Well, if you're going to chase a number, you're gonna be chasing a number forever. Oh we hit a million. Okay, let's wait until two million.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:33:03

And then it just becomes a cycle. Right, Dude, keep rocking. Thank you so much for making the time.

Tony Kariotis - Guest: 01:33:08

Thank you bro.

George Stroumboulis - Host: 01:33:09

Thanks for listening to this episode of invigorate your business with George Stroumboulis. Please hit the subscribe and like buttons and follow me on all the main podcast streaming channels. Also, please share your comments when you can. I appreciate your help in expanding this network to a worldwide audience. Until next time, stay invigorated.

CONTENTS OF THIS VIDEO

00:00:00 Tony Kariotis is a Digital Creator for Greece
00:02:00 Marketing Services Worldwide for Travel to Greece
00:09:00 Dream Job: Working from the greek Islands
00:11:30 How Did You Get the @Greece Handle on Instagram
00:15:00 Does the Greek Government Tourism Board Advertise Properly?
00:16:00 Steve Vranakis Marketing Ambassador for the Greek Government
00:18:30 Honored at Fenway Park at the Red Socks Game
00:22:00 Teddy K Basketball Charity for His Father
00:27:30 EP! Apagorevete! (Forbidden) Series Has Gone Viral
00:33:30 Baby Video on the Beach Went Viral
00:39:30 Guest on Eleni Menegaki Morning Talk Show
00:42:30 Savas Pampouras Promoting Greeks
00:51:30 Advice to Build Your Online Profile
00:55:30 Don't Be a Bad Person Online
01:00:00 World Cup Soccer in Boston 1994
01:02:00 Greek Soccer Players Smoking Day of Game
01:07:00 Fake Models Earning Money and Fame
01:08:00 Getting Engaged with the Nerdy Greek
01:20:00 Tarpon Springs and its Massive Kalymnos Hub
01:22:30 Best Greek Destinations for Singles
01:23:30 Best Greek Destinations for Couples
01:24:20 Best Greek Destinations for Families
01:28:30 New Platform for Rental Properties in Greece

HOW TO CREATE VIRAL SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT

Creating viral social media content requires a combination of creativity, strategy, and understanding your audience. Here are some steps to help you create content that has the potential to go viral:

  1. Know Your Audience:

    • Understand who your audience is, what they are interested in, and what kind of content resonates with them.

    • Use analytics tools to gather insights into your audience demographics, interests, and behaviors on social media platforms.

  2. Tap into Emotions:

    • Create content that evokes strong emotions such as joy, surprise, awe, humor, or empathy.

    • Emotional content tends to resonate more with audiences and has a higher likelihood of being shared.

  3. Be Authentic and Unique:

    • Stay true to your brand voice and personality.

    • Offer something unique, whether it's a fresh perspective, a new take on a trending topic, or a creative spin on a familiar concept.

  4. Stay Relevant:

    • Keep up with current trends, news, and pop culture references.

    • Incorporate trending topics and hashtags into your content to increase its visibility and relevance.

  5. Create Shareable Content:

    • Design content that is easily shareable, such as infographics, memes, videos, or interactive polls.

    • Include a clear call-to-action encouraging users to share the content with their friends and followers.

  6. Optimize for Platform Algorithms:

    • Understand the algorithms of the social media platforms you're using and optimize your content accordingly.

    • Pay attention to factors such as timing, frequency, engagement, and format preferences.

  7. Use Visuals Effectively:

    • Incorporate eye-catching visuals such as images, videos, GIFs, or animations.

    • Make sure your visuals are high-quality, visually appealing, and relevant to your message.

  8. Encourage User Participation:

    • Create content that encourages user participation and engagement, such as contests, challenges, or user-generated content campaigns.

    • Engage with your audience by responding to comments, asking questions, and soliciting feedback.

  9. Collaborate with Influencers:

    • Partner with influencers or other brands in your niche to amplify your reach and exposure.

    • Influencers can help you tap into their audience and increase the chances of your content going viral.

  10. Measure and Learn:

    • Track the performance of your content using analytics tools to identify what resonates with your audience.

    • Learn from your successes and failures, and use that knowledge to refine your content strategy and improve future campaigns.

Remember, creating viral content is not an exact science, and there's no guarantee of success. However, by understanding your audience, staying authentic, and experimenting with different types of content, you can increase your chances of creating content that captures the attention of users and spreads like wildfire across social media platforms.

HOW TO PROPERLY CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA MATERIAL TO MARKET A COUNTRY TO THE WORLD

Marketing a country to the world via social media requires a thoughtful and strategic approach to showcase its unique culture, attractions, and offerings. Here are steps to properly create social media material for country marketing:

  1. Define Your Brand Identity:

    • Determine the key characteristics, values, and unique selling points of the country.

    • Craft a compelling brand story that reflects the country's identity and aspirations.

  2. Identify Target Audiences:

    • Define the demographic and psychographic profiles of the target audience segments you want to reach.

    • Tailor your messaging and content to resonate with the interests and preferences of each audience segment.

  3. Research Platform Preferences:

    • Understand which social media platforms are most popular among your target audiences.

    • Adapt your content strategy to fit the format and features of each platform (e.g., Instagram for visual content, Twitter for news updates).

  4. Create Engaging Content:

    • Develop a content calendar with a mix of content types, including photos, videos, blog posts, infographics, and user-generated content.

    • Showcase the country's natural beauty, landmarks, cuisine, cultural events, traditions, and activities.

    • Use captivating visuals, storytelling techniques, and interactive elements to engage and inspire your audience.

  5. Highlight Authentic Experiences:

    • Focus on authentic and genuine experiences that showcase the country's unique culture, heritage, and lifestyle.

    • Feature testimonials, reviews, and user-generated content from travelers who have visited the country.

  6. Utilize Influencer Partnerships:

    • Collaborate with travel influencers, bloggers, and content creators who have a large following and influence in your target markets.

    • Partner with influencers to create sponsored content, host Instagram takeovers, or participate in influencer-led campaigns.

  7. Leverage User-Generated Content:

    • Encourage travelers and visitors to share their experiences using branded hashtags and geotags.

    • Repurpose user-generated content (UGC) on your social media channels to showcase authentic perspectives and build community engagement.

  8. Provide Practical Information:

    • Share practical travel tips, guides, and resources to help travelers plan their trips to the country.

    • Include information on visa requirements, transportation options, accommodations, safety tips, and local customs.

  9. Engage with Your Audience:

    • Monitor social media channels for mentions, comments, and direct messages from followers and travelers.

    • Respond promptly to inquiries, address feedback, and foster conversations to build relationships with your audience.

  10. Measure Performance and Iterate:

    • Use social media analytics tools to track key performance metrics such as reach, engagement, impressions, and conversions.

    • Analyze the effectiveness of your content and campaigns, and adjust your strategy based on insights and feedback.

By following these steps and implementing a comprehensive social media marketing strategy, you can effectively promote a country to the world, attract travelers, and drive tourism growth.

WHAT IS THE “EP! APOGOREVETE” SOCIAL MEDIA SERIES

The "Ep! Apagorevete" series gained viral attention through the efforts of Greek-American Tony Kariotis, renowned as @iamgreece on social media. Tony's fame primarily stemmed from his captivating documentation of his travels and photography across Greece, providing followers with insights, tips, and guides.

During the height of the pandemic crisis, Tony continued sharing his adventures in Greece, offering a virtual escape for those unable to travel due to border closures and restrictions. His vibrant Instagram posts and stories, showcasing island hopping, road trips, and staycations, resonated deeply with travel enthusiasts worldwide.

The series took an unexpected turn when Tony shared a video on his @iamgreece Instagram page, featuring him passionately yelling "Ep! Apagorevete!" The infectious humor and charm of the video captured the attention of Greek City Times (GCT), who shared it on their own platforms, initiating a cascade of enthusiastic engagement from followers.

Encouraged by the positive response, Tony revealed that there were more "apagorevete-themed" comedic skits in store. GCT's decision to share the entire "Apagorevete" series and invite followers to vote for their favorite episodes further fueled its viral spread.

The overwhelming flood of reactions, comments, shares, and remakes of Tony's skits catapulted him to viral fame. The catchphrase "Ep! Apagorevete!" became synonymous with Tony, earning recognition even on the bustling streets of Athens, where passersby eagerly greeted him with the iconic phrase.

Tony's newfound celebrity status attracted a devoted fan base, eager to interact with the social media sensation and partake in the joyous spirit of his videos. In an exclusive interview with GCT, Tony shared the origins of the "Apagorevete" series, recounting a humorous encounter during his travels in Serifos, where the catchphrase was born out of a memorable incident.

Reflecting on the success of the series, Tony highlighted the spontaneity and authenticity that fueled its creation. Each skit resonated with audiences, showcasing humorous scenarios where the catchphrase "Apagorevete" served as a comedic punchline.

As the series continued to captivate viewers, Tony's personal favorite moments included episodes such as the "No Olive Picking" and "No Diving in Swimming Pools" skits, which showcased the humor and creativity that defined the "Ep! Apagorevete" phenomenon.

MORE ABOUT TONY KARIOTIS

  • Digital Dominance and Cultural Pride: Inside Tony Kariotis' Greek Media Empire and the AI Evolution

  • Sailing the Greek Isles of Social Media and Beyond with Tony Kariotis

  • Greek Culture Meets Digital Strategy in Tony Kariotis' Online Journey

  • Crafting Digital Empires and Embracing Cultural Roots in the Age of AI

  • Unveiling the Secrets Behind a Viral Greek Social Media Success

Join the buzz as we sit across Tony Kariotis, the social media maestro turning his love for Greek culture into a digital phenomenon with Greece Media. Get ready for a rollercoaster of tales, from a viral snapshot that changed everything to the strategic mastery behind the @Greece and @IAmGreece brands. Tony's not just about pretty pictures; with a savvy mix of content creation and unique services like Greek citizenship assistance, he's crafted an online presence that's a blueprint for digital dominance. If you're itching to up your internet game, Tony spills the secret sauce that makes his online empire thrive.

Our conversation takes a heartfelt turn as Tony honors his heritage and personal connections. We're stepping onto the court of the memorial basketball tournament, celebrating Tony's father's legacy and bridging communities with hoops, scholarships, and Greek culture. From the Boston Red Sox stadium to the laughter-filled streets of Serifos, Tony's journey intertwines cultural pride with the joy of being recognized by locals for his hilarious social media skits. Whether it's capturing the antics of a protective Greek grandfather or navigating the playful chaos of Greek island life, Tony's anecdotes promise to bring a smile and maybe even a laugh.

In a time when AI is knocking on the doorsteps of creativity, Tony navigates the evolving landscape with a nimble touch. We explore the potential revolution AI might bring to the media and entertainment industries, weighing the boon of efficiency against the hunger for authentic human connection. As we muse over the rise of artificial influencers and musicians, we question the ethical landscape of our digital future. Tune in for a journey through the intersection of tradition, innovation, and the uncharted waters of AI that might just redefine our cultural experiences.

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In an engaging episode of the Invigorate Your Business podcast, host George Strombolis invites Tony Kariotis to share his remarkable story of crafting a Greek media empire in the digital age. Tony's tale begins with a viral photo from the picturesque island of Milos in 2016, a snapshot that propelled him into social media stardom and led to the creation of the brands @Greece and @IAmGreece. His strategic content curation and brand building have not only captured the beauty of Greece but also amassed a dedicated following that resonates with his passion for Greek culture.

Tony delves into the intricacies of establishing Greece Media, a multifaceted platform that offers a range of services including advertising, content creation, and assistance with Greek citizenship. His insights into the business mechanics of growing a digital presence are invaluable for aspiring entrepreneurs. He emphasizes the importance of unique services, such as facilitating Greek citizenship, which caters to a niche market yet presents its own set of challenges and solutions.

As the conversation shifts, Tony opens up about honoring his heritage and personal connections. He speaks with fondness about the memorial basketball tournament he started in memory of his father. This event, which began modestly with 12 teams, has blossomed into a community celebration that bridges cultures with sports, scholarships, and Greek tradition. Tony's anecdotes about his father's legacy are both touching and inspiring, showcasing the profound impact of family and culture on his entrepreneurial journey.

Tony's success is not limited to business endeavors. He shares laugh-inducing stories from his travels across the Greek islands, from humorous parking disputes to the delightful chaos of island life. His social media skits, which often feature a protective Greek grandfather or the idiosyncrasies of local customs, have become a hit, bringing joy and a sense of community to his audience. These personal touches not only add to his brand's charm but also reinforce the value of authenticity in content creation.

As AI begins to play a larger role in the creative industries, Tony approaches this new frontier with a blend of curiosity and caution. He reflects on AI's potential to revolutionize media and entertainment, considering the balance between efficiency and the desire for authentic human experiences. The rise of artificial influencers and musicians prompts a discussion on the ethical implications and the potential need for a "certified real" label to help consumers navigate the digital landscape..

Throughout the episode, Tony's experiences offer a blueprint for digital dominance that intertwines tradition with modern technology. His stories are a testament to the power of cultural pride and the opportunities that arise when one embraces their roots while innovating in the digital realm. For those looking to build a legacy in the digital age, Tony's journey provides both motivation and practical advice on how to navigate the evolving intersection of culture, media, and technology.

In conclusion, Tony Kariotis' interview on the Invigorate Your Business podcast is a compelling narrative that highlights the intersection of Greek culture, digital innovation, and the potential of AI in shaping our future cultural experiences. It's a story of how embracing one's heritage and leveraging digital strategies can lead to the creation of an online empire that resonates with audiences worldwide.

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