Mark LaCour: the conversation

Mornings in the Lab · Interview transcript

Have you ever dismissed an idea and then watched it change everything or felt stuck inside an industry that seems too old, too rigid, too impossible to move? Today's guest knows that feeling. When someone pitched him podcasting, he called it a stupid idea. 3 months later, Redwing Boots became the first paid sponsor of an oil and gas podcast. That podcast didn't just survive, it became OGGN, now the world's largest oil and gas podcast network. Mark is editor-in-chief and co-founder. And he built it after 25 years selling into the toughest rooms in energy. He sat through more than 2,000 meetings across the globe, face to face with the biggest names in oil and gas. That's real reps. He helps technology companies earn trust with energy giants, turning brand exposure into faster, easier sales. After Hurricane Katrina, he made handshake deals worth millions to help companies recover and every client paid. He's a former US Marine from North Louisiana who believes people stories matter more than spreadsheets. He challenges the idea that oil and gas only cares about profit, embedding giving back into OGGN's culture. From fighting human trafficking with Red M to spotlighting diversity and energy, he's building something bigger than media. Mark, welcome to the big show. What would you do if a marketing guy came to you with an idea and you thought to yourself, 'It was so dumb, you only said yes just to shut him up.' Well, today's guest did exactly that. And that one stupid idea turned into the largest oil and gas podcast network on the planet. And oh, before all that, he was a United States Marine who went on to sell over $300 million worth of deals on nothing but handshakes and honesty. [Mark LaCour]: What's up, guys? First thing — I love your production quality already, guys. And the sizzle reel you made for me is better than one my own people made for me. [Host]: So, Mark — you're a marine guy, cold, wet, getting shot at as you described it. But now you're in oil and gas. Are you a marketing guy, sales guy? Tell us about that journey. [Mark LaCour]: Yeah. So I wanted to serve my country. Also, my parents couldn't afford to send me to school. So the choice was to join the armed forces. I joined the Marines because I wanted to be the best of the best. And then after four years of being cold and wet and shot at, I decided that maybe was not the best career choice for me — although it was the best choice I ever made in my entire life. So I went to college and I got a degree in wildlife management. I wanted to save the planet. And the environmentalists hate me now because they can't fool me.