Derek Flanzraich

An Open Letter to Dwayne Johnson (aka @TheRock) On Why He Should Advise Our Startup

Dwayne,

Hey- been trying to get in touch with you, but not surprised it’s difficult to answer and respond to each of your 1.86 million Twitter fans + 4.75 million Facebook fans. I get that you’ve been distracted. That’s cool- no worries! I know you’re busy filming a thousand movies + wrestling + obviously working out a ton. That’s the life of a kick-butt celebrity, I hear ya! But all I’ve been trying to reach out & say is that you’d be the perfect advisor for Greatist.com, this awesome high-quality content-based health & fitness startup I run, and I think you should seriously consider coming on board. Seriously. (After all advising a startup is the cool celebrity thing to do now! At least Leonardo DeCaprio did it. You’re not Leonardo DiCaprio, but you could be the Leonardo DeCaprio of ##Boots2Asses?) Here’s why:

For one, you’ve got the perfect #greatist personality. Personally, have mad respect for how people trust you, recognizing your hard work and passion while admiring your positive, fun-loving mentality. You’re also impressively engaged with your audience and fans, motivating them to “stand fearless in the face of adversity and bring it every day” w/ you and your Team Bring It. That’s difficult to do & you’re clearly committed to it– engaging with your fans & making them feel special, one at time, in a way that most celebrities don’t care to do (or pay others to do for them).

At Greatist, we talk a lot about informing & inspiring the world to make healthier choices in a relatable and down-to-earth way– and you rock that, too. We champion celebrating the healthier choices people make , the #imagreatist mentality, without feeling bad about the poor choices– and you embody that. You wake up at 6am, push through a crazy workout, then you strap on a pair of CGI wings and make movies like the Tooth Fairy (where the joke’s on… everyone?). You challenge John Cena to throwdown, then sing Sam Cooke’s classic You Send Me on TV. You blow shit up for your day job, then say motivational & kind things like this. That inspires & resonates with people, exactly what we’re trying to achieve with our fitness, health, and happiness content.

Greatist is different because, like you, we only do things in a high-quality way. We’re in it because, like you, we care passionately about achieving something great for the world, be it a few lost pounds or laughs. And we’re doing this because, like you, we love every second of what we do.

Finally, you’ve got some huge movies and roles ahead of you & we, too, have been growing like gangbusters. We’ve had nearly 300,000 unique visitors in the last 30 days and it just… keeps… growing. We’ve been mentioned everywhere, from Outside Magazine to The Huffington Post– and it’s only just beginning.

So, long story short (too late?), was hoping to have the chance to convince you to spare a few moments on a monthly basis to offer your thoughts, guidance, & wisdom on what we’re doing with Greatist and how we’re doing it.

Obviously, recognize how valuable your time is, but we know it’d be worth it: a very cool opportunity for you to support, an interesting world to get involved in, and a wonderful cause to champion.

We’re working to build the world’s first trusted health & fitness brand– and we’d love your help to make it happen.

So, Dwayne, if you’ve got a second to even think about this, let’s chat ASAP. And if the person who’s reading this isn’t The Rock, but knows him or went to school with him or knows the person that one time he looked funny at in college at UM, let me know ASAP too. Will jump on any leads I can get! (And in that case, thanks for reading, whoever you are, and in the future, though this time it’s cool, don’t get in the habit of reading stuff that isn’t addressed to you, you sneaky reader.)

Thanks Dwayne & would love to connect when you’re in NYC (in February, I hear, promoting Journey 2, right?). Just let me know when works. Thanks again,

The Derek
ceo & founder, Greatist + #TeamBringIt
derek [at] greatist.com

On How It’s Science Unless It’s Fraud

The resveratrol in red wine is good for you. It’s science.

Unless it’s not. In yesterday’s New York Times, a researcher named Dipak K. Das was charged with widespread fraud by his employer, the University of Connecticut– a case that includes 26 articles published under his name in 11 scientific journals. It’s suspected he may have falsified hundreds of articles, 117 of which focus on the health benefits in red wine, especially resveratrol’s reportedly positive effect on the heart. Yesterday, a journal already printed a retraction and removed Das as co-editor in chief.

In Greatist‘s article on red wine, we cite his research twice. Shit.

Luckily, the New York Times reports his research was “low visibility,” appearing mostly in specialty journals, and ultimately peripheral to its central principles. Though we cite two of his studies, neither are (to my knowledge) under investigation nor the outcome of his research alone (both have at least one other researcher named). Nonetheless, we are working to remove both citations and update the article now. The truth is his work was ultimately peripheral to most of the influential research on the effects of resveratrol and, in fact, the New York Times quotes Harvard Medical School Professor David Sinclair, a “leading resveratrol expert” know for his work on longevity, remarking: “Today I had to look up who he is.”

We cite 7 other studies in the article (whose researchers, I’m assured, haven’t been charged for fraud), all of which confirming the general science suggesting that resveratrol in red wine is, in fact, likely pretty good for you.

So Das’ research may not have been that important, but it hits home an important point: not all studies related to fitness, health, and happiness are well done or reputable. Scientific misconduct or simply mistakes can go undetected– and sometimes even published by legitimate, well-respected journals. It’s the same for any publication. Heck, the New York Times publishes article corrections nearly every day.

So that’s in part why we do what we do at Greatist, going to lengths that are unexpected and unasked to present the highest-quality research we can on a subject or topic. And sometimes it’s true the generally-accepted wisdom on topics changes and shifts dramatically, often rapidly. That’s not the case here (and, hey, I’m drinking red wine as I write this), but it doesn’t mean it won’t be the case elsewhere. But it’s our jobs as both an editorial unit and in general as a team of educated people passionate about this space (who dove headfirst into this to do things the right way precisely because we believe people deserve better than what’s out there now) to do the best we can to summarize the best information that’s available (plus communicate it in a way that’s relatable and down to earth). And then it’s also our job to, if something changes, act fast to adapt it to reflect new circumstances.

There’s a reason we cite every single fact with a PubMed study, link out only to an internally-approved list of high-quality sources, edit every single sentence with a fine-tooth comb (not literally), and have multiple experts (never just one!) approve every single article. And there’s a reason we don’t write articles on topics without the right research, present definitive conclusions when the science is murky, or write irresponsible sensationalist headlines. Not because anyone asked, but because that’s what you (and your body) deserve. I’ll be the first to admit we’re imperfect, we’ve made mistakes and will make mistakes. But we’re working our hardest not to, for the right reasons, doing everything that is humanely possible to produce only the highest-quality content in the health & fitness space on the web.

Ultimately, it’s important to maintain a certain skepticism about everything you read, from scientific studies to celebrity advice (oh really, Kim Kardashian?). It’s why we started Greatist. It’s what we do everyday. And despite the fact that we’re doing our absolute best to give you the highest-quality go-to fitness, health, and happiness resource on the web… sometimes a researcher just goes ahead and cuts & pastes images of western blots to come to fraudulent conclusions . Rest assured we’ll tell you anytime that happens– and what it actually means.

Quote: Conducting The Symphony

“I like our cartoons to be put together like a symphony. You know, there’s a conductor–I guess I’m it–and then there are the solo violins, and the horn players, and the strings, and a lot of other fellows, and some of them are more stars than others, but every one has to work together, forgetting himself, in order to produce one whole thing which is beautiful. You have to cast artists as you do actors. Some are better at drawing characters and some are best on flowers. Some artists are funny in every line they sketch, where others are solemn. You have to know all about a man to be sure that he is doing the work he loves best.” – Walt Disney

How To: Disrupt The Gym Business (Using Technology & Community)

Gyms are a horrible business. For a small time when I was in far away in San Francisco, I seriously considered becoming co-owner of a gym I loved: it was independent, beautifully run, beloved by its customers… but barely broke even (we’re talking single digits). From the research I did then, it was clear that outside of some personal training gyms, a bunch of CrossFit boxes, and a few huge chains (and even most of those are suspect), it’s nearly impossible to make the classic “gym model” work. The reason? I think it’s that the model is sorely lacking in innovation. Its most recent trend, the Planet Fitness-style small cost of $10-20/month for a tiny space and minimal equipment, is just a testament to the fact that ultimately nearly every gym is based on the principle of incentivizing people to sign up for a long term contract, then hoping (or even expecting) they don’t come back. That might make okay business (not that any of these gyms are really crushing it– most success or failure in the gym space has basically fluctuated in step with the economy and expendable income), but not the best business. And definitely not business to feel good about. [1]

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The Greatist Health & Fitness Manifesto (Updated)

With time, communication, and learning, everything evolves. And my thinking on health & fitness, especially my thinking on what Greatist is trying to achieve in that space, has too. Articulating the movement we’re trying to start (really any movement) is difficult, but here’s my most current attempt:

More must-read health & fitness news and information at Greatist.

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