Right About Now with Ryan Alford
Trading Cards: The Fan Engagement Goldmine with Jeremy Aisenberg
27 May 2025
Right About Now with Ryan AlfordJoin media personality and marketing expert Ryan Alford as he dives into dynamic conversations with top entrepreneurs, marketers, and influencers. "Right About Now" brings you actionable insights on business, marketing, and personal branding, helping you stay ahead in today's fast-paced digital world. Whether it's exploring how character and charisma can make millions or unveiling the strategies behind viral success, Ryan delivers a fresh perspective with every episode. Perfect for anyone looking to elevate their business game and unlock their full potential.Resources:Right About Now NewsletterFree Podcast Monetization CourseJoin The NetworkFollow Us On InstagramSubscribe To Our Youtube ChannelVibe Science MediaSUMMARYIn this episode of Right About Now with Ryan Alford, Jeremy Aisenberg — founder of Talent Brand Labs and a seasoned veteran of the trading card industry — unpacks the evolution and cultural impact of trading cards. Ryan and Jeremy explore the hobby’s remarkable resurgence, the way collecting fuels sports fandom, and how digital media is reshaping the collector’s experience. Jeremy offers insightful personal stories, including his own journey into the world of collecting and his groundbreaking work with Sports Illustrated to launch a collectibles vertical. The episode captures the dynamic intersection of physical and digital collectibles and paints an exciting picture of the industry’s future.TAKEAWAYSThe growth and projected value of the trading card industry.The evolution of the trading card hobby and its transformation into a business.Personal experiences and journeys of collectors in the trading card space.The role of collecting in fostering sports fandom and community engagement.The impact of digital media and technology on the trading card industry.The significance of grading in enhancing trust within the collecting community.The emergence and potential of digital collectibles and NFTs.Innovative approaches to collecting, including online breaks and repacks.The competitive landscape of the trading card industry and its implications for innovation.The future of collecting and the importance of engaging younger fans.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Full Episode
Part of how we grow the hobby and bring more people into this as a way to make fans stickier to their teams and the leagues and the sports is collecting. When the licenses were being held by Upper Deck and Topps and FLIR and Donruss in the 90s, it sparked a lot of innovation.
You think about some of the great vintage insert sets of the late 90s and early 2000s are some of the most collectible cards on the planet.
Billions of dollars, millions of collectors, one booming industry. Trading cards aren't just back, they're taking over. Projected to hit 52 billion by 2027, the hobby has evolved into a full-blown business with culture, cash, and clout all at the center. From the vault to the back room, we're talking to the heavy hitters right in the future of the hobby.
We feature Brian Ludden from Lud-X, the fastest and most accurate trading card scanning app. Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia and creator of VFriends. South Carolina card king, Matty Rich, one of South Carolina's largest retail store owners. And SI Collectibles contributor and sports executive, Jeremy Eisenberg. Plus, some other surprise guests. This isn't just about collecting.
It's about investing, scaling, and ruling the hobby. Right about now, we're making the hobby make sense. Massive dollars. Don't miss this incredible series. What's up, guys? Welcome to Write About Now. We're always talking about how to learn more about business and get right. And, you know, we could talk about last week. We could talk about two years ago. But we want to make it topical for today.
And, you know... I can admit when I'm doing guilty pleasures, but I'm doing guilty pleasures that you need to know about because this is part of our trading card series. We had Brian Ludden from Luddex on. We've got one of the biggest collectors in the Southeast that's coming on. We've got some other big names, and that's why I went to Jeremy. Jeremy Eisenberg.
He is not only an OG trading card guy, talent brand labs founder, and I think just a sports junkie. Is that what it is, Jeremy? Yeah.
That's fair. Sports has been a big part of my life as long as I can remember.
Yeah, man. Octagon, any of our agency crowd will know some name drops that will get in here. We compared some more stories of agency life a little bit before we got started, both kind of coming up through that. Jeremy, I did go through your background, and Brian shared a little bit, but I was like, And I got blessed to work on Verizon, some big names. We did some sports sponsorship stuff.
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