At the end of 2018, Inc. Magazine ran a piece on Forever Labs. It was an exciting time for us. We had a lot of press online, from publications like CNBC, Well + Good Bloomberg, etc. But the one that was the most exciting to us was Inc. Magazine. Why? Because it was not just online, it was on the shelves, in real life! I remember seeing the shelves in the airports with them on it and feeling a huge sense of pride. I even rearranged them to be in front of competing magazines. Yes... I'm that ridiculous.

We had investors find us through this magazine, many new clients and I still use it as a link to share with prospective clients and business partners. It was written by a guy named Jeff Bercovici.

By the time Jeff wrote the piece mk and I had done a lot of press. We were used to how it works. They are introduced to you by your PR company and much of the narrative is predetermined. They talk with you to get some quotes and then write the same piece they would have written even if they'd never met you. Most of the time it's flat, riddled with inaccuracies and bombastic. Click bait. Titles like, "Tech CEO's are paying a small fortune to buy eternal life." Or some such nonsense. Jeff didn't do this. Jeff actually took the time to come and witness a procedure in Orinda, CA. We knew from the first sentence that this would be a different article. It started, "In a clinic in leafy Orinda, California, Anthony, a 45-year-old medical sales rep, lies facedown on an examination table, a sterile sheet draped over his bare bottom."

I've been to this clinic many times. "Leafy," is literally the most perfect description you could muster. The scene he sets with the patient is also perfect. He actually wrote this piece.

The first paragraph ends, "Attaching a syringe, he slowly draws out 60 milliliters of marrow.

It's a rich, dark red. Like beet juice."

This is also PEFECT. Not only by description but in the accuracy of the amounts being drawn, etc. SO MANY journalists don't give a damn about the accuracy of things. It's actually scary, because it makes you think, "if they're this off the mark on what they wrote about us..... how off the mark are they about everything else? What can I trust?" Well... I trust Jeff Bercovici.

Several months after this piece ran Forever Labs had the opportunity to put together a panel for SXSW. mk was on the panel, and two other friends of ours that run biotech company in the longevity space. But... we needed a moderator. The PR company suggested Jeff. "Great!" was our reply.

The panel was awesome. We had a pretty full room and some amazing questions. Jeff was a great moderator. After, we all hung out and Jeff and I got to talking. Where are you from, etc...

I always ask everyone if they're a musician. It's one of my first questions. My wife is always embarrassed, not by the question but by how quickly within meeting someone I ask it. Jeff mentioned that one of his longtime friends lived in Michigan and was also a musician. He told me that this person had an amazing family and threw the best party ever.

Fortress Party.

He told me that his friend converted his 10k square foot home in to a giant fort. The kind you made when you were a kid. The walls were all covered in sheets and pillows, etc. There were many rooms throughout the house all with different themes. This sounded compelling. Compelling enough that I pinged him when I got home for the introduction.

That's when I cold emailed hardtaco to hangout. Not only was he completely cool with the cold intro. He suggested he and his entire family meet me and my entire family. We essentially set up a family blind date.

We had them over. They were/are awesome. They LOVE to game. In fact, if he's up to it I would highly recommend sharing your blog on the games you are playing and reviewing during quarantine. It's something like a game every day... it's insane. He's insane. His whole family is, but in the best possible way. In the, this is how American's got to the moon kind of way.

Anyways, this is all a very long post to say that Forever Labs has had some awesome press over the years that has brought us clients and awesome strategic investment and business partners, but hardtaco is the coolest thing to come out of me hiring a PR company.

Welcome to Hubski!

Oh, check out his song/project. He posts one song a month and has for like 30 years... (yeah, that's right.. just one a month. Slacker.)

Let's hope that hardtaco contributes beyond his once a month song posting. But even if he doesn't, please welcome him. He's become a good friend.

lil steve kleinbl00, ButterflyEffect, flac, rezzeJ, ghostoffuffle, ecib, coffeesp00ns ... ya'll would dig his hardtaco project.

Onward!

-TNG