When someone builds campaigns that get 100+ million views for products like Squatty Potty and Purple Mattress, you'd expect them to push their kids toward traditional success metrics. Instead, Benton Crane let his teenagers drop out of high school to join something called "Bro School."

As the former CEO of Harmon Brothers—the agency that revolutionized online advertising with viral hits for Poo-Pourri, Chatbooks, and Lumi—Crane understands what captures attention in our distracted world. He's also the co-founder of VidAngel (now Angel Studios), which has grown to 1.2 million members who collectively decide which movies get made, bypassing Hollywood's traditional gatekeepers entirely.

Now, as executive producer of both the hit Tuttle Twins TV series and the upcoming film "Young Washington," Crane is applying those same disruption principles to entertainment and education. His latest project tells the untold story of how a 22-year-old George Washington accidentally started a global war, then transformed that catastrophic failure into the foundation of American leadership.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Crane shares why he hires comedians instead of MBAs, how his sixth-grade daughter's video pitch for a balloon-tying business taught her more than any marketing class could, and why the future belongs to those who earn attention rather than demand it.

Go to angel.com/youngwashington to pre-order tickets and enter to win a classic Ford F-250. Every ticket purchased is a vote for the stories that matter.

The Rise of "Bro School"

Isaac: Welcome back to the Open Ed podcast. I'm Isaac Morehouse, and today I'm joined by Benton Crane. Benton is the co-founder of VidAngel, former CEO of Harmon Brothers, executive producer of the Tuttle Twins TV series, and now working on Young Washington, coming soon from Angel Studios.

So, Benton, I'm going to jump right in—Matt Bowman mentioned something to me, and I have to ask: What is Bro School?

Benton: My teenagers—a 16-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son—joined a group of other teenage boys this past school year. They basically dropped out of high school and started homeschooling together. They called themselves Bro School. One of the dads posted about it on LinkedIn, sharing everything the boys had done that year. I read the post to my daughter—she was 15 at the time—and she said, "I need to be a part of that. That sounds amazing."

So I texted Johnny to ask if it was open to others—could girls join Bro School? He didn't get back to me right away; apparently, he got bombarded with texts after that post. My daughter took matters into her own hands and filmed an application video, making her case for why Bro School needed her. I sent it to Johnny, he shared it with the bros, and she became the first girl to join Bro School. The video hit home.

Then my son and some of the younger brothers started Junior Bros. The kids would get together a few times a week, focusing on life skills and apprenticeships. Each kid handled their own academics, but together they did things like wilderness survival (with a hired coach), gourmet cooking (with a chef), and job shadowing entrepreneurs. It was a really neat alternative. I'm not sure if it'll continue, but it was a super fun year for my kids.

Video Pitches and Real-World Marketing

Isaac: That's such an amazing story—especially your daughter's video application. My previous company helped job seekers ditch the resume and instead send a video pitch to hiring managers. The results were incredible. My theory is that everything is a signal—degrees and GPAs used to mean something, but now they're almost meaningless. Creating signals that can't be faked—like a video pitch—stands out. What you say, how you say it, how you get it to the right person—those are powerful signals.

I love that your daughter took that approach. I've seen similar things where someone tries to get local teens to do landscaping or fix things for free, just to learn and maybe make money later. It's weird that we have to call it something official, but we do, because kids are so separated from real life these days. Bringing that back takes deliberate effort and a vision people can rally around. I love the Bro School concept.

Benton: That was actually the third pitch video my daughter's done. Her first was in sixth grade—she started a balloon-tying business for birthday parties and made a video pitch: "Don't hire a middle-aged man from Google—that's creepy. Hire me, your kids will love it." Now she's done two or three of these, and it's become a tool she knows she can use to break through the noise. It's really effective.

Why Marketing Isn't Sleazy

Isaac: I'm already seeing your history with Harmon Brothers and your ability to tell compelling stories. Just hearing you talk about Bro School and your daughter's video pitches, there's an element of fun in marketing and selling yourself that often gets lost.

As a marketer, working with Harmon Brothers and many brands, there's this idea that marketing is somehow sleazy or manipulative. But I think that comes from a misunderstanding of value creation. Value is subjective, and part of it is how you feel about something. Marketing helps people have a better experience—it's fun and playful. That translates to job hunting, too. People think it's antagonistic, like they're being judged and have to hope their resume passes the test. There's no fun or creativity. But if you think of it like a marketing campaign—"I have a few seconds to capture attention and make someone want to learn more"—it becomes playful and creative. How has that mindset impacted your life, career, and the way you teach your kids?

Benton: If you go back to the 1990s and before, advertising was about commercial breaks—your audience was captive, so you could force-feed them whatever ads you wanted. But that's not the world we live in now. With skip buttons and endless scrolling, you have to earn people's attention. You do that by entertaining them, making them smile, providing value. It's a give-and-take relationship.

At Harmon Brothers, our famous campaigns—Poo-Pourri, Squatty Potty, Purple Mattresses, Chatbooks, Lumi Deodorant—were all fun. They put a smile on your face, and yes, they sold products and made money, but only after earning attention and providing value. That's the key: as a marketer, you have to provide value first.

Hiring Comedians, Not MBAs

Isaac: I want to connect this to education. My daughter, who's 15, recently asked about digital marketing as a career. Most college marketing degrees aren't worth much—they're behind the times. If a teenager is interested in marketing, where do you start? Is it mindset, books, or hands-on experience?

Benton: Here's what's fascinating: it's not that hard to train a marketer, but it's really hard to train an entertainer. We would hire comedians—improv or stand-up—because those are hard skills to develop. Then we'd teach them marketing, which is almost mechanical: provide value, present the problem, show a solution, build credibility, overcome concerns, call to action, make an offer. The entertainment side is much more nuanced and difficult.

So I encourage young people to get public speaking experience, take a summer sales job, try improv or stand-up comedy. Some people discover a spark and develop the ability to entertain and capture attention. Once you have that, it's much easier to learn the marketing elements. I'm not an entertainer myself, but I collaborate with them all the time—I can't market without them.

The Balance of Data and Story

Isaac: I love that you mentioned door-to-door sales, because marketing is really just sales at scale. If you can help one person see a problem and a solution, it's easier to help thousands. I learned marketing through fundraising—meeting with donors, trying to connect in 20 minutes, telling a compelling story. That's where I learned the power of narrative and the hero's journey.

I also love the idea of stand-up comedy—getting in front of a room, testing what people react to, learning human psychology. What about the behind-the-scenes side—running ads, A/B testing, SEO? What if someone's more of a tinkerer than an entertainer?

Benton: That side is essential. You can almost think of it as the art and the math—they have to work together. But some people fall in love with the math side and treat it as the end-all, be-all. That's how you get really spammy ads—like "one quick trick to lose belly fat." They test dozens of lines and keep the one that performs best, but if you follow the math blindly, you end up with spammy, pushy tactics. Cleavage thumbnails, aggressive sales—because the math says it works. But it's not the whole picture.

Isaac: Or the exhausting formulas on social media—like Twitter threads that all follow the same clickbait pattern. It's always "10 shocking things from this podcast," and it's all about AI. It's just life by algorithm, treating people like widgets in a funnel. Nobody wants that.

Benton: Exactly. At Harmon Brothers, we used to say we were data-driven. But everyone says that now. I realized the data always needs to be balanced with the art, the brand, the story. You need an opposing force: "Is this message, even if it's effective, who we want to be? Is it how we want to be perceived?" So we shifted from "data-driven" to "data-informed." The creative, the story, the entertainment—it's all informed by data, but ultimately, we're story-driven. The data helps, but it doesn't drive. Don't let the tail wag the dog.

Young Washington: From Failure to Legend

Isaac: Here's my segue to your current movie. If you look at young people's knowledge and interest in history, nobody thinks it's in a great spot. If you approach it like an engineer, you might collect data and try to change curricula. But you're making a movie—you're telling a story. Stories just work better. I remember almost nothing from textbooks, but I remember the movies that moved me. Rather than fighting over curriculum, you're going over the top and telling a story people want to watch. Tell me about Young Washington.

Benton: Most people don't know this story. Before he was president or a general, 22-year-old George Washington was sent to the Ohio territory to tell the French to leave. The interaction went horribly wrong—he made massive mistakes and accidentally set off a global war: the French and Indian War. It was a career-destroying blunder. But then, in a character-defining moment, he led a retreat under fire, had horses shot out from under him, bullet holes in his coat, but survived and saved hundreds of lives. That's the beginning of the legendary Washington.

We're telling this story on the big screen with Angel Studios, releasing nationwide on July 4th, 2026—the 250th anniversary of the country. John Erwin is directing—he's an award-winner and a history buff. Not only is the movie going to be amazing, but we're doing something unique: opening ticket pre-sales a year in advance. That's normal for concerts, but not for movies. The reason is, July 4th is a competitive time—blockbusters everywhere. To get on as many screens as possible, we need to signal demand to the industry. If people buy tickets early, we can go toe-to-toe with the big studios and get this story out there.

Breaking Hollywood's Gatekeeper Model

Benton: If we can launch with over 3,000 screens, we can compete with superhero reboots and Disney remakes. We want to inspire the next generation with stories of imperfect people who did amazing things. We're giving away a vintage Ford F-250 truck and hats as a thank you to early ticket buyers. Go to angel.com/youngwashington to support the film and send a signal that these stories matter. It's a way for the community to help decide what stories get told and to amplify light in the world.

Isaac: I love it. I knew the story of Washington's bullet-riddled coat, but not about him at 22 in Ohio. You mentioned inspiring people with stories of imperfect heroes. There's been an arc in this country—from hagiography ("Washington never told a lie") to cynicism ("everyone was terrible"). I think people are hungry for hope and belief, but with realism. We don't want propaganda, but we also don't want to focus only on the negative. Finding real stories of heroism, while being honest, is so timely.

Benton: Both extremes are dangerous. If you only focus on how amazing someone was, people feel like they can never live up to that. But if you only focus on their flaws, you erase their contributions. It's important to acknowledge that these were flawed humans who made mistakes, but also made massive contributions. That's inspiring for my son—to know you can screw up, but still be brave and do something heroic. The time for these stories is now.

The Future of Storytelling

Isaac: There's an absolute hunger for inspiring stories—about people doing good and the right thing. Entertainment has focused on anti-heroes and darkness, but real heroism matters. So, tickets go on presale July 4th, 2025?

Benton: Yes, and as a thank you, every ticket is an entry to win a vintage Ford F-250 truck. We're also giving away hats. It's not normal to buy a ticket early, but you're going to anyway—so why not now? Go to angel.com/youngwashington to support the film and send a signal to the industry that these stories matter.

Isaac: We didn't even get to half my list! But let's do a quick Homestead update. Where's that project at?

Benton: Homestead outperformed expectations in theaters and is doing even better on streaming. When it hit Amazon, it was in the top 10 for two months. We did it on a tight budget, but the team made a compelling story. We're about to film episodes 3–8 for season one, and season two films this winter. The theme is: when things break down, what rises from the ashes? Family, faith, and community. That's what sees you through hard times. Watch Homestead on Angel Studios.

Isaac: Any final words of wisdom for our audience about storytelling, marketing, or educating kids?

Benton: The core innovation from Angel Studios is putting the power of the gatekeepers in the viewers' hands. Hollywood is run by a few people deciding what gets made. Angel Studios lets viewers decide what stories should be told and what amplifies light. If you're disappointed by Hollywood, know there's an alternative—where a million people in the Angel Guild vote on what gets made. The stories that make it are the ones people actually want and need.

Isaac: The theme here—from Bro School to making movies—is that you can just start doing things. You don't need permission. Benton, this has been awesome. Thanks for joining the podcast!

Benton: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: If Your Kid Hates School, Watch This

Learn more about Benton's projects:

• Pre-order Young Washington tickets: angel.com/youngwashington
• Join the Angel Guild: angel.com/guild
• Watch Homestead: angel.com/watch/homestead
• Follow Angel Studios: @angelstudios_inc

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