Gregg Valentino vs Fouad Abiad – IronMag Bodybuilding & Health Weblog

by Christian Duque

This can be a feud that’s been a longtime coming and it’s not essentially between Gregg and Fouad, relatively, it’s extra of a problem of the previous guard vs the brand new guard that depend on social media, widespread influencers, and spearheading actions round clothes, dietary supplements, and podcasts.

Fouad isn’t only one man, not anymore. He’s on the helm of a motion selling the Hosstile lifestyle. Fouad constructed a highly-successful complement line and the preferred podcast on the planet, BroChat. Along with the dietary supplements and the podcasts, Fouad has had a few of the largest stars within the sport in his roster. They don’t at all times work out and the phrase is his contracts may be a bit of restrictive however I’m simply speculating. I don’t recall seeing any Hosstile contracts. Um.., yean let’s simply go along with that.

Nonetheless, even when contracts may be restrictive they’re completely legally enforceable in that each side comply with the phrases. Let’s simply say that Hosstile’s contract had exclusivity clauses, it is smart for the signing firm to retain as a lot of the worth as doable. That’s simply enterprise 101. I’ll expound shortly. However earlier than shifting onto that, restrictive contracts which are one-sided are often called illusory. If the phrases solely profit one facet, then most courts gained’t maintain the contracts legally enforceable. If the contract could be very restrictive however rewards the athlete with large pay, advantages (e.g. medical, dental, perhaps a share of gross sales, and so forth), and perhaps offers some stability (renew choices, bonuses, and so forth) then that restrictive contract is now not one-sided.

On the finish of day, what could also be a foul deal to you, may be a house run for another person. If Sam is making $20k-$50k a month from Hosstile do you actually assume he cares about making appearances on podcasts for 1, 2, 3 or extra hours on platforms that neither promote his sponsor or make him any cash? We’re in fact speaking about bodybuilding social media influencer Sam Sulek. This younger lifter instructions a subscription base of over 3 million on YouTube. He lifts, however doesn’t actually weight loss program. He additionally doesn’t compete and from what I collect has no need to earn a professional card. He lifts out of affection being within the health club and the whole lot he does is in pursuit of constructing the absolute best physique. He doesn’t declare natty and he doesn’t have 1,000,000 sponsors. He’s a health club rat tried and true. Fouad Abiad noticed the writing on the wall and was most likely endorsed on how large this child is. So that they signed him. And the remaining is historical past.

Whether or not or not his contract is simply too restrictive actually isn’t the purpose. So long as Sam likes it, Sam indicators. And what received this entire factor began was over Sam doing a podcast at RX. It’s nobody’s fault, relatively, one podcaster requested Sam for a podcast look and Sam didn’t appear too . You possibly can blame that on the contract otherwise you take Fouad at face worth when he says the child doesn’t like doing podcasts – even BroChat. I imply whenever you cease to consider it why would Sam wish to share the airwaves with a bunch of men? Whether or not these guys be on BroChat or RX or elsewhere. On his movies, he’s the one one speaking, and everybody’s listening.

And the one distinction between doing BroChat and another podcast is cash. With Hosstile he’s getting paid and he’s most likely getting different earnings streams like half proceeds from the $80 autographs on the Arnold Basic. If he goes and sits on his laptop on somebody’s web site he’s making them cash. In spite of everything, they get the hits reside, they maintain the video, monetize it and their advertisers earn cash. Nobody will get paid to go sit on a podcast in bodybuilding. The pay is “in publicity,” however when you’ve 3,000,000 subscribers somebody must be one hell of a hustler to counsel that publicity is a viable tradeoff.

Sam might get extra hits from puking in a garbage can after coaching legs than doing a podcast on some random web site. That’s simply details. Whether or not it’s Sam or The Tren Twins, their bread and butter is in coaching movies and speaking about their journey on their platforms. They don’t want a man two or 3 times their age asking them how they cook dinner their rooster breast. It’s doable that Sam couldn’t do these podcasts due to contractual obligations. It’s additionally doable he simply didn’t wish to.

Earlier than anybody begins calling me a Fouad fanboy, I can guarantee you I’m not. I don’t like or dislike him. I don’t know him on a private stage. He looks as if he’s killing it on the enterprise facet and he looks as if a Federation man. I’ve been there and finished that too. I get how the whole lot works and whenever you’re that profitable you flow. I’m not calling him a sellout, however he does the enterprise of bodybuilding. I’ve by no means shied away from talking my peace. So imagine you me, if I’ve one thing to say, I’ll say it.

Fouad is sitting on a goldmine however that success wasn’t constructed in a single day. He needed to actually work at it and he wants to guard his investments. He can deny he’s doing that, however as a enterprise proprietor it’s his responsibility to maintain his enterprise worthwhile. In the event that they signed Sam to an enormous contract and he’s out diluting the product, that’s dangerous for the corporate.

I’ll be sincere with you. Once I ran IronMag TV, we forbade Gregg (who was our largest star) from showing on RX Muscle and Muscle Sport Magazine. We had no challenge with GI as a result of that was grandfathered in, however we noticed RX and MSM as rivals to what we had been attempting to do with our exhibits at IronMag TV and Muscular Improvement. We had been paying Gregg the best price out of all the celebs which included Massive Frank, Jessica Padilla, Theresa Ivancik, the late nice Ric Drasin and others. We didn’t need our high man doing podcasts on rival platforms as a result of we felt that diluted the exhibits he did for us and since we needed his attain for use to push IronMag Labs merchandise, not the businesses sponsoring the opposite exhibits he would possibly sit at for hours on finish totally free. Possibly that was draconian of us. Possibly we had been shortsighted to some, nevertheless it was my perception that everybody who actually missed seeing Gregg on RX or MSM might get pleasure from all his nice content material by watching on IronMag TV (which we owned) or Muscular Improvement (which we sponsored Gregg and my exhibits solely). In spite of everything, the secret then and the secret as we speak, is and at all times might be, ROI (Return On Funding).

Like I stated, I haven’t seen Sam’s contract, however I don’t know Fouad to be a idiot. If his firm is paying high greenback for the preferred bodybuilding influencer on the earth, they’re not going to encourage him to do numerous free appearances. And that’s even when the contract permits for it. It’s simply not a superb look.

Gregg is aware of how the trade works, however Gregg can be a New Yorker and a man who has no filter. When he made the comment that Fouad was pimping Sam out, that made the legendary Canadian bodybuilder flip the fuck out. It made it look like Fouad was exploiting Sam. That’s what pimps do. They benefit from individuals. That’s for those who take the phrase on the literal worth. Gregg was simply bullshitting. I do know him and have been on loads of 3-4 hour-long telephone calls with him to know that he simply says stuff. He is aware of what he’s saying, however he doesn’t essentially imply it within the worst doable method. If you happen to name sure of us pimps or hustlers, they’ll say thanks. If you happen to name it to others, they may be furious. It’s all concerning the context and the subjectiveness at hand.

And whereas Gregg could seem lighthearted and to not have a care on the earth about Abiad saying nobody ought to imagine something he says, one thing like that basically will get below his pores and skin. Whereas Gregg was most likely saying one thing innocently, for Fouad to say Gregg is mainly an unimaginable supply is all however a complete declaration of warfare. Gregg wrote his Ramblin Freak column for MD for 15 years, he’s a co-founder of Heavy Muscle Radio with Dave and John, and he’s labored with all the large websites in bodybuilding. He’s been in numerous films, television exhibits, and speak exhibits. He was the primary attraction at IronMag TV. To jot down Gregg off as mainly being a no person most undoubtedly will get below his pores and skin and I feel Fouad knew precisely learn how to hearth a nuke that will probably maintain this feud going for lots longer than it did. By nuking Gregg, now Palumbo needed to intervene as effectively. It has all of the makings of a brand new rivalry to interchange that of RX and MD. I can see this changing into the brand new drawn out battle. RX vs Hosstile/BroChat, not less than for a superb lengthy whereas.

In all honesty, perhaps Sam isn’t into podcasts, and perhaps Gregg by no means goes on BroChat, and neither Gregg nor Fouad apologize to one another. Possibly issues simply keep as is and everybody strikes on. Which may actually work most wherever else, however in bodybuilding, particularly within the weeks earlier than the Arnold Basic, I believe the troublemakers gained’t let up on this for not less than one other week or two.

I don’t have a facet within the combat between Fouad and Gregg. I feel they need to squash it. Nonetheless, if I used to be working Hosstile and I signed Sam, I can inform you that I’d discourage him doing different podcasts. Whether or not it could be prohibited within the contract or I’d strongly discourage it could in the end be the identical factor. He must earn cash and make his sponsor cash. Past that – there isn’t any past that.

Ideas?