COO Cameo, Brian Frank: From Professional Networks to Celebrity Networks

To say that Brian Frank, Chief Operating Officer of Cameo, comes from a non-traditional background into the career field of sales might be an understatement. Brain’s career began in law and he spent nearly a full career there before transitioning to sales in 2008, where he has been exceedingly active.

Brian’s multifaceted background has given him a wide range of skillsets and a deep wisdom that has become invaluable to the organizations where Brian has worked. His focus on constantly learning through experience, as well as an emphasis on transparency has led him to the hard won successes that allow him to gain these perspectives.

In this episode, Brain and Joubin talk about Brian’s shift from law, his tenure at LinkedIn, and how experiential learning led to the inspiring story behind Brian’s decision to take up the guitar. Brian also goes into the details on Cameo and their meteoric rise, his influence there, and more.

In this episode, we cover:

• Brian talks about his shift from law, to finance, and finally to sales. (1:09)
• Brian’s colorful employment history (which began at age 13) prior to graduating from UC San Diego. (6:41)
• How Brian approaches outbound opportunities - and how a quick LinkedIn message led to a business partnership. (10:37)
• What Brian’s LinkedIn colleagues have to say about him - and his inspiring anecdote about how he met his guitar instructor, Marty Schwartz. (13:34)
• The story behind Brian’s ban from LinkedIn - and why his experiential learning style works for him. (17:15)
• All things sales ops: From defining the role to hiring and developing talent. (21:53)
• ‘What do you value most?’: Joubin and Brian rank and discuss career, money, company and manager. (32:17)
• The lowest points of Brian’s LinkedIn ride - and what led him to be more transparent and open with his team. (36:37)
• What is Cameo? Breaking down Cameo and its fascinating growth. (45:34)
• How Brian assessed Cameo to determine if he was a fit - and his mindset when joining the company. (51:06)
• Why most businesses are demand constrained - and more on Cameo’s B2B expansion. (54:16)

Links:

• Connect with Brian
  • LinkedIn
  • Cameo
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins