Marvel & Walking Dead Genius: From Food Stamps to Empire (Insane Hustle)

Dropping Bombs

Brad Lea

Business, Bradlea, Success, Mentor, Coach, Advice, Money, Strategy, Training, Entrepreneurship, Therealbradlea, Entrepreneur, Comedy

4.8 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/

Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/

Ed Tommasi (Award Winning Director) brings explosive energy to this electric Dropping Bombs episode, revealing how he went from food stamps in a trailer park to directing campaigns for Marvel, Disney, NFL, Amazon and more. The chief creative officer behind Opin—the agency transforming stale marketing into cinematic experiences—drops truth bombs about cold-calling his way to The Walking Dead franchise, selling six companies including multiple 7-figure exits, and building In God We Must into the largest Christian streetwear brand.

But this isn't just another success story. Ed unleashes the real framework: authentic energy over fake sales tactics, paying the price for what you want or watching it become the sacrifice, and embracing the "but God" mentality that conquered cancer and fueled his relentless rise. From speaking on faith to designing conversation-starter apparel, Ed's mission transcends profit—he's planting seeds and changing perspectives one interaction at a time. If you're ready to ditch excuses, embrace authentic hustle, and understand why gratitude is your secret weapon, this episode is your wake-up call to transform everything.

🔗 Resources

🌐 In God We Must Store — https://www.igwm.co/

📲 Ed's Instagram @ed.tommasi — https://www.instagram.com/ed.tommasi/

📲 In God We Must Instagram @ingodwemust — https://www.instagram.com/ingodwemust/

Watch the full-length video version of any Dropping Bombs episode here on YouTube.

Brad Lea is a self-made entrepreneur who turned small-town grit into a multi-million-dollar empire. With over 25 years dominating sales and leadership, he's mentored thousands to outsmart, outwork, and out win their competition. His top-rated podcast, Dropping Bombs, brings raw, game-changing insights from the biggest names in business.

LightSpeed VT is Brad's brainchild—the world's leading interactive training platform. It's built to make your team sharper, faster, and more effective, without wasting time or money. Whether you're a startup or a Fortune 500, LightSpeed VT is how you scale success and dominate your industry. Curious? Check it out:

https://www.lightspeedvt.com/

Brad's also behind Closer School, the go-to program for mastering sales and closing deals like a pro. Want to 10x your income? This is where you start. His book, The Hard Way, lays out the brutal, honest lessons he learned building his empire—your blueprint to winning the game. Get it here: https://bradlea.com/product/the-hard-way/

This isn't just a video. It's a wake-up call. Watch it. Share it. Act on it.

Closer School: https://www.closerschool.com/cs

Transcript

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0:00.0	We had landed a big project for Marvel.
0:02.0	And I'll never forget this Amazon exact was like...
0:04.0	Someone said Walking Dead? Yeah, yeah, yeah. What'd you do? What'd you do with him? I was recently shooting with Meltzer. You cannot let him watch this. He's me so mad. I've never had a problem with money. Like, give me some more. Give me some more. Oh. If you talk about Godless... Godless.
0:21.0	That makes me want to cry.
0:22.0	Dude, that's godless.
0:23.0	So my wife and I own the largest Christian Give me some more. If you talk about godless, that makes me want to cry.
0:21.4	Dude, like, that's godless. So my wife and I own the largest Christian clothing brand. How do you keep cracking home runs? Everything you do ends up the largest, the biggest. And I've had some pretty dark moments. I'm going to share a story. I don't think I've ever shared this before. We were so poor. Years ago, I had cancer. I thought I thought I was dead.
0:38.1	We need to get you an emergency immediately.
0:40.5	Went back in, uh, shared this before. We were so poor. Years ago, I had cancer. I thought, I thought I was dead.
0:38.1	We need to get you an emergency immediately. Went back in 60 days later for scans and they were like, we don't know what to tell you, but the palps are gone. Oh, you know, it's funny. It's funny. Oh, gosh, I can't believe I'm even going to say this. Oh, man. Listen, where's the camera? You got to edit that out.
0:55.9	What it is, Brad Lee, back again with Listen, where's the camera? You got to edit that out.
0:59.7	What it is, Brad Lee, back again with another episode of dropping bombs.
1:03.7	Today in the studio, folks, as always, I brought a real treat for you.
1:06.4	But this time, I would say it's a double treat.
1:09.0	My man, Edward Tamasi in the house.
1:09.5	Come on.
1:10.1	Let's get it.
1:30.8	How we live it. Hey, and if you guys don't know this dude, then you've been living under a rock. Or maybe it's because, dude, a lot of things that you do are behind the scenes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's a behind the scenes guy. He's a creative mastermind behind campaigns for Marvel, Amazon, NFL, Walmart. And ultimately, the guy who can force a brand to stop being invisible.
1:38.7	Edward Tamasi is the chief creative officer at Open, the agency that's ultimately turning stale marketing into cinematic experiences.
1:45.4	Director, producer, you've worked across commercials, music videos, feature films like run like hell,
1:50.7	the girl and the hunter and the firefly. Someone said Walking Dead. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's how I first lost my agency was Walking Dead franchise. What'd you do with them? Oh, well, listen, it was like 15
1:55.9	years ago. I started my first production company. And at that time, the Walking Dead franchise,
	...

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