Return on Creators

Co-Founder & CEO

The Roc Crüe

Leading new agency initiatives
Cultivating new and existing partnerships
Guiding forward-looking strategy and execution

Head of Strategy

Trndsttrs

Guiding Strategy. Getting out of the team's way. Helping brands crush on TikTok Shop.

Trndsttrs Media is a Gen Z owned & operated agency that helps brands connect with modern consumers.

We are social media marketing gurus, content creators, social influencers, and trendsetters 🚀.

Founder & CEO

Seven years ago, I was just a kid with a hunch.

Brands didn't understand Gen Z. 

I saw the gap and knew it had to be fixed.

But the thing about being an 18 y/o dropout with no experience, clients, or money?

No one gives a shit.

I had to go prove it.

I scratched. Clawed. Worked like hell to just get a chance.

I got a shot and took it.

Trndsttrs was born. 

The idea became a team.

A team that would prove our thesis brick by brick. 

The stakes grew and so did the team.

We helped McDonald's navigate COVID. 

We launched your favorite brands on TikTok and hacked the algorithm.

We changed the vertical content game forever. 

We helped brands break through the noise. Built creator partnerships that mattered. And ran campaigns that didn't sell into culture, but shaped it.

We built, pound for pound, the best Gen Z team in the world.

But here's what they don't tell you about building something from scratch:

You don't just learn how to solve problems. 

You learn to spot the ones that keep coming back.

For years, we solved the same problem over and over again.

Every campaign, every deal, every strategy—it all pointed to the same gap.

The brand <> creator ecosystem is broken.

We worked around it. We filled the gaps ourselves.

Until one day, we realized we weren’t just filling the gaps.

We were building the solution.

Now I find myself building RoC (return on creators).

Not a new idea—it’s the culmination of everything we’ve built, everything we’ve learned, and every challenge we’ve solved along the way.

This is our moonshot. Beaten and battered grapes forming our magnum opus.

I'll continue to operate with Trndsttrs as the premier social commerce agency—partnering with a select group of brands to drive results on the fastest-growing commerce platforms in the world.

Jake Bjorseth

Closed The Biggest Deal of My Life This Weekend 

She's been with me in building two companies.

Dropping out of college to pursue this crazy dream.

Starting our influencer operation from the ground floor into the thing we're the absolute best at today.

Following me and that dream from her family in Kansas City to Los Angeles and now Florida.

She's the only one that's been with me through it all.

Missing dates I couldn't find the time for.

Rarely any budget for birthday or anniversary gifts.

Dealing with the chaos of the entrepreneurial life we chose.

I owe it all to her.

Amanda, now let's go get you a new last name people can't pronounce and go build one last venture together:

A family.

Social Commerce + Creator Marketing | Mom's Favorite Son

Vine is back. Sort of. 

And it says a lot about where the internet is going.

I spent this morning thinking about something wild:

A decade-old app just resurfaced…

And somehow, it feels more relevant than half the platforms that launched this year.

Vine (now revived as “diVine”) brought back 100,000+ of its original 6-second videos.

And it’s taking a hard stance: no generative AI uploads. Only real humans, real cameras.

This hit me for one reason:

We’re officially entering the era where nostalgia is a strategy.

Consumers don’t just want new features anymore.

They want a feeling.
 
They want the internet they grew up with.

They want identity back.

And the comeback of Vine tells us something brands need to pay attention to.

Short-form didn’t win because it was short.

It won because it felt raw.

It felt human.

It felt like creativity had constraints again.

Today, platforms are bloated.

Feeds are flooded with AI sludge.

Authenticity feels algorithmically filtered.

So of course an old format suddenly feels refreshing.

Here’s the real takeaway:

The next wave of social isn’t going to be “more.”
 
It’s going to be less.

Less polished.

Less synthetic.

Less optimized for machines.

More human.

More native.

More emotional.

Brands that embrace this shift will cut through the noise instantly.

Not by trying to out-AI everyone.

But by returning to constraints that force creativity.

If you’re a marketer, creator, or brand leader… ask yourself:

Are you chasing complexity?

Or are you building for the internet people miss?

Times I've Been Asked If I Had A College Degree:

0

Times I've Been Asked About Case Studies:

3,000+

Meritocracy: holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability.

Don't take for granted just how unique this moment in time is.

For thousands of years, your success depended on who your parents were.

For the last century, it was your college and degree based on grades you got at 16 years old.

Today, it's... what you can actually do.

Mamdani's campaign for NYC mayor was a marketing masterclass.

What opposition will claim as "the kid who promises pizza for lunch and kool-aid in the water fountains" is dismissive of the true strategic brilliance.

This campaign was a mirror image of Trump's 2016 run.

The policies vastly different, but the strategies identical ->

1. Simple Messaging
Trump didn't present a complicated immigration plan. He promised to "build a wall" and "have Mexico pay for it". 

It was a visual example able to be explained by supporters in one sentence.

Mamdani's message was incredibly simple:

Lower Rent
Free Buses

Not a convoluted policy on property taxes on corporations, rent subsidies, etc... 

2. Social First
Mamdani was everywhere. His face inescapable across social media.

Trump's 2016 was the first of its kind: a social-first political strategy leaning on Meta, not programmatic.

Mamdani's team from design to creative to messaging to marketing was always social first. 

3. Community Centric
Whether it was bodegas, clubs, or even a UGC-driven scavenger hunt, Mamdani's team took to the streets.

The online content is only a signal to forge the grassroots movement IRL that you really need to win votes.

Meeting culture where it is time and time again.
--
This will not be the last populist election we see. 

Changes are this is yet another trailblazing example of what is to come.

Label it what you want, but the real story here is a marketing one, not a political one.

My passion for entrepreneurship and marketing is all a facade.

A trick played by my own brain against my subconscious.

And all of this you see is nothing more than the outlet for the real motivation.

For some, that intrinsic motivation is money.

Attention for many more.

More nefarious things, but helpful, for others.

For me, I know all too well the hidden desire that makes me tick.

Competition.

I've had an obsessive need to compete, and win, since as young as I can remember.

Nothing could ever just be a fun game to play.

Sports, activities, school work, video games...

I didn't care what it was, I needed to win.

I used to find ways to cheat playing freaking Uno with my family.

I spent 20 minutes last night watching a Youtube video on strategies for the card game "Spades" so I can crush my buddies this weekend.

It's a problem... 

But it's who I am.

And it ain't changing.

Maybe I need a therapist.

Or maybe I need a business that lets me work with hundreds of brands getting the chance to compete everyday across every category.

If you're a founder, I know the same is true for you.

There is some intrinsic motivation behind it all that is the real reason you do what you do.

Find that motivation.

Cut the crap trying to convince yourself you were born to sling enterprise software or CPG products on the internet. 

Lean into that intrinsic motivation and design your life for it.

You'll be glad you did

TikTok isn’t the Silk Road.

It’s Rome.

The Silk Road was a trade route.

Rome was a world order.

TikTok isn’t just connecting culture and commerce…

It’s centralizing it.

Here’s the real analogy:

Rome didn’t just influence the world, it dictated it.

All roads led back to Rome.

And all influence led out of it.

TikTok operates the same way today:
👉 Trends begin there
👉 Narratives spread from there
👉 Products are validated there
👉 Purchases happen because of it

Not because TikTok is “randomly powerful.”

But because of its origin.

A cultural empire disguised as a social app.

Most platforms distribute influence horizontally.

TikTok funnels it vertically.

It’s not a marketplace of ideas,

It’s the epicenter where ideas are minted, ranked, and exported.

Creators orbit it.

Brands depend on it.

Consumers treat it as truth.

And whether we like it or not…

Every road in modern culture now leads back to TikTok.

The companies pretending TikTok is just another platform are the ones falling behind.

The ones treating it like Rome, the undeniable center of cultural gravity, are the ones winning.
—

If you want to understand where culture, commerce, and attention are heading…

Don’t study trade routes.

Study empires.

Tyler Watson

Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces

Enterprise & Emerging Categories

Spanglish Asadero

Dan-O's Seasoning

Led the transformation of Dan-O’s from a Kentucky flea market booth into one of the most disruptive challenger brands in the category--driving growth and distribution in Grocery, Mass, Club, Hardware, Value/Dollar, and other key brick-and-mortar channels.

🌶️ Bain & Co.’s Insurgent Brands List (2024, 2025)

SVP, Head of Sales

The UPS Store

Franchise Sales & Business Development

Sales & Business Development

Relax The Back

Sales

The Medical Institute of Kentucky

Area Director

Admissions Representative

The Walking Company Holdings, INC

General Manager

Shoe Store

Slangin’ soles at Tradehome and Knotts Shoes 👟👞👡

Shoe Dog

Back of House

Dishwasher

By the time I reached 16, I was a new dad and a high school dropout.

For the next two years, I was stuck washing dishes in the back of house.

One day my shift lead—who would later become my wife—proposed a new path. She suggested I try my hand at selling shoes at a store in the mall that was hiring.

From the moment I stepped onto a sales floor, I was captivated, and I steadily ascended the ranks in retail management over the next couple of years.

However, I kept hitting a ceiling due to my lack of experience and education, which prompted me to reinvent myself repeatedly.

I continuously expanded my skillset—transitioning from managing retail stores and higher ed campuses to selling and supporting franchise businesses.

During this journey, I gained profound insights into the psychology of consumer behavior and got pretty damn good at talking to folks. 

Now I’ve found a home in the CPG space as a sales leader and pioneer with an aspiration to help build disruptive brands that redefine innovation from wall to wall.

I’d be honored if ya follow me as I continue writing an underdog story! 🌶️

Vice President of Sales

We make a 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 at our desks, but we make a 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 in the trenches… 

Our oldest, Chris, started bagging at Kroger recently. 

At the end of his first week, I asked him what he liked most about the gig and he proudly responded:

“A bagger is the last person a customer sees before they leave.” 

The bagger sees it all… 

…a single mother’s SNAP card not covering the whole bill so she’s gotta choose what to put back… 

…an elderly customer counting out their coins with a long line behind them… 

…a teen using their very first paycheck to buy groceries for their family… 

…the exhausted caregiver with a basket full of medical supplies, running on fumes… 

A bagger sees an average of 240 customers per shift, a 1:240 ratio… 

In America:

💳 1:8 receive SNAP benefits 

👵 1:18 are 65+ years old 

👦 2/3 of working teens contribute to household expenses

🧑‍⚕️ 1:18 are caregivers 

…and that only accounts for 30% of people coming through the line. 

Now layer in people struggling with things we 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 see… 

I’m often so focused on where I want to be, I sometimes forget about the opportunity I have to make a difference where I am 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄. 

You may find there’s a lot more purpose in standing at the end of a checkout lane than getting lost in the middle of a PowerPoint. 


PS—hugging a bagger is not a requirement… you could actually get in trouble for that.

From dishwasher to disruptor. Follow me for the underdog story. 🌶️

No alternative text description for this image

Your hands better be dirty before you throw ‘em up and try to pass the buck 🔧⚙️

I’ve always worked on my own cars—mostly out of necessity because we didn’t have the money to buy and maintain nice ones. 

Dylan and I had matching Camaros when we were 18-19 years old 🔥 (pic in the comments)

His dad was a big gear head, so we’d go to him for help when we were stumped. 

He’d always ask, “y’all turned any wrenches or busted any knuckles yet?”

And those challenges—being stuck—became exciting to figure out. 

Firing the car up and driving after we’d had it completely taken apart was exhilarating. 

Don’t leave “figuring sh*t out” off your résumé… 📄

“Initiation before inauguration.” 

Besides… nowadays you’re one YouTube or ChatGPT away from the answer.

📸: circa 2011

taplio

The Battle

Jake Bjorseth

Tyler Watson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJake Bjorseth's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreTyler Watson's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Jake Bjorseth

Tyler Watson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jake Bjorseth's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreTyler Watson's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJake Bjorseth's LinkedIn Performance