Cal Marshall sees the resorts of Las Vegas as a treasure trove of untold stories. An entire dining series could be built just around the food available at MGM Resorts, he says, and he’s already got the concept: “I want to go behind the scenes on how this stuff is produced.”
The 29-year-old Marshall—who goes by “calcaliente” on social media—is the CEO and founder of Burger Media, a company that helps businesses build their brands through social media. His clients include MGM, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the NBA Summer League, to name a few.
Marshall got his start in music marketing when he launched his first company, Slomocup, at 21. He often applies aesthetics from the hip-hop world to his marketing strategies. He says he began sharing his expertise when he realized he had a knack for “finding holes and filling them with opportunities.”
Now, he’s launching a docuseries called Nights Out, which explores the influence cannabis and hip-hop culture have on the Las Vegas club scene. The 12-part series, out February 13 on his Burger Media YouTube channel, focuses on the stories behind clubs like Drai’s Beachclub & Nightclub and dispensaries, and the ways the legalization of cannabis has affected Vegas nightlife. Marshall says he intends to show that the industry is not just “made up of a bunch of stoners” and that legal cannabis goes through a highly regulated production and testing process.
“I want to elevate how cannabis brands are perceived and show different [types of] people, [including] those with opioid addictions and PTSD” he says. “I want to show how it’s sold and how it’s used in art, culture and fashion.”
Marshall has always been attracted to the less-traditional aspects of the marketing world. A couple years back, he made waves in the plastic surgery industry when he began working with Dr. Christopher Khorsandi, better known as “Doc Vegas.” Marshall got the idea to help plastic surgeons build their brand when he found himself in the market for one. He took to YouTube to begin his research but couldn’t find what he was looking for there.Then, he says, “I had a eureka moment,” explaining that before 2016, much of plastic surgeons’ advertising strategies involved “corny testimonials.”
Khorsandi was the only doctor who emailed him back, demonstrating an openness to changing his strategy. Since then, the two have worked closely to build Khorsandi’s following by posting engaging, edgy content on Khorsandi’s @docvegas Instagram account. Khorsandi went from fewer than 20,000 Instagram followers to more than 180,000.
“So many businesses are archaic in the way they connect with their consumers,” Marshall says. “If you have a narrative storytelling strategy, it’s way more beneficial to the brand, because if consumers feel they have a relationship with you, they will eventually buy from you.”
