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Behind every creator brand, content engine, & social commerce win that looks inevitable are bad bets, stalled launches, broken assumptions, & pivots that never made it into a LinkedIn post.
Everyone talks about growth. Almost nobody talks about the experiments that bled money & went nowhere.
This Ugly Talk is for the decisions that did not work. The tests that failed. The lessons that actually moved the business forward.
Why You Should Attend
Learn from founders building in content commerce, social commerce, & the creator economy right now.
Hear what failed, what pivoted, & what finally worked.
Walk away with practical moves for growth, content, community, & commerce.
Get an honest conversation with no highlight reel.
Meet builders dealing with the same messy problems you are.
Who's Getting In This Room
Founders building content, creator economy, & commerce businesses.
Operators running growth, content, & acquisition.
Creators turning audiences into real revenue.
Investors, advisors, & ecosystem partners close to early-stage work.
Who's Taking the Stage
Harley Sutton - Founder & CEO of Thanks! Naturals
Harley Sutton is the Founder & CEO of Thanks! Naturals, an all-natural beauty & wellness brand built around spreading gratitude, & Founder of H&H Studios, a creative agency helping brands grow through content & live stream selling. A third-generation wellness entrepreneur & attorney, Harley traded the courtroom for wellness & live selling, launching Thanks! Naturals during the final year of her JD/MBA at USC. She documents her founder journey daily on TikTok & Instagram, sharing unfiltered behind-the-scenes looks at everything from product development to live stream selling - building in public & bringing her audience along for every win.
Shea Daspin - Affiliate Marketing Supervisor at Miracle Miles Group
Social commerce expert with a proven record of turning content, creators, & community into measurable revenue. Experienced in developing integrated strategies specialized in TikTok Shop & livestreaming. Builds high-performing creator partnerships, that leads to increased brand awareness, conversion, & customer loyalty. Combines cultural insight, trend fluency, & compelling storytelling with rigorous performance analysis to optimize & scale growth. Skilled in influencer recruitment, content development, merchandising, community engagement, attribution, & platform management, with a customer-first approach to creating seamless, engaging shopping experiences that consistently deliver sustainable commercial impact & long-term brand value.
Ethan Ma - Founder & CEO of AFM Agency
Ethan is the Founder & CEO of AFM Agency, a leading AI-driven full-service marketing agency & social commerce partner headquartered in Times Square. Under his leadership, AFM has helped brands accelerate growth across TikTok Shop, creator marketing, live commerce, paid media, & offline activations. He has built a global team operating across six centers, developed a network of more than 10,000 U.S. creators, & scaled the agency to manage over $20 million in monthly GMV. In 2026, Ethan led AFM to become the only agency recognized with two TikTok Partner of the Year awards in the U.S. & Cross-Border categories.
What We Do Not Sugarcoat
The failures nobody posts about What experiments, launches, & growth bets did not deliver.
The pivot point How founders knew it was time to change direction.
Content, commerce, & community What is actually driving attention, trust, & growth today.
Content commerce in practice Where content is generating revenue & where it falls short.
What worked in the end The lessons, systems, & decisions founders would make again.
Who's Backing This
AFM Agency
AFM Agency is a New York-based full-service marketing agency & social commerce growth partner headquartered in Times Square, with six global operating centers connecting brands, creators, commerce, & culture.
Driven by proprietary AI technology, AFM delivers end-to-end marketing solutions across strategy, creator marketing, livestreaming, social commerce, content production, paid media, PR, experiential events, & nationwide offline execution.
As an official top-tier TikTok Shop certified service provider, AFM manages over 10,000 directly collaborated creators across the U.S. & more than $20 million in monthly GMV.
Its livestreaming team ranked No.1 on TikTok, while its creator video business ranked No.2 through a network of L4+ high-converting creators.
With a 20,000 sqft venue in Times Square & strong nationwide campaign execution capabilities, AFM helps brands turn cultural moments into measurable business growth - online, offline, & across every touchpoint.
GREY Journal - Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (featured on Apple News + Google News).
About Ugly Talk:
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough aha! moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons & insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, & Miami, we've built a vibrant community of thousands of founders & industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.
Official Website: UglyTalk.com
Important Notice for Ugly Talk Attendees
Admission & Confirmation
Attendance is by approval only. Approved guests will receive a confirmation email along with a calendar invite. Invitations are non-transferable. Additional event details will be shared as the event approaches.
Code of Conduct
By attending, you agree to:
Maintain respect & professionalism, adhering to all venue rules, policies, & applicable laws.
Refrain from harassment, discrimination, unwelcome sexual advances (verbal or physical), intimidation, or inappropriate photography/recording.
Report any violations to the event hosts immediately.
Violations may result in immediate removal from the event & exclusion from future invitations.
Liability & Risk
Participation is voluntary & at your own risk. The event organizers, hosts, sponsors, & venue are not liable for personal injury, lost or stolen belongings, or any other damages incurred during the event.
Media Consent
By attending, you grant the event organizers & affiliated entities the right to capture, use, & distribute photos, videos, & audio recordings of you for promotional, marketing, & other lawful purposes, including digital & print media, advertising, & social media. You waive any right to inspect or approve the final materials & release all claims related to their use.
Communications
By registering, you agree to receive marketing & promotional communications from Ugly Talk & its co-hosts, partners, & sponsors. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Agreement
If you do not agree to this Code of Conduct, please refrain from attending the event.
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Official website
Official Event Page: [Link]
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