Episode
Ted Gibson & Jason Backe- CONVERGENCE
- Published
- Apr 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3659
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Summary
Ted Gibson and Jason Backe Live at ABS Chicago Some conversations remind you why you got into this industry in the first place. This is one of them. Recorded live at ABS Chicago with co-host Geno Chapman, Corey sits down with Ted Gibson and Jason Backe for an hour covering three decades of hustle, heartbreak, reinvention, and beauty from the inside out. The Roads That Led Here Neither Ted nor Jason took a straight path in. Jason was a raver kid in Minneapolis who walked into beauty school and for the first time felt seen by a teacher. Ted was a Texas athlete who walked into a salon called Zan and Friends, saw a room full of stylish people in starched Wranglers, and decided that was the life. What followed was barber school, a cross-country move seeking fame, a detour to Atlanta to answer phones while switching his license, and a room with Confederate flags on the wall. He stayed anyway. The sacrifices nobody sees are always the foundation of the success they do. What Fame Actually Costs Saying yes to Angelina Jolie's hair for Tomb Raider changed everything. Vogue. Marie Claire. A PR firm that told them to drop the name Fame and call it Ted Gibson. A Fifth Avenue salon. A DC licensing deal tied to the Real Housewives. A move to LA where they gambled everything and learned more than they earned. Three years in Palm Springs that have brought more inspiration than anywhere else they've lived. Success is not linear. It never was. The Client Relationship... and When It Ends Ted's rule: treat every client like it's the first time you've seen her. She is a different person. Jason goes deeper, describing 20 years of New York clients who didn't care what it cost, and how COVID ended it overnight. He had to create a new category... client friends. Losing them felt like grief. It…