Eli Marcus of “The Motivation Show” podcast chatted about his latest endeavors in the New York entertainment and lifestyle industry.
Norman Vincent Peale once said: “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”
This quote applies to Eli Marcus, who is affectionately known as the “Mayor of Times Square.”
Background on Eli Marcus
Eli Marcus is a motivational speaker and businessman who, as CEO of The Seminar Center in NYC, worked with some of the all-time great celebs, book authors and speakers such as Michael Jackson, Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul), Dr. Richard Carlson (Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff), Denis Waitley, Les Brown, Neale Donald Walsch, Ivana Trump, Davy Jones, Dr. Brian Weiss, James Van Praagh, Iyanla Vanzant, and Caroline Myss, among countless others.
Marcus’ career spans various industries, where he has honed his skills in sales and relationship building. He has conducted over 30,000 cold calls, gaining firsthand knowledge of what works and what doesn’t in the art of communication.
As the host of “The Motivation Show” podcast, which is ranked in the top one percent in the world by Listen Notes, Marcus interviews leading figures in business and personal development, offering actionable insights to his audience.
Being a podcaster in the digital age
On being a podcaster in the digital age, Marcus said, “It actually feels pretty good. I just did a great podcast with Carol Leifer, who co-wrote a book with Rick Mitchell. They are both prolific comedians, and comedy writers. Carol wrote for ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Seinfeld,’ and she did some of the best skits ever written. That was a lot of fun.”
“Everybody I interview is really fascinating,” Marcus noted. “Prior to that, I interviewed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dion.”
“Sometimes, I am interviewing billionaires or other times, I am interviewing a 99-year-old Holocaust survivor, who survived four death camps; that is just remarkable to me,” he expressed.
“I think it’s important to adapt because the one thing that is constant in life is change, and you can’t be surprised by change, and you can’t be overwhelmed by it. If you can’t beat them, join them. We are all searching for this perfectionism, which doesn’t exist,” Marcus elaborated.
Eli Marcus on being known as ‘The Mayor of Times Square’
On being known as the “Mayor of Times Square,” Marcus expressed, “I don’t take it too seriously. For 15 years, I didn’t want to use this title until somebody convinced me to go with it. Lady Gaga wasn’t shy about using Lady Gaga as a title.”
“This ‘Mayor of Times Square’ title feels good because I’ve earned it,” he admitted. “Being in the hospitality industry for this long, I’ve earned that title.”
“I’ve worked on over 300 Broadway shows and dozens of tourist attractions, and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of restaurants and retailers in New York City. I’ve been in the trenches so it’s a title I’ve definitely earned,” he elaborated.
“I think we all need some personality, and people really like my title, so we are going to stick with it,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Marcus revealed, “The best is yet to come.”
“Right now, I want to make a positive difference in the world, and awaken the giant within, to quote the Tony Robbins book title,” he said.
“The worst thing is to look back in life and have regrets… it is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all,” he noted.
“You always have to believe that good things will happen down the road, otherwise, it can be a really depressing world,” he said.
“It is nice to believe that there is an afterlife, and that there are things that will happen later. It makes you feel good and hopeful,” he added.
Daily motivations
Regarding his daily motivations, Marcus shared, “I get up every morning not groggy. I get up with excitement because I have a new day to create my own canvas.”
“When you have goals and aspirations, you are excited. I’m a status quo buster. Every day, my goal is to get at least one percent better in whatever form I can,” he noted.
“What excites me the most is anything that has to do with self-help,” he said. “I’ve read over 3,000 books on self-help, which is perhaps more than any other human being on the planet.”
“To me, sometimes, you can hear the same thing 100 times, but the 101st time is when the pendulum swings and you have that aha moment,” he added.
Eli Marcus on Joe Germanotta
Marcus has great words about Joe Germanotta, who is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, change advocate, and restaurant owner of Joanne Trattoria in the Upper West Side.
Germanotta is also the co-founder and partner of Second Wind Media (along with Gabby Gabriel), and the father of global pop mega-star Lady Gaga.
“Joe is a great guy, and you wouldn’t think his daughter is who she is because he is just a regular guy with a regular restaurant trying to deal with regular everyday problems that restaurants have,” Marcus said.
“Joe has been great to collaborate with; we support each other, and you can’t ask for anything more than that,” he noted.
“Joe has been fantastic. I’ve known him for a long time, ever since he had a prior restaurant in that same space,” Marcus admitted.
Career-defining moments
On his career-defining moments, he remarked, “September 11th helped define me. I had one of the largest adult education centers in the world that I founded and served as a CEO called The Seminar Center.”
“We had nine classes that day, and nine classes on the following day. So, when September 11th hit, it gave me a message to slow down,” he acknowledged.
“Some of the best messages in life come through adversity and they come through death, or COVID, and things of that nature,” he said.
“That made me realize that I was working too many hours, and perhaps not smart enough. Honestly, it reinforced the belief to work smarter and not harder,” he elaborated.
Advice for hopefuls in the entertainment industry
For hopefuls that wish to make it in the entertainment business (especially podcasting), he exclaimed, “Do it! But do it if you have a purpose because it’s hard work like everything else.”
“Don’t going into podcasting thinking you are going to be the next Joe Rogan, because you are not, unless you are Joe Rogan,” Marcus said with a sweet laugh.
“I’m doing this because it’s more of a passion for me,” Marcus admitted. “Do what you love in life because it fascinates you, which is the main reason. Also, podcasting gives you a calling card to make you an expert the same way a book or a PhD title does.”
“Don’t try to be anybody else,” Marcus noted. “Just try to be the best version of yourself, and that is good enough.”
“So, go with the digital age, learn what you have to learn, don’t be overwhelmed or daunted, and don’t take yourself too seriously; that’s the problem a lot of people have,” he acknowledged.
AI on the future of the industry
Marcus shared his thoughts on AI (artificial intelligence) on the future of the industry.
“Well, AI is here to stay, and it will transform things, and it will make things easier,” he said. “Like every technology, it will replace some people’s jobs, but you have to find the positive in it, and figure out how to use it for yourself. It is about working smarter and not harder.”
“AI can’t replace the human connection, and I hope it doesn’t. Personally, I enjoy the personal touch in things,” he added.
Superpower of choice
When asked about his superpower of choice, Marcus responded, “I would love to be the funniest guy in the world.”
“Robin Williams mesmerized me,” Marcus said. He would go on all these talks shows and he would just ad-lib, and he had zero fear. Robin was his true authentic self, and he was willing to just let it all loose.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Marcus said, “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal. It’s important to have a goal in front of you, and something to look forward to.”
“Also, I always strive to be one percent better each day. I am always reading, and I am trying to obtain more knowledge, especially since knowledge in this world is endless,” Marcus underscored.
To learn more about Eli Marcus, check out his official website, watch “The Motivation Show” on YouTube, or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and follow him on Instagram.
