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Jay Lyons

Background​

  • Handles social media for Mackenzie Price
  • Connected to Alpha Schools through Mackenzie's work
  • Recently relocated to Austin from Burbank, California after 11 years
  • Lives in Riverside area of Austin
  • Married to Sofia Lyons, co-founder of their production company

Professional Background​

Television Production Career​

  • TV producer with extensive reality show experience
  • MTV's "Made" - 4 years, 200 episodes produced
  • TLC's "My 600 Pound Life"
  • Spotify documentary work
  • Experience across "basically every network"
  • Background in New York and LA television markets

Social Media Expertise​

  • Co-founded production company with wife Sofia 1.5 years ago
  • Achieved 220 million organic views for Mackenzie Price
  • Started Mackenzie's account "from scratch" with strategic approach
  • Philosophy: "Let the algorithm tell us who wants this content"
  • Prefers email communication over texting for thoughtful correspondence

Notable Client Success​

  • The Professor (Grayson Boucher): Basketball streetball legend
    • Grew from 2-3 million to 8 million YouTube subscribers
    • Prison Fellowship ministry video: 70 million long-form views
    • Connected Kevin Durant, Steph Curry calling after viral content
    • Close personal friendship: "one of my very best friends"
    • Met through church connection (Shepherd Church)

Professional Role at Alpha​

  • Social media manager/coordinator for Mackenzie Price
  • Appears to organize podcast appearances and media engagements
  • Responsible for coordinating guest appearances on Mackenzie's podcast
  • Focused exclusively on "making her famous from a whole wide perspective"
  • Clear division: Jay handles Mackenzie's content, separate team handles Alpha Schools content

Network & Connections​

Entertainment Industry​

  • Deep connections in reality TV production across all major networks
  • Venice Beach basketball community through The Professor
  • Knows Nick Ansel (Venezuela) from Venice basketball scene
  • Connected to various streetball legends and characters

Faith Community​

  • Father built Shepherd Church as general contractor
  • Family attended Shepherd Church
  • Connected to Prison Fellowship ministry
  • Son attended basketball camp at church
  • Wife Sofia connected to Zachary Lee's ministry retreats

Austin Connections​

  • Preston: 20-30 year friendship, Uber connection, bought house in Bastrop on Zachary Lee's recommendation
  • Zachary Lee: Ministry leader, owns retreat center, connected through Preston
  • Sports Academy connections through Jamal

Strategic Insights & Capabilities​

Marketing Philosophy​

  • "Bad mojo" algorithm theory - start fresh rather than fix broken accounts
  • Organic growth focus over paid promotion
  • Geographic targeting awareness: "Austin is less than 0.5% of Mackenzie's following"
  • Qualified audience emphasis: "They've got to be able to afford 25,000 people"

Event Production Experience​

  • Organized events with major influencers including Mr. Beast
  • Understanding of crowd dynamics vs. qualified audiences
  • Experience with 300+ person events
  • Recognizes difference between viral reach and local conversion

Alpha Schools Integration​

Current Collaboration​

  • Working with Gary Sheng and Ron Roberts on unified funnel strategy
  • Eliminating "firewall" between Alpha Schools and Mackenzie's content
  • Coordinating June 14th parent event with qualified audience focus
  • Planning podcast studio utilization (David Corral's vacant space)

Content Strategy​

  • Maintains Mackenzie's podcast studio at Alpha for visitor access
  • Traveling with Mackenzie to Miami for content creation
  • Balancing national reach with local Austin enrollment needs

Personal Details​

  • Father with children in Austin schools
  • Son participated in Zachary Lee's water retreats
  • Family relocated from 11-year Burbank residence
  • Prefers thoughtful email communication over quick texts

Key Quotes​

  • "My whole job is to make her famous from a whole wide perspective"
  • "The algorithm will tell us who wants this content"
  • "Austin is less than 0.5% of her following"
  • "They've got to be qualified. They've got to be able to afford 25,000 people"
  • "I send thoughtful, good emails"

Notable Activities​

  • As of May 20, 2025, was arranging an appearance by Daniel Pewter (described as "some wrestler") on Mackenzie's podcast
  • May 27, 2025: Coordinating Miami trip with Mackenzie, exploring David Corral's vacant podcast studio

Connection to Alpha​

  • Works directly with Mackenzie Price, a key figure at Alpha Schools
  • Likely involved in Alpha's public-facing media strategy through Mackenzie's platform
  • Now directly collaborating with Gary Sheng and Ron Roberts on unified marketing strategy

Interaction History​

  • 2025-05-20: Mentioned by Mackenzie Price during conversation with Gary Sheng:

    Mackenzie: "We're doing a podcast. I don't, at Jay Lyons, have you met Jay? He does all my social media stuff."

    Mackenzie: "He's like, oh my gosh, we're getting Daniel Pewter coming in. He'll be here like any minute."

  • 2025-05-27: Extended conversation with Gary Sheng and Ron Roberts at Alpha Schools. Discussed professional background, social media strategy, and collaboration on June 14th parent event. Shared insights about qualified audience targeting and unified funnel approach. Introduced wife Sofia and discussed faith community connections.

Connection Points​

  • Potential resource for social media strategies
  • May have network of media connections through podcast work
  • Could be valuable for the June 14th parent event promotion
  • Reality TV production expertise could support Alpha Schools documentary/content initiatives
  • Faith community connections through Zachary Lee network
  • Sports/athletics connections through The Professor and Sports Academy

Transcripts​

Transcript IDDateSummary
2025-05-27-jay-sofia-lyons-ron-roberts-meeting2025-05-27Strategic meeting discussing unified marketing funnel, reality TV background, and faith community connections

Notes​

  • Appears to be separate from the criticized Proto/Jason marketing team
  • May represent a more effective channel for Alpha's marketing given criticism of official marketing efforts
  • Proven track record with 220M organic views and major influencer growth
  • Strategic understanding of audience qualification vs. viral reach
  • Family man with local Austin roots and faith community connections