Introduction: 0:25
- Introducing Mark Marin, General Counsel of Puffco, his background, and the variety of roles he has held throughout his career.
- Beginning his career as a patent attorney.
Jumping into the fast-paced start-up world at Quirky: 2:31
- Joining Quirky, an invention product development platform, for his first in-house legal role.
- Working in a high-energy, ambitious environment.
- How changing business priorities led to an unsustainable business model, and consequently bankruptcy.
Discovering a silver lining during bankruptcy: 6:40
- Declaring bankruptcy due to Quirky’s lack of funding and vision.
- Being one of the last few employees at a company and navigating the legal nuances in bankruptcy law.
- How strong relationships with colleagues helps open doors for career opportunities, like Mark’s new role at Wink.
Navigating being acquired twice in the span of a short time: 10:17
- Transitioning from Quirky to Wink, a subsidiary of the bankrupt company that was sold to Flextronics in a stalking horse bid.
- Earning his first Head of Legal role.
- Differing vision with the acquirer leading to Wink being sold off again.
- Overseeing two acquisitions during a short period of time.
- Finding an unexpected high-profile buyer in will.i.am.
Learning from trying to merge cultures during company acquisitions: 14:58
- Early signs that an acquisition isn’t going well, from change in business priorities to lack of buy-in from employees.
- Integrating into your acquirer’s vision for your company, and losing your own.
- Lack of employee buy-in after i.am+ acquisition, due to competing cultures.
Grappling with adversity as Barstool Sports’ first General Counsel: 18:50
- Leveraging his network to land a GC role at Barstool Sports.
- Underestimating the intensity of challenges, especially the public criticism that came with working at a high-profile company.
- Facing internal resistance when trying to develop legal processes as the first in-house counsel.
- Dealing with a public backlash and being in the line of fire as the company’s GC.
Finding support during career challenges: 27:20
- Navigating lack of support from the company.
- Leaning on friends, colleagues and mentors for support.
- Realizing that it’s common to land in challenging situations as a GC, and that you’re not alone.
Venturing a new path in the cannabis industry: 30:40
- Negotiating an exit from Barstool Sports and joining Puffco as a general counsel.
- Exploring the regulated industry of cannabis.
- Lobbying for causes on behalf of a company, and its community.
Parting advice for younger attorneys: 33:17
- Understanding why “Leaders Eat Last”, from a Ted Talk and book by Simon Sinek.
- Expecting an unpredictable career path as a GC and preparing for anything.
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