I remember sitting across from the seed investors of Naked Revival and saying, “So—alongside this admittedly bullish startup idea that goes well beyond the usual ‘test-the-MVP waters’ playbook, I’d also like a little extra cash to film a streaming series that follows the launch of Naked Revival.”
Even for me, a big-swing, BHAG-loving entrepreneur, I knew this was audacious. If apparel startups are risky, then a TV show about an apparel startup is risk squared.
Did they blink? Yes. And I braced for the obvious no. But to their credit, and my quietly thrilled surprise, they also said yes.
I guess, cut from the same BHAG cloth as me, they leaned in. Early-stage investors, after all, are certainly not backing me because of the color of my eyes.
The case I made was equal parts business pitch and creative impulse: somewhere between the market tailwinds in docutainment, the success of Drive to Survive, and the rise of founder-led content on YouTube. But if I’m honest, it was also just a story I ached to tell.
The opening question in the Prelude comes from long-time friend, advisor, and Investor Andrew Kaplan, “Why do this?”
Why? Because Prelude was never just about the clothes or the supplements, or even that Naked Revival is literally an eco-system of everything I love in the world business, health and personal development. It was about the story—what it really feels like to start again (or to start at all)—to risk reputation, capital, and time for the chance to build something. I wanted to capture that process in its raw state with some added cinematic flare, not as a victory lap (believe me), but as a living document of what it takes to dream, fall down, and get back up.
My hope is that Prelude gives other entrepreneurs what I wish I’d had in my early days: A glimpse behind the curtain. Not the polished pitch decks or glossy magazine spreads, but the messy middle—the doubts, the detours, the luck and grit that shape a company, and the incredible people who bet their time, money, and love on it. What drives them to take that risk?
It’s also a reminder that aspiration itself is fuel. One of the fundamental tensions of being human is the pull between where we are and where we want to go. We need that tension. It’s what keeps us alive and spurs on our creativity.
Entrepreneurship, to me, is one of the clearest paths into that tension. The whole concept of my book Getting Naked, and the documentary REVIVE, was built on the idea that entrepreneurship is less about building a business and more about building yourself. The challenges become a mirror. How do you show up? What did you learn? What do you shed, discard, or outgrow along the way?
In the end, entrepreneurship isn’t just about creating a company—it’s about becoming who you’re meant to become through the very act of trying.
The first bit of advice I got was simple: Just flip the phone around, film myself, and throw it up on YouTube or Instagram. Easy. But as you’ll figure out from this, I can’t seem to help myself—I’m a romantic, which means I chase the grandest things in the grandest ways. I’m also a little old-fashioned. What I really wanted was to make a good, long-form, 13-episode TV series.
So what is the REVIVE Prelude?
Filming on location in Tokyo
Prelude is a short documentary I produced with my friend Adam Besse and his team of rock stars at Agency Media. It’s now live on YouTube, and offers the first window into the full REVIVE series. It traces the origins of Naked—where it started, where it soared, and how it met its end. More importantly, it captures the emotional toil to founders and their families, that come with building something from the ground up. Both topics we’ll expand upon in the series.
This is not a brand ad. It’s the brutal truth. I suspect some may watch and think I’m not a bankable founder. But again, Prelude was made because too often, the entrepreneurial journey is sold as a straight line to glory. This illusion does a disservice to the people who answer the call to chase their ideas. If anything, the low points are where we learn who we really are and whether we’re willing to keep going.
REVIVE Director Adam Besse and Primus in Japan
Prelude’s Mission
If you’re an aspiring founder, I hope Prelude feels like permission. Permission to be transparent. Permission to embrace the hard days for the character they enable you to build. Permission to keep going when it would be easier to quit.
And if you’ve already ventured down this path, I hope it stirs a little nostalgia and reminds you of your own first foray into the adventure that is starting a business.
And, of course, I hope it entertains you too.
Prelude represents a cornerstone in Naked Revival’s values. Transparency has always been in the DNA of the “Naked” name. That means letting customers, supporters, and investors see not just what we make, but how we make it, and what it takes to build a brand from scratch again.
Primus in Japan
What’s Next
Prelude is just the beginning. The REVIVE series will roll out in early 2026, spanning thirteen episodes filmed in Vancouver, Tokyo, Montreal, New York, Las Vegas, and beyond. It dives into the realities of raising capital, the toll on families, the state of manufacturing apparel, and the human resilience behind entrepreneurship.
Today, however, it starts with one short film. One honest glimpse into the past and present of Naked Revival, and the future I’m still working hard to build.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about crafting the “perfect” narrative. It’s about telling your story in a way that offers a hand to those still in the thick of their own.
Life in business, as in in art, is beautifully messy. Neither are ventures for the lone wolf, but made richer through collective experience and a close-knit cast of characters. We move forward with our comrades, past and present, and those we’ve yet to meet, sharing in this remarkable journey.
Enjoy,
—Joel
