Lifestyle

Innovation and Steel Resolve: AD4M Fitness

Published

5 years ago

September 22, 2020

AD4M Fitness is a success story like few others, and one of the world’s fastest growing gym equipment companies, with sales of over $1 million per month in… its first year.

Building barbells and dumbbells, among many other products for gyms, AD4M Fitness has developed a unique manufacturing process for their gym equipment. The company’s founders, Vincent and Monika, met with an auto-parts manufacturer overseas. Vincent and Monika negotiated with this manufacturer to use their machinery and raw equipment to produce high quality barbells and dumbbells. Vincent and Monika turned this into a profitable relationship, developed a distribution network, and the rest is history.

Based in Casper, Wyoming and operating with a distribution center in San Jose, California, AD4M Fitness is one of the world’s fastest-growing gym equipment producers with projected revenues of $10 million this year… their first year in business.

More notably, they’ve accomplished all of this during the COVID-19 pandemic, while gyms have been strained and the health and fitness industry has taken a toll. Sometimes, pure innovation and an unexpectedly genius distribution move are the secrets to building demand in a market hampered by a national crisis.

“My wife & I have been tackling all kinds of new challenges with manufacturing & importing equipment from overseas, and the logistical challenges of fulfilling 400-500 orders a day across the United States [are large]. Amazingly enough, [we’re doing this] all with five main products. If we can achieve this, the sky may be truly the limit.”

Here’s the description for AD4M’s dumbbells, one of their best-selling products:

“The FlexBell Adjustable Dumbbells are a modern day work of art. They come in a few different sizes but we decided to carry only the heavy duty 65LBS version.

These are incredibly compact, sleek, and easily adjustable with the flick of your wrist. The 65LBS (130LBS total weight) dumbbell set sells anywhere from $599 to $2,000 plus shipping anywhere on the net but here at Ad4m we’re able to offer them at an unbeatable price with free shipping anywhere within the continental USA.” (Source: https://ad4m.com/products/flexbell-adjustable-dumbbells-2x65lbs)

As Vincent and Monika explain to Medium:

“Putting consumer support, and satisfaction, first of course. We also plan on launching the best brand awareness, and marketing campaign the fitness industry has ever seen. We believe connecting with your consumer is really key so we’d love to build a very active social media presence, and really take people behind the scenes to see what we’re all really about.” (Source: https://medium.com/@vincentbriatore/ad4m-fitness-beginners-luck-or-calculated-launch-8a15cde7ab7a)

Lifestyle

Confronting Propaganda: Street Smart Documents Honest Reactions to Gaza Indoctrination Footage

Published

7 days ago

November 6, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo Courtesy of: Street Smart

Byline: Michelle Langton

In a recent project, the Street Smart team gathered 20 strangers and presented them with propaganda footage from Gaza that has circulated widely online but remains largely unfamiliar to many audiences. The aim wasn’t to provoke outrage or test media literacy in a classroom setting. It was to capture raw, unfiltered emotional reactions to material that reveals how narratives are formed at the source. The resulting video offers a candid look at how people process shocking content and how their perceptions shift when they see what is rarely shown on mainstream platforms.

The Structure of the Experiment

The format was simple. Participants were seated and shown a series of clips from Gaza, including children’s programming and broadcasts containing intense ideological messaging. No background information was provided, and viewers were not instructed on how to interpret what they were seeing. After watching, they were asked for immediate reactions.

The footage elicited a wide range of emotions. Some viewers were stunned by the content, admitting they had never seen anything like it before. Others expressed disbelief, questioning why this kind of material isn’t more widely discussed. A few were visibly shaken, saying the experience fundamentally altered their understanding of the situation.

By presenting the footage without narration or added commentary, Street Smart allowed participants’ genuine responses to emerge. The experiment revealed how propaganda can affect an entire generation. It can shock, unsettle, and force people to reconsider their assumptions.

Why This Project Matters

Sage Fox and Dorani aligned the purpose of this experiment with Street Smart’s broader mission of challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thought among younger audiences. In an environment where footage spreads rapidly across digital platforms, propaganda can shape public opinion long before context catches up.

By showing the Gaza Indoctrination footage in a controlled setting and recording uncoached responses, the team aimed to expose the emotional and cognitive impact of this type of content.

“The first reaction is often the most revealing, because it shows how powerful images can be without context.”

The Range of Reactions

While each participant brought their own perspective, several themes emerged. Some expressed sympathy with the imagery itself, saying it was emotionally powerful.

One participant said, “It makes me question what I see online every day. How much of it is shaped this way?”

Their comments highlight how propaganda resonates differently depending on prior knowledge and exposure. Many viewers have simply never encountered such footage directly.

Street Smart’s Approach

This project continues a pattern established by Sage Fox & Dorani’s earlier videos. Rather than relying on experts or lengthy analysis, Street Smart focuses on real people and their honest reactions. The approach is simple but effective. Present potent material, listen to what people say, and share those moments with a wider audience.

The Gaza Indoctrination footage experiment fits this model. It doesn’t attempt to draw final conclusions or offer political commentary. Instead, it documents how people respond when they’re exposed to narratives that are usually filtered through intermediaries.

Implications for Media Literacy

Beyond its viral potential, the video raises broader questions about how people interact with powerful imagery online. Propaganda operates on emotional reflexes. As this experiment shows, those reflexes are often unexamined until they’re brought to the surface.

Sage Fox & Dorani hope that projects like this push audiences to think more critically about what they see and share.

“The purpose is not to tell people what to believe. It is to remind them that every image comes from somewhere, and that source matters,” they said.

Next Steps for Street Smart

As Street Smart’s platform grows, Sage Fox & Dorani plan to conduct similar experiments in different contexts. They intend to use their direct, street-level approach to highlight how people react when presented with challenging material.

The Gaza footage project is one piece of a larger mission. The team uses simple methods to shed light on complex issues. By focusing on authentic reactions, they continue to build a unique space in online media that blends cultural investigation with raw human response.

A Window into Unfiltered Thought

“We showed 20 strangers real propaganda footage from Gaza — and filmed their unfiltered reactions” is not a dramatic exposé or academic study. It is a clear, unmediated record of how individuals respond when confronted with material designed to persuade. In that restraint lies its strength.

By documenting these moments, Street Smart shows how awareness can begin with a pause. A brief space between seeing and believing.