Business Rockstars: Recent Episodes
BUSINESS ROCKSTARS
Business Rockstars is the biggest entrepreneur destination on the planet.
Catch us On Air, On-Line and On-The-Go at businessrockstars.com
Richard Wolpert - Co Founder and CEO of HelloTech, Venture Partner at Amplify.LA
Alexi Panos - CEO of LXE Group and The Bridge Method
Dee Tutt - CEO of Savile Premium Rumtini
Sanaz Aghach - Founder/CEO of Trillion Candle
Jeff Karsh - CEO of Streitwise
Chris Tucker - Actor and Founder of The Chris Tucker Foundation
Victor Cui - Owner of One Championship
John Hefner - CEO at The Drybar
Caryl Stern - President & CEO of UNICEF USA
Jason Lee - Co Founder of Grindz
Krishna Nathan - EVP and CIO at SP
Dr. Deepak Chopra - Author & Motivational Speaker
Shaun Robinson - TV Host
Troy Bullock - COO and Founder of Good Projects
Rockwell Shah - CEO of PzizzRev.
Greg Boyle - CEO Homeboy Industries
From the Milken Conference!
Jeff Wong - Global Chief Innovation Officer at Ernst & Young
Elizabeth Iorns - CEO of Science Exchange
James Kuffner - Adjunct Associate Professor at the Robotics Institute
"Tiger" NV Tyagarajan - President and CEO at GENPACT LLC
Uma Valeti - CEO and co-founder of Memphis Meats
Brett Hickey - Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Star Mountain Capital, LLC
Heather Serden - Founder & CEO Above the Glass
Dennis Yu - CTO of BlitzMetrics
Maury Rogow - CEO of Rip Media Group
Bonnie Anderson - President and CEO of Veracyte
Grant Miller - Founder of Replicated
Dallas Cyr - Founder of Ignite Purpose
Brian Liu - Co Founder of Legal Zoom
Emily Webb - Founder of MyLücke
Maci Peterson - Founder of On Second Thought
Ladan Davia - CEO of Beeya
Khalil Rafati -Founder of SunLife Organics
Brian D Evans -Founder/CEO of @Influencive
Joel Milne - Co-Founder of ScoreBig
Brandon Adams - co-host and one of two executive producers of Ambitious Adventures
Same Hamadeh - founder and CEO of the on-demand wellness company Zeel
Erika De La Cruz -TV host and a media personality. She is a radio host for the KIFM,
Vanessa Ballesteros - CEO and Founder of Sunbox
Chris Dorsey - founding partner of Orion Entertainment
Lindsey Carnett - CEO & President of Marketing Maven Public Relations, Inc
Natalie Edell - Founder & CEO of IndieU
Greg Reid - Founder of Secret Knock
Jacqueline Schaffer M.D. - Founder of Schique Beauty
Sheevaun Moran - President and Chief Energy Officer of Energetic Solutions, Inc
Michael Brandt - CoFounder of Nootrobox
Emily Webb - CoFounder & CEO of MyLücke
Gerry Morton - President and CEO of EnergyFirst
Lisa Dolan - Founder & CEO of Angel Intelligence, Inc
Ryan Costello - CoFounder & CEO of Event Farm
Eric Jones - Founder of Sidestep App
Talha Cilek - CEO of Cilek USA Inc
Keith Arem - CEO of PCB Productions
Eric Siu - CEO of Single Grain
Purva Gupta - CoFounder of Lily
Owen De Vries - CoFounder & COO of TipTalk
Anjula Acharia - Partner @ Trinity Ventures
Daniel Z Barber - CoFounder & Chief Strategy Officer of Tangent
Eric Espinosa - Founder of Do Good Mafia
Serafina Palandech & Jennifer Johnson - CoFounders of Hip Chick Farms
Connie Tang - CEO & President of Princess House
Tony Xu - CEO of DoorDash
Peter Dalgas - CoFounder & CMO of ATLETO
Cara Santana - Founder of TheGlamApp
Madeline Hayden - CEO of Nutpods
Scott Griffiths, CEO and Co-Founder 18 | 8 Fine Men's Salons
Lona Alia - Founder of Style Lend
Philip Lubin - CoFounder of Directed Energy LLC
Nancy O'Connell - CoFounder of Winecrasher
Erin Sykes - Founder of Mission 360
Tom McLeod - Founder and CEO of Omni
Pree Walia - CoFounder & CEO of Preemadonna
Carolin Soldo - Founder of Brand Your Passions & The Powerhouse Coach
Nandeet Mehta - Founder & CEO of Pyur Solutions
Allan Maman - Founder of Safe Ride
Baron Murdock - CEO of Greenbox Ventures
Eddie Miller - CoFounder of GreenRush.com
Audrey Bellis - Founder of Worthy Women
Seth Sternberg - CEO of Honor
Chad Billmyer - CEO of Panjo
Farbod Shoraka - CoFounder and CEO of Bloomnation
Sharone Hakman - Chef & Founder of Haks BBQ
Jennifer Berson - Founder & President of Jeneration PR
Yinon Ravid - Founder & CEO of Albert
Cara Santana - Founder of TheGlamApp
Taylor Walker - CoFounder of Earth Encounters
Damon Brown - CoFounder of Cuddlr
David Erickson - Founder & CEO of FreeConferenceCall.com
Eric Jones - Founder of Sidestep App
Lisa Song Sutton - CoFounder of Sin City Cupcakes
Dr. Gerald Mearini - Founder & President of Teraphysics Corporation
Daniel Ha - CEO of Disqus
Juvan Langford - Personal Life Coach
Nancy Soni - CEO of FILD
Vincent Dignan - Founder of Magnific
Brian Liu - Chairman & CoFounder of LegalZoom
Corey Epstein & Mark Lynn - CoFounders of DSTLD
Scott Griffiths - CoFounder & CEO of 18 | 8 Fine Men's Salons
Kevin Yamazaki - Founder & CEO of Sidebench
Pernille Spiers-Lopez - Founder of Good Life Designed
Eric Futoran - CoFounder of Scopely
Jason Nazar - CoFounder & CEO of Comparably
Lolita Taub - Founder & Host of The F Show
Rich Hull - Chairman of Pongalo
Jennie Wong - CEO of Shopping Quizzes
Wing Lam - CoFounder of Wahoo's Fish Taco
Harmonie Krieger - Founder of Pop Your Shop
DJ SKEE - Founder & CEO of Dash Radio
Keith Krach - CEO of DocuSign
Brandon Lucero - Founder of SoldWithVideo
Atta Tarki - Principal at Ex-Consultants Agency
Daymond John - CEO of FUbu & The Shark Group
Jennie Wong - CoFounder & CEO of Shopping Quizzes
Tony Delmercado - COO & Partner of Hawke Media
Jeb Dasteel - Chief Customer Officer of Oracle
Budd Cadell - Founder of NOBL
David Czinn - CEO of Fruigees
Scott Duffy - Host of Business & Burgers
Damon Brown - CoFounder of Cuddlr
Felena Hanson - Founder of Hera Hub
Jason Nazar - CoFounder & CEO of Comparably
Colleen Costello - President and CoFounder of Vital Vio
Tony Delmercado - COO of Hawke Media
Jessica Mah - Founder & CEO of inDinero
Shannon Ridley - Founder of Wizpak
Atta Tarki - Principal at Ex-Consultants Agency
Bill Connolly - Author of The Success Disconnect
Eirini Schlosser - CEO and Founder of Chuz
Kathy Fettke - CoCEO of Real Wealth Network
Jordan Plosky - CoFounder & CEO ComicBlitz
Kenny Salas & Sean Salas - CoFounders of Camino Financial
Ajay Shah - CoFounder of Dotty Digital
Angel Anderson - CoFounder & CEO of NailSnaps
Jocelyn Johnson - Founder & CEO of Videoink News
Cole Hatter - Founder of Thrive: Make Money Matter
Jeb Dasteel - Chief Customer Officer of Oracle
Cliff Johnson - CoFounder of Vacasa
Elliott Taylor - Owner of Elliott Companies
Eric Shashoua - Founder & CEO of Zive
Chris Sheng - Growth Strategist
Angel Anderson - CoFounder & CEO of NailSnaps
Nicole Farb - CEO of Darby Smart
Joel Milne - COO, CTO & CoFounder of ScoreBig
Kathy Fettke - Co-CEO of Real Wealth Network
BRIAN GARRETT - CoFounder of Crosscut Ventures
Elliott Taylor - Owner of Pavo Real Wines
Eirini Schlosser - Founder & CEO of Chuz
Raquel Gunsagar - CEO of Fourth & Heart
Cole Hatter - Founder of Thrive: Make Money Matter
Mark Werts - Founder & CEO American Rag Cie
Lisa Fetterman - CEO of Nomiku
Shannon Ridley - Founder of WizPak
DJ SKEE - Founder & CEO of Dash Radio
Owen De Vries - CoFounder of TipTalk
Scott Richards - Founder & CEO of Reconnect Research
Mike Whitmire - CoFounder & CEO of FloQast
Caroline Rothwell - Founder & President of CARO Marketing
Kelly Steckelberg - CEO of Zoosk
Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer - Founder of AirPR
D'ontra Hughes - Founder & CEO of SPARE
Ulyses Osuna - Founder & CEO of Influencer Press
Dan Engel - CEO of Moble1st
Chris Valenica - CoFounder & CEO at HIIT Bottle
David Sobie - CoFounder & CEO of Happy Returns
Leon Wu - Founder & Chief Product Officer of Sharpe Suiting
Rob Jacobs - Chief UnSitter of UnSit
Emily Culp - CMO of Keds
Drew Morris - Founder of Born Ready Films
Andy Frisella - CEO of 1st Phorm International
Michelle McSwain - CoFounder & CEO of Hi PABLO, Inc.
Christina Ramirez - Founder CEO of PLUS ULTRA
David Corbin - Chief Illumination Officer of Performance Technology Group
Dawoon Kang - CoFounder of Coffee Meets Bagel
Sean Knecht - CoFounder of PrideBites
Deanne Bell - CEO of Future Engineers
Carlos Gil - Social Media Strategist
Edwina Cheer - Founder of The Mind Diet
Leonard Kim - Managing Partner of InfluenceTree
Nav Athwal - Founder & CEO at RealtyShares
Josh Manley - CEO of ReplyBuy, Inc
Jesper Theil Thomsen - CoFounder & CEO of SOUNDBOKS
Stephen Stokols - CoFounder & CEO of FreedomPop
Josh Yguado - President & COO of Jam City
Casey Zeman - Founder of EasyWebinar and Fullscope.tv
Rick Glade - Founder & CEO of Infinite Success Alliance
Gary Tuch - CoFounder & CEO of SimplyAfterschool
Jeremy Haynes - Founder & CEO of Megalodon Marketing
Carlos Gil - Social Media Strategist
Robert Gaskill - CEO of MOTEV
Michael Amini - Chairman & CEO of Amini Innovation Corporation (AICO)
Ian Crosby - CoFounder & CEO at Bench
Jonathan Chaupin - President & COO of Agency 2.0
Patricia Ivancich Dassios - Founder & CEO of La Mienne
Len Grey - Founding Attorney at Gray Legal
Fabrice Gould - Founder & CEO of Diggen
Terri Wilson - CEO of I DONE THIS
Sean Knecht - CoFounder of PrideBites
Lauren Brooks - Founder & CEO of Little Waisted
Regan Hillyer - Founder of Regan Hillyer International
Wendy Dutwin - President of Limelight Media, Inc
Kate Cutler - CoFounder of BKR
Jonathan Gass - Founder & CEO of Nomad Financial
Jay Rosenzweig - CEO of Rosenzweig & Company
Nazym Paltachev - Founder & CEO of Soul of Nomad
Anthony Saccaro - ChFC & President of Providence Financial
Caroline Rothwell Gerstein - Founder & President of CARO Marketing
Eden Gillott Bowe - President of Gillott Communications
Anderee Berengain - CEO of Cie Digital
Kerry Maunus & April George - CoFounders of Turkey on the Table
Esther Kiss - Founder of Born to Influence
Robby Berthume - CoFounder of Bull & Beard
Mareya Ibrahim - CEO of Grow Green Industries, Inc
Sanjiv Bawa - Founder & CEO of Chi Networks
Noah Currier - Founder & President of Oscar Mike LLC & The Oscar Mike Foundation
Marc Becker - CEO of The Tangent Agency
John Tabis - Founder & CEO of The Bouqs Company
Grigori Mikayelyan - CEO & President of Forkspot
Terri Wilson - CEO of I DONE THIS
Julie Campisron - CEO of Stop, Breathe & Think
Nicholas Bayerle - CEO of The Billion Dollar Body
Jay Rosenzweig - CEO of Rosenzweig & Company
Ben Lee - CoFounder & CEO of Neon Roots
Carlos Garcia - CEO of HYP3R
Lindsey Carnett - CEO & President of Marketing Maven
Trina Albus - Founder & President of MAGENTA AGENCY
Billy Gene Shaw - Founder & CEO of Billy Gene Is Marketing
Regan Hillyer - Founder of Regan Hillyer International
D'ontra Hughes - Founder & CEO of SPARE
Andres Izquieta & Dee Murthy - CoFounder of Five Four Club
Kate Secor - CEO of IFBB PRO
Dan Miller - Founder & CEO of Mulberrys Garment Care
Rose Lawrence - Owner of Red Bread
Jay Rosenzweig - CEO of Rosenzweig & Company
Rebecca Michaels - Founder & CEO of Violet Love Brands Inc
Andrew Abraham - Founder & CEO of Orgain
Emily Culp - CMO of Keds
Max Simon - Founder & CEO of Green Flower Media
Danielle Cuccio - Founder & CEO of Cuccio Somatology
Lindsey Carnett - CEO & President of Marketing Maven
Christopher Duncan - Founder of Point B Education
Rodger Saffold - Owner of Rise Nation
Kate Secor - CEO of IFBB PRO
Cheryl Rigdon - Owner of Rigdon Creative Solutions, LLC
Chad Newell - CoFounder & CEO of Snapwire
Jonathan Gass - Founder & CEO of Nomad Financial
John McDavid Lehman - CEO & Creative Director of McMarden
Hillary Gadsby - Founder & CEO of Stiletto Gal and A Gadsby Affair
Danielle Cuccio - Founder & CEO of Cuccio Somatology
Matt Rizzetta - CEO of N6A (North 6th Agency)
Minna Herskowitz - CoOwner of Sandbox Fitness
Lindsey Carnett - CEO & President of Marketing Maven
Tom Bilyeu - Founder & CEO of Impact Theory
Valerie Fishbain - CoFounder & President of Spread The Love
Carlos Garcia - CEO of HYP3R
Ken Kaufman - CEO of Treem Inc.
Jaspar Weir - CoFounder & President of TaskUs
Carlos Garcia - CEO of HYP3R
Jacqueline Schaffer M.D. - Founder of Schique Beauty
Justin Rezvani - Founder & CEO of theAmplify
Patrick Stakenas - President & CEO of Determine Inc
Jessica Hawthorne-Castro - CEO of Hawthorne
Patrick Stakenas - CEO & President of Determine Inc
Robby Berthume - CoFounder of Bull & Beard
Ashwin Cheriyan - CoFounder & CEO of Thistle
Jill Bigelow - Founder & CEO of PELV-ICE LLC
Brandon Brotsky - Founder/CTO of Brotsky LLC
Seth Streeter - CoFounder & CEO of Mission Wealth
Preston Smiles - CoFounder & CEO The Bridge Method & Preston Smiles Intl
Brandon Brotsky - Founder & CTO of Brotsky LLC
Aleesa Daley - Founder & CEO of Playa Technologies
Joseph Collins - CEO of Punch TV Studios
Alexi Panos - CEO of LXE Group & The Bridge Method
Jonathan Raymond - CEO of Refound
Sanaz Aghachi - Founder & CEO of Trillion Candle
Joshua Earp - Marketing/Brand Consultant at Joshua Earp LLC
Ty Walrod – CEO of Bright Funds
Shirin Behzadi - CEO of Home Franchise Concepts
Balazs W. Kardos - Founder & CEO of Global Prosperity Movement
Sarath Malepati, MD - Creator of the EZC Pak
Alexi Panos - CEO of LXE Group & The Bridge Method
Mike Tauiliili Brown - Founder & CEO of WIN-WIN
Bron Heussenstamm - Founder & President of Beaar Company
Davis Sley - Founder & CEO of Hestia Tobacco
Michelle McSwain - CoFounder/CEO of Hi PABLO, Inc.
Kumar Arora - CEO of Aroridex
Allison Maslan - CEO of Allison Maslan International
Jon Sebastiani - CEO of Sonoma Brands
Catherine Howell - Founder of Eight Loop Social
Deoné Sulgatti - Founder & CEO of Tengia
Hayden Slater - CoFounder & CEO of Pressed Juicery
Dilawar Syed - President of Freshdesk
Stuart Alexander - Founder & CEO of Scenebot
Davis Sley - Founder & CEO of Hestia Tobacco
Matt Spanburg - Founder & CEO Campus Essentials
Joshua Earp - Marketing Brand Consultant at Joshua Earp LLC
Taylor Freeman - CoFounder & CEO of Upload, Inc.
Ryan Detert - CEO of Influential
Balazs W. Kardos - Founder & CEO of Global Prosperity Movement
Justin Rezvani - Founder & CEO theAmplify
Jessica Mah - CoFounder & CEO at inDinero.com
Jon Sebastiani - CEO of Sonoma Brands
Thomas Patterson - Founder & CEO of Motivate
Ian Chen - CEO of Discotech
Jennifer Grady - Founder of The Grady Firm
Stephanie Newby - CEO of Crimson Hexagon
Sylvain Kalache - CoFounder of Holberton School
Tawnya Falkner - CEO Le Grand Courtage
Justin Lefkovitch - Founder & CEO of Mirrored Media
Martin Kistler - Founder, CEO & Chief Creative Officer of Ignition
Malini Bhatia - Founder & CEO of Marriage.com
Rod Drury - Founder & CEO of Xero
Erin Rothman - CoFounder & CEO of StormSensor
Christopher Miglino - CoFounder & CEO of Social Reality Inc.
Chris Detert - President of Marketing & PR at Influential
Merlin Kauffman - Founder & CEO of Soothe
Nicky Jackson - Founder & CEO of RangeMe
Lawrence Wu - CEO of WUJU
Jeffrey Zucker - CoFounder & President of Green Lion Partners
Maile Pacheco - Founder of beGlammed
Ike Elimsa - Founder & Director of twelve12
Shanon Barker - CoFounder & CEO of Mother Trucker & Co.
Daniel Schindler - CoFounder of Donuts Inc
Taylor Freeman - CoFounder & CEO of Upload, Inc.
Brooke Wentz - CoFounder & CEO of Seven Seas Music
Kevin Tighe - Founder & President of Surf Shop Box
Nav Athwal - Founder & CEO of Realtyshares
Hayden Slater - Founder & CEO Presssed Juicery
Colleen Costello - CoFounder & President of Vita Vio
Jesper Theil Thomsen - CoFounder & CEO of SOUNDBOKS
Bob Goodson - Founder and CEO of Quid
Taylor Freeman - CoFounder & CEO of Upload, Inc.
Mike Arce - Founder & CEO of Loud Rumor
Allen Shayanfekr - CEO of Sharestates
Matt Allard - CEO of Runtriz
Brian D. Evans - Founder & CEO of Influencive
Clinton Senkow - CoFounder & COO of Influencive
Chris Denson - Chief Curator & Host of Innovation Crush
Jesper Theil Thomsen - CoFounder & CEO of SOUNDBOKS
Stephen Stokols - CoFounder & CEO of FreedomPop
Justin Lefkovitch - Founder & CEO of Mirrored Media
Courtney and Carter Reum - CoFounders of M13
Chris Dorsey - CEO of Dorsey Pictures
Samantha Paxson - CMO of Co-Op Financial Services
Josh Manley - CEO of ReplyBuy, Inc
Ike Elimsa - Founder & Director of twelve12
Rachael McCrary - Founder & CEO of Jewel Toned
Eric Dahan - CoFounder & CEO of instaBrand Inc.
Bill Li - Chairman & CEO Knightscope, Inc.
Marcia Deutsch - CEO of Medical Electronic Systems
Nav Athwal - Founder & CEO of Realtyshares
Justine Lassoff - CoFounder of LOVE GOODLY
Laurence Wainer - CEO of Blow and Drive Interlock Corp
Mika Onishi - CoFounder of UPTOGOOD
Eric Siu - CEO of Single Grain and Founder of Growth Everywhere
Stephen Meade - Founder of BigBamboo LLC
Thomas Patterson - Founder & CEO of Motivate
Eben Dobson - Founder, CEO & President of WISP Industries Inc.
Chris Detert - President of Marketing & PR at Influential
Sarah Boyd - CEO of Simply Stylist and Simply Digital Network
Georg Richter - Founder & CEO of OceanX
Siloh Moses - Founder #ServingHopeLV and #ForkAndSpoonLV
Douglas Rogers - President of Mr. Appliance
Jason Sullivan - Founder & CEO of Viral On-Demand
Ludovic Ulrich - Head of Startup Relations Salesforce
Gregg Britt - Founder & President of Private Health Management
Chad Byers - CoFounder of Susa Ventures
Lane Merrifield - CoFounder & CEO of FreshGrade Education Inc
Harmonie Krieger - Founder of POP YOUR SHOP
Nate Holzapfel - CoFounder of Mission Belt Co
Jeb Dasteel - Chief Customer Officer of Oracle
Mario Herbelin-Canelas - Founder, CEO & President of Visual Podiums
Sabina Gault - CEO of Konnect Agency
Cliff Johnson - CoFounder & Chief Development Officer of Vacasa
Steven McClurg - President & CEO of Crowdfunder
Brian Wong - Founder & CEO of Kiip
Drew Doyon - Founder & CEO of UpCast
Frank Shankwitz - Founder & Creator of the Make-A-Wish Foundation
Yinon Ravid - Founder & CEO of Albert
Jeff Bullas - Founder of Jeffbullas.com
Galit Laibow - CoFounder & CEO of Foodstirs
Brandon Lucero - Founder of Soldwithvideo.com
Eben Dobson - Founder, CEO & President of WISP Industries Inc.
AJ Forsythe - CoFounder & CEO of iCracked
Karl McDonnell - CEO of Strayer Education
Tony Drockton - CEO & Chief Cheerleader of Hammitt Los Angeles
Michael Wayne - CoFounder & CEO of Kin Community
Vincent Dignan - Founder of Magnific
Stephen Stokols - CoFounder & CEO of FreedomPop
Adam Bolden - Co-Owner of Sweat Tailor
Dulari Amin - CoFounder & President of Phenomenon
Heather Serden - Founder of Above the Glass
Nathan Burba - CEO of Survios
Samer Hamadeh - Founder and CEO of Zeel
Lindsey Miles - CoFounder and Managing Partner of Whilo
Leah Busque - Founder & CEO of Taskrabbit
Fabian Geyrhalter - Founder & Principal at Finien
Lindsay Nahmiache CoFounder of Jive PR + Digital
Eric Espinosa - Founder of Do Good Mafia
Justine Lassoff - CoFounder of LOVE GOODLY
Dennis Yu - CTO of BlitzMetrics
Courtney Jones Louks - CoFounder & CEO of Sweat Cosmetics, Inc.
Jesse Krieger - Founder & Publisher of Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press
YoonJin Chang & Crystal Lee - CoFounders of LifeSite
Jason Sullivan - Founder & CEO of Viral On-Demand
Owen De Vries - CoFounder of TipTalk
Georg Richter - Founder & CEO of OceanX
Natalie Edell - Founder & CEO of IndieU
Sheevaun Moran - President and Chief Energy Officer of Energetic Solutions, Inc
Andrew Yakub - CEO of Rayton Solar
Tony Gauthier II - Founder & CEO of Spretz
Nate Holzapfel - CoFounder of Mission Belt Co
Keith Arem - CEO of PCB Productions
Tilman Fertitta - Chairman, CEO & Sole Shareholder of Landry's Inc
Emily Webb - CoFounder & CEO of MyLücke
Stephanie Newby - CEO of Crimson Hexagon
Jack Ryan - CoFounder & CEO of REX-Real Estate Exchange
Budd Caddell - Founder of NOBL Collective
Harmonie Krieger - Founder of Pop Your Shop
Bryan Copley - CoFounder & CEO of Citybldr
Lauren Gropper - Founder & CEO of Repurpose
Grant Miller - Founder of Replicated
Khalil Rafati - Founder & Owner of SunLife Organics
Tara Gilad - CoFounder & COO of Vitality Bowls
Catherine An - Founder & CEO of Tiato & An Catering
Brandon Lucero - Founder of SoldWithVideo
Trevor Pryce - retired NFL player and Author & Creator of KULIPARI
Scott Richards - Founder & CEO of Reconnect Research
Daniel Schindler - CoFounder of Donuts Inc
Steven McClurg - CEO & President of Crowdfunder
David Rusenko - Founder & CEO of Weebly
Heather Serden & Danielle Yadegar - CoFounders of Above the Glass
Sam Ovens - Founder & CEO of Ovens International
Brandon Lucero - Founder of SoldWithVideo
Felena Hanson - Founder of Hera Hub
Jason Nazar - CoFounder & CEO of Comparably
Colleen Costello - President and CoFounder of Vital Vio
Daymond John - CEO of Fubu & The Shark Group
Erin Condren - President of EC Design, LLC
Jennie Wong - CoFounder & CEO of Shopping Quizzes
Tony Delmercado - COO & Partner of Hawke Media
Cole A. Hatter - Founder of Thrive
Luz Rivas - Founder and Director DIY Girls
Kelsey Doorey - Founder and CEO of Vow To Be Chick
Ali Tahmasbi & Adam Shaw - CEO & CPO of Sportle
Eric Shashoua - Founder & CEO of Zive Inc.
Scott Duffy - Host of Business and Burgers
Bryson Strauss - Founder & CEO of Schlep & Fetch
Jared Kleinert - CEO of Kleinert Ventures and Author of 3 Billion Under 30
Shaun Neff - CEO of Neff Headwear
David Erickson - Founder & CEO of FreeConferenceCall.com
Alex Bayer - Founder & CEO of Genius Juice
Jordan Plosky - CoFounder & CEO ComicBlitz
Audrey Bellis - Founder of StartUpDTLA
Brian Wong - Founder & CEO of Kiip
Mary Jane Riva - CEO & President of Pizza Factory
Chad Billmeyer - CEO of Panjo
Rich Hull - Chairman of Pongalo
Paul Scanlan - CoFounder & CEO of Legion M
Chip Forsythe, Kate Siberlich & Doug Burkett - CoFounders of Rebel Coast Winery
Peter Voogd - Founder & CEO of GameChangers, INC
Matt Allard - CEO of Runtriz
Cam Kashani - Godmother of Silicon Beach
Pree Walia - CoFounder & CEO of Preemadonna
Eric Futoran - CoFounder of Embrace.io
Charles Yim - CEO of Breathometer
Paul Huang - CEO Raw Green Organics
Jared Kleinert - CEO of Kleinert Ventures and Author of 3 Billion Under 30
Nandeet Mehta - Founder & CEO of Pyur Solutions
Max Bard - CoFounder & CEO of Proathlos
Matt Shandy - CoFounder & VP of Proathlos
Scott Griffiths - Founder & CEO of 18 | 8 Fine Men's Salons
Nancy O'Connell - CoFounder of Winecrasher
Babak Kateb - Founding Chairman & CEO of SBMT
Anthony Davani - CEO of The Davani Group
Cynthia Johnson - CoFounder & CEO of Ipseity Media
Tom McLeod - Founder and CEO of Omni
Toby Russell - President of Shift Finance
Jason Sullivan - Founder & CEO of Viral-On-Demand
Chris Wong - CoFounder & CEO of LifeSite
Natasha Case - Founder & CEO of Coolhaus
Samantha Ettus - Work-life balance expert & Best-selling author
Juston Brommel - Trusted Advisor and Consultant to CEOs at Brommel Growth Partners
Philip Lubin - CoFounder of Directed Energy LLC
Cynthia Johnson - CoFounder & CEO of Ipseity Media
Wing Lam - CoFounder of Wahoo's Fish Tacos
Pernille Spiers-Lopez - CoFounder of Good Life Designed
Gaëlle Wizenberg - Founder of Winc Design Ltd and Charlie Banana Brand
Matthew Krager - President of Team 3309
James Shamsi - Expert at J Shamsi Consulting
Madeline Hayden - CEO of Nutpods
Ulyses Osuna - Founder and CEO of Influencer Press
Jennifer Bersen - Founder of Jeneration PR & Jeneration Academy
Ash Kumra - CoFounder & CEO of Youngry
Stephanie Horbaczewski - CEO & President of StyleHaul
Calli Cholodenko - Founder & CEO of Something Social
Peter Dalgas - CoFounder & CMO of ATLETO
Jill Angelo - CEO of Genneve
Cara Santana - Founder & CEO of TheGlamApop
Taylor Walker - Founder & CEO of Earth Encounters
Rene Lacerte - Founder of Bill.com
Dexton Deboree - CoFounder of Los York
Viola Lee - CoFounder of Raw Green Organics
Eric Jones - Founder of Sidestep Technologies, Inc.
Jim Schleckser - CEO of The Inc. CEO Project
Nancy Soni - CEO of FILD
Yinon Ravid - Founder & CEO of Albert
Aly Moore - CoFounder & COO of Spylight
Terrell Fletcher - CEO of Wake Up Ur Dream
Cynthia Johnson - CoFounder & CEO of Ipseity Media
Taylor Walker - CoFounder of Earth Encounters
Stephanie Boxerbaum - Founder & Principal Attorney of Box Counsel
Damon Brown CoFounder of Cuddlr
Michael Wayne - CoFounder & CEO of Kin Community
Michael Stausholm - Founder & CEO of Sprout
Will Ahmed - Founder & CEO of WHOOP
Juston Brommel - Trusted Advisor and Consultant to CEOs at Brommel Growth Partners
Cara Santana - Founder of TheGlamApp
Frank Marangell - President & CEO of Rize
Steven McClurg - President and COO of Crowdfunder
Daniel Schindler - CoFounder of Donuts Inc
Murphy Jensen - CoFounder & CMO of WEconnect Recovery
Edreece Arghandiwal - CoFounder & CEO of Jurni Inc.
Calli Cholodenko - Founder & CEO of Something Social
Chad Billmyer - CEO of Panjo
Anthony Mendelson - Founder & CEO of Mighty
Anthony Pu - Founding Partner/CRO of Mighty
Audrey Bellis - Founder of Startup DTLA & Worthy Women
Fabian Geyrhalter - Founder of Finien
Jeff Potter - CEO of Surf Air
Susan MacDermid - Founder & CEO of Ascendant Network
James Shamsi - Growth Hacker & Start-up Adviser
Eddie Miller - CoFounder of GreenRush.com
Dan Goldman - Founder of Clickbait Clothing
Luz Rivas - Founder/Director of DIY Girls
Emily Gruber - CoFounder & CFO of Apliiq
Justin Hersh - Founder & CEO of Group Delphi
David Laiderman - Founder & CEO of OPER
Juston Brommel - Trusted Advisor and Consultant to CEOs - Brommel Growth Partners
Rich Hull - Executive Chairman of Pongalo
David Gengler - CoFounder & CEO of Noke
Jeb Dasteel - Chief Customer Officer of Oracle
Eric Shashoua - Founder & CEO of Zive, Inc.
Beatrice Fischel-Bock - CoFounder & CEO of Homee
Sarah Herron - Founder & CEO of SheLift
James Shamsi - Expert of J Shamsi Consulting
Eric Futoran - CoFounder of Scopely
Ryan Byrne - Founder & CEO of The Buzz Lab
Colleen Costello - CoFounder & President at Vital Vio
Jason Nazar - CoFounder & CEO of Comparably
Jason Wilson - Owner of Sacred Steel
Jordana Fortaleza - CEO of J.D. LUXE
Noel Wax - President and Founder of GroundSwell Group
Scott Griffiths - CoFounder & CEO of 18/8 Fine Men's Salons
Patrick Ambron - CoFounder & CEO of BrandYourself
Cole A. Hatter - Founder of Thrive: Make Money Matter
Elliott Taylor - Owner of Elliot Companies
Damian Bradfield - President & CMO of WeTransfer
Nicole Centeno - Founder & CEO of Splendid Spoon
Calli Cholodenko - Founder & CEO o Something Social
Vincent Dignan - Founder of Magnific
Rob Kosberg - Founder & CEO of Best Seller Publishing
Yola Robert - Founder of Klozet App
Lisa Song Sutton - Serial Entrepreneur & Contributing Writer to Forbes Magazine
Bill Dallas - CEO of Cloudvirga
Cristina Quitania - Founder of Refashion.co
Justin Wu - Founder & CEO of Growthly
Nancy Soni - Founder & CEO of FILD
Shannon Graham - Founder & CEO of Legacy Program
Felena Hanson - Founder of Hera Hub
Tony Delmercado - COO of Hawke Media
Slava Rubin - Founder of Indiegogo
Andrew Bermudez - CoFounder & CEO of Digsy
Justin Wu - Founder & CEO of Growthly
Damon Brown - CoFounder of Cuddlr
Robert Page - Founder of MedRepublic
David Dobkin - President of Investment Banking, ASMX Capital
Kevin Yamazaki - Founder & CEO of Sidebench
Stephen Blackwell - CEO of SpinMedia
Howard Lim - Founder of HOW CREATIVE
Noel Wax - Founder & President of GroundSwell Group
Harmonie Krieger - Founder of Pop Your Shop
Kellee Khalil - Founder & CEO of Loverly
Lus Rivas - Founder & Executive Director of DIY Girls
Kelsey Doory - Founder & CEO at Vow To Be Chic
Sean McGrail - CoFounder & President of Paint Nite
Sarah Moret - CrossCut Ventures Associate
John Assaraf - Chairman & CEO of NeuroGym
Brandon Lucero - Founder of SoldWithVideo.com
Kina De Santis - Founder at MotorMood
Angel Anderson - Founder & CEO at NailSnaps
Ajay Shah - CoFounder of Dotty Digital
Guillaume Gauthereau - Founder & CEO of Gauthereau Group
David Gengler - CoFounder & CEO of Noke
Maury Rogow - Founder & CEO of Rip Media Group
Jennie Wong - CoFounder & CEO of Shopping Quizzes
Mai Tran - Founder & CEO of Mai Couture
Kathy Fettke - Co-CEO of Real Wealth Network
Eirini Schlosser - Founder & CEO of Chuz
Alex Wehrley - Founder of Empowerista
Brad Johnson & Rick Wayne - CoFounders of Underscore
Shawn Shewchuk - Founder of Results Press, Results Radio & Change Your Results
Budd Cadell - Founder of NOBL
Shane Bernstein - CEO of Q
Raquel Gunsagar - CEO of Fourth & Heart
Mehul Patel - CEO of Hired
Isabella Taylor - Founder and Designer of Isabella Rose Taylor
Kellee Khalil - CEO & Founder of Loverly
JuVan Langford - Founder of The Elevated Man
Jessica Olmon - Business Attorney, Founder and Mentor of Vero Law Group and Dare to Dream Inc.
Lisa Fetterman - CoFounder & CEO of Nomiku
Shannon Ridley - Founder of WizPak
Matt Munson - CoFounder & CEO of Twenty20
Tina Hay - Founder & CEO of Napkin Finance
Maury Rogow - Founder & CEO of Rip Media Group
David Czinn - CEO of Fruigees
Shawn Shewchuk - Founder of Results Press, Results Radio & Change Your Results
Scott Richards - Founder & CEO of Reconnect Research
Brian Liu - CoFounder & Chairman of Legalzoom
Marrin Costello - Founder & Creative Director of Marrin Costello
John Assaraf - Chairman & CEO of NeuroGym
Jessica Olmon - Founder and Mentor of Vero Law Group and Dare to Dream Inc.
Tony Delmercado - COO & Partner of Hawke Media
Ric Militi - CEO & Founder of Crazy Raccoons
Jessica Naziri - Tech Expert
Catherine An - Founder & Managing Partner of Tiato & An Catering
Zane Lamprey - Founder of ADV3NTURE & Founder of Monkey Rum
Ryan Hudson - CoFounder and CTO of Honey
Sean Knierim - Founder and Partner of SidePorch
Atta Tarki - Founder & CEO of Ex-Consultants Agency
Michael Brandt - CoFounder of Nootrobox
Martin Kistler - Founder, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Ignition
Ethan Senturia - CoFounder& CEO of Dealstruck
Myles Kovacs - CoFounder & President of DUB MAGAZINE
John Cefalu - Founder & CEO of Health 2 Humanity
Sarah Shewey - CEO of Happily
Elliott Taylor - Owner of Elliott Companies
Brian D. Evans - Founder & CEO of Influencive
Clinton Senkow - CoFounder & COO of Influencive
Zane Lamprey - Founder of ADV3NTURE & Monkey Rum
Marrin Costello - Founder & Creative Director of MARRIN COSTELLO
Olivia June - Founder & CEO of Poole
Dallas Cyr - Master Coach & Creator of Ignite Purpose
Rod Drury - Founder & CEO of Xero
Jordan Plosky & CoFounder & CEO of ComicBlitz
Sarah Shewey - CEO of Happily
Brian Nickerson - CoFounder & CEO of MagicLinks
Ian Chen - CEO of Discotech, Inc
Maci Peterson - CoFounder and CEO of On Second Thought
Bill Li - Chairman & CEO Knightscope, Inc.
Ric Militi - Founder & CEO of Crazy Raccoons
Cole Hatter - Founder of Thrive
Tara Tiger Brown - Founder & CEO of KitHub and Founder of LA Makerspace
Adam Goldberg - Founder & CEO of Fresh Brothers
Adam Shaw - CEO at Sportle
Russell Stern - CEO of Solarflare Communications
Jennifer Grady - Founder of The Grady Firm
Lawrence Wu - CEO of WUJU LLC
Scott Richards - Founder & CEO of Reconnect Research
Sean Knierim - Founder and Partner of SidePorch
Gina Alshuler - CEO of Rauxa
John Heffner - CEO of Drybar
Donovan Janus - CEO of 17 Hats
Kathryn Arnold - CEO & President of Evolution at Sea
Michael Brandt - CoFounder of Nootrobox w/Mark - 10.03 (2)
Chris Sheng - Head of Growth at Impact Health
Courtney Jones Louks - CoFounder & CEO of Sweat Cosmetics, Inc.
Adam Shaw - CEO of Sportle
Adam Goldberg - Founder & CEO of Fresh Brothers
Ian Chen - CEO of Discotech, Inc.
Phoebe Hayman - CEO of Seedling
Stephanie Newby - CEO of Crimson Hexagon
Joel Milne - CoFounder, COO & CTO of ScoreBig
Dennis Yu - CTO of BlitzMetrics
Brian Nickerson - CoFounder & CEO of MagicLinks
Ian Chen - CEO of Discotech, Inc.
Mike Farley - CEO of Tile
Vanessa Ballesteros - Founder & CEO of Sunbox Market
Dallas Cyr - Master Coach & Creator of Ignite Purpose
DJ SKEE - Founder & CEO of Dash Radio
Sheevaun Moran - President and Chief Energy Officer of Energetic Solutions, Inc.
Greg Reid - Founder of Secret Knock
Jeff Matlow - Founder & CEO of I Am Athlete
Brian Nickerson - CoFounder & CEO of MagicLinks
Khalil Rafati - Founder & Owner of SunLife Organics
Brian D. Evans - Founder & CEO of Influencive
Lindsey Carnett - CEO and President of Marketing Maven
Natalie Edell - Founder & CEO of IndieU
Michael Brandt - CoFounder of Nootrobox
Sean Knierim - Founder and Partner of SidePorch
Jeff Matlow - Founder & CEO of I Am Athlete
Grant Miller - Founder of Replicated
Chris Dorsey - CEO of Dorsey Pictures
Brian Liu - CoFounder & Chairman of Legalzoom
Brandon Adams - Executive Producer & CoHost of Ambitious Adventures
Greg Rollett - Founder, Executive Producer & CoHost of Ambitious Adventures
Kathryn Arnold - CEO & President of Evolution at Sea
Vanessa Ballesteros - Founder & CEO of Sunbox Market
Greg Reid - Founder of Secret Knock
Stephanie Newby - CEO of Crimson Hexagon
Bill Li Chairman - CEO of Knightscope, Inc.
Heather Serden - Founder & CEO Above the Glass
Emily Webb - CoFounder & CEO of MyLücke
Samer Hamadeh - Founder and CEO of Zeel
Lindsey Miles - CoFounder and Managing Partner of Whilo
Keven Undergaro - Founder & CEO of AfterbuzzTV
Ethan Senturia - CoFounder & CEO of Dealstruck
Eric Siu - CEO of Single Grain and Founder of Growth Everywhere
Eric Espinosa - Founder & CEO of Do Good Mafia
Gerry T. Morton - President/CEO of EnergyFirst
Dennis Yu - CTO of BlitzMetrics
Courtney Jones Louks - CoFounder & CEO of Sweat Cosmetics, Inc.
Lisa Dolan - CoFounder & CEO of Angel Intelligence, Inc.
Khalil Rafati - Founder & Owner of SunLife Organics
Owen De Vries - CoFounder of TipTalk
Serafina Palandech - CoFounder & President of Hip Chick Farms
Jennifer Johnson - CoFounder & Chef of Hip Chick Farms
Natalie Edell - Founder & CEO of IndieU
Sheevaun Moran - President and Chief Energy Officer of Energetic Solutions, Inc.
Samer Hamadeh - Founder and CEO of Zeel
Bryan Copley - CoFounder & CEO of CityBldr
Chad Byers - CoFunder & General Partner at Susa Ventures
Keith Arem - CEO of PCB Productions
Anjula Acharia - Partner at Trinity Ventures
Emily Webb - CoFounder & CEO of MyLücke
Stephanie Newby - CEO of Crimson Hexagon
Lindsey Miles - CoFounder and Managing Partner of Whilo
Bryson Strauss - Founder & CEO of Schlep & Fetch
Grant Miller - Founder of Replicated
Ryan Costello - CoFounder & CEO of Event Farm
Eric Siu - CEO of Single Grain and Founder of Growth Everywhere
Michael Fishman - CoFounder & President of Pure Cycles
Mike Mothner - Founder & CEO of Wpromote
Martin Kistler - Founder & CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Ignition
Malini Bhatia - Founder & CEO Marriage.com
Eric Dahan - CoFounder & CEO of instaBrand Inc.
Emily Webb - CoFounder & CEO of MyLücke
Eric Jones - Founder of Sidestep Technologies, Inc. (Sidestep App)
Gregg Spiridellis - CoFounder & CEO at Jib Jab Bros. Studios
Bill Dallas - CoFounder & CEO of Cloudvirga
Merlin Kauffman - Founder & CEO of Soothe
Nicky Jackson - Founder & CEO of RangeMe
Sabina Gault - CEO of Konnect Agency
Elliot Taylor - Owner of Elliott Companies
Eirini Schlosser - CEO and Founder of Chuz
Scott Richards - Founder & CEO of Reconnect Rearch
Brian Liu - CoFounder & Chairman of Legalzoom
Kyle Wong - CoFounder & CEO of Pixlee
Matt Allard - CEO of Runtriz
Malini Bhatia - Founder & CEO Marriage.com
Bryan Copley - CoFounder & CEO of Citybldr
Taylor Walker - CoFounder of Earth Encounters
Grant Miller - Founder of Replicated
Khalil Rafati - Founder & Owner of SunLife Organics
Joel Heath - Founder of FluidStance
Courtney and Carter Reum - CoFounders of M13
Nate Holzapfel - CoFounder of Mission Belt Co
Bryson Strauss - Founder & CEO Schlep & Fetch
Rich Hull - Chairman of Pongalo
Gerry T. Morton - CEO & President of EnergyFirst
Serafina Palandech - CoFounder & President of Hip Chick Farms
Mike Mothner - Founder & CEO of Wpromote
Dulari Amin - CoFounder & President of PHENOMENON
Brian Wong - Founder & CEO of Kiip
Chad Billmyer - CEO of Panjo
Eric Siu - CEO of Single Grain and Founder of Growth Everywhere
Bryson Strauss - Founder & CEO Schlep & Fetch
Michael Fishman - CoFounder & President of Pure Cycles
Sabina Gault - CEO of Konnect Agency
Brandon Lucero - Founder of SoldWithVideo.com
Matt Allard - CEO of Runtriz
Eric Futoran - Founder of Embrace.io
Jeremy Dicker - Founding Partner of One Wealth Management
Devin Alexander - Celebrity Chef & CEO of Devin Alexander, Inc
Gregg Spiridellis - CoFounder and CEO at Jib Jab Bros. Studios
Mika Onishi - CoFounder of UPTOGOOD
Jason Sullivan - Founder & CEO of Viral On-Demand
Nandeet Mehta - Founder & CEO of Pyur Solutions
Pree Walia - CoFounder & CEO of Preemadonna
Eric Siu - CEO of Single Grain and Founder of Growth Everywhere
Bryson Strauss - Founder & CEO Schlep & Fetch
Jesse Genet - CEO of Lumi
Ryan Caldbeck - Founder and CEO of CircleUp
Bryan Copley - CoFounder & CEO of Citybldr
Tom McLeod - Founder and CEO of Omni
Allan Maman - CoFounder & CEO of SafeRide & Nito
Brian Wong - Founder & CEO of Kiip
Sabina Gault - CEO of Konnect Agency
Devin Alexander - CEO & Celebrity Chef of Devin Alexander, Inc
Sarah Boyd - CEO of Simply Stylist and Simply Digital Network
Brandon Lucero - Founder of SoldWithVideo.com
Philip Lubin - Professor of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara
Cara Santana - Founder of The Glam App
Dr. Gerald Mearini - Founder & President of Teraphysics Corporation
Reid Genauer - CMO of Magisto
Jeremy Dicker - Founding Partner of One Wealth Management
Douglas Rogers - President of Mr. Appliance
Jason Sullivan - Founder & CEO of Viral On-Demand
Madeline Haydon - Founder & CEO of Nutpods
Nancy O'Connell - CoFounder of Winecrasher
Shaun Neff - CEO of Neff Headwear
David Erickson - Founder & CEO of FreeConferenceCall.com
Joel Flory - CoFounder & CEO of VSCO
Greg Lutze - CoFounder & CCO of VSCO
Harmonie Krieger - Founder of Pop Your Shop
Nate Holzapfel - CoFounder of Mission Belt Co
Peter Dalgas - CoFounder & CMO of ATLETO
Scott Griffiths - CoFounder & CEO of 18/8 Fine Men's Salon
Rich Hull - Chairman of Pongalo
Chad Billmyer - CEO of Panjo
Reid Genauer - CMO of Magisto
Steven McClurg - CEO & President of Crowdfunder
Yinon Ravid - Founder & CEO of Albert
Eric Jones - Founder of Sidestep Technologies, Inc.
Yinon Ravid - Founder & CEO of Albert
Eric Futoran - Founder of Embrace.io
Pree Walia - CoFounder & CEO of Preemadonna
Seth Sternberg - CEO of Honor
Galit Laibow - CoFounder & CEO of Foodstirs
Brandon Lucero - Founder of SoldWithVideo.com
Taylor Walker - CoFounder of Earth Encounters
Lisa Song Sutton - Serial Entrepreneur & Miss Nevada US 2014
Scott Griffiths - CoFounder & CEO of 18/8 Fine Men's Salon
Nancy O'Connell - CoFounder of Winecrasher
Dr. Gerald Mearini - Founder & President of Teraphysics Corporation
Michael Wayne - CoFounder and CEO of KIN COMMUNITY
Vincent Dignan - Founder of Magnific & Author of "Secret Sauce: A step-by-step guide to growth hacking"
Cara Santana - Founder of The Glam App
Damon Brown - Founder of Cuddlr
Chris Wong - CoFounder & CEO of LifeSite
Jason Sullivan - Founder & CEO of Viral On-Demand
David Erickson - Founder & CEO of FreeConferenceCall.com
Dan Schindler - CoFounder & Executive Vice President of Donuts Inc
Nate Holzapfel - CoFounder of Mission Belt Co
Chad Billmyer - CEO of Panjo
Audrey Bellis - Founder of StartUpDTLA and WorthyWomen
Wing Lam - CoFounder of Wahoo's Fish Tacos
Pernille Spiers-Lopez - Co-Founder of Good Life Designed
Shaun Neff - CEO of Neff Headwear
Fabian Geyrhalter - Principle of FINIEN
Lindsay Nahmiache - CoFounder of Jive PR + Digital
Eddie Miller - CoFounder of GreenRush.com
Farbod Shoraka - Founder & CEO of BloomNation
Jennifer Berson - Founder & President of Jeneration PR
Stephanie McLean - Founder of Trendy Treat
Jeffrey McIntosh - Founder and CEO of Teabook
Sharone Hakman - Founder of Haks BBQ
Vincent Bradley - CEO of FlashFunders
Rich Hull - Executive Chairman of Pongalo
JuVan Langford - Founder of The Elevated Man
Cara Santana - Founder of The Glam App
Taylor Walker - CoFounder of Earth Encounters
Tiffany Pham - CEO of Mogul
Yoon-Jin Chang & Crystal Lee CoFounders of LifeSite
Jason Sullivan - Founder & CEO of Viral On-Demand
Eric Futoran - CoFounder of Scopely
Jennie Wong - CoFounder & CEO of Shopping Quizzes
Yinon Ravid - Founder & CEO of Albert
Nancy Soni - Founder & CEO of FILD
Lolita Taub - Founder and Host of The F Show
Yola Roberts - Founder & CEO of Klozet App
Karl McDonnell - CEO of Strayer Education
Scott Griffiths - CoFounder & CEO of 18/8 Fine Men's Salons
Jason Nazar - CoFounder & CEO of Comparably
Damon Brown - CoFounder of Cuddlr
Michael Wayne - CoFounder & CEO of Kin Community
Wing Lam - CoFounder of Wahoo's Fish Tacos
Victor Gauthier II - Founder & CEO of Spretz
Nate Holzapfel - CoFounder of Mission Belt Co.
Vincent Dignan - Founder of Magnific
Mark Lynn and Corey Epstein - CoFounders of DSTLD
Harmonie Krieger - Founder of Pop Your Shop
Bud Caddell - NOBL Founder
Kevin Yamazaki - Founder & CEO of Sidebench
Daniel Schindler - CoFounder of Donuts Inc.
Steven McClurg - President & COO of Crowdfunder
Nancy Soni - Founder & CEO of FILD
Brian Liu - Chairman & CoFounder of LegalZoom.com
Audrey Bellis - Founder of StartUpDTLA
Fabian Geyrhalter - Founder and Principal of FINIEN
Pernille Spiers Lopez - CoFounder of Good Life Designed
Scott Richards - Founder & CEO of Reconnect Research
Brandon Lucero - Founder of SoldWithVideo
Damon Brown - CoFounder of Cuddlr
David Czinn - CEO of Fruigees
Josh Kahn - COO of Fruigees
Emily Gruber - CoFounder & CFO of Apliiq
Luz Rivas - Founder and Director of DIY Girls
Keith Krach - CEO of DocuSign
Heather Serden - Founder & CEO Above the Glass
Danielle Yadegar - CoFounder of Above the Glass
April Kim - CEO of ChattingCat
Harmonie Krieger - Founder of Pop Your Shop Agency
Tony Delmercado - COO of Hawke Media
Eric Shashoua - Founder & CEO at Zive, Inc.
Jeb Dasteel - SVP & Chief Customer Officer at Oracle
Scott Duffy - Co-Host of Business & Burgers
Ajay Shah - CoFounder of Dotty Digital
Kevin Yamazaki - Founder & CEO of Sidebench
Brandon Lucero - Founder of SoldWithVideo.com
Felena Hanson - Founder of Hera Hub
Jason Nazar - CoFounder & CEO of Comparably
Colleen Costello - CoFounder & President of Vital Vio
Daymond John - CEO of FUBU and The Shark Group
Jordan Plosky - CoFounder & CEO ComicBlitz
Audrey Bellis - Founder of StartUpDTLA
Jennie Wong - CoFounder & CEO of Shopping Quizzes
Atta Tarki - Principal at Ex-Consultants Agency
Elliott Taylor - Owner of Elliott Companies
Cole A. Hatter - Founder of Thrive
Trevor Pryce - Author and Creator of KULIPARI
Chip Forsythe - Owner & Winemaker at Rebel Coast Winery
Kate Seiberlich - Vice President at Rebel Coast Winery
Doug Burkett - CoFounder & Owner of Rebel Coast Winery
Nate Holzapfel - CoFounder of Mission Belt Co
Bud Caddell - Founding Member at NOBL Collective
DJ Skee - Founder & CEO of Dash Radio
Yola Robert - Founder & CEO of Klozet App
Lisa Song Sutton - Contributing Writer to Forbes Magazine
Jeb Dasteel - SVP & Chief Customer Officer at Oracle
Catherine An - Founder & CEO of Tiato Restaurant & An Catering
Fabian Geyrhalter - Founder of FINIEN
JuVan Langford - Founder of The Elevated Man
Bill Connolly - Author of "The Success Disconnect"
Felena Hanson - Founder of Hera Hub
Tony Delmercado - COO & Partner of Hawke Media
Jocelyn Johnson - Founder of VideoInk
Jessica Mah - CEO of inDinero
Justin Warden - CEO & CoFounder of Ader
David Czinn - CEO at Fruigees
Sean Salas - CoFounder & CEO of Camino Financial
Kevin Yamazaki - Founder & CEO of Sidebench
Jeb Dasteel - SVP & Chief Customer Officer at Oracle
Colleen Costello - CoFounder & President of Vital Vio
Sam Ovens - Ovens International
Tony Delmercada - COO of Hawke Media
Cole Hatter - Founder of Thrive: Make Money Matter
Luz Rivas - Founder of DIY Girls
Kelsey Doorey - Founder of Vow To Be Chic
Adam Shaw - CEO of Sportle
Ali Tahmasbi - CPO of Sportle
Eric Shashoua - Founder & CEO at Zive
Scott Duffy - Best-Selling Author of Launch!
Atta Tarki - Principal at Ex-Consultants Agency
Elliott Taylor - Owner of Elliott Companies
Ajay Shah - CoFounder of Dotty Digital
Angel Anderson - CoFounder & CEO of NailSnaps
Adam Goldberg - Founder & CEO of Fresh Brothers
Lisa Fetterman - Founder of Nomiku
Jason Nazar - CoFounder & CEO at Comparably
Jordan Plosky - CoFounder & CEO ComicBlitz
Chris Sheng - Head of Growth at Impact Health
Shannon Ridley - Founder & CEO of WizPak
Jamie Foxx - Strategic Operations at WizPak
Thomas Bell - Founder of Viralstyle.com
Dave Dobkin - President of Investment Banking at
ASMX Capital
Elliott Taylor - Owner of Elliott Companies
Kathy Fettke - CoFounder & CEO of Real Wealth Network
Raquel Gunsagar - Founder & CEO of Fourth & Heart
GK Parish-Philp - CoFounder of Shopswell.com
Nicole Farb - CoFounder & CEO of Darby Smart
Felena Hanson - Founder of Hera Hub
Thom Beers - 6 Time Emmy Award Winning Producer & CEO of BobCat Production
Jennie Wong - CoFounder & CEO of Shopping Quizzes
Cole A. Hatter - Founder of Thrive: Make Money Matter
Erin Condren - President of EC Design, LLC
Chris Sheng - Head of Growth at Impact Health
Mark Werts - Founder & CEO of American Rag Cie
Trevor Pryce - Author and Creator of KULIPARI
Bill Svoboda - Founder of Coed Monkey
Ajay Shah - CoFounder of Dotty Digital
Joel Milne - CoFounder & COO of ScoreBig
Owen De Vries - CoFounder of TipTalk
Jill Gwaltney - Founder of Rauxa
Gina Alshuler - CEO of Rauxa
Lindsay Baker - President of Comfy
DJ Skee - Founder of Dash Radio
Angel Anderson - Founder & CEO of NailSnaps
Brian Garrett - CoFounder & Managing Director of Crosscut
Ian Siegel - Founder & CEO of ZipRecruiter
GK Parish-Philp - CoFounder of Shopswell.com
Lindsey Carnett - CEO & President of Marketing Maven
Peter Havas - CEO & Founder PillDrill
Justin Barney - CEO & President of ScaleArc
Eirini Schlosser - Founder & CEO of Chuz App
Scott Richards - Founder & CEO of Reconnect Research
Declan McDonald - Founder & CEO of Pricerazzi
Bijan Fazeli - Owner of Fazeli Cellars
Emily Gruber - CoFounder & CFO and of Apliiq
Jessica Naziri - Founder & CEO of TechSesh
Brian Liu - Founder and Chairman of LegalZoom
Hernan Lopez - Founder & CEO of Wondery
Adam Goldberg - Founder & CEO of Fresh Brothers
Eric Espinosa - Founder & CEO of Do Good Mafia
Kelsey Doorey - Founder & CEO of Vow To Be Chic
Gina Alshuler - President & CEO of Rauxa
Heather Serden - Founder & CEO Above the Glass
Danielle Yadegar - Co-Founder of Above the Glass
Brandon Hampton - Founder of One Penny Ad Agency
Lindsey Carnett - CEO and President of Marketing Maven
Jordan Plosky - CoFounder & CEO ComicBlitz
John Heffner - CEO of Drybar
Stephen George - Co-Founder & COO of SURKUS
Joel Milne - COO, CTO & CoFounder of ScoreBig
Mark Werts - Founder & CEO of American Rag Cie & Author of America's Simple Solutions
Thomas Villante - Chairman & CEO of YapStone
Gemma Busoni - CoFounder & COO of DISCOVR
Justin Brezhnev - Executive Director of Hacker Fund
Stephen George - CoFounder & COO of SURKUS
Omar Spahi - CEO of OSSM Comics
Madeline Haydon - Founder of Green Grass Foods, Inc
Nish Patel - CEO of Clutch Points
Evan Strenk - CEO & Founder at Milo Sensors
Shannon Bloemker - Founder of Glasshouse
Remmi Smith - CoFounder of Chef Club Box
Travis Brashears - Researcher at UC Santa Barbara Physics Department
George Zimmer - Founder of Men's Wearhouse
Christian Sarabia - President of 51 Minds
Laura Linda Bradley - Creator of The Laura Show
Peter Dalgas - Co-Founder of ATLETO
Lisa Tsou - Founder of The Winning Pitch
Mason Davis - Founder of SoulKix
Terry McEwen - CEO of SoulKix
Branden Hampton - CEO of Celemerch
Lauren McGoodwin - Founder & CEO of Career Contessa
Steve Fazio - CoFounder of Access Fintech
Evan Strenk - Founder of Milo Sensors
Declan McDonald - Founder & CEO of Pricerazzi
Paul Brody - Chief Product Officer of CleverTap
Omar Spahi - Founder of OSSM Comics
Ashlee Merill - CEO and Founder of Lunya
CJ Olivares - EVP & GM of Fuel TV
Vincent Bradley - CoFounder of FlashFunders
Lars Helgesson - Founder & CEO of GreenRope
George Beall - CoFounder of Everipedia
Hannah & Mark Lim - CoFounders of Lollaland
Fred Joyal - CEO of 1800-DENTIST
James Arthur Ray - CEO of Harmonic Wealth Global
Jeffrey McIntosh - Founder & CEO of TeaBook
Stephanie McLean - Founder of Trendy Treat
Stanley Felderman - CoFounder of Felderman Keatinge & Associates
Forbes Riley - CEO of SpinGym
Tonya Lanthier - Founder of DentalPost
Katie Warner Johnson - CEO and CoFounder at Carbon38
Frank Bria - Author at Scale to Success
Will Campbell - CEO of Quantasy
Shannon Bloemker - Founder of Glasshouse
Sophia Parsa & Shaq Zabihian - CoFounders of Toot App
Sona A.Tatiyants - Estate Planning Attorney
Laura Wagner - CEO of Digitzs Solutions
Eddie Miller - CoFounder of GreenRush
John Ruhlin - Founder of the Ruhlin Group
Doug Evans - Founder and CEO of Juicero
Farbod Shoraka - CoFounder and CEO of Bloomnation
Jennifer Berson - President & Founder of Jeneration PR
Sharone Hakman - Chef & Founder of Haks BBQ
Vincent Bradley - CoFounder of FlashFunders
Cindy Whitehead - Founder of The Pink Ceiling
Dana Perri - Founder of SHIFT
Chance Barnett - CEO of Crowdfunder
James Arthur Ray - President & CEO of Harmonic Wealth Global
Joel Brown - Founder of Addicted2Success
Christina Cindrich - 2x Emmy Award-Winning TV Producer & Host
Rachel McCord - Founder of The McCord List
Nely Galan - Former President of Entertainment for Telemundo
These days, Dan is a business strategist. A popular speaker. And an ultra-runner.
Dan and his team help companies all over the world arrive at business-changing breakthrough ideas by moving past outdated conventional wisdom, social peer pressure, and the selfish behaviors that stop them from being high performers.
The Wall Street Journal calls his blog, Edgy Conversations, one of the Top 7 sales blogs anywhere on the internet. He’s been profiled in Business Week, INC Magazine, Business Insider, and on dozens of radio programs. Hundreds of his articles on unconventional business strategy have been published.
If you want to catch up with Dan, you’ll probably need to lace up some running shoes and hit the road. He’s the crazy dude running against traffic. In the meanwhile, read his blog, send him an email, ask him for help.
Whatever you do, don’t just do nothing.
Hailing from Hampstead, Alexander Westgarth is the Founder and President of Westgarth Wines, a wine investment brokerage firm based in Los Angeles with a satellite office in London. Certified by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, he is a first class oenophile, world traveler and savvy investment adviser. Westgarth Wines brings the three together, blending Alex’s acumen for smart, profitable luxury wine investing, an internationally sophisticated approach, and his continued passion for the vine.
Sin in Linen has been providing soft goods with hardcore style since 2004. Founder Sandy Glaze sees Sin in Linen as more than just a company; it's a place where you can share your love of stylishly sinful designs with a likeminded community. We are passionate about helping anyone show their personal style through home design. Go ahead, Try Something New in Bed!
When you meet Sandy Glaze, you meet the heartbeat behind Sin in Linen. When you see the style of Sin in Linen, you are seeing Sandy's style.
Growing up in Hawaii and Southern California, surrounded by the surf and skateboard cultures, Sandy was influenced by alternative style from an early age. From world travel, to pinups, to rock ‘n roll, and even nature, Sandy Glaze creates pieces for your home that are as free-spirited as she is. Sin in Linen is a natural extension of Sandy's passion for pushing the envelope of discerning wild style.
As a women-owned and run business, Sandy Glaze believes in helping everyone find strength in their feminine side.
David comes out of the media, entertainment and learning space. Prior to starting Mixify, he was the Director of Online Learning Services and Business Development for Scholastic. He was formerly a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company, and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill.
For over 25 years, Tony has changed the lives of over 8 million people with his personal brand of humor, motivation, exercise and expert advice on the importance of nutrition. He has impacted world-class athletes, professional sport teams, celebrities, the U.S. Military, and millions of people across the world.
And now, he’s proud to introduce the world to TH Care by Tony Horton, a new revolutionary way, to ensure the care of your skin and hair.
Tony joined forces with Ultimate Salon Professionals, Inc, Co-founder Patrick Dockry, to create a new Hair and Skin line perfect for those looking to push their bodies to the limits, all the while nurturing and moisturizing the largest organ on their bodies, their skin.
Introducing TH Care by Tony Horton Workout Hair and Body Wash and Fitness Face and Skin Spray. Take your skin and hair care as seriously as you take your health and fitness, with TH Care – a fitness-friendly line of pH balanced and stable products free from sulfates, parabens, colorants, and harmful chemicals.
Combining together science and nature, Tony and Patrick have created one of the highest performing hair and skin care line on the market.
Cosmo Scharf is a film student and co-founder of VRLA. He talks about some of the challenges of VR storytelling and the differences between a free-will VR environment vs. a traditional 2D film. Film has a series of tools to direct attention such as depth of field, camera direction, cues to look to left or right, contrasting colors or movement in the frame. Some of these translate over to VR, but you can’t use all of them since there’s no camera movement, focus or framing in VR.
Cosmo also sees that VR experiences are a spectrum from ranging from completely interactive like a video game, semi-interactive cinematic experience, and the completely passive. There’s not a whole lot of people are looking into the completely passive experiences yet, but that’s what he’s interested in exploring as a film student.
He strongly believes it’s the future of storytelling, video games, computing as well as disseminating information in general, and he’s very excited to get more involved in the VR industry
Ashley graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelors and masters degree in engineering and co-Founded VNTANA in 2013. VNTANA live streams holograms, bringing fans face-to-face with their favorite artists, actors, and athletes. Prior to VNTANA she worked at BP for three years where she devised the production strategy for multiple products at the West Cost refinery. Before that she gained event production experience at MTV Networks in Los Angeles and INCA Productions in London.
We find people who will love your product.
Whether you need users, customers, or super shareable content, Magnific is here to put rocketfuel in your business.
We provide content and viral marketing services to businesses around the world. We’re selective about the clients we take on. We love startups, social media, and amazing content. We’re looking to meet interesting businesses with great ideas.
Scott Lahman is an entrepreneur and executive who anticipates and leads major trends in the video game and mobile industries. Scott is best known as founder of mobile gaming groundbreaker, JAMDAT Mobile, which he founded with Zack Norman and Austin Murray in March 2000 (long before games could even be played on most phones). JAMDAT not only became the industry’s runaway market share leader, but it also influenced many aspects of the app business as it exists today, including platform revenue splits, technology and deployment approaches, gameplay paradigms, and the platform SDKs themselves. In fact, the team at JAMDAT developed the first ever games for Apple’s iPod Click Wheel, a harbinger for what would come later with the iPhone and App Store. JAMDAT had a successful IPO in 2004, and was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2006 for $680 million.
As CEO of Hooch, Lin and his co-founders pioneered the Hooch App, the first membership cocktail app where members pay $9.99 a month and receive One Drink Every Day. Winner of Anheuser-Busch/InBev's SxSW Startup competition and Top 25 winner in Richard Branson's Extreme Tech Challenge, Hooch is available at hundreds of bars and restaurants in NY, LA, Austin, Dallas, Miami, and soon to be in HongKong, SF and more.
Lin graduated with honors from Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. He was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year award, followed by a tenure as the youngest adjunct professor at CMU, developing its 1st set of credited courses on Web Publishing.
Born and raised in a 4th generation farming family from Mexico, Pablo brings over 10 years experience in the fresh-produce industry. After growing up around the family farm, Campos Borquez, a premiere supplier of fresh asparagus and grapes to the United States and Canada, Pablo went on to work for The Giumarra Companies, managing grower relations in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and the United States. Pablo returned to the family farm as Chief Financial Officer then went on to complete a Cornell University MBA — it was during his time at Cornell that ProducePay was founded and launched. Pablo is named to the 2015 Ag 40 Under 40 list and enjoys eating asparagus, of course.
Melinda Moore is an award-winning marketing executive, entrepreneur and angel investor. Currently chief marketing officer at equity crowdfunding platform, Crowdfunder, and co-founder of the esteemed female business community, Tuesdaynights. She has led digital strategy and integrated marketing campaigns for some of the world’s most prominent cause-related and consumer brands, including: Credo Mobile, Ford, LIVESTRONG, Netflix, Obama for America, Sony, USA Networks and YouTube.
Donald Lee
Chief Marketing Officer "Ride or Die. I got you." Lee co-founded Combat Flip Flops in Kabul, Afghanistan. After 3 combat tours as an airborne Ranger Lee returned to his roots in the online space. Prior to joining the Army in 2002 Lee was a digital ninja. Lee specializes user acquisition / monetization and direct response marketing. In the off time, you can him find coaching his sons travel baseball team, churning out savory treats on a BBQ, or crafting digital pranks on the rest of the Combat Flip Flops crew.
Matthew Griffin
MOS: 13A Field Artillery Officer Stryker Company Fire Support Officer 2002-2003 Ranger Rifle Company Fires Support Officer 2003-2005 Field Artillery Intelligence Officer 2005-2006 Griff is a 2001 United States Military Academy graduate commissioned into the Field Artillery. Between 2003-2005, Griff deployed four times to Iraq and Afghanistan with 2d Ranger Battalion as a Company Fire Support Officer. He planned and participated in over 100 special operations direct action missions. In 2006, with the reality of growing families, Griff and fellow Ranger Donald Lee (co-founder of Combat Flip Flops) separated from the military while continuing to support the troops through other avenues.
Katarina Van Derham is a successful model, actress, entrepreneur and publisher. As a model, Katarina has graced the cover of over 60 magazines worldwide and appeared in over 600 major media outlets including the Time Square jumbotron, CNN, FOX, and NBC. She appeared in 21 national and international print and TV commercials and has been voted one of the 100 sexiest women in the world by magazines on 3 different continents. Katarina made history by being the only St. Pauli Girl spokes model who got re-elected. As an actress, Katarina played opposite Bob Saget in the TV show Entourage. She also plays one of the lead roles in the upcoming movie Unbelievable alongside Nichelle Nichols, Tim Russ and Gilbert Gottfried. Katarina also appeared in movies 15 minutes, Redline, shows CSI and Monk, and music videos for Bobby Brown, Ja Rule, Andy, Big and Rich, among others.
Exposed to design and travel from a young age, Jessica Hendricks was born in Paris and grew up outside Manhattan with eyes glued to the cases in her mother’s jewelry shop. Fascinated by indigenous cultures and spirituality, Hendricks traveled to Cambodia to teach English during the summer after her Sophomore year at NYU Tisch. She was mesmerized by the tangled synthesis of both the beautiful and heartbreakingly violent past of this small Buddhist country in the wake of genocide, and the reality of human trafficking. Combining her love of jewelry and philanthropic spirit, Jessica was inspired to create a collection to celebrate this unique community, and connect courageous women across the globe. Hendricks and The Brave Collection have been featured by Vogue, Glamour, Refinery29, CNBC, MSNBC. Hendricks made the 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Retail & Ecommerce, and was invited to the White House as one of 60 young entrepreneurs to witness President Obama’s speech encouraging support of Emerging Global Entrepreneurs.
Clark Benson, CEO Clark Benson is the founder and CEO of Ranker, the leading digital media company for opinion-based, crowdsourced rankings on just about everything.Launched in 2009, Ranker is Benson’s fifth startup. Ranker creates editorial lists to vote on about virtually every topic, and the 20million+ monthly audience’s opinions shape the rankings. Prior to Ranker, Benson’s company, eCrush, an early social network for teens, was bought by Hearst Corporation in 2006.
Carlos Herrera is an avid entrepreneur who thrives on conceptualizing innovative solutions geared to help the day-to-day routines performed by humans each day and creating businesses around them. He has a diverse set of working experiences in the technology sector all dealing with the development of autonomous systems and robotics. Carlos is an outspoken leader for innovation and has led many real-world autonomous systems to market.
Christina Flach is a celebrity makeup artist, founder and CEO of PRETTY GIRL Makeup, represented by Look Artists Agency in San Francisco. Ms. Flach has extensive experience in commercial print, advertising, fashion, beauty, TV and film. She also writes about beauty and fashion for weekly magazines. Her work is inspired by her love and obsession with beauty, fashion and art. Her goal is to always make her client look and feel beautiful.
Pretty Girl Makeup offers the highest quality lipsticks, lip gloss, blushes, bronzers and eyeshadows that have that extra wink of fun names as Rich Husband and Private Jet and Day at the Spa.
It celebrates everything that is fabulous about being a Pretty Girl or a part of our life that is a little fantasy mixed with a bit of luxury! I have worked hand in hand with industry experts to produce the highest quality product available, combining vitamins, minerals, and essential oils that give you that long lasting lip gloss effect to get you through a long board meeting, cocktails out with girlfriends, and that extra long work out or a day being “Mommy!"
With Pretty Girl, I have succeeded in creating exciting beauty products that appeal to women of all ages and lifestyles. I hope you enjoy Pretty Girl as much as I have enjoyed creating it!
Dr. Scot Refsland is the founder and CEO of RotorSports, producers of the US National Drone Racing Championships and the Inaugural 2016 World Drone Racing Championships in Hawaii with over 40 countries participating. Scot has a Ph.D. in Virtual and Augmented Reality and a BA from University of Southern California. He is particularly interested in the intersection of drone racing, eSports and mixed reality technologies.
Mr. Kate started in 2011 as a simple blog with the goal of celebrating life through a more creative lens. We were the little train that could, as we worked hard to find innovative ways to develop and nurture an online community and built it into what is now millions of viewers around the world who all celebrate our philosophy of Because Why Not?
Mr. Kate is now a leader in the creative lifestyle movement, producing and distributing high quality home, style and beauty content and products through innovative production and syndication partnerships with major digital and traditional media players, brand and licensing deals with Fortune 500 companies, and a literary deal with Harper Collins publishing. Mr. Kate has won a number of awards, including Webby and W3 Awards for excellence in our field, and we continue to dream bigger as we grow our global fanbase
Jason combines his background in tech and finance to build creative companies in digital media. He has 12 years of experience including former CFO at TheRedPin, Fuel Industries and NeuLion (previously JumpTV).
Giftagram is reinventing the act of gifting with a user-friendly app that makes it easier to send a gift. Our simple platform gives retailers access to a mobile marketplace and users access to a community of leading local and international brands in lifestyle and design. We believe in sending gifts to celebrate occasions big or small, and for no reason at all because our goal is to inspire everyone to experience the good ol’ fashioned feeling that comes from giving and receiving a gift.
Kalpesh Kapadia’s career spans 15+ years in the US + 5 years in Asia, primarily in technology & finance. Prior to co-founding SelfScore he was one of the foremost analyst/investors in Wall Street’s tech sector. In 2004 he was ranked the #1 analyst in the US across all sectors by the Wall Street Journal. In 2005 he founded Equanum Capital & successfully managed it through 2012. In ’07 & ’09, Equanum Funds were one of the best managed global equity funds in Barrons.com & Asiahedge rankings. He earned an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University & an MS in Industrial Engineering from NJIT. He came to the US over 20 years ago as a young student & struggled to establish his credit profile. Through SelfScore, he plans to ease the challenges for this deserving but underserved population.
Nommery is a mobile-friendly site that gathers awesome people for shared meals at great restaurants.
Melisa founded and is currently managing one of the most successful dining communities in the world. Initially started as a hobby group on MeetUp, our foodie community now spans 15 cities in America with 25,000+ members. Our flagship group, the San Francisco Foodies, enjoyed 2,000+ events in its first four years.
Strong background in operations and sales from management positions in wholesale food distribution and small businesses.
Graduated from UC Berkeley with a self-designed major, Sustainable Food Business, which covered business, economics, agriculture, nutritional science and environmental science, policy, and management, with strong direction from Michael Pollan.
Jon Ferrara, has been recognized for pioneering innovation in the customer management category. Prior to founding Nimble, LLC. Ferrara was the creator and co-founder of the award winning customer management product GoldMine. In 1999, Goldmine got acquired by FrontRange and Ferrara left to pursue other interests. During those years, Ferrara continued to watch the CRM market. He saw that most of the CRM products that were serving small businesses moved up market (and became more costly and complex) or fell by the way side, leaving the market underserved. It was at this point that he decided to create the next generation CRM product for small businesses, Nimble.
Andy Cunningham An entrepreneur at the forefront of marketing, branding, positioning and communicating “The Next Big Thing,” Andy Cunningham has played a key role in the launch of a number of new categories including video games; personal computers; desktop publishing; digital imaging; RISC microprocessors; software as a service; very light jets; and clean tech investing. She is an expert in creating and executing marketing, branding and communication strategies that accelerate growth, increase shareholder value and advance corporate reputation. Andy came to Silicon Valley in 1983 to work for Regis McKenna and help Steve Jobs launch the Macintosh. When Steve left Apple to form NeXT and acquire Pixar, he chose Andy’s public relations agency, Cunningham Communication, to represent him. She continued to work with Steve for several years and has developed marketing, branding and communication strategies for game-changing technologies and companies ever since. Andy graduated from Northwestern University and lives in Palo Alto, California, with her aviator family: her husband Rand Siegfried, and their two children, McKinley and Cormac.
Rosie O’Neill Bio Rosie O'Neill is a newbie entrepreneur with a major sweet tooth. In August 2012, she launched her first company, Sugarfina, a luxury candy boutique featuring the finest candies from around the world, beautiful packaged and presented. Sugarfina opened its first retail boutique in Beverly Hills in November 2013 and now has 15 stores in major cities across the U.S., including New York, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco and Vancouver. Named one of the world’s most beautiful candy shops by Architectural Digest, Sugarfina is disrupting the sweet space at retail with an innovative store design and experience. Before candy, Rosie played with dolls for 7 years as Director of Marketing for Barbie at Mattel, where she led a global business unit that sold more than 50 million Barbie dolls annually. She received her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA in Communication Studies from UCLA. Her favorite candies are Champagne Bears, Peach Bellini and Fuji Apple Caramels.
On the drive home from adopting Barkley, a 2-month-old rescue beagle, my mom and dad bought dog treats at a pet food outlet. When we opened the bag, the smell sent us all scurrying, our puppy included. That's when I decided I was old enough (10) to know that my new best friend needed a better biscuit! I visited veterinarians, and began testing different flavor combinations, and experimenting in the kitchen with my mom. I found the most wholesome ingredients I could, and created my first batch of homemade treats, and this time, Barkley ate them up! I began pedalling my biscuits by bike to other dog owners in my neighborhood. Soon I had two- and four-legged fans howling for more. That's how Ry's Ruffery was born – a labor of love dedicated to creating my all-natural dog treats that pet owners would love to give as much as their furry friends would love to devour them. I think you and your dog will agree they are the very best, paws down!
With fifteen years of combined industry experience in capital markets and fresh food production and distribution, Michael R. Lippold is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FreshRealm. An innovator in easy-to-cook meal kits, FreshRealm is the largest marketplace that delivers fresh food and Do-It-Yourself meal kits. With the immense popularity of online recipe sourcing, FreshRealm takes this one step further by offering “shoppable” meal kit recipes designed by food influencers known as Tastemakers. All recipes feature pre-cut, perfectly portioned ingredients delivered directly to consumers’ doorsteps. Prior to founding FreshRealm in January 2013, Lippold was instrumental to the strategy and growth development of Calavo Growers, a preeminent name in the global avocado industry and leader of made-to-order, “just-in-time delivery” of fresh food in the U.S. For over seven years, Lippold served as Director of Strategic Development for Calavo Growers.
Nexient CEO Mark Orttung has over 25 years of experience in consulting, systems integration and SaaS product development. Mark leads Nexient in creating a new platform that enables our clients to bring innovative solutions to their customers quickly. In addition to leadership roles at GetThere and Genesys—both of which were acquired for a combined $2.25 billion—Orttung has held key executive positions at Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), Deem (formerly Rearden Commerce), and Bill.com, where in his last two years as president and COO he led the company in revenue growth of 350 percent. Among his many accomplishments, Orttung is credited with founding a start-up SaaS company incubated at Accenture, joining the first class of corporate fellows at the Institute for the Learning Sciences and successfully launching Accenture’s Palo Alto Center for Strategic Technology. He also invented or co-invented 25 product innovations for which he holds patents. Mark completed his undergraduate degree in mathematical and computational sciences at Stanford University and earned an MS in computer science from Northwestern University.Nexient CEO Mark Orttung has over 25 years of experience in consulting, systems integration and SaaS product development. Mark leads Nexient in creating a new platform that enables our clients to bring innovative solutions to their customers quickly. In addition to leadership roles at GetThere and Genesys—both of which were acquired for a combined $2.25 billion—Orttung has held key executive positions at Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), Deem (formerly Rearden Commerce), and Bill.com, where in his last two years as president and COO he led the company in revenue growth of 350 percent. Among his many accomplishments, Orttung is credited with founding a start-up SaaS company incubated at Accenture, joining the first class of corporate fellows at the Institute for the Learning Sciences and successfully launching Accenture’s Palo Alto Center for Strategic Technology. He also invented or co-invented 25 product innovations for which he holds patents. Mark completed his undergraduate degree in mathematical and computational sciences at Stanford University and earned an MS in computer science from Northwestern University.
- Molly Hayward has a deep knowledge of menstrual management in both its cultural and commercial contexts
- She was the first entrepreneur in the menstrual health space to introduce a modern, healthy, pro-social brand to mainstream consumers
- Previously, Molly co- founded ethical fashion label Rebecca Street, in the UK
- Molly (together with Cora) is about to get her big break as a reality TV star
- She will be a featured entrepreneur on a forthcoming TV show airing on a major national network early this year
- Cora is her 3rd startup, 2nd as founder.
- Several years ago I was travelling with an organization in Kenya when a girl named Purity told me she and other girls would stay home from school during their periods because they couldn’t afford sanitary pads.
- Every year, 100 million girls miss school during their periods due to a lack of access to adequate menstrual products.
- Later, when I learned that many feminine products used in the U.S. contain substances that are potentially harmful to our health, I knew there had to be a better future for us all
- Cora is creating a future in which a woman’s period is neither embarrassing in her own mind, nor difficult to manage out in the world
- As a Cora member, a woman can be certain that her tampons are the most premium quality and the safest possible for her body
- With Cora, women can experience what it’s like to manage their periods in a way that fits their lifestyle
As co-inventor, co-founder and CEO of VolJet, Susan Sloan is a motivational executive who leads the company’s strategic vision, guidance, goals and values. She is responsible for VolJet’s customer and employee satisfaction, business execution and results, technology roadmap and overall system performance. Sloan is a passionate engineer, leader and change agent, with an established track record of creating organizations and high-performing teams that deliver increased profitability and both employee and customer satisfaction. In 2016, she retired from a leading aerospace corporation’s Navigation arena, where she held executive positions as director of Strategy, Business and Program Development for the Advanced Systems and vice president of Space for the former Navigation Division. As CEO, she dedicates her time, talent and energy entirely to VolJet.
Kristoffer Nelson has over fifteen years of experience helping businesses and individuals succeed. Kristoffer integrates the skills and experience of a manager, coach, change agent and facilitator drawing insights from psychology, organizational dynamics and other developmental sciences successfully and consistently delivering exceptional and profitable change. As the COO of Social Reality, Kris oversees product, customer support & account management, network management and growth, strategic partnerships and organization development. Kristoffer joined Social Reality, an advertising technology company with a mission to automate digital advertising through advertising and marketing tech and agency services, in 2011. In 2007, Kristoffer launched Krama Consulting & Development, a consulting firm dedicated to developing culture and leadership as a means to directly increasing revenue. Kristoffer has been exceptionally successful in developing business to business and business to consumer sales teams, often assisting organizations in meeting targets by over 200%. In 2009, Kristoffer joined Living Full Blast to assist in developing and integrating Organization and Leadership Development in the firms’ Revenue Acceleration and Critical Success Factors projects, and was later recruited by Capital Broadband, a client of the firm (with the firm’s blessing), and remained there as a Director focusing on revenue growth across all customer facing departments.
I started my career as a psychotherapist helping others to manifest their truest selves. It took a cherished chiropractor for me to realize mine. When I was 43, my chiropractor figured out that I had celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that had left me debilitated most of my life. Celiac disease causes an inflammatory response when ingesting gluten, a protein found in wheat (and all its cousins), barley, rye and most oats. Her wisdom and experience changed my life.
Adam Wescott, Partner/Co-Founder, is an accomplished executive with more than ten years in the entertainment and digital industries. Most recently, Adam served as principal consultant and executive producer to Refinery29 and Nylon TV, among others. Previously, Adam developed and executive produced the Google-funded Original Channel ‘u look haute’ featuring YouTube sensations Elle and Blair Fowler. As Vice President of Owned and Operated Properties for EQAL (acquired by EverydayHealth), Adam developed and ran more than 20 celebrity editorial websites in partnership with Bethenny Frankel, Nick Cannon, Lauren Conrad and more. He spent four and a half years managing E! Entertainment and Style Network’s creation and distribution of online video. Early in his career, Adam developed and launched social networks for Jessica Biel and Olympic skier Bode Miller. Adam regularly moderates and speaks at industry events and is an active member of Television Academy’s Interactive Media Peer Group and the International Academy of Web Television. He is a contributing author of YouTube Channels for Dummies (Spring 2015) and is YouTube-Certified in Audience Growth.
Dr. Michio Kaku — theoretical physicist, bestselling author, acclaimed public speaker, renowned futurist, and popularizer of science. As co-founder of String Field Theory, Dr. Kaku carries on Einstein’s quest to unite the four fundamental forces of nature into a single grand unified theory of everything.
- Career diplomat with the Finnish Foreign Service
- Working at the Department for Americas and Asia at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki
-Counsellor responsible for issues related to trade and economy with the United States - From 2010 to 2014, Mr. Lindström was the DCM at the Finnish Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal
- Was responsible for issues related to trade and economy and the European economic crisis
- From 2007 to 2010 he was Counsellor and DCM at the Finnish Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia
- Was head of the trade and development sectors
- Between 2005 - 2007 he was the adviser to the undersecretary of state for legal and administrative affairs at the MFA in Helsinki, Finland
- Between 2001 – 2005 he was Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles
Amanda is the Chief Brand and Communications Officer at Deluxe, and created the 'Small Business Revolution,' an acclaimed documentary series celebrating small businesses across the country. She experienced success early in her career at advertising agencies such as Cohn & Wolfe London, Campbell Mithun and Fallon, working on top brands such as BMW, Reebok, Sony and Virgin Mobile. In the corporate world, Amanda has held executive marketing roles at Allianz, General Mills, and UnitedHealth Group and is known for her ability to build "creativity from the inside out." Actively involved in the community, Amanda serves as the Board Chair for Children's Cancer Research Fund and on the Make-A-Wish Board. Amongst her awards and recognition, Amanda has been named a "Woman to Watch" and received the "Forty Under 40" award in 2009 from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
Julia Cordray is pioneering her 3rd innovative company; Peeple App, that has received global and viral attention from media, investors, and the public. Her mission is to re-invent and innovate the recruitment industry as a whole. She began her recruitment career by building, Career Fox; aimed at finding dream jobs for employees. Career Fox developed a proprietary recruitment process that leads to a 96% successful placement rate. Now Julia and her companies have innovated again and made Peeple, an app; which is the next generation of online reputation management and connects people through their professional, personal, and dating relationships.
My name is Jolina, and I'm an entrepreneur. Growing up, I've learned that with combination of perseverance and hard work, great things can happen. Entrepreneurship is my passion, I enjoy taking an idea and bringing it to life because nothing is more satisfying seeing your idea end up in the mass market hands. I grew up in the restaurant industry and after hearing countless restauranteurs complain about the difficulties of connecting with their customers. I knew there had to be a better way to help restaurants promote and engage with their customers. My company is BuzzyBooth, a social media photo station that helps businesses and brands engage with their customers more effectively. The increased online presence and promotional caption will help businesses increase sales and decrease marketing costs. I would love to have everyone turn to BuzzyBooth for any photo marketing needs.
I am a tea industry specialist with 6 years of experience in the international tea industry.
The depth of my knowledge of the tea industry began with my life in Yunnan province, China. In China I worked with a number of renowned Tea Masters, became fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and gained complete knowledge of all aspects surrounding tea in China including; retail and wholesale markets, quality control, sourcing, growing, preparing, and drinking etiquette. After returning to the states, I opened my own tea company, McIntosh Tea. McIntosh Tea experienced great success through traveling all over China and selling fine tea to high-end, international clientele. My understanding of retail and wholesale tea sales also extends to the U.S. market. Returning to the Seattle area from Yunnan, I began working with other Tea Masters in the US, oversaw the opening of retail stores, and in addition I lent my skills to project management, hiring, training, eCommerce, PR, consulting, customer services, and brand standardization.
With our bilingual skills, cultural awareness and technical knowledge of tea, we leverage unique expertise with business skills and experience to guide tea companies in North America through the growing tea market and strengthen their focus on quality tea. We advise tea distributors, buyers, retailers and wholesalers on strategic business matters, trade marketing and quality assurance. The goal is to help small and large companies show better growth, brand trust, and confidence in their tea products.
SYDNEY FINKELSTEIN is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, as well as Tuck’s Director of the Center for Leadership. He is a consultant and speaker to senior executives around the globe, as well as an executive coach, focusing on talent development, corporate governance, learning from mistakes, and strategies for growth. He has published eight previous books, including the Wall Street Journal bestseller Why Smart Executives Fail. He is listed in the "Thinkers 50", the world's most prestigious ranking of leadership gurus. He has been featured in the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, Business Week, the London Times, Toronto Globe and Mail, the London Times, Inc, and Fast Company and is a regular columnist for the BBC. He is well known for his keynote speeches and media appearances on CNBC, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, and Marketplace.
Matthew Ramirez is the CEO of WriteLab, a venture-backed company that uses artificial intelligence to teach students how to write. The idea came to the former Ph.D. candidate at University of California, Berkeley's prestigious English program when he was teaching writing to oversized freshman classes. Born in McAllen, Tex., on the Mexican border, Ramirez grew up with mostly poor, non-native English speakers and attended the local community college for one year before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. WriteLab now has $2.5 million in funding and has already been deployed in 53 schools, ranging from low-income high schools to Ivy League colleges.
2x Emmy Award-Winning Producer, Host and Writer of over 50 cable television episodes, Christina Cindrich has been entertaining global audiences with new and engaging content for over 10 years. She has traveled to over 40 countries around the globe featuring the world’s most exclusive brands, giving her viewers an inside look into destinations that many have only dreamed of. Having a strong social media presence, Christina has become an influencer with sizeable reach to bring inspiring messages and campaigns to international audiences.
Gustus Vitae Condiments mission is to share the magic of cooking. Our name means ‘Taste of Life’ in Latin: we’re for getting the spices off the rack and onto your plate. For trying new things. For making food taste spectacular.
We make the best spices and gourmet salts on the market. Our sourcing team seeks out both local and international ingredients, and only accepts the highest quality. Every spice, salt, and condiment that we sell has been personally inspected for quality, before being handpacked into our unique tins in our Los Angeles facility. Unlike most spices and salts available today, our products are never irradiated, not treated with EtO (Ethylene Oxide) gas, and at no point are stored or coated with PLA (Polyactic Acid). We believe in quality above all else.
Abbie grew up in a creative family that used to make her sing for her dessert. At a very young age, she became fascinated with how companies reached out to consumers. At thirteen she wrote an advertiser in Seventeen Magazine to let them know their ad needed to be tweaked. She grew up, moved to New York, and got a job in PR and Brand Strategy helping companies find a stronger voice. She got to work with the smart people behind brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Champagne Krug, and she became the Vice President of Public Relations Worldwide for Kiehl’s. But all these cool jobs seemed a lot less cool after she had a daughter. Like many mamas who work outside the home, Abbie found it to be hugely challenging to manage the balance of a new baby with the inflexible expectations of corporate culture (6:30pm meetings = don’t see child). So one brave day after her daughter turned one, she left it all, took husband and said baby back to Los Angeles for a better life, closer to nana and papa, and walking distance to the beach. Back in Los Angeles, she rediscovered Farmer’s Markets, gardening, and her passion to start her own company that would make people’s lives better – both for the products it created and for the new kind of workday it offered career mamas. The Mother Company was born (it was just as laborious as giving birth – and just as worth it!) Now she creates songs and stories – some of which are still used to get dessert.
Everyday in America, an estimated 40% of the food we produce is discarded; 50% of that waste is nutritious fruits and vegetables. In 2015, L.A. Kitchen moved into its new 20,000 sq. ft kitchen facility where we work directly with farmers and wholesale companies to collect fruits and vegetables that are cosmetically unsalable. All donations and purchases will be gathered at L.A. Kitchen’s food processing hub, where staff and volunteers will use it to make healthy meals, snacks, and food products for social services agencies across Los Angeles, or process and freeze it for distribution at a later date. During the first year of operating in this new facility, L.A. Kitchen expects to reclaim 1,000,000 pounds of produce.
Robert Egger is the pioneering social entrepreneur who founded the D.C. Central Kitchen, The Campus Kitchen Project and now, the L.A. Kitchen. He has helped over 100 cities open similar kitchens, and the businesses he founded have made payroll, without fail, for 30 years.
Bombsheller is all about harnessing your potential. Our leggings are the shell that contains the explosive force that is you, whether you be man, woman, or robot. It's your mission to choose the Shells that best reflect (or disguise) the body they contain.
We believe in taking action, whether it’s with your head, your hands, or your heart. We believe in experimenting until we find a better way. That’s why we’ve departed from the Old Way of manufacturing to build the factory of the future and put the power of design creation in the hands of the artist.
We have yet to discover the limits of human potential. There is more for us to accomplish, collectively and individually. You direct the energy of your life on the adventure of your choosing, making the discoveries and solving the problems that matter to you. Whether you’re changing yourself or changing the world, we’re helping you dress the part.
Heather Holst-Knudsen, a New York City native and now resident of Sarasota, FL, is the CEO & Founder of KidBacker, a virtual innovation hub that enables student business enthusiasts and entrepreneurs to learn how to start, fund and run a business starting from idea all the way to prototype, company funding and go-to-market strategies, anytime anywhere. An avid entrepreneur and intrapreneur, Holst-Knudsen has founded and led multiple business units for large organizations. She is founder and former President of Manufacturing Enterprise Communications, a B2B media platform that connects CXOs in manufacturing with senior level leaders in technology around the world. Manufacturing Enterprise Communications was sold to Frost & Sullivan in August 2012. Prior to Manufacturing Enterprise Communications, Heather was President of Managing Automation Media and TechMatch Solutions, all divisions of Thomas Publishing Company in New York, City. Holst-Knudsen is a trusted advisor to many top manufacturing and technology organizations including Cisco, AT&T, Google, SAP, Oracle, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Ford, L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive and more.
Jesse Itzler only eats fruit until noon, loves Run-D.M.C., and enjoys living life “out of the box," actually, he doesn't even have a box. He cofounded Marquis Jet, the world’s largest prepaid private jet card company in 2001, which he and his partner sold to Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets. He then partnered with Zico coconut water, which they sold to The Coca-Cola Company in 2013. He is a former rapper on MTV and he produced and sang both the NBA’s Emmy Award-winning “I Love This Game” music campaign and the popular New York Knicks anthem “Go NY Go.” When he is not out training for his next 100 mile run or being a dad to his four kids, Jesse can be found at the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks games, where he is an owner of the team. He is married to Spanx founder Sara Blakely and the couple and their 4 children live in Atlanta, Georgia.
Beers, a former producer and executive with Turner Broadcasting and Paramount Syndicated Television, has produced more than 40 television series since the mid-1990s, most under the banner of his own production company formed in 1999, Original Productions, for which he serves as CEO and Executive Producer.
Beers produces some of the shows on the Discovery Channel family of networks, including Deadliest Catch (for which he received Emmy nominations in 2006 and 2007), Lobster Wars, Monster Garage, Monster House, and Plastic Surgery: Before and After. He is the former chairman & CEO of FremantleMedia's US division, FremantleMedia North America.
Also, he narrates for the show America's Port, narrates and is an executive producer for Wild Justice both on the National Geographic Channel, the pilot episodes of 1,000 Ways to Die on Spike, Pitchmen, and The Colony on the Discovery Channel. Beers was also the supervising producer for the cartoon Captain Planet and the Planeteers on TBS from 1990-1991 for 26 episodes.
Tracing its origins to the year 1960, when the Porto family made the tough decision to leave their home in Manzanillo, Cuba. After living through the drastic changes that were taking place around them, they requested permission to leave the country. Immediately Raul Sr. was terminated from his job and sent away to manual labor for the duration of the wait period. Wife, Rosa Porto was also let go. Knowing that it may take years to be able to leave the country, Rosa found herself alone and having to find a means to support her three children Betty, Raul Jr., and Margarita.
Rosa, always a talented cake maker, with a passion for baking, entrenched herself in perfecting her recipes and began selling her delicious cakes to friends and neighbors not realizing that she was also building herself a loyal customer base.
Porto’s Bakery & Café now serves thousands of customers and employs hundreds of team members in Southern California, with a store in Glendale, a store in Burbank, and a third in the city of Downey.
Back to the Roots was founded in 2009 by college seniors Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora after discovering how to grow gourmet mushrooms on recycled coffee grounds. Since then, Back to the Roots has evolved from urban mushroom farming to a thriving business on a mission to undo food and reconnect families to it through fun, innovative, and delicious Ready to Grow and Ready to Eat products (Organic Mushroom Farm, Water Garden, Garden-in-a-Can, Organic Stoneground Flakes, Organic Breakfast Toppers, and Organic Stoneground Crisps). Back to the Roots currently sells its products in over 14,000 stores worldwide, including Whole Foods Market, Target, Costco, The Home Depot, Nordstrom, Petco, Cost Plus World Market, Loblaw, Giant Eagle, Wegmans, The Fresh Market, Crate & Barrel, Urban Outfitters, Safeway, and Kroger.
- Easy to set-up and get real-time customer or employee feedback in seconds.
- Reward customers for higher feedback responses, drive loyalty and generate additional sales.
- Works anytime, anywhere and on any device.
- Change questions ‘on the fly’ to respond to live feedback and see the data as it come in.
- 83% average response rate by using mobile devices at ‘Point of Experience’.
- Grow your business and reduce costs with important feedback whilst listening to the people important to you.
- Anonymous feedback (unless you decide otherwise).
- No need to buy expensive databases to reach new customers through our ‘rewards near you’ function.
Recent Pepperdine MBA Graduate - Osei Gyamfi, is the Founder and CEO of ChillHound.com, a party planning & group funding platform built for the sole purposes of simplifying and managing group event logistics all in one place. The project started as a result of many failed attempts of trying to gather friends for group events that required advanced payment or that required people to commit to potluck items. Osei knew that there had to be a better way to organize these event without taking the fun out of them due to the frustrations of planning. Him and his friends searched high and low for a platform that catered to their needs; however, the existing platforms fell short, and from there ChillHound was born. They've received seed funding, and are looking forward to their series A within the coming year. With over 3,000 users and a new beta on the way, they have a bright future ahead of them
The Grove Ecosystem is an intelligent indoor garden that enables people to grow fresh, flavorful, and healthy food year-round. Plant and Cultivate Plant your first seeds and establish your Ecosystem. Our app, Grove OS, connects to your Ecosystem to monitor and guide your growing experience. Harvest and EnjoyNaturally and sustainably grown. Grove to table is as fresh as it gets. The Grove Ecosystem learns with you, collecting data and optimizing for flavor, freshness, and yield. Intelligent and ecologically sound, it's designed to look beautiful in a home, restaurant, office, or school.
Gabe Blanchet is the Co-Founder & CEO of Grove. Gabe believes that inspiring and educating people to have fun growing their own food is a powerful way to promote healthy food choices for people individually and for our planet as a whole. Gabe holds an MIT engineering degree, is a member of Forbes 30 under 30 and the Kairos 50, and previously led business development and customer learning at Boston startup GrabCAD (acquired in 2014 for $100M). In addition to leading the team at Grove, Gabe is an avid hockey player, skier, bookworm, triathlete, and hiker.
Tiara Cameron is founder and CEO of Women's Protein, an organization dedicated to empowering women to embrace a lifestyle of building stronger bodies and body images, instead of depleting themselves to fit imaginary ideals. The daughter of a university professor, and one of the eldest in a family of seven children, she learned the value of building a strong body in her years of athletics and ballroom dancing. As a single mother of three exceptional children. Her message of Emancipation, not Emaciation has helped women recover from eating disorders, discover their inner athletes, and free themselves from harmful self-images that keep them from actively participating in the world. She is a corporate wellness consultant and a published author. She works with both male and female athletes who need to re-train after injuries, and focuses on a formula of building lean body strength to help them recover. Cameron is also a Director of Footsteps for Africa, an organization that builds schools and provides clothing for at-risk children in Namibia. The organization was developed to meet gaps that were not served by existing humanitarian efforts. In Africa especially, there is a crushing corruption that plagues many non-profits, and Footsteps for Africa steps in to fill the gap by operating in a 100% transparent way, allowing people who want to help out internationally but are wary of supporting potentially corrupt organizations a way to contribute mindfully.
Deke Copenhaver is the recent three time mayor of Augusta Georgia, where he united races and political parties by improving the quality of life for everyone. Deke currently heads his consulting company, serves as Chairman of the Board of the Augusta Warrior project and received the Commanders Award for Public Service from the Department of the Army. Deke was named by Southern Living Magazine as a “Hero of the New South” and became the first U.S. mayor to complete all three legs of an officially sanctioned Ironman.
Film and television actor and personality Dallas Page has been entertaining millions of fans for over 20 years. The athletic, 52 year-old Page knew at an early age that he was born to entertain. His grandmother called him “energetic”—truly an understatement. Whether it was barreling through his grandma’s kitchen on his tricycle, swinging from chandeliers at the babysitter’s house, or cannonballs at neighborhood pool parties, Page knew how to grab an audience and have them eat out of the palm of his hand.
In addition to acting, Page is the co-developer of DDP YOGA, a revolutionary fitness program that takes the principles of yoga and supercharges them with old school calisthenics, core stability training and isometric and Dynamic resistance training to give an intense, complete body workout. Page also conducts inspirational seminars in the corporate and educational environment, guiding audiences through branding and goal-setting using his own formulas and self-taught techniques. Page regularly visits the troops in Iraq, as well as boys and girls clubs and youth sports camps throughout the U.S., giving inspirational speeches and DDP YOGA demonstrations. In 1999 he published his autobiography: Positively Page: The Diamond Dallas Page Story.
We believe - that anyone can help spark and shape technology competitions that change the course of humankind. From simple products that make life better to large scale human challenges.
Genius - We view genius as the unique backgrounds and experiences we all have. These experiences cause us to look at the world differently and that is exactly where innovation comes from. Right now you may have the answer to a challenge that you don’t even know exists.
HiddenGenius is really about three things: Visibility, Visibility, Visibility
Visibility - for people with real technology challenges and how their lives might be improved. Some might be orphaned challenges that currently have little public attention.
Visibility - for entrepreneurs and technologist to address challenges they didn’t even know about, maybe from a completely different industry.
Visibility - to provide resources (capital and human talent) for innovators to address these challenges.
The Underdog of Silicon Valley, Misa Chien is the Co-founder and CEO of Fosubo, which stands for ‘forget the suggestion box’, and provides real time customer feedback in an insightful manner. Still in it’s infancy, Fosubo is now in almost 1000 telecom stores and is currently surveying over 2 million customers/year. A former model and serial entrepreneur, Fosubo is Misa’s third start-up venture. Previously Misa founded a jewelry making business and a wildly successful L.A. based food truck, Nom Nom truck. Her food truck was runner up on the Food Network’s ‘The Great Food Truck Race’ season 1, and received tons of buzz in many mainstream publications, including the New York Times and Forbes Magazine. Misa has an incredibly diverse background, and is exceptionally well traveled. She has a degree in French and Global Studies from UCLA, and had the opportunity to work in many exotic locations such as Bangkok, Budapest and Hong Kong during her long-term modeling career.
Paul Hibler sees restaurants as so much more than food on a plate. Instead, he has made a career out of creating community-focused gathering places. From ingredients to chefs, service, décor, and ambiance, Hibler conceptualizes comfortable, but unforgettable dining experiences. Nearly 25 years ago, Hibler started his food service career as co-founder of Deluxe Catering with business partner, David Sanfield. With a home base in Los Angeles, their company was focused on feeding motion picture crews. They catered meals for over 300 film sets around the world, with heavy hitters like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron eating their food during takes. When Deluxe Catering launched its private event division in 1994, A-list clientele like Bill Clinton were instantly hooked. Soon after launching their private event business, Hibler began exploring his interest in making pizza and set his sights on opening a casual eatery. Together with Sanfield, they launched Pitfire Pizza in North Hollywood in 1997. Hibler wanted to offer artisan pizza in laidback, beautifully built spaces. His attention to detail and open concept design coupled with quality pizza garnered a loyal following. Today, Pitfire Pizza has seven locations in Los Angeles and Orange County. True to form, each restaurant is uniquely designed to showcase up-and-coming talent while paying tribute to the original concept and brand.
Born and raised in California while spending winters and summers with his family in Hawai'i, Ryan Emmons gained an incredible appreciation for the environment and the active lifestyle these unique places offer. This, and his longstanding charitable efforts in Africa, led him to begin developing the concept for Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Water after discovering his Hawaiian family had access to one of the most naturally healthy, pure, and sustainable water sources in the world.
Emmons graduated early to launch Waiākea and its unique triple bottom line platform into what it is today- one of the fastest growing beverage companies, and the fastest growing premium bottled water, in the United States. Emmons was selected as a Bridge Entrepreneur by SVN (Social Venture Network) in early 2014 for Waiākea 's initiatives and groundbreaking social platform. He remains committed to Waiākea's vision to sustainably provide healthy, delicious, Hawaiian Volcanic Water, while contributing to and promoting clean water access to people in need in Africa and throughout the world.
The name - 8 - The number between 7 & 9. The atomic number of Oxygen. A lucky or holy number in Asia. More importantly, it's the number of packages of made-to-measure clothing you’ll receive in a year. 2 packages per quarter.
o·ma·ka·se - Walk into a nice sushi restaurant, push aside the menu and say “Omakase.” You just told the chef “I trust you, do what you do best.” He’ll serve you his signature dishes, only the freshest cuts and maybe even a special surprise, all in thoughtful sequence. It’s the perfect service experience. 8/o has brought this same service to men’s fashion.
Colorado native Ross Marquand received his BFA in Theatre from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Los Angeles and quickly garnered attention in several film and television projects. Before Marquand's breakout role on The Walking Dead, he portrayed screen legend
Paul Newman on AMC's Mad Men.
Also an accomplished voiceover actor, Ross has lent his unique vocal talents to countless productions such as Phineas & Ferb, Conan, and video games like Battlefield Hardline. He is especially renowned for impersonating a plethora of celebrities including Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Matthew McConaughey and over 50 others. This expertise led to a starring and producing role on Pop TV's Impress Me, helmed by Ben Shelton and Rainn Wilson.
We created DigiPuppets to spread joy, love and learning to the mobile generation.
The mobile device is officially the most popular kids toy - more than dolls, action figures, arts & crafts, blocks and all other play types. We created DigiPuppets to harness this opportunity to use the mobile device as a force for good. How? By creating an engaging, educational, socially-conscious character brand and play experience specifically designed for mobile.
DigiPuppets was conveived in 2013 in an Innovation class at the Wharton School by MBA students Brendan Green, Dan Clay and Matt Newcomb.
Since then, we've assembled a passionate team of illustrators, animators and storywriters; an experienced team of teachers and childhood development experts; talented designers, videographers and marketers; and best-in-class supply chain and manufacturing partners.
Emily Chalk is Founder and Senior Managing Partner at East of Ellie, a Stamford, Connecticut based events agency. After spending more than 6 years as global brand manager for Westin Hotels & Resorts, she realized her passion for events and started East of Ellie, an events company. She now thrives on creating unique and personal experiences that help her clients build their brands. In just the past five years, Emily has planned events for major clients including Bvlgari Parfums, Nestle Waters North America, the MDG Awards, and the Jack Brewer Foundation – to name a few. As an accomplished young industry professional, she’s received two 40 Under 40 Awards, and has been published in YFS Magazine, BizBash, Business Rockstars and more.
Appetize's Co-Founder and VP of Biz Dev, Kevin Anderson, met his two Co-Founders while in Jr. High in Los Angeles, but it wasn't until a Laker game in 2011 where the three reconnected that Appetize was started. Seeing an inefficient way of getting product in-seat and bonding over their passion for sports and music, Appetize was born. Today, the company boasts 60 employees and 350 entertainment, education and leisure properties served, in addition to 4 core enterprise POS products and it's original consumer facing app. Anderson leads strategy, fundraising and partnerships for the company. A lover of golf, Kevin's background in beverage distribution and sales has been a natural compliment to his Co-Founders' experiences in operations and tech.
Irina Slavina is one of co-owners of Hudway. A head-up display or heads-up display (also known as a HUD) is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view information with the head positioned "up" and looking forward, instead of angled down looking at lower instruments.
She is also a legal counsel and spokesperson for the company. Irina joined the company in 2014 when it was time to move the business from Russia to the United States. Hudway is now located in Silicon Beach, California (Marina del Rey). Irina is a licensed attorney. Prior to joining Hudway, Irina worked in prominent ligation law firms in Chicago and Los Angeles. She is a mom to a 5-year old boy.
Benny Luo is the Founder of web properties NextShark.com and NewMediaRockstars.com. His expertise lies in content marketing, PR, and social media marketing. He has worked with various brands including Billboard, MGM, and McDonalds.
An ADHD-inflicted serial entrepreneur and internet marketer, he prides himself on thinking up new business ideas, getting excited about them, then realizing someone is already doing it — and then getting back to work. He is terrible at writing self bios.
It is said that Generation Y is the most entrepreneurial generation of our time. With the increasing availability of business resources on the internet, launching a startup is easier than ever. We’re here to be on the cusp of this movement.
NextShark is an online magazine redefining success, by millennials, for millennials. Our mission is to offer a fresh take on the business lifestyle, entrepreneurship and personal growth, while spotlighting current and rising leaders set on following their passions to change the world.
Clayton Alexander is an American inventor and serial entrepreneur who holds more than 70 patents worldwide and is the inventor of General Electric’s futuristic light bulb, the GE Infusion™.
Alexander started his first business, Radiance Lightworks, in 1999 at the age of 23. By the time the company reached its 5th year in business it had grown its client base to include several fortune 500 companies, with lighting design projects all over the world. Radiance Lightworks, now celebrating its 16th anniversary, has shown steady growth since its inception and illuminates large-scale productions for Universal Studios, Mattel, 20th Century Fox and many other notable clients.
Following the success of his first two companies, Alexander launched Ember Technologies in 2012. With big plans to revolutionize the dishware and drinkware industry, Alexander assembled an incredible team of world-class product designers and engineers formerly with Nokia, Microsoft and Amazon Labs, to take on this monumental task. Ember’s launch product, the world’s most advanced temperature adjustable mug, creates an unforgettable drinking experience that will forever change the way we enjoy coffee or tea.
After years of passionate experimenting to create a toffee that would combine only the finest, freshest and most natural ingredients, Newport Beach resident Betsy Thagard created the perfect toffee — B. toffee. She shared her delectable, handcrafted toffee with family and friends before they urged her to introduce it to the world.
Since the inception of B. toffee it has created quite a stir in the candy confection world. With a core audience, strong following and ever growing customer base it has turned a passion into a profitable business.
Today, B. toffee is growing nationwide, with premiere placement at the country’s most noted gourmet markets and specialty stores. B. toffee is recognized as a superior quality product with its sophisticated, sleek packaging being described as a “crunchy perfection of sweetness” and has also taken a bite out of the corporate, and party favor market.
Most recently B. toffee received top GOLD honors for “Top Toffee” and “Best Packaging” by the Taste Awards in San Francisco, CA. Also awarded the “Official Toffee” at The Golden Foodie Awards-the highest Culinary Foodie Awards in Orange County, CA.
B. toffee is a sweet and luxurious gesture from our house to yours.
Indulge.
Tony Uphoff is CEO of Business.com, the leading online resource for businesses of all sizes. Before joining Business.com in 2013, he was CEO of UBM TechWeb, where he led the transformation of a declining $125M print-centric business into a fast-growing $225M dollar digital media, live event and marketing services powerhouse. Prior to that, Uphoff was founding CEO of Beliefnet, an Internet startup that was sold to News Corporation in 2007. He served as President of VNU Media’s Entertainment Group and Publisher of The Hollywood Reporter, growing the business to $100M in revenue and delivering the 3 largest years in The Hollywood Reporter’s 75 year history. Uphoff was Publisher of InformationWeek in the mid-90′s, growing revenues from $15M to over $150M and into the largest brand in the history of B2B media. Uphoff also served in several key management positions at Ziff-Davis during the company’s rapid growth in the early 1990′s. Uphoff was named “Folio Forty C-Level Visionary” by Folio Magazine in 2011 and has been named in the Top 100 business media execs by B2B Magazine from 2006-2011. He was named “Top Media Innovator” by Mins B2B in 2009.
Born in Tehran, Iran, Mahmoud Reza Banki immigrated to the US to attend college and became a naturalized US citizen in the 1990s. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a double major in Chemical Engineering and Applied Mathematics. He subsequently earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering with a focus on Biotechnology from Princeton University and has published numerous scientific articles [1] and a biotechnology book.[2] After completing his PhD, he worked as a management consultant at the New York City office of McKinsey & Company , the premier global management consulting firm.[3]
After his release Banki earned a Masters of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles, and also worked at NBCUniversal.
Banki spoke publicly for the first time about his case at TED (conference) Talk in 2014 [4] and presented a compelling case for change.[5]
As of 2015 a documentary film about the case was being made.
Hanna created the Lollacup to fill a void that she saw in the marketplace. When her daughter was nine-months-old, she was able to drink from a straw, and her pediatrician suggested weaning her directly to a straw instead of a traditional sippy cup. Hanna purchased several toddler straw cups but realized that her daughter couldn’t get a sip out of any of them. Inspired, she set out to create a cup with a valve-free straw and weighted end so that children could drink from the straw at any angle – and Lollacup was born. Hanna Lim is the mother of three daughters and is the co-founder and president of Lollaland. Prior to creating the Lollacup, Hanna received her Masters in Education at UCLA and worked as a high school chemistry teacher. In her spare time, she is active in several parenting groups, serves on the board of the Wellesley College Club of Pasadena, and is a volunteer member of Kidspace Museum’s Circle of Friends.
Shapewear isn't usually pretty. We make pretty shapewear. We're disrupting the shapewear category by making body shapers so adorable you'll want to wear them out! A lingerie expert, founder Rachael McCrary realized her friends all had one intimate apparel problem in common – feeling bad and uncomfortable in their shapewear. A better option didn't exist, so she created Jewel Toned. The result? Shapewear that isn't quite underwear, and isn't quite outerwear. Perfect for women who make their own rules.
We are a small office full of bad ass babes who work around the clock to take the shame out of shapewear. And our customers are women who aren't afraid of asking for what they want, working hard to get where they're going, or wearing their underwear in public.
We design, manufacture and sell our own products directly to our customers so we can have a one-on-one relationship with you. Questions or want a Major Mini in your favorite color? Email us at: dreams@shopjeweltoned.com
Mattress industry veteran David Farley and daughter Shannon Farley have teamed up to introduce a customizable mattress, Luxi by SmartSleep Inc. The new mattress is sold direct to consumers at LuxiSleep.com. It has four layers, consisting of polyurethane foam, memory foam, latex and base foam. The zip-off mattress cover allows owners to rearrange the top comfort layers to suit personal preferences.
As sleep experts, we’ve been designing and manufacturing specialty foam mattresses since before Tempurpedic landed in America. Our innovation has earned us over thirty (30) international and domestic patents, and we’re proud to own every decision along the supply and production chain. From innovative design and sourcing raw materials to packaging and shipping, we are as manufacturer-direct as it gets, from our home to yours.
Flex Watches founders, Trevor Jones and Travis Lubinsky, were born and raised in Southern California surrounded by the latest trends in music and fashion culture. In 2011, they created a unique, interchangeable watch that fit their vibes and matched their styles. The name Flex was inspired with a vision of living in the now and being flexible throughout life. Oh, and did we mention our watches are sillicone and actually flexible? Now ya know!
Raising Awareness
Trevor and Travis began connecting with charities in hopes of using the watches to raise funds for the charities causes. Following their first local fundraiser in 2011, they ventured south to Mexico and donated more than 15,000 meals for children in need. Later that year, they partnered with MTV’s “The Real World” where they would ultimately reach millions of people creating an impact much bigger than themselves. Things were picking up.
ABOUT MARK WALDREP, PH.D. Founder and President of the Pacific Coast Sound Works in 1989, he developed software tools and techniques that established PCSW as the preeminent digital media service bureau for the most prominent software developers and publishers in the CD-ROM multimedia industry. PCSW clients include Warner New Media, Spectrum Holobyte, Broderbund, Rocket Science, Virgin Interactive, Disney Interactive, and The Learning Company. As a recording and mastering engineer with over 35 years of experience, Dr. Waldrep has repeatedly demonstrated his unique ability to embrace both the technical and creative aspects of the recording industry. In 1994, he was experimenting with technologies and interactive designs that could integrate the record business with the emerging multimedia industry. His innovative idea to place music videos, interviews, liner notes, and web connectivity on a standard audio CD resulted in the birth of the “i-Trax enhanced CD” format. His trademark “i-Trax” appeared on dozens of ECDs released during the early 1990s, including the first ECD from a major label (Rhythm of the Pride Lands/Walt Disney Records), the largest-selling (The Rolling Stones “Stripped/Virgin Records), and the first to have an Internet connection (David Bowie & Bing Crosby “Little Drummer Boy/Oglio Records).
They call Kathy Smith "A Fitness Revolutionary" for a reason. Several, actually: Her online weight loss program, ReShape, combines downloadable workouts, food plans, shopping lists, and hundreds of recipes. And her new book and DVD, FastFit, sounds the alarm on the bellyfat epidemic and blood sugar roller coaster with breakthrough techniques for longterm health. So it's no wonder Kathy has stood at the forefront of the fitness and health industries for over 30 years, with a collection of bestselling books, DVDs, audios and exercise equipment. The numbers speak for themselves: Kathy has sold more than 20 million exercise DVDs - landing her in the Video Hall of Fame - and $500 million in products, from kettlebells to yoga mats. With a mission to "inspire the best in all people," her work has been featured in countless media outlets, including The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, Larry King Live, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and many more. A mother of two daughters, Kathy currently resides in Park City, Utah.
Currently "intrapraneur" at Mammoth Resorts, leading a startup within a 60 year old, $200M company. Mission is to create products and experiences focused on businesses and executives. Founded and led as CEO VC backed Practice Technologies (acquired), authored an Amazon Best-Seller on Customer Experience, occasional angel investor. Formerly large firm lawyer focused on Corporate Restructuring. Alum of HBS and UCONN School of Law.
Daniel Wagner is CEO and founder of Beverly Hills-based Bifrost Pictures, a production and financing company founded in 2013 to promote independent filmmakers and director-focused projects. He recently completed production on MILES AHEAD, a Miles Davis biopic starring Don Cheadle and Ewan McGregor, which marks Cheadle’s feature film directorial debut. It was recently acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and closed the New York Film Festival. Wagner also recently completed production of SHELTER, starring Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie, directed by Paul Bettany in his directorial debut. Shelter was acquired by Screen Media and was released in theaters and VOD November 13th of this year.
With a background in finance and physical production, Daniel understands every aspect of film financing, in both domestic and international spheres.
Kush Kapila is founder and CEO of STERLINGS Mobile, the premier mobile salon and barbershop for busy professionals. STERLINGS launched 3 years ago and has performed over 14,000 services to over 2800 clients in San Diego. STERLINGS is currently in its national expansion phase with locations to launch in Seattle and San Francisco in early 2016. In addition to STERLINGS, Kapila is also a Product Manager in Healthcare Informatics for ResMed, a medical device company that treats Sleep Disordered Breathing. Born and raised in Montreal, Kapila holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from McGill University, a Master's in Bioinformatics from Concordia University and an MBA from the Rady School of Management - UCSD. Kush enjoys mentoring other startups and is currently the co-chair for Vistage on Campus at UCSD and advisor to Executive Oil Services and LabFellows. In his spare time Kapila likes to play hockey and guitar and spend time with his wife and son.
The visionary behind the Mama Strut is Jill Bigelow, a serial entrepreneur, finance professional, USC MBA (2007) and mom of three – ages 6, 3 1/2 and a new born. After giving birth to her second child in 2011, she was frustrated that her hospital's solution for her pelvic discomfort was ice in a rubber glove, gauze underwear and pain medication. After scouring both the medical and maternity markets, Bigelow was surprised to discover there was no singular product that truly addressed all her physical ailments as a new mom.
Inspired by other braces for soft-tissue injuries, the idea for the Mama Strut was born. In August 2011, Bigelow applied for a patent and turned to innovation incubators, tech contests and clinical trials with multiple departments at USC, including AIM Incubator, Greif Center, Marshall, Viterbi's MEPC Innovation Incubator and the Alfred Mann Institute. Through USC's tremendous support, she was able to bring her vision to fruition and perfect her product. In 2013, her prototype was classified by the FDA and in 2014, she celebrated the launch of her company PELV-ICE™ and its first product of many, the Mama Strut™.
Bigelow resides in Los Angeles with her husband and three children and became a Mama Strut user in February 2015 after the birth of her third child.
Cary Levine is the founder and CEO of Mopro, a tech company in Southern California with 240+ full-time employees.
Mopro is the death of Do-It-Yourself. With industry-leading artificial intelligence, Mopro has reverse-engineered the same high-quality digital products and services previously only available to the biggest brands, making them affordable and scalable for the 100 million small businesses globally. Mopro is the preferred digital partner of Pepsico, American Salon and Spa, and the National Restaurant Association.
Cary received his Master’s degree from Columbia University, focusing on organizational systems: Leadership, Policy and Politics. Prior to his graduate work, Cary was program director for the International Bill of Rights Project, and served as a delegate with consultative advising status to the United Nations at the Geneva Convention in Switzerland. He received his undergraduate degree from UC Santa Barbara.
Than Merrill is one of the most successful real estate investors in the nation. During the course of his investment career of more than a decade, Than has bought and sold hundreds of properties nationwide and founded FortuneBuilders using his unique blend of expertise, knowledge and passion for real estate with aspiring investors. As a graduate of Yale University and a former NFL player, Than attributes his success in sports, business and investing to coaching and education. These values were the driving force behind FortuneBuilders and the key to his student’s rapid success in the franchise-like systems he helps students set up within their business. Than exhibited his real estate prowess as he starred on A&E’s Flip This House, a popular house flipping show, and has since become a highly sought after speaker. As a bestselling Amazon author, Than’s book “The Real Estate Wholesaling Bible” continues to be a trusted guide for those looking to get started in real estate investing. Than Merrill is also active in philanthropic efforts and started a non-profit charity with his wife Cindy (the brains of the operation) called Equal Footing Foundation. In addition to his own charity, Merrill spearheaded the creation of FortuneBuilders Gives; the company’s philanthropic initiative to provide opportunities for employees and students to give back to their communities.
Heather Storm is a professional host and actress with a passion for environmental conservation, delicious cocktails and adrenaline pumping fun. From a classy woman who appreciates fine wine and to one of the guys in the shop, Heather’s charm, and quick wit incite the enthusiast.
While attending Oregon State University, Heather signed with a sports modeling agency and started working for local companies, including Nike & Adidas. She has appeared in commercials, films, TV, and fitness videos worldwide.
Heather is currently the co-host of Velocity's Garage Squad, where she can be found working on classic cars with the team. She has also appeared on Tosh.0, several Spike TV shows and teen comedy features, Epic Movie, and Dorm Daze 2.
Jon Hotchkiss is a 14-time Emmy nominee and President of the Los Angeles television production company Hotchkiss Industries. Jon is also the creator, EP, director, writer and financier of the factual entertainment series: Pizza With Writers (which he also hosts), Get Sexxx Tonight, and This vs That, which are available as VOD @ adorablepuppiesinc.com. • Jon is also the creator, EP, director and writer of the series The Truth About Sex (10 X :30 Playboy TV), Invasion of the X-Mas Lights (3 X :60 TLC), My Dad is Better Than Your Dad (8X:60 NBC), and Punkin Chunkin (1 X :60 Science). • Jon was also show-runner on Bulls**t with Penn & Teller for two seasons and was one of the original writers on Politically Incorrect (where he spent five years). Jon has also written extensively for Curb Your Enthusiasm and the original Rosie O'Donnell Show. • Several of the programs Jon has created have been sold around the globe while "My Dad" remains in production in several international territories. Jon has partnered with many of the premiere reality TV production companies on his original formats, including Mark Burnett, Reveille, Ashton Kutcher, Mike Fleiss, Fish Bowl, Merv Griffin, Lion's Gate, and Warner Horizon (among others).
ROBERT MACHADO - CEO & Co-Founder
13 years of experience in Executive Search for a major player in the industry. Strong experience placing C-Level executives, especially in General Management and Sales roles.
Successfully launched and managed 6 offices for a large recruitment firm.
Hired and trained approximately 170 professionals in the recruitment industry.
Experience as board member for technology and recruitment firms. Prior to his current role, launched and managed one of the subsidiaries of IMG, a global leader in sports, fashion and media.
UDO NIETSCH - President & Co-Founder
10 years of Executive Search and Recruitment industry experience in the US and Europe within Lifesciences, Sales & Marketing, and Human Resources. Director for the Business Units, Executive Search and Sales & Marketing in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Highly skilled in Executive Search practices, niche skill profile identification, Account Management and Recruitment business start-up. Experience in building successful Sales & Marketing teams, focusing on technology and consumer goods companies. Launched and managed the Executive Search practice on the West Coast. Launched 4 offices for 2 global recruitment firms. Worked directly with several VC funded companies in LA and the Bay Area to grow their Senior Sales and Marketing teams (SaaS, Big Data firms, Ad Sales etc.). BS Degree in Economics from BYU, Provo UT.
LEHR Inc. is a leading provider of award winning, environmentally friendly, propane-powered products and tools. Dedicated to a cleaner planet through environmentally friendly technology, the LEHR family of products utilizes a patented technology, which ensures that they are the cleanest, greenest and most reliable tools on the market today.
The ideas behind LEHR were born during a series of long cold nights spent in the North Sea converting gasoline engines to run on propane while aboard the research vessel the Sea Surveyor. Having already used propane to power small engines on several other ships in his years at sea, Captain Bernardo Herzer, CEO and founder of LEHR, knew he had something. “Propane is just safer, more efficient and more reliable,” said Captain Herzer, “that’s why we used it on our ships.” Years later, LEHR is now a groundbreaking leader in the research and development of environmentally friendly technologies.
Kris Finstad is the Founder, CEO, President and Director of Los Angeles based corporation Content Checked Holdings Inc. (ContentChecked). Since 2014, ContentChecked has served as a fast, reliable, and efficient mobile application that helps consumers make empowered purchasing decisions in accordance with their dietary preferences. Previously, Kris has been an Investor, Chairman and Senior Principal owner of FimBul Capital, a UK based offshore fund. He is Co-founder of CheckContent AS, Norway, a Scandinavian branch of the food allergy application company. Kris has also co-founded and funded several startups in the technology, real estate and the bio-tech fields and holds several board member positions with various organizations.
Permanently located in Los Angeles, Kris originally hails from Norway and earned his International Baccalaureate (IB) from Lundsberg Skola and a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) from Millfield School in England. Additionally, he also holds an Master of Business Administration (MBA) with degrees in Project Management and Project Finance.
Love Young Thai Coconuts? Hate Opening them? A safe, easy way to open Young Thai Coconuts, no matter what your size or strength.
Coco Jack & Scoop are Internationally Patent Pending and Coco Jack comes with a 1 Year/1000 Coconut Guarantee when purchased with our Coco Mallet.
Coco Jack also comes with a specially designed shock absorbing grip, whose material was originally developed to absorb the vibration from motorized lawn mowers! They will help protect your hand from excess vibrations if you're opening a lot of coconuts at once.
"The small difference I had hoped to make in consumers' lives has suddenly become an opportunity to help solve a global problem."
The future inspired Burritobox – bringing fast food to the vending industry, and also bringing automation and fast food together for the first time ever. Our company is called The Box Brands and we have many more concepts (we actually started with Pizzabox first!)
I’m 29, I’m a huge Star Trek fan, and that’s where the real inspiration came for me – wanting to bring the future into the present, and bringing high-quality food in an automated way to consumers in new environments and new places. You can learn more about Burrito Box here: http://tastetheburritobox.com
Rickard Hansson is the founder and chief executive officer of Incentive. With more than 15 years of experience in the IT industry, Rickard is a serial entrepreneur and self-taught programmer who created Incentive in 2008 based on his belief that internal workplace communication should be a social and collaborative experience.
Prior to founding Incentive, Rickard started Mindroute Software in 2002, where he developed Lemoon, a user-friendly content management system (CMS). Within three years, Mindroute became the second largest CMS firm in Sweden, boasting 100 to 150 new clients per year.
After the launch of Incentive in 2008, the platform was nominated for Best Software of the Year in Sweden. In 2013, Rickard sold Lemoon’s assets to focus exclusively on Incentive and has since moved Incentive’s headquarters to Southern California’s up- and-coming tech hub, Silicon Beach. Since the founding, Incentive has helped thousands of companies from more than 100 countries accelerate positive business outcomes through improved collaboration and communication.
POP Paddleboards is committed to making stand up paddle boarding accessible to the masses. We believe that everyone across the globe near a river, lake, harbor, or ocean should have the opportunity to be apart of this emerging lifestyle.
We represent a culmination of people who are attracted to water and love being in it. We are veteran 9-to-5ers spending every free moment we have on a board, paddle at the ready, in the nearest body of water we can find. POP Paddleboards is the brainchild of a family of adventure seekers and water lovers. We embody a life that encourages exploration, fitness, and above all: fun
Recently honored as one of the Top 50 Most Creative People of 2014 and the 2014 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award, Mick Ebeling is a film/television/commercial producer, philanthropist, technology trailblazer, author, entrepreneur and public speaker. Ebeling is CEO of Not Impossible Labs, an organization that develops creative solutions to address real-world problems. Not Impossible Labs was founded on Mick’s firm belief that nothing is impossible. With no technical background in ocular recognition technology, Ebeling created Not Impossible’s first project: The Eyewriter. An open source, low-cost, DIY device, The Eyewriter enables individuals with paralysis to communicate and create art using only the movement of their eyes. Time Magazine named The Eyewriter one of the "Top 50 Inventions of 2010," and the device is now part of MoMA's permanent collection. Not Impossible's latest endeavor, Project Daniel, now celebrates its one-year anniversary.
Eric Bandholz is the founder of Beardbrand, a men's grooming company that focuses on beard care. With the help of his co-founders, Eric bootstrapped the business from nothing to 7 figures within two years. Eric graduated from the University of South Carolina and currently resides in Austin, TX with his wife, daughter, and dog.
Chris Considine is the founder and CEO of CXC Simulations, a Los Angeles-based, high-tech engineering firm specializing in the production of world class racing simulators for home, professional and commercial use.
CXC now serves clients on every nearly every continent. CXC’s corporate client portfolio includes super car manufacturers Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren and Lamborghini as well as major automobile brands such as Cadillac, Ford and Toyota and non-automotive related corporations such as Intel, GoPro and Arrow Electronics. Considine currently lives in Los Angeles, California, and enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his wife, Cherie, and their two boys.
The SignalVault uses our E-Field Technology to make your information invisible to hackers without batteries or charging. We suggest two SignalVault Credit & Debit card protectors per wallet. The device contains a microchip that detects scanners and creates white noise to mask your information as well as a signal blocking component, giving you Dual-Stage protection.
Place one SignalVault on the left side of your wallet, behind your cards with the centered SignalVault logo facing out. Place the second SignalVault on the right side of your wallet, behind your cards with the SignalVault logo facing out. If using only one device, make sure the SignalVault installed side of your wallet is facing out towards any potential hacker.
Alison Levine is a history-making polar explorer and mountaineer. She not only served as team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, but she also climbed the highest peak on each continent and skied to both the North and South Poles—a feat known as the Adventure Grand Slam, which fewer than forty people in the world have achieved. In January 2008, she made history as the first American to complete a 600-mile traverse from west Antarctica to the South Pole following the route of legendary explorer Reinhold Messner. Levine completed this arduous journey on skis while hauling 150 pounds of her gear and supplies in a sled harnessed to her waist. Her success in extreme environments is noteworthy given she has had three heart surgeries and suffers from Raynaud’s disease, which causes the arteries that feed her fingers and toes to collapse in cold weather—leaving her at extreme risk for frostbite.
Levine is the author of the New York Times best-seller On the Edge: The Art of High Impact Leadership (January 2014, BusinessPlus). Having spent prolonged periods of time in some of the world's most dangerous and inhospitable places, she tackles the topics of creating cohesive teams, taking responsible risks and developing no-nonsense leaders that can succeed in times of uncertainty.
Hudson Jeans was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Our denim comes from the most respected denim suppliers in Europe and Japan, and our jeans are created and designed in the USA. The cut and sew process takes place at our closely monitored third-party facilities located in both USA and Mexico under the highest standards of quality.
Butterfly Design Group, a full-service web development company, was founded in early 2000. Starting as a one-person operation, we have grown to a group of talented graphic designers, web designers and programmers. We offer a wide range of possibilities to meet your online design, development and marketing needs. Our professional services and expertise will help your business achieve the presence it needs in today's competitive world.
We partner with our clients to develop practical solutions to meet their objectives.
Experience Success with The Butterfly Design Group.
If you walk into any police or sheriff's department in the country, you will hear and feel the frustrations of those that walk the halls. The technology that they use is outdated, clunky and wasn't designed with the end-user in mind.
We've been there and done that. We want to avoid going through the murky, political process of coming in as outside consultants, speaking with a handful of officers, diluting their ideas through the chain of command and coming back with something entirely different. The people that directly design our technical solutions have actually been in the field and worked as law enforcement professionals. Our software is designed by cops, for cops.
Our actual development is accomplished by former military personnel, law enforcement personnel and software engineers that have previously built massive U.S. military intelligence platforms. These developers carry top-secret security clearances by the federal government and are always on the cutting-edge of intelligence solutions.
Within the nightlife, bar and restaurant industry, there is no greater authority than Jon Taffer. Best known for his ‘in your face,’ no holds ‘barred’ style of turning failing bars into profitable businesses on Spike TV’s number one hit show “Bar Rescue,” which is currently in its fourth season and nearing 100 episodes. Jon is the world’s top bar and nightlife consultant and internationally recognized, award-winning concept developer.
In November 2014, Jon debuted his highly anticipated, all-inclusive bar and nightclub management app, Jon Taffer’s BarHQ, to industry acclaim and five-star reviews. He’s also a best-selling author having penned, Raise the Bar: An Action-Based Method for Maximum Customer Reaction.
Jon currently resides in Las Vegas with his wife Nicole, and his dogs Moxie and Winston.
We are the eBay for breakups. We help you sell all that crap you're left with when a relationship ends...AND we help you bounce back to your best self faster!
Bella is an expert in challenger strategy and upstream thinking. In other words, she loves shaking things up and sticking it to the proverbial man. She has worked as a brand, marketing and innovation consultant for 10 years and partnered with some of the world’s largest companies; helping to reinvent their brands, shape their innovation pipelines and transform their company culture. Her accent is a hot mess having lived in Australia, England and America, she’s gelato obsessed and will do anything for a costume party.
Courtney Nichols Gould, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SmartyPants Vitamins. For the last four years, Courtney Nichols Gould has served as Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SmartyPants. Her experience is in architecting and building companies from idea to launch and beyond. She also remains an active advisor and angel investor to start-ups across a variety of industries.
Gordon Gould has worked in the digital media and internet industry for over 16 years. Gordon has co-founded several companies in the consumer social media space and was founding CEO of both Upoc.com, the world's first mobile social network, and ThisNext.com, the largest independent social shopping platform. Gordon has worked closely with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, technologists, content providers, marketers, non-profits, and consumers/users to help create compelling, useful services.
The story behind This Is Ground is rooted in adventure and design, both of which influenced the experience of Founder & Creative Director Mike Macadaan. There was his role as a crew chief for an advertising blimp traveling from city to city, carrying an array of weird, wild blimp gear. There were also his years spent as a graphic designer, working with unwieldy tech and design tools without anywhere to easily store them. The tipping point came one day when a design friend asked Mike for a creative solution to a common problem: cords, everywhere. Having just gotten tacos from a nearby restaurant, the Cord Taco was born, and with it, This is Ground, which found its own name in Mike’s previous role as a blimp operator and an appreciation for David Bowie songs.
Among other experience, Mike honed his professional credentials as VP of user experience & design for AOL Time Warner, working on product design for AOL and AIM; principal UI designer for Intuit, focused on TurboTax and SnapTax; creative director for TechTV (prior to its relaunch as G4); and a design director for Disney Interactive.
Danny Trejo has developed a prolific career in the movie business, yet his road to success has been hard earned and anything but typical. From imprisonment to helping young people battle drug addiction, acting to producing, the name, face, and achievements of Danny Trejo are well recognized in Hollywood.
Trejo grew up on the streets of Los Angeles. Despite spending the latter part of his youth and early adulthood incarcerated, he rose to great accomplishment. Upon his release from Soledad Prison, he became involved in programs aimed at helping those who, like him, battle drug and alcohol addictions.
Despite his impressive list of credits, it’s his continual role as a devoted father of three and as an intervention counselor that bring him the most satisfaction.
Brian Meece is the CEO of RocketHub, one of the world’s top crowdfunding platforms - and was recently been featured on the A&E Networks documentary "The Startup Factor". He has lectured on crowdsourced funding at SXSW, TEDxBrooklyn, White House roundtables, Maker Faire, Cambridge, and Columbia University, as well as other colleges and institutions. His goal? To teach everyone how to leverage the crowd for funding and awareness.
Katie is an accomplished writer, editor, Tweeter, lip gloss enthusiast, Boggle champion and co-founder of FabFitFun. After graduating from George Washington University, Katie joined the fashion, beauty, and nightlife guide Scheckys.com as their LA Editor. She has written for an unusually eclectic variety of magazines, newspapers and websites including the Los Angeles Times, Art and Living, Women’s Life, Dining Out, Pasadena Mag, LA Splash, Spoil Spot, Gimundo, SoCal Senior News, Venice News and Girls Gone Wild Magazine (please don’t tell her dad). In between articles and blogs, Katie has worked in TV production on several shows including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and jackass, and has also had a few of her own plays produced. Currently, she is testing out protein bars, experimenting with exfoliators, swinging kettlebells, seeking out sex secrets, testing fashion trends, investigating mood boosters, helping hangovers and more to find everything women need to feel good from the inside out as the Editor in Chief of FabFitFun.
Pogoseat is an enterprise solution for sports teams and concert venues that enables their fans to upgrade seats and purchase unique VIP upgrades during events. Our mission is to provide fans with the ability to optimize their live entertainment experience and teams and venues a platform to increase fan engagement, monetize unused inventory and gather data to improve the fan experience.
Evan guides the company vision and keeps money in the bank. He previously worked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and is a former sail boat captain in the Caribbean. Raised in Sisters, Oregon and majored in philosophy at the University of San Diego.
Jared Eng is the Editor-in-Chief & Founder of the entertainment authority Just Jared and its teen spin-off Just Jared Jr. His insatiable appetite for celebrities and pop culture led him to launch the flagship site as a hobby in 2005. The brands have experienced tremendous growth since then due to its unique combination of breaking entertainment news, celebrity photo galleries and Jared’s refreshingly positive spin on Hollywood.
Just Jared was named to Yahoo’s prestigious Top 10 Bloggers Roll (alongside the Huffington Post & TMZ) and was previously highlighted by New York Times for his “nice-guy” approach to celebrity blogging. Prior to Just Jared, Jared was an Analyst at Time, Inc. He graduated from Columbia University in 2004 and currently lives in Los Angeles.
Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company, developing the curriculum of the programs and leading the executive speaking staff. He is internationally regarded as a top communications trainer and keynote speaker, as well as a savvy entrepreneur. Bates has been actively coaching since 2005, working with CEOs and the executive teams of PlaySpan, Prescience Intl., Motorola, Goldstar, Oculus International, LAZ Parking, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Labs, Janssen Labs, DudaMobile and many others on their presentation, media and business skills. Prior to his training career, he has been involved in helping to found and start up Goldstar, BigWords.com (which raised over $80 million) and VirtualVegas (the first online virtual destination site). He has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital funds, successfully opened resistant markets for new products and has run the customer service department for a multi- million dollar company. Bates is also a contributing author to the book World Class Speaking in Action: 50 Certified World Class Speaking Coaches Show You How to Present, Persuade, and Profit which became a multiple Amazon best seller. He graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and social psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Passionate about inspiring and guiding Millennials and teens/Generation Z for success, Jason L. Ma is the author of Young Leaders 3.0: Stories, Insights, and Tips for Next-Generation Achievers and is the founder, CEO, and chief mentor of ThreeEQ, Inc., a premier college counseling, life and career coaching, and global business consulting firm. Jason has mentored hundreds of high achievers, including his two teenage daughters. He frequently speaks at influential CEO summits, universities (e.g. UC Berkeley and Stanford), high school districts, and education and business events in the world theatre.
Forbes recognizes Jason as a standout contributor and thought leader on education, college admissions, leadership, and entrepreneurship. He has appeared on CNBC Asia (including its top-rated shows, Squawk Box and Managing Asia), Forbes, Fast Company, Bloomberg, Yahoo! News, Business Journals nationwide, Core of Education, and various other leading media. LinkedIn recognizes Jason as one of the nation’s top career experts. Business Rockstars has invited Jason to be a live guest on October 16, 2015.
As a global business leader with over two million miles of travels across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe and Israel, Jason also influences our world as a Forbes Global CEO Conference delegate for eight years, APEC CEO Summit delegate, B20 Employment Taskforce member (the B20 leads engagement with G20 governments on behalf of the international business community), angel investor, Audvisor expert, Kairos Society mentor, and Thiel Fellowship mentor.
Jason holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from UC Berkeley and attended Santa Clara University’s Leavey Graduate School of Business.
Katie Linendoll is a two-time Emmy Award winning TV personality, writer, tech expert and global tech consultant. Known for her quirky expertise and high energy, Linendoll is one of the most in-demand tech personalities in the country for her first-look technology stories and gadget roundups. Whether she’s jetpacking across the Pacific Ocean, traveling to Kenya to see, firsthand, how technology is helping eradicate illiteracy in the world's poorest communities, or embarking on an underwater adventure with NASA astronauts, it’s not an unusual assignment for Linendoll. A writer and contributor for the “Today” show, Linendoll also regularly contributes to CNN and recently completed filming a series on innovation for Huffington Post. She's the former host of “All Access Weekly” on Spike TV and A&E’s “We Mean Business.” Linendoll and has also written for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN.com, Marie Claire, Shape Magazine, CBS.com and other national publications and is an Ambassador of Awesomeness for Brookstone. As a techie since childhood she earned her networking certificates before graduating high school. Linendoll then went on to earn her bachelor of science degree in information technology new media from Rochester Institute of Technology before launching her professional career with ESPN. At age 22, she won her first Emmy Award for her work on “SportsCenter.”
Robert Tercek is one of the world’s most prolific creators of interactive content. He has created breakthrough entertainment experiences on every digital platform, including satellite television, game consoles, broadband Internet, interactive television and mobile networks. His expertise spans television, telecommunications and software.
He has supervised new media strategy and the creation of online programs for many of the world’s leading motivational speakers and authors, including Anthony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Suze Orman, Dr Mehmet Oz, Elizabeth Lesser, Jean Chatsky, David Bach, Marcus Buckingham, Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford, and Martha Beck.
His entertainment credits include some of the most successful interactive titles on digital platforms, including Oprah Winfrey’s Live Your Best Life live web casts, Jeopardy Online and Wheel of Fortune Online, the bestselling Monty Python CD ROM series, and award-winning mobile content based on media brands from CBS Sports, World Poker Tour, Marvel Entertainment, 20thCentury Fox, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Hasbro, Activision and many more.
Dr. Jekyll's is a truly unique and incredibly tasting organic craft beer brewed and infused with exotic spices and super foods to create a "truly odd, yet oddly delicious!" beer. Or as some would say, "beer with benefits" that tastes awesome! Born in Vermont, Brewed in California.
Dr. Jekyll’s was conceived in the heart of an old constable station turned brewery in Brattleboro, Vermont by three longtime friends united by their love of great beer and active, healthy lifestyles: Tom Costa, an avid home brewer, former paratrooper and entrepreneur, his high school friend Jimmy Triantafillou, a scientist and natural bodybuilder, and Ray McNeill, an award-winning master brewer. After Ray suffered a serious health setback, these friends were inspired to craft beers that not only tasted great, but had something special about them, something with a greater purpose - to be shared with the world - and so was born Dr. Jekyll’s.
E.P. & L.P - the restaurant-rooftop-bar -place-to-be-seen that Smillie and his fellow Australian business partner David Combes built from scratch in West Hollywood - counts the likes of Al Pacino, Matt Damon and Jerry Bruckheimer among its star-studded clientele.
Such heady success is no small feat in a city that is notoriously difficult to impress. It was built on business acumen, creative nous, two years of hard work and an investment of about five million dollars. "When I started the project, I didn't have grey hair," Smillie reflects.
A cornerstone of the overnight success story of E.P. & L.P., located on North La Cienega Boulevard near iconic Melrose Avenue has been its food offering. "We believe there was a gap in the market in the way that Australians do a spin on modern Asian. Louis Tikaram (formerly Longrain, Sydney) is a real asset."
Being a pair of Aussies in Tinsel Town – where casting agents and barflies alike drink up the Antipodean accent and work ethic – certainly hasn't hurt. "Americans love an Aussie," Smillie says. "They love the way we work, and our spirit and integrity. They really like risk-takers and go-getters."
Zach Obront is the co-founder of Book In A Box, a new type of publishing company focused on allowing busy experts with important messages to share to create their book without the usual barriers. Prior to Book In A Box, he ran Lioncrest Publishing and BookPop Book Marketing. As an expert in the changing publishing industry, he's spoken to crowds at Harvard, Yale, Google, and Adobe, and has worked directly with hundreds of authors to professionally publish and promote their books, reaching hundreds of thousands of readers in the process. Zach currently lives in Austin, TX, where he enjoys playing volleyball and eating the world's best barbecue.
Joel Trammell is the founder and CEO of Khorus, which he founded with the mission of helping chief executives run their businesses as effectively as possible. A 20-year software veteran, he is also chairman emeritus of the Austin Technology Council and co-founder and managing partner of private equity firm Lone Rock Technology Group. In addition, he serves on the boards of several public, private, and nonprofit companies.
In his book, The CEO Tightrope, recognized by the 2015 Axiom Business Book Awards, Joel masterfully explains how no CEO can find a point of balance and then stand still—that’s not possible on a tightrope, or in the role of chief executive. The expectation is that the business will always move forward. Drawn from years of study and experience, the book explores the various points of balance that challenge every CEO. Joel identifies what it looks like when a CEO has lost balance and offers modern techniques and approaches for regaining it.
Brian Lee is chief executive officer and co-founder of The Honest Company, which he launched alongside Jessica Alba in 2012 with a mission to inspire and empower people to live a healthy life.
The Honest Company sells products that are effective, safe, beautiful, accessible, and responsible. It is a trusted resource committed to providing education and support across its community of members. Its growing portfolio of more than 100 products addresses the ever- growing category needs of baby, personal care, home care, vitamins & supplements, and gear & more. The Honest Company now has a presence across the U.S. and Canada at Honest.com and in over 3,500 leading retail locations.
Brian graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Economics and Business from UCLA. He received his J.D. from UCLA School of Law. He was named among the 25 Most Notable Korean-American Entrepreneurs by Forbes Magazine in 2009 and an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014. He has two children and lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.
Mark became involved in credit card processing back in 1995 and never looked back. He has learned the business inside and out. He has spent the last 7 years consulting for ISO's, building as well as training their sales channels and partners. Mark is excited to bring his experience and enthusiasm to his own business. Mark lives in Laguna Niguel, California with his wife Kelly and their son Chase.
Our story is simple. Just like our beer. Over the years we’ve happily enjoyed all kinds of beer. From popular mainstream ones to smaller craft specialties. But there were times when we felt we had to choose between beers that were great for drinking and beers that tasted great. Why can’t you have your beer and drink it too?
We were then fortunate enough to meet two award-winning brewers who shared our passion for creating a delicious quality beer without all the pretense or complication. And with that House Beer was born.
A beer that’s simply nothing more than a great beer. Brewed with the taste and care you expect to find in most craft beers, but one you can drink time and time again without worrying about how filling it is or what it says about you. Because let’s be honest, all it says is you like beer.
There’s one thing we care about as much as crafting House Beer, it’s taking care of the House we all live in. Yes we’re talking about Planet Earth. That’s why House Brewing is a proud member of 1% for the planet. We’ve pledged to contribute 1% of our sales each year to under-funded non-profits dedicated to the pursuit of preserving and restoring our natural environment. Beer may not grow on trees, but without trees there’d probably be no beer.
Nolen Niu is an American Industrial Designer recognized for his holistic approach to design and clean, provocative aesthetics. After receiving his Bachelors of Science in Industrial Design from the world-renowned Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California, Niu developed private furniture lines, custom one-of-a-kind pieces, mass production furniture, residential and retail spaces for corporate, private and celebrity clientele. In 2005, Niu ventured out globally and began developing a collection of upholstered goods under the Nolen Niu brand. He was one of only a few American designers to achieve selection and awarded the opportunity to exhibit at the 2006 Salone Satellite Milan Furniture Fair where he debuted his first collection, which received enthusiastic reviews from the international community. In conjunction with his selection for the Salone Satellite, he was one of ten designers chosen to be showcased at the ICFF Studio / Bernhardt Design joint venture exhibit, a juried event aimed to support emerging talent. Niu has also completed the sixth rendition of the Annual Esquire Magazine House, where he was one of four designers chosen to design a room in a 7,000 square foot ultra modern mansion, located high atop Hollywood Hills, which hosted celebrity driven charity events for multiple organizations. In 2011, he opened his own production facility, specializing in upholstery and carpentry, located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. This makes him one of the few American furniture designers who are completely vertically integrated, with the ability to competitively design and manufacture his products all in America. Born and raised in the Washington D.C. metro area in 1975, Niu moved to Los Angeles, California in 1996 to attend Art Center College of Design, Pasadena where he is also an active faculty member today. Niu’s corporate office is located in Beverly Hills with a private studio and production facility in downtown Los Angeles.
Sugarman is founder, chairman and CEO of Valor Group Holdings, a billion dollar diversified insurance and financial services firm which owns Valor Life, Wealth Assurance, VL Bermuda, and VL Barbados.
Sugarman is also founder of International Tower Group. A lead investor in myriad financial service companies and real estate projects, he serves as an advisor to and founding investor in Banc of California and Corum Financial Group, an advisor to Merriman Capital, a venture partner with Harvest, Bohai, Rosemont Fund, and a director of Burnham Financial Group, New Olympia Re, EQtainment and DSG TAG.
Chief Executive Officer, David Parent has led the growth of PixMob into a global leader in crowd experience. Under David’s vision and leadership, PixMob became a trusted source of innovation, attracting top performing artists and flagship events, ranging from Taylor Swift to Tiësto, the NBA All-Stars to the NFL Super Bowl. David obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Laval University and an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from the MIT Sloan Executive Education program. In 2012, the Youth Chamber of Commerce of Montreal named him Entrepreneur of the Year. David is an outdoor enthusiast and in his spare time, he enjoys white water kayaking, skiing and growing vegetables.
Matt Sinnott founded Creative Collision after cutting his teeth as an account executive in the television promo world, where he worked on highly successful campaigns such as American Horror Story, OMG-Insider and The Hunger Games.
From his creation of Identity Videos and APP trailers to the production of promo campaigns for Social Media Week, Matt has a unique perspective on combining emerging technologies with storytelling. He has recently had the opportunity to work with such tech innovators as Entrepreneur, Start-Up Grind, Trep Score and Percolate. Creative Collision is a full-service digital content company specializing in the creation, production and execution of video content for a diverse group of clients, from emerging artists to established brands across all platforms.
Combining emerging technology and Hollywood storytelling we transcend traditional rules to reach your brand’s audience. It is exactly the moment when innovative thought and experience collide that meaningful new ideas emerge. From your new start-up Identity Video to digital content, we have the ability to develop and execute video campaigns with maximum creative efficiency.
David Jun is the founder and CEO/President of communication platform Aire Inc. and is responsible for overseeing the overall vision and growth of the company. A recognized veteran in the global technology industry, Jun founded Aire Inc. as a U.S. company in 2014, building off the success of his Korean company Jianglive, which quickly became a leader in the video communication space. Jun currently oversees all AireLive employees and company activity, working to bolster the app’s global presence. Prior to founding Jianglive and Aire Inc., Jun served as founder and CEO Freechal, an online community for users to freely share blog posts, music, avatars and more. Founded in 1999, the site became an instant hit with the Korean public, accumulating 12 million users and ranking No. 1 in Internet community services in Korea. Before founding Freechal, Jun spent 10 years working for Samsung in its Korean headquarters. He eventually received Samsung’s Man of the Year Award. Jun earned his B.A. in business management from Seoul National University.
Kristen Hamilton is CEO of Seattle-based Koru, the leading talent marketplace focused on landing college grads in jobs they love.
Kristen Hamilton had spent half of her career in technology, half in education. In the spring of 2013, she was looking for a way to combine the two. She and a friend got talking one night over drinks about the problems with the way companies hire young talent. Something was broken. Companies were struggling to fill seats because they were screening for the wrong things and whip-smart young grads were facing underemployment in record numbers.
Before serving as Koru’s CEO, Kristen worked as COO of a global non-profit, launched mobile media devices for a Fortune 100 company, and helped take Onvia, which she co-founded, public. My first job after college was as a market analyst for a hydraulics distributor. I’m an entrepreneur and globalist, determined to make meaningful impact. My first career was in technology where I worked on taking products to market for IBM, Oracle, and Cisco. I co-founded e-commerce business Onvia and helped take it public. I shifted focus to education as COO of World Learning, head of educator strategy for Microsoft, and now co-founder of Koru.
We used to live in a world of boring, baggy, blue shirts. Where the neck might fit but the waist billows out to form a muffin top. Where the arms might be perfect but the chest is too snug. In short, a boring ass world filled with blobby amorphous shirts. We now exist in a happy land somewhere in between urban lumberjacks and stuffy corporate types. A land of sunshine and gumdrops where all button-downs fit perfectly and express your innermost awesome. Your special snowflake uniqueness. To ensure this, we take 9 measurements instead of generically sizing you up. We’ve scoured the Earth looking for the perfect quality materials, sought out expert tailors to craft our hand-picked fabrics, and battle tested our shirts with discerning men from all walks of life. Join us in our quest to rid the world of boring shirts! Before we move on to solving bigger problems like separating the space-time continuum and getting the crud out from under your fingernails.
Alicia Dunams is a sought-after and successful non-fiction book publishing authority who assists CEOs, business owners, and service professionals who want to become published bestselling authors as quickly and painlessly as possible. Utilizing a unique five-step process, she helps aspiring authors go from idea to author in record time. Her ebook, “How to Become a Bestselling Author on Amazon.com” shows authors how to utilize social networking and Internet marketing techniques to become bestsellers on Amazon.com.
She is the CEO of Bestseller In a Weekend, which has helped 100s of people become bestselling authors. For the authors, publishing a book has meant an increase in income through gigs as paid keynotes, sold-out seminars, increased web traffic, and higher consulting fees. Alicia is also a published self-help author, seminar producer, the founder of a teleseminar ans webinar listing service and email newsletter titled SeeYouOnTheCall.com.
There is a fundamental disconnect between the way we pitch anything and the way it is received by our audience. As a result, at the crucial moment, when it is most important to be convincing, nine out of ten times we are not. Our most important messages have a surprisingly low chance of getting through. But the biggest reason we fail is not our fault. You need to understand why this disconnect occurs in order to overcome it and succeed.
We are the Life is Good Company, based in Boston, MA and Hudson, NH. We exist to spread the power of optimism with our collection of products, ideas and experiences, and through our social mission to help kids overcome poverty, violence, and illness. Life is good donates 10% of its net profits to help kids in need.
We believe the glass is half full, that the music is not in the guitar and that we "get to" make a difference in this world.
Worked my way up in the media business from newspapers to TV stations. Worked in sales, sales management and eventually corporate management. Joined Gammon Media Brokers, in 1996, completed first TV station sale in Owensboro, KY, one year after starting work with Gammon Media Brokers. Over the years have been involved with over a half a billion dollars worth of media transactions.
Specialties: Television, radio, internet, newspaper, cable, and business services.
Current offices in Manhattan, KS and Cordillera, CO.
Gammon Miller Revenue Travel is new division of Gammon Miller, LLC launched in 2012 to provide specialized and ultra exclusive relationships travel experiences to Radio and Television operators by increasing revenue with local advertisers. Doug Padgett and Mike Riley are Vice Presidents of Gammon Miller, LLC and manage our Gammon Miller Revenue Travel division.
Traditional branch banking will be obsolete in a few years! Ben Katz is one of the players disrupting this industry big time with Card.com. NO Credit Checks, Use everywhere Debit MasterCard is accepted, NO check cashing fees, NO overdraft fees or late fees and Access to ATMs worldwide. Find out how Ben is changing the financial world now!
Every Thursday we bring on an up and coming musician. Scott Page from Pink Floyd joins us in studio to mentor our up and coming musicians! Scott helps our listeners better understand how to turn your band into a BRAND!
Joey currently serves on the board for the Epilepsy Warriors Foundation, which facilitates the raising of funds to be distributed to select hospitals and centers performing research on Epilepsy and SUDEP to further the search for the cure. The Epilepsy Warriors Foundation has chosen to donate funds raised to help in the opening of an Epilepsy Resource Center at Galisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers, FL and University of IL Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL, and to help in providing additional resources for Epilepsy in the Health and Learning center of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago--all designed to help families in need within the local communities.
Barney’s Beanery opened in West Hollywood in 1920, and very quickly established itself as a fixture in Los Angeles with a history and a following that is unmatched. The last decade has brought on new locations to serve all our great customers, while still keeping stride with the rich history and people that got us here. The founder of this amazing restaurant joined us today in studio. Learn how David did it, and how you can too!
He entered the game industry as an attorney at Cooley, in 1993 when it was still called Cooley, Godward, Castro, Huddelson and Tatum, by cold calling a game developer. By 1996 this turned into the largest game practice in the country and retention by Eidos plc for its IPO. In the prospectus, Boesky theorized games could be used to platform intellectual property. The CEO agreed and Boesky became president of Eidos, tasked with moving the newly launched Tomb Raider video game across all media.
After moving to Los Angeles and setting up shop on his own, Boesky set up a series of innovative game projects for "A" list talent and brands only to find the talent agencies did not want him around when the deals closed. In 2002 he joined ICM. He lasted two years. During that time he brought games into film and tv and clients into games, anime, comic books and other media.
Freddie Ravel is the Founder of The Rhythm of Success™, the world's premiere music-applied-to-business system, training program. Dubbed the "Keynote Maestro" by the city of Los Angeles, he blends his infectious passions for music and business to unlock the minds, hearts and potential of audiences around the world.
An award-winning speaker, pianist and producer, he is the creator of the unique "Keynote Concert" experience where strategic storytelling and customized music messaging merge to delight and inspire the greatness in leaders, teams and entrepreneurs alike.
Ido Leffler is the Co-founder & CEO at Yoobi, a fun, ridiculously awesome school supplies company that engages kids through bright colors, cool designs, and most importantly, cause.
Yoobi is sold exclusively at Target (USA) stores nationwide. For every Yoobi item purchased, Yoobi distributes an item to a classroom in need, in the USA. By 2015, Yoobi aims to impact more than 30,000 classrooms, with the goal of changing the lives of over 750,000 kids.
Bitty is a new food company based on a revolutionary idea: Edible insects are a highly sustainable source of protein with the potential to alleviate stress on the global food system and help feed billions of people. We're focused on introducing this new superfood to the Western diet in the form of cricket flour—an incredible ingredient that serves as the base of our line of protein-enriched foods.
Our launch product line includes three flavors of wholesome, delicious cookies enhanced with cricket protein, as well as a proprietary all-purpose, grain-free flour that allows consumers to create their own high-protein baked goods at home.
DEALFLICKS OFFERS MOVIE TICKET AND CONCESSION DEALS FOR UP TO 60% OFF. THERE’S NEVER ANY CONVENIENCE FEES, AND MOST OF OUR OFFERS ARE AVAILABLE 24/7/365.
We partner directly with movie theaters to help them fill their empty seats (currently over 88% are empty on average). We negotiate with theaters to bring you amazing deals on tickets, popcorn, and soda.
Our theaters love us because we don’t charge them any signup or ongoing fees to market their venue. Our customers love us because we offer the best movie ticket deals 24/7/365.
Sean currently focuses on strategic partnerships, business development, fundraising, and user experience. Prior to Dealflicks, he grew his last startup to $1.5M+ in revenue and co-founded Project Pueblo, a nonprofit he still leads. Sean graduated from UC Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa with highest honors.
An innovative and creative force in media for over 20 years. Part of the team that took Premiere Radio from a start-up to a $280 million dollar company. Created some of the first online comedy news content to go viral. Oversaw a staff of 50 that created popular syndicated entertainment programming and advertising content for over 1200 morning radio shows and their websites. WGA film and TV writer, worked with Johnny Depp, Rob Schneider, Jay Leno and launched a massive online marketing campaign with stars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene exclusively on VOD and SVOD to "Twilight" fans. Extensive experience working directly with brands and advertisers and integrating emerging technologies into strategic marketing campaigns. Writes, produces and directs popular online videos that continue to get millions of views. Wrote several feature film screenplays that secured fast-track studio production deals including the NWA biopic "Straight Outta Compton" produced by Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures. Opened August 14th 2015 #1 at the Box Office.
Mark Schulman has played drums with some of the greatest musical artists of all time including Pink, Foreigner, Cher, Billy Idol, Velvet Revolver, Stevie Nicks and many others. He has performed for nearly a billion people in his life and has become an expert in top performance. His keynote is like a rock show with live drumming, interactive drumming with the audience, jam sessions with the C-Suite and sticky content. Mark astonishes his audiences with world-class entertainment, road stories and three core concepts that gives his audiences the blueprint to confident peak performance in their professional and personal lives. He has been called a combination of Tony Robbins, Bono and Ringo!
Specialties: Peak Performance, Leadership, Team Building, Entertainment, Keynote, Conference kick-off, High energy motivation
Jason Dundas is an Australian-born television presenter, who currently resides in Los Angeles. Since 2015, he’s been the Special Correspondent for CBS’ Entertainment Tonight, and he also hosts the prime time programs for MTV America, Beyond Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew.
Dundas first gained recognition at the age of 21, when he won a coveted audition to be the local face of the MTV Australia, where he hosted its flagship show TRL Live.
Since then, he has hosted various programs in his native country, including the popular Australian travel show Getaway, and the reality program The Big Adventure.
Derek makes YouTube videos, TV shows, and documentaries about science, engineering and critical thinking. He is guided by the famous Richard Feynman quote: The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. With more than 30 million views on his YouTube page, Derek stops by and gives you the secrets you need to become a YouTube Star!
Kyle started HomeHero after observing the devastating process his father went through finding caregivers for his grandmother, and dedicated his life to making it better. He's an avid soccer player, triathlete, cyclist, scuba diver and bona fide design snob.
William Quigley joined Clearstone Venture Partners (formerly idealab Capital Partners) shortly after its formation and concentrates on its Internet, Gaming and Communications related investments.
William’s current portfolio reflects his belief in the enormous opportunities in the consumer Internet, wireless and enterprise markets (Xfire.com, Titan Gaming, AOptix Technologies, SoonR, Meru Networks, Novariant). He is also focused on emerging companies offering managed services in the enterprise and consumer sectors (Communicado, Spock Networks). William is a member of the board of directors of AOptix Technologies, Meru Networks, Novariant, SoonR, Xfire and Evertune.
Tamar Geller is a New York Times bestselling author & as OPRAH says “A Life Coach for Dogs and their People”. Known for her innovative methods, enthusiasm, and celebrity clients like Ben Affleck, John Stewart, Larry King, Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman, & of course OPRAH, Tamar has transformed lives and impacted relationships not only for dogs but also of people. The Loved Dog method that Tamar created close to 30 yrs ago is based on the knowledge she acquired as an intelligence officer and from the wisdom of nature during the time she spent observing wolves in the wild. Understanding firsthand the challenges of being a veteran Tamar has created a nonprofit program Operation Heroes & Hounds that measurably empowers the lives of veterans and shelter dogs.
Preferring the term “life coach” to “dog trainer,” and “well-mannered” to “obedient,” she provides insight to millions of dog enthusiasts nationwide as the former resident dog expert on “The Today Show.” Tamar has also appeared several times on Oprah!
Banks are a staple in our lives and communities. So how did Ben Katz disrupt the banking industry??? Find out now!!!
Shawn Gold has over 20 years of experience in communications planning, digital marketing, content strategy and revenue optimization for consumer facing internet companies. He is currently head of entertainment brand partnerships at Wattpad.com, the worlds largest storytelling platform and one of the fastest growing mobile content sites in the world. Previously he oversaw sales, marketing and content development as CMO of Inside Studios, a video and mobile app company creating shows with over 1 billion views on YouTube and MSN. Until 2007, he was CMO, head of marketing & content for MySpace. At MySpace Gold spearheaded the development and implementation of marketing initiatives and campaigns for MySpace during its growth from 25 to 110 million users worldwide. Prior to MySpace he was a partner and the founding publisher of Weblogs, Inc., a network of popular blogs that included Engadget, Joystiq and Autoblog, now part of AOL. As head of communications planning for Rare Medium, Shawn helped launch digital communications strategies for brands at P&G, General Mills, Nestle, Mattel and other international brand marketing companies.
Kids all over the country are playing “non-contact” football--during such things as flag football, off-season padless practice, and athletic period--believing that "non-contact" means just that, ZERO contact. However, we believe there’s no such thing as “non-contact” football. In football, players are always crossing and converging on a single point; this makes contact inevitable. Additionally, many injuries occur downfield, when multiple players are going for the ball--a situation in which avoiding contact is nearly impossible.
Former NFL players Joey LaRocque and Caleb Hanie realized this over the course of their careers, in which they saw countless soft tissue injuries to the head and face during "non-contact" football, flag football, and high school padless practices. After retiring from the NFL, Joey and Caleb decided something needed to be done about this gap between perception and reality.
If you don't know me, the easiest way to think of me is as the CEO of Goldstar, the world's greatest audience generation company for live entertainment. With the other two co-founders, Rich Webster and Robert Graff, we have painstakingly and lovingly built a company over the last several years that I'm extremely proud of.
If you don't know Goldstar, think of us as that cool friend some people have who know where all the fun shows in town are and can get you in at half price. The good thing is that it's a lot easier than finding a friend like that because all you have to do is go to goldstar.com and sign up for free.
Like all high-powered Internet executives, I started out by getting an English degree. No, seriously.
Billy Zane is best known for his achievements as an actor in over 100 films and television shows. Mr. Zane is also an general Partner in Armada Enterprises, Inc. a private equity company with interests in sectors ranging from energy, hospitality, aerospace, to maritime and media. He is also an accomplished painter with private exhibitions in London, Miami and Los Angeles.
Growing up in southern California, I spent much of my free time playing in the ocean and many summers harvesting vegetables at a family farm. In my early 20s, as a top buyer for a French fashion designer in Beverly Hills, I was constantly on the go. So when I became pregnant with my first child, it didn't occur to me to slow down. Some say I sped up.
Like many expecting moms, I started scrutinizing my lifestyle. Okay, I admit, I took it farther than most! I initiated what has become an ongoing endeavor to purify body, home, and way of life with a mission to raise my family in a natural, eco-friendly environment. I became a vegetarian, eating only locally grown, organic foods purchased from my local farmer's market. I stocked up on organic cloth diapers for my newborn and devoted myself to breastfeeding. I started gardening and composting. And for the first time in my life, I began scrutinizing labels. Unable to decipher some of the ingredients in the baby shampoo I found in a local health food store, I consulted a chemical dictionary at the library and found that many of the cleansing agents and synthetic fragrances listed were not only harsh on the skin, but suspected carcinogens.
In the world of sports, there are winners and there’s everyone else. On rare occasion, one of those winners will transcend that very title, transcend their sport and rise beyond the rafters. Jordan, LeBron, Peyton, Phelps, Tiger – super-human athletes who’s combination of skill, drive, determination and sheer will to become the greatest set them apart. When you reach that platform, you’ve become a “LOCK.”
While we can’t all become Locks on the field, the world of Fantasy Sports currently offers an alternative outlet to over 41 million Americans. But despite being the 9th fastest growing industry in the world, most have been playing the same way, on the same platforms for the last 15 years. As technology evolves, stagnation within a market becomes problematic, and ultimately offers incredible opportunity to elicit change.
We at SportsLock decided to be that “change.”
Late Night Talk Show focused on Science and Technology, following the format of a Late Night Talk Show (such as “Jimmy Fallon” and “Conan”) but is based on the belief that scientists and engineers are the new rock-stars. #tomorrowshow - www.thetomorrowshow.io
An electronics business specialist, with 15+ years experience in product development, buying & marketing, operations and management at international retailers and innovative start-ups. Strong technical background (Robotic and Mechatronic Engineering), coupled with ability to successfully work with senior management. Proven record for increasing sales and financial performance of category/product. Highly creative and innovative (recipient of visionary award), with genuine passion for technology.
Swagbucks.com is the leading destination for earning real rewards through online activities you already do every day. At home or on the go, you can conveniently earn Swag Bucks when you: Shop your favorite stores, Search the web, Answer surveys; Discover great deals; Watch videos; or Play games. Swag Bucks can be redeemed easily for cash or gift cards to your favorite stores. With over 13 million members, Swagbucks.com has awarded over 85 million dollars in real rewards. Always free to join, Swagbucks.com is the smartest and most rewarding way to spend your time online. Swagbucks is a subsidiary of Prodege LLC and is based in Los Angeles, California.
Sandra is a veteran leader and/or co-founder of several innovative high-growth ventures--including one company acquired by Groupon, another acquired by Microsoft, another that successfully exited to an EMC competitor, and others recognized for notable industry awards (SIIA CODiE winner for best online & mobile solution, New Venture Challenge winner, Grammy-nominee). Formerly a "Big 4" management consultant (Deloitte, IBM), she focused on Strategy & Operations for the TMT industries (Technology / Media & Entertainment / Telecom). She has also produced original entertainment featured internationally on MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Pandora, iTunes, Amazon, and over 40 film festivals worldwide.
A Fulbright Scholar, Sandra earned a master’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University’s School of Engineering, a bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton University, and two certifications in Business Management and Business Leadership from Harvard University. Additionally, Sandra enjoyed training in improvisational comedy at The Second City and IO.
everyStory is a cloud-based story-sharing platform that acts like an interactive photo-album on a mobile device (initially on an iPad). It records all the audio someone is saying as they naturally flip through photos. It then allows the stories to be shared securely with others who can then add new photos to those stories or new stories to those photos ultimately creating private micro-social networks that archive important memories through long-term cloud storage.
Everybody has a good idea from time-to-time. The thing that separates passing thoughts from realities is follow through and execution.
At Scienz, we started farting out ideas for things to make our lives easier back in our college dorm rooms at the University of Minnesota, but alas, we had no money or tangible skills to take action.
A conveniently-located makerspace in Minneapolis and the versatile skillset and helpful nature of its members enabled us start tinkering with the first concept we aimed to launch, Mini Beer Pong.
The good ideas you had last night remembered today...
I don't work. I build businesses for fun.
With a passion for entrepreneurship and people I created Foundr, a digital magazine available on the Apple Newsstand and Android "Google Play Store" in 2013.
Since then I have been fortunate to interview and connect with some of the most interesting, innovative entrepreneurs and business leaders in the world today including: Sir Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss and many more to share their insights and stories with the readers of Foundr Magazine.
In 1925 Joseph Smutek set up shop on a leafy street on the western outskirts of Paris. His business was raincoats and Smutek quickly become known in the area for the quality and utility of his garments. As his sons took over the family business in 1940, World War II found its way to the heart of the city. The family went into hiding, eventually immigrating to the US and the family business closed its doors indefinitely. Now, 75 years later, Daniel Smith—the great-grandson of founder Joseph Smutek—is reviving the brand as Ketums. The brand's first offering (fittingly a raincoat) invokes the spirit of its namesake with a commitment to craftsmanship, attention to detail and utilizing the finest materials available.
Lorna Jane Clarkson is the founder of multi-award-winning activewear label Lorna Jane. Today, she represents MORE than activewear by inspiring women to live their best life through Active Living and the daily practice of Move Nourish Believe. Lorna’s story began 25 years ago when she single-handedly revolutionized women’s fitness clothing and began building the Active Living category.
Award winning automotive video content creator, digital marketing expert and Co-Founder of GTChannel Inc. GTChannel, the largest automotive multi-channel network on YouTube, includes more than 650 channels, 2,500,000 subscribers and 25 million unique video views each month. The flagship YouTube channel is a leading digital automotive media property with 2 million unique video views every month with 250,000 subscribers. I get to produce awesome online video content with partners and brands.
Stephanie Horbaczewski is the Co-Founder/President/CEO, STYLE HAUL, the largest global style community of more than 6,000 content creators across more than 63 countries, with 500 million viewers and fans, across 4 major platforms. Learn from one of the nest in the fashion industry!
Michael Koranda and Aaron May- Co-Founders, Pacific Issue, whose quest is to rid the world of boring shirts by taking 9 measurements instead of generically sizing you up, using quality materials, expert tailors, hand-picked fabrics, and battle testing their shirts with discerning men from all walks of life.
CEO and founder of an internationally-recognized, multimillion-dollar consumer products company that was ranked No. 28 overall on the 2014 Inc. 500 and the No. 1 fastest-growing woman-led business on the list. Conceived and guided a successful startup from concept to market, achieving three-year business growth of 7,878%. A strong leader who supports an open management style and was selected as a semifinalist for the 2015 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program in Greater Los Angeles.
In today’s ever-changing and often-volatile business landscape, adaptability and creativity are more crucial than ever. It is no longer possible—or even desirable—to learn one set of job skills and work your way up the ladder. Rather, today’s entrepreneurs and business leaders must anticipate change to create opportunities for professional success and personal satisfaction. In Disrupt You!, Jay Samit—a digital media expert who has launched, grown, and sold start-ups and Fortune 500 companies alike—describes the unique method he has used to invent new products and grow established businesses throughout his career.
Samit has been at the helm of businesses in the ecommerce, digital video, social media, mobile communications, and software industries, helping to navigate them through turbulent economic times and guide them through necessary transformation so that they stay ahead of the curve and profitable. In Disrupt You!, he shows how the strategies that help companies flourish can be applied at an individual level. By challenging assumptions, pinpointing one’s unique value, and identifying weaknesses in the structure of current industries, anyone can achieve success and prosperity.
You may not know his name, BUT you will definitely know his YouTube videos! A true star in Over the Top media or (OTT) Freddie helps our listeners better understand how to create compelling content and how to distribute it! Tune in now!
I've been called a pioneer and trailblazer of the green food cuisine and community. For over 20 years, I have worked to raise the culinary standards of plant-based cuisine. I oversee Real Food Daily the premiere gourmet organic vegan eatery in Southern California, CA. With locations in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Pasadena and the first ever vegan restaurant in an airport at LAX, RFD has “developed a loyal following”, from the someday to the everyday vegetarian, celebrities, trendsetting young eaters with sophisticated palates to the mature diner seeking gourmet health supportive cuisine.
I am the executive chef to Vegetarian Times magazine, where I contribute recipes and articles about healthy eating and lifestyle. I have authored two cookbooks, The Real Food Daily Cookbook published by Ten Speed Press in 2005 and Vegan Family Meals published by Andrews McMeel Publishers in June 2011.
Here’s what we think: People buy brands they love. And since a brand is the sum of its parts, then each one of these parts is an opportunity to build brand love. I started Hub Strategy in 2002 with the goal of being able to develop and produce excellent communication wherever the customer would bump into it. Essentially, the goal was to build brand love across every piece of communication conceivable. To do that, we had to set up an entirely different business model. If we meet, I’ll tell you all about it.
I am happy to share with you the biggest change in my life and NYX. As the founder of NYX Cosmetics, I have dedicated the past 15 years to the success of NYX cosmetics. NYX had been my entire life and the only life I knew, however, I just closed a deal with L'Oreal on July 30,2014 to acquire NYX Cosmetics. I am now closing this chapter of my life and moving on to the next.
As the founder of NYX Cosmetics, my job is to develop a makeup line that beats the fashion trends to the finish line, has extraordinary pigmentation and most importantly, carries an affordable price tag.
Erik Oberholtzer co-founded Tender Greens in 2006 in Culver City, California, a chef driven, organic, quick-casual restaurant concept with 18 locations and counting. Himself a chef, Erik manages a growing team of talent along with some exciting new brands. He is the founder of the Tender Greens Sustainable Life Project, a program aimed to assist at-risk youth develop new skills and career intentions through structured culinary training and farm exposure. Co-founder of P. Balistreri Salumi Company, the first of more chef legacy companies he has helped incubate and bring to market through Tender Greens.
Curtis Peoples is a pop artist and singer/songwriter with a defined understanding of how to create dynamic yet radio friendly music that fans of both rock and pop can enjoy equally.
Curtis' self titled first album was produced by Marshall Altman (Matt Nathanson, Kate Voegele, Marc Broussard) and featured songs co-written by Curtis and writers such as Ryan Tedder, Tyler Hilton, and Vic Fuentes. Marshall even liked the finished product so much that he decided to put the album out on his very own Galtline/The Control Group/ADA label.
In the last eighteen months Curtis has traveled between LA, NY, and Nashville crafting and recording great new songs to put on his second album. He worked with a number of great writers during this process including Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift), Josh Kelley, Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra, Howie Day), Mozella (Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball"), Mark Weinberg (Matt Nathanson), David Hodges (Kelly Clarkson, Evanescence), and busbee (Lady Antebellum, Pink, Keith Urban).
Michelle Priest was Director of Production at Use All Five, a digital design studio, for two years. Before that, she worked at Google and several startups as a Linguist, Product Manager, and Technical Writer. A UCLA grad with Bachelors degrees in both Economics and Linguistics, Michelle believes design can be used to address tough challenges in our connected world.
About "High Pressure Zone" - We’re a Design Thinking consultancy.
Our clients are organizations, often start-ups, who face a design challenge limiting reach, growth, or profitability. We partner with experts in the variety of fields that intersect our work.
Our vision is to build and nurture a community that is positively impacted by Design Thinking.
My friends and family say I’m cursed with Ambition, afflicted with initiative, dammed by an unquenchable drive for success… and more!
But that’s not my fault; I was merely born with and molded by my father’s highly successful entrepreneurial flair and zest for concept creation.
Chapter 1: PetLoo
I Founded Pup-Pee Solutions, a thriving Pet Product Manufacturing business that expanded globally through the commercial brand PetLoo. In February 2013 Pup-Pee was acquired by Radio Systems Corporation® and now sits under the umbrella of the PetSafe® group.
Chapter 2: Zingy
Zingy is on a mission to change the landscape of pet ownership. It really is about embracing the one-touch technological world we live in, and effectively combining that with the traditional pet care model, while bringing our own vibrant flair through our fun-loving and dedicated team of genuine animal lovers!
3x entrepreneur with experience ranging from seed-stage startups to publicly-traded companies. Broad experience in all aspects of revenue strategy through direct sales, channel sales, BD and M&A. Proven ability to develop a vision, build the team, and get the job done. Having fun is a must, though I can be a ball-buster.
(Acquired by Groupon in 2014)
Swarm helps SMB retailers build better businesses through powerfully simple technology. Oversaw all sales, business development and account management operations.
Founded in New Zealand in 2007, Seedling began with an initial launch of activity kits that sparked hours of imaginative play. The whimsical, nostalgic Pocket Money collection followed in 2012 and took the international toy world by storm, establishing Seedling as the go-to brand for stylish, quality children’s products. Our kits are designed to help fuel young imaginations and open new paths to discovery. Young users are invited to use their own initiative at every stage of the activity - from the materials they'll use to the ways they'll play with it. Once they start, there's no end to the possibilities young minds can come up with.
Tracy DiNunzio is the CEO and founder of Tradesy, an online marketplace where women buy and sell fashion. Tracy was an artist who became a web entrepreneur in 2009, with the launch of her first website, RecycledBride.com, a marketplace for wedding dresses. She financed that business by selling her car and clothes online, and renting out her bedroom on Airbnb while sleeping on the couch. By combining her love of collaborative consumption with a passion for fashion, Tracy and her company are changing how millions of women shop. She makes frequent appearances on Tradesy’s behalf on/in The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, The New York Times, and other media outlets.
Reno Rolle is a 2014 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year nominee and Chairman/Co-Founder of Boku International, an award winning, USDA certified Organic, Kosher and Vegan super food company which now serves thousands of customers in 65 countries throughout the world.
Adam Xavier is the Co-founder and CEO of RoadLoK, the world's leading motorcycle anti-theft immobilizer, patented in 2008. RoadLoK quickly drew attention for it's unique product and its ability to corner the market through intellectual property rights. Further establishing itself as a global brand, Adam forged key international partnerships in Europe, China, South Africa and Australia, in addition to domestic partnerships in the United States.
Peter Hurley stumbled into a photography career while training for the Olympic games. His ideas for making people look more photogenic have been published in the New York Times. His videos have amassed millions of views on YouTube and were featured on Good Morning America. To help bring these concepts to a worldwide audience he created headshotcrew.com, a growing headshot photography platform, which has currently assembled the largest group of headshot photographers in the world.
Zach is only 15 years old! He created Grom Social. Grom is social networking site a safe place for kids up to 16 years old! Zach didn't like Facebook so he created his own social media platform. AMAZING! Find out how he did it now!
Can the underwear industry be disrupted??? IT SURE CAN! Tune in now and learn just how Dan did it, and how you can disrupt your industry as well!
TrepScore consolidates data from business apps and uses it to provide actionable content and prescriptive insights. It is truly an intelligent data management system designed for entrepreneurs. Using your data, the system handles many of the tedious tasks that waste your time and mental energy every day. We designed a package of tools that adapt to changes in your data, freeing you up to focus on more important matters.
Actively involved in decision-making process together with development team and management decision makers, facilitating execution of product development and the sales/distribution process.
Built sound, lasting, working relationships with key partners and clientele including Google, Microsoft, Dun and Bradstreet and Amazon.
Founded by CEO Elon Musk, SpaceX builds rockets and spacecraft from the ground up, with the ultimate goal of making human life multi-planetary.
• Developed and implemented world class recruitment platform including all programs and strategies for Full-Life Cycle Talent Acquisition, Sourcing, Diversity, Outreach/Employment Branding, Leadership Recruiting, and University and Talent Programs.
• Worked closely with the business leaders to design talent planning process to ensure ability to vertically integrate operations, build exceptional bench strength of technical talent, and drive expansion and scaling of the business.
Millennial Fashion & Lifestyle blogger (www.themccordlist.com) with a following of 150,000+.
The McCord List is your turn-key solution for driving engagement in the millennial influencer space. I have a community of 25,000+ millennial fashion, lifestyle, and mommy bloggers/digital influencers whom I invite to contribute on The McCord List blog and connect with brands. We help brands generate millions of organic, online impressions, engagement and sales by sharing their unique story with our followers!
Shaahin Cheyene is the CEO and Chairman of brain nutrition start-up Accelerated Intelligence. Cheyene shares his passion to accelerate intelligence through his latest company and products.
Born in Iran, Shaahin Cheyene is an award winning entrepreneur, writer and filmmaker currently based in Los Angeles, California. In the early 1990′s while still in his teens, Cheyene spearheaded the “Smart Drug Movement” by inventing and branding the original Herbal Ecstacy and over 200 other award-winning products. Later Shaahin went on to invent and patent digital vaporization and the world's most advanced digital vaporizer with his company Vapir. http://www.shaahincheyene.com
I started focusatwill.com in late 2009. This is a new neuroscience based music technology company that delivers productivity on demand tools for working, studying and reading. The commercial service launched in January 2013 and can be accessed via standard web browsers, Android and iOS mobile applications. As well as Songwriter/music producer/artist - Founder of UK based pop soul band Londonbeat. Signed to RadioActive/MCA records, we had 2 USA #1 songs in the early 90s, you might remember "I've been Thinking About You" and "Come Back"
I co-founded the 1-800-DENTIST referral service in 1986 with Gary Saint Denis. It's the largest dental referral business in the country, with over 250 employees and serving every state. We strive to be the best way to find a dentist, by screening our dentists on an ongoing basis, and having more information on the practice than any other resource.
I've written over 100 television commercials, appeared in more than 25, and directed 20 of them. My goal is to create a single commercial that makes everyone in America want to go to the dentist immediately.
Our goal is to double in size in the next three years. As part of that we recently launched Patient Activator, a digital communications service that does appointment reminders and a whole lot of other great internal marketing stuff.
The Making of the Woman and the thinkThin Brand
Coming from a big Italian family Lizanne Falsetto was a foodie from a young age. Influenced by her grandfather’s kitchen garden and grandmother’s cooking; good food, good health – it was instilled. Later, modeling internationally, Lizanne developed a better-for-you version of her grandmother’s recipe as portable and delicious nutrition. This ultimately became the prototype for the thinkThin bar and the foundation of her second career. By the time she finished modeling and returned to the States, the mother of two followed her entrepreneurial instincts into the fast growing, competitive environment of nutrition bars. Over a decade later, Lizanne had built thinkThin from early relationships with Whole Foods Market and the natural channel, into mass grocery and club stores.
SeaChange International (NASDAQ: SEAC) enables transformative multi-screen TV services for video service providers globally. Personalized and fully monetized video experiences anytime on any device, in the home and everywhere, are the product of the Company’s superior software and services for the back office, advertising and home gateways. Headquartered in Acton, Massachusetts, SeaChange is TL 9000 certified and has product development, support and sales offices around the world. Visit www.schange.com
Morris founded Specular Theory in 2013 to bring Hollywood visual effects to the masses using state-of-the-art technology and innovative visual content. As the CEO of specular theory, Morris researches, selects and develops cutting-edge technology to create VR experiences and the tools to make storytelling possible in the new unexplored word of virtual reality.
LOVE GOODLY is a web and mobile platform for conscious beauty, style and wellness subscription boxes and products curated by influencers. Co-founded by Justine Lassoff and Katie Bogue Miller whose previous company, LovingEco, an ‘eco’ flash sales site, introduced the best, eco brands and sold in 2012. LOVE GOODLY's mission is to introduce the best emerging conscious brands while raising awareness and funds for important causes.
Juicy Couture is a glamorous, irreverent, and fun lifestyle brand for the decidedly fashionable, bringing LA style and attitude to girls all over the world. Embracing its LA heritage, Juicy discovers the couture in the every day, and delivers an element of surprise in all of its designs. The global phenomenon is identified as a casual luxury brand, offering apparel in the categories of women, girls and baby, handbags, shoes, intimates, swimwear, fragrance, accessories and jewelry.
Juicy Couture Black Label Collection is available in approximately 200 Juicy Couture Stores, Juicy Couture Outlet Stores and select department stores in approximately 60 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. For updates and more information, please follow Juicy Couture on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and the Juicy blog.
Thinkfactory Media was the driving force behind the three night mini-series event, Hatfields & McCoys (History) starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton, that set ratings records and garnered 16 Emmy® nominations, including a nod for Outstanding Mini-Series or Movie. All three nights of the mini-series ranked as the top three entertainment television telecasts of all time in ad supported cable history among total viewers. Thinkfactory has produced content for all major cable networks including A&E, Lifetime, TLC, TV One, VH1, AMC, MTV, Discovery, WeTV, amongst many others. Their production, “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” for A&E, holds the title for longest running celebrity docu-series in television history.
Gabby Gordon is a Danish/American singer - songwriter based in Los Angeles.
Her soulful and powerful voice is her signature attention grabber, while her sense of melody and lyric weave authentic, fun and dynamic stories.
Soul and Retro Pop, are a few words describing Gabby’s style reminiscent of Linda Ronstadt, Adele and Emeli Sande.
Having recently completed a self-titled EP produced by Marshall Altman (Marc Broussard, Cheryl Cole, Ingrid Michaelson, Natasha Bedingfield), Gabby has been featured in numerous blogs, (Limerence Magazine, Kryptonite Music Magazine, Vents Magazine, GroundSounds) and artist platforms like 'BalconyTV' and the radio show ‘Business Rockstars.’
Founder and CEO of JumpStarter Inc. which operates www.JumpStartFund.com, a web portal that believes in creating smarter and more successful companies by applying crowdsourcing from conception of an idea all the way through funding. Dirk is a also CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Inc. which is JumpStartFund's well known undertakings to make the Hyperloop become reality, by using it crowdcollaboration concept.
He is a serial entrepreneur with experience in almost every element of business: Management; product design and development and manufacturing; production facility design and set up, production cost control, marketing, product distribution; customer service; and sales. Before co-founding Jumpstarter, he was at the Girvan Institute of Technology, an incubator-accelerator for early-stage high-tech companies. At Girvan, beginning in 2009, he was instrumental in the development of several startup companies, notably Advanced Turbine Designs, Inc., a developer of natural-gas fueled gas turbine generators for combined heat and power. In the course of his multi-faceted activities at Girvan, he also managed mobile and web application developments as well as search engine optimization and online marketing.
For nearly 40 years, The Melting Pot has defined the fondue experience niche across the American dining scene and now looks forward to continued domestic success as well as continued international expansion.
The first Melting Pot opened in April of 1975 in Maitland, Fla., just outside of Orlando. It was a cozy, quaint location, and its first menu consisted of just three items: Swiss cheese fondue, beef fondue and a chocolate fondue dessert. However, as the restaurant’s popularity expanded, so did its menu and ambiance.
Mark Johnston, who was working his way through college as a waiter at The Melting Pot, noticed the popularity boost and, with the help of his brothers Mike and Bob, scraped together funding to open The Melting Pot of Tallahassee in 1979 (with the blessing of the original owners in Maitland... of course). The Tallahassee location grew enormously popular, and within one year, its success paved the way for future franchise expansion.
Led the company from launch until it became the most recognized legal brand in the United States. Annual growth exceeded 50% each year. Finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year.
Meathead Movers is revolutionizing the moving and storage industry one relationship at a time. We are accomplishing this by providing the first client and employee focused moving service. Our founding principle is to support student athletes working their way through college in pursuit of their own American dream, and that will never change. We work hard, have fun, and serve our community by providing premium moving services as well as assisting victims of domestic violence with a fresh start in life.
In April 2013 I founded The Marilyn S. Redd Foundation in honor of my grandmother. It is a small, Las Vegas, Nevada-based private family foundation that provides grants to existing local charities who protect, help, and mentor boys and young men in need from abused and neglected homes. Because, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”- Frederick Douglass
Armed with a dream and many trips to the fabric store, Emi Jay was created by teenage entrepreneurs Emily and Julianne. Inspired by their passion for fashion, the two young girls set out to create quality, modern day hair ties. They now run an exciting business alongside their mothers and believe everyone deserves a little luxury and comfort in their lives.
Emi Jay is a proud supporter of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, ranked among the best children’s hospitals in the nation. CHLA is committed to creating hope and building healthier futures for the patients and families in their care.
Pump Station is a breastfeeding support and new parent resource center that educates, guides and encourages new parents in a soothing environment as they learn to care for their newborns. Thier programs begin with outstanding prenatal breastfeeding and baby care classes offered in Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, Hollywood / Beverly Hills, and the San Fernando Valley. For nursing moms, our IBCLC licensed lactation consultants provide breastfeeding support on an individual and small group basis, and rent hospital grade breast pumps to augment and support early breastfeeding efforts.
Nellie Akalp - Currently, Mrs. Akalp is the CEO & Founder of CorpNet, Incorporated, her second legal document filing service company based on the simple philosophy of truth in business and her sincere passion/desire to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs get their business off the ground in a fast, reliable, and affordable manner. Mrs. Akalp is responsible for overseeing and managing the daily operations of the business and frequently authors much of the content published on the CorpNet.com blog.
Mrs. Akalp was named a Top 100 Small Business Influencer by Small Business Trends in 2012 and 2013. She is a contributor to Entrepreneur, Forbes, Mashable and other esteemed outlets and is a regular guest expert on the Fox Small Business Center sharing tips and tricks to start a business.
Phil Akalp - Corpnet.com caters to small business owners and accountants who need assistance with the official paperwork needed to start and run a compliant business in any or all of the 50 United States. Services include Business Incorporation, LLC Formatrion, and DBA Filings for new business startups. For existing businesses, corpnet is an industry leader in corporate compliance alerts and monitoring including Registered Agent Services in any of the 50 United States, Annual Report Filings, Corporate Minutes and Resoltuions, and Trademark Protection.
ALL THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD, IN ONE PLACE, FOR YOU!!! TUNE IN NOW AND LEARN FROM THE BEST OUT THERE!!!
From Kimbal Musk (TESLA & SPACE X) to Adena Friedman (NASDAQ PRESIDENT) we talk to all the movers and shakers in the entrepreneurial world! Tune in now and learn from the world best entrepreneurs!
A rich history as a business leader and entrepreneur, where vision has led to producing an uncompromising value of delivering breakthrough products that create extraordinary user experiences and market leading positions. What drives this process is a desire to serve the global community with new technology that can positively impact peoples lives.
Over three decades of experience ranging from medial devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, software and digital technology, while concentrating on some of the biggest medical issues facing humanity today such as global infectious diseases (diseases of poverty > malaria, HIV, TB), acute radiation syndrome, prostate and breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diseases related to aging such as: diabetes, inflammation, arthritis, and autoimmune disorders.
For all the die-hard ice cream lovers out there, especially those who love a certain creamery in Brenham, Texas, the recent news that Blue Bell recalled all of its product from store shelves across the country was a bit of a sugar meltdown. But it was also absolutely the right thing to do. The company made the wise decision to put public safety above all else after reports of a listeria outbreak. In my opinion, Blue Bell made the ethical choice that emphasizes the importance of real values in action.
In my new book, Values, Inc., I described a similar situation when Johnson & Johnson recalled Tylenol from store shelves in the 1980s after a series of mysterious deaths. The company took a huge financial hit but acted with swiftness and transparency for the safety of the public at-large. Nobody knew if the brand could survive. But Tylenol bounced back and even ushered in a new era in tamper-resistant safety seals for medicines.
Launched in the summer of 2011, Savour This Kitchen began as Savour This Moment, a California fresh catering company dedicated to using wholesome flavors and natural ingredients. After receiving rave reviews for the unique sauces in their dishes, brother and sister entrepreneurial super team, Michael + Marlene, decided to sell these sauces as stand alone products.
Savour This Sauce came to fruition at the beginning of 2013 and featured their three signature sauces: Red Pepper Romesco, Thai Chile Cilantro, and Pistachio Mint Pesto. With humble beginnings at the La Canada Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles, people flocked to the new vegan, gluten free brand.
In the area of human potential, no one is better known and more respected than Mark Victor Hansen. He is in high demand as a keynote speaker by many of North America's top corporations and professional associations worldwide. His message has reached over 2,000,000 people in 35 countries and virtually every major city throughout North America.
Mark delivers electrifying, personalized and memorable presentations that are full of insightful ideas and principles that can reshape your vision of what's possible. Few speakers punctuate their programs with a fresh, understandable approach to utilizing the most valuable asset we all possess - Human Imagination.
When Mark's time is over with an audience, amazing things happen. Desire levels and inner drive increase, self esteem and morale is raised, creativity is stimulated, challenging assignments and situations are approached with a new perspective, and most importantly all these things effect your bottom line.
Tony Horton is the wildly popular creator of the best-selling fitness series: Power90®, Power Half Hour®, Power90 Master Series®, P90X®, P90X2®, Ten Minute Trainer®, One On One with Tony Horton®, his thirty-minute dynamo, P90X3®, and his latest, P90®. Tony is a world-class motivational speaker and the author of top-selling books “Bring It”, Crush It!” and the incredibly motivating, “The Big Picture.” He has appeared on countless television programs as a fitness and lifestyle expert, and his latest undertaking is producing nutritionally balanced meals from Tony Horton Kitchen, a passion project Tony founded to make fresh, organic, wholesome foods available to busy folks in select 7-11 stores in the Los Angeles area.
Experienced and proven marketing leader who’s generated millions in revenue through data driven marketing. Jason Wright is the Founder and CMO of Marketing by Data. Marketing by Data is a marketing consulting company that provides businesses with the direction to create their marketing strategies. We use data and information to optimize and implement marketing campaigns that will generate the highest ROI. Tune in now and learn from one of the best!
VJ is a Technology Entrepreneur with a focus on Mobile and Social Space. Passionate about leveraging technology to positively impact the life of a Billion people in the next decade. Interested in early-stage start ups with big vision. VJ gives our listeners some great advice on idea building and starting your business!
One day, years ago, Tradesy founder Tracy DiNunzio stared into the messy expanse of her closet, and realized that it was full of things she never used. She saw a once-worn wedding dress, beautiful shoes that pinched her feet, and pants that no longer fit. Suddenly, she was compelled to simplify her life. Surely, there was someone who would treasure the things she no longer wanted, but how could she find them? Where could she easily and safely sell her things to other like-minded women?
Tracy set out to connect women’s closets. She worked tirelessly at her kitchen table, slept on the couch and rented her bedroom on AirBnB to finance early development. On October 24th, 2012, with a newly-formed team of just seven people, Tradesy officially launched.
Today, Tradesy serves millions of the world’s coolest customers, has secured backing from iconic investors like Richard Branson and John Doerr, and has been covered by Good Morning America, The Today Show, The New York Times, TIME, USA Today, and more. We’re well on our way to changing the way people buy and sell fashion, but really, we’re just getting started.
Ben is currently currently in charge of Business Development and Sponsor Acquisitions for Anakando Media Group; parent company of FilmOn TV Networks, ETV.com livestream, HologramUSA, Mondo Tunes digital music distribution, and AdVirally Social Influencer marketing agency. Learn about new ways people consume media and how it is changing everyone's industry!
Adam Xavier is the Co-founder and CEO of RoadLoK, the world's leading motorcycle anti-theft immobilizer, patented in 2008. RoadLoK quickly drew attention for it's unique product and its ability to corner the market through intellectual property rights. Further establishing itself as a global brand, Adam forged key international partnerships in Europe, China, South Africa and Australia, in addition to domestic partnerships in the United States. Adam is a tested entrepreneur with a background in finance, sales and business management. As a bi-coastal entrepreneur, Adam has mastered the ins and outs of East and West coast business practices as a start-up. Currently, RoadLoK is based out of Santa Monica, Calif.
Product leader, marketing chief and relationship strategist. Developed company business model, product offerings and lead generation for online tuxedo rental startup.
Chris is a Content creation guru and media strategist. He creates persuasive content that increases online traffic and brand awareness to churn higher conversion rates.
Walter O'Brien is an Irish businessman who is the founder and CEO of Scorpion Computer Services. He is also the inspiration for and executive producer of the 2014 CBS television series Scorpion.
Walter gives our listeners all they can handle in this incredible interview! DON't MISS THIS ONE GUYS!
Audrey Napoleon has become the ambassador of avant garde in electronic dance music, and the queen of Napoleon Nation inhabited by her devoted fans. Although a producer and performer by trait, she encompasses the life of a true artist, delving into many different mediums from mainstream advertisement, to makeup, to her love for all things fashion. With humble beginnings in the Los Angeles club scene, Audrey Napoleon’s career began as the opening act for superstar DJs, like James Zabiela at the famous Avalon Hollywood Nightclub. She began to make a splash in the industry with the release of her first EP Ornamental Egos. Along with the acclaimed tracks, Audrey put herself and her unique, edgy beauty into a series of movie-esque music videos. The visually stunning short stories instantly set Audrey apart from the status quo and it was the beginning of something that had never been seen in electronic music.
Samantha Ettus is obsessed with helping women reach their potential. As a leading balance expert, Sam specializes in coaching the busiest professionals on the planet. Sam is a bestselling author of four books, a writer for Forbes, and host of a nationally syndicated call-in radio show. Since earning her undergraduate and MBA degrees from Harvard, Sam has worked with thousands of celebrities, CEOs and professionals who aim to perform at the highest levels in their professional and personal lives.
Sekou Andrews is inspiring the business world one poetic presentation at a time. As the world’s leading Poetic Voice, Sekou creates personalized poetic presentations that give voice to the messages and missions of organizations and help them tell their most powerful stories. He is the creator of this cutting-edge category of speaking that combines strategic storytelling, inspirational speaking, spoken word poetry, and the power of theater and comedy to make events into experiences, and transform audiences of informed receivers into enrolled responders. Sekou does more than inspire us with his story; he inspires us with our story.
Nate Holzapfel is the creative force and co-founder behind Mission Belt Company headquartered in Utah. Born in Provo, Utah, He prides himself on never having passed an opportunity to fuel his passions for entrepreneurship and fighting world hunger. Every time we sell a Mission Belt, a portion of the proceeds goes to assist hungry families through intraframe micro lending on a global level. To date, the company has helped over 15,000 families in the fight against hunger.
House call veterinarians offer many conveniences that traditional animal hospitals cannot. One of the biggest of those is overcoming the fear and trauma that many animals experience when taken from their home to a veterinary hospital. Many animals release pheromones (chemical scent signals) under traumatic conditions that linger in the air and may cause fear reactions in animals that detect them. Sheryl joins us today to share her amazing story and how being disruptive has changed her life!
Cooper is the CEO & Founder of Klickly, a pro-social donations software platform, based in Santa Monica. She is also the Director of Tech for Collective Summit and produced the first-ever Innovation Summit and Social-Impact Hackathon at Sundance, featured recently on the front page of PandoDaily. She is one of the first females to win the Los Angeles AT&T Hackathon.
Originally from Austin, TX, Elisha Lillianna Galvan showed an aptitude for jewelry design from the young age of 9, sharing her eclectic bead and string creations with her family and friends. Driven by the desire to express her creativity in multiple mediums, she moved to Los Angeles in 2009 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. It was long before she gained recognition as she competed in Doritos’ Annual Crash the Superbowl Contest in 2012, and her commercial, Express Checkout, beat out 3500 other entries to place among the top five finalists. With the prize money, she decided to return to her roots, and establish a jewelry business. But there was a problem…She realized the market was oversaturated with poor-quality, gold plated jewelry that failed to withstand the test of time. She soon made a promise to her future customers: To develop a line of jewelry that expressed a harmony of style, quality, and soul. In 2013, she launched Lillianna Jewelry, specializing in hand-crafted, gold filled jewelry with semi-precious stones. Within the first year, Lillianna Jewelry grew exponentially, as it began to be sold in boutique stores across Los Angeles. To help aid that growth, the personalized creative designs of Elisha Lillianna Galvan are now available to her loyal customers worldwide.
Whitney Avalon is an actress and director, known for Princess Rap Battle (2014), Te Comedy Minute with Jason T. Gaffney (2014) and The Gray Man (2002). Whitney joins us in studio and gives some fantastic advice and tricks you can use to become the next YouTube sensation!
Doug Frankel is a media giant! He joins us in studio today to help our listeners better understand the broadcasting industry, and how you can get a career in media today!
Naia Kete is an American singer-songwriter and musician whose music spans numerous influences ranging from pop, reggae and soul. Naia and her band join us with Scott Page from Pink Floyd as their Mentor! Learn how to turn your band into a BRAND!
What a treat we have today as Pernille Lopez joins us today. She has some insanely valuable tips and tricks to become a successful entrepreneur! Ms. Pernille Spiers-Lopez has been the Head of Global Human Resources at IKEA North America Services, LLC since January 1, 2009. Ms. Spiers-Lopez served as the President of Ikea North America Services, LLC. until January 1, 2009. She has been a Trustee of Save The Children Federation, Incorporated since September 2006.
Janie is the CEO & Founder of Mamma Chia, an organic chia-based food and beverage company based in San Diego, and the category innovator and creator of the first-to-market chia seed beverage. Mamma Chia was awarded Beverage World's "Breakout Brand" for 2014. In 2013, Mamma Chia was awarded Nutritional Outlook's "Best Retail Brand" and in 2012, Janie was honored with BevNET’s “Person of the Year” award. And in 2011, Mamma Chia received BevNET’s “Best Non-Carbonated Beverage” award.
Lorenzo created a gun that shoots pellets of salt at flies! Yes you are reading this correctly! Find out how Lorenzo disrupted this industry, and how you can do the same thing!
Scott Page from Pink Floyd joins in studio to mentor our rising star musician Natalie Major! Scott helps our protege better understand how to turn your band into a BRAND! Tune in now!
Anna Redmond is a writer and angel investor. A graduate of Harvard University with an A.B. in Economics and Information Technology and an A.M. in History of Science, she began her investing career as an analyst at Rustic Canyon Partners. She joined Wellcap Partners as an assistant portfolio manager, followed by a role at Boston Avenue Capital as a portfolio manager, during which time she took a role as interim Chief Operations Officer of Compumed, a public company specializing in medical devices for osteoporosis testing.
Chris is not only a part of the LA Fire Department (Responsible for fire protection and emergency medical services delivery in the Century City area of Los Angeles.) he is also a serial entrepreneur! Chris has created a fun new product you a sure to be inspired by! Tune in now and learn from this incredible entrepreneur!
Meet Edward Barnett, one of the owners of PCF Restaurant Management, which owns two Buffalo Wild Wings franchises in Los Angeles. The duo opened their first franchise in the middle of the Great Recession, and their second in a part of Los Angeles that hadn’t seen a new full-service restaurant open in 25 years. They've done so well, they've won awards from their franchisor and have been recognized for creating jobs and offering management training to low-skilled workers in the area. Learn how Edward was able to create this business even during a recession!
Brian Liu led LegalZoom from launch until it became the most recognized legal brand in the United States. Annual growth exceeded 50% each year. Finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year.
Brian joins us in studio to share is invaluable wisdom, AND shares some of his failures to help you avoid the same mistakes!
Meathead Movers is revolutionizing the moving and storage industry one relationship at a time. MMM accomplishes this by providing the first client and employee focused moving service. MMM founding principle is to support student athletes working their way through college in pursuit of their own American dream, and that will never change.
Selected as a 2015 global thought leader on trust, Tom is a dynamic silicon valley security executive with Government, corporate, global, and big-four executive experience, leveraging his immersion in all facets of security to improve businesses around the world. Having served as a CSO (MCC), big-four partner (Deloitte), chief eCommerce strategist (IBM), and a founder of a tech startup backed by the Carlyle Group, Tom thrives on delivering the real security benefits that build trust and grow businesses.
Paper Dolls is a dedicated network of female entrepreneurs committed to embracing and enhancing the way professional women work, individually and together. We are multidimensional creators who turn blank pages into new businesses. Our members vary in their industries and independent aspirations but share a common belief that women go farther when they go together. Tune in now and learn from one of the best!
Holonis, Inc., a revolutionary integrated digital marketplace whose mission is to support the success of business everywhere.
That's right we have the CEO of Holonis on our show today! Make sure to tune and learn the fundamentals of business, and how to solve "fragmentation!"
Headphones have been around for a while now. Every year a new pair is introduced into the market. So how do you take an idea that's been seemingly perfected and make it BETTER??? Find out now with our incredible Business Rockstar Bridget Hilton!
Scott Page from PINK FLOYD joins us today to mentor our up and coming rising musicians Small Pools! He helps them better understand how to turn your band into BRAND.
Madelyn is the CEO of the ever so popular Maria's Kitchen! Madelyn's mother who started the restaurant back in the 70's still makes new recipes/dishes everyday! Find out how Madelyn and her mother created one of the most popular kitchens in America! And how you can do it too!
Andy Schuon is the Co Founder of REVOLT TV with Puff Daddy! Or Sean "Diddy" Combs. Andy brings his unique and impressive business savvy and knowledge to Business Rockstars today! Learn how to start, fund and grow your business from one of the best!
Matt Clifford created Barnana, a new product that is extremely healthy and disrupting the food and health industry! Find out more about this amazing product and how you can do the same thing!
Scott Page from PINK FLOYD is out in studio mentor today! He helps Maggie better understand how to turn your band into a BRAND!
We all have had break ups before. What happens when you break up, but you both have plane tickets a week later to Paris? Bella Acton has found a way for to sell this now unwanted inventory to people who need that particular service or product! Learn how she is disrupting this industry and how you can do it too!
Dr. Bill Dorfman is an incredible entrepreneur and TV Personality. You may have seen him on such shows as "The Doctors" and as a guest on Oprah! He teaches our listeners the importance of continuing education and support groups like his own, "Leap." Tune in now!
Pooner Mohajer is an incredible entrepreneur! She Co Founded and is CEO of the ever rising fashion company TokiDoki. Learn how she did it and how you can do it too!
Andy Schuon is Puff Daddy's Co Founder with REVOLT TV! Andy joins us to talk about OTT networks. Don't know what an OTT network is??? Tune in now and find out!
Do you have a million ideas? Well then you may be an entrepreneur. So how do you take all of your brilliant ideas, manage them and make them a reality? Branden Hampton has cracked this code! Tune in now and learn how!
Do you know what a Hostel is??? A hostel is an establishment that provides inexpensive food and lodging for a specific group of people, such as students, workers, or travelers. But if you have ever stayed at one you know what the conditions can be like, usually bad. Enter Elvina Beck, she is disrupting the hospitality environment with Pod-sharing. Tune in now to learn more!
Today is Mentoring! Barry Turner from Lenny and Larry's cookies joins us in studio to mentor our rising business rockstars! If you want to learn how to get your business off the ground tune in now!
Well what is cooler than creating a grilled cheese truck and turning it into a 100 million dollar company! Find out how Robbie did it and how you can do it too!
We have a very special guest in studio today! A multi-platinum selling record producer, Grammy-nominated songwriter, social entrepreneur and award-winning filmmaker, Frank Fitzpatrick has proven himself to be a creative visionary and committed advocate for transforming the human spirit through music and film. Learn how Frank did it and how you can too! Tune in now!
Richard Gibbs is our Music Rockstar Mentor today! And the band that he brought in today is incredible!!! Purple Mountains Majesties is an amazing folk (Mumford and Sons) band! Richard helps PMM better understand how to turn your band into a Brand!
Today is Rockstar women with ThinkThin Founder Lizanne Falsetto. Today she brings on Dani Davis, Dani produces live musicals on Broadway and for national tours with partners such as Working Title Films, Dreamworks, and Universal Pictures Theatrical. She is also building a new platform for audience analysis and development called Basecamp Broadway, which delivers live recordings of Broadway musicals to ticket holders, in order to better understand the demographics of the Broadway audience, increasing ticket sales, sponsorship and new business opportunities for live theater. Tune in now!
You may recognize Brock from such movies as the "Might Ducks" and "First Kid" with the one and only Sinbad! Now Brock focuses his energy in start ups and educating the world on the Crypto Currency BitCoin. There is not a lot you can't learn from this incredible individual! Tune in now so you can start your business today!
Are you trying to create a crowd-funding campaign but not sure where to start??? Well then you are in for a treat today. Elan Lee, creator of the new card game "Exploding Kittens" started a kick-starter campaign to raise $10,000. In 20 minutes he met this goal! Now it is up to nearly 6 million dollars!!! WHAT?!?!?! Find out how he did it now!!!!
Mike Stone has come up with a very clever DIY project that he's been able to turn into to a powerhouse. So how do you take a simple idea and make it the next big thing? Tune in now and find out!
As always Scott Page from PINK FLOYD joins us in studio every Thursday to mentor our up and coming rising star! This week we are featuring Abby Posner. Scott helps Abby and our listeners better understand how to turn your band into a BRAND! Tune in now!
It's time for Rockstar Women Wednesday! Today we feature Liz Heller who used to run Capitol Records and Kalika Yap, CEO at Citrus Studios. Learn how these two women solidified their careers, what troubles they ran into, and how you can do the same thing! Tune in now!
Keith Boesky helped create Tomb Raider, a video game smash hit AND brought her to the big screen starring Angelina Jolie! Keith joins us and mentors our up and coming business rockstar Ben Vandenwymelenberg. He is the founder of Woodchuck casing and notebooks. Woodchuck creates beautiful wood cases for your phone, iPad, iPod etc. Tune in now and learn how to start a company, what troubles you may run into, and how you can keep it funded! Tune in now!
Mark Sisson is 61 years old but somehow has kept in amazing Shape. He shares his tricks and secrets to starting a business around health, what you need to stay away from, and how you can do the same thing! Tune in now!
Well it does not get any cooler than this. We have the one and only Ken Kragen in studio today! While his name may not sound familiar you certainly have heard his work! He wrote and composed "We are the World" Yes, the one you are thinking of! He brought in the original score for our viewers as well! Learn from one the brightest minds on the planet today! Oh, we also have Scott Page from PINK FLOYD in studio today as well! Just another day at Business Rockstars! Make sure to tune in now!
What a show we have today! Learn about personal and business growth from Jay Abraham. Then we have rockstar women featuring Gayle Rosenthal, she created the BBQ sauce that used to make California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ chicken pizza! She has since branched out and started her own BBQ sauce company called Gayle's Sweet 'N' Sassy Foods, Inc! Learn how she started her company and how you can do the same thing!
Renee Strauss is the only person EVER to do a wedding at the Vatican in Italy! She's also a television personality and a luxury wedding ambassador! She mentors our up and coming rising star in the bridal world! Tune in now and learn from this incredible mentoring session!
We have a very special guest in studio today! The one and only Mark Verge, founder of the famed WEST SIDE RENTALS company stops by! He has his hands in just about every business you can think of out here, and today he teaches our listeners how they can do the same thing! There isn't a lot you can't learn from this think tank of knowledge! Tune in now!
Donna has come up with a brilliant way to make your company more productive through the right training and techniques taught through her business "Mindflash." Tune in now to learn about this incredible company and how it can help your business flourish!
Paul has found a way to get wine enthusiasts together with out all the "snob" involved. Drake feels that all people who love wine should be able to enjoy it with out others breathing down their neck telling you how you should feel about the wine you are drinking! Paul teaches our listeners about being disruptive, that it's ok, and how you can do it too. Tune in now!
Every week Lizanne brings in an amazing women business rockstar! This week Lizanne Features Leanna Greene, an amazing entrepreneur with a very unique business! Tune in now to learn more about Leanna's business and how you can do the same thing!
Robert Richman is an impressive Culture Architect! His insights and wisdom are invaluable! He mentors our up and coming rising entrepreneur. So what is a Culture Architect?! Tune in now and find out!!!
It doesn't matter what industry you are in, Sue Wong can help you! Although she is considered a fashion Icon, Sue brings a lot more to the table than amazing clothing. Sue started from the ground up with no money or job and very little English under her belt. Somehow she overcame these obstacles and turned her brand into powerhouse! Tune in now and learn how she did it so you can do it too!
Freddie has become one of Youtube's top video providers. Youtube and other platforms like this are taking over conventional media, and your business should be considering this option. Don't get left in the dark, TUNE IN NOW!
Every Thursday we bring a Music Rockstar and have them mentor our up and coming rising stars in the music world. This week is our wonderful Mentor from Pink Floyd, Scott Page! He helps "The Jasmine Sisters" from America's got Talent better understand how to turn their band into a BRAND! All you musicians out there, TUNE IN NOW!
At the young age of 23 Nanxi Liu is already an established CEO, her company, Enplug. She gives our listeners invaluable advice on how to start a business, no matter how young, and gives you great insight on some of the struggles she went through. Tune in now to hear her mentor our Rockstar women Carolyn Einstein!
Howard was one of the first investors that helped get Activision off the ground! Activision is now one of the world leading video game designers! He joins us in studio to mentor our up and coming rising star Forrest Zukerman! So what did Forrest learn? Tune in now and find out!
Jonathan is an incredible entrepreneur, he is the founder of Togally. This acts a lot like Angie's list does, except it focuses on one specific service. This service is saving mom's a lot of time and hassle, and could help your mother as well! What is it? Tune in now and find out!
Sabrina Kay came to this country from Korea when she was 18. She had no money, didn't know English, and did not have a Job. Now she is the Chancellor, CEO, AND OWNER of Fremont College, and Fremont Private investments. An incredible story you can not afford to miss! Tune in now and learn from the best!
Every Thursday we bring on an up and coming musician. Scott Page from Pink Floyd joins us in studio to mentor our up and coming musicians! Scott helps our listeners better understand how to turn your band into a BRAND!
Each week Lizanne Falsetto, Founder of the mega nutritional hit ThinkThin bars brings on a Business Rockstar Women! This week we have Kimberly Moore, CEO & Founder of ECHELON INC and The Kimberly Moore Foundation. Learn how she started her business, the troubles she went through, and how you can do the same thing! Tune in now!
Fashion is an industry that will never die, BUT, it's also extremely difficult to get your foot in the door. Trent MacLean has made his name in fashion, now he joins us to mentor our up and coming Star Aida Takyrbasheva, Founder of Skinny Bikini Wear. Tune in now!
Have you ever heard of Air B&B? It's a platform where people across the united states can share apartments! Well, Jeff Potter from Surf Air has come up with a similar idea with FLYING! Tune in now!
Brock Pierce is a digital currency genius! You may know him from his role in the Mighty Ducks franchise! He joins us in studio to mentor our up and coming rising entrepreneur! Tune in now and learn how to grow your business today!
Today on Business Rockstars we have Keith Boesky! He is an expert in the gaming world! He sheds light on how much the gaming industry booming, how easy it is for you to get involved, and why NOW is the best time!
John Ratzenberger from Cheers and countless Pixar films joins us in studio today. He helps our listeners better understand how to grow their business! Tune in now!
Every Thursday we bring on an up and coming musician. Scott Page from Pink Floyd joins us in studio to mentor our up and coming musicians! Scott helps our listeners better understand how to turn your band into a BRAND!
Every Wednesday we feature Business Rockstar Women! Lizanne introduces us to some of the brightest minds on the planet to help you start grow and fund your business today!
We have a very special guest in studio today, the one and only Lou Ferrigno! AKA The Hulk. Lou fills our listeners in on his incredible career, what you can learn from his success, and how you can avoid the mistakes he made!
Bart Baggett has an extremely interesting and "new" way of developing leaders and growing internally. It's all about your signature! YES your signature! Tune in now to find out what your signature can tell you about your self and others!
Andrew Bauer is only 21 years old and he is already a CEO (Royce Leather) and an incredible innovator! He took an idea (The Wallet) and made it better. Now, you can buy his wallets that come with GPS tracking devices and a chip that keeps you sensitive info safe! Find out how he did it and how you can do the same thing! Tune in now!
Freddie Revel has an extremely fascinating take on music, and how it impacts everyone's life on a daily basis. Freddie mentors our up and coming musician Lina. Like Madonna she only goes by ONE name! Which can be important for branding purposes! Tune in now and learn how to turn your band into a BRAND!
Nelson Paez is the CEO and Founder of DreamHammer! Nelson writes the Operating Systems for DRONES! It doesn't get any cooler than this folks! If you need to learn how to start, grow and fund your business, then make sure to check out this incredible interview!
Today we have Leah Oseran, the Owner of PLACE Showroom. Find out how this incredible entrepreneur disrupted the fashion industry, and how you can do the same thing! Tune in now!
Robin Richards believes that EVERYONE should have an equal opportunity when it comes to getting a job. That's why he created CareerBeam.com. This helps everyone on the planet get internships so they can get their foot in the door! Find out how you can do this! Tune in now!
So is there a way to hack your own body and mind??? There certainly is! Dave Asprey teaches our audience how you can start training your body to be healthier, smarter and faster!
Do not miss this incredible interview!
Every Thursday we bring on an up and coming musician. Scott Page from Pink Floyd joins us in studio to mentor our up and coming musicians! Today we have Magnuson, an indie rock band! Scott helps our listeners better understand how to turn your band into a BRAND!
Frankie Scanlon (Founder of Gustus Vitae, an incredible spice company) Sheds light on how he pivoted from being a media mogul to creating salts and spices for your kitchen! If you want Peruvian chicken they have a spice for that! Truly an amazing product, learn from Frankie so you can do this too!
Brock Pierce is a digital currency genius! You may know him from his role in the Mighty Ducks franchise! He joins us in studio to mentor our up and coming rising entrepreneur! Tune in now and learn how to grow your business today!
Today on Business Rockstars we have Keith Boesky! He is an expert in the gaming world! He sheds light on how much the gaming industry booming, how easy it is for you to get involved, and why NOW is the best time!
John Ratzenberger from Cheers and countless Pixar films joins us in studio today. He helps our listeners better understand how to grow their business! Tune in now!
Every Thursday we bring on an up and coming musician. Today we have an extremely amazing guest Chloe Temtchine, an incredible signer that can not go anywhere with out the help of oxygen. She has to wheel around a respirator everywhere she goes. But this hasn't stopped her from singing, and she sounds amazing! Tune in now to hear this wonderful story and learn how to turn your band into a Brand!
Today we have Rockstar Women with Lizanne Falsetto! She brings in a powerful rockstar women each week, and this week we have Lauren Rashup from Lauren Living Healthy! Learn how these women started their businesses, the struggles they went through, and what you can learn from their stories!
A very special treat today as we have Lou Ferrigno aka "The Hulk!" Lou and his daughter Shanna join us in studio for mentoring today! And Lou mentors his own Daughter! This can be very challenging, it's hard not to be DAD and try to coach your daughter. Learn how Lou did it, and how you can help your own family members businesses grow!
Bart Baggett (World renowned speaker and author) has an extremely interesting and "new" way of developing leaders and growing internally. It's all about your signature! YES your signature! Tune in now to find out what your signature can tell you about your self and others! And how this WILL help you grow your business!
Andy Schuon, President & Co-Founder, REVOLT Media & TV (Puff Daddy and Andy's TV network!) Andy is a media genius! He has been in the Television industry for over 20 years. We know you have questions, especially if you live in LA! Well we have the answers! Tune in now and check out Andy's exclusive interview with Business Rockstars!
Jon Fredricks, CEO of Welk Resorts - Jon swings by the studio and helps our listeners better understand the hospitality world, how he got started, and how you can do the same thing!
Music Mentoring Scott Page from Pink Floyd! - Scott mentors our up and coming musician by helping them understand how a band needs to be a BRAND first!
Lizanne Falsetto (Founder of ThinkThin Bars) brings in a women rockstar every Wednesday! Today she has brought Lina Hu from Viking cook wear! Learn how Lina went from rags to riches, and how you can do it too!
Jay Shaprio - Founder, AppMakr - "Serial entrepreneur, Global Philanthropist, Angel Investor, Adventurer, Burner, TED Speaker and all around nice guy." Born and raised in Canada, 13 years living in Asia, and now a Global Digital Nomad... Significant Ventures: 1999 - founded "BLUE", one of the first Digital Agencies in Asia, out of a third-floor walk-up apartment with $10k angel investment. Bootstrapped it from there to a global powerhouse with 6 offices on 3 continents, twice awarded Agency of the Year. Acquired by WPP in 2007 and today, known as Possible Worldwide is one of the Top 5 Digital Agencies in the World. 2011 - co-founded Infinite Monkeys as a drag-and-drop platform for small businesses to make their own mobile apps for iPhone / Android / HTML5 smartphones, with no coding. In 2013 we acquired our largest competitor and became "AppMakr". Today, we're the largest mobile app publisher on the planet, with almost 2 million new apps started on our platform - in 100 countries & 15 languages. OTHER Interesting Projects: EcoRoamer - Jay designed & built the world's first carbon-neutral, family sized 4x4 expedition vehicle called the "EcoRoamer" - He and his family are (slowly) driving it around the planet, It is the roaming global headquarters for AppMakr.
Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book, selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, chronicles Barefoot’s journey from its start in the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse in 1986 to the board room of E&J Gallo, where the brand was successfully sold in 2005. Barefoot is now the largest bottled wine brand in the world.
Hector García, the president of MBN Design Inc., has been in business for over 20 years and is the first in his family to venture into starting his own company. In the beginning their initial offering was design and Illustration services, they now specialize in high level branding, packaging and web design. MBN Design has become one of Orange County’s most-established and well-respected design firms as a result of Hector Garcia’s astute choice of employees and vendors. A team that’s big on talent, big on core values and big on results. “At the foundation of our values is trust,” explains Hector, “that resonates with every team member, client and vendor.” They've had the privilege of being a preferred vendor of a Fortune 100 company for over a decade as well as successfully teaming up with NASCAR, the NFL, NBA and MLB. The brands and packaging they've designed currently adorn the shelves at virtually every major chain of grocery, club, convenience, drug and office supply stores across the country,
We have a very special guest in studio today, the one and only Lou Ferrigno! AKA The Hulk. Lou fills our listeners in on his incredible career, what you can learn from his success, and how you can avoid the mistakes he made!
Ryan Blair - A Rockstar Entrepreneur who is a former gang member turned serial entrepreneur and self made millionaire, who had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Make sure to check out his upcoming book "Everything to Lose"
Mark Rampolla, Founder and Former CEO ZICO Beverages - Mark created Zico Coconut water, and then sold it to Coca-Cola! So how did he do it? Find out his tips and tricks to growing your business fast!
Jeffrey Hayzlett, Chairman C-Suite Network & Business TV Host and is the Contributing Editor and Host of Jeffrey Hayzlett on Bloomberg Television. He is also host of the digital television show Mind Your Own Business on C-Suite TV. Hayzlett is a global business celebrity, speaker, bestselling author, and Chairman of C-Suite Network, home of the world’s most powerful network of C-Suite leaders.
Today we have music mentoring with J R Richards from Dishwalla! He helps our protege (Vanaka) better understand how to turn their band into a BRAND!
When I first launched the Vanaka project and the One Ride company, I went to a large law firm with a big reputation in the music business, thinking that would really provide some great support and key contacts. But I ended up relegated to a lawyer low on the totem pole who had little interest in my project, its purpose and me – and little patience for my lack of technical knowledge. After a couple more false starts, I finally found the right one-man firm interested in both me and my ideas. We formed a solid business relationship and a friendship, and he has been invaluable to me through the various issues of starting a band and a record label.
Ann has actively advocated for women’s issues throughout her career, particularly to expand women’s opportunities in Corporate America. A graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, she is now a partner at the global law firm DLA Piper, where she maintains a full, corporate-law practice while also being actively involved with the Women’s Initiative Program at the firm. The mother of two young children, Ann envisioned Pink51 while searching for retailers that combined quality products with a commitment to promoting women. The idea was to identify and champion corporations either owned by women or where women are substantively involved in the management of the company. By channeling a percentage of its proceeds to charities committed to the economic empowerment of women, Pink51 combines Ann’s passions for women’s advancement in the workplace and philanthropy. Ann is an avid traveler (with a particular fondness for Paris and Rome) and amateur chef. She lives in Pasadena, CA with her husband and kids, and enjoys volunteering in her community and is active in her childrens' schools.
Marta is known to her team as the Master Connector. A proven professional entrepreneur, Marta currently is also the President of Starfish Impact, providing philanthropic advisory services to foundations, businesses and individuals who strive to make a greater impact in their community through strategic philanthropy. After working for Goldman Sachs & Co., she launched several companies including GOLS Soccer, Skin Haven and Market China. She holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and double majored at Vassar College. Marta was the Co-Captain of the Women’s Varsity Soccer Team and was the starting striker forward all four years. She holds Vassar College women’s soccer records for goals scored, assists and total points. Marta played soccer throughout her 30's on two competitive teams and now spends her free time playing sports with her son and husband. As a philanthropist, Marta has been extremely active in her community since founding a nonprofit in high school, and specifically in the greater Los Angeles community with multiple nonprofit organizations including her current role as an LASVP Partner and Board Member. She also served on the Los Angeles Board of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and was an active leader of Step Up Women's Network including her role as the Los Angeles President and Board Chair.
Michael Fishman , CEO of Pure Fix - Michael discusses how he started his bicycle company, how difficult it was, and how sweet it is now after 5 years!
Lizanne Falsetto, Co-Founder, ThinkThin Bars - Lizanne joins us every Wednesday and introduces us some of the most powerful and brightest women entrepreneurs on the planet! We call it ROCKSTAR WOMEN!
Ramona Cappello, CEO & FOUNDER, SECRET SUN, INC. - As a seasoned CEO and entrepreneur, I am leveraging my over thirty years experience starting, growing, and/or turning around many businesses in the food & beverage and health & wellness industries to advise and consult companies and investment firms in need of my expertise.
Mentor - Howard Marks (Co Founder of Activision) teaches our rising entrepreneur (Ann Lang) the secrets of getting your business funded! You have questions, we have answers! Tune in now!
Protege: Ann Wang - Ann Wang is the CEO & Co-founder of Enrou. After working in social activism and studying international development at UCLA, Ann decided she wanted to find a way for people like herself to make an impact in their everyday lives by using the power of trade to empower global entrepreneurs in developing communities. Ending global poverty means providing opportunity.
Eric Galen, Upright LA - Eric helps innovators and creators build and grow businesses. He focus on media, digital influencers, e-commerce, technology, and startups. Representative clients and collaborators include Sony, DirecTV, Warner Bros., Imagine Entertainment, Disney, Mitsubishi, Samsung, Fullscreen,Science, Hello Society, DanceOn, Channel Factory, DigiTour, InstaBrand, Viddy, Eventup, Wittlebee, Column Five Media, Citrusbyte, Slate Studio,Gwyneth Paltrow, Perry Farrell, will.i.am, Jack & Jack, David Babaii, David Copperfield and many others.
As a partner at Counsel LLP, Galen primarily represent influencers, growing media and technology companies, MCNs, and entrepreneurs. Our team functions as general strategic counsel, often helping clients find and close new business opportunities and partnerships.
Mentor: Rahul Sonnad gives our Protege great tips and tricks to improve his business!
Protege: Samuel Strasser
Robert Whyte founded Good Time Beverages to bring the best premade "Cocktails to GO®" to the world in his patented FlexPouchTM. Robert came to this venture because after a twenty one year career in investment banking and financial services, he wanted to be in a fun, growing business that he operated. Robert teaches our listeners that raising money for your business can be a life long task. Robert gives our listeners some great tips and tricks!
Alisa Gould-Simon & Rachel Rutherford, Founder and Co-CEO of Pose / Rachel : Co-CEO of Pose
Alisa Gould-Simon is the co-founder and co-ceo of Pose. She began her career in New York, pursuing her love of writing and editing while still in school working for various news outlets in the city. She has contributed to publications such as New York Magazine, Style.com, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian, among others. After moving to the Los Angeles in 2009, she launched The Rackit, a consulting firm for fashion brands specializing in content and digital strategy. Her idea for Pose grew out of a growing awareness of the burgeoning mobile landscape in 2010, as well as the need for digital devices to better power and engage with consumer's shopping habits offline. Alisa oversees the marketing team, business development and spearheads growing Pose's 10,000-strong fashion blogger community.
Rachel Rutherford is the co-ceo of Pose. She began her career in film, producing film festivals and working for powerhouse entertainment companies such as WME, CAA and MRC. Attracted by the changing digital media landscape, Rachel joined Whalerock Industries (formerly BermanBraun) to launch and run product development for MSN’s Glo. While at Whalerock, Rachel pitched and developed several digital properties for MSN, AOL, and P&G. Rachel joined the Pose team in 2011, where she runs the product and design team and is instrumental in growing Pose’s user base and business. She cares most about creating great consumer experiences and bringing entertainment to the screen we now use most: our phone. Rachel grew up in Sarasota, Florida and has a Bachelor’s degree in Theater and Cinema Studies from Oberlin College
Barry Moltz, Author of "How to Get Unstuck: 25 Ways to Get Your Business Growing Again" & Host of Business Insanity Radio on AM560 WIND - Barry helps our listeners learn how to keep their business growing in tough times!
Billy Dec - Billy Dec is an Emmy Award Winning Entertainment TV Personality and CEO/Founder of Rockit Ranch Productions, named one of Restaurant Hospitality's Top Multi-Concept Companies of 2014. As Chicago’s premier hospitality & entertainment development company, Rockit Ranch specializes in the creation, marketing and management of some of the city’s top venues including Rockit Bar & Grill, Underground, Rockit Burger Bar, Sunda, ¡AY CHIWOWA!, Bottlefork and The Duck Inn. Dec was chosen to be the Entertainment Contributor on ABC TV’s “Windy City Live” (replacing the "Oprah Winfrey Show") every Thursday at 11am and most recently, appears on radio’s 103.5 KISS FM. Dec’s educational background includes the University of Illinois, Chicago-Kent College of Law & the Harvard Business School. He has received numerous awards including “Excellence in Business Award” from the State of Illinois, the Asian American Hall of Fame Award, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Community Leadership Award, Chicago-Kent College of Law Alumni Professional Achievement Award and was recently appointed to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Dec is also actively involved in philanthropic organizations like Make a Wish, Best Buddies, Lookingglass Theatre…and formerly served as the Director of Cultural Relations for the 2016 Olympic Committee
Mike Jones, CEO of SCIENCE - Long-time entrepreneur and former CEO of Myspace, Mike Jones now serves as the CEO of Science, Inc., the disruptive media, marketing and brand building company. Science Inc. nurtures successful digital businesses by bringing together the best ideas, talent, resources and financing through a centralized platform. As a serial internet entrepreneur, Jones has founded, advised, invested in and sold numerous businesses, including application platform Userplane, which he led from startup to its acquisition by AOL, Tsavo Media, Movoxx, PeopleMedia, Brizzly and Myspace. He is actively involved with early-stage startups as an advisor, board member and investor. Among others, Jones has personally invested in more than 30 startup businesses including Klout, Betterworks, Formspring, ShoeDazzle and LunchMoney.
Paul Smith, CEO of Story Makers, LLC - Paul Smith is a popular keynote speaker and corporate trainer in leadership and storytelling techniques, and former executive and 20-year veteran of The Procter & Gamble Company. He is also the author of the best selling book Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. His current area of research is the use of stories for character development in children. His new book on that topic is titled Parenting with a Story: Real-life lessons in character for parents and children to share. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, Time, Forbes, The Washington Post, PR News, Success Magazine, CIO Magazine, Investors Business Daily, Marketing Research Magazine, the American Banking Journal, and London’s Edge Magazine, among others. In his 20 years with Procter & Gamble, Paul held leadership positions in both research and finance functions, and most recently served as director of consumer and communications research
Michel Bayan - EVP of Fragmob - As EVP of Fragmob, Michel and the team are pushing the envelope and disrupting the direct selling industry with bleeding edge mobile technology proven to significantly increase the effectiveness of the industry's 96 million independent sellers.
As a noted writer and speaker in direct selling, Michel has advised numerous companies in the industry on their digital strategy and how to "Burst the Bubble" by getting out of the industry's shadow and build a main stream brand that will endure through the information age.
Michel is deeply interested in big ideas, ambitious technologies, innovative marketing techniques, and performance arts.
Riqua Hailes, Owner of Just Extensions - Riqua disrupted the beauty industry! Find out how you can do the same thing now!
MUSIC MENTOR: Scott Page - Scott helps our listeners better understand that a band needs be a BRAND first to succeed.
PROTEGE: Daniel Leopold, Rising Star Musician
Ferial Moloo, CEO of 365 Hangers - Ferial has figured out a way to disrupt her industry! Find out how you can do the same!
Lizanne Falsetto, Founder, ThinkThin Bars - Lizanne brings in a rockstar business women every Wednesday. Learn how to Grow and Fund your business today!
Jane Wurwand, Co-Founder, Dermelogica
Dorie Golkin Smith & Emelyn Northway, Co-founders Of Mercer - Getting funding for your business can be one of the most difficult tasks. So what's the best way to do this? Dorie and Emelyn fill our listeners in!
Mentor: Tobi Skovron mentors our up and coming entrepreneur. Do not miss this business rockstar listeners!
Protege: Juls Bindi
Piero Selvaggio, Owner of Valentino Restaurant - Piero talks about starting Valentino's, what struggles he encountered, and how you can avoid these mistakes your self!
Dallas Imbimbo, CEO and Co-Founder BigRentz.com - Dallas was able to get funding for his
Gerry Kelly, Founder of Sonas Denim - So how do you take an idea that has seemingly been perfected and make it better? Gerry fills our listeners on how he did this with jeans!
Christine Hassler, Author of Expectation Hangover - Christine teaches our listeners how she started her business, and how she was able to get it funded as well!
MUSIC MENTOR: Scott Page - Scott mentors our up and coming rockstar musician. He helps us better understand that a band needs to be BRAND first!
MUSIC PROTEGE: Rhythm Turner
Bill Schultz, CEO of www.alignmed.com- Bill teaches our listeners how to start a company and keep it funded!
Mentoring Lizanne Falsetto - Lizane shares her knowledge with our protege Kathy Van Ness. This helps her and our listeners better understand where women stand in business, and how to grow a business.
Protege Kathy Van Ness
Johnny Strange, Adventurer - Even a professional adventurer needs to build his own brand and get sponsors to survive. Find out how you can do this too!
Mentor: Nanxi Liu, Founder of Enplug. Do not miss this wonderful mentoring segment.
Protege: Jennie Wong - Jennie gets a huge heap pf advice on how to keep your business funded!
Leesa Evans, Celebruty Stylist - Leesa teaches our listeners about starting a company and what obstacles to expect.
Darren Kavinoky, 1800-NOCUFFS, Celebrity Attorney - An absolute think tank of knowledge, Darren helps our listeners better understand how to grow their business!
Alex Wang, Co-founder of Carapace Wet-suits - Alex figured out a way to disrupt the wet-suit world! Find out how Alex took a booming product and made it BETTER!
Gregory Markell - How do you get the most of Search engine optimization? Gregory is our Business Insider expert on all things SEO!
Keith Boesky, Boesky & Company - Keith shares his story of starting his business. He went through all sorts of trials and tribulations, but eventually got on track. Find out how you can do the same with your business!
Patrick Rettig - Patrick is our CMO or Chief MacGyver Officer! If your business is in trouble and needs to be fixed Patrick is your man!
Matt Rockman - CEO of SquarePeg Capital. Matt discusses the incredible opportunities entrepreneurs have now in the information age.
MUSIC MENTOR: J.R Richards from Dishwalla - J.R. explains that a band needs to be treated as a BRAND! Find out how your band can do this too!
MUSIC PROTEGE: Allie Nixon - With an amazing voice Allie is close to becoming big! But she needs to clean up a few critical things before that happens. Fins out what J.R. had to say to Allie!
Courtney Claghorn & Sam Offit, Co-Founders of Bronzed Tanning. What happens when your business hits a road block you can't get past? Courtney and Sam teach our listeners just how to do this!
Lizanne Falsetto & Debra Fine, Rockstar Women. Debra is a 6 time CEO and true Rockstar! She was one of the only survivors from the Santa Monica College shootings in 2013. She was shot 4 times trying to stop this maniac. Make sure to check this out, incredible story of survival!
Jane Seymour (James Bond Live & Let Die) and Michael Amini - Jane and Michael help our listeners learn how to start and fund a business! Do not miss this interview!
Mentor: Rahul Sonnad - CEO of Slipp - Rahul mentors our protege. What's the best way to get your company recognized by the masses? Find out now!
Protege: Hope Horner receives amazing mentoring advice to better her business!
D'Wayne Edwards - CEO / Founder of PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy. D'Wyane realized early in his life that he wanted to be a shoe designer, but unfortunately there was no schooling for this. D'Wayne saw a problem and fixed it by starting his own school. Learn how to start your own business just like D'Wayne did!
Taryn Rose, M.D. Co-Founder CEO of DRESR, Inc. Keeping your business running like a well oiled machine can be very difficult!
Learn how to keep your company afloat!
Rod Pyle - Educator, Producer, Author, "Destination Mars" & "Curiosity, a look inside the Mars Rover Mission" - An absolutely riveting interview with one of the brightest minds on the planet! Not only will you learn about growing your business, Rod also gives our listeners a first hand look into the possibilities surrounding the planet Mars!
WIlliam Quigley, Clearstone Ventures - William knows what a company needs to get started, it's funding. William teaches our listeners the best way to invest or get investors!
Nicole Rodruiges, Founder and CEO of NRPR Group. Michelle teaches our listeners how to keep their company funded during trying times!
MUSIC MENTOR: Freddie Ravel mentors our Protege. It's important that you turn your band into a BRAND!
MUSIC PROTEGE: JJ Bassett receives cirtical advice on how to better improve you band and turn it into a business!
Lizanne Falsetto (Founder of ThinkThin Bars) & Julie Schoenfeld (5 time CEO!) Lizanne interviews Julie Schoenfeld and helps our listeners better understand how Women are shaping the entrepreneurial world!
Scott Flanders, CEO of Playboy - What a treat we have today! Scott Flanders teaches our listeners just how to take a business that's humming and make it better!
Tom McAlevey, CEO Venice Beach based streaming music service, Radical.FM - Your business is up and running. How do you get it recognized so it can grow? Tom helps our listeners better understand how to do this!
Mentor: Fred Joyal from 1-800-DENTIST joins us! He is our in studio mentor. Joyal helps our protege shape and grow his business!
Protege: Alec Gellis, Protege. Alec gets all the advice he can handle from Mr. Fred Joyal himself! If you have ANY questions about your business don't miss this show!
Mark Stagen , CEO & Founder of YBA. Mark is the CEO & Founder of Youth Business Alliance which focuses on bringing business skills in the classroom. They are connecting the youth with real business professionals.
Andy Abrahmson, CEO, Comminicano. Andy is our weekly Business Insider. Andy will keep you up to date with all new technology and services!
Jeremy Smith, CEO of Spot Hero. What's the best way to get your company up and running? Where do you start? Jeremy fills our listeners in on some great tips and tricks!
Jenny Vance, President of LeadJen. Jenny has a figured a way out to be disruptive in an industry. This can be scary, but the pay out can be HUGE! Find out how she did it!
Frank Muscarello, Co-founder and CEO of MarkITx. Frank helps our listeners better understand how to start a company with minimal funding.
MUSIC MENTOR: Christain Cullen. Christian mentors our rising star. How do you turn your band into a Brand?!
MUSIC PROTEGE: Eric Howell, Rising Star Musician
Adam Friedman , CEO of Meet Advisors. Your business is up and running, how do get it to grow??? Adam Friedman has these answers and a lot more, Listen now!
Tom Patterson, Global GM CSC - Tom is our weekly business insider on Wednesday. We like to refer to him as the CTO, or Chief Trust Officer. Tom gives our listeners the 101 on all things security in the digital world!
Adam Hecktman , Director of Technology & Civic Engagement of Microsoft. What does the future hold for Microsoft and YOU?! Find out now!
Johnathan Wendel aka Fatal1ty was the first professional video gamer. Hear his incredible story, and how he turned this into a multi-million dollar business!
David Kalt, Founder of Reverb.com - How much do you know about the Shared Economy??? Listen now to get the 101!
Nolan Bushnell, Founder of Atari & Chuckee Cheese - Nolan teaches our listeners the importance of Continued Education and gives some great tools for this!
Gretchen Christine Rossi - Founder, shopgretchenchristine.com, TV personality.
Will Henshall, CEO, Focus@will. Will fills our listeners in on better ways to focus and get your work done in timely fashion!
Matt Spiegel, Founder and Vice-President of Product at MyCase. Learn how Matt kept his company funded through a struggling economy.
Kevin Hundert - Founder/CEO of Made Eye ware. Learn how Kevin took an idea and made it better!
Mentor: James Siminoff - Founder of Door Bot mentors our rising star in the entrepreneurial space! DO NOT MISS THIS!
CEO/Co-Founder, STEM Center USA
Dez White, Founder of Invisible Text, Invisible Social, Invisible Call and Invisible Email. Wouldn't it be nice to have your messages, texts, etc invisible from snoopy eyes! Dex teaches our listeners how to start a business just like this!
Nick Kovacevich, Co-Founder & CEO of Kush Bottles
Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey, Barefoot Wine Founders & New York Times Best Selling Authors, The Barefoot Spirit. Learn the best ways to market your business!
Nanxi Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of Enplug. Have a great idea but don't know how to get it funded? Look no further! We have the tips and tricks you need!
Elvina Beck, Owner at PodShare, Founder at ScoutMy.com. Learn how communities are now sharing their space for people visiting out of town! How can you do the same thing? Find out now!
MUSIC MENTOR: Scott Page, PINK FLOYD. Learn how to turn your Band into a BRAND!
MUSIC PROTEGE: Lara Johnston, Rising Star
Lance Stacy, Founder of BarFly Social Club. How disruptive are you being? Lance teaches our listeners the importance trying new ideas!
Jay Samit , Serial Entrepreneur, weekly Business Insider.
Jay talks about the shared economy and how you can utilize this important new tool.
CEO of Youbar Anthony Flynn helps our listeners better understand the business behind nutrition!
Rahul Sonnad, Founder of Slipp. Learn how take your business and turn it into a growing powerhouse!
Diane Licht, Founder of Cambiami Sandals. Learn how to keep your company funded!
Syd Leibovitch, President and Owner of Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Rodeo Realty, Inc. Most people think the realty industry is not smart to get into in this economy. Syd explains why that's about as far from the truth as you can get!
David Baird, Founder & CEO of Gigmor. When you need a gig for your band Gigmor is what you are looking for! So how did David do it?
Gregory Markell, Founder, Infuse Creative. Learn the tips and tricks you need to know for great Search Engine Optimization!
Eden Heinsheimer, Founder of Max Daniel Designs, Inc.
Scott Page, Mentor, Musician, PINK FLOYD. Learn how to build your band into a brand!
PROTEGE: Kailynn West, Musician
On This Episode -
Anthony Puntoriero - CEO / Founder of Instant Sponsor. You need your seats filled? Instant sponsor has you covered!
Gerard N. Casale, Founder of Tilt. Collect money from your group and make something happen!
On this episode : Lilly Ghalichi by Avitan, Television Personality, Designer, Entrepreneur and James Siminoff, Your First Step International, Inc. Chief Inventor DoorBot
On This Episode : Mark Stagen (CEO & Founder of YBA) & Steve Glenn (Founder and CEO of LivingHomes, LLC)
On This Episode : Alex Bratton (Author of “Billion Dollar Apps: How to Find and Implement a Winning Mobile Strategy”) & Nolan Bushnell (Founder of Atari and Chuckie Cheese)
On this episode : Chuck Tempelton (Chairman, Impact Engine), John Flavin (Executive Director Chicago Innovation Exchange at the University of Chicago)
Featuring, CHUCK TEMPLETON - a rockstar entrepreneur who provides environmental and societal entrepreneurs with the capital, business resources and network they need to build successful companies & JOHN FLAVIN - a rockstar insider who with over 20 years of experience in the life sciences field focused on finance and operations & CHRISTIAN MATTHEW CULLEN - a rockstar mentor who composes music and creates sound design for video games, animation and advertising for clients such as Disney, Smirnoff, The Kentucky Derby, Jeep, and more.
A serial entrepreneur from the age of 16, Ilya Beyrak took his last startup from $0-$15MM in 1.5 years. With more than 12 years experience in software and business development, he has consulted Best Buy, Macy’s Toy’s R US on improving systems and ecommerce systems. Ilya is a leading expert in Big Data and Cassandra.
Salen M. Churi is Lecturer in Law and Assistant Director of the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School, where Mr. Churi teaches Entrepreneurship and the Law and supervises law students in the representation of lower- to middle-income entrepreneurs. He previously practiced corporate and transactional law at Sidley Austin and Kirkland & Ellis, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, securities, and technology transactions.
Adam Oberman – Adam has been with Retriever of Chicago for 14 years. He started as the manager of the risk/chargeback/collection department for NPC Corporate which is the parent company of Retriever of Chicago. He managed over 20 employees in his 4 years with corporate. Adam then joined forces with Nick Oberman and Ryan Hallett and formed Retriever of Chicago which is one of NPC’s largest Independent Sales Organizations today. That sales force has a sales team of over 60 agents nationwide, and four offices spread across the United States – Mokena IL, Chicago IL, Del Ray Beach Florida, and Los Angeles California. Adams primary focus is on the large mid-merchant segment that process in a retail environment. With Adams knowledge and experience in the Risk/Chargeback department he is able to assist clients in reducing their disputes with customers and managing their current Fraud tools within their gateway. Adam resides with his wife and three kids in Orland Park IL. He devotes his free time to his family and his dedication to serve at his church as a youth leader. Adam is also involved with Restoration Ministries charitable organization in Harvey, Illinois which helps recovering addicts turn their lives around. Awards and Highlights: 2005- “Jumbo Merchant” Award 2007- Helped triple the company’s revenue within his team. 2009- “Jumbo Merchant” Award 2011- “Fastest Growing Group” Award within his team 2012- “Risk Management Club” Award within his team 2013- “Highest Revenue Growth” Award within his team.
Nicholas Oberman is the CEO of Retriever of Chicago Inc. He is currently a member of NPC’s Advisory Board of Directors, and has over 13 years of industry experience all with NPC. Nicholas has built his team to over 60 Bank Card Representatives nationwide. Under Nicholas leadership, Retriever of Chicago is now the 5th largest partnership NPC holds, and services over 3000 merchant relationships. He has also been an integral part in attaining Major Merchants, and a number of banking relationships over the last 13 years. Nicholas currently resides in the South Suburbs of Chicago with his Wife and three sons. He also sits on Restoration Ministries Board of Directors. Restoration Ministries charitable organization in Harvey, Illinois which helps recovering addicts turn their lives around. Awards and Highlights: 2005-Current – President / CEO at Retriever of Chicago Inc. 2006 – Jumbo Merchant Award 2009 – Rising Star (for an ISO) Award 2010 – Assisted in the development of the ETA’s CPP Exam 2011 - Elected to NPC’s Advisory Board 2011 – Fastest growing sales group award 2012 – Risk Management Club 2013 – Top ISO Partner for highest revenue growth 2013- Completed and passed ETA’s CPP (certified payment professional) exam. The objectives of the ETA CPP program are to: • Establish a uniform, defined standard of practice and knowledge for ISOs, sales personnel and other payments industry professionals • Quantify the expertise and potential performance of payments industry professionals • Enhance the productivity and reputation of payments companies and the credibility of the industry • Thwart inappropriate practices that may sully the reputation of the industry • Provide an important service to the payments industry PURPOSE OF THE ETA CPP The ETA CPP program sets the standard for professional performance in the payments industry and is a symbol of excellence. It signifies that an individual has demonstrated the knowledge and skills required to perform competently in today’s complex electronic payments environment. As a result of increasing governmental scrutiny and regulation, growing security and compliance requirements, and a host of emerging issues and trends, today’s payments professionals need to have a broad knowledge of the industry, the challenges and forces shaping its future. They must demonstrate mastery not only of sales, but of pricing and interchange; business process, operations and workflow; products and solutions; risk; and regulatory, compliance and security matters as well. With the ETA CPP designation, ETA codifies the significant increase in knowledge required of payments professionals on the job.
Ryan is the Vice President of Retrieve of Chicago Sales Division, and has over 10 years industry experience all with the same startup. Ryan oversees a sales staff of 60 agents nationwide. Primary focus is on recruiting new sales agents, and developing new strategic alliances with value added resellers. Through Ryan’s vision and dedication Retriever of Chicago has become one of the largest ISO’s at National Processing Company. Responsibilities include: • Marketing for agents • Manage Value Added Reseller relationships • Sales strategies and goals • Merchant retention • New Product Releases Ryan resides with his wife and two daughters in St. John Indiana. He devotes his free time to Restoration Ministries charitable organization in Harvey, Illinois which helps recovering addicts turn their lives around. 2013- Completed and passed ETA’s CPP (certified payment professional) exam. The objectives of the ETA CPP program are to: • Establish a uniform, defined standard of practice and knowledge for ISOs, sales personnel and other payments industry professionals • Quantify the expertise and potential performance of payments industry professionals • Enhance the productivity and reputation of payments companies and the credibility of the industry • Thwart inappropriate practices that may sully the reputation of the industry • Provide an important service to the payments industry 2005- Graduated Illinois State University focus in Entrepreneurship
Alli Webb founded Drybar in 2010 after spending 15 years as a professional stylist. She attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and began her career in fashion in New York City in the early ‘90s working for designer Nicole Miller. In 1996, Alli left fashion retailing to pursue her true passion – hairstyling. After training at the Toni & Guy Academy, Alli sharpened her skills as an assistant to celebrity stylist John Sahag, famous for his signature dry-cut technique. Having struggled with her own extremely curly hair, Alli was always in search of a great blowout but was often disappointed with the two available options – an overpriced blowout at a traditional salon or a less-than-desirable experience at a discount chain. After leaving the professional hair workforce in 2005 to start a family, she decided to find a way to continue pursuing the creative side of hairstyling at a new-mom pace. Alli began offering weekly in-home blowout services for friends, but her little side business quickly grew into more than a part-time gig. The business exploded strictly by referrals from loyal clients, which led Webb to the decision to expand her mobile operation to a physical location. The first Drybar opened in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles in 2010 and was an overnight sensation. Drybar has since expanded to 37 locations throughout Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Houston, San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington, DC. Alli remains active in the business as the chief creative officer at Drybar, overseeing the hiring and training of more than 2,200 stylists across the country and leading the development of Drybar’s line of styling products and tools. However, that all comes second to the raising of her two little boys, Grant (9) and Kit (6) in Tustin, California, where she lives with her husband Cameron and beloved long-haired Chihuahua, Cooper.
Michael Landau is the co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Drybar. An entrepreneur at heart with a talent for branding, he has more than 20 years’ experience in building, growing and investing in new companies and innovative brands. Prior to co-founding Drybar, Michael was the executive vice president and co-founder of Ground Break Marketing, a full-service sales and marketing firm that has helped companies such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Las Vegas Sands Corp. and The Plaza Hotel develop, market and sell mixed-use real estate projects around the world. Before that he was vice president of Brand Marketing at Yahoo!, where he spent almost 10 years in various marketing and management roles. When his sister Alli came to him with the idea for a blow dry-only shop in 2009 he quickly recognized the magical formula they could create and agreed to develop and grow her blow dry bar empire from the ground up. Despite his complete lack of hair, Michael’s instincts led him to believe that Drybar filled a niche in the beauty industry and was a concept that many women would respond to and love. The first Drybar location opened in Los Angeles in February 2010 and since then has expanded to an additional 37 locations in California, Arizona, Texas, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, DC and Georgia. Michael resides in Corona del Mar, California, with his wife Sarah.
Infuse Creative, founded by Gregory Markel, referred to as ‘one of the pioneers of SEO,’ has provided search engine optimization, social media, mobile, TV advertising, reputation management, security, and digital marketing services and technology to an extremely diverse range of clients comprised of politicians, celebrities, well known executives, governments, corporations and others for the last 15 years including notable names such as; Sony, Universal, Roadside Attractions, Mazda, Disney, Gibson Musical Instruments, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., Participant Media, Pacificare, The BBC, Ed Hardy, Led Zeppelin, Lord of the Rings, CBS, FOX, The National Geographic Channel, Transcendental Meditation, The State of California, Reality Executives International, and many more.
Former model turned entrepreneur, Ernest Sturm found a clever way to offer the best of the modeling industry for companies looking to add a fashion spark to their events. As a former model, he understood the instability of the industry, and founded Runway Waiters
As a seasoned and signed model that has been featured in television and the pages of Vogue, Sturm found the inspiration to bring out the business side of modeling.
With an understanding of the struggles behind finding modeling work, he wanted to create a workplace for models during their down-time. Whether in simple, sleek black uniforms or garnished by the works of designer clients the carefully hand-picked staff can range from bartenders to hosts to brand ambassadors. In addition to the practical purpose of the staff, Sturm has created a business that allows models to network and expose their talents to people otherwise unreachable.
His professionalism and savvy business skills have led him to work with clients such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Cavali, Dior, Diane Von Furstenburg, Elton John, Dalai Lama and many others. His company is the only company in LA, NY and Miami, working with models signed exclusively by some of biggest agencies in the world.
A highly acclaimed security expert, published author, and keynote speaker who provides compelling insight into cyber security issues of the day, Tom Patterson provides clarity while delivering a high energy view into security that is of critical importance today. Patterson shares his insights and incredible knowledge on an area a lot of us either don't know about, or is just to confusing to understand. If you have any questions regarding internet security do not miss this compelling interview! Currently CSC's Global GM for Cybersecurity Consulting, Tom has run security services for Deloitte in EMEA, was IBM's Chief eCommerce Strategist and a venture-backed founder/CEO. Tom has worked on security for the launch of a nuclear aircraft carrier and space shuttle as well as for the U.S. Government and plus businesses around the world. The author of Mapping Security, Tom is a frequent guest security expert on TV including CNBC and CNN.
Abbie Schiller, the company’s founder and CEO, is known as an industry powerhouse, having spent nearly a decade in the business of communicating to and for women. Her background as head of ABC Daytime PR, and as global head of Public Relations for the renowned Kiehl's brand, have primed Abbie for her role as a leader within the parenting niche. Building, growing and expanding brands for women is Abbie's forte, while Helping Parents Raise Good People is her passion. She and her husband have two children, age 2 and 9, who are the inspiration behind the creation of The Mother Company.
Gavin has been working in media space for over 20 years. His past experience includes positions at major television networks as well as owning and operating a television production company and a boutique advertising agency. His company created some of the first cross media TV content and worked with major networks including NBC, Discovery, CTV, and Global Television. The full service ad agency serviced two national clients and explored integrating brands into television and online properties. In 2004 he moved from his native Canada to the UK to better understand the rapidly emerging mobile phone space. Through his position at Endemol he worked closely with the UK’s largest mobile operator O2 and helped develop leading edge content for multiple platform release. In 2007 he moved into the web video arena based out of the Joost’s New York office. He has spent time in Japan, Africa, Europe and China exploring and understanding the global digital media content market place. He is invited to speak at media industry conferences on a regular basis including: MIPCOM, International Institute of Communications, Harvard Business Club of New York, Ryerson University,NAPTE, Xmedia Lab, etc.
Brothers Adam and Scott Goldberg were just a week away from opening the first Fresh Brothers in Manhattan Beach when they had to make a critical decision: Should they cut the pizza in squares or triangles? Raised in Chicago, their instincts said squares and that’s what they chose.
It might seem trivial, but in launching a new brand of pizza, image is everything. And the brothers knew that.
“It was a great decision,” CEO Adam Goldberg explained on a recent afternoon at the Fresh Brothers Santa Monica. “Parents love it because you get 20 slices versus eight. You can feed more kids and you’re not giving them a whole big slice of pizza.”
Since opening that first store less than five years ago, Fresh Brothers has quickly expanded. They’ve launched 10 locations now with up to five more planned for next year. Earlier this year they secured a partner investment from Skechers co-founder Michael Greenberg, signaling even more exciting things to come. If they haven’t had the pizza yet, consumers might be familiar with Fresh Brothers for its broad-ranging marketing campaigns (including in this magazine) featuring a pizza on a white background with different shapes cut out of it.
Mr. Bernahl is co-founding partner of Coastal Luxury Management, a company that focuses on acquiring and managing unique opportunities in the hospitality sector. The company's first major project was Pebble Beach Food & Wine, a 4-day,annual event hosted at the Pebble Beach Resorts that attracts nearly 5,000 people. Pebble Beach Food & Wine celebrates 60 celebrity chefs, 250 international wineries and provides cooking demos, wine tasting, a rare wine auction, and numerous multi-course lunches and dinners throughout the weekend. Coastal Luxury Management also operates the American Institute of Wine & Food, a 4,000 member national culinary organization with chapters in most cities.
Jennifer Maanavi has been involved in dance from early childhood, having performed many different genres throughout college. As skilled at the barre as she is in business, Jennifer left Morgan Stanley in 2005 to combine her passion for dance with her aptitude for running a world-class business. Armed with a strong Wall Street finance background and an MBA with high honors from Columbia Business School, she launched Physique 57 in 2006.
Jennifer’s fitness odyssey began when she opted out of back surgery related to dance injuries and set out to find a safe, fun and effective back- and core-strengthening exercise method. After sampling seemingly every mainstream and new age class available in New York City, she stumbled across the Lotte Berk Method, cured her back, and reshaped her body.
Saddened and desperate after Lotte Berk’s sudden closure, Jennifer wrote a business plan and recruited Tanya Becker, a star Lotte Berk Instructor, to quickly develop an updated challenging and comprehensive exercise program.
The result: Physique 57, an internationally renowned fitness company that promotes physical health and personal empowerment through a challenging, dance-inspired exercise regimen with a signature blend of fun and fine tuned choreography at its core. More than just an exercise destination, Jennifer and Tanya created and now cultivate a community of encouragement and achievement that changes people’s bodies and lives. She is endlessly inspired and motivated by Physique 57’s clients, instructors, corporate team, and of course, classes.
Infuse Creative, founded by Gregory Markel, referred to as ‘one of the pioneers of SEO,’ has provided search engine optimization, social media, mobile, TV advertising, reputation management, security, and digital marketing services and technology to an extremely diverse range of clients comprised of politicians, celebrities, well known executives, governments, corporations and others for the last 15 years including notable names such as; Sony, Universal, Roadside Attractions, Mazda, Disney, Gibson Musical Instruments, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., Participant Media, Pacificare, The BBC, Ed Hardy, Led Zeppelin, Lord of the Rings, CBS, FOX, The National Geographic Channel, Transcendental Meditation, The State of California, Reality Executives International, and many more.
Keith Boesky has been defining the intersection of the content and technology communities for over twenty years. He's worked as an attorney, president and agent, in project management, business development, strategy, corporate development, marketing, investor relations, digital content and distribution, new media, social media, monetization, customer acquisition and licensing.
He got into the game industry as an attorney at Cooley, in 1993 when it was still called Cooley, Godward, Castro, Huddelson and Tatum, by cold calling a game developer. By 1996 this turned into the largest game practice in the country and retention by Eidos plc for its IPO. In the prospectus, Boesky theorized games could be used to platform intellectual property. The CEO agreed and Boesky became president of Eidos, tasked with moving the newly launched Tomb Raider video game across all media.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Scott Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia. His industry acknowledgments include being named one of “The Top 100 Multimedia Producers” by Multimedia Magazine, the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” by Buzz Magazine, and one of “50 New Media Innovators” profiled in Pioneer Electronics’ Multimedia Frontier.
Josh Tickell is a thought leader in the green industrial space whose career spans a mix of journalism, innovation and design. In 1997, after traveling across the United States in a van powered by biodiesel that he processed in a self-made refinery, he penned the world’s best selling book on biofuel, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, which has been sold in over 30 countries and has been credited with the creation of hundreds of successful large scale biorefineries. His first feature movie, FUEL won the Sundance Audience Award for Best Documentary, was released theatrically in the United States and became a global sensation gaining over 1 million viewers on Netflix, iTunes, Hulu and CNBC.
Tickell has been a featured guest on Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show and Good Morning America. He is a regularly featured opinion leader in news stories on CNN, Discovery, Reuters, NBC, Fox and NPR. Articles on Tickell, his films, and green energy work have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Hustler Magazine, Maxim Magazine, Popular Mechanics and thousands of international newspapers and magazines.
Bryce Maddock is the co-founder and CEO of TaskUs where he is responsible for managing day-to-day operations and driving the vision and strategy of the company. Bryce has scaled TaskUs from five employees to more than 900 before his 29th committed to changing the way organizations and individuals work, Bryce offers a refreshing and thought provoking perspective on how to create and grow a successful business in the 21st birthday and with no external funding. An efficiency fanatic Century.
Patrick Rettig is the story, an exposé of a man who is absolutely the last stop for a business owner in financial turmoil. This particular time in the life of an entrepreneur is the quintessential heartbreak of dreams and hope. One would think that financial decisions had been made that were incorrect, that alliances had been broken or that the economy had shifted. Moreover the uncomfortable thinking is that the corporation and its founder were simply a bad deal. The word bankruptcy and reorganization are ghostly specters in the night for those people who must embrace failure. There have been successes in the past but now they seem to be only a memory. Money is a threat because it is only represented in bills that are impossible to pay. At this point catastrophic end is real. The thought of losing one’s livelihood and quality of life is accurate and eminent. There is a man, however, who is not afraid of insolvency or the demons that walk in that mindset. Rettig is the name that will absolutely turnaround a hopeless situation. But it is not easy. The family has to understand that everybody has a job not just the owner of the company…wife, husband, children, employees. All of them have a job, a responsibility to bring back to life a corporation on life support. Rettig, or Patrick as he is referred to by his clients, is a single soldier pushing back chaos. He adheres to the letter of the law and is excruciatingly honest. His manner and technique is unorthodox, unruly and irreverent. He rebuilds the man at the top, inspiring him to pick up his sword and shield one more time and fight for his life, the most honorable match with destiny.
A highly acclaimed security expert, published author, and keynote speaker who provides compelling insight into cyber security issues of the day, Tom Patterson provides clarity while delivering a high energy view into security that is of critical importance today. Patterson shares his insights and incredible knowledge on an area a lot of us either don't know about, or is just to confusing to understand. If you have any questions regarding internet security do not miss this compelling interview! Currently CSC's Global GM for Cybersecurity Consulting, Tom has run security services for Deloitte in EMEA, was IBM's Chief eCommerce Strategist and a venture-backed founder/CEO. Tom has worked on security for the launch of a nuclear aircraft carrier and space shuttle as well as for the U.S. Government and plus businesses around the world. The author of Mapping Security, Tom is a frequent guest security expert on TV including CNBC and CNN.
We are the aviation Specialists for the Motion Picture and Television Industry! Choosing a qualified Motion Picture Pilot is never an accident. It is always the result of high intentional sincere effort, intelligent and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. We are able to provide all phases of a stunt situation, both air and ground, by bringing to a production a professional organization. We are able to save a production time and money because we can supply aircraft, pilots, stunt persons and special effects.
Quest Nutrition is headed by Tom Bilyeu, who oversees close to 300 full-time staff, chiefly in Southern California, leading sales, marketing, content creation and other areas while guiding the company’s culture of passion and transformation.
Before launching the venture in 2011, Bilyeu spent seven-and-a-half years as chief marketing officer of Awareness Technologies, a software security company, but eventually realized that “the technology business didn't provide enough of a real connection with people.” Having grown up in Tacoma, Washington in a family with rampant morbid obesity, he felt a personal need to segue into the health and fitness industry and help his loved ones as well as others seeking change.
With a mission to be the leader in functional foods that don’t compromise on nutrition or taste, Quest Nutrition was founded in 2011 by Mike Osborn, Ron Penna and Tom Bilyeu, a visionary entrepreneur who was motivated to launch the venture by a family beset with obesity and a strong desire to help.
KJ is O2 MAX’s founder. She is the first recipient of the “Emerging Female Business Leader” award by International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), the fitness industry’s leading organization. She received her MBA from USC Marshall School of Business, with an emphasis in entrepreneurship. An avid fitness and nutrition enthusiast, Karen discovered the gym in high school when she couldn't complete the mile in the required time. She is passionate about sharing the impact it had on her academics, confidence, and ability to recover after a near fatal bicycle accident in 2005. She has since completed several century rides, two marathons, and a triathlon.
Pandora Vanderpump-Sabo has a rare combination of confidence and grace that belies her 27 years. Daughter to British restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Pandora has lived in posh locales across the globe, and has the worldly palate, eclectic baubles, and mingled accent to prove it—some words roll with quintessentially English rounded vowels, others are strung together in bursts of California girl excitement. And the girl has reason to be giddy: Pandora recently launched The Divine Addiction, a luxury lifestyle blog with a focus on food, fashion, and entertaining, and is in the process of rolling out LVP Sangria with her husband, longtime love Jason Sabo. The line, the name of which pays homage to her mother’s recipe, includes red and pink varietals and will be available January 2014. The launch markets? Sunny SoFla and SoCal, naturally. Here, Pandora explains why Miami is getting the first taste of her addictive new spirit.
Lisa Jane Vanderpump is a British restaurateur, philanthropist, author, actress, and television personality. She is known for her appearances on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules, and ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Vanderpump and husband, Ken Todd, have owned 26 restaurants, bars and clubs in London and Los Angeles, including The Shadow Lounge, Bar Soho, SUR, and Villa Blanca. Restaurateur and Celebrity.
Roberto Milk is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Novica.com, a mission-driven company that works with artisans around the world in association with National Geographic. Over the past 10 years, Novica has become one of the largest handmade gift, jewellery and home décor websites in the world, selling the works of thousands of artisans through regional offices in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Prior to Novica, Milk worked as an investment banker for Prudential Securities, where he helped raise over US$ 1 billion in capital markets transactions, M&A transactions and venture capital financing. Milk is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Milk has long written about creating an economic development model for artisans in Peru and other developing nations around the world. His Peruvian grandmother was one of Novica's first artisans. Milk received his BA in International Relations with Honours from Stanford University and is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Milk enjoys photography and is an active soccer player.
As CEO and co-founder of Buzztone, Inc., Liz Heller works to facilitate community building on behalf of brands in the cause, entertainment, media, and product industries. As chief visionary in charge of creative content, strategy, operations and funding her role on projects includes everything from shaping go-to-market brand and marketing strategy down to managing the details of technical execution. The most recent example of her influence in this arena includes her work on initiatives like the launch of the Stop Global Warming’s Virtual March. “Consumers today are sophisticated. They care about what they buy and they can fall in love with a product or a cause because of the story behind the brand. Our job is to bring that story to the surface in a way that resonates and builds engagement,” Heller says.
Buzztone’s success in telling brand stories has also resonated with clients like Microsoft, AOL, Sony Pictures and Bacardi.
I have always loved fashion. I saw my first fashion show in Paris when I was 11 and when I was in high school, I wrote everything I wore on a calendar so I wouldn't repeat an outfit! Not much has changed! I found yoga in 2009 when I landed in LA & managed a popular yoga studio in Santa Monica. While I enjoyed practicing yoga, I was drawn to the boutique at the studio and prided myself on taking really good care of it. One day, a student left his script at the studio by accident, and it clicked to me that the entertainment industry lent itself to a casual lifestyle. I realized that Angelenos are working from home writing, learning lines, auditioning, rehearsing music & working out.
After I joined this eco-conscious & creative community of yogis, I realized that they were under served in casual lifestyle apparel that can be worn on and off the mat.
It was then that an idea was born to design a line of clothing that was fashion forward, eco-friendly, and versatile for a casual lifestyle. So I designed Soul Rx, a line of ecologically responsible & versatile clothing line made of biodegradable resources and made right here in Los Angeles.Soul Rx launched in March at The Oscar's Gifting Suites.
Freddie Ravel is the internationally acclaimed Harmonics Maestro that blends his infectious passions for music and business to unlock the minds, hearts and hips of audiences around the world.
Backed by number one hits and collaborative successes with Earth, Wind and Fire, Madonna, Prince, Indie Arie, Sergio Mendes, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, the Boston Pops and rock legend, Carlos Santana, the chart-topping Keyboardist is the Founder of “Business Harmonics”, the award-winning peak performance system to enhance leadership, innovation and collaboration within major corporations.
As an expert on music and business integration, Freddie’s media appearances include FOX, ABC, Universal, Clear Channel, Deepak Chopra’s XM Sirius radio show, and clients such as Andre Agassi, USC, NASA, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Citi.
Ophir Tanz, Founder and CEO of GumGum (http://gumgum.com/), is an entrepreneur and technologist whose business acumen and keen sense of design have already led to multiple successful ventures. As the CEO and founder of GumGum, he has revolutionized the advertising industry with the creation of the first and largest in-image advertising platform.
Ophir was recently named one of Adweek’s “Young Influentials” and has been featured on the cover of Entrepreneur magazine. He has also been recognized for the success of GumGum’s in-image monetization solution with the Siemer Summit’s Innovation in Advertising Award. Outside of GumGum, Ophir is an active member of the Los Angeles startup and advertising community, serving as a mentor and advisor to other startups around Silicon Beach.
Erik Oberholtzer co-founded Tender Greens in 2006 in Culver City, California, a chef driven, organic, fast-casual restaurant concept with 12 locations and counting. A professionally trained chef, Erik manages a growing team of talent along with some exciting new brands. He is the founder of the Tender Greens Sustainable Life Project, a program aimed at assisting at risk youth develop new skills and career intentions through structured culinary training and farm exposure. He is also co-founder of P. Balistreri Salumi Company, the first of their unique chef legacy companies he has helped incubate and bring to market through Tender Greens. Erik did his undergraduate degree in Psychology at Temple University in Pennsylvania and Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island.
A highly acclaimed security expert, published author, and keynote speaker who provides compelling insight into cyber security issues of the day, Tom Patterson provides clarity while delivering a high energy view into security that is of critical importance today. Patterson shares his insights and incredible knowledge on an area a lot of us either don't know about, or is just to confusing to understand. If you have any questions regarding internet security do not miss this compelling interview! Currently CSC's Global GM for Cybersecurity Consulting, Tom has run security services for Deloitte in EMEA, was IBM's Chief eCommerce Strategist and a venture-backed founder/CEO. Tom has worked on security for the launch of a nuclear aircraft carrier and space shuttle as well as for the U.S. Government and plus businesses around the world. The author of Mapping Security, Tom is a frequent guest security expert on TV including CNBC and CNN.
Simon Mainwaring is the founder of We First, the leading social branding firm that provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of the good they do to build their reputation, profits and social impact.
He is a member of the Sustainable Brands Advisory Board, the Advisory Board of the Center for Public Diplomacy at the USC Annenberg School, the Transformational Leadership Council and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London. He contributes to Fast Company, Forbes, Huffington Post, Mashable, and GOOD Magazine on branding and social technology.
Simon’s first book, We First: How brands and consumers use social media to build a better world (Palgrave Macmillan) is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon bestseller. It was named an Amazon Top Ten Business Book for 2011, 800CEORead Top Five Marketing Book for 2011, and strategy+business named it the Best Business Marketing Book of 2011. It has been translated into Russian, Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean.
Mr. Rahul Sonnad founded Geodelic Systems, Inc. in 2007 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Sonnad co-founded the Platform, Inc., in 2000 and served as its Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Sonnad served in the R&D side of Microsoft's Digital Media Division and managed the Digital Broadcast Manager product, a turnkey media delivery solution. Mr. Sonnad served at WindowsMedia.com where he developed digital media service strategies. He served as a project manager in the Office group and managed the release of all Asian versions of Office 2000. Prior to Microsoft, he served as an engineering manager at Adobe Systems. Mr. Sonnad has a master's in computer science and technical Japanese from the University of Washington and attended Harvard Business School's MBA program.
Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
For 14 years Andy was Ken Rutkowski’s co-host on KenRadio’s World Technology Roundup and remains an active blogger with both VoIPWatch and Working Anywhere, two blogs that focus on emerging communications and the virtual workplace.
Russell P. Reeder is President and COO of (mt) Media Temple, a premium provider of cloud services that powers 1.7 million websites for 130,000 customers in 100 countries worldwide. He’s responsible for (mt) Media Temple's brand and overall vision, strategy, and execution. (mt) was recently acquired by GoDaddy and is now a GoDaddy company.
A 20-year veteran of the IT field, Reeder continues to be on the leading edge, from entrepreneurial ventures to Fortune 500 powerhouses like Oracle to his first programming job at Mobil Oil. He’s managed global high-growth businesses that have sold for billions of dollars and consistently drives performance and innovation at scale.
Kronfli Bros. strives to manufacture and distribute unique, high quality food products to both the retail and wholesale markets. We partner with creative chefs and restaurants from around the world to offer our customers a tasteful window into culinary excellence. Regard of sustainability, passion, and a high level of customer service defines the goal of Kronfli Bros.
A Silicon Valley entrepreneur, investor, speaker and computer security expert, Dave Asprey spent 15 years and $300,000 to hack his own biology. Along the way, he created an early cloud computing service at the first web hosting company and ran strategic planning for two public companies. He splits his time between helping others upgrade themselves with coaching and on The Bulletproof Executive, and serving as Trend Micro’s head cloud computing tech evangelist.
The Financial Times calls him a “bio-hacker who takes self-quantification to the extreme of self-experimentation” because Asprey upgraded his brain by 20 IQ points, lowered his biological age, and lost 100 lbs without using calories or exercise. He can be see in Men’s Health, Rolling Stone, Vogue, or Forbes.
A sought-after public speaker and executive coach with thousands of hours on stage globally, he has presented at Wharton, Kellogg, the Univ. of California, and Singularity University, as well as 100′s of private companies and conferences. Published in both the NY Times and Fortune, his core industries are cloud, virtualization, security, software, & networking (Trend Micro, Citrix, Blue Coat, Zeus, 3Com, Exodus) and consumer medtech/anti-aging (Corventis, Basis, Bulletproof Executive).
Mario Del Pero is the founder of Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market. Mendocino Farms restaurants are some of the highest grossing sales per foot restaurants in the city, while also being some of the most loved.
Mario started in the restaurant business when he was still a student at USC. He helped grow Baja Sharkeez from an idea to a dominant Beach Lifestyle concept with units in a number of Southern California beach communities.
After Sharkeez, Mario created one of the first Fast Casual Asian concepts, called Skew's Teriyaki. He grew Skew's to three units in Los Angeles, selling the company in 2001.
Mario created Mendocino Farms with his partner and wife Ellen Chen in 2003, opening their first unit in a failed Starbucks on Bunker Hill in Downtown Los Angeles in 2004. Most recently, Mendocino Farms received an investment from private equity firm Catterton Partners and is now preparing to grow to 30 units in the Southern California market by 2018.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia. His industry acknowledgments include being named one of “The Top 100 Multimedia Producers” by Multimedia Magazine, the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” by Buzz Magazine, and one of “50 New Media Innovators” profiled in Pioneer Electronics’ Multimedia Frontier.
Founder, Chairman, and CEO of DeskSite, Richard has been a lifelong entrepreneur, dropping out of high school to launch his first technology company. In his most notable business triumph, he envisioned, architected, and monetized the world’s first narrowband securities trading system, enabling direct execution on NASDAQ with just a PC and a 56k modem. Overnight, this revolutionized the way electronic stock exchanges operated, and brought “day trading” to the masses. His successes have led to numerous appearances on national television, from CNBC to the X-Show. Richard is a former US Marine (Infantry) and a nationally-ranked athlete.
In 2012, Ian, Zach and Dave moved into an apartment together in Los Feliz. In 2013, Zach began writing his own music and it became clear that he and the band were moving in different directions. Stonefeather booked a show with Kula and Zach decided not to play the gig. Dave asked Kula's bassist, Eric Fortier to play with the band for the gig. In a few days and one rehearsal, Eric had learned a show's worth of material and they played a successful gig together. After that night, the current incarnation of the band came into being - Ian McCulloch on guitar and vocals, Dave Rundell on drums and Eric Fortier on bass.
Stonefeather recorded and released 3 singles in 2013-2014 and recorded a new EP, which will be released in August of 2014. Stonefeather is currently planning a tour to support the new EP, tentatively titled "Motion of the Ocean."
Chris Lee is the President and CEO of CAL Entertainment. A full service Speakers Bureau and an industry leader in Event Entertainment. Chris has a relationship with hundreds of speakers and entertainers who he has been representing for a decade. Chris’ 20 years in sales make him a sought after thought leader in selling and marketing.
CAL Entertainment is a full service Speakers Bureau, a member of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus and an industry leader in Event Entertainment
By booking the biggest celebrity speakers, best-selling authors, business leaders, sports figures, and top keynote speakers in the business — from the best up-and-comers to the most proven staples— as well as the best bands, comedians, shows and performers, CAL Entertainment ensures that your audience will be transformed, moved…and entertained.
The foundation of CAL Entertainment is built from the relationships we’ve developed with our clients. We believe that through high ethical standards and quality communication, we can fulfill any client’s need and ensure every event’s success. And each new client relationship is a pillar that further strengthens our foundation.
Chris is the co-founder and CEO of ChowNow, a revolutionary online ordering platform that offers restaurant owners the tools to create their own personalized website, apps, and Facebook-integrated online ordering.
Chris’s business savvy and expertise on the intersection of food and technology helped him through two successful rounds of fundraising, which led to ChowNow’s public launch in 2012. Currently, over 1,000 restaurants across the U.S. and Canada use ChowNow, including esteemed chefs such as Thomas Keller and Mario Batali.
Prior to founding ChowNow in 2010, Chris spent ten years on Wall Street, where he held various trading positions at Bear Stearns, RBC, and Lehman Brothers. Webb is also a founding investor in local restaurant chain Tender Greens, among other early stage technology startups including ZestFinance and SHIFT.
Keith Chambers has assisted more than five hundred goods and service providers in formulating their marketing approach, including Clorox, Del Monte, Campbell’s, Coppertone, Arm &Hammer, Sparkletts, Hormel, Scotch-Brite, and Equal.
He has helped brands as varied as Claritin and the Miss America Pageant develop and convey their product message to the consumer.
The firm began as a successful package design studio for brands such as Coca Cola Foods, Van de Kamps, and Minute Maid.
In 1988, when Sega approached him for assistance with their package design image for a new high-powered home video game platform. When told the company had yet to name their product, Keith saw an opportunity. His group created the brand Sega Genesis; by its second year, Sega Genesis was exceeding $500 million in sales.
Considered unorthodox by many, The Chambers Group has brought originality to their marketing approach.
Pierre Vudrag has always had a love of vintage posters, rock pictures, and collecting. After graduating from the High School of Art & Design, he went on the road with his band, touring with a number of punk bands, and ended up working as an A&R scout. Pierre eventually got a job at Warner Bros music and co-founded a record label called Mutiny Records in New York with Richie Sambora. The record business went through a major change around this time and he realized it was time to get out. He moved to Los Angeles, attended law school, and began working as General Counsel at the Tennis Channel. By this point, he’d accumulated a lot of memorabilia and posters, and his wife encouraged him to turn his love of collecting into a business. In 2011, he founded Limited Runs.
In 2012, while watching the TODAY show, he saw a segment about Julien’s Auction House auctioning off a number of never-before-seen Marilyn Monroe photographs.
Sabrina Kay is committed to returning the American educational system to its former glory by introducing new learning models and connecting the workforce with classrooms. Her quest answers the seemingly logical question: Why wait until college students have already graduated to give them work-based training? Her goal is to use the Penn's learning model as a framework, conduct further research, perfect the model, and enhance students' social mobility and opportunity through education. The laboratory of her ambition is Fremont College. Dr. Sabrina Kay became Chancellor of Fremont College in 2007 and targeted nontraditional students, teaching them through collaboration and real-world cases to navigate the issues that impact everyday work life. According to Sabrina, "We're on this earth as stewards of life for a small period of time. The difference we can make is through becoming part of others' inspiration and helping make their dreams and aspirations into reality." She feels incredibly lucky that, through her work with Fremont College, she gets to do that every day.
Technology is moving faster than we can keep up. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone keeping you up to date and current with all things Tech in the business world? Matthew Zehner is the CEO at ZehnerGroup, a full service digital agency that offers strategy, creative, technology and marketing solutions to a wide range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Through Matthew’s experience in all areas of technology, he ensures the user experience ZehnerGroup creates on behalf of its clients is cutting edge. He plays an integral role in his clients’ success through his hands on collaboration and close integration with their teams. Prior to starting ZehnerGroup, Matthew worked at SapientNitro, a top interactive agency, where he introduced the latest digital platforms and technologies to an array of Fortune 500 clients.
Two-time Emmy® Award winner Seth Shapiro is a leading executive and adviser in digital media. His work includes cutting-edge projects in television, online, games and music with the Walt Disney Company, Comcast, DIRECTV, Intel, Time Warner, McCann, Showtime, Universal, Verizon, Goldman Sachs and a range of new ventures. He is a Governor of Interactive Media at the Academy of Television of Arts & Sciences, the organization that bestows the Emmy Awards.
Shapiro is President of Village Green Network, Principal of New Amsterdam Media and Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He was previously a Partner at Media Valuation Partners and co-founder of ARC, a VOD service in 15 million cable homes.
As Head of Production at DIRECTV Advanced Content & Services, Shapiro launched over 25 services on four platforms, including the NFL Sunday Ticket Digital Suite, Microsoft’s UltimateTV® and DIRECTV TiVo, the world’s first major DVR platform.
Shapiro sits on the Annenberg Innovation Lab Research Council, the Producer Guild’s New Media Council and the Advisory Boards of Aficionado Media, the Mobile Excellence Awards, PICNIC Festival Amsterdam and OVP Venture Partners. He is a frequent keynote speaker in the US, Europe, Latin America and Australia and is a long-time member of the Interactive Media Peer Group’s Executive Committee. Seth is Magna cum Laude graduate of New York University and was Adelbert Alumni Scholar at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Infuse Creative, founded by Gregory Markel, referred to as ‘one of the pioneers of SEO,’ has provided search engine optimization, social media, mobile, TV advertising, reputation management, security, and digital marketing services and technology to an extremely diverse range of clients comprised of politicians, celebrities, well known executives, governments, corporations and others for the last 15 years including notable names such as; Sony, Universal, Roadside Attractions, Mazda, Disney, Gibson Musical Instruments, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., Participant Media, Pacificare, The BBC, Ed Hardy, Led Zeppelin, Lord of the Rings, CBS, FOX, The National Geographic Channel, Transcendental Meditation, The State of California, Reality Executives International, and many more.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Scott Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia. His industry acknowledgments include being named one of “The Top 100 Multimedia Producers” by Multimedia Magazine, the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” by Buzz Magazine, and one of “50 New Media Innovators” profiled in Pioneer Electronics’ Multimedia Frontier.
Elfie Weiss remembers that her father used to work as a pastry chef when he was a young man in Paris. Her father became a pastry chef at a very young age so he could pay for his dancing lessons at the Paris Opera. French pastry chefs are all part of a time-honored brotherhood called the compagnonnage, wherein chefs share a life and love for preparing the essential bread and "sweets of life." Her father shared his love for sweets with her, and in 2005 Elfie decided to revive her family roots and open a bakery -- Hotcakes Bakes!
Hotcakes has been in business for 9 solid years. In 2009 elfie won the first Cupcake Wars competition on the Food Network. Hotcakes was also featured on the Tori and Dean Show and recently aired on the show Hollywood Exes on VH1. Hotcakes also appeared in many publications such as In Style Magazine, The LA Times and many others. Hotcakes has been preparing desserts for the Grammy Awards the past 4 years and Elfie was recently interviewed on CNN Latin live show “Sin limites”. Elfie is now expending her business and partnered with a French baking expert, Karim Bedda and the two of them are expending and venturing into the world of Bread as well opening other location of Hotcakes bakes and Bitchin’ bread. To be continued...
Jay Rockliffe - Having graduated from Sheridan College’s Honors Marketing Program in 1996, Jay joined Ogilvy & Mather as an account executive for IBM Canada’s corporate division. In this capacity, he managed advertising campaigns from conception to placement, including the IBM branded term “e-business”. Furthermore, he managed and sold the IBM Middleware Integrated campaign that quickly became a worldwide contract.
At Olgilvy & Mather he was fortunate to be on the new business team and therefore able to work with many major players, including Zellers Canada, Sears Whole Home, and the Royal Canadian Mint. In 1999 he joined Communique, where he used the experience gained on these accounts to become the project leader responsible for the strategic development of the Microsoft Windows 2000 launch. This extensive launch included print, outdoor, Internet and direct advertising initiatives, and allowed him to combine marketing expertise with technological skills. Continuing to focus more specifically on combining marketing and technology interests, he jumped at the opportunity to work for Communique’s sister company Devlin Applied Design following the success of the Windows 2000 launch, where he was VP of marketing and Business Development and helped build the first ever usability lab to help build and hone web sites.
Michael Franzini is an entrepreneur and branding expert with 20 years of experience in advertising and marketing. He is Founder and CEO of GUNPOWDER, a drink brand based on Guayusa, a super-herb from the Amazon Rainforest. For 10 years, Franzini was CEO of Public Interest, the nonprofit ad agency he founded, which became the main alternative to the Ad Council. There he worked with clients such as Google, Rock the Vote, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Wounded Warrior Project. Since then, Franzini has worked on advertising, marketing and branding for clients such as Johnson & Johnson, Walmart, T-Mobile and Panasonic. Franzini is also an Emmy-Award-winning director whose TV spots have twice been highlighted by the New York Times as being among the best advertising on television. Franzini has published several books, including One Hundred Young Americans, released by HarperCollins in 2007. The book tells the true story of youth culture in America through images and biographies of a cross section of 100 teens from all 50 states. As part of his five-year collaboration with Time Warner Cable on their Connect A Million Minds initiative, Franzini conceived and managed a Global Online Town Hall Meeting with Al Gore. His role on that project included briefing and giving live direction to the former Vice President throughout the event. In the course of his advertising career, Franzini has collaborated directly with individuals such as Magic Johnson, Oprah Winfrey, Bill & Melinda Gates, will.i.am and Elton John.
Stephan Spencer is author of Google Power Search, co-author of the brand new book Social eCommerce due out later this month, and co-author of The Art of SEO, soon to be in its third edition -- all published by O'Reilly. Stephan Founded Netconcepts, an SEO and interactive agency in the 1990's. The firm was acquired in 2010 by Covario. Stephan is the inventor of the pay-for-performance SEO technology GravityStream, now part of the Rio SEO suite of tools. He's a contributor to the Huffington Post, Search engine Land, Multi Channel Merchant, Practical Ecommerce, and Marketing Profs. He's spoken at countless hundreds of conferences on Internet marketing topics.
Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, Carly de Castro brings a strong personal passion for health, nutrition, and wellness to Pressed Juicery. As a kid growing up in L.A., a college student in the Midwest, and a busy executive in Manhattan, eating well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle were not always her highest priorities. Her own awakening continues to fuel the growth and evolution of Pressed Juicery.
De Castro studied sociology and philosophy at Kenyon College in Ohio, and after graduating in 2006, she followed many of her family members into the entertainment industry. De Castro moved to New York to work as a public relations executive, promoting the releases of feature films. With a calendar overbooked with meetings and the responsibility for organizing late-night media events, she found eating well nearly impossible. During her spare time, the busy PR professional began researching juicing, macrobiotics, and raw food, and her first bottle of
green juice put her on the path to gradual improvements in her health and wellbeing. De Castro never dreamed nutrition would ever be more than just a hobby, but when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2008, her passion for finding healthier alternatives to what Americans consume dramatically intensified.
Prior to ooVoo, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe, the largest social media technology platform, reaching over 600 million consumers around the world each month for such major brands as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, Toyota, Pepsi, Microsoft, Visa, and Disney. Samit has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. As Executive Vice President of Sony, Samit implemented a profitable global digital e commerce strategy for Sony and built a new division from scratch — making Sony the #7 largest ecommerce site in the world. As Global President of Digital Distribution & Development for EMI, he broke new ground for the music industry launching digital businesses in over 30 countries. As Senior Vice President of Universal, Samit built one of the first on-line million member social networks in the 1990s and sat on the Studio’s overall steering committee. He received 2011 Pewter Owl for Social Media, the 2010 OMMA Award for Best Online Advertising, the first Gold Record for digital from the RIAA, won gold from the PMA for producing Sheryl Crow’s Concert in the Sky, and won Gavin Executive of the Year in 2000.
Eric Siu is the CEO at Single Grain, a digital marketing agency that focuses on paid advertising and content marketing. He contributes regularly to Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, Forbes and more. He also interviews entrepreneurs on his podcast at Growth Everywhere.
Craig Ellins has a varied and impressive business background. He has spent more than 30 years discovering emerging trends and creating start-ups, from being a pioneer in companies offering 24-hour live shopping networks, to developing one of the internet's first streaming video business opportunities. He has launched new products via domestic and international television direct response advertising, including the successful Pilates Performer, BioFlex, Nature's Vision and the Voit Ab Roller. Ellins has been sought out for strategic planning by well-known companies, including NetCom, AT&T, Time Warner Inc., K-Tel International, Fingerhut Corporation, Guthy-Renker, Simitar Entertainment, and Stamina Products. Most recently, Ellins has been developing technology and trade secrets central to the production of cannabis of the variety and type that will support the legal purposes of cannabis that now exist in various states.
Ellins is currently the CEO & Chairman of GrowBLOX Sciences, Inc., (OTCQB: GBLX), a research and biotechnical company which has developed proprietary technology designed to create a consistent cultivation environment for medicinal-grade cannabis and cannabis products that target various indications with significant unmet medical needs. The Company intends to pursue a strategic plan, whereby overtime, will progress into the development and sale of nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, medical foods and ultimately, FDA approved pharmaceuticals, all using its proprietary growing technology.
Jennie is the founder of Owl’s Brew, and of sister company, Brew Lab Tea, which specializes in creating artisan custom tea blends.
Previous to starting her own companies, Jennie was the director of the sponsorship division of a boutique marketing firm.
Jennie is a graduate of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program, and a finalist in Daily Candy’s Start Small, Go Big Competition. Jennie is a contributor to the Huffington Post’s Taste and Healthy Living sections.
Freddie Ravel is the internationally acclaimed Harmonics Maestro that blends his infectious passions for music and business to unlock the minds, hearts and hips of audiences around the world.
Backed by number one hits and collaborative successes with Earth, Wind and Fire, Madonna, Prince, Indie Arie, Sergio Mendes, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, the Boston Pops and rock legend, Carlos Santana, the chart-topping Keyboardist is the Founder of “Business Harmonics”, the award-winning peak performance system to enhance leadership, innovation and collaboration within major corporations.
As an expert on music and business integration, Freddie’s media appearances include FOX, ABC, Universal, Clear Channel, Deepak Chopra’s XM Sirius radio show, and clients such as Andre Agassi, USC, NASA, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Citi.
As a one-of-a-kind edutainer, Freddie is a captivating access point through which to transform entrepreneurs, events and companies forever.
Emily McDonald, a USC grad, always had an intense love for fashion, that began at the age of 5 during her first visit to Saks Fifth Avenue. This memory is burned into Emily's head, as she remembers being mesmerized by the designer dress section in particular.
After finishing her degree in Business Entrepreneurship Emily went on to complete a post-graduate program in Merchandise Product Development from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles (FIDM).
Combining a love for fashion, business knowledge, and years of experience in the fashion industry with a range of contemporary brands, Emily discovered a unique market niche. Young women are constantly looking for new, trendy outfits to wear but can't afford to update their closets as often as they would like. After years of borrowing clothes from roommates and friends, and continually trying to put together the best outfit for each occasion, the idea for TheStylist LA was born.
Quest Nutrition is headed by Tom Bilyeu, who oversees close to 300 full-time staff, chiefly in Southern California, leading sales, marketing, content creation and other areas while guiding
the company’s culture of passion and transformation.
Before launching the venture in 2011, Bilyeu spent seven-and-a-half years as chief marketing officer of Awareness Technologies, a software security company, but eventually realized that
“the technology business didn’t provide enough of a real connection with people.” Having grown up in Tacoma, Washington in a family with rampant morbid obesity, he felt a personal need to segue into the health and fitness industry and help his loved ones as well as others seeking change.
With a mission to be the leader in functional foods that don’t compromise on nutrition or taste, Quest Nutrition was founded in 2011 by Mike Osborn, Ron Penna and Tom Bilyeu, a visionary
entrepreneur who was motivated to launch the venture by a family beset with obesity and a strong desire to help.
Technology is moving faster than we can keep up. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone keeping you up to date and current with all things Tech in the business world? Matthew Zehner is the CEO at ZehnerGroup, a full service digital agency that offers strategy, creative, technology and marketing solutions to a wide range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Through Matthew’s experience in all areas of technology, he ensures the user experience ZehnerGroup creates on behalf of its clients is cutting edge. He plays an integral role in his clients’ success through his hands on collaboration and close integration with their teams. Prior to starting ZehnerGroup, Matthew worked at SapientNitro, a top interactive agency, where he introduced the latest digital platforms and technologies to an array of Fortune 500 clients.
While having difficulty getting a table at a local pool hall with one of his friends, David Houston decided he should open a pool hall. In 1989, David opened Q's Billiard Club that is still in its current location today. In 1999, long-time Los Angeles eatery Barney's Beanery came on the market. David jumped at the chance to purchase the restaurant-bar hybrid and has gone on to expand the brand by opening locations in Santa Monica, Pasadena, Burbank and Westwood. Barney's Beanery employs a staff of about 400 that includes a managerial staff including Human Resources and Regional Managers. Today our listeners get to learn how to transition from one business to another, how to make it smooth, and keep it running like a well oiled machine!
Simon Mainwaring is the founder of We First, the leading social branding firm that provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of the good they do to build their reputation, profits and social impact.
Simon’s first book, We First: How brands and consumers use social media to build a better world (Palgrave Macmillan) is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon bestseller. It was named an Amazon Top Ten Business Book for 2011, 800CEORead Top Five Marketing Book for 2011, and strategy+business named it the Best Business Marketing Book of 2011. It has been translated into Russian, Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean.
William Quigley joined Clearstone Venture Partners (formerly idealab Capital Partners) shortly after its formation and concentrates on its Internet, Gaming and Communications related investments.
William’s current portfolio reflects his belief in the enormous opportunities in the consumer Internet, wireless and enterprise markets (Xfire.com, Titan Gaming, AOptix Technologies, SoonR, Meru Networks, Novariant). He is also focused on emerging companies offering managed services in the enterprise and consumer sectors (Communicado, Spock Networks). William is a member of the board of directors of AOptix Technologies, Meru Networks, Novariant, SoonR, Xfire and Evertune.
William joined Clearstone from Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds, where he invested in early- stage Internet and communications companies. Prior to MAVF, he was the chief financial officer of Disney’s merchandise licensing division, the world’s largest licensor. Before Disney, he was a consultant with Arthur Andersen where he worked with media entertainment and banking clients.
William grew up in the Bay Area and came down to LA to go to college (USC). After leaving Disney in the early 90′s, he got an MBA (Harvard) and became a venture capitalist. His firm, Clearstone Venture Partners, has been making investments in consumer and enterprise companies for 10 years.
Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
For 14 years Andy was Ken Rutkowski’s co-host on KenRadio’s World Technology Roundup and remains an active blogger with both VoIPWatch and Working Anywhere, two blogs that focus on emerging communications and the virtual workplace.
Todd Ray is the mastermind behind The Venice Beach Freakshow, a classically-inspired circus sideshow with an attached museum of oddities. A 21st century P.T. Barnum with a congenital resistance to very concept of "impossible," Todd has set out to build the world's greatest showcase for the unique, the bizarre and the wondrous.
Venice Beach Freakshow opened in 2006, and since then Todd has searched the world for animal anomalies, bizarre artifacts, and people with unusual physiological traits and astounding talents. He has embraced the word "freak" as a joyous rebuttal to "normal" and the pressure of conformity. "Every single one of us, by virtue of our individuality, is an oddity. We're each a freak: a freak of the universe," he stresses. "But a 'freak' meaning the most special, the most unique, the most magical creatures in the universe."
Eric Rice is CEO and Founder of TrepScore, a dynamic transparency platform that tracks, analyzes and scores startup execution to help build better decisions and trust for entrepreneurs and investors. TrepScore is designed to create a level playing field in startup funding by providing entrepreneurs (Treps) and investors valuable data that drives more informed decision-making. Eric calls this project the, “culmination of his career”. His vision of TrepScore has been recognized by multiple start-up and investment authorities as “the trend of the future”.
Previous to starting TrepScore Eric was the CEO of 25 Inc. where he worked with startups and investors on multiple projects including ideation and funding communications. This early work with 25 helped drive the necessary research for TrepScore by working with a control group of more than a dozen startups in various sectors to gather data and track results.
Erik Caso is co-founder and CEO of younity (Entangled Media). Prior to building younity, he spent over 15 years as an entrepreneur and product designer in the enterprise and consumer software world, leading the design and development of several market defining technology categories. company description: younity creates a personal cloud for all your files, built from your devices and online services. By building the cloud into the operating system of all your devices, younity enables you to unify, access, search, stream and share all your files from all your devices. No configuration, no management, no syncing and no storage limits. With younity, all your devices work as if they were a single device, so you can stop thinking about which device you have to use and only think about the screen that is most convenient.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Scott Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia. His industry acknowledgments include being named one of “The Top 100 Multimedia Producers” by Multimedia Magazine, the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” by Buzz Magazine, and one of “50 New Media Innovators” profiled in Pioneer Electronics’ Multimedia Frontier.
Josh Tickell is a thought leader in the green industrial space whose career spans a mix of journalism, innovation and design. In 1997, after traveling across the United States in a van powered by biodiesel that he processed in a self-made refinery, he penned the world’s best selling book on biofuel, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, which has been sold in over 30 countries and has been credited with the creation of hundreds of successful large scale biorefineries. His first feature movie, FUEL won the Sundance Audience Award for Best Documentary, was released theatrically in the United States and became a global sensation gaining over 1 million viewers on Netflix, iTunes, Hulu and CNBC.
He consults on issues ranging from new greentech product launches, to consumer attitudes toward batteries, to legislative strategies, to operations-wide waste to energy technology installations for companies such as Green Mountain Energy Resources, Clif Bar, Yum Brands, Audi, General Motors and William Morris Endeavour.
Tickell has been a featured guest on Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show and Good Morning America. He is a regularly featured opinion leader in news stories on CNN, Discovery, Reuters, NBC, Fox and NPR. Articles on Tickell, his films, and green energy work have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Hustler Magazine, Maxim Magazine, Popular Mechanics and thousands of international newspapers and magazines.
As a Canadian soulful/pop powerhouse that has won audiences over worldwide with over 13 million views on YouTube and Vevo, it’s of no surprise that Maggie Szabo went from a small town girl from Ontario, Canada to an artist in her own right crafting a sound all her own in Los Angeles.
Maggie began honing her singing and writing craft at a young age in her hometown of Dundas, Ontario by performing and exploring as many opportunities as she could. Immediately after graduating from high school, she then decided to pack her car and drive to Nashville to further explore her songwriting capabilities.
While living in Nashville, Maggie ended up creating a fresh sound infused with soulful pop melodies. Inspired by her surroundings and experiences in the music mecca of America she strengthened her songwriting craft and performing skills and was offered a record deal with Linus Entertainment in Ontario.
In November 2012, she released her debut pop album “Now Hear Me Out” (Linus Ent/ eOne). All original songs on her album were co-written by Maggie with production by Justin Gray (Joss Stone) and Gavin Bradley (Nelly Furtado) and Tanya Leah.
After releasing her debut single “Lovesick” to heavy rotation across Canadian airwaves, Maggie was named as Bell Media’s Emerging Artist and was personally chosen by famed blogger Perez Hilton as his “Can YOU Sing?” contest winner that beat out thousands of singers as he hailed Maggie as the next big superstar.
With an online fan-base growing by the thousands monthly and a social media following that tops some of the nations most established pop artists, Maggie has proven to be a star on the rise that used the power of social media to deliver original songs online to her dedicated fans.
Since spending time in LA, Maggie has gained exposure from playing all original new music to sold-out crowds at the infamous Viper Room, House of Blues, Molly Malones and famed venue the Hotel Café.
After recording ‘Tidal Waves and Hurricanes’, the accompanying music video to her highly anticipated single was premiered exclusively by Ryan Seacrest.
Constantly creating, writing and evolving, this Canadian chanteuse has been hard at work on new music and is gearing up to start the next exciting chapter of her musical journey with a new album, new sound and new outlook.
Jay Alan Samit is president of ooVoo – the world’s largest provider of social video chat with 50 million registered users. Samit is a leading technology pioneer with over 25 years experience in digital media. Prior to ooVoo, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe, the largest social media technology platform, reaching over 600 million consumers around the world each month for such major brands as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, Toyota, Pepsi, Microsoft, Visa, and Disney. Samit has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. As Executive Vice President of Sony, Samit implemented a profitable global digital ecommerce strategy for Sony and built a new division from scratch — making Sony the #7 largest ecommerce site in the world. As Global President of Digital Distribution & Development for EMI, he broke new ground for the music industry launching digital businesses in over 30 countries. As Senior Vice President of Universal, Samit built one of the first on-line million member social networks in the 1990s and sat on the Studio’s overall steering committee. He received 2011 Pewter Owl for Social Media, the 2010 OMMA Award for Best Online Advertising, the first Gold Record for digital from the RIAA, won gold from the PMA for producing Sheryl Crow’s Concert in the Sky, and won Gavin Executive of the Year in 2000.
Samit’s charity work ranges from the first Internet Charity Auction to Tsunami Aid (with NBC) and Concert for Hurricane Relief (with MTV).
Sean Murrin - Runs an international creative agency that has a boutique business model. Key success factor:
Has grit.
Originally from Montreal Canada, moved to the USA for 2 years to live and work, moved to
France for 3 years to live and work, moved back to Canada for 4 years to start a business and live (but not as much!), moved to California to be close to his lifeblood (clients) by starting a second business and to live... better!
Agency's specialties:
Graphic Design, Collector’s Editions, Video Production, Web campaigns.
Keith Chambers has assisted more than five hundred goods and service providers in formulating their marketing approach, including Clorox, Del Monte, Campbell’s, Coppertone, Arm &Hammer, Sparkletts, Hormel, Scotch-Brite, and Equal.
He has helped brands as varied as Claritin and the Miss America Pageant develop and convey their product message to the consumer.
The firm began as a successful package design studio for brands such as Coca Cola Foods, Van de Kamps, and Minute Maid.
In 1988, when Sega approached him for assistance with their package design image for a new high-powered home video game platform. When told the company had yet to name their product, Keith saw an opportunity. His group created the brand Sega Genesis; by its second year, Sega Genesis was exceeding $500 million in sales.
Considered unorthodox by many, The Chambers Group has brought originality to their marketing approach.
Pierre Vudrag has always had a love of vintage posters, rock pictures, and collecting. After graduating from the High School of Art & Design, he went on the road with his band, touring with a number of punk bands, and ended up working as an A&R scout. Pierre eventually got a job at Warner Bros music and co-founded a record label called Mutiny Records in New York with Richie Sambora. The record business went through a major change around this time and he realized it was time to get out.
He moved to Los Angeles, attended law school, and began working as General Counsel at the Tennis Channel. By this point, he’d accumulated a lot of memorabilia and posters, and his wife encouraged him to turn his love of collecting into a business. In 2011, he founded Limited Runs.
In 2012, while watching the TODAY show, he saw a segment about Julien’s Auction House auctioning off a number of never-before-seen Marilyn Monroe photographs.
Tony Horton is the creator behind P90X® - the best selling fitness program in America. Over the past 25 years, Tony has inspired and motivated people all over the world by sharing his fitness expertise with professional athletes, sports teams, television and film stars, recording artists and 4 million plus people.
Tony changes lives with the perfect mix of physical fitness routines, encouragement, humor, discipline and fun. His specialties includes weight/resistance training, cardiovascular/aerobic training, advanced stretching, yoga, boxing and kickboxing, plus circuit, cross and interval training and post-rehabilitation training. Using his personally developed Muscle Confusion techniques, his methodology allows individuals to reach their fitness goals, prevents plateaus and, most importantly staves off boredom from the same old workouts.
Tony released his book “Bring It,” and “Crush It,” with Rodale Books. Tony has been featured in numerous national publications including Men’s Fitness, Fitness, SELF, The New York Times (cover page of Sunday Business Section), Wall Street Journal (front page), Women’s Health, People, LA HEALTH, ESPN, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Politico, LA Times and Military Times. His National Television appearances include the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, A&E, NBC, CBS, FOX, TV Guide Network and many more.
Part Tony Robbins, part Mehmet Oz, here is fitness guru and creator of P90X Tony Horton’s wake-up call for readers—a motivational and practical guide to creating a better life and a healthier body.
One of America’s best-known and most-loved fitness gurus, "master of motivation" Tony Horton shares his philosophy that will help you live your best life. In his first non-workout book, he offers 11 Rules that provide a clear path and purpose for achieving life goals and obtaining optimal health.
Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
For 14 years Andy was Ken Rutkowski’s co-host on KenRadio’s World Technology Roundup and remains an active blogger with both VoIPWatch and Working Anywhere, two blogs that focus on emerging communications and the virtual workplace.
Keith Chambers has assisted more than five hundred goods and service providers in formulating their marketing approach, including Clorox, Del Monte, Campbell’s, Coppertone, Arm & Hammer, Sparkletts, Hormel, Scotch-Brite, and Equal.
He has helped brands as varied as Claritin and the Miss America Pageant develop and convey their product message to the consumer.
The firm began as a successful package design studio for brands such as Coca Cola Foods, Van de Kamps, and Minute Maid.
In 1988, when Sega approached him for assistance with their package design image for a new high-powered home video game platform. When told the company had yet to name their product, Keith saw an opportunity. His group created the brand Sega Genesis; by its second year, Sega Genesis was exceeding $500 million in sales.
Considered unorthodox by many, The Chambers Group has brought originality to their marketing approach.
Renée Strauss is synonymous with weddings. She has guided brides from around the world achieve their personal best and fulfill their vision for their special wedding day. Internationally recognized, Renée styles brides, the bridal party, and the wedding itself. Having reached success in bridal, Renée finds personal fulfillment in consulting as the luxury bridal expert she most enjoys. Recently appointed Luxury Weddings Ambassador for LWH Hotels, a worldwide hotel chain with 3 local properties: Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel and Luxe City City Center Hotel.
From Keynote speaking, world-wide appearances and bringing awareness to businesses through her consulting and innovative ideas, Renée is sought out for her enthusiasm, comprehension and results. Her hit TV show Brides of Beverly Hills continues to entertain fans around the world.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Scott Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia. His industry acknowledgments include being named one of “The Top 100 Multimedia Producers” by Multimedia Magazine, the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” by Buzz Magazine, and one of “50 New Media Innovators” profiled in Pioneer Electronics’ Multimedia Frontier.
Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
For 14 years Andy was Ken Rutkowski’s co-host on Ken’s Radio’s World Technology Roundup and remains an active blogger with both VoIPWatch and Working Anywhere, two blogs that focus on emerging communications and the virtual workplace.
Howard Marks is Co-Chair of Start Engine and CEO of Gamzee. Howard is an incredibly successful technology entrepreneur that has worked with a number of companies specializing in the video game, online gaming, social gaming and internet education industry. He is also working as the CEO of Gamzee, a company he founded in April 2011 with the stated goal of disrupting the gaming industry by making games that anyone can play anywhere, anytime, and on any device. In 2005, Howard founded Acclaim Games. After its acquisition by Playdom, he became head of the Acclaim studio and Sr. VP, Strategic Planning at Disney Interactive Media Group. Howard got his start in 1983 while a student at the University of Michigan. In 1991 as a co-founder, member of the board of directors and Executive Vice-President of Activision, Howard helped turn a brand that was largely viewed as dead weight into the leading powerhouse of the video game industry.
Samit has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. As Executive Vice President of Sony, Samit implemented a profitable global digital ecommerce strategy for Sony and built a new division from scratch — making Sony the #7 largest ecommerce site in the world. As Global President of Digital Distribution & Development for EMI, he broke new ground for the music industry launching digital businesses in over 30 countries. As Senior Vice President of Universal, Samit built one of the first on-line million member social networks in the 1990s and sat on the Studio’s overall steering committee. He received 2011 Pewter Owl for Social Media, the 2010 OMMA Award for Best Online Advertising, the first Gold Record for digital from the RIAA, won gold from the PMA for producing Sheryl Crow’s Concert in the Sky, and won Gavin Executive of the Year in 2000.
Samit’s charity work ranges from the first Internet Charity Auction to Tsunami Aid (with NBC) and Concert for Hurricane Relief (with MTV).
Samit has produced over 100 video games garnering Best of Show awards at Comdex, CES, E3 and Retailvision. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Samit was presented the Leonardo Da Vinci Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to digital media.
-infuse creative is a digital marketing pr reputation development security company
-vizual now is a tv, film and web content creation company and creator community
-loveliife is a start up that will use technology to make relationships better
-finishing an EP for release later this year and he will have a song in a film coming out in September by an Emmy award winning director who is also running for congress
Simon Mainwaring is the founder of We First, the leading social branding firm that provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of the good they do to build their reputation, profits and social impact.
He is a member of the Sustainable Brands Advisory Board, the Advisory Board of the Center for Public Diplomacy at the USC Annenberg School, the Transformational Leadership Council and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London. He contributes to Fast Company, Forbes, Huffington Post, Mashable, and GOOD Magazine on branding and social technology.
Simon’s first book, We First: How brands and consumers use social media to build a better world (Palgrave Macmillan) is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon bestseller. It was named an Amazon Top Ten Business Book for 2011, 800CEORead Top Five Marketing Book for 2011, and strategy+business named it the Best Business Marketing Book of 2011. It has been translated into Russian, Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean.
Simon was included in Trust Across America’s, ‘Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior for 2012.’ He has been featured in Advertising Age, Adweek, Huffington Post, Inc Magazine, Fast Company, GOOD Magazine, and Mashable, as well as appearing on the NBC, CBS, CBC, Business News Network, BNet, Business RockStars and Harpo Radio.
Believing that children should have the finest personal care products available, Christine Burger founded Noodle & Boo in 2003. As CEO, Christine provides strategic direction and leadership in the development of superior skin care and hair care products created especially for newborns, babies and children. Noodle & Boo offers “complete care from head to toe” with safe and gentle products that nourish and protect the delicate skin and hair of little ones.
Prior to founding Noodle & Boo, Christine’s professional background stemmed from the technology industry where she held several executive positions including Vice President, Business Operations for a billion dollar Software Company. While her roles varied, one thing remained constant: listening to what customers had to say and finding creative ways to “do it better.”
With the news that a second baby was on the way, Christine retired so that she could focus on her family and prepare for the birth of her newborn. As a mother of babies with extremely dry skin prone to eczema, Christine saw an opportunity to create products that offered a gentle alternative to medicated creams and products that were dehydrating for her young children’s skin. Utilizing the same principles she valued while working, her ability to build world class teams and the desire to provide pure, natural and luxurious products for her children, Noodle & Boo was born. With an unwavering standard of excellence, Noodle & Boo’s mission is to offer the very best products for children and their parents, and in turn support Christine’s strong commitment to charitable giving.
Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
For 14 years Andy was Ken Rutkowski’s co-host on KenRadio’s World Technology Roundup and remains an active blogger with both VoIPWatch and Working Anywhere, two blogs that focus on emerging communications and the virtual workplace.
Private membership airline Surf Air announced that Jeff Potter, former head at Frontier Airlines, has taken over as the chief executive.
Potter, Frontier’s chief executive from 2002 to 2007, replaces Wade Eyerly, a co-founder of the Santa Monica aviation company, which began service last year and flies out of Burbank Bob Hope Airport and Hawthorne Municipal Airport.
The company on Friday said it was now taking “the next step in the evolution of Surf Air” in an email memo to its 430 members.
“We want to again thank Wade for all he has done to make Surf Air what it is today,” the memo stated. “We are extremely excited for the future and welcome the new leadership team as we begin the next step to grow Surf Air into the company we all know it can become.”
The company was founded to serve tech executives commuting between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and currently offers 16 flights daily to and from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara.
Keith Chambers has assisted more than five hundred goods and service providers in formulating their marketing approach, including Clorox, Del Monte, Campbell’s, Coppertone, Arm &Hammer, Sparkletts, Hormel, Scotch-Brite, and Equal.
He has helped brands as varied as Claritin and the Miss America Pageant develop and convey their product message to the consumer.
The firm began as a successful package design studio for brands such as Coca Cola Foods, Van de Kamps, and Minute Maid.
In 1988, when Sega approached him for assistance with their package design image for a new high-powered home video game platform. When told the company had yet to name their product, Keith saw an opportunity. His group created the brand Sega Genesis; by its second year, Sega Genesis was exceeding $500 million in sales.
Considered unorthodox by many, The Chambers Group has brought originality to their marketing approach.
Renée Strauss is synonymous with weddings. She has guided brides from around the world achieve their personal best and fulfill their vision for their special wedding day. Internationally recognized, Renée styles brides, the bridal party, and the wedding itself. Having reached success in bridal, Renée finds personal fulfillment in consulting as the luxury bridal expert she most enjoys. Recently appointed Luxury Weddings Ambassador for LWH Hotels, a worldwide hotel chain with 3 local properties: Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel and Luxe City City Center Hotel.
From Keynote speaking, world-wide appearances and bringing awareness to businesses through her consulting and innovative ideas, Renée is sought out for her enthusiasm, comprehension and results. Her hit TV show Brides of Beverly Hills continues to entertain fans around the world.
Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
For 14 years Andy was Ken Rutkowski’s co-host on KenRadio’s World Technology Roundup and remains an active blogger with both VoIPWatch and Working Anywhere, two blogs that focus on emerging communications and the virtual workplace.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Scott Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia. His industry acknowledgments include being named one of “The Top 100 Multimedia Producers” by Multimedia Magazine, the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” by Buzz Magazine, and one of “50 New Media Innovators” profiled in Pioneer Electronics’ Multimedia Frontier.
Jay is the Executive Chairman of Realty Mogul and sits on the Board of Directors. Jay was most recently the President of ooVoo. Prior, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe and has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. A leading technology pioneer for over 25 years, Samit has sold companies to Fortune 500 firms and taken companies public in addition to creating multi-million dollar strategic partnerships with Best Buy, Coca Cola, Ford, General Motors, McDonald's, Microsoft and United Airlines.
Samit’s charity work ranges from the first Internet Charity Auction to Tsunami Aid (with NBC) and Concert for Hurricane Relief (with MTV).
During President Clinton’s administration, as Director of the National Education Technology Initiative, Samit was charged with getting the Internet into America’s public schools by the White House. Samit is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of UCLA and an adjunct Professor at USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
Renée Strauss is synonymous with weddings. She has guided brides from around the world achieve their personal best and fulfill their vision for their special wedding day. Internationally recognized, Renée styles brides, the bridal party, and the wedding itself. Having reached success in bridal, Renée finds personal fulfillment in consulting as the luxury bridal expert she most enjoys. Recently appointed Luxury Weddings Ambassador for LWH Hotels, a worldwide hotel chain with 3 local properties: Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel and Luxe City City Center Hotel.
From Keynote speaking, world-wide appearances and bringing awareness to businesses through her consulting and innovative ideas, Renée is sought out for her enthusiasm, comprehension and results. Her hit TV show Brides of Beverly Hills continues to entertain fans around the world.
Matt Sapaula, is a financial coach with the goal of redefining his clients' future by giving them the information, tools and guidance they need to take charge of their finances and create a better life. For over a decade he has proactively educated the community in financial strategies, helped clients identify hidden assets and encourages his audience to turn missed opportunities into second chances.
Matt began his career in the financial services industry by working at a large brokerage firm in southern California in transition from active-duty service in the United States Marine Corps. In the Marines, Matt's dedication to his country, his unit, and his duties propelled him to become a decorated military veteran while serving in Somalia, Africa, through Asia and the Persian Gulf. This time also gave him the values, discipline and drive that he brings to the financial services industry.
Julie Bombacino understands the needs and concerns of the caretakers and customers she serves.
Bombacino, founder and CEO of Just Food Blends, can say she has truly walked in their shoes. Her understanding arises from her personal life experience. An experience, Bombacino says, that motivated her to use her abilities to research and develop a feeding tube product completely made from real food.
“My six-month-old son AJ was put on a feeding tube for a few months and had failed on eight different types of formula, despite having no food allergies,” Bombacino says.
She experimented with blended real food as a substitute for the formula.
“Real food made such a difference in his life and to our entire family,” Bombacino says. “I went searching for a convenient 100 percent real food meal I could feed him when we were traveling, or if I just didn’t feel like cooking for him, and couldn’t find one.”
Thus an idea was born!
Howard A. Tullman serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Flashpoint Academy (flashpointacademy.com), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Experiencia, Inc., and President Emeritus of Kendall College, in Chicago. Mr. Tullman is General Managing Partner for the Chicago High Tech Investors, LLC and a Director of The Cobalt Group (cobaltgroup.com) and Passage Events (passageevents.com) in Seattle. He is also a Trustee of WTTW in Chicago and an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Evanston, Illinois.
Mr. Tullman has over 30 years of management and turn-around experience and an extensive operations background in online services, large-scale information assembly and delivery systems, database design and the development, creation and production of all types and formats of multimedia content including CD-ROMs and DVDs. He has designed and developed interactive interfaces, computer games and other electronic entertainment, training products and services, and other information-based products and services.
“All the amenities that are offered are really the same playing field for any company. I don’t see any favoritism or anything that the Warehouse particularly does. It’s more general like any challenges that make it harder for a woman entrepreneur to grow. There’s definitely challenges there.
“One thing about Chicago is the lack of resources in terms of good developers. When there’s 10 percent of developers who are women, it doesn’t flow into my network. If I were looking for salespeople, I have great resources. When you get into anything more challenging, sales management, anything involved in technology, from developer to CTO, really any higher positions are a lot harder to source in terms of the relationships.
Kenny is world renowned musician/drummer and will be our in studio mentor today! Do not miss this interview!!!
These are the amazing artists and bands Kenny has been honored to have performed with in this short period of time...
Dave Grohl, Jeff Lynne, Joe Walsh, Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Keith Urban, John Mayer, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Brad Paisley, Pharrell Williams, John Fogerty, Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Robert Randolph, Keb Mo, Sam Moore, Dr. John, John Hiatt, Brantley Gilbert, Pat Monahan, Taj Mahal, Trace Adkins, Vince Gill, Zack Brown, Jackson Browne, Martina McBride, Eric Church, Garth Brooks, Juanes, Tom Morello, Fher Olvera (MANA), Rufus Wrainwright, Steve Winwood, Sheila E, Brendon Urie (Panic At The Disco), Bettye LaVette, Peter Frampton, Steve Lukather, Bens Fold, Ben Harper, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristopherson, Merle Haggard, Blake Shelton, The BoDeans, and STYX.
Martin was the first independent jewelry designer to initiate the practice of “dressing” celebrities with magnificent jewels for the Academy Awards and other high-profile red carpet events. Starting with Sharon Stone more than two decades ago for the premiere of Basic Instinct, the shimmering artistry of Martin Katz is now a mainstay in the glamorous world of red-carpet award ceremonies and his creations have adorned the biggest and brightest stars of the entertainment world – Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Barbra Streisand, Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Biel, Salma Hayek, Sally Fields, Johnny Depp, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Douglas, the list goes on and on. He has bejeweled over 1,000 celebrities for Red Carpet events since 1992.
Jay Samit is the Executive Chairman of Realty Mogul and sits on the Board of Directors. Jay was most recently the President of ooVoo. Prior, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe and has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. A leading technology pioneer for over 25 years, Samit has sold companies to Fortune 500 firms and taken companies public in addition to creating multi-million dollar strategic partnerships with Best Buy, Coca Cola, Ford, General Motors, McDonald's, Microsoft and United Airlines. Samit has produced over 100 video games garnering Best of Show awards at Comdex, CES, E3 and Retailvision. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Jay was presented the Leonardo Da Vinci Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to digital media.
During President Clinton’s administration, as Director of the National Education Technology Initiative, Samit was charged with getting the Internet into America’s public schools by the White House. Samit is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of UCLA and an adjunct Professor at USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
Keith Chambers has assisted more than five hundred goods and service providers in formulating their marketing approach, including Clorox, Del Monte, Campbell’s, Coppertone, Arm &Hammer, Sparkletts, Hormel, Scotch-Brite, and Equal. He has helped brands as varied as Claritin and the Miss America Pageant develop and convey their product message to the consumer.
The firm began as a successful package design studio for brands such as Coca Cola Foods, Van de Kamps, and Minute Maid.
In 1988, when Sega approached him for assistance with their package design image for a new high-powered home video game platform. When told the company had yet to name their product, Keith saw an opportunity. His group created the brand Sega Genesis; by its second year, Sega Genesis was exceeding $500 million in sales.
Considered unorthodox by many, The Chambers Group has brought originality to their marketing approach.
Michael Gluck is the Founder and President of VGMarket, a market research firm specializing in entertainment, media, and technology. In 2007, at the age of 24, Michael started up VGMarket with $5,000 in savings and grew the company to $20,000,000 in revenue by the age of 30. By 2014, VGMarket had become a leading global market research provider, servicing Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 clients in the United States and internationally.
Outside of the market research industry, Michael is the Co-Owner of Court Street Grocers. Opening with a 29 Zagat rating and widespread critical acclaim, the Brooklyn food and sandwich shop is among the highest reviewed restaurants in New York. Michael is also Co-Founder and General Manager of Critical Hit, a video game music tribute band, as well as an investor in video game and technology start-ups.
Todd Ray is the mastermind behind The Venice Beach Freakshow, a classically-inspired circus sideshow with an attached museum of oddities. A 21st century P.T. Barnum with a congenital resistance to very concept of "impossible," Todd has set out to build the world's greatest showcase for the unique, the bizarre and the wondrous.
Venice Beach Freakshow opened in 2006, and since then Todd has searched the world for animal anomalies, bizarre artifacts, and people with unusual physiological traits and astounding talents. He has embraced the word "freak" as a joyous rebuttal to "normal" and the pressure of conformity. "Every single one of us, by virtue of our individuality, is an oddity. We're each a freak: a freak of the universe," he stresses. "But a 'freak' meaning the most special, the most unique, the most magical creatures in the universe."
Eric Rice is CEO and Founder of TrepScore, a dynamic transparency platform that tracks, analyzes and scores startup execution to help build better decisions and trust for entrepreneurs and investors. TrepScore is designed to create a level playing field in startup funding by providing entrepreneurs (Treps) and investors valuable data that drives more informed decision-making. Eric calls this project the, “culmination of his career”. His vision of TrepScore has been recognized by multiple start-up and investment authorities as “the trend of the future”.
Previous to starting TrepScore Eric was the CEO of 25 Inc. where he worked with startups and investors on multiple projects including ideation and funding communications. This early work with 25 helped drive the necessary research for TrepScore by working with a control group of more than a dozen startups in various sectors to gather data and track results.
Erik Caso is co-founder and CEO of younity (Entangled Media). Prior to building younity, he spent over 15 years as an entrepreneur and product designer in the enterprise and consumer software world, leading the design and development of several market defining technology categories. company description: younity creates a personal cloud for all your files, built from your devices and online services. By building the cloud into the operating system of all your devices, younity enables you to unify, access, search, stream and share all your files from all your devices. No configuration, no management, no syncing and no storage limits. With younity, all your devices work as if they were a single device, so you can stop thinking about which device you have to use and only think about the screen that is most convenient.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Scott has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia. His industry acknowledgments include being named one of “The Top 100 Multimedia Producers” by Multimedia Magazine, the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” by Buzz Magazine, and one of “50 New Media Innovators” profiled in Pioneer Electronics’ Multimedia Frontier.
Josh Royse is an American Singer/Songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. He is the salty voice of road worn grit fresh off the streets of the Oklahoma panhandle. Employing a coy lyricism as he crafts love songs with abstract tangents of astral inquiry, he says his subversive writing style is inspired by the astronomical depths of culture, creativity and cosmic energy that fills the streets of Los Angeles - all combined with the human struggle of a young man who has loved, lost and learned so much on his journey to see his visions of global, political and cultural cohesion come to fruition. He has found that kundalini yoga has developed his capacity to connect with the world around him and says that this new practice in his life has significantly evolved his writing style and energy on stage - all of which is embedded in his new album that is currently under development. Josh has immersed himself in the new age concepts of yoga, vibrational energy and healthy eats in the heart of West Hollywood and hopes to bring these evolutionary principles to his audience through passionate, bluesy licks and a rock n' roll attitude - changing the world with music as he travels across the globe.
Sabrina Kay is committed to returning the American educational system to its former glory by introducing new learning models and connecting the workforce with classrooms. Her quest answers the seemingly logical question: Why wait until college students have already graduated to give them work-based training? Her goal is to use the Penn's learning model as a framework, conduct further research, perfect the model, and enhance students' social mobility and opportunity through education. The laboratory of her ambition is Fremont College. Dr. Sabrina Kay became Chancellor of Fremont College in 2007 and targeted nontraditional students, teaching them through collaboration and real-world cases to navigate the issues that impact everyday work life. According to Sabrina, "We're on this earth as stewards of life for a small period of time. The difference we can make is through becoming part of others' inspiration and helping make their dreams and aspirations into reality." She feels incredibly lucky that, through her work with Fremont College, she gets to do that every day.
Technology is moving faster than we can keep up. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone keeping you up to date and current with all things Tech in the business world? Matthew Zehner is the CEO at ZehnerGroup, a full service digital agency that offers strategy, creative, technology and marketing solutions to a wide range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Through Matthew’s experience in all areas of technology, he ensures the user experience ZehnerGroup creates on behalf of its clients is cutting edge. He plays an integral role in his clients’ success through his hands on collaboration and close integration with their teams. Prior to starting ZehnerGroup, Matthew worked at SapientNitro, a top interactive agency, where he introduced the latest digital platforms and technologies to an array of Fortune 500 clients.
As Founder and CEO of Abraham Group, Inc. (Los Angeles, California), Jay has spent his entire career solving problems and fixing businesses. He has significantly increased the bottom lines of over 10,000 clients in more than 400 industries, and over 7,200 sub industries, worldwide. Jay has dealt with virtually every type of business. He has studied, and solved, almost every type of business question, challenge and opportunity.
Jay has an uncanny ability to increase business income, wealth and success. He uncovers hidden assets, overlooked opportunities and undervalued possibilities. This skill set has captured the attention and respect of CEOs, best-selling authors, entrepreneurs and marketing experts. Jay’s clients range from business royalty to small business owners. But they all have one thing in common – virtually all of them have profited greatly from Jay’s expertise. Many clients acknowledge that Jay’s efforts and ideas have lead to millions of dollars of profit increase.
Jay has identified the patterns that limit and restrict business growth. He is an industry leader who enlightens clients that most industries only know and only use one particular marketing approach. He teaches that there may be dozens of more effective and more profitable strategies, and options, available to them. Jay shows his clients how to take different success concepts from different industries and adopt them to their specific business. This gives Jay’s clients a powerful advantage over their competition.
Michel Algazi has spent over 25 years building lasting consumer brands at Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial environments in the US and internationally. He has a proven record of leveraging emerging technologies to dramatically grow new and existing businesses through strategic acumen and
creative brand-building.
He is Chairman and CEO of Freshology, a leader in the delivery, to customers around the country, of personalized, chef-designed, freshly-made and nutritionally-balanced meals. The company uses an innovative direct-to-consumer model and leverages an exceptional team to deliver on its promise of enabling customer’s convenient access to exceptional taste, nutrition, health and wellness.
Michel is also founder of Food Centricity™ a unique food business accelerator that focuses on breaking market, business and financial barriers for early and growth stage food companies. Food Centricity is co-founder of Angel City Foodworks™, a one-of-a-kind facility opening in Fall 2014, which will offer over fifty professional food makers, in LA County, access to a fully-licensed, turn-key wholesale production. Food Centricity also powers 4 artisan food incubator and marketplace, opening in Santa Ana, CA, in August 2014.
Sue Wong is a study in contrasts. She appears petite, yet possesses a commanding presence and grand energy that fills an entire room. While there is power and strength in her designs, there is a romantic fantasy and poetic lyricism that informs her work, which nonetheless remain rooted in undeniable pragmatic reality. The elegant economy of her gestures belies the strength and determination with which she has managed her business for over two decades. This collision of polar opposites creates the frisson that fuels Sue Wong’s gorgeous designs and has established the Sue Wong signature style.
Born into humble circumstances in a remote countryside in southern China, at the age of six, Sue was spirited away from Communist China by the courageous leap of her mother, who bribed a border guard with her wedding jewels in exchange for freedom into Hong Kong with her young daughter. Journeying to the United States a year later, mother and child reunited with Sue’s father in Los Angeles. As a child, her initial creative tendencies drew her to art. The daughter of struggling immigrants, there would be no budget in the spare family economy for toys; Sue would create her own paper dolls and their entire lavish wardrobe, practicing her nascent interest in Fashion Design. However, Sue started making her own clothes when she was nine years old. In High School she was chosen from over three hundred female classmates to be a member of the May Company Teen Board, and landed the opportunity to work in various capacities including modeling, assisting in window display and merchandising. While she was still trying to earn a fashion degree, she interned with the resource brand Arpeja, after winning first place in a scholarship sponsored by the company, apprenticing under the head designer.
With a successful 15 year track record in the digital, social and media fields, Mark Samuels has combined his talents for fostering brand development into the founding of Nimbus Eco®. Having worked with brands like Volcom, Nike, Rockstar, and Surfer Magazine, Samuels has developed a strong set of marketing and branding skills that have helped a multitude of companies position themselves for success in our fast-paced digital society. Working with directors for sustainability and corporate responsibility, Samuels has helped execute campaigns that give back to organizations, like the Sumatran Orangutan Society - a nonprofit working to end deforestation in Indonesia.
As a successful media entrepreneur, Samuels has fostered a diverse network of business leaders, marketing directors, and tastemakers that will all help to bring awareness and strategic partnerships to Nimbus Eco as the brand continues to grow. Responsible for overall brand strategy, marketing, and development of strategic alliances, Samuels’ unique insight and approach to engaging the consumer and building brand loyalty are pivotal aspects to the success of his latest venture at Nimbus Eco.
Business Rockstar listeners do not miss this interview! The cream of the crop when it comes to business. Mr. Eric Pulier joins Ken in studio to give you the tools you need to succeed! Entrepreneur, writer, public speaker, and founder of over fifteen companies, Pulier has raised 700 Million dollars + for ventures he has founded or co-founded : Media Platform (www.mediaplatform.com); SOA Software (ww.soa.com); Desktone (www.desktone.com); ServiceMesh (www.servicemesh.com); and Enterprise Cloud Leadership Council (www.tmforum.org). In Addition Mr. Pulier is an investor in several start ups in media and technology, as well as a member of the Clinton Global Initiative (www.clintonglobalinitiative.org).
We all grew up using the ever so popular red plastic cups. You know, the ones you constantly keep forgetting to pick back up and bring with you at a super bowl party! It can be a nightmare for the host of the party. They are the ones that have to pick up all the dirty, sticky red cups at the end of the day. Enter Mitchell Arvanites and Alex Feig, the geniuses that decided to take product and make it better! Lil Reds are exactly the same as your normal red plastic cups, EXCEPT they are made out of much more durable and re washable plastic! Don't ever throw away another red plastic cup again! Today these two fill us in just how they did it, and how you can do something like this yourself!
Kenny Aronoff joins Ken in studio today to be our Rockstar mentor! Kenny has performed with Dave Grohl, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Mayer and Garth Brooks just to name a few! Kenny also has his own recording studio along with a book he is working on depicting his incredible career. If you are an up and coming musician seeking guidance and directions do not miss this interview!
Dana Manciagli has had a remarkable career in global sales and marketing roles in Fortune 500 corporations. Recently retired from more than a decade's tenure at Microsoft as worldwide sales manager, she is now running her own business as a career expert, speaker, author & coach. A true visionary, our listeners get to learn from of the best in the industry!
Kenny Aronoff joins Ken in studio today to be our Rockstar mentor! Kenny has performed with Dave Grohl, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Mayer and Garth Brooks just to name a few! Kenny also has his own recording studio along with a book he is working on depicting his incredible career. If you are an up and coming musician seeking guidance and directions do not miss this interview!
Dana Manciagli has had a remarkable career in global sales and marketing roles in Fortune 500 corporations. Recently retired from more than a decade's tenure at Microsoft as worldwide sales manager, she is now running her own business as a career expert, speaker, author & coach. A true visionary, our listeners get to learn from of the best in the industry!
Jason Silberberg is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nabthat, a service platform, that is revolutionizing the way consumers interact with dealerships when looking to purchase or lease a new vehicle. Nabthat removes the burden of going from dealership to dealership looking for the best deal and allows consumers to request a vehicle (by naming their terms) or schedule a test drive from the comfort of their home (or anywhere with internet connection). All interaction is anonymous, eliminating the bombardment of unwanted phone calls and emails from dealerships. Nabthat currently has more than 100 Los Angeles and Orange County dealerships participating on their platform, ranging from Fiat to Porsche. Nabthat is creating a consumer experience that is unrivaled to anything else on the market. Mr. Silberberg is a successful and seasoned executive with experience in various fields such as entertainment, distribution, logistics, digital media, telecommunications and software. He has over 15 years of experience with developing strategy, business development, policy, and operations for fast growing companies. Mr. Silberberg has been part of three successful exits during his professional career. He believes that the key to any business is the ability to initiate, develop and take ownership of your clients’ interests.
Brock Pierce is a 15x entrepreneur best known for pioneering the market for digital currency. He has raised more than $200 million on behalf of his companies and led more than 30 acquisitions. He is currently a Managing Director of the Clearstone Global Gaming Fund and sits on the boards of IMI Exchange, Xfire, Playsino, ExpressCoin (easy way to buy Bitcoin), GoCoin (Bitcoin payments), FGL, Spicy Horse Games, KnCMiner.cn (Bitcoin mining), Robocoin China (Bitcoin ATMs) and the Mastercoin Foundation (Bitcoin meta application layer). Pierce’s entrepreneurial activities are focused in the areas of digital currencies such as Bitcoin, games, gambling, ad tech and payments. He is the founder of IMI Exchange, the worlds leading digital currency marketplace with sales exceeding US$1 billion annually, which raised over $100 Million from blue chip investors such as Goldman Sachs and Oak Investment Partners, ZAM, one of the world’s largest media properties for gamers with more than 15 million monthly users which was sold in January 2012 to Tencent, IGE, the company credited with pioneering the market for digital currency in online games, which generated $100 million in revenue in 2006 and was sold in early 2007. He is also the co-founder of Playsino, ExpressCoin (Bitcoin exchange), GoCoin (Bitcoin payment platform), Five Delta, Evertune, GamesTV, Digital Entertainment Network, KnCMiner.cn (Bitcoin Mining), and Robocoin China (Bitcoin ATM). Pierce also led the acquisition of Xfire from Viacom.
Yuri Moreira is a Tech and Fashion enthusiast who has vested his past couple years exploring and educating himself on new technologies. This has sparked the birthof his new venture, Swggr. Yuri is Founder/CEO of Swggr, a gamified fashion app for personal and social styling.Prior to Swggr, Yuri was a Principal at Phalanx Interactive, a global team of creative development professionals where he built and managed their creativeclient pipeline while overseeing their development team abroad. Before joining Phalanx Interactive, Yuri played professional soccer in his home country, Brazil ,with Sociedade Esportiva Itapirense in Sao Paulo. Before his professional career Yuri was an All-American soccer player at Marlborough High School as well as at Wheaton College. Along the way he has developed and executed very creative and strategic camps as well as private lessons for young athletes, helping them take their skills to the next level. Yuri loves to surround himself with driven, like-minded entrepreneurs who want innovate and create exciting new ventures. He is also extremely passionate about his family.
So young but so successful!l Jerry Jao will help our up and coming entrepreneur listeners find their path in the business world! Jerry Jao, CEO and co-founder of Retention Science, a retention-marketing business. Jao has co-founded two other ecommerce marketing companies, including incentiBox, a social media referral platform. Jao worked as an analyst with Morgan Sttog, where he advised Fortune 500 companies on product pricing strategies. Most recently, Jao worked as an adviser to the CFO of Clear Channel, the radio and communications company, working on digital sales initiatives, and iHeartRadio. Jao has a B.S. in Business Administration from U.C. Berkeley.
While having difficulty getting a table at a local pool hall with one of his friends, David Houston decided he should open a pool hall. In 1989, David opened Q's Billiard Club that is still in its current location today. In 1999, long-time Los Angeles eatery Barney's Beanery came on the market. David jumped at the chance to purchase the restaurant-bar hybrid and has gone on to expand the brand by opening locations in Santa Monica, Pasadena, Burbank and Westwood. Barney's Beanery employs a staff of about 400 that includes a managerial staff including Human Resources and Regional Managers. Today our listeners get to learn how to transition from one business to another, how to make it smooth, and keep it running like a well oiled machine!
Simon Mainwaring is the founder of We First, the leading social branding firm that provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of the good they do to build their reputation, profits and social impact. He is a member of the Sustainable Brands Advisory Board, the Advisory Board of the Center for Public Diplomacy at the USC Annenberg School, the Transformational Leadership Council and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London. He contributes to Fast Company, Forbes, Huffington Post, Mashable, and GOOD Magazine on branding and social technology.
Prior to starting We First, Simon was an award-winning Nike creative writer at Wieden & Kennedy and worldwide creative director for Motorola at Ogilvy, as well as consulting on dozens of Fortune 500 brands for leading advertising, production, and digital companies. As writer or creative director, he worked on the U.S. launch of all generations of the Toyota Prius, the largest national service campaign for the Entertainment Industry Foundation that brought together all four major TV networks for the first time in U.S. television history, and numerous award-winning campaigns for Nike. His creative work has received over sixty international creative awards at the Cannes Advertising Festival, the One Show (U.S.), the Kelly Awards (U.S) and the British Design & Art Direction Awards, among others.
Joe Cipriano began his career as a broadcaster in Waterbury, Connecticut, while still in high school. Since then Joe has worked on the air for the Fox, NBC, ABC and CBS TV and Radio networks, achieving success on and off camera.In 2010, Cipriano celebrated his 22nd year as the “Voice” of the FOX-TV Network. For the last 13 years Joe has held a similar position as one of the Signature Voices at CBS. He also spent two years as the voice of NBC dramas Heroes, ER, and Law and Order. In the past several years Cipriano has also been the “live” announcer for many of television’s biggest events such as the prestigious Grammy Awards which broadcasts live from Los Angeles to 195 countries reaching an estimated estimated 1.7 Billion viewers. Cipriano has also been the live voice of the 57th, 59th and 60th Annual Emmy Awards broadcasts. In 2010 Joe was awarded the very first Don LaFontaine Legacy Award which recognizes a voice of impact as determined by a specialized industry committee.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia. His industry acknowledgments include being named one of “The Top 100 Multimedia Producers” by Multimedia Magazine, the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” by Buzz Magazine, and one of “50 New Media Innovators” profiled in Pioneer Electronics’ Multimedia Frontier.
Jesse Dylan is a multiple award-winning show host (The Good Life Show) Sirius/CBS, the author of the best-selling book The Good Life with Jesse Dylan and the founder of Good Life Networks. Jesse is a leading producer of transformational entertainment. His success is built on over 35 years of broadcast experience combined with the renowned relationships he has forged with the greatest authorities in the world of personal health and progressive lifestyle.
Irene Diaz is Los Angeles’ modern day Torch Singer Songwriter. Within only a short amount of time Irene has gained national acclaim. NPR’s Don Gonyea says “Anyone who hears your voice will wonder, ‘Where have you been all this time’.
In late 2011 Irene Diaz began a career move making her way into the music scene playing at various venues around the Los Angeles area, from small coffee shops to eventually playing well known singer songwriter venues such as Room 5 and Hollywood’s House of Blues. In February of 2012 Irene’s song I Love You Madly caught the attention of NPR Alternative Latino’s Jasmine Garsd after by chance opening an email from production company Mucho Music based in L.A. which featured a live video performance. Jasmine Garsd featured the song on her program and said “you can’t fake the soul… Irene is so believable in her emotion.”
In fall of 2012 Irene began the production of her first E.P. titled I Love You Madly. To help fund her project, Irene raised over $10,000 backed by supporters using the website Kickstarter. With the help of these funds, Irene was able to produce and record her E.P., make a music video for Crazy Love, and fund her way to the East Coast for a small tour and to attend the Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York. After attending the conference it was noted by Felix Contreras on NPR’s Alternative Latino segment titled “The Latin Alternative Music Conference 2013: Who Rocked, Who Shocked, Who Killed” that both Jasmine and himself were blown away by Irene Diaz’s voice after she had done an impromptu performance of Crazy Love outside the Press Room. “This year we are (both) blown away by Irene Diaz… Listen to this voice.”
On This Episode : Louise Palanker & Eran Weinberg
Louise Palanker is a writer/producer/performer/filmmaker/author in the arenas of radio, television, stand-up comedy, documentary film making and middle grade fiction.
Louise is the Award Winning author of Journals: Middle School Love and War. This title has been developed into an IOS App (iPhone, iTouch, iPad) called Our Place which, has evolved into a social/support network for teens and tweens.
Our Place is your growing up hub. Teens and tweens the world over are joining the conversation, creating their own profiles and collectively building a safe space to read, write, learn, share, encourage, interact and give and get advice. The Cyber Kindness tone of the app is set by Teen Expert, Louise who brings to this experience a teaching background, and years of heading up mentoring programs and, a charitable organization designed to benefit children’s causes.
Eran Weinberg is a designer, inventor and entrepreneur whose passion is creating products and experiences to improve people’s lives. Founder of three startups, with one of them being successfully sold, Eran is a determined entrepreneur who is looking to take on challenges and solve problems.
The Liv360 concept was conceived while Eran was a part‐time caregiver for his grandmother and a student. To ensure he had the experience and know‐how to bring Liv360 to mass market, Eran invested himself in a series of jobs and inventions, specifically to develop and mature his skill set in product development, business management, manufacturing and bringing products to market. Eran Perfected the process of understanding consumer behavior and market needs, which allowed him to create a wide range of products from children’s toys, to consumer electronics and medical products.
Few young women are offered the choice between a career in basketball or fashion. thinkThin® Founder & CEO Lizanne Falsetto chose fashion and embarked on a successful business chapter that took her to live and work in Japan, Paris, Milan, New York, Australia and Madrid. From both sports and fashion, she gained a deep knowledge and understanding of nutrition and its role in health. From her Italian grandparents, however, she developed a great respect and love for real food - freshly picked from the garden and brought to the table for nourishing conversation and warm family laughter. Balancing a career and motherhood led to the thinkThin® formula: simple, nutritious and delicious portable food.
Frances You - For the women who crave a luxury slipper both elegant and comfortable - one that can be worn in the privacy of the bedroom or at a posh black-tie event - a new Los Angeles-based venture has fulfilled your wish. LMN (Luxe Me Now) is a newly launched collection of extraordinary slippers that are at once chic, feminine and versatile. With gorgeous fabrics and hand-sewn embellishments, LMN debuted its first collection this past Holiday season at Saks Fifth Avenue and will soon expand into other national retailers and regional boutiques. Gracing the pages of Angeleno, Luxury Las Vegas, Palm Springs Life and other lifestyle magazines, the brand begs the question, How can women be glamorous inside AND outside the bedroom? The answer: LMN-tray!
Shaahin is the quintessential American success story. Born in Terhan, Iran in 1975, his family immigrated to America in 1980, during the tumultuous Islamic revolution. As a young boy Shaahin knew he was destined for entrepreneurship. Shaahin is an award winning business mogul, author and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. Cheyene is currently the founder of a brain nutrition start-up Accelerated Intelligence where he is positioning the enterprise to be the forerunner in the brain nutrition supplements market.
Maz is a groundbreaking comedian. he has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "crossing borders and breaking taboos with his stand up tour." He is currently touring solo with his new critically acclaimed tour "My Lion is Moist." He is one of the founding members of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, which aired on Comedy Central. He has had two Showtime comedy specials and performs stand=up around the world, including the Middle East where he performed in front of the King of Jordan. Maz has established himself as strong talent in film, television and stand up, Maz gives his unique perspectives on a wide variety of topics ranging from parenthood to world peace; comedy that will have audiences both laughing and thinking.
Forest has built numerous companies in the B2B data space over the past 12+ years. By allowing easy access to complete information for tens of millions of business contracts at no cost LeadFerret.com is the latest in a series of disruptive B2B data companies. In 2002 Forest helped change the industry forever when he launched ProspectDB and started compiling the earliest known B2B email lists that could be purchased. At that time marketers could only rent email lists, but ProspectDB pioneered this new space and remains a leader in the industry 12 years later. Forest graduated with a degree in economics from Pepperdine University in 1998 and speaks regularly on B2B sales and marketing topics.
Jonah, a native of Washington D.C., is an avid golfer and beach volleyball player. Jonah has been golfing for over 20 years, he has an extensive background in digital marketing and has been an entrepreneur for the past 12 years working with ad agencies, brands and small businesses to implement and manage digital marketing campaigns. Jonah has launched a number of offline business including Q4 marketing Consulting, GreenDeals.org and GoGreenMarketPlace.com.
Clay Hood is a PGA golf professional with over 10 years of experience teaching golfers of all abilities. A native of Kentucky, he graduated from the Golf Academy of America with a degree in golf management. Clay has worked at country clubs in Kentucky and Virginia and now resides in Los Angeles, Ca where he enjoys the sunshine, the beach and happy hour.
Richard is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica. Gibbs was the keyboard player for the new wave band Oingo Boingo from 1980 to 1984. He was also a session player, performing on over 150 albums for artists as diverse as War, Tom Waits, Boy Meets Girl, Living in a Box, Robert Palmer, and Aretha Franklin! He joins us today in studio to mentor our up and coming star!
Adirim's super-sweet career seemed preordained from the start. But in a time when cake art and cupcake competitions were not yet national TV fare, baking was not the most promising of paths. Adirim left the heat of the oven behind for a graduate degree in clinical psychology. After several jobs in hospitals, and a move to California with now-husband Stuart. she threw in the towel and put her apron on for good. Today our listeners will learn all about changing your career later in your life, how scary it can be, and how you can make a decision like this yourself without any doubt!
Tony gained is musical inspiration from his grandfather, who was an established & published poet. Throughout his years in school Tony played every sport and practiced every pastime known to man, but knew his greatest passion was writing lyrics and music. Inspired by Soul and Pop music, specifically Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Al Greene - Tony learned how to create his unique sound that you hear today! Tony joins us in studio to be mentored by our Rockstar musician Richard Gibbs!
Bringing further perspective to a 30-year career distinguished by a string of entrepreneurial successes, including his role in producing some of the world's most ambitious, media-convergent live musical events, Kevin Wall is founder and CEO of Live Earth. Wall is best known for producing events seen by a billion or more people across the globe. In 20005 Wall founded Control Room to create live entertainment accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Thirty Three year old Adam Stewart is the dynamic CEO of Sandals Resorts International (SRI), which owns and operates Caribbean-based Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts. Stewart oversees all areas of SRI operations, which is headquartered in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He has held this position since 2006, but destiny has prepared him for it for his entire life! A truly inspirational story, do not miss this interview!
Jeff's extensive experience in corporate branding, crisis communications and communications strategies makes him a leading figure in the industry for helping companies achieve their corporate goals and then solidifying their niche. He has worked with some the country's best known consumer brands including Starbucks Coffee Company, Jamba Juice, ArcLight Cinemas and Envite Postmark, and has been a key principle in developing, launching and publicizing exceptionally well-known and successful products.
As a previous image-maker in Hollywood for over 22 years, Marla designed traditional media campaigns for her celebrities, bringing visual and performing artists to the masses. Her strategy today translates into coaching your unique charisma and essence through a confident, bold sexy brand that converts to well-matched clients & higher revenues. She inspires and coaches you to live a Six Sensory Abundant Life & Brand that integrates with ALL of who you are.
Creator of Level Up Adventures, Justin Halliwell knows he has created something special, "I grew up reading comic books, playing video games, going to the movies, watching people and characters do amazing things." Halliwell continues, "The problem though, was that I couldn't do those things and that was all I dreamed about doing!" "I created Level Up so that no other children or grown-ups have to miss out." Justin will be our in studio Protege today!
Richard is the President of THE Pink's Hot Dogs, Inc., a landmark hot dog stand located in Hollywood, which serves over 2,000 hot dogs a day. Pink's was started over 70 years ago by Richard's parents, Paul and Betty Pink! Pink's attributes it's longevity and success to its hot dogs, which snap when you bite into them, it's their long term employees, many of whom have been with Pink's for over 10 years! And it's the old Hollywood atmosphere, including their creative menu and commitment to marketing. Pink has recently expanded through licensing arrangements into Las Vegas on the strip at the Planet Hollywood Hotel, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal CityWalk, LAX's Bradly Terminal, Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio.
An award-winning animation director and artist, Umesh founded Auryn to push the boundaries of animation technology and provide truly unique consumer experiences. Using Auryn's proprietary technology, Umesh has collaborated with noted storybook illustrators to bring their creative visions to animated life for leading publishers and distributors. Over the years, Shukla has presented at animation and business conferences including SIGGGRAPH and has been widely covered by leading national and international magazine's . He has taught at Cal Arts, designed courses for the Art Institute, and has served as a judge at animation festivals.
Dain's experience covers everything from playing guitar and bass in touring bands, working as a DJ over the airwaves in Florida after college, doing promotion for Capitol Records, producing artist with multiple chart records and then learning the commercial music business at HLC Killer Music. Dain started his own custom music, house Groove Addicts in 1996. In addition to producing music for countless national TV spots, Groove Addicts scored music for hit TV shows like "Deal or No Deal" - (NBC), "The Goode Family" - (ABC), "Tattoo Highway" and "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" - (ABC). From 2004 through 2007 Dain also had the privilege of producing B.B. King, Jose Feliciano and Patti LaBelle for the "One Touch" Diabetes campaign. Dain has also worked with the likes of Danny Elfman, Stewart Copeland, Thomas Newman and numerous other feature film composers on national TV spots.
Kathryn has over 10 years of experience working in finance. Before launching MakinSenseBabe.com, she spent over seven years as a Director at GAM, a $40 billion asset management firm in Los Angeles where they used Kathryn's research background to parlay her knowledge into a successful sales career, becoming one of the firm's top revenue generators in the United States! Kathryn joined Julius Baer as a research analyst, during her time as a senior research analyst she interviewed and conducted due diligence on over 1,000 long/short equity and relative value arbitrage hedge fund managers in the United States and Europe for potential investments. Kathryn began her financial career at Meritus Research, a San Francisco hedge fund research company.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions, an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page co-founded New Media Broadcasting, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. He also co-founded Direct2care, an online presence management company for healthcare. Scott has received several awards and acknowledgements,primarily for his technology companies' achievements. Named on of "50 Pioneers of Multimedia," Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposiums.
Adam Mosam is optimistic. The founder of Pivotshare, a new social content creation platform that allows multi-media producers to make bank on their videos, thinks the time is now to start a small revolution. The way Mosam sees it, one of the problems with creating and distributing quality content in time. Video production has gotten less expensive, he says, but unlike expert bloggers who can knock out several posts a day, shooting and editing video is a more time consuming process. Pivotshare solves this with its "social content creation paradigm." Additionally, Pivotshare built in a nifty feature that allows viewers to bookmark segments of longer videos to avoid having to search through many minutes of content in order to find a relevant short segment.
Paul is Principal, Portfolio Manager & Founder of Bristol Capitol Advisors, LLC. Mr. Kessler has extensive experience with emerging growth companies which, for a variety of factors, trade below their fundamental value, and, when necessary, directs the Fund to play an activist role with both company boards and executives. He is well-versed at identifying deep value activist opportunities in a variety of industries. He Has board experience in finance, actively sourcing and identifying investment transactions with emerging growth public companies. His responsibilities include implementation of trading strategies as well as directing trading in portfolio securities. Mr. Kessler's activities have included numerous mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, venture capital, private equity, restructuring and other capital market activities.
Renee is synonymous with weddings. She has guided brides from around the world achieve their personal best and fulfill their vision for their special wedding day. Internationally recognized, Renee styles brides, the brides, the bridal party, and the wedding itself. Having reached success in bridal, Renee finds personal fulfillment in consulting as the luxury bridal expert she most enjoys. Recently appointed Luxury Wedding Ambassador for LWH Hotels, a worldwide hotel chain with 3 local properties: Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel and Luxe City Center Hotel. From Keynote speaking, world-wide appearances and bringing awareness to businesses through her consulting and innovative ideas, Renee is sough out for her enthusiasm, comprehension and results.
Two-time Emmy® Award winner Seth Shapiro is a leading executive and adviser in digital media. His work includes cutting-edge projects in television, online, games and music with the Walt Disney Company, Comcast, DIRECTV, Intel. Time Warner, McCann, Showtime, Universal, Verizon, Goldman Sachs and a range of new ventures. He is a Governor of Interactive Media at the Academy of Television of Arts & Sciences, the organization that bestows the Emmy Awards. Shapiro sits on the Annenberg Innovation Lab Research Council, the Producer Guild's New Media Council and the Advisory Boards of Aficionado Media, the Mobile Excellence Awards, PICNIC Festival Amsterdam and OVP Ventures Partners.
Matthew is a social entrepreneur and creative professional who has dedicated himself to helping children get the educations they deserve in Tanzania, Africa. He is the founder of Stone + Cloth, a backpack company where you purchase supports children's educations in Tanzania, Africa. Matthew has backpacked through different parts of the world, loves the outdoors and has a knack for making things. He's interested in designing products that help people live better lives, and has worked with other socially conscious companies including TOMS shoes and Falling Whistles. He lives and works in downtown Los Angeles and takes every opportunity he can to meet new people and share his story!
Mark Verge is the founder and owner of Westside Rentals, a listings service for Southern California renters and landlords based out of Santa Monica. Westside Rentals employs 80 people and lists about 20,000 apartments, hours, and rooms for rent. Education: Associate's degree from Santa Monica College; Bachelor's degree in history from UCLA Personal: Married his high school sweetheart Lani. They live in Pacific Palisades and have a daughter, 7, and a son, 4. First job: A beach lifeguard when he was 18. "I was definitely not the definition of a lifeguard," Verge says. "I was a pale, skinny guy. They'd call me the Ghost." Got the idea: Verge, 40, says he was put off the listings services that would post rental ads without the landlord's permission. "All they would do was copy the newspaper," he says. "The business had a really bad name to it." Figuring he could do better, Verge sold the coin store he owned and started Westside Rentals in 1996.
Lauren Berger is known as "The Intern Queen" and Chief Executive Officer of InternQueen.com. She is the author of the National Campus Best-Seller: "ALL WORK NO PAY : Finding an Internship, Building Your Resume, Making Connections, and Gaining Job Experience". She is arguably the nation's most in-demand career/internship expert. She has been internationally recognized for her work with young people and her entrepreneurial spirit has attracted millions of job and internship seekers. Recently, Berger has been featured on The Today Show, Fox and Friends, Daytime, The New York Times, Bloomberg, LA Weekly, and more. She regularly contributes to AOL JOBS, USA TODAY, Huffington Post, and Justine Magazine.
Nolan Bushnell, inventor of Pong and founder of Atari, is rightly considered the father of electronic gaming. Growing up in Utah in the 1940's, Bushnell had a childhood typical of a budding inventor: his early inspirations include a third-grade science project on electricity; his early setbacks include nearly burning down his family's garage with a homemade liquid-fuel rocket mounted on a roller skate. In tome, Bushnell began to show his talent for business as well: at age 15 when his father died, he took over his concrete business. Bushnell's career plans gelled while he was attending the University of Utah. At the time, he was learning the basics of computer graphics, while managing an amusement park and playing tournament chess on the side!
Jay is the Executive Chairman of Realty Mogul and sits on the Board of Directors. Jay was most recently the President of ooVoo. Prior, Samit was CEO of SocialVide and has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. A leading technology pioneer for over 25 years, Samit has sold companies public in addition to creating multi-million dollar strategic partnerships with Best Buy, Coca Cola, General Motors, McDonald's, Microsoft, and United Airlines.
Richard Gibbs is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactia. Gibbs was the keyboard player for the New Wave band Oingo Boingo from 1980 - 1984. He was also a session player, performing on over 150 albums for artists as diverse as War, Tom Waits, Boy Meets Girl, Living in a Box, Robert Palmer, and Aretha Franklin. He also started with Michael Jochum and the band Zuma II, which had an eponymously titled record release by Pasha/CBS Records. He has appeared live with Korn, The Staples and Chaka Khan.
John Macomber was a three-year starter for the Holy Cross football team as a placekicker and punter. During his time at Holy Cross, he broke school records for punting and field goals and was named to the All-New England All-Star team in his junior and senior seasons. In the classroom, John holds over a 3.7 GPA and was named to the New England Capital-One Academic All-American team during his sophomore season and the Academic All-Patriot League his sophomore, junior, and senior year. Outside of Holy Cross, John has held an internship at Oracle last summer and has been offered a full time position at NetSuite after he graduates.
John has continually sought to provide high school athletes with the tools needed to excel in the recruiting process. He believes that Recruiting4Me will remedy many of the challenges high school athletes and parents face when persisting through the recruiting process. By creating an interactive network of college coaches and high school athletes, John hopes to streamline the recruiting process and eliminate the prevailing barriers that have hindered athletes from getting recruited.
Jay is the Executive Chairman of Realty Mogul and sits on the Board of Directors. Jay was most recently the President of ooVoo. Prior, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe and has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. A leading technology pioneer for over 25 years, Samit has sold companies to Fortune 500 firms and taken companies public in addition to creating multi-million dollar strategic partnerships with Best Buy, Coca Cola, Ford, General Motors, McDonald's, Microsoft and United Airlines.
Believing that children should have the finest personal care products available, Christine Burger founded Noodle & Boo in 2003. As CEO, Christine provides strategic direction and leadership in the development of superior skin care and hair care products created especially for newborns, babies and children. Noodle and Boo offers "complete care from head to toe" with safe and gentle products that nourish and protect the delicate skin and hair of little ones.
Wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, leading lawyer and committed campaigner for women's rights, Cherie set up the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in 2008 to help women build small and growing business in developing and emerging markets so that they can contribute to economies and have a stronger voice in their societies. As well as fighting for human rights in her professional career, Cherie is an active campaigner on equality and human rights issues. In addition to founding her own charity, Cherie remains closely involved with charities with a special emphasis on women and children.
Dina Dwyer-Owens is the executive chairwoman of The Dwyer Group®. America also knows her for participating in CBS’s Emmy-winning hit reality show “Undercover Boss” and the first-ever special episode “Undercover Boss: Epic Bosses.” A winner of the 2012 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Southwest Area North, Dina leads by example and credits a growing team for the franchise family she presides over today.
Dina is a certified franchise executive with more than 30 years of industry experience, having grown up in The Dwyer Group. That business now includes seven franchise brands and more than 1,600 locations around the world through direct franchising and master license agreements operating as Air Serv, Glass Doctor, Mr. Appliance, Mr.Electric, Mr. Rooter, Rainbow International and The Grounds Guys. Collectively, those service brands make more than 2 million customer calls a year and account for more than $800 million in system-wide sales.
Freshwire helps brands tell their stories by delivering strategic and thoughtful content, operating on the belief that the future of consumer engagement lies in value, not volume. Amos has been a trusted tastemaker, content creator, and custodian of pop culture for the past decade, having previously served as a music industry exec. He was included in Forbes magazine's recent list of "Up and Comers," and he is a regular contributor on Bloomberg West TV. Amos also sits on the Board of Trustees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Board of Directors of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.
Elisha is a psychologist and author of the best-selling book "The Now Effect." Goldstein synthesizes traditional psychotherapy with a progressive integration of mindfulness to achieve mental and emotional healing. He also wrote "Mindfulness Meditations for the Anxious Traveler" and "A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook" as well as numerous articles, chapters and blogs. Goldstein designed the breakthrough program Mindfulness at Work for eMindful.com, which has been recognized by the National Business Group on Health for it's success with stress management. He also designed the "Basics of Mindfulness Meditation : 28 Day online program."
As soon as you hear Akon's voice you know it's him.
His shimmering, soulful voice has propelled countless hits across genres-from pop and R&B to hip hop and dance. In addition to his own chart-dominating singles "Smack That" and I Wanna Love You", he's made a staggering 300 guest appearances for icons including Michael Jackson, Lady gaga, Gwen Stefani, Lil Wayne, R. Kelly & Eminem. With 35 million albums sold worldwide, five Grammy Award nominations, and 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs under his belt, he's simply unstoppable. Once Akon reached the top, he went even further landing on a global path set for his fourth full-length album and latest opus 2012's Stadium (Universal Republic Records).
Work, work, work! This is ingrained into our psyche almost from birth. But what happens after you start a family? How in the world do you make the two co-exist? Michelle Waters is an experienced senior executive, consultant, integrated work/life/family facilitator and coach. While serving as SVP for her primary client, she spearheaded a B to B multilingual dependent care service globally, managed Fortune 100 international accounts and led a cross-cultural expansion project across four continents. Now she helps our listeners find a balance between the two most important aspects of your life!
Funk music artist Cliff Beach has been performing live for more than ten years in Los Angeles. The Berklee-trained singer/songwriter/keyboardist and DC native has created a style of music he coins as "Nu-funk", a hybrid of soul, traditional R&B, funk and neo-soul which he performs regularly throughout Southern California. Last summer, Cliff released the highly anticipated "Who the Funk is Cliff Beach?" EP, independently, which was nominated for three LA Music Awards including "Record of the Year" and one Hollywood Music in Media award. Cliff also received national press in a featured live review in Music Connection Magazine in Nov. 2013 and was freatured performer at Tedx Napa Valley in March 2014. Cliff will be releasing an unplugged EP this summer entitled, "Stripped Down and Unplugged". For more on Cliff and his music please visit www.cliffbeachmusic.com.
A native of Honolulu, Kalika Yap, CEO & Founder of Citrus Studio, Inc., Luxe Link, and the Waxing Company attended NYU where she found the everyday activity of life in New York - from subway and taxi rides to visits to the Union Square Farmer's Market - exhilarating! A journalism major, Kalika worked for several media firms including Bloomberg and CNBC until 1996 when she uprooted herself again, and moved out west to Los Angeles. She has been recognized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) at the Deborah Awards for her professional & philanthropic dedication to the Los Angeles community. In 1999, Kalika founded Citrus Studios Inc., an award-winning interactive design and consulting agency focused on the development and implementation of engaging effective web sites for corporations, institutions, museums, and universities.
Renee Strauss is synonymous with weddings. She has guided brides from around the world achieve their personal best and fulfill their vision for their special wedding day. Internationally recognized, Renee styles brides, the bridal party, and the wedding itself. Having reached success in bridal, Renee finds personal fulfillment in consulting as the luxury bridal expert she most enjoys. Recently appointed Luxury Wedding Ambassador for LWH Hotels, a worldwide hotel chain with 3 local properties : Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel and Luxe City Center Hotel.
Sid Levin - Did you know that according to The Labor Department, the unemployment rate for veterans remains incredibly high at 9 percent, and well above overall civilian unemployment levels of 7 percent? Additionally, the youngest veterans aged 18-24, have an ultra-high jobless rate of 21.4 percent. Despite job training, job skills acquired in the military and government programs, young veterans of recent conflicts encounter more difficulty finding work than non-veterans. One man is doing his part to stop this. For close to 30 years, veteran Hollywood agent Sid Levin, Founder of the talent agency The Levin Agency has been dedicating a good deal of his resource to supporting veterans and helping them get back on their feet with acting and commercial roles in Hollywood. Aside from the numerous Emmy-nominated clients on his roster, nearly 20 percent of the actors he represents are veterans. He has helped literally hundreds of men and women who have served keep food on their tables and feed their families.
Howard Leonhardt is the developer and manufacturer of the world's first implantable, programmable, and re-fillable stem cell pump for organ regeneration. Leonhardt's stem cell pump is an advanced model equipped with electrical stimulation to treat advanced heart failure.
Leonhardt Ventures is an angel network, family and venture capital fund, business incubator and accelerator, and mentoring organization that has founded 20+ companies to date. Leonhardt Ventures' angel network founded companies ahve raised and put to work more than $145 million to date. 50% of founded and funded companies are life science with a focus on heart disease and stem cell therapies; the other 50% are focused on social good enterprises with anticipated short term positive cash flow.
Do you want to be cutting edge? Do you thrive to be a trendsetter? This can be a daunting task! Luckily Kate has the secrets our listeners need to be on the forefront of "what's next!" Kate Albrecht is the designer, stylist, interior decorator, cook, blogger, host, DIYer, crafter, frugalista, environmental enthusiast, and opinionated personality behind this quirky and cutting edge brand. As a jane-of-all-trades, with a knack for anything creative, she is the Martha Stewart of her generation (generation Y and Z with some X and Boomers thrown in too!) Through her blog, web videos, and popular Mr. Kate jewelry line, the Mr. Kate brand is an authority on stylish and affordable living for all young customers.
Sleeping is something most of us don't get enough of; but what if there was a way to make the sleep you do get count a little more? Martin Rawls-Meehan is president and chief executive officer of Reverie, the largest global manufacturer of adjustable beds, a business he co-founded with Tony Chang. Rawls-Meehan is singularly focused on developing specialty sleep products that improve the way people sleep. He was one of the first in the industry to promote adjustable bed bases when he noticed a paradigm shift in the way people spent time in the bedroom. Through its collection of innovative adjustable bed bases that focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle, Reverie has established a loyal base of health-conscious customers throughout the United States.
Have you ever seen an incredible performance with amazing visual effects? How do they do it? What are the new technologies when performing live? Ashley graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's and master's degree in engineering. She applied these skills at BP where she devised the production strategy for multiple products for the West Coast refinery, managing cross-functional teams to ensure maximum profitability. She also gained experience with event production at MTV Networks in Los Angeles working on shoots and the MTV Video Music Awards. Later she worked in London as a Production Assistant for INCA Productions, planning events to be executed in multiple countries.
Business Rockstar listeners do not miss this interview! The cream of the crop when it comes to business. Mr. Pulier joins Ken in studio to give you the tools you need to succeed! Entrepreneur, writer, public speaker, and founder of over fifteen companies, Pulier has raised 700 Million dollars + for ventures he has founded or co-founded : Media Platform (www.mediaplatform.com); SOA Software (ww.soa.com); Desktone (www.desktone.com); ServiceMesh (www.servicemesh.com); and Enterprise Cloud Leadership Council (www.tmforum.org). In Addition Mr. Pulier is an investor in several start ups in media and technology, as well as a member of the Clinton Global Initiative (www.clintonglobalinitiative.org).
We all grew up using the ever so popular red plastic cups. You know, the ones you constantly keep forgetting to pick back up and bring with you at a super bowl party! It can be a nightmare for the host of the party. They are the ones that have to pick up all the dirty, sticky red cups at the end of the day. Enter Mitchell Arvanites and Alex Feig, the geniuses that decided to take product and make it better! Lil Reds are exactly the same as your normal red plastic cups, EXCEPT they are made out of much more durable and re washable plastic! Don't ever throw away another red plastic cup again! Today these two fill us in just how they did it, and how you can do something like this yourself!
Kenny Aronoff joins Ken in studio today to be our Rockstar mentor! Kenny has performed with Dave Grohl, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Mayer and Garth Brooks just to name a few! Kenny also has his own recording studio along with a book he is working on depicting his incredible career. If you are an up and coming musician seeking guidance and directions do not miss this interview!
Dana Manciagli has had a remarkable career in global sales and marketing roles in Fortune 500 corporations. Recently retired from more than a decade's tenure at Microsoft as worldwide sales manager, she is now running her own business as a career expert, speaker, author & coach. A true visionary, our listeners get to learn from of the best in the industry!
Dale is the co-founder & CEO of Tribogenics Inc., a Southern California start-up developing the world's smallest portable X-ray sources with applications in mining, industrial, medical and military markets. Fox is a serial entrepreneur and innovator who has launched, grown, managed, and solved several companies based on new breakthrough technologies, including the first company to be focused exclusively on mobile devices. His background include includes all aspects of marketing and finance for start-ups.
Industry veteran Richard Zelniker’s body of work to date includes, A Test of Will, an acclaimed short that he wrote and directed and his award winning feature debut, Fix (aka Menage a Trois). For more than a decade, Zelniker has been dedicated to writing and developing powerful thought-provoking screenplays that he will direct. Mischief Night marks Zelniker’s second feature as a director.
Chris Monte’s award-winning background spans several years of producing and editorial experience including the Humanitas Prize winner, Where God Left His Shoes, starring John Leguizamo from Sal Stabile and The Return of Joe Rich, starring Armand Assante. Monte also owns Magic Hair Studios, a post-production editorial and finishing facility.
Jason Silberberg is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nabthat, a service platform, that is
revolutionizing the way consumers interact with dealerships when looking to purchase or
lease a new vehicle. Nabthat removes the burden of going from dealership to dealership
looking for the best deal and allows consumers to request a vehicle (by naming their
terms) or schedule a test drive from the comfort of their home (or anywhere with internet
connection). All interaction is anonymous, eliminating the bombardment of unwanted phone
calls and emails from dealerships. Nabthat currently has more than 100 Los Angeles and
Orange County dealerships participating on their platform, ranging from Fiat to Porsche.
Nabthat is creating a consumer experience that is unrivaled to anything else on the market.
Mr. Silberberg is a successful and seasoned executive with experience in various
fields such as entertainment, distribution, logistics, digital media, telecommunications
and software. He has over 15 years of experience with developing strategy, business
development, policy, and operations for fast growing companies. Mr. Silberberg has been
part of three successful exits during his professional career. He believes that the key to any
business is the ability to initiate, develop and take ownership of your clients’ interests.
Brock Pierce is a 15x entrepreneur best known for pioneering the market for digital currency. He has raised more than $200 million on behalf of his companies and led more than 30 acquisitions. He is currently a Managing Director of the Clearstone Global Gaming Fund and sits on the boards of IMI Exchange, Xfire, Playsino, ExpressCoin (easy way to buy Bitcoin), GoCoin (Bitcoin payments), FGL, Spicy Horse Games, KnCMiner.cn (Bitcoin mining), Robocoin China (Bitcoin ATMs) and the Mastercoin Foundation (Bitcoin meta application layer).
Pierce’s entrepreneurial activities are focused in the areas of digital currencies such as Bitcoin, games, gambling, ad tech and payments. He is the founder of IMI Exchange, the worlds leading digital currency marketplace with sales exceeding US$1 billion annually, which raised over $100 Million from blue chip investors such as Goldman Sachs and Oak Investment Partners, ZAM, one of the world’s largest media properties for gamers with more than 15 million monthly users which was sold in January 2012 to Tencent, IGE, the company credited with pioneering the market for digital currency in online games, which generated $100 million in revenue in 2006 and was sold in early 2007. He is also the co-founder of Playsino, ExpressCoin (Bitcoin exchange), GoCoin (Bitcoin payment platform), Five Delta, Evertune, GamesTV, Digital Entertainment Network, KnCMiner.cn (Bitcoin Mining), and Robocoin China (Bitcoin ATM). Pierce also led the acquisition of Xfire from Viacom.
Yuri is a Tech and Fashion enthusiast who has vested his past couple years exploring and educating himself on new technologies. This has sparked the birthof his new venture, Swggr. Yuri is Founder/CEO of Swggr, a gamified fashion app for personal and social styling. Prior to Swggr, Yuri was a Principal at Phalanx Interactive, a global team of creative development professionals where he built and managed their creativeclient pipeline while overseeing their development team abroad. Before joining Phalanx Interactive, Yuri played professional soccer in his home country, Brazil ,with Sociedade Esportiva Itapirense in Sao Paulo. Before his professional career Yuri was an All-American soccer player at Marlborough High School as well as at Wheaton College. Along the way he has developed and executed very creative and strategic camps as well as private lessons for young athletes, helping them take their skills to the next level. Yuri loves to surround himself with driven, like-minded entrepreneurs who want innovate and create exciting new ventures. He is also extremely passionate about his family.
While having difficulty getting a table at a local pool hall with one of his friends, David Houston decided he should open a pool hall. In 1989, David opened Q's Billiard Club that is still in its current location today. In 1999, long-time Los Angeles eatery Barney's Beanery came on the market. David jumped at the chance to purchase the restaurant-bar hybrid and has gone on to expand the brand by opening locations in Santa Monica, Pasadena, Burbank and Westwood. Barney's Beanery employs a staff of about 400 that includes a managerial staff including Human Resources and Regional Managers. Today our listeners get to learn how to transition from one business to another, how to make it smooth, and keep it running like a well oiled machine!
So young but so successful!l Jerry will help our up and coming entrepreneur listeners find their path in the business world! Jerry Jao, CEO and co-founder of Retention Science, a retention-marketing business. Jao has co-founded two other ecommerce marketing companies, including incentiBox, a social media referral platform. Jao worked as an analyst with Morgan Stanley and as an engagement manager for BearingPoint Management Consulting, where he advised Fortune 500 companies on product pricing strategies. Most recently, Jao worked as an adviser to the CFO of Clear Channel, the radio and communications company, working on digital sales initiatives, and iHeartRadio. Jao has a B.S. in Business Administration from U.C. Berkeley.
Howard Marks is Co-Chair of Start Engine and CEO of Gamzee. Howard is an incredibly successful technology entrepreneur that has worked with a number of companies specializing in the video game, online gaming, social gaming and internet education industry. He is also working as the CEO of Gamzee, a company he founded in April 2011 with the stated goal of disrupting the gaming industry by making games that anyone can play anywhere, anytime, and on any device. In 2005, Howard founded Acclaim Games. After its acquisition by Playdom, he became head of the Acclaim studio and Sr. VP, Strategic Planning at Disney Interactive Media Group. Howard got his start in 1983 while a student at the University of Michigan. In 1991 as a co-founder, member of the board of directors and Executive Vice-President of Activision, Howard helped turn a brand that was largely viewed as dead weight into the leading powerhouse of the video game industry.
Sometimes there just aren't any products out there that fit a specific need, like soap or shampoo for a baby’s delicate exterior. Inspired by her children's need for products developed for ultra-sensitive skin, Christine Burger founded Noodle & Boo. Working with professionals who specialize in natural, holistic skin care each exclusive formula is developed to nourish, replenish and protect especially delicate and sensitive skin. And today you will learn first hand how Christine did this, and how you can do something like this your self!The company is lovingly named after Christine's two young children, Andrew and Matthew, also known as Noodle and Boo. More recently, on a goodwill trip to Ethiopia, Christine met her daughter Dibora who rounds out the family perfectly.
Richard “Ribbs” Gibbs (born in 1955 in Bay Village, Ohio) is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica.
Gibbs was the keyboard player for the New Wave band Oingo Boingo from 1980 to 1984. He was also a session player, performing on over 150 albums for artists as diverse as War, Tom Waits, Boy Meets Girl, Living in a Box, Robert Palmer, and Aretha Franklin. He also started with Michael Jochum the band Zuma II, which had an eponymously titled record released by Pasha/CBS Records. He has appeared live with Korn, The Staples, Chaka Khan, and Oingo Boingo.
Have you ever run into issues with group scheduling? Look no further! We have our expert in to shed some light on this ever growing issue. Hunter Gray is founder and CEO of Klutch (Calaborate, Inc). Backed by Los Angeles' #1 accelerator, LaunchpadLA, Klutch solves the incredibly painful and widespread problem of group scheduling. Hunter raised $1.9 million to seed the company through its early developmental stage, staffing up, and bringing onboard best in class engineers. Prior to Klutch, Hunter joined the Direct Selling Industry and emerged as one of the industry's top leaders. Within his first five years out of college, Hunter built and led his organization to over $5M in sales. He grew his team to more than 10,000 independent reps. Hunter holds a B.A. in Game Theory from Yale University (Economics, Psychology, Technology). When not focusing on Klutch, Hunter loves to snowboard and watch NFL football.
California native, singer/songwriter recording artist Kristen McNamara (KMAC)has spent more than half her life creating music and performing all over theworld. She has been known for singing the American National Anthem for the San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball Team, and San Francisco 49ers Major League Football Team. Kristen was a finalist on the following television series, CBS's Star Search in 2003, USA Network's Nashville Star Season 4, and American Idol Season 8. Kristen has performed and worked with Kenny Chesney, Adam Lambert, Ryan Seacrest, Wynonna Judd, Big N' Rich, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Alan Jackson, Arsenio Hall, Carlos Santana's Tony Lindsay, Lee Brice, Cowboy Troy, Glenn Campbell, Lonestar, Diamond Rio, Kevin Sharp, Naomi Judd, Phil Vassar, Sara Evans, Chris Young, Master P, Lil Bow Wow, BenStein and Cher to name a few.
Sabrina Kay is committed to returning the American educational system to its former glory by introducing new learning models and connecting the workforce with classrooms. Her quest answers the seemingly logical question: Why wait until college students have already graduated to give them work-based training? Her goal is to use the Penn's learning model as a framework, conduct further research, perfect the model, and enhance students' social mobility and opportunity through education. The laboratory of her ambition is Fremont College. Dr. Sabrina Kay became Chancellor of Fremont College in 2007 and targeted nontraditional students, teaching them through collaboration and real-world cases to navigate the issues that impact everyday work life. According to Sabrina, "We're on this earth as stewards of life for a small period of time. The difference we can make is through becoming part of others' inspiration and helping make their dreams and aspirations into reality." She feels incredibly lucky that, through her work with Fremont College, she gets to do that every day.
Technology is moving faster than we can keep up. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone keeping you up to date and current with all things Tech in the business world? Matthew Zehner is the CEO at ZehnerGroup, a full service digital agency that offers strategy, creative, technology and marketing solutions to a wide range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Through Matthew’s experience in all areas of technology, he ensures the user experience ZehnerGroup creates on behalf of its clients is cutting edge. He plays an integral role in his clients’ success through his hands on collaboration and close integration with their teams. Prior to starting ZehnerGroup, Matthew worked at SapientNitro, a top interactive agency, where he introduced the latest digital platforms and technologies to an array of Fortune 500 clients.
Amelia is a passionate aviatrix, inspired by adventure and flight. In June of this year, Amelia will recreate and symbolically complete the 1937 flight of her namesake, Amelia Mary Earhart. In 14 stops and approximately 100 hours of flight time, she will fly a Pilatus PC-12NG around the world, and upon completion will be the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engine aircraft. In order to make this dream a reality, she created the Fly With Amelia Aviation LLC and has spent the past year plus relentlessly pursuing, pitching and securing big-name sponsors for everything from her aircraft to the food she will eat in flight. To date, she has single-handedly raised millions from companies including Pilatus, Jeppesen, Honeywell, Signature Flight Support and Dallas Air Motive, among others. Amelia’s goal with this flight is to inspire a new generation of aviators and to motivate others to pursue their dreams and passions. In conjunction with the around-the-world flight, Amelia started the Fly With Amelia Foundation Fly With Amelia Foundation, a 501c3 that provides flight scholarships to young women, aviation career mentoring, and STEM education programs.
Ralph Simon is widely recognized as one of the founders of the modern global mobile entertainment and content industry. He has been a prominent mobile visionary, trailblazer and innovator for the past decade, helping grow the world-wide mobile/wireless content and entertainment industries, and playing a central role in helping an international array of companies, start-ups, technologists and creative innovators to grow their mobile applicability and stickiness in the established and fast-developing international markets. He has become popularly known as “the father of the ring tone” – starting the first ring tone company which came to fruition in Santa Monica nearly two decades ago.
Paul Hibler does not call himself a chef, but he’s been in the food-service business for more than 25 years, and can still be found tossing dough in the back of the house at his Pitfire Artisan Pizza restaurants and collaborating with culinarians through his American Gonzo Food Corporation restaurant group. His career in the hospitality world took off in 1989 when he and David Sanfield started Deluxe Catering, a motion picture catering company. Three hundred film sets later, Hibler and Sanfield had served clients such as Steven Spielberg and James Cameron for movies filmed around the Deluxe Catering launched a private party division in 1994, making memorable menus for Hollywood’s A-listers. President Bill Clinton even called the caterers his preferred vendor on West Coast.
Creating a restaurant can be a daunting task! How do you do it in a world filled with them?! With two degrees each under their belts, real-world restaurant experience, a renewed commitment to cooking, and encouragement from each other, Chloe and John drew on their backgrounds to create everything from the ground up—from the East/Borough logo to the smallest details of the interior design. Chloe also reached back to her time in her family’s food truck while creating a menu that balances classic and French-influenced Vietnamese dishes, including bánh mì, vermicelli bowls, Bo Kho beef stew, and, of course, the spring rolls her college friends loved.
Fred Joyal is an entrepreneur who partnered with Gary Saint Denis in 1986 to form the successful dental referral service, 1-800-DENTIST. Today he serves as the CEO of Futuredontics, Inc., which operates 1-800-DENTIST as well as several other brands, and is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on dental consumer marketing. Joyal is widely regarded as one of the leading experts in dental consumer marketing. He writes regular articles for industry trade magazines on the subjects of marketing and advertising, and he has authored two detailed whitepapers and a book on dental marketing. Joyal is also highly sought after as a lecturer and has given marketing talks at many dental trade shows and seminars. In addition, Joyal operates GoAskFred.com, a complimentary website where he answers dental marketing questions submitted by dentists and provides free marketing tips to dental professionals. It includes a monthly blog and a series of short marketing videos.
Following the success of their first handbag ventures, Treesje and its offspring Joelle Hawkens, fashion entrepreneurs Sheila Nazarian and Laura Darrah have launched their first namesake company, She + Lo. Offering accessible California casual designs - easy to wear, with an edge -the new brand will debut its Fall 2014 collection this August in such retail stores as Henri Bendel, Bloomingdale's, Zappos and Amazon, as well as select boutiques across the US.
Leslie Greif is an Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominated producer, creator, writer and director and is one of the most prolific figures in the entertainment industry. Leslie has a tremendous amount of versatility and production experience, and is a top creator of high-quality entertainment content across a diverse range of both scripted and unscripted productions. Greif has hit various milestones over his career and produced various worldwide super-hits including eight seasons of the classic crime drama Walker, Texas Ranger starring Chuck Norris. Greif produced and directed the highly acclaimed documentary Brando, starring Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Martin Scorsese, Sean Penn and Robert Duvall, which garnered him an Emmy® nomination for his work. In addition, he executive produced seven seasons of the longest running celebrity docu-series, Gene Simmons Family Jewels. As well as the preeminent mini-series Hatfields & McCoys, which received 16 Emmy® nominations, garnering five wins and two Golden Globe® nods, with Kevin Costner taking home the award for Best Actor in a Mini-Series. The mini-series was also awarded a WGA Award in the Long Form Original category.
Mr. Giamela's clients range from small businesses to national companies in all sectors of manufacturing, retail, wholesale distribution, hospitality, education and the automotive industries. And now you get to learn from one of the industries best! Do not miss this interview! Mr. Giamela has conducted more than 200 seminars to management, executives, human resources professionals and employer groups on a multitude of topics including fair employment, medical leaves, mass layoffs, FMLA/CFRA compliance, independent contractor classification matters and wage and hour compliance. He represents clients before state, appellate and federal courts as well as governmental agencies such as the Department of Fair Employment Housing, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and Employment Development Department.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Scott Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements.
Dr. Andrew Thorn provides behavioral based leadership strategies to individuals who are seeking to bring their personal and professional responsibilities into full harmony. This can be one of the hardest things to accomplish if you are an entrepreneur. Let’s learn how to keep ourselves and our business organized and professional! Andrew’s clients achieve more, become more and experience balanced growth for their own benefit, and for the benefit of the people they lead. His confidential work over the past 20 years with senior leaders and c-level executives helps him establish trust quickly and deeply. He is known for his ability to address difficult conversations without creating conflict. He fosters a strength-based approach and is constantly looking for ways to help people become the best they can be. He personally guided 2 of the top 50 business thinkers, currently listed on The Thinkers 50. His work extends to over 50 major corporate clients and over 250 Senior Leaders from many of the Fortune 500 Companies.
Edge Of Paradise is releasing a second studio album produced by the legendary Michael Wagener (Metallica, Ozzy...) in April. The band has been promoting the release of the full length by releasing a limited edition EP 'Perfect Shade Of Black' mixed by Michael Wagener and produced by Bob Kulick (KISS, Motorhead) it sold over 1000 copies in the first week! Edge of Paradise only printed 2000 copies and sold the rest on their East Coast tour that was held a few months ago. This helped them fund the full length CD as well! Currently they are finishing recording it at Michael Wagener's studio in Nashville, TN. Watch our for their new video they are releasing for one of their songs "Rise For The Fallen" in April!
Few young women are offered the choice between a career in basketball or fashion. thinkThin® founder and CEO Lizanne Falsetto chose fashion and embarked on a successful business chapter that took her to live and work in Japan, Paris, Milan, New York, Australia and Madrid. From both sports and fashion, she gained a deep knowledge and understanding of nutrition and its role in health. From her Italian grandparents, however, she developed a great respect and love for real food – freshly picked from the garden and brought to the table for nourishing conversation and warm family laughter. Besides being a businesswoman and mother of two, Lizanne is a passionate philanthropist dedicated to fighting and creating awareness for diseases like obesity and diabetes. She has also raised over $250,000 for research and education related to cancer and other epidemics. In 2010, Lizanne was awarded the prestigious Leadership Award from The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO-LA) for outstanding leadership in 2009. She is also a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and a board member of the Arizona Cancer Center. thinkThin® is a proud sponsor of the Dream Foundation whose mission is to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their families who are battling terminal illness. The Dream Foundation has earned recognition and a 4-star rate by Charity Navigator and a Seal of Excellence from Independent Charities of America.
Morgan Carson is a brand developer. She helps people and business construct their story to be relatable to the public, making them more appealing! She swings by the studio today to help our listeners re brand and become successful entrepreneurs!
Serial entrepreneur T.K. Pillan was sick of pizza. So, he opened The Veggie Grill. The venture is the brainchild of Kevin Boylan, once a financier and a senior executive at Drexel Burnham Lambert; T.K. Pillan, who co-founded Guidance Solutions, a firm that designs e-commerce websites; and Ray White. This is the definition of "seeing a problem and fixing it." Pillan and Boylan explains how they were able to create such a successful business in an industry with only a 5% success rate!
Before Blake Andrews became the CEO of Giveback Homes he embarked on a mission trip that became a life mission. Born and raised in Corpus TX, Blake is defined by his courageous entrepreneurship and vision for turning the real estate community, home buyers and home sellers into humanitarians and home givers. Blake's light bulb moment happened when he reached out to his good friend- - the founder and chief shoe giver of TOMS, Blake Mycoskie to ask if he could work at TOMS to learn about social entrepreneurship.
As a partner at Giveback Homes, Tricia Andrews is driven to lead the Giveback team by seeing first hand the lives they change by providing families with homes. Andrews uses her savvy and experience in marketing and advertising to attract the real estate community to become members of Giveback Homes. Today you will learn just how the Real Estate business works, and how you can make it a successful career! After marrying founder Blake Andrews in 2012, Tricia was inspired by his work in Nicaragua to start a charitable company called Givebones, a dog collar business that donates a percentage of sales to animal rescue organizations across the U.S.Tricia was born & raised in Minot, ND. She graduated from the University of Minnesota, in 2001, with a degree in Marketing & Advertising. Today, she manages both Givebones and Giveback Homes.
A graduate of Harvard Business School Ken Kragen‘s illustrious career far transcends the music and entertainment industries where he has spent many incredibly successful years. He has managed some of the world’s most important entertainers, including Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Olivia Newton John, The Bee Gees, Burt Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers and many others. He was the creator and organizer of ”We Are the World”, “Hands Across America”, and Cisco System’s ”NetAid”. Amazingly over 95% of the acts he managed have become stars, and 90% of the projects he created and spearheaded have achieved success.
Jason Zdenek completed his BS in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA while on full scholarship as a defensive back for the Bruins football team. After several years in the lighting industry Jason, recognizing a need for professional expertise, quality and service, founded Mobile Illumination in 2001. Early on Jason filled every role and wore many hats while relying heavily on his siblings and parents to get the company off the ground. His passion and integrity have fueled the growth of the business and today the company employs more than 40 people. Jason focuses on new product development, staying ahead of industry trends, while also continuing to supervise day-to-day operations. Jason is extremely grateful for the many years that Mobile Illumination has been able to flawlessly serve its clientele and looks forward to exciting growth that is in the works.
Chad Zdenek earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Loyola Marymount University, an MS in Structural Engineering from USC and an MBA from UCLA. Chad gained significant experience working as a structural engineer for Boeing on the Space Shuttle Main Engine. He is also state licensed in civil and mechanical engineering and holds a general contractors license. In 2004, as Mobile Illumination was expanding, Chad was heavily recruited and now utilizes his engineering expertise to create unimaginable holiday décor, while also providing critical guidance in the safe design and installation of complex and extremely unique projects. Additionally,Chad’s MBA has enabled the company to grow methodically as he continually optimizes a variety of functions including operations, human resources, finance, and sales.
Clients, agencies, media and academic institutions call upon Sasha Strauss‘ award-winning forums worldwide; from Romania to China, Switzerland to Mexico. Media channels like National Public Radio (NPR), Forbes and The Wall Street Journal seek his expertise on branding everything from presidential candidates to innovative start-ups and Fortune 500s. He has keynoted with notable speakers such as Magic Johnson, Tony Hsieh, Frank Gehry, Biz Stone and Simon Sinek. With nearly two decades in strategic brand development, Mr. Strauss has built brands at the world’s leading advertising, PR, marketing and branding agencies.
Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you need to have a ton of money and wrinkles on your forehead! More and more these days young adults are encouraged to go the “start your own business” route. And Mark A. Lack is leading the way! Mr. Lack is the Founder and CEO of The Peak Performance Club, which is The Nation's Preeminent Coaching Company for Young Adults and Young Entrepreneurs. Mark is an author, speaker, and peak-performance coach who specializes in helping people overcome their fears, self-doubts, and perceived limitations holding them back from making their life a masterpiece.
Keith Chambers has assisted more than five hundred goods and service providers in formulating their marketing approach, including Clorox, Del Monte, Campbell’s, Coppertone, Arm &Hammer, Sparkletts, Hormel, Scotch-Brite, and Equal.
He has helped brands as varied as Claritin and the Miss America Pageant develop and convey their product message to the consumer.
The firm began as a successful package design studio for brands such as Coca Cola Foods, Van de Kamps, and Minute Maid.
The world could use more Kathryn Finneys! Kathryn reaches into the urban community to help entrepreneurs get their business started, and now you get to learn from on the industries best! Kathryn Finney is the founder and Managing Director of digitalundivided (DID), a social enterprise which develops programs that increase the participation of urban communities, especially women, in the digital space. DID’s programs have reached over 4 million people. In 2013, Kathryn received the Champions of Change Award from The White House for her working in increasing inclusiveness in tech.
Do you want to create a business that wow's the customer, indulge their senses, and leaves them begging for more?! The brainchild of Nancy Truman, f?nuts debuted in August ’11 with a mission to elevate the coffee and donut experience into loftier and tastier realms. Baked and/or steamed and never fried, f?nuts replicate the donut taste you know and love, but give it a modern spin, featuring gluten-free and vegan options alongside traditional varieties. With an aversion to fryer oil and a focus on natural ingredients, Lucas and Truman accentuate the deliciousness of every f?nut bite. Nancy and Waylynn help our listeners open their mind to ideas on the "fringe!"
Todd Greene is the inventor and founder of HeadBlade, the leader in headcare. Todd began shaving his head on-and-off in 1993 and made the decision to go “shaved” every day in 1995. After years of shaving his head with a standard razor, Todd created an ergonomic handle that was compatible with standard razor cartridges. An entrepreneur at heart, Todd took his original razor and created a company based on the design. HeadBlade has now been in existence for over 10 years, sold over 1 million units of razors and can be purchased in over 10,000 stores. The original HeadBlade drew the attention of the press and began winning numerous awards and honors for its unique and ergonomic design, including the IDSA Silver Award in 2000 for Product Design, and Time Magazine named it one of the “Ten Best Designs of 2000.” HeadBlade has also been cited in a number of case studies and books, including Design Secrets: Products and Gadget Nation for its innovative designs.
If you have a passion for Culinary arts do not miss this compelling interview! We are joined by a A Rock N’ Roll Catering Queen! Shelleylyn Brandler is the caterer of choice for some of today's biggest acts in music, including Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Robin Thick, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomes, Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Muse and Arcade Fire. Brandler and her TaDa Catering staff are also featured on Fuse TV’s “Warped Roadies” reality As head of catering for major music festivals like Coachella and The Warped Tour, Shelleylyn performs one of the most intense jobs on the road. She is responsible for feeding 500 to 1500 people three times a day in a classy oasis her team creates backstage. So what did it take for Shelleylyn to gain such notoriety?
Honestly what else can you say about this absolute visionary! Take your pick out of a hat and Mr.Kaku can teach you! Dr. Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist, best-selling author, acclaimed public speaker, and popularizer of science. A co-founder of string field theory, Kaku resumes Einstein’s quest to unite the four fundamental forces of nature into a single grand unified theory of everything. Michio continues Einstein’s search for a “Theory of Everything,” seeking to unify the four fundamental forces of the universe—the strong force, the weak force, gravity and electromagnetism. This is a rare opportunity that will cover all aspects of life. If you have a question, about, well… anything, do not miss this interview!
Creator of Level Up Adventures, Justin Halliwell knows he has created something special, “I grew up reading comic books, playing video games, going to the movies, watching people and characters do amazing things.” Halliwell continues, “The problem though, was that I couldn’t do those things and that was all I dreamed of doing! I created Level Up so that no other children or grown-ups have to miss out.” Justin joins Ken in the studio to talk about the difficulties of starting a business like this, and how he was able to turn it into such a popular product! At the San Diego Comic Con, and at other venues around the country, Halliwell witnessed Zombie Runs, Apocalypse Adventures and the like, but nothing like his vision for Level Up Adventures. Halliwell explains that he saw room for improvement and rightly sprung into action!
As soon as you hear Akon’s voice, you know it’s him.
His shimmering, soulful voice has propelled countless hits across genres—from pop and R&B to hip hop and dance. In addition to his own chart-dominating singles “Smack That” and “I Wanna Love You”, he’s made a staggering 300 guest appearances for icons including Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Lil Wayne, R. Kelly, and Eminem. With 35 million albums sold worldwide, five Grammy Award nominations, and 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs under his belt, he’s simply unstoppable. Once Akon reached the top, he went even further landing on a global path set for fourth full-length album and latest opus 2012′s Stadium [Universal Republic Records].
A truly incredible story about an emotional business turnaround. Do not miss this uplifting story.
Patrick Rettig is the story, an exposé of a man who is absolutely the last stop for a business owner in financial turmoil. This particular time in the life of an entrepreneur is the quintessential heartbreak of dreams and hope. One would think that financial decisions had been made that were incorrect, that alliances had been broken or that the economy had shifted. Moreover the uncomfortable thinking is that the corporation and its founder were simply a bad deal. The word bankruptcy and reorganization are ghostly specters in the night for those people who must embrace failure.
Aaron spent the majority of his years in Columbus, Ohio surrounded by music. He studied Psychology at The Ohio State University. He’s always been a creative being and began making music to express his greatest passion. Aaron relocated to Los Angeles, California to pursue his relentless craving for music. Within three months of his transition, Aaron found himself Guest co-starring on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne on TBS but he couldn't separate himself from creating music and returned to it.
Adam Fields began his career at Creative Artists Agency. He then joined PolyGram Pictures and within one year became the Executive Vice President of Production at age 24. While working with Jon Peters and Peter Guber at PolyGram, Fields supervised a number of pictures including An American Werewolf in London, Six Weeks, Missing, and Endless Love. He also served as the Executive Producer of the soundtrack album and single on the latter film which at the time became the longest running number one single in history. Fields subsequently supervised the multi-platinum soundtrack for the film, Flashdance, which was a vital factor in that film’s extraordinary box office success.
Creating a product that has arguably been perfected ages ago seems like a daunting task ! But not to Tawnya! A few years ago, Tawnya Falkner took the leap and gave up her career as a designer/developer in San Francisco to move to Nuits St Georges in Burgundy, France to follow her passion relating to travel, food & making wine. The result is Le Grand Courtâge, a new gold-medal winning French sparkling wine. Today our listeners get advice on ways to start a business like this, and explains that even if an idea or product that has been invented doesn't mean it can’t be improved!
John Cochran is Chief Executive Officer of Ole Smoky where he brings extensive experience in the beverage business. John comes to Ole Smoky from AquaHydrate Inc., where he was CEO and a member of its Board of Directors for the past sixteen months.
Before being named CEO of the Southern California-based water brand in January 2012, Mr. Cochran was CEO of the Pabst Brewing Company, the largest American owned beer company in the United States. In his capacity as CEO, Mr. Cochran oversaw the 30+ brands in the Pabst Brewing Company portfolio including Pabst Blue Ribbon, Lone Star, Colt 45, and Old Milwaukee.
Based in Los Angeles and a Co-Founder of 3 companies: Jet Luxury Resorts, JetLuxInc and TriWorth. Steve Aylsworth is a key leader of the executive team. Always the optimist, Mr. Aylsworth brings an unbelievable enthusiastic and positive attitude to his organizations. His sales and management experience has helped shape Jet Luxury Resorts to be a leader in the hospitality industry. So how did Steve do it? How did he fund such an expensive endeavour! FInd out today! In addition to his current projects Jet Luxury Resorts and JetLuxInc which service to hotel industry, Steve is still a Partner of TriWorth Solutions and was formerly a key executive at JobPlex serving as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the Western Region.
Geoff Margolis is an Entrepreneur with 40+ years in invention, patent creation, product development,complex problem solving and large scale product commercialization.
With a passion for health related products, my career spans the sectors of food, wine, cacao, medical devices and renewal energy. I have 25+ patents to date, and bring a unique blend of deep scientific knowledge and hands-on manufacturing to invention and commercialization of new products.
Paul Miller from Go Fit Foods also joins the mentoring session as well. Exceptional senior leader with more than 25 years’ experience elevating custom bakery, food & beverage, and consumer-packaged goods companies to top-notch sales and profit results. Proven ability to launch new products, develop cutting-edge sales and marketing strategies. Expertise in revitalizing organizations and transforming businesses, quickly achieving revenue growth. Possess advanced skills in broker and distributor relations, national account management, trade shows, financial management, client relations, brand management, and strategic business plans. Widely recognized as a dedicated leader, noteworthy communicator, and powerful negotiator.
Today we are joined by two visionaries! Kross Precision is quickly gaining popularity. So how do you take a product that has seemingly been re-invented year after year and make it better? Sometimes great idea's have already been made public, and "seem" perfect the way they are, but every once in a while they need to be improved! Enter Kross Precision's Baller Bag, a new backpack for athlete, adventurers, and anyone one who needs a little more room. Les and Steve give us the inside scoop on tricks to their success and what you need to succeed in your business!
Kross Precision is quickly gaining popularity. So how do you take a product that has seemingly been re-invented year after year and make it better? Sometimes great idea's have already been made public, and "seem" perfect the way they are, but every once in a while they need to be improved! Enter Kross Precisions Baller Bag, a new backpack for athlete, adventurers, and anyone one who needs a little more room. Les and Steve give us the inside scoop on tricks to their success and what you need to succeed in your business!
William joined Clearstone Ventures Partners (formerly known as idealab Capital Partners) shortly after it's formation and concentrates on it's internet, Gaming and Communications related investments. Williams current portfolio reflects his belief in the enormous opportunities in the consumer internet, wireless and enterprise markets (Xfire.com, AOptix Technologies and Soonr just to name a few. Today we get to learn from one the industries best!
Johnathan Wendel, also known as Fatal1ty. No the one is not a typo! Johnathan was the first professional gamer! He joins William Quigley to talk about the future gaming and online currency.
The bottom line is this, we care what our favorite celebrities are doing. They intrigue and excite us on a daily basis. So what if I told you there was a way to stay connected with your favorite Musicians, actors, directors etc?! Celebrity engagement with an app is an elusive goal for many a startup. But CEO and co-founder Andrew Maltin dove right in with his new app, Hang w/. Maltin is one of many L.A.-based tech entrepreneurs trying to take advantage of the town's access to high-profile talent. Maltin's app connects celebrities with fans to share content the moment it's happening.
Bello's unique talent is combining jaw-dropping daredevil stunts and hysterical comedy! His motto? "No audiance member should need more than the edge of his seat!" He's amazed over 40 million people in his live performances over the last decade. He's the first person in Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey's 140 year+ history to have a production named after him. "Bellobration" featured a cast of hundreds of human performers, elephants, horses, dogs, and audience members all donning wigs of Bello's trademark hair!
Jay Alan Samit is president of ooVoo – the world’s largest provider of social video chat with 50 million registered users. Samit is a leading technology pioneer with over 25 years experience in digital media. Prior to ooVoo, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe, the largest social media technology platform, reaching over 600 million consumers around the world each month for such major brands as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, Toyota, Pepsi, Microsoft, Visa, and Disney. Samit has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. As Executive Vice President of Sony, Samit implemented a profitable global digital ecommerce strategy for Sony and built a new division from scratch — making Sony the #7 largest ecommerce site in the world. As Global President of Digital Distribution & Development for EMI, he broke new ground for the music industry launching digital businesses in over 30 countries.
If you are a musician and are looking for a some direction do not miss this interview! Richard Gibbs is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica. Gibbs was the keyboard player for the New Wave band Oingo Boingo from 1980 to 1984. Tune and find out the tips and tricks you need to succeed as a musician! Like his former bandmate Danny Elfman, Gibbs has embarked on a life of scoring movies and television shows. He has written the scores for over sixty films that have collectively grossed well over $1 billion in box office receipts worldwide..
Michael Greenberg is a veteran to the indie pop scene. He has performed multitudes of shows with countless numbers of musicians, including Keller Williams, Ryan Cabrera, Vintage Trouble, Livingston Taylor, Dispatch, Verve Pipe, Edwin Mcain, Tim Reynolds (DMB), Blue Oyster Cult and many more. Greenberg has been critically acclaimed by national publications such as Performer Magazine, saying "Greenberg's voice fits brilliantly within his style." He has discovered a marriage of familiarity and freshness within his music. It's catchy yet jazzy yet soulful, with a hint of blues. Michael captivates listeners both internationally and domestic, proving his potential to be a first class act.
Michael Binder and his business partner Mark launched Kapalua Ziplines in November 2013 in Maui. The zipline course has over two miles of lines and also has the longest suspension bridge in the Hawaiian Islands. After earning his pilot's license June 2011, Binder now owns and operates his own Beechcraft Bonanza A36 Model. Previous business ventures include Wave Runner Rentals Etc.,in which Binder owned and rented jet skis in Marina Del Ray.
Do you want to be the best entrepreneur out there?! We have a treat today as we are joined by Tim Draper! You will learn from the best today! Tim is the course creator and Chairman of BizWorld, a 501c3 organization built around simulated teaching of entrepreneurship and business to children. He also serves on the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors. Along with this Tim is the Founder and a Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson. His original suggestion to use “viral marketing” in web-based e-mail to geometrically spread an Internet product to its market was instrumental to the successes of Hotmail and YahooMail, and has been adopted as a standard marketing technique by hundreds of businesses. As an advocate for entrepreneurs and free markets, Tim is regularly featured as a keynote speaker in entrepreneurial conferences throughout the world, has been recognized as a leader in his field through numerous awards and honors, and has frequent TV, radio, and headline appearances.
Tobi Skovron saw a problem and rightly fixed it. This is exactly how entrepreneurs create successful products! Tobi explains that in 2003, he and his then-girlfriend (now his wife) Simone lived in a two-bedroom apartment in Melbourne. He bought her a dog and they immediately faced the problem of having to walk the dog regularly, as potty-training seemed unrealistic. "There needed to be a better way to live with a dog although we could only afford an apartment," Skovron thought. Simone said, "If we could only get a patch of grass on the balcony." Bingo! Skovron invented the Pet Loo. Two years of R&D as well as patent and trademark filings and it was time.
As Founder and CEO of Dream University Marcia Wieder travels the world - an ambassador for making dreams real. She's known for giving inspiring and moving talks to notable companies such as AT&T, The Gap and American Express. For anyone starting a new business, or just embarking on a new path in life, Marcia is a must listen interview for that extra support you've been looking for. In addition to being a charismatic speaker, she's the renowned author of fourteen books dedicated to achieving your dreams: Making Your Dreams Come True, Life is But a Dream, Dreams are Whispers From the Soul and Doing Less and Having More. She's also a syndicated columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle, in which she urges readers to take "The Great Dream Challenge"- a call to arms for dreamers from all walks of life. Marcia has appeared on Oprah, the Today show and was featured in her own PBS-TV show called Making Your Dreams Come True.
How many conversations today will you try to get through to: customers, clients, employees, colleagues, bosses, directors, managers, vendors not to mention spouses, children, parents, friends and of course yourself? Probably a more appropriate question would be, how many conversations will you have today where you are not trying to get through to someone? The answer. Probably few. And after you get through, what next? How often do they change what they’re doing in a positive direction for both them and you? What would be the effect on your and their productivity if they did? Mark Goulston, M.D. is a business advisor, consultant, speaker, trainer and coach trained as a clinical psychiatrist who honed his skills as an FBI/police hostage negotiation trainer who increases people’s ability to get through to anyone. Our listeners get to find out firsthand just how to get through to anyone at home and at work!
Michelle McCloskey is the founder, president and co-owner of Run Around Betties, a convenient and affordable personal assistance firm covering the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas. In this role, she oversees and manages all aspect of the organization, including but not limited to client and employee relations, new business, bookings, and general administration.
McCloskey initially got the entrepreneurial bug at the age of 21 when she created her very own stationary line, Michelle Lane, and again in 2007 when she launched and managed an online vintage clothing store, Hourglass Vintage, for three years. In 2011, she officially launched Run Around Betties, the result and combination of her 10-plus years as a personal and executive assistant, and her desire to find a fun, cost-effective and dynamic way to help time-strapped professionals and everyday folks.
Dulari Amin is the CEO and President of PHENOMENON. Dulari shares what it’s like to create a company surrounded by ever changing conditions, and how we can start something like this ourselves! PHENOMENON dreams, designs and architects innovations that create cultural phenomena. This is done on behalf of brands, entertainment networks, inventors, and any other entity that can benefit from becoming a part of consumer culture. PHENOMENON’s work manifests itself through cultural, digital, and experience innovations.
Can you imagine having an incurable ailment? It would be devastating. Emilie Davidson Hoyt received a gift from her father, turned it into a business that cured her condition, and ultimately gave way to her vision for success! A frequent business traveler, Emilie’s father would bring home soaps as a token of his trips. One lavender soap in particular eased her pain so much that she placed it beneath her pillow every night to help her sleep. It was with this discovery that she gained an interest in natural healing products and the desire to share this knowledge to help others. Before long, interest turned into action, and Emilie started LATHER as a small line of pure olive oil-based soaps. The soaps quickly gained a cult following, and the company soon grew from a two person operation into a full-fledged business offering more than 100 products for the body, face, hair, and home. Today we learn about Emilie’s incredible story, and how she was able to solve two problems with just one stone!
Andy Abramson calls in to give our callers tips and tricks to all things Tech in the business world!
Freddie Ravel is the internationally acclaimed Harmonics Maestro that blends his infectious passions for music and business to unlock the minds, hearts and hips of audiences around the world.
Backed by number one hits and collaborative successes with Earth, Wind and Fire, Madonna, Prince, Indie Arie, Sergio Mendes, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, the Boston Pops and rock legend, Carlos Santana, the chart-topping Keyboardist is the Founder of “Business Harmonics”, the award-winning peak performance system to enhance leadership, innovation and collaboration within major corporations.
The ASICS Los Angeles Marathon is this weekend! Kevin Wulff swings by the studio today to talk about ASICS, the Marathon, and how beneficial this is to our city! Mr. Kevin G. Wulff serves as an Executive Officer of ASICS Corp. Mr. Wulff has been a consultant at Symphony Holdings Limited since February 2010. He has been the President of ASICS Amercia Corp since February 1, 2010 and it's Chief Operation Officer since August 2010. He has more than 15 years of experience in leadership roles at companies in the sports and consumers goods industry.
Jay Alan Samit is president of ooVoo – the world’s largest provider of social video chat with 50 million registered users. Samit is a leading technology pioneer with over 25 years experience in digital media. Prior to ooVoo, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe, the largest social media technology platform, reaching over 600 million consumers around the world each month for such major brands as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, Toyota, Pepsi, Microsoft, Visa, and Disney. Samit has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. As Executive Vice President of Sony, Samit implemented a profitable global digital ecommerce strategy for Sony and built a new division from scratch — making Sony the #7 largest ecommerce site in the world. As Global President of Digital Distribution & Development for EMI, he broke new ground for the music industry launching digital businesses in over 30 countries.
Tracey Russell joined LA MARATHON LLC with nearly two decades of race management experience. At the Atlanta Track Club (ATC), under her leadership, both annual sponsorship revenue and the organizational budget doubled during her six-year tenure, more than 15 new running and youth events were added to the ATC portfolio, and the club’s membership tripled to more than 19,000 runners. Prior to her time at the ATC, Tracey spent 12 years with the Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers, which owns and produces 13 different sporting events annually. Since joining LA MARATHON LLC, she helped to secure Los Angeles as the site for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials for both men and women.
Howard Marks is Co-Chair of Start Engine and CEO of Gamzee. Howard is an incredibly successful technology entrepreneur that has worked with a number of companies specializing in the video game, online gaming, social gaming and internet education industry. He is also working as the CEO of Gamzee, a company he founded in April 2011 with the stated goal of disrupting the gaming industry by making games that anyone can play anywhere, anytime, and on any device. In 2005, Howard founded Acclaim Games. After its acquisition by Playdom, he became head of the Acclaim studio and Sr. VP, Strategic Planning at Disney Interactive Media Group. Howard got his start in 1983 while a student at the University of Michigan. In 1991 as a co-founder, member of the board of directors and Executive Vice-President of Activision, Howard helped turn a brand that was largely viewed as dead weight into the leading powerhouse of the video game industry.
Richard “Ribbs” Gibbs (born in 1955 in Bay Village, Ohio) is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica.
Gibbs was the keyboard player for the New Wave band Oingo Boingo from 1980 to 1984. He was also a session player, performing on over 150 albums for artists as diverse as War, Tom Waits, Boy Meets Girl, Living in a Box, Robert Palmer, and Aretha Franklin. He also started with Michael Jochum the band Zuma II, which had an eponymously titled record released by Pasha/CBS Records. He has appeared live with Korn, The Staples, Chaka Khan, and Oingo Boingo.
ELECTRA has invaded Hollywood like a storm. For the last 3 years the band has been performing relentlessly all over the Los Angeles and Orange County Area. They have opened up for some amazing artists such as Lita Ford, Berlin, Missing Persons, Great White, Jared Lee, Dilana, and were part of the 2010 Sunset Strip Music Festival along with Smashing Pumpkins, Slash, Neon Trees, and more, and the 2011 SSMF along with Motley Crue, Public Enemy, Bush and more. They currently have an EP available on itunes titled “Problem Child”. Their music video for their single “Problem Child” has currently reached over 60,000 views on youtube. In June 2013 ELECTRA raised $22,404 through Kickstarter, passing their original goal by $7,404, to help with the recording of their upcoming debut full length album. Their upcoming album, produced by Mike Plotnikoff (Halestorm, Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson), and titled “These Times” is scheduled to be released in the Summer 2014.
Oh the dreaded fanny pack! How many of us have held our head in shame while rocking one of these?! Sonia Kanner created hipS-sister based upon the concept of the fanny pack. Sonia strived to create an alternative option that is fashionable, functional, and flattering. “While on a hike with my friends, frustrated because we were all holding our precious iPhones and car keys, I said out loud, " there has to be something out there to hold all this stuff, that is cute and flattering.”And that’s just what Sonia did! Today Sonia fills us in on how she came up with this life changing idea, and how you can start something like this yourself.
Pooneh Mohajer, COO and Co-Founder of tokidoki, is a serial entrepreneur at heart. Tokidoki is her third company to date. Since debuting in 2005, tokidoki has amassed a cult-like following for its larger-than-life characters and emerged as a sought-after global lifestyle brand. This innovative Company is known not only for its eye-popping aesthetic and criminally cute characters but also its megawatt partnerships with evergreen brands such as Hello Kitty, Karl Lagerfeld, LeSportsac, Barbie, Sephora, Marvel and others.
Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? It’s only natural to wonder right?! Today we get to have some of these questions answered from this amazing visionary! Whitney’s latest venture, Inner Voice™, grew out of his own personal search for the true meaning of life and our reason for being. After five years of research and study, Whitney introduced Inner Voice to a worldwide audience. Today, Whitney’s private quest has evolved into a very public, rapidly-growing, always-evolving on- and off-line community and is now becoming a way of life for members around the world. He says Inner Voice is the most important discovery of his career.
Some of us just can’t sit still! Once we have created something it’s on to the next! But sometimes we get ahead of ourselves. Prescott has found this balance and is ready to share his secret to success with you! Prescott Ellison is a professional drummer, composer, author, artist, and inventor turned entrepreneur. Prescott invented the Body Bench to facilitate the purpose of taking your workout anywhere you want to go with the freedom and flexibility to do over 100 exercise that include, calisthenics, isometrics, free weights, stretching, cardio and yoga. Its patented compact design allows it to be easily assembled and disassembled for storage or travel convenience on foot, by car or plane.
Roni Eshel, 29 was a pro surfer - Israel Surf Camp, Women Division. She stopped surfing three years ago but surfing is still a huge part of her life. Roni moved to LA a year and a half ago to build goFlow in the heart of the surfing community - SoCal. Eshel started goFlow because it's something she's always needed as a surfer! Now, with this new app, she is making surfers life much easier!
Nell Merlino is Founder, President and CEO of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources for women to grow their micro businesses into million $ enterprises. She is author of “Stepping Out of Line: Lessons for Women Who Want It Their Way in Life, in Love, and at Work,” from Broadway Books, which is available from Amazon.com. Throughout her career, Nell Merlino has been inspiring millions of people to take action. She is the creative force behind Take Our Daughters to Work Day, which moved more than 71 million Americans to participate in a day dedicated to giving girls the opportunity to dream bigger about their future. Through Count Me In, Nell is now inspiring women entrepreneurs to dream big and achieve even more. She is leading a global movement to empower women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to a million dollars and beyond by providing tools, resources, and a supportive community of their peers. Count Me In’s Make Mine a Million $ Business program reaches women entrepreneurs in communities around the country through events and on-line community. This movement will not only add millions of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity, but take women to new levels of independence, empowering them to act as economic leaders.
One of the most difficult obstacles in life is dealing with change. Usually this means a lot of tough decision in a small amount of time. So how do you deal with change, and is it good for business? Doc Barham is a transformation expert, coach, consultant, and speaker. Over the last 15 years, Doc has established a global reputation as a cutting edge change expert and coach for many of the world’s most exceptional individuals and organizations. He is a coach, trained in NLP, neurofeedback and biofeedback. He is certified as a hypnotherapist, a one-on-one trainer for The Institute of Heartmath, an outreach trainer for The Monroe Institute, and a Reiki practitioner. Doc’s writings and transformational work have recently been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, and on PBFS.
When there is an issue we usually resort to settling. Not Jenny Buettner! She saw a problem and rightly fixed it! Jenny is the designer, creator, CEO and the founder of Shibue Couture, which began, with a creative new line of innovative solution products for women in 2008. Prior to her launch of Shibue Couture Jenny has been known for her forward-thinking and is a respected leader in Huntington Beach, California with an extensive history of successful sales and customer service experience. For over 19 years she had been a top real estate agent, selling premiere properties in the Huntington Beach area.
Do you have a passion for blogging? Is it the first thing you do when you wake up? What if you have great content, but just can’t seem to grab an audience? When Tiffany Romero founded The Secret is in the Sauce (aka The SITS Girls) in 2008, its objective was simple: To create a space where bloggers could find their tribe and grow their audience. Although the site has evolved over the years, its commitment to this mission has not changed. Today, the brand is managed by women who are passionate about blogging and creating a resource for others to find support online and learn the skills they need to become social media savvy.Our network of 75,000 members come to The SITS Girls site to see who we are featuring from the blogging community, learn the technical skills they need to be successful online, and chat in our discussion forum.
An entertainment industry veteran with over 40 years professional experience in cable television, live events and new media, Larry Namer is a founding partner of Metan Development Group (Metan), a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for Chinese speaking audiences in China and abroad. An accomplished entrepreneur, Mr. Namer is the co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, a company now valued at over $3.5 billion USD, and the creator of several successful companies in the United States and overseas. Among those companies are Comspan Communications that pioneered Western forms of entertainment in the former Soviet Union, including the syndication of the popular soap opera Santa Barbara, which ran for 10 years in the region, and Steeplechase Media that served as the primary consultant to Microsoft’s MiTV for developing interactive TV applications.
Jay Alan Samit is president of ooVoo – the world’s largest provider of social video chat with 50 million registered users. Samit is a leading technology pioneer with over 25 years experience in digital media. Prior to ooVoo, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe, the largest social media technology platform, reaching over 600 million consumers around the world each month for such major brands as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, Toyota, Pepsi, Microsoft, Visa, and Disney. Samit has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. As Executive Vice President of Sony, Samit implemented a profitable global digital ecommerce strategy for Sony and built a new division from scratch — making Sony the #7 largest ecommerce site in the world. As Global President of Digital Distribution & Development for EMI, he broke new ground for the music industry launching digital businesses in over 30 countries.
John Trefry is the Founder & CEO of 4WT Media, a digital marketing and video production company. 4WT specializes in creating and marketing high impact content to reach targeted audiences. John has extensive experience working with top internet and technology companies having built complete content strategies and brokered large syndication deals. He has a diverse background mixing both a technical and creative focus. Get your answers.
On This Episode : Scott Page and Tom Patterson
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare. Scott Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia.
A highly acclaimed security expert, published author, and keynote speaker who provides compelling insight into cyber security issues of the day, Tom Patterson provides clarity while delivering a high energy view into security that is of critical importance today. Patterson shares his insights and incredible knowledge on an area a lot of us either don't know about, or is just too confusing to understand. If you have any questions regarding internet security do not miss this compelling interview! Currently CSC's Global GM for Cybersecurity Consulting, Tom has run security services for Deloitte in EMEA, was IBM's Chief eCommerce Strategist and a venture-backed founder/CEO. Tom has worked on security for the launch of a nuclear aircraft carrier and space shuttle as well as for the U.S. Government and plus businesses around the world. The author of Mapping Security, Tom is a frequent guest security expert on TV including CNBC and CNN.
Marketing to your customers is an ever changing challenge. Should you market to specific group, or to a mass audience? David Sheer answers these questions today on Business Rockstars! As the president of SheerID, David oversees the day to day operation of sales, business development and new group database acquisition. A SheerID co-founder, David developed and is implementing an aggressive market expansion plan that targets online retailers who need to verify students and quickly pivots to offer verification services for association members, military families, corporate employees, union members and government employees.
Jake Weatherly is a co-founder of SheerID, the first online shopping cart platform to provide instant and seamless group verification. As CEO, Jake spends much of his time and energy on the overall vision and direction of SheerID. When he is not concentrating on company culture, channel expansion, and strategic partnerships Jake is consistently pushing to reach company milestones ahead of time and under budget. For more than 15 years, Jake has focused his career on entrepreneurship and small business growth. He has traveled the world to teach business and marketing planning to small businesses, consultants, large enterprises, universities, and government organizations.
We all wish we could hit the "fast forward" button for our business sometimes. Getting from point A to point B can be an extremely long and difficult process. Roger does exactly that! "Fast Forward Your Business" has been extremely successful, and now you get the tips and tricks you need to "Fast Forward Your Business!" Roger James Hamilton, an internationally renowned social entrepreneur and business expert. He has traveled and lived all over the world, being born in Hong Kong, educated in Scotland and England, and doing much of his most famous work while based out of Singapore. Hamilton makes regular guest appearances on the United Kingdom’s business television network yourBusinessChannel, which helps organizations and entrepreneurs utilize online video content formats to better market themselves digitally!
Shannon Cassidy is the founder and CEO of bridge between inc., a specialized management-consulting firm focused on behavioral change and communication. Shannon explains that before she started her own company, Cassidy spent many years as a corporate leader, successfully building profitable businesses and driving innovation and leadership initiatives. This real-world experience combined with her commitment to human potential provides clients with the practical strategies, tools and inspiration needed to thrive during organizational change and lead with vision, values and purpose.
David F. Michail primarily represents high growth start-up and Fortune 500 companies in a myriad of strategic domestic and international business transactions. His practice area focuses mainly within the media, technology and entertainment verticals with a particular emphasis on advertising and marketing law, intellectual property, information management and data privacy, entertainment, outsourcing, technology and internet, corporate, finance, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic advisory services. Having run his own law firm for over eleven years, Mr. Michail has successfully closed over 400 technology-related transactions within the U.S. and abroad. In addition, Mr. Michail is a frequent guest speaker and panelist regarding various corporate, finance, internet, advertising and business related issues throughout Southern California.
Jeff Stibel is a brain scientist and entrepreneur. He is currently serving as President and CEO of the Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corporation and was previously President and CEO of Web.com, Inc. Stibel is also Chairman of BrainGate, a company whose “brain chip” technology – recently featured on 60 Minutes — allows the severely disabled to control electronics with nothing but their thoughts. Stibel was a brain and behavior fellow at Brown University while studying for a PhD. He currently serves on the boards of Brown University’s Entrepreneurship Program, Tufts University’s Gordon Center for Leadership, and the University of Southern California’s Innovation Institute.
Working with a family member can be very stressful. Especially if you have an idea your significant other may not like and or agree with. Alan experienced this first hand when he recognized a problem with his fathers clothing line and took action. Alan is credited for directing his father (Jimmy Au) to work with designer brands such as Michael Kors, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Kenneth Cole to produce tailored fashion for men under 5’5”. Jimmy Au is recognized as the leading authority in the men’s fashion industry when it comes to developing and designing quality clothing for shorter men. Jimmy Au felt that major designer labels (see above) would have little interest in such a financially small segment of the population – Alan disagreed and approached several designer manufacturers to investigate further.
Boomphones is a Los Angeles-based company with an obsession for designing ultra-portable audio products that allow music lovers to create, inspire, and share amazing sound. Its flagship product, the Phantom, is the first-ever headphones that can transform into a boombox with just the push of a button. MTV Geek! called it “simply a great idea” when the product was unveiled at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and the Phantom has steadily gained traction with consumers since its official launch in August 2012. Designed with four drivers – two internal drivers for private listening, and two external drivers designed to share with friends or amp up your party
Serial entrepreneur T.K. Pillan was sick of pizza. So, he opened The Veggie Grill. The venture is the brainchild of Kevin Boylan, once a financier and a senior executive at Drexel Burnham Lambert; T.K. Pillan, who co-founded Guidance Solutions, a firm that designs e-commerce websites; and Ray White. This is the definition of "seeing a problem and fixing it." Pillan and Boylan explains how they were able to create such a successful business in an industry with only a 5% success rate!
Melissa Jawaharlal is passionate about exploring the final frontier of space and engineering for the developing world. Most importantly, she works to ensure that future generations will share that zeal for STEM advancement. Today our listeners get to learn first hand about the future of robotics, why they are so important, and how you can pursue a career in this field! Jawaharlal has presented her work at MIT through the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams program as well as through NCIIA and Inventor's Digest. Melissa has mentored and taught in numerous robotics related activities for several years and has been recognized for her coaching and instruction style.
You have been successful for a while now, but you know there is something more out there. May be it's time to take your career to a new level! Robin explains how he started BEI Inc. and why moving on from your position isn't always a bad thing! Since the mid 90s, while working for ESPN and ABC Wide World of Sports, Robin D. Berg has been dedicated to mastering digital television production. He has personally directed and produced hundreds of TV shows (over 200 in HDTV) for a wide variety of TV Networks including The Outdoor Channel, ESPN/ESPN2, OLN and Fox Sports. His production skills include editing and camera work. He now spends most of his time directing and running the daily operations of BEI inc.Lee Maen, a founding member and general partner of Innovative Dining Group, has been instrumental in building and expanding the company. After receiving an undergraduate degree in economics from UCLA, Maen entered the real estate market as a commercial real estate broker, racking up transactions totaling over $30 million in just four years. During that time, he entered the MBA program at UCLA’s Anderson School, and while still a student founded The Gem Bar & Lounge, one of Hollywood’s most popular nightspots. Maen was intimately involved in all aspects of The Gem, including design and development, financing, marketing and promotions, and other day-to-day operational responsibilities. After earning his M.B.A. in 1996, Maen, along with his three business partners, developed the first Sushi Roku, an instant commercial and critical success. He has lectured at the Anderson School and has sat on numerous industry panels, including the Aspen Food & Wine Classic.Jay Alan Samit is president of ooVoo – the world’s largest provider of social video chat with 50 million registered users. Samit is a leading technology pioneer with over 25 years experience in digital media. Prior to ooVoo, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe, the largest social media technology platform, reaching over 600 million consumers around the world each month for such major brands as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, Toyota, Pepsi, Microsoft, Visa, and Disney. Samit has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. As Executive Vice President of Sony, Samit implemented a profitable global digital ecommerce strategy for Sony and built a new division from scratch — making Sony the #7 largest ecommerce site in the world. As Global President of Digital Distribution & Development for EMI, he broke new ground for the music industry launching digital businesses in over 30 countries. As Senior Vice President of Universal, Samit built one of the first on-line million member social networks in the 1990s and sat on the Studio’s overall steering committee.
How important are analytics for your business? EXTREMELY! But the issue is they are not in real time. Enter Allison Stern's brainchild Tubular Labs, big data for online video. Stern and her team created the first real-time audience dashboard that gives rich insights into your audience, and recommends how best to engage. Tubular Labs are building an analytics platform for the future of video based on our proprietary Audience Graph. Allison teaches us the always confusing world of analytics, and what the future holds for real time data!
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Tarra Layne resides in a place where Grace Potter, Miranda Lambert, and Beyonce collide - where gritty, care-free, home-grown soul meets sultry pop-rock 'n roll. Combining her heavy 90s R&B upbringing with a love for classic rock ‘n roll, Tarra is uprooting and constructing a style of her own. It is referred to by some as “Funktry” due to her big, soulful timbre, southern attitude, and contemporary twist. This red-headed blues broad will rattle your emotions and free your raw rebellious side.
On This Episode : Rob Fuggeta, George Veshoor and David Michail
You need help with social media, we have Rob Fugetta, the the driving force behind Zuberance's vision and strategy. Today we learn just how important social media is for your business, and how you can turn your hub's into a major marketing tool! Fugetta founded Zuberance in February 2007 because he saw a major opportunity for companies to harness the power of Word of Mouth and social media to drive sales. As CEO, Rob is ultimately responsible for all aspects of Zuberance's business including product, engineering, operations, customer success, and sales and marketing. Rob is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley who has played a leadership role in three start-ups including Genuity, which went public in June 2000.
George Verschoor is considered one of the pioneers of non-fiction programming. Verschoor developed, produced and directed the first four seasons of MTV’s groundbreaking series The Real World, which launched the modern non-fiction genre and is one of the longest-running reality programs in history. As an Emmy-nominated showrunner, he executive produced and directed MTV's Fear, created & ran the hybrid mystery series Murder in Small Town X for FOX, and created & ran the live music competition series Nashville Star, which launched the career of country music star Miranda Lambert. Now, in this exclusive interview, George shares his amazing story. It's one thing to create a television show, but to have it be successful for a long period of time is the real trick! George explains how you can keep your show running like a well oiled machine!
David Michail calls in to give our listeners advice and tricks to all things legal in the business world!
On This Episode : Ron McElroy and Michael Paul
Ron McElroy established himself as a proficient Commercial Real Estate Broker specializing in office properties throughout the greater John Wayne market from 1983 through 1992. During this period Ron represented landlords like The Irvine Company, Prudential Realty, and Koll Company as well as companies like Exxon, AST Research and Mobil Oil.
In 1992 Ron launched REMC-Real Estate Management Corporation. Over the next fifteen years Ron’s standard for Class A buildings and premier office environments, anchored with uncompromised service, set the industry bar to a new level. Ron successfully sold the fourteen sites encompassing over 1,000 companies to Synergy Workplaces, a Broadway Partners subsidiary based out of New York.
Michael works to expand and develop the Swift Chip brand in the Greater Los Angeles and Ventura County areas. As a company, it is Swift Chip's mission to use their extensive expertise and partnerships with quality vendors to create a customized, cost effective IT solutions for the business owners we partner with. By providing the peace of mind that comes with being proactive with our clients' networks and educating our clients on the industry specific technologies that they should be implementing, we are a valuable resource for our clients as they look to grow their businesses.
On This Episode : Tom Patterson, Jeff & Cindy Ullman and Andy Abramson
A highly acclaimed security expert, published author, and keynote speaker who provides compelling insight into cyber security issues of the day, Tom Patterson provides clarity while delivering a high energy view into security that is of critical importance today. Patterson shares his insights and incredible knowledge on an area a lot of us either don't know about, or is just to confusing to understand. If you have any questions regarding internet security do not miss this compelling interview! Currently CSC's Global GM for Cybersecurity Consulting, Tom has run security services for Deloitte in EMEA, was IBM's Chief eCommerce Strategist and a venture-backed founder/CEO. Tom has worked on security for the launch of a nuclear aircraft carrier and space shuttle as well as for the U.S. Government and plus businesses around the world. The author of Mapping Security, Tom is a frequent guest security expert on TV including CNBC and CNN.
Let's face it, we all struggle from time to time with our significant other. Now and then we can use a little help! Twoology.com offers free use of the world’s largest library of relationship expert videos, DIY Romantipedia Guides, and a host of powerful relationship tools. The company was created by Cindy Ullman and Jeff Ullman, who helped more singles meet, date, and marry than anyone in the 20th Century, are offering their socially responsible Twoology Relationship Fitness System to help couples make their relationship easier, happier, and more intimate. Jeff previously founded Great Expectations, the nationally-franchised video dating service.
Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
On This Episode : Kym Yancey and Kathryn Goetzke
Marketing to your customer can be a mind numbing process, luckily we have the leading expert stopping by our studio to make this an easier and productive tool. Yancey is considered one of North America’s premier marketing experts. He has a legacy of success and brings an avalanche of creativity, passion and business savvy to everything he touches. Previously, Kym was founder and president for 15 years to one of the top multi-cultural advertising agencies in the U.S. and was a finalist for Inc. Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year.” Kym is committed to serving others and believes that success is an empty bag if you are not volunteering and giving back.
Can the color of lighting change the way you feel? It definitely can! Our guest Kathryn Geotzke, President and CEO of Mood-factory, created a company built to show consumers how to engage their senses to improve their moods. Initial product launch of Mood-lites included features in New York Daily, New York Magazine, Entrepreneur, Home, and InStyle with worldwide distribution in retailers. The company itself is preparing for a major product line extension of the Mood-lite brand, as well as additional complementary products aimed at engaging other senses. Make sure to tune in and learn all about foods you can eat to make your day stronger, more efficient, and happier!
On this Episode : Pirooz Sarshar, Scott Page and Moana Avvenenti
It’s not easy being a man, according to prolific men’s lifestyle connoisseur, go-to grooming consultant and self-described, “wingman.” Hailing from Washington D.C and NYC, Sarshar has transformed how millions of American men groom themselves and live their lives.
Pizoor Sarshar's irreverent yet deeply informative men’s lifestyle platform at PRZMAN “The Institute of Manhood” -- that gets 40,000 visitors per month -- educates men on how to shave (and groom their private parts), how to stay fit, stock their fridges, make the perfect Manhattan (and cure a hangover), and prepare the perfect filet mignon and spinach for their love interests.
Called the “Martha Stewart of Men’s Lifestyle,” Sarshar describes PRZMAN as the place where “the brainy, the brawny and the regular bro can find the tools every guy needs” to be the best brand of man he can be.
Sarshar has produced nearly 100 how-to videos for men viewed by at least 3 million viewers. He has also appeared on iVillage Live, Fox News, CNN, CBS News and Good Morning America.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
Scott Page has received several acknowledgments and awards, primarily for his technology companies’ achievements. Named one of “50 Pioneers of Multimedia,” Page has been guest lecturer and panelist at numerous conferences and university symposia. His industry acknowledgments include being named one of “The Top 100 Multimedia Producers” by Multimedia Magazine, the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” by Buzz Magazine, and one of “50 New Media Innovators” profiled in Pioneer Electronics’ Multimedia Frontier.
Coming straight from the Caribbean island of St Martin, Moana Avvenenti is a singer-songwriter full of exotic grooves blended with pop flavors. Her unique style is influenced by pop/rock and soul from the United States, combined with the carnival traditions of the Caribbean. Not dancing is not an option here. She’s been surrounded by musicians and constantly attended live performances her whole life, as her father is a bass and guitar player. Following his footsteps, by the time she was 13, she was performing for music festivals, ceremonies, and talent showcases, singing and accompanying herself on piano, and later on guitar. At age 16, Moana had her own musical group, and recorded her first album as a lead singer: “Moana and the Toopah Peas.”In 2008, she joined the band “U-Nighted,” with whom she also recorded an album.
On This Episode : Jon Rollo, Renee Strauss and David Michail
Why start another restaurant in LA!? What's the point? There are so many! Anyone out here with that dream has said that to themselves over and over. Enter Jonathan Rollo, one of LA’s top celebrity chefs, he is fired up about the success and growth of, Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop, and is ready to share his journey and explain that you can do this too. Jon trained at Le Cordon Bleu and the Culinary and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, where he began working as a prep cook with The Rosebud Group. Eventually moving back to Los Angeles, he joined The Patina Group one of Southern California’s premiere restaurant groups. He left the group in Spring of 2007 to bring Greenleaf to life and hasn’t looked back since.
Renée Strauss is synonymous with weddings. She has guided brides from around the world achieve their personal best and fulfill their vision for their special wedding day. Internationally recognized, Renée styles brides, the bridal party, and the wedding itself. Having reached success in bridal, Renée finds personal fulfillment in consulting as the luxury bridal expert she most enjoys. Recently appointed Luxury Weddings Ambassador for LWH Hotels, a worldwide hotel chain with 3 local properties: Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel and Luxe City City Center Hotel.
David F. Michail primarily represents high growth start-up and Fortune 500 companies in a myriad of strategic domestic and international business transactions. His practice area focuses mainly within the media, technology and entertainment verticals with a particular emphasis on advertising and marketing law, intellectual property, information management and data privacy, entertainment, outsourcing, technology and internet, corporate, finance, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic advisory services.
On This Episode : Ashley Borg, Audra Quinn, Fred Joyal (1-800-DENTIST), Jon Kolker and Gareth Wilson
Ashley Borg, Co-Founder & Creative Director of UNCORKED!.
Talented visual designer with 12 years of print, web and mobile app experience for Fortune 100 companies including Electronic Arts, Sony PlayStation, Aflac, Mitsubishi, Disney, and Warner Bros. She has a passion for typography, seamless user experience, and DIY projects.
Audra Quinn, Co-Founder & CEO of UNCORKED!.
Seasoned copywriter and digital marketer with 10+ years of publishing experience across multiple channels and industries. She a wine-loving wordsmith with a passion for entrepreneurship, social engagement and building the UNCORKED! brand. She also holds an MBA in entrepreneurship from Pepperdine University.
Fred Joyal is an entrepreneur who partnered with Gary Saint Denis in 1986 to form the successful dental referral service, 1-800-DENTIST. Today he serves as the CEO of Futuredontics, Inc., which Joyal is widely regarded as one of the leading experts in dental consumer marketing. He writes regular articles for industry trade magazines on the subjects of marketing and advertising, and he has authored two detailed whitepapers and a book on dental marketing. Joyal is also highly sought after as a lecturer and has given marketing talks at many dental trade shows and seminars. In addition, Joyal operates GoAskFred.com, a complimentary website where he answers dental marketing questions submitted by dentists and provides free marketing tips to dental professionals. It includes a monthly blog and a series of short marketing videos.
Jon Kolker, Co-Founder and CEO at Better Pet, Inc., was born in Baltimore and attended George Washington University (’06) where he studied English Literature. He received a Masters in Digital Media Marketing and Entrepreneurship from USC (’11). In 2012, Kolker founded Better Pet, Inc., the company that launched, “Where My Dogs At,” an app that helps users find dog-friendly people and places in town.
Gareth Wilson, President and Creative Director at Better Pet, Inc., was born in Baltimore and attended Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where he studied philosophy and art. He holds two Master’s degrees, one in philosophy from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and another in digital media marketing and entrepreneurship from USC. In 2012, Wilson helped Better Pet, Inc. launch, “Where My Dogs At,” an app that helps users find dog-friendly people and places in town.
On This Episode : Ian Stewart & Marcia Wieder
Ian Stewart devise, stages and films some of the biggest events across the planet. It's a far cry from growing up on a farm in New Zealand, then qualifying as a lawyer and ending up working as a Fund Manager in London. Have you ever thought to yourself "this job is good, but I don't want to be here my whole life?" Ian fills us in on how he made the transition from a Fund Manager to staging and filming the worlds biggest evens. Ian’s work has taken him to all corners of the planet and featured most of the biggest artists in the world, but his true love is creating events from the ground up. His belief is - be creative, productive and keep the vision.
As Founder and CEO of Dream University Marcia Wieder travels the world - an ambassador for making dreams real. She's known for giving inspiring and moving talks to notable companies such as AT&T, The Gap and American Express. For anyone starting a new business, or just embarking on a new path in life, Marcia is a must listen interview for that extra support you've been looking for. In addition to being a charismatic speaker, she's the renowned author of fourteen books dedicated to achieving your dreams: Making Your Dreams Come True, Life is But a Dream, Dreams are Whispers From the Soul and Doing Less and Having More.
On This Episode : Mark Mertens and Jay Samit
As the visionary behind A Hundred Years, Marc's greatest passion is leveraging technology to connect people to what matters most and inspire them into action. He's a believer in the power of design to transform the world for the better, and for over 11 years has created immerse digital experiences for some of the world's leading brands. Marc teaches our listeners the importance of technology and people, and how it can create an amazing work environment.
Jay Alan Samit is president of ooVoo – the world’s largest provider of social video chat with 50 million registered users. Samit is a leading technology pioneer with over 25 years experience in digital media. Prior to ooVoo, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe, the largest social media technology platform, reaching over 600 million consumers around the world each month for such major brands as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, Toyota, Pepsi, Microsoft, Visa, and Disney. Samit has held global senior management positions at Universal, EMI, and Sony. As Executive Vice President of Sony, Samit implemented a profitable global digital ecommerce strategy for Sony and built a new division from scratch — making Sony the #7 largest ecommerce site in the world.
On This Episode : Victor Benoun, Johnny “Vatos” Hernadez and Ian Ormiston
Entrepreneur, Author, Life Coach (and amateur magician) Victor Benoun is a successful entrepreneur and owner of The Mortgage Source, Inc., co-creator of the 13 Hour Clock, and author of three books. As a coach he has helped to empower fellow entrepreneurs open their own businesses, write books and record CD’s. We asked this life coach to help our listeners better understand real estate, why it's still a reliable business, and how you can start your career with a plan! He has worked in the mortgage industry for 35 years and helped thousands of people attain home ownership.
Johnny “Vatos” Hernandez’s professional drumming career began at age seventeen with a USO tour to South Vietnam. At nineteen, he was playing in local big bands, the LACC Studio Jazz Band and the Si Zenter Big Band. During the same time, Hernandez played in a variety of pit orchestras and backing acts, like Bob Hope, Billy Daniels and Gordon McCray. In the 1970s, he played with The Helen Reddy Band and served as the house drummer of “The Midnight Special” television show. There, he played with acts, such as Frankie Avalon, Petula Clark, Keith Carradine and Martin Mull.
Ian Ormiston is a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter. A recent review of his music, by Livingston Taylor, described it as being “wonderful work… skillfully written, well played and nicely recorded.”
Music changed his life forever. Now it’s his turn to give it back. Inspired by the sounds of the classic rock greats, Ian has released his new EP, “Not Forever, Just Today.”
Ian’s music all began with piano lessons as a child. After a few months the teacher declared him unteachable. He was memorising the material instead of reading the music. Then, in his last year of high school he was reunited with a piano and everything changed. Teaching himself piano, bass, guitar, and ukulele he knew music was his true passion.
His next ambition is to record a full album and inspire a whole new generation of musicians.
On This Episode : Parnell Delcham, Darren Kavinoky & David Michail
Have you ever wanted to start a restaurant but don't know where to begin? Leading the team behind Ways & Means is Parnell Delcham, president of UCA, having previously captained Domaine Restaurant Group, Straits Restaurant Group, Nice Ventures, and China Grill Management in opening acclaimed concepts that include 25 Degrees, Public Kitchen & Bar, and Asia De Cuba. Parnell gives our listeners invaluable advice and tips regarding the culinary world, and gives you the secrets to his incredible success.
Darren Kavinoky is a criminal behavior expert, trial lawyer, TV analyst, author, and keynote speaker, we can truly say that he is an extremely accomplished man amongst all trades.
Darren is known as an award-winning criminal defense attorney. The American Trial Lawyers Association has named him one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in California” each and every year since 2007. Los Angeles magazine identified Darren as a “SuperLawyer” in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Darren received an “AV Preeminent Rating” by Martindale-Hubbell (a peer review ranking that signals the highest level of professional excellence and ethics); a perfect 10.0 Rating by Avvo.com (an independent attorney ranking site), and many other accolades. Darren has authored two legal textbooks for major legal publishers in the field of criminal law.
And finally David Michail calls in to give our listeners advice a tips on all things legal in the business world!
On This Episode : Caitlyn Chase, Ryan Blair, Courtney and Gordon Gould
At little while back Caitlyn Chase was developing a considerable reputation on the web for her blog entitled Caviar&Cashmere. The site covers the most extravagant lifestyle indulgences from the best yachts to the most decedent private island escapes. Caitlyn fill us in on just how difficult it can be to start a company with your daughter, how they made it work, and what you can learn from their mistakes!
We all have our own "skeletons in the closet," and most of us have a hard time thinking we can start a company because of our tarnished past. This is not the case as our guest explains. Ryan Blair‘s path to entrepreneurial success was anything but ordinary; he grew up in an LA gang, lived with a meth addicted father, landed in jail and dropped out of high school his freshman year, yet managed to transform his life. Ryan’s life was changed by a mentor that saw his potential despite his flaws. Mentoring at-risk youth has become Ryan’s greatest passion and he strives to give back by helping teens turn their lives around and become future entrepreneurs. For anyone struggling personally do not miss this uplifting interview!
Courtney Nicholas Gould, Co-founder & Co-CEO, SmartyPants Vitamins Courtney Nichols Gould has worked in, around and with startups almost her entire career. Having most recently served as COO of Clear, the first fast pass for airport security, from its inception through its successful launch and beyond, she previously served as interim CEO ofwww.wemix.com, president of Mail.com and still serves as an advisor, investor and board member for various stage start-ups. As co-founder and Co-CEO of SmartyPants Vitamins, Courtney has helped build the first omni channel vitamin brand from the ground up bringing the only truly nutrient dense line of gummy vitamins to health conscious people both on and offline. She is proud of the company’s commitment to make a matching 1-for-1 nutrient grant for every bottle SmartyPants sells through its partnership with Vitamin Angels.
Gordon Gould Co-founder and Co-CEO SmartyPants Vitamins, has worked in the digital media and internet industry for over 16 years. Gordon has co-founded several companies in the consumer social media space and was founding CEO of both Upoc.com, the world’s first mobile social network, and ThisNext.com, the largest independent social shopping platform. Gordon has worked closely with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, technologists, content providers, marketers, non-profits, and consumers/users to help create compelling, useful services.
As co-founder and co-CEO of SmartyPants, he uses his experience with social media and social commerce to provide parents and growups with useful content, tools, and products that can help them best care for their and their family’s health. Gordon’s primary professional interest is in empowering people thru technology and in building a company that has a strong social mission, such as SmartyPants’ commitment to children’s health worldwide via partnerships with Vitamin Angels, charity:water and Turn the Tide.
On This Episode : Dhana Cohen and Jason Nazar
You have a great idea, and now you have successfully made your product. So how do you get it distributed? Dhana Cohen has over 25 years experience in marketing and product development. Earlier in her career she worked in advertising for The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, a Bonneville radio station in Phoenix and an International Home Design magazine. Dhana explains that her idea blossomed when she was a stay at home mom, Dhana ran her own marketing firm for 10 years creating campaigns for small businesses, and developed some of her own products.
Jason Nazar is the co-founder and CEO of Docstoc.com, the premiere online destination to start, grow, and manage small businesses. Docstoc hosts the best quality and widest selection of professional documents (over 30 million), and resources including articles, videos & productivity tools to make every small business better. Docstoc is a top 500 most tracked website worldwide and has over 25 million registered users. It offers a vast selection of free resources & provides a monthly membership which unlocks its widest selection of premium content.
Scott Griffiths is an adjunct professor of marketing who teaches International Marketing to graduate students at Pepperdine University and has taught New Products Development at the business school at Chapman University, and business modeling to senior product designers at Art Center College of Design. Having led or been on the leadership team of more than twenty startups; and, having created, launched and built more than 100 products and brands, Professor Griffiths brings exacting and realistic real world experience to the classroom.
A Silicon Valley entrepreneur, investor, speaker and computer security expert, Dave Asprey spent 15 years and $300,000 to hack his own biology. Along the way, he crated an early cloud computing service at the first web hosting company and ran strategic planning for two public companies. He splits his time between helping others upgrade themselves with coaching and on The Bulletproof Executive, and serving as Trend Micro's head cloud computing tech evangelist.
Do you want to create a business that wow's the customer, indulge's their senses, and leaves them begging for more?! The brainchild of L.A.’s most celebrated pastry chef, Waylynn Lucas, and gluten-free baking wiz Nancy Truman, fonuts debuted in August ’11 with a mission to elevate the coffee and donut experience into loftier and tastier realms. Baked and/or steamed and never fried, fonuts replicate the donut taste you know and love, but give it a modern spin, featuring gluten-free and vegan options alongside traditional varieties.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-founded 7th Level, Inc., a CD-ROM game and educational software company. Later, Page Co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise
Singer-songwriter, Natalie Smith, grew up in beautiful Northern California, singing and writing from a very early age. Natalie attended Berklee College of Music, where she focused on her vocals, piano, and songwriting, but it wasn't until moving to Los Angeles in 2012, that her musical portrait really came to be. With her quick wit, honest lyrics, and memorable hooks, the 24 year old singer weaves together a wonderful optimistic narrative.
On This Episode : Tara Guber & Reichart Von Wolfsheild
Yoga Ed. fulfills a lifelong desire of Tara’s to share the benefits of yoga with children in schools across the nation. Now you get the opportunity to hear from one the industries best on how to create a business while keeping your cool! Tara Guber was the co-founder of Education First! a media based, education advocacy non-profit organization, a Points of Light Foundation board member and is a founding board member of The Accelerated School in South Central Los Angeles. And if you are thinking about writing a book, then do not miss this interview! Tara has written two books, Yoga Moves with Alan Finger and Contact: The Yoga of Relationship.
Reichart Von Wolfsheild is a technologist, inventor, artist and futurist. Starting in his teens, he designed and built a computer CPU from scratch. In the early 1980s, while helping pioneer music videos for the then-fledgling network, MTV, he started his first successful technology company developing Artificial Intelligence applications. Blending his talents from several fields he made history conceiving one of the first multi-player “modem” based video games, kicking off a franchise. He has invented and designed everything from toys to weapons and developed more than 120 successful products for companies such as Boeing, Bally, Disney, Dreamworks and Mattel. Von Wolfsheild calls Maui home, and has worked with his team for over quarter of a century.
No matter how much you "keep up" with our ever changing world there still always seems to be one (or 2) things that just don't make sense. Enter Neil Grossman, he has the rare ability to simplify complicated issues and present them in a clear, concise and unbiased manner. Grossman brings a varied and unique experience to financial and economic matters drawing upon advanced studies in mathematics, physics and law and a career in trading, central banking, fund management and finance. So in other words, "you have questions, we have answers!" Do not miss this great interview!
Mr. Landau was responsible for bringing the SPIDER-MAN franchise to Sony. He also managed Sony Pictures Animation. He has grown Sony Online Entertainment into a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games. He served as Vice Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. He advises several companies including Animation Lab, iContaqt, and Infinite Memories. Yair has been through a ton of amazing experiences our listeners can greatly benefit from. If you are starting a business, or have one up and running, but have hit bump in the road then do not miss this interview!
Bryce Clemmer is a co-founder of Vadio, Inc. Prior to Vadio, he was part of the launch of the first generation iPhone at Apple Inc.Clemmer earned a B.A. in Economics from Willamette University in 2010, and co-founded the Willamette University Investment Group. He is a member of the advisory board for the school of electrical engineering and computer science at Oregon State University, and is a volunteer at MIT / Stanford’s Venture Lab.
Alan Fox is the founder, editor, and publisher of Rattle, one of the most respected literary magazines in the United States, and he sits on the board of directors of several non-profit foundations. PEOPLE TOOLS: 54 Strategies for Building Relationships, Creating Joy, and Embracing Prosperity is the distillation of his experience in accounting, law, real estate, poetry, three marriages, and raising six children, two step children, and one foster child . Alan shares why he started his groundbreaking magazine, how you can benefit from it, and lessons you can learn and use everyday in your life!
Chris Simms is the CEO and Founder of Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, a leading innovator in the upscale casual dining space with twelve locations throughout Southern California and one location in the Bay Area. Chris explains just how hard it can be to open a restaurant, what steps you can take, and how you can make your menu stand out from the rest! Here is an example; The first Lazy Dog restaurant opened in the Huntington Beach area in 2003, showcasing an eclectic menu of memorable family favorites reinterpreted with bold new flavors and served with small-town hospitality. If you are in the culinary industry you won't want to miss this interview!
Andy Abramson calls in to give our listeners tips and tricks to all things Tech in the business world!
On This Episode : David Wurth & Scott Moore
David Wurth is Founder / Publisher of C-Suite Quarterly (CSQ) and Founder / CEO of its parent company C-Suite Media Incorporated, a company dedicated to producing content for the C-Suite Executives business and lifestyle interests. He is responsible for all aspects of the publication as well as the media company’s supportive divisions including custom publishing, digital media, events, memberships and creative services. Some of CSQ’s notable partners have included Ernst & Young, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo Private Bank, Latham & Watkins, HUGO BOSS, NetJets, Burgess Yachts and The Peninsula Beverly Hills.
As President, Broadcast, Scott Moore is responsible for overseeing the programming, production, regulatory, engineering and distribution of Rogers Media’s suite of TV and radio assets, comprised of 12 conventional television stations, including City and OMNI Television, 12 specialty stations, including Sportsnet and FX Canada, and 55 AM and FM radio stations. An award-winning television producer and executive with more than 20 years of industry experience, Moore joined Rogers Media in 2010. Prior to this appointment, Moore was Executive Director of CBC Sports, General Manager of CBC's Media Sales & Marketing Department, and also served as Vice-President of CTV Sportsnet (now Sportsnet) from 1998 to 2003. Moore has also held senior production positions with TSN and CTV as Executive Producer, Olympic Coverage.
Known as “the Hypnotists Hypnotist,” Ken Dubner is a hypnotherapist, life coach, educator, and speaker. He has been involved in training hundreds of Certified Hypnotherapist in the United States. Ken is certified behavioral hypnotherapist and master hypnotist, and has been filmed by HBO documentaries, Discovery Science Channel, Discovery Health Channel, American TVs EXTRA, and the Armed Forces Network.
Richard “Ribbs” Gibbs is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica. Gibbs was the keyboard player for the New Wave band Oingo Boingo from 1980 to 1984. He was also a session player, performing on over 150 albums for artists as diverse as War, Tom Waits, Boy Meets Girl, Living in a Box, Robert Palmer, and Aretha Franklin. He also started with Michael Jochum the band Zuma II, which had an eponymously titled record released by Pasha/CBS Records. He has appeared live with Korn, The Staples, Chaka Khan, and Oingo Boingo.
Growing up in a cultural Gumbo pot outside Paris, France, Evyn Charles was immersed in the sounds of the world. He played violin in a classical orchestra, bass in a Reggae band, and has never stopped singing… Right out of high-school, he played music at Club Med™ resorts, starting to refine what would turn into his trademark Soulful Beach Groove style. Following in the footsteps of Van Morrison, Bob Marley and Eva Cassidy, he combines infectious party songs with heart-tugging numbers. His prodigious repertoire covers practically every genre and era, or as he likes to explain: “I play songs that people like.”
Michelle McCloskey is the founder, president and co-owner of Run Around Betties, a convenient and affordable personal assistance firm covering the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas. In this role, she oversees and manages all aspect of the organization, including but not limited to client and employee relations, new business, bookings, and general administration. McCloskey initially got the entrepreneurial bug at the age of 21 when she created her very own stationary line, Michelle Lane, and again in 2007 when she launched and managed an online vintage clothing store, Hourglass Vintage, for three years. In 2011, she officially launched Run Around Betties, the result and combination of her 10-plus years as a personal and executive assistant, and her desire to find a fun, cost-effective and dynamic way to help time-strapped professionals and everyday folks.
James Sun is the CEO of Pirq where he sets and leads the overall business strategy, communication, and execution. Previous to Pirq, he was the Founder and CEO of GeoPage.com where he led the company in building a scalable location-based platform for industry specific commercial and retail applications. James also has Fortune 500 experience where he served as a database programmer at Intel and management consultant at Deloitte Consulting. As an active angel investor and strategic advisor, he’s helped several startups with strategic business planning, capital investment, international partnerships, and acquisitions.
David Michail calls in to give our listeners any advice on all things legal in the business world!
What's the best approach to being disruptive? How do you take a simple idea and make it fantastic? Mr. Ojanperä will help us better understand these techniques as our guest today! Tero has a strong and versatile 20+ year long experience in mobile industry; he had been focused on stimulating innovations, developer activities and building new businesses for most of his professional life.Vision+ has developed an unique financing model to investing in IPR industries to maximize the value to both developers as well Fund’s for investors. Vision+ funding will create an opportunity for new players to take part in the value chain and help developers to improve their share of the value chain and keep the IPR’s.
While obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship from Babson College, James Siminoff founded Your First Step International, Inc., a company that assisted entrepreneurs in bringing ideas from concept to fruition. In 2000, the company pivoted to building and operating global wholesale Voice over IP networks in developing countries. In 2005 – perplexed by the archaic nature of voicemail – Jamie founded the world’s first voicemail-to-text company, PhoneTag. In September of 2009 PhoneTag sold to Ditech Networks. In 2010 Jamie took on email and founded Unsubscribe.com to help email users clean commercial email from their inboxes. In 2011 Unsubscribe.com was sold to personal security company, TrustedID.
Have you ever watched a video and wondered, “Where did he get that jacket?”, “Where did she get that purse?” or “Who is that actress and what else has she been in?” There HAS to be an easier way to find out rather than spending hours on Google, right? The answer to all of your questions is finally here. VIDZEY is the in-video storefront that allows Hollywood to connect with its viewers – instantly. Sean Kilbane oversees strategic partnerships and new business development at VIDZEY. Most recently, Kilbane worked in international reality TV sales at Electus, Barry Diller’s start-up company. In addition, his experience at Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing in Chicago and United Talent Agency in Beverly Hills gives VIDZEY its connection to Hollywood.
Brian Feldkamp oversees strategic growth and business operations at VIDZEY. In addition to his work as a business strategies consultant at Seracon Consulting, Brian has started several businesses of his own – including a Health and Fitness Company, an e-commerce company selling nostalgic t-shirts, and a travel booking website.
Brad Johnson is a leading force in the Culinary world. So how do you stand out in a world with a restaurant on every block? This is how Post & Beam was born, a concept he and and acclaimed Chef Govind Armstrong came up with, serving moderately priced California comfort food. The restaurant features a wood burning oven, open hearth cooking, open kitchen, patio and on-site garden. And Brad doesn't stop there, he is also the owner of Brad Johnson & Associates, a Restaurant management company dedicated to improving restaurant performance through cost effective operations, marketing and purchasing programs, comprehensive training, and sales development at the local level. Other services include concept development, site selection, design, build and project management consultation, and startup planning and implementation. Do not miss this incredibly informative interview!
Mark Verge Founder and owner of Westside Rentals, a listings service for Southern California renters and landlords. Based in Santa Monica, Westside Rentals employs 80 people and lists about 20,000 apartments, houses and rooms for rent. Along the path: Verge rented office space in Santa Monica and attended trade conventions and apartment association meetings, where he would talk to owners and distribute Westside Rentals magnets and key chains. “It was honestly begging owners,” he says. “We’d do whatever it took to get that listing.” How it works: Owners and landlords get to list their properties free. Renters pay a membership fee of $60 for 60 days of access to the listings, which they can check out online, over the phone or in one of Westside Rentals’ seven local offices
Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
Nell Merlino is Founder, President and CEO of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources for women to grow their micro businesses into million $ enterprises. She is author of “Stepping Out of Line: Lessons for Women Who Want It Their Way in Life, in Love, and at Work,” from Broadway Books, which is available from Amazon.com. Throughout her career, Nell Merlino has been inspiring millions of people to take action. She is the creative force behind Take Our Daughters to Work Day, which moved more than 71 million Americans to participate in a day dedicated to giving girls the opportunity to dream bigger about their future.
Nolan Bushnell, inventor of Pong and founder of Atari, is rightly considered the father of electronic gaming.Bushnell’s career plans gelled while he was attending the University of Utah. At that time, he was learning the basics of computer graphics, while managing an amusement park and playing tournament chess on the side. Fascinated by the combination of computers, images, and fun, Bushnell went on to invent his first computerized video game, “Computer Space,” in 1970. This game, which looked like a prototype of the later “Asteroids,” was unfortunately too complicated and cumbersome for mass production.
Steve Farber is the president of Extreme Leadership, Inc. and founder of The Extreme Leadership Institute, organizations devoted to changing the world through the cultivation and development of Extreme Leaders in business and beyond. Former “Vice President and Official Mouthpiece” (that’s what it said on his business card) of The Tom Peters Company, Farber is a seasoned leadership coach and consultant who has worked with a vast array of public and private organizations in virtually every arena, from the tech sector to financial services, manufacturing, health care, hospitality, entertainment, retail, public education, non-profits, and government.
Andy Abramson - Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
Peter Manning founded his company on a simple premise: Men 5'8" and under must be able to by clothes that fit properly and feel great. Our customer is the over 25% of american men 5'8" and under who care about how he looks and his probably rarely, if ever, been able to buy a pair of pants that fit off the rack. To date, Peter Manning/Five Eight New York have sold their clothes in all 50 states, as well as in several foreign countries, so rest assured that you are in good company.
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and song writer. Most recognised as saxophonist for Pink Floyd. As an entrepreneur he formed Walt Tucker Productions, an audio video post production company, co-founded 7th Level, Inc. CD-ROM game and educational software company, co-founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise, and is the co-founder and CEO of Direct2Care an online presence management company for healthcare.
Although Marty Shannon has never quite liked talking about himself, he has agreed to write this biography in the third person. Indeed, the youngest of 4, he was raised humbly in a little swath of beach paradise in South West Florida called Sarasota. his parents fed and watered his love for music with legends like Al Green, Sam Cooke and Bill Withers. His eldest brother was in an Orlando based band which is how Marty got his first guitar. Not by right, however. When his brother would leave the house, he would steal his guitar and do the best he could to make sounds. "There was nothing quite like it."
Jeff Stibel is a brain scientist and entrepreneur. He is currently serving as President and CEO of the Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corporation and was previously President and CEO of Web.com, Inc. Stibel is also Chairman of BrainGate, a company whose “brain chip” technology – recently featured on 60 Minutes — allows the severely disabled to control electronics with nothing but their thoughts.
Our pets should have a healthy option when it comes to eating. That's why Gary Ward co-found Canine Caviar, the only alkaline-based dog food in America that is specifically designed to help reduce the risk of cancer! Gary tells us just how he came up with this much needed product and how he took it to the next level. Canine Caviar is a lifestyle, not a cure.
David Michail calls in to give our listeners any advice they may need on all things legal in the business world!
BoomPhones - How cool would it be if you could take your headphones off and they become a mini boombox? Enter BoomPhones, a Los Angeles-based company with an obsession for designing ultra-portable audio products that allow music lovers to create, inspire, and share amazing sound. These clever entrepreneurs explain just how they came up with this great idea, and how you can do something like this yourself!
Tony Greenberg - As CEO of RampRate Sourcing Advisers and DeepStrat, Tony Greenberg has been an idea generator transforming perceptions and industries since he was 17. Tony fills us in on his incredible company RampRate, which has radically changed how IT services are purchased, creating actionable, data-driven, sourcing information that has saved tens of millions of dollars and thousands of hours of headaches for major clients in entertainment, Internet services, finance, media and video games.
Evan Asano founded Mediakix in 2011 to help brands reach passionate audiences through online influencers on YouTube, blogs, and emerging social channels in the home, fashion and lifestyle space. Working with advertisers that included Ford, Sony Electronics, and Universal Pictures while at one of the first YouTube networks, Revision3, Evan saw how well audiences responded and engaged with advertisers through sponsored and branded content.
As CEO and president, Daymond John guided FUBU to a staggering $350 million in revenues in 1998, placing it in the same stratosphere as such designer sportswear labels as Donna Karan New York and Tommy Hilfiger. We get an exciting and rare look into the mind of one the industry leaders in fashion! Daymond shares his incredible story, and helps our listeners learn how to make your vision a reality!
Anna Jerstrom stops by the studio to help our listeners learn just how to start a business, how to keep it running, and maintaining great customer relationships, In 2009, she decided to leave her cushy Merrill Lynch job in London to move to Costa Rica to learn how to surf full-time. A year later, the former investment banker founded, Calavera a surf-inspired water wear brand that now has 10 bikini styles plus shorts and rash guards.
Betty Liu is the anchor of Bloomberg Television’s “In the Loop with Betty Liu” (8-10am ET), a daily business morning news program that covers the opening of U.S. markets and financial, economic and political news from around the world. Liu also hosts the weekday half-hour program “In the Loop at the Half” at noon on Bloomberg Radio. Liu has interviewed numerous prominent newsmakers for Bloomberg including Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, media pioneer Ted Turner and former General Electric Chairman and CEO Jack Welch.
Kelly Perdew is the CEO of Fastpoint Games, a leading developer of live, data-drive games that enable clients to engage, reward and monetize their users. Kelly shows us how he engaged the world in a whole new platform, and how he keeps a fast growing community at the top of their "game." Kelly also explains how Fastpoint Games leverages an award-winning, proprietary cloud-based platform to deliver clients customized games and integrated gaming solutions across any channel and around any set of structured data.
With nearly three decades of vast experience, Jon Taffer is an award winning expert, highly respected management guru and top rated television personality. His renowned method of Reaction Management® has become the industry gold standard, saving literally thousands of bars and restaurants as proven weekly on his hit TV series "Bar Rescue." Founder and Chairman of Taffer Dynamics, a world renowned hospitality consulting and business services firm, he concurrently serves as president of Nightclub and Bar Media Group, which operates the Nightclub and Bar Convention and Trade show is Las Vegas March 24-26, 2014 and its related websites.
We have all heard the saying "Life doesn't come with a manual." And most of us would love one! Well, the time has finally come with "Little Blueprint" selling books on life, difficult situations, and how to handle them. It's safe to say we have all been waiting for a product like this. Katherine Eskovitz has not only found a blueprint for you, but a blueprint to success, and she shares her incredible idea and story with our listeners. This is a must listen if you have any questions about life, and we all do!
Scott Page is a technologist, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. Page is most recognized as the saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp, and Toto. As an entrepreneur, he formed Walt Tucker Productions an audio video post production company in 1987. In 1992, he Co-Founded New Media Broadcasting Company, a social media and collaborative communications enterprise. Since 2011, he has been the Co-Founder and CEO of Direct2Care, an online presence management company for healthcare.
From a very early age Alexzandra Owner started showing signs of musicality. She began playing piano (and by playing she means banging the keys trying to make sense of it) at age four. By age six she started taking proper lessons. Alexzandra always hated taking lessons, though. Teachers were always impressed by her extensive range and “old soul” as they called it. Alexzandra has performed at local talent shows, art festivals, charity events, film festivals, café shows, and even once sang Barbara Ann with the Beach Boys.
Stephen Humphreys is taking the world where it wants to go, one ride at a time! The Flywheel mobile app gets you a taxi in over 40 cities, you can watch real-time on the map as it approaches & hop in as it arrives. Stephen shares the battle he encountered with taxi companies, how he made his business stand out in a world of driving services, and what you can learn from this amazing idea.
Dale Fox is Passionate about entrepreneurship, Fox serves as a Mentor for the Founder Institute, a technology startup accelerator and entrepreneur training program. We asked Dale to join Business Rockstars and give us an inside look at his groundbreaking company. Our listeners will learn first hand just how to start a company and keep it running like a well oiled machine.
David Michail primarily represents high growth start-up and Fortune 500 companies in a myriad of strategic domestic and international business transactions. His practice area focuses mainly within the media, technology and entertainment verticals with a particular emphasis on advertising and marketing law, intellectual property, information management and data privacy, entertainment, outsourcing, technology and internet, corporate, finance, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic advisory services.
James Morel Founder of LottoGopher.com .
How do you provide ongoing strategic consulting, business plans, investor pitch decks, marketing plans, advisory board services and digital platform development to small businesses? James Morel gives our listeners a rare glimpse into strategic startups, and where to go after your business is up and running. Current and past website clients include: photo sharing platform, emergency services, streaming music, digital downloads, stock photography, cable advertising agency, talent casting and media workflow management platform.
Howard Marks is Co-Chair of Start Engine and CEO of Gamzee. Howard is an incredibly successful technology entrepreneur that has worked with a number of companies specializing in the video game, online gaming, social gaming and internet education industry. He is also working as the CEO of Gamzee, a company he founded in April 2011 with the stated goal of disrupting the gaming industry by making games that anyone can play anywhere, anytime, and on any device. In 2005, Howard founded Acclaim Games. After its acquisition by Playdom, he became head of the Acclaim studio and Sr. VP, Strategic Planning at Disney Interactive Media Group. Howard got his start in 1983 while a student at the University of Michigan. In 1991 as a co-founder, member of the board of directors and Executive Vice-President of Activision,
Howard helped turn a brand that was largely viewed as dead weight into the leading powerhouse of the video game industry.
Walter W. Grieves has extensive experience in the finance and corporate sectors amassed over the last 17 years. Upon completing his undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, Walter went to work for Research Magazine/Multex Data Group where he managed the International Investor Relations Division. Mr. Grieves then went to work for Morgan Stanley spending time between the Wailuku Maui Branch and the World Trade Center location in New York City. Further looking to expand his experience in the securities industry, Mr. Grieves partnered with a group of Securities Attorneys structuring, capitalizing and restructuring small publicly traded companies. Mr. Grieves is pleased to serve ROC integrating corporations, entrepreneurs, investors, and professional organizations into the largest open source workspace solution in the greater Los Angeles area.
On This Episode : Josh Flagg, William Quigley & Andy Abramson
Celebrating his tenth year in the real estate business, Josh Flagg is back and bigger than ever. Having sold $250,000,000 in residential real estate in little over a year, Flagg is taking the rebounding real estate market by storm. So how did Josh do it? He swings by the studio and fills our listeners in on his amazing run, what you can learn from his mistakes, and how you can get started. His record selling achievements include the most expensive house in Brentwood and the most expensive house in Beverly Hills south of Sunset Blvd. Known as a heavy-hitter in the industry, Flagg has been the listing agent for the famed Dorothy Chandler Estate in Hancock Park and Merv Griffin's sprawling Bel Air estate.
William Quigley joined Clearstone Venture Partners (formerly idealab Capital Partners) shortly after its formation and concentrates on its Internet, Gaming and Communications related investments. William’s current portfolio reflects his belief in the enormous opportunities in the consumer Internet, wireless and enterprise markets (Xfire.com, Titan Gaming, AOptix Technologies, SoonR, Meru Networks, Novariant). He is also focused on emerging companies offering managed services in the enterprise and consumer sectors (Communicado, Spock Networks). William is a member of the board of directors of AOptix Technologies, Meru Networks, Novariant, SoonR, Xfire and Evertune. William joined Clearstone from Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds, where he invested in early- stage Internet and communications companies. Prior to MAVF, he was the chief financial officer of Disney’s merchandise licensing division, the world’s largest licensor. Before Disney, he was a consultant with Arthur Andersen where he worked with media entertainment and banking clients.
Andy Abramson : Andy calls in to give our listeners the 101 on all things Tech in the business world!
On this Episode : Erik Oberholtzer, Richard Gibbs & Ashley Alexander
How do you create restaurant in a world full of them? Erik Oberholtzer co-founded a breakthrough company with some radical new ideas. Tender Greens is a chef driven, organic, fast-casual restaurant concept with 12 locations and counting. A professionally trained chef, Erik manages a growing team of talent along with some exciting new brands. Today we find out just how this concept works, and how you can learn how to create a business that involves risk.
Richard “Ribbs” Gibbs (born in 1955 in Bay Village, Ohio) is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica. Gibbs was the keyboard player for the New Wave band Oingo Boingo from 1980 to 1984. He was also a session player, performing on over 150 albums for artists as diverse as War, Tom Waits, Boy Meets Girl, Living in a Box, Robert Palmer, and Aretha Franklin
Whether she is playing in a coffeehouse or singing in an arena, singer-songwriter, Ashley Alexander makes each show a personal and entertaining experience for every audience. When she performed as an opener for Willie Nelson, Luke Bryan, and Chuck Wicks following the release of her debut album Heaven On Earth, she proved she could hold her own on any stage. Opening spots were followed by numerous appearances at sporting events and media outlets, which eventually lead to an opportunity to perform the National Anthem at a NASCAR Nationwide Series Race (her performance voted as one of the top 10 best pre-race performances ever by the Bleacher Report).
Clients, agencies, media and academic institutions call upon Sasha Strauss‘ award-winning forums worldwide; from Romania to China, Switzerland to Mexico. Media channels like National Public Radio (NPR), Forbes and The Wall Street Journal seek his expertise on branding everything from presidential candidates to innovative start-ups and Fortune 500s. He has keynoted with notable speakers such as Magic Johnson, Tony Hsieh, Frank Gehry, Biz Stone and Simon Sinek. With nearly two decades in strategic brand development, Mr. Strauss has built brands at the world’s leading advertising, PR, marketing and branding agencies.
Seth Goldman is Co-founder & TeaEO of HONEST® Tea, the company he co-founded in 1998 with Professor Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. Over the past fifteen years the company has thrived as consumers have shifted toward healthier and more sustainable diets. In March 2011, HONEST Tea was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company, helping to further the reach and impact of HONEST Tea’s mission by becoming the first organic and Fair Trade brand in the world’s largest beverage distribution system. Today, HONEST Tea is the nation’s top selling ready to-drink organic bottled tea, and is carried in more than 100,000 outlets.
So how did Mr. Sarshar get to be the ultimate authority on how a man should live? Pizoor shares growing up, he was inspired by the impeccable manner in which his grandfathers dressed and maintained their appearance. He went on to create the first barber spa to do over $2 million a year in business (The Grooming Lounge); pioneered the first premium grooming-product online store and become the first to sell grooming products on HSN as an expert. He literally wrote the “bible” for cosmetology schools on how to teach men’s grooming. Now he helps our listeners understand the difficulties in starting a business that can be "experimental.
A native of Honolulu, Kalika Yap, CEO & Founder of Citrus Studios, Inc., Luxe Link, and The Waxing Company. We find out how she was able to launch company after company even during the 2009 recession! A journalism major, Kalika worked for several media firms including Bloomberg and CNBC until 1996 when she uprooted herself again, and moved out west to Los Angeles. She recently was recognized by The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) at the Deborah Awards for her professional and philanthropic dedication to the Los Angeles community. She fills us in on her amazing world, and what we can learn from our mistakes.
Victor J. Coleman is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles-based Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange real estate investment trust (NYSE symbol: HPP). Hudson Pacific's current portfolio consists of 26 properties consisting of 6.2 million square feet totaling $2.5 billion located in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. HPP also owns two irreplaceable media and entertainment properties – Sunset Gower Studios and Sunset Bronson Studios – totaling approximately 900,000 square feet and are located in the heart of Hollywood, California.
Shaun Tomson is a World Surfing Champion, an inductee in the Jewish and South African Sports Hall of Fame, the US Surfing Hall of Fame, and has been described as one of the greatest surfers of all time (Surfing Magazine 2004) and one of the most influential surfers of the century (Surfer Magazine 1999). He is a board member for Santa Barbara Boys & Girls Club and Surfrider Foundation and he received the SIMA Environmentalist of the Year Award in 2002.
A native of Los Angeles, CA., Nelson Paez has been the Chief Executive Officer of DreamHammer since it’s founding in 2000. Mr. Paez provides visionary, strategic and tactical leadership for DreamHammer with the goal of being the global leader for intelligent control software. Mr. Paez builds strategic customer/partner/investor relationships worldwide and oversees corporate administration, product development, marketing, and sales for the company.
Mr. Paez’s passion for science and technology began at an early age when he taught himself how to program computers in 1983 at the age of 10 and later studying sciences at California State University, Los Angeles at the age of 13. Mr. Paez moved on to Business Economics at University of California, Los Angeles to learn how to utilize science and technology to create successful businesses using tech giants like Bill Gates and Larry Ellison as his model.
Freddie Ravel is the internationally acclaimed Harmonics Maestro that blends his infectious passions for music and business to unlock the minds, hearts and hips of audiences around the world.
Backed by number one hits and collaborative successes with Earth, Wind and Fire, Madonna, Prince, Indie Arie, Sergio Mendes, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, the Boston Pops and rock legend, Carlos Santana, the chart-topping Keyboardist is the Founder of “Business Harmonics”, the award-winning peak performance system to enhance leadership, innovation and collaboration within major corporations.
As an expert on music and business integration, Freddie’s media appearances include FOX, ABC, Universal, Clear Channel, Deepak Chopra’s XM Sirius radio show, and clients such as Andre Agassi, USC, NASA, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Citi.
Sandro Monetti is a leading international celebrity journalist, TV personality and event host who has interviewed all the biggest stars in Hollywood. The LA based Brit is the creator and director of the number one rated Hollywood tour on Trip Advisor, his Celebrity Inisder Movie Locations Tour of LA. He has toured his smash hit autiobiographical one man stage show ‘Clooney Cowell Pitt and Me: Amusing Encounters with the A-List’ and written two bestselling books, biographies of movie stars Mickey Rourke and Colin Firth. Hosting the first annual Next Generation Entrepreneurship and Global Crowdfunding Forum taught him all about crowdfunding and he used funds raised on Indiegogo to finance a stage version of the multi-award winning short film he wrote and directed, Les Miserables parody, ‘Miserable Lesbians’.
Richard Gibbs (born in 1955 in Bay Village, Ohio) is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica. Gibbs was the keyboard player for the New Wave band Oingo Boingo from 1980 to 1984. He was also a session player, performing on over 150 albums for artists as diverse as War, Tom Waits, Boy Meets Girl, Living in a Box, Robert Palmer, and Aretha Franklin. He also started with Michael Jochum the band Zuma II, which had an eponymously titled record released by Pasha/CBS Records. He has appeared live with Korn, The Staples, Chaka Khan, and Oingo Boingo.
Katelyn Benton began her professional music career as a pre-teen, playing piano in shopping malls and performing her original songs in many of Denver’s acclaimed music venues before she could drive. Benton graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston before moving to Los Angeles to further expand her career in writing, singing and performing music. In 2009, Benton independently released a 5 song EP (Once), won the award for “Best Music Video” at the JP Folks Awards in Nashville (“Impossible Love”), and celebrated by running 100 miles straight (no joke). In 2010, Benton teamed up with film composer Scott Nickoley (SOUTH PARK) to combine her original lyrics and piano melodies with Nickoley’s cinematic vision and arrangements for Benton’s upcoming full-length album (title TBD).
Gordon Gould, Co-founder and Co-CEO SmartyPants Vitamins, has worked in the digital media and internet industry for over 16 years. Gordon has co-founded several companies in the consumer social media space and was founding CEO of both Upoc.com, the world’s first mobile social network, and ThisNext.com, the largest independent social shopping platform. Gordon has worked closely with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, technologists, content providers, marketers, non-profits, and consumers/users to help create compelling, useful services.
Courtney Nichols Gould, Co-founder & Co-CEO, SmartyPants Vitamins has worked in, around and with startups almost her entire career. Having most recently served as COO of Clear, the first fast pass for airport security, from its inception through its successful launch and beyond, she previously served as interim CEO of www.wemix.com, president of Mail.com and still serves as an advisor, investor and board member for various stage start-ups.
Howard J. Leonhardt Founder of Leonhardt Ventures, is a serial entrepreneur. In 1986 he founded WorldMed originally as an export trading company helping small manufacturers of cardiovascular medical devices to reach international markets and later (1988) as a developer, manufacturer and seller of original devices for treating heart and cardiovascular disease. Leonhardt has 17 U.S. patents for his inventions related to treating cardiovascular disease including; cardiovascular balloon catheters, artificial lung, a non-surgical placed heart valve, radiation catheters, specialized electronic pacemakers, biological pacemakers, cell delivery catheters, aortic stents grafts, stem cell treatment methods for heart failure and a method of converting stem cells to heart muscle cells
Indu Subaiya, is the co-founder of Health 2.0 - a company that promotes, showcases and catalyzes new technologies in health care through a worldwide series of conferences, code-a-thons, prize challenges, and more. Health 2.0 also has the leading market intelligence on new health technology companies.
Indu is the entrepreneurial force behind Health 2.0′s vision and growth. When she’s not inventing new products and services and co-curating the annual event with Matthew Holt, she is a mom, writer and film aficionado who actually likes living in Los Angeles.
Renée Strauss is synonymous with weddings. She has guided brides from around the world achieve their personal best and fulfill their vision for their special wedding day. Internationally recognized, Renée styles brides, the bridal party, and the wedding itself. Having reached success in bridal, Renée finds personal fulfillment in consulting as the luxury bridal expert she most enjoys. Recently appointed Luxury Weddings Ambassador for LWH Hotels, a worldwide hotel chain with 3 local properties: Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel and Luxe City City Center Hotel.
From Keynote speaking, world-wide appearances and bringing awareness to businesses through her consulting and innovative ideas, Renée is sought out for her enthusiasm, comprehension and results. Her hit TV show Brides of Beverly Hills continues to entertain fans around the world.
Jessica Ireland is the creator and owner of Original Beauty Box, an online retailer that sells sleek acrylic makeup organizers designed to simplify life. Her brand has used social media entirely to market her products. With 47,000+ followers on Instagram, she has quickly caught the attention of the nations biggest and most influential beauty bloggers. Her future plans are to expand the line with accessories and to distribute to retail locations.
Tom Larkin is the co-founder and CEO of Social Rebate. Tom was previously Principal, Portfolio Manager for Transamerica Investment Management. Prior to starting Social Rebate, Tom was the youngest partner at Transamerica, earning the Principal designation at 26. During his career, he has examined, modeled, and invested in several thousand companies. Tom co-managed two top-performing small cap portfolios, and was the lead analyst for over a third of the economic sectors covered in the company. He has been involved with entrepreneurial pursuits for the last 6 years. he graduated from Duke University with a BA in Economics in 2003
Ben Stewart is the co-founder and CTO of Social Rebate. Ben has an extensive background in web development and design for several large-scale e-commerce focused companies. Ben began his career as Director of Development for Out of Pocket Films at Sony Pictures before transitioning to his tenure at DDC Internet. As the Head of Creative Media and Web Development for DDC Internet, Ben managed and oversaw the creation of a number of sites focused in cosmetic surgery and medical devices while also coordinating all video production and marketing campaigns. He is originally from Atlanta and studied Film and English at CSU Long Beach.
John Cochran is Chief Executive Officer of Ole Smoky where he brings extensive experience in the beverage business. John comes to Ole Smoky from AquaHydrate Inc., where he was CEO and a member of its Board of Directors for the past sixteen months. Before being named CEO of the Southern California-based water brand in January 2012, Mr. Cochran was CEO of the Pabst Brewing Company, the largest American owned beer company in the United States. In his capacity as CEO, Mr. Cochran oversaw the 30+ brands in the Pabst Brewing Company portfolio including Pabst Blue Ribbon, Lone Star, Colt 45, and Old Milwaukee.
Ben Vanden Wymelenberg and Kevin Groenjes envisioned a little more Mother Nature and a lot less Big Brother in their lives and in their electronics. They created 100% real wood covers for their iPhones, iPads, Beats by Dre headphones and more. Secret Project Name: Woodchuck. Their motto? “Put wood on everything”. They explained how their idea blossomed, and global Expansion.
Nancy Fulton is founder of High Value Viral Media, a start-up that works with name talent and sponsors to create great content for free distribution worldwide. She’s also senior business mentor for Doug Richard’s School for Start-ups in the UK delivers training and support to thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide. Nancy stops by and discusses all of her useful tips for social media.
Julie Aigner Clark is a full-time mom and former teacher, best known for founding The Baby Einstein Company, a start-up business that was born in her basement and became an internationally acclaimed, multi-million-dollar company in less than five years. Julie explains the steps she took to take her company to the next level.
And finally, Andy Abramson calls in and shares his vast knowledge on all things Tech.
Kevin Hong is CBD and Cofounder of Dealflicks Inc, which is yield management for movie tickets. $40 billion dollars are spent every year on movie tickets, popcorn, and soda, but 88% of movie theater seats are empty. Dealflicks partners with theaters to fill these empty seats. Prior to Dealflicks, Kevin dropped out of college and worked with his current partner and CEO of Dealflicks, Sean. They briefly worked together to build a communications business that eventually did over $1.6M in annual revenue. After the business took a turn, Kevin decided to go back to school and he finished with a degree in business and a focus in Finance.
Chris Im was born and raised in southern California, graduating from the University of California, Irvine, with a degree in Business Administration and a specialization in Accounting. After choosing not to pursue a career in accounting, Chris became one of Dealflicks' first employees, where he gets the opportunity to work in different facets of the business. When Chris isn't driving around the U.S. and sleeping in vans for work, he enjoys spending quality time with friends, traveling, and of course, watching movies!
Richard “Ribbs” Gibbs (born in 1955 in Bay Village, Ohio) is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica.
Jordan Casty recently moved to Los Angeles from Chicago. He is looking for help, thank goodness we know Richard Gibbs! Jordan swings by the studio to get invaluable advice from one of the industry leaders in music.
David Fransen David Fransen was appointed Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles by Prime Minister Harper in September 2008. He is Canada’s senior representative in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada. As Director General of the Center for Healthy Human Development at Health Canada from 1998 until 2001, Mr. Fransen led in the development of a federal-provincial agreement on early childhood development, a national diabetes strategy, and a national cancer control strategy. He was the Director General of the Office of Consumer Affairs from 1997 until 1998, and the Director of Economic Framework Policies at Industry Canada from 1995 until 1997.
JP Stonestreet After graduating from The University of Kansas, he taught himself how to program in order to automate his tedious corporate job. That’s when he got his start in software.
For nearly 20 years, he’s been a serial Internet entrepreneur and web consultant. He’s built dozens of websites for large and small companies, in addition to several of his own.
In 2003, he founded PromoteWare, which was a modular web development platform used to build client websites. In 2005, he founded QuoteCatcher.com, which was a business-to-business lead generation company. In 2008, he sold both websites to a company located a few miles from Silicon Valley. Now, he writes an entrepreneurial and online business blog at JPStonestreet.com, produces a Podcast called Smart Energized Entrepreneurs, teaches a web startup workshop called Web Startup 101, and speaks about online business and entrepreneurship whenever he has the chance.
Michael Levine With more than 25 years experience and having worked with some of modern society's biggest names and companies, Michael Levine is the founder of LCO. As the author of 19 books, including Guerrilla PR - considered the most widely used introduction to Public Relations in the world - Levine is an industry expert who is frequently called upon by national media to provide PR insight into topical news and events. For almost 30 years, award-winning LCO – Levine Communications Office has created innovative and dynamic public relations plans for a host of renowned entertainment, literary and business clients. From our flagship Los Angeles office, our energetic team delivers full-service PR, communications and marketing on a global scale, priding ourselves on high standards and a personal approach. Founded by acclaimed PR expertMichael Levine, LCO has garnered a reputation as a leader in the field of Public Relations since being founded in 1983.
David Michail David Michail primarily represents high growth start-up and Fortune 500 companies in a myriad of strategic domestic and international business transactions. His practice area focuses mainly within the media, technology and entertainment verticals with a particular emphasis on advertising and marketing law, intellectual property, information management and data privacy, entertainment, outsourcing, technology and internet, corporate, finance, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic advisory services.
Natasha Case is a Los Angeles native. She attended UC Berkeley for her undergraduate studies, where she majored in Architecture and double minored in City & Regional Planning and Italian Studies. Natasha furthered those studies at UCLA where she pursued a Masters of Architecture, and after graduating worked as an architectural intern at Walt Disney Imagineering in Hotel and Master Planning. During this time she started baking cookies and making ice cream, and naming the ice cream sandwich combinations after famous architects and architectural movements. She handed them out to her peers who found them to be tasty comic relief in spite of recent layoffs and discussion of further impending cutbacks. She had also just met Freya, who was helping her make the product behind the scenes along with putting numbers to the concept as a business model.
Steve Lehman was one of the founders of Premier Radio. From 1999 to January 2001, he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of E4L Inc. (f/k/a National Media, Inc.). From 1984 to 1987, Mr. Lehman was President of Stephen Lehman Productions, a syndicated radio program company, while also serving as an on-air personality at KIIS-AM and FM, Los Angeles. From 1976 to 1980, Mr. Lehman was President of a promotion advertising agency. He served as Chairman of the Board of Premiere Radio Networks Inc. since its formation in January 1987. Mr. Lehman has more than 20 years' experience in the radio industry. From 1982 to 1984, he specialized in building radio networks for independent radio syndicators. From 1980 to 1981, Mr. Lehman was National Sales Manager for Innerview Radio Networks. Mr. Lehman served as a Director of Premiere Radio Networks Inc. since January 1987.
Ron Lin is Chief Technology Officer and co-Founder of CARD.com. He has a rich and varied background in science, software and technology, having received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UCLA and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
CARD.com creates Fair, Fashionable and Fun online banking solutions. Prepaid Visa cards are your connection to what you love. Loading Card Members get VIP access and rewards focused on the passion pictured on their card. A card from your favorite band might get you early access to concert tickets or limited edition merch or free MP3s.
Don DiCostanzo - Don DiCostanzo is the entrepreneurial co-founder of Pedego, a fast growing company that offers unique and innovative electric bikes worldwide. Mr. DiCostanzo is the founder of several successful companies over the past 10 years. Prior to his entrepreneurial ventures, Mr. DiCostanzo, spent over 20 years at Wynn’s, a worldwide public company doing business in over 100 countries. During his tenure at Wynn’s, he held a variety of sales and marketing positions that sustained Wynn’s position as the world leader of innovative products and programs for the automotive business.
Simon Mainwaring - Simon Mainwaring is the founder of We First, the leading social branding firm that provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of the good they do to build their reputation, profits and social impact. He is a member of the Sustainable Brands Advisory Board, the Advisory Board of the Center for Public Diplomacy at the USC Annenberg School, the Transformational Leadership Council and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London. He contributes to Fast Company, Forbes, Huffington Post, Mashable, and GOOD Magazine on branding and social technology.
Chris Pouy - Chris Pouy is the founder and president of Cow Wow Cereal Milk. Previous experience includes 10+ years as a creative in the advertising industry. From 2000-2012 he worked as a writer developing campaigns for clients such as Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Burger King, Nissan, Infiniti, Toyota, IKEA, Vitamin Water, Pepsi, Pedigree, Activision and Electronic Arts. Areas of expertise include television, print, radio, digital, social media and various alternative forms of marketing.
Dorie Speigel : From shampooing and blow-drying, to styling, braiding and up-do’s, to makeup magic, eyebrow shaping and semi-permanent lashes, the hairstyling and makeup professionals at Blow N’ Go! LA cater to their clients’ every immediate beauty need, and make them feel Red Carpet-ready for every occasion at which they need to look their best. Plus, they know exactly how to tame curly and textured hair, and make it behave. But Blow N’ Go! LA is not Dorie’s first L.A. beauty venture: her men’s grooming spa, The Green Room for Men on Pico Boulevard near Century City, has been a thriving business for 8 years. Dorie’s core belief is that “people need and deserve to feel cared for,” and since she is so good at caring for them, many of her male clients’ girlfriends and wives began to demand the same treatment. And that’s how Blow N’ Go! LA was born.
William Quigley : William Quigley joined Clearstone Venture Partners (formerly idealab Capital Partners) shortly after its formation and concentrates on its Internet, Gaming and Communications related investments. William’s current portfolio reflects his belief in the enormous opportunities in the consumer Internet, wireless and enterprise markets (Xfire.com, Titan Gaming, AOptix Technologies, SoonR, Meru Networks, Novariant). He is also focused on emerging companies offering managed services in the enterprise and consumer sectors (Communicado, Spock Networks). William is a member of the board of directors of AOptix Technologies, Meru Networks, Novariant, SoonR, Xfire and Evertune.
On this Episode : Yifat Cohen and Sasha Strauss
Yifat Cohen is one of the very few non-Google employees, who is asked by Google, to present Google+ and Hangouts to Google employees. She is often flown around the world to speak at various worldwide Google Events and Conferences. Yifat has also been featured on Mashable, DataMation, The Rise to the Top, Diamonds in Your Backyard, Entrepreneur on Fire, and many more. She pushes Google's technologies to its limits, and creates best practices and strategies for today's business owners and entrepreneurs. As a Google Plus expert, Yifat Cohen is best know for developing engaging online communities for both new business owners and national brands. She is the go-to gal, Founder at G+GoToGal.
Sasha Strauss Clients, agencies, media and academic institutions call upon Sasha Strauss‘ award-winning forums worldwide; from Romania to China, Switzerland to Mexico. Media channels like National Public Radio (NPR), Forbes and The Wall Street Journal seek his expertise on branding everything from presidential candidates to innovative start-ups and Fortune 500s. He has keynoted with notable speakers such as Magic Johnson, Tony Hsieh, Frank Gehry, Biz Stone and Simon Sinek. When not supporting Innovation Protocol’s international clientele, Mr. Strauss teaches graduate brand strategy at USC’s Marshall School of Business. His courses have a year waiting list and remain the most impacted courses in the program. On the other side of town at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, Mr. Strauss is an Executive in Residence, coaching EMBAs in corporate and professional brand development.
Please Login / Register to comment !
On this Episode : Alex Capecelatro, Richard Gibbs and special guests Mikael (in-Digo)
Alex Capecelatro describes himself as a "programmer, designer, builder, and thinker" on At the Pool, the new social network he founded. At The Pool blends elements from Meetup, Match.com and Facebook to connect you like-minded people who love what you love. In the vein of recent social media services like Google+ and Highlight, At The Pool is all about the interest graph, and it enables interest-based connections through "pools," proximity to others, and daily email recommendations.
Mikael (in-Digo), better known as in-Digo or in-D1g0, is a prominent American Pianist, EDM Producer and Dj. Contrary to popular belief, that Djs "just spin records", Mikael is a Graduate from Several Universities (U.S.C., Tel Aviv University) with Diplomas in Music Performance as a Pianist. In-Digo has produced countless tracks, for many groups and solo artists since mid 2000's. Mikael is also collaborating with different musicians, including classical piano player Harout Senekeremian, amazing improviser Maxim Velichkin, Super Tallented Violinist - Yennie Lam and many more.
Richard Gibbs Richard “Ribbs” Gibbs (born in 1955 in Bay Village, Ohio) is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica.
Terry Heller : has been a lifelong entrepreneur in various divergent industries including entertainment, real estate development and investment, and in the hospitality/restaurant industry. Most recently, Mr. Heller conceptualized and opened Plan Check Kitchen + Bar which offers a unique dining experience. Later he discovered a knack for discovering undervalued properties and started Heller Holding LLC. Founded and directed by Mr. Heller, Heller Holdings has completed dozens of distinctive residential dwellings and procured numerous real estate holdings throughout Southern California.
Craig Balkam, one of the best Hollywood 'Executive Protection Specialists' in the business, has scouted locations, double-checked entourages, battled paparazzi, hung out, ordered in, and saved reputations. He's seen and heard everything - including some things his clients would prefer he hadn't. Here for the the first time he reveals the shocking, hilarious, and scandalous trials, escapades and mind-boggling demands in the life of a premier bodyguard.
David Michail : he swings by the studio to give our listeners 10 minutes of free legal advice!
Tian Mu : Tian Mu is the co-founder and CEO of Naked Sky Entertainment. He built a 3-person start-up into a high caliber game development studio. Since the company’s inception in 2002, he assembled a team of top-notch developers; secured various development, licensing, co-marketing, and distribution deals; oversaw the production of all the projects; ran the operations of the studio; and raised funding from private investors for the development of a self-published, award-winning title. Tian has established marketing, distribution, and development partnerships with companies such as Microsoft, Sony, EA, Intel, nVidia, Epic Games, Riot Games, Valve, Paramount Digital, Majesco, and Bad Robot.
Jay Samit : Jay Alan Samit is president of ooVoo – the world’s largest provider of social video chat with 50 million registered users. Samit is a leading technology pioneer with over 25 years experience in digital media. Prior to ooVoo, Samit was CEO of SocialVibe, the largest social media technology platform, reaching over 600 million consumers around the world each month for such major brands as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, Toyota, Pepsi, Microsoft, Visa, and Disney.
Andy Abramson : Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influence relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. He calls in to give our listeners advice on all things Tech in the business world.
Phil Wiser - Philip R. Wiser is the Chief Technology Officer of Hearst Corporation and is known as a key pioneer in the creation of the online digital music industry and the emerging over-the-top TV market. As the CTO at Hearst Corporation – one of the world’s largest private diversified media and information companies – Wiser leads Hearst’s technology and digital product strategies that address the rapidly changing consumer and media landscape. Hearst’s major interests include magazine, newspaper and business publishing, cable networks, television and radio broadcasting, Internet businesses, television production, newspaper features distribution, business information and real estate.
Gary Polsky : Gary has spent nearly 30 years in the healthcare industry — from managing home infusion sales to running hospitals to founding hospice companies in four states. Gary catalogs his expertise and sales insights in his new book, Selling Healthcare http://www.sellinghealthcare.net/. This experience has taught him the importance of strategically building and leveraging High-Return Relationships to achieve success in business and beyond.
Alison Triessl - Alison F. Triessl began her criminal defense practice at age 24 and has not looked back since. For the last 15 years, she has specialized in third strike, drug, murder and assault cases. She has earned the respect of her colleagues, clients and the southern California legal community for her excellent legal services and for the caring, personalized approach she takes to her clients.
Richard Gibbs : Richard Gibbs is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr. Dolittle, Big Momma's House, The Book of Stars, Queen of the Damned and the television series Battlestar Galactica. He swings by the studio to mentor today's protege Stephen Day.
Stephen Day : Stephen is the founder and a director of “Ombience Inc.,” a 501 c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting individual and collective transformation through art, music and multimedia.
Christopher Lee : By booking the biggest celebrity speakers, best-selling authors, business leaders, sports figures, and top keynote speakers in the business — from the best up-and-comers to the most proven staples— as well as the best bands, comedians, shows and performers, CAL Entertainment ensures that your audience will be transformed, moved…and entertained.
Michtchell Koulouris : In October 2004, together with his brother Peter, Mitchell launched DMI, and raised more than $2 million in investment capital for the company in 2004 while building its artist roster and team. DMI was the first label to sign on with MSN's new online Music Store, and has also partnered with additional leading online music stores such as iTunes, Napster, Real Music Store, SonyConnect, MusicMatch, and TowerRecords.com.
Mike Simms - In 2009, Mike Simms spearheaded Simms Restaurant Group expansion in Manhattan Beach, partnering with brother Chris on Simmzy’s and Tin Roof Bistro. Last year, they teamed with chef David LeFevre on M.B. After graduating from Cornell’s Hotel School Mike worked in Napa Valley managing Tra Vigne restaurant. For the last three years, he has concentrated on opening and operating two restaurants in Manhattan Beach, Simmzy’s and Tin Roof Bistro.
Bob Pritchard - Previously Marketing Manager for Kerry Packer and Rupert Murdoch, Marketing Manager for Formula One, Corporate Manager for Evander Holyfield, Marketing Director first Skins golf with Mark McCormack, Created "100 Years...100 Movies" celebration of the centenary of Hollywood Movies for American Film Institute, Business and Marketing Consultant, Business and Marketing speaker-1500+ speeches, 53 countries, 91 Fortune 500 companies, Global Ambassador for Kidney Health, Business Radio Program Host on voiceamericabusiness internet radio.
Jennifer Laska - Jen loves inventing interesting cookie flavors and sharing them with friends and family. Eventually folks started requesting Jen's cookies at dinner parties and special events. It was easy for Jen to accommodate even last-minute requests because she had discovered a secret: cookie dough can be frozen into individual servings and then baked in any number—even one at a time!
Adam Miller - Is the founder and CEO of talent management software leader Cornerstone OnDemand (www.csod.com). The company had a successful IPO in 2011 and today is one of the world’s fastest growing publicly traded SaaS companies, with over 12 million users. Miller’s vision drove development of one of the first talent management cloud solutions in the market, which has received top ratings from Gartner and IDC, among others.
Neil Strauss - Six-time New York Times’ bestselling author Neil Strauss is the author of the recent hit sensation RULES OF THE GAME: Master the Game in 30 Days a practical manual for would-be pickup artists—an easy-to-follow guide to the basics of approaching and attracting women—and sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Game.
Ryan Blair - His path to entrepreneurial success was anything but ordinary; he grew up in an LA gang, lived with a meth addicted father, landed in jail and dropped out of high school his freshman year, yet managed to transform his life. Ryan’s life was changed by a mentor that saw his potential despite his flaws. Mentoring at-risk youth has become Ryan’s greatest passion and he strives to give back by helping teens turn their lives around and become future entrepreneurs.
Kevin Kelly - Is a leading authority on the success principles of entrepreneurship, leadership, sales and motivation. Raised among a small entrepreneurial family retail business, he has been selling and negotiating, listening to and serving customers from a very young age.
Eric Hebel - CEO & Founder of ProductionBeast – a cloud-based platform enabling production companies to find the best crew and resources based on relevance, keep track of all their go-to freelancers—where they are working, when they’re available—and organize their projects and communications all in one place.
Katrina Parker - Recording artist and contestant on The Voice (NBC), grew up in the small town of Holly Ridge, North Carolina with big dreams! With a voice described as “powerful but tender,” “passionate” (LA Times) and “flawless,” the L.A. singer/songwriter went on to become a fan favorite, a Top 8 Semi-Finalist and “the embodiment of [The Voice]” (Rolling Stone).
Richard Gibbs - Stops by the studio and mentors up and coming pop sensation Katrina Parker. Katrina also gives a wonderful performance.
Jim Kwik - CEO of www.KwikLearning.com, is a world expert in speed-reading, memory improvement, brain performance, and accelerated learning. For two decades he has served as a mental coach to leaders in education, entertainment, technology and business.
Ken Kragen - A graduate of Harvard Business School Ken Kragen‘s illustrious career far transcends the music and entertainment industries where he has spent many incredibly successful years. He has managed some of the world’s most important entertainers, including Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Olivia Newton John, The Bee Gees, Burt Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers and many others.
DramaFever - DramaFever is the largest online video site for the distribution of international televised content. The company streams movies, documentaries, and TV shows on demand with professional subtitles.
Seth Shapiro - Two-time Emmy® Award winner Seth Shapiro is a leading executive and advisor in digital media. His work includes cutting-edge projects in television, online, games and music with the Walt Disney Company, Comcast, DIRECTV, Intel, Time Warner, McCann, Showtime, Universal, Verizon, Goldman Sachs and a range of new ventures.
Ann Marie Michaels - Ann Marie Michaels founded Village Green Network (formerly Real Food Media) in 2008. She began her career in 1995 in Silicon Valley working at CKS Interactive. She went on to produce digital advertising at Razorfish, Foote, Cone & Belding, Deutsch, and Schematic (now POSSIBLE).
Lizanne Falsetto - Few young women are offered the choice between a career in basketball or fashion. thinkThin® founder and CEO Lizanne Falsetto chose fashion and embarked on a successful business chapter that took her to live and work in Japan, Paris, Milan, New York, Australia and Madrid.
Victor J. Coleman - is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles-based Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange real estate investment trust (NYSE symbol: HPP). Hudson Pacific's current portfolio consists of 26 properties consisting of 6.2 million square feet totaling $2.5 billion located in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.
Shaun Tomson : Shaun Tomson is a board member for Santa Barbara Boys & Girls Club and Surfrider Foundation and he received the SIMA Environmentalist of the Year Award in 2002. Shaun founded and sold two multi-million dollar clothing brands – Instinct in the 80’s and Solitude (co-founded with his wife Carla) in the 90’s.
On this Episode : John McAfee and Brad Schy
John Mcafee - Best known in Silicon Valley as the founder of McAfee Associates, a computer antivirus company formed in 1987. In 2010 McAfee was sold to Intel for the sum of $7.68 Billion. He has gone on to start many other successful buisness ventures, hear about his lastest involving personal privacy on today's show.
Brad Schy - Graduated UCLA in 1983 with a BA in communication studies and graduated from Loyola Law school with a JD in 1987. Upon passing the bar, Brad practiced (but failed to enjoy) law for three years at Triad Artists, a major Hollywood talent agency. He went on to start Musical Chairs, a company involved in the secondary market of tickets and events in Los Angeles.
On this Episode : Casey Reinhardt, Rachel Borovik, & Richard Gibbs
Casey Reinhardt - Founder of Casey's Cupcakes and former television personality, discussed the early stages of her cupcake business.
Rachel Borovik - Rachel Borovik is making her mark as a singer/songwriter/show-woman of her time.
Richard Gibbs - One of the worlds most respected and sought after musician joins us to mentor Rachel Borovik
Chris Pouy - Founder of Cow Wow Milk
David Fransen - Counsel General of Canada
David Michail - Lawyer Extraordinaire
Chris Pouy - President and founder of Cow Wow Cereal Milk - an organic milk that tastes like the leftover milk in your cereal bowl. With the help of a few jokes from Jimmy Kimmel, Chris has been able to get his product nationally recognized.
David Fransen - Appointed Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles by Prime Minister Harper in September 2008. He is Canada’s senior representative in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada.
David Michail - Mr. Michail primarily represents high growth start-up and Fortune 500 companies. He calls in to give listeners free legal advice!
Today is the 50th Anniversary of J.F.K.'s inaugural speech, Ken highlights this moment, and what lessons we can learn from this powerful piece of history.
Today's Guests - Jeff Scheinrock is currently a Continuing Lecturer at UCLA Anderson School of Management and the President & CFO at Originate. A pioneer in Venture Resources, Originate invests elite engineering talent and start-up expertise into high potential opportunities. Matt Richter-Sand has an extensive background in technology and entrepreneurship. After graduating from Tulane University with degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Political Science, he joined the U.S. Air Force as a Communications Officer. While stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in California, Matt was responsible for all core IT services. Patrick Bet-David is a man who inspires. He is a successful entrepreneur, emerging author and financial literacy crusader committed to helping people get more out of life. He also is the author of "The 25 Laws for Doing the Impossible" and the "Next Perfect Storm." Patrick swung by the studio and chatted about his business transition from Iran to the United States.
Ken talks about the power of infomercials, the future of 3-D printing, and why you need to stay on top of what's trending everyday!
Today's Guests - Mike Lindell, founder of My Pillow. Mike sold his bars in Minnesota for $500,000, and then took that money to produce a 30 minute infomercial that ran 181 times per day! Since then sales have skyrocketed from $3 million in 2010, to $102 million in 2012. Mike shares his story about the incredible risk he took, how scary it was, and how it payed off in the end. James Siminoff is the chief inventor of Doorbot - "The worlds greatest doorbell." This ingenious device will alert your phone when your doorbell rings, eliminating missing deliveries and people at your front door! For more information visit www.businessrockstars.com
November 15th 2013 - (Business Rockstar) Jennifer Yen founder of Pur~lisse which strives to deliver results and radiance to your skin through authentic time-tested Asian beauty wisdom with advance French cosmeceuticals. Mikki Willis, Award winning filmmaker/humanitarian respected internationally as an innovator of socially and environmentally conscious media. Jae Kim, the Managing Director of Sandler Capital - a hedge fund and private equity firm that manages about $1.7 billion in assets.
Ken gives you the signs that may mean you're an entrepreneur at heart! For more go to http://www.businessrockstars.com
Get your team right the first time. Listen to Ken explain in this Business Rockstars Minute. For more, go to www.businessrockstars.com
November 14th 2013 - (Buisness Rockstar) Dr. Dana Ardi, Founder of Corporate Anthropology Advisor - Today, our Entrepreneur in Motion is Dr. Dana Ardi, a thought leader, and expert in management and leadership. She is the author of the new book, “The Fall of the Alphas.” Adam Shenk was a semi-finalist in MTV’s popular “Making the Band 4”, where he performed for host P. Diddy and worked with both choreographer Laurieann Gibson and New Edition/Bell Biv DeVoe member and manager/producer Michael Bivins. For more information go to www.businessrockstars.com.
How can websites like Google and Yahoo make so much money giving away content for free? Ken explains the "new media economy" on this Business Rockstars Minute!
For more info go to http://www.businessrockstars.com
Episode #356 John Oswald (Co-Founder of Cuipo)
How do you create, market, and sell your brand? Are you learning a new habit each week? How charismatic are you? Ken goes over the 10 steps you need to raise your character traits.
Today's Guests - Carol Dunn began her corporate career in Southern California at a small travel agency. Her enthusiasm and reputation for great service resulted in contracts that eventually led her to manage 85 percent of all entertainment travel (bands, TV, and movie studios) within the United States. Carol shared her story, and explained how she deals with emotional issues in a work environment. - John Oswald oversees the development of the Cuipo brand and all licensing activities. Before Cuipo, John was a co-founder and former CEO of Paul Frank. The Paul Frank brand is well known for its popular icon, Julius, the famous monkey with the big red mouth. He sold Paul Frank and is now the co-founder of Cuipo (Kwee-Poe) - a new SoCal “lifestyle brand.” How do you create, market, and sell your brand successfully? John gives you the tips and tricks you need. And finally we get our weekly legal advice on all things business from David Michail.
Failure is the first step to success. Listen to Ken explain in this Business Rockstars Minute!
Episode #355 Brock Pierce (Vice Chairman of Affinity Media)
What are your marketing techniques? How seriously do you take your website? Are you using social media to market your self? Do you have at least 1,000 followers on Facebook, Linkedin etc? Ken gives you the marketing tools you need to succeed.
Today's Guests - Gina Alexander - This L.A.-based designer has created a line of handbags and other kinds of accessories that allow the customer to design these unique pieces with their personal photos, mementos that travel with you each day, reminding you of the people, places and things you love! Gina created her business intially so she could adopt her child. With cost's around $20,000 she thought this would be a great way to raise money, she didn't expect it to turn into a multi-million dollar business! She stops by the studio and shares her incredible story. Also, Brock Pierce, an entrepreneur best known for pioneering the market for virtual goods in online games. He has founded or co-founded seven companies, acquired more than thirty companies, and closed a dozen corporate finance transactions securing more than $200 million of funding on behalf of his companies. Brock swings by the studio and talks about the future of online currency and mass marketing.
Too many people abuse or don't use their email properly in the workplace. Don't be one of them! Listen to Ken explain in this Business Rockstars Minute!
Episode # 354 Chris Ursitti (Los Angeles Center Studios)
Is your business's technology behind the times? Is your company biography constructed correctly? How do you improve your cash flow??? Find out now!
Today's Guests - Chris Ursitti, owner of Los Angeles Center Studios. A full-service studio for TV, film, and commercial production – a honeycomb of entertainment interests working collectively from a 20-acre studio campus – providing a supportive, synergistic environment for the growing independent elements of the entertainment business. Chris swung by the studio and chatted about his incredible studio, which is home to the show Mad Men and many others! Chris is an American entrepreneur, advisor and investor in interactive technologies and social communications. He has written the first look at startups in the Arab World, “Startup Rising -- The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East”. Schroeder became CEO and President of Legi-Slate, Inc., a leading online B2B provider of information on federal and state legislation and regulation. Chris stopped by and discussed the future of start ups in the Middle East.
You must avoid distractions in the workplace. Listen to Ken in this Business Rockstars Minute!
November 8th 2013 - Business Rockstar - Freddie Ravel, Harmonics Maestro, One-of-a-kind Edutainer. Appearances on FOX, ABC, Universal, Clear Channel, Deepak Chopra’s XM Sirius radio show. - Are you an Astronomer, or Astronaut? Do you follow, or lead? How do you craft the perfect pitch? Are you targeting the right audience to pitch? Ken gives you the 101! Today's guests - Nelson Paez has been the Chief Executive Officer of DreamHammer since it’s founding in 2000. Mr. Paez provides visionary, strategic and tactical leadership for DreamHammer with the goal of being the global leader for intelligent control software. Mr. Paez builds strategic customer/partner/investor relationships worldwide and oversees corporate administration, product development, marketing, and sales for the company. Nelson shared his thoughts on the future of drones, and why the public will be using them before you think. Freddie Reval, backed by number one hits and collaborative successes with Earth, Wind and Fire, Madonna, Prince, Indie Arie, Sergio Mendes, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, the Boston Pops and rock legend, Carlos Santana, the chart-topping Keyboardist is the Founder of “Business Harmonics”, the award-winning peak performance system to enhance leadership, innovation and collaboration within major corporations. Freddie talks about integrating music with business, and why active listening is one the hardest things to do.
November 7th 2013 – Business Rockstar, Sandro Monetti, Celebrity Journalist, Next Generation Entrepreneurship & Global Crowd-funding Forum - Are you reading 2 hours a day? How many podcasts do you listen to? Ken want’s you to find a Podcast you like, and start feeding your brain! Perception VS. Reality. What’s the difference? Ken explains! Sandro Monetti is a leading international celebrity journalist, TV personality and event host who has interviewed all the biggest stars in Hollywood. The LA based Brit is the creator and director of the number one rated Hollywood tour on Trip Advisor, his Celebrity Insider Movie Locations Tour of LA. Sandro stops by to chat about the power of crowd-funding, how to deal with A-List ego’s, and why it’s important to update your Rolodex weekly. Katelyn Benton began her professional music career as a pre-teen, playing piano in shopping malls and performing her original songs in many of Denver’s acclaimed music venues before she could drive. Benton graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston before moving to Los Angeles to further expand her career in writing, singing and performing music. Katelyn joins Richard Gibbs in the studio. Richard gives Katelyn tips on to improve her brand, social media, and how to eliminate the dreaded “waiting period” musicians commonly experience.
What's the best way to take C.A.R.E. of your brand? Ken explains how four simple words can make a big difference in this Business Rockstars Minute!
November 6th 2013 (Business Rockstars) – Is arguing with your business partner a bad thing? How well do you understand Non Disclosure Agreements (NDA’s)? Is crowd-funding the future of not just raising money, but gaining resources? Find out now! Today’s guests – Gordon and Courney Nichols-Gould, founded SmartyPants. SmartyPants are the makers of the first and only All-in-One gummy vitamin. A Venice, CA based company, each of their great tasting gummies contain a full multivitamin + over 100% RDI Vitamin D and an excellent source of Omega3 DHA & EPA fatty acids. Gordon and Courtney swung by the studio, they shared the ups and downs of starting a business with your wife/husband. Also joining us is Howard J. Leonhardt. In 2010 Leonhardt founded eBuyCalifornia.com and eCaliforniaStore.com to link foreign buyers with California exporters with built in links to multiple choices for customer financing. Leonhardt passionately believes Exports Create Jobs! Howard talks about his many businesses, how he stays on track, and just how difficult it can be to raise money for your company.And finally David F. Michail calls in to give callers fantastic legal advice on all things business. This week topic, Non Disclosure Agreements.
What's the key to a great business plan? A great story! Listen to Ken and this Business Rockstars Minute.
November 5th 2013 – (Business Rockstars) - What are you doing to avoid becoming a “Buggy Whip” company? Ken explains why you need to keep your mind open, and the steps you need to take to keep your company on the forefront of technology. Today’s guests – Indu Subaiya, MD MBA is the co-founder of Health 2.0 – a company that promotes, showcases and catalyzes new technologies in health care through a worldwide series of conferences, code-a-thons, prize challenges, and more. Health 2.0 also has the leading market intelligence on new health technology companies. She stopped by the studio and shared some incredible news about Mobile Health Care. Are doctor visits a thing of the past??? Renée Strauss, and Jessica Ireland stop by as well. (Mentor) Renee Strauss is synonymous with weddings. She has guided brides from around the world achieve their personal best and fulfill their vision for their special wedding day. Internationally recognized, Renée styles brides, the bridal party, and the wedding itself. She was kind enough to drop by the studio and give Jessica Ireland some invaluable advice to better her business. Jessica Ireland is the creator and owner of Original Beauty Box, an online retailer that sells sleek acrylic makeup organizers designed to simplify life. Her brand has used social media entirely to market her products.
November 4th 2013 (Business Rockstars) - Is it bad if your company pivots? How do you get your friends to go viral for you? Are you balancing your business and family time? Ken shares his advice to these questions and much more! Ken's first guest John Cochran is Chief Executive Officer of Ole Smoky, where he brings extensive experience in the beverage business. In his capacity as CEO of Pabst Brewing Company, Mr. Cochran oversaw the 30+ brand portfolios, including Pabst Blue Ribbon, Lone Star, Colt 45, and Old Milwaukee. He is now making the transition from CEO to starting up his own Moonshine business (Ole Smoky). He explains the dramatic differences between CEO and starting from scratch again. Ben Stewart and Tom Larkin from Social Rebate stop by and share their story. Social Rebate is an innovative e-commerce solution that converts customers’ purchases into highly credible Social Media marketing. Through Social Rebate, companies can hire their customers to share their brand across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn and earn cash off their purchase based on the traffic that they bring the company.
Top media companies that their users, NOT their content, are actually their product. Listen to Ken in this BR Minute
November 1st 2013 (Business Rockstars) Ready to hire your first employee? Don't trust your instincts! Ken explains the steps you need to take. Are you planning your day? How often do you check your calendar? Ken gives you the 101 on constructing a productive work week. A couple of years ago an idea took leaf. Ben Vanden Wymelenberg and Kevin Groenjes envisioned a little more Mother Nature and a lot less Big Brother in their lives and in their electronics. They created 100% real wood covers for their iPhones, iPads, Beats by Dre headphones and more. Secret Project Name: Woodchuck. Their motto? "Put wood on everything". They explained how their idea blossomed, and global Expansion. Nancy Fulton is founder of High Value Viral Media, a start-up that works with name talent and sponsors to create great content for free distribution worldwide. She’s also senior business mentor for Doug Richard’s School for Start-ups in the UK delivers training and support to thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide. Nancy stops by and discusses all of her useful tips for social media. And finally, Andy Abramson calls in and shares his vast knowledge on all things Tech.
October 31st 2013 (Business Rockstars) - Are you bored on LinkedIn? Then you're probably not using it right! Ken gives you the tips you need to have a fantastic LinkedIn profile. Seth Goldman explains how he sold his business HONEST® Tea to The Coca-Cola company. And Richard Gibbs stops by to mentor up and coming artists Indian Summer! Seth Goldman is Co-founder & TeaEO of HONEST® Tea, the company he co-founded in 1998 with Professor Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. Over the past fifteen years the company has thrived as consumers have shifted toward healthier and more sustainable diets. In March 2011, HONEST Tea was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company. Seth explained that everything on the market was way too sweet, thus starting Honest Tea, an organic option for people who want something a little less sweet. Indian Summer is a musical combustion, a Blues/Folk/Rock explosion from Los Angeles, CA. Comprised of multi-instrumentalists Sara Carter, Toby Karlin, Summer Mencher, and Jon Lall, this collective met at Berkeley College of Music in Boston, MA but didn't begin making music till years later. They stopped by the studio and received invaluable advice from Mentor Richard Gibbs.
October 29th 2013 (Business Rockstars) - Ken explains the value in business mentors and what it takes to "Know your Business". Rob Ford, founder of The Creative Mind Group enlightens us on the world of film. Dennis Fountaine talks inventions, and David Michail gives callers legal advice on all things business. Rob Ford is the Founder and CEO of The Creative Mind Group (CMG). CMG was founded in 2004, creating a platform that allows college students to break into entry-level positions in the film industry. He joined Ken today to talk about his company, how you get started in the film industry, and chimed in on our company tagline segment. Dennis Fountaine has been conceptualizing, researching, developing and licensing new products and technologies since 1984. Dennis formed ROCKET SCIENCE LABS to conceive, research, develop, prototype, exploit and license his new product concepts. He stopped by and talked about his incredible inventions, the struggles he went through, and discusses his company Rocket Science Labs. And as always David Michail gives us invaluable legal advice. He talks about Patents and Trademarks, what steps do you need to take to successfully patent/trademark your product?
André Vener, Quasim Riaz, Hagop Giragossian opened Dog Haus in 2010. They have created an amazing environment for everyone to enjoy some of the best comfort food in all of Pasadena/Los Angeles area. Great food, awesome music and an amazing family environment. All three of the owners stopped by and discussed the trials and tribulations one goes through when starting a business with friends.
Lizanne Falsetto is founder and chief executive of ThinkProducts, the Ventura maker of the popular thinkThin brand of nutritional snack and weight-management protein bars. Over the last 12 years, Falsetto has grown her operation from a one-woman venture into a firm with 23 employees. She came by the studio to Mentor Ann Marie Michaels and Seth Shapiro. Ann Marie founded Village Green Network (formerly Real Food Media) in 2008. She began her career in 1995 in Silicon Valley working at CKS Interactive. Her partner is Two-time Emmy® Award winner Seth Shapiro, leading executive and advisor in digital media.
Guests: Temeko Richardson, Chris Ovens, Jason Nazar, and Andy Abramson.
Temeko Richardson is a techie entrepreneur and senior-level consultant with almost two decades of experience in devising corporate strategy, architecting operations planning, delivering customer relationship and customer experience solutions for leaders at Fortune 500 companies. She often shows how to implement systems to grow and diversify revenue, expand product development, and target customer outreach. Her vision for improving operational performance and cost-containment is outlined in her debut book, Get A Clue: 10 Steps to an Executive IQ.
Chris Ovens is a pioneer and thought leader in enhancing business analytics with location. As co-founder and CEO of SpotOn Systems, he drove the adoption of Esri solutions in the IBM Cognos BI customer base. With the 2011 acquisition of SpotOn by Esri, Chris now leads the Esri Location Analytics business. The mission is to broadly, geo-enable the enterprise through the Esri ArcGIS platform.
Jason Lawrence Nazar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Docstoc, the premier online destination to start, grow and manage small businesses. Docstoc hosts the best quality and widest selection of professional documents (over 30 million), and resources including articles, videos, & productivity tools to make every small business better. Docstoc is a top 500 most tracked website worldwide and has over 25 million registered users. It offers a vast collection of free resources & provides a monthly membership which unlocks its widest selection of premium content.
Andy Abramson is the founder of Comunicano, Inc., a 20+ person asymmetrical communications consultancy, geared to providing clients with Senior Advising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications and Marketer-In-Residence services to start-ups, companies in transition and established brands with regard to influencer relations, marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, promotion, events and reputation management in the technology, consumer products and business to business markets. In the last 10 years 27 of his agency’s clients have exited, with three IPOs. Some of the acquiring companies include Google, eBay, Yahoo, Nokia, Cisco, IBM, Citrix Online, Computer Associates, Symantec and Logitech.
September 18, 2013 (Business Rockstars) Ken defines the difference between being smart versus having a high IQ. Why is reading every day so important? And can sharing your goals with your friends really make you more likely to succeed? Advertising genius and co-founder of Walton Isaacson, Aaron Walton, reveals what it really takes to make your business stand out. He expounds upon the importance of advertising as storytelling that touches people’s emotional core and about celebrating the lifestyles of the consumer. Is there a difference in the way advertising targets individuals from generation X versus generation Y? Jim Kwik, founder of SuperheroYou, gives some quick tips to remember and utilize the knowledge you have to bring your business to the next level. How can we use motivation, observation, and mechanics to increase learning and memory potential? Kwik gives exclusive content and access at Freememoryseminar.com for Business Rockstars listeners.
September 25, 2013 (Business Rockstars) Ken highlights how consistency and predictability lead to accountability which establishes a reputation that makes you relevant. Restaurant owner, Maire Byrne explains what it takes to start your own business in the food service industry. Ken recommends some of the best spots to close a big deal. And could they all be free? Angel investor Paige Craig talks about the way social media is changing our culture. What is the difference between an evolutionary and a revolutionary business? Economic, social, and cultural ramifications. Paige describes why failure is a necessary part of entrepreneurship.
September 4, 2013 (Business Rockstars) Ken focuses on social media genius and international superstar Lady Gaga. How do you identify and engage with your super fans? Pinterest authority and CEO of hellosociety.com, Kayla Brennan, helps clients get ROI from using Pinterest. Kayla walks us through setting up a brand new Pinterest account and gives some basic techniques to get the most out of social media. Is there some secret to becoming an overnight success? Bridal/wedding connoisseur and Luxury Wedding Ambassador for LWH Hotels Renee Strauss takes us through the full production which is the modern wedding. Can every consumer be fit into one of three categories? This television star from “Brides of Beverly Hills” thinks they can.
September 23, 2013 (Business Rockstars) Ken explores the importance of focus to success within your business. How do you successfully scale your business? Herbalife COO Rich Goudis emphasizes the importance of passion and vision in the entrepreneurial work place. Ken discloses the best ways to avoid 30 thousand dollar millionaires. How do you find business partners who are authentic, genuine and real? Adam Miller, founder and CEO of Cornerstone. How important is it to believe in your product or service? How do you keep your business afloat against massive competition? How do you stay pertinent and ahead of the bell curve? How do you win? Miller shares tips to build your company from the ground up and tackle the tough questions early to come up with a concise pitch deck.
August 28, 2013 (Business Rockstars) Ken examines the four things that all centurions have across the board. What can we learn from people who are over 100 years old? Why has advertising changed remarkably little over the last 15 years, and why is this an exciting time for internet advertising? Ophir Tanz, the CEO of gumgum, talks about how his company makes ads viewable, engaging, and in line with the content that the users are engaging with. How do you raise money and then apply those funds to make your business grow? Ken explains why every great leader has suffered from multiple personality disorder. Russ Whitney, author of his new book “inner voice” and owner of innervoice.com, explains how your passion should be what drives you and your business. He also reveals his own secret formula for life.
October 4, 2013 (Business Rockstars) – Ken poses the question, is television broken? And what will the television of the future be like? How does the recent evolution of online subscriber based channels, like those available through Twitch TV or Machinima, challenge content providers and force television media business models to stay on the cutting edge. Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Gangbanger turned multimillionaire Ryan Blair, and CEO of ViSalus, teaches the skills needed to reverse engineer success. How do you fail fast and use what you have learned to turn your business around even faster? Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired Magazine, explains the raw power of “DO!” Execution over deliberation. Why is attention the most powerful drug in the world?
October 11, 2013 (Business Rockstars) Ken recounts his time spent as a young adult in the 1980s at seminary school. How do marketing and branding affect religious beliefs? Ken unlocks the secrets behind the CARE business model; consistent, authentic, relatable, and extraordinary. Bill Hoffer, fashion guru and owner of www.travelingfashionconsultant.com, explains the importance of dressing to impress. Does the way you dress really affect the way you feel? Innovation-based disruptive entrepreneur and cultural architect at zappos.com, Robert Richman discusses how to create self- sustaining cultures in your own organizations. Author of the upcoming book “Culture Blueprint”, Richman reveals how a positive culture within the workplace can help people grow, inspire amazing service, and ultimately drive revenue.