Innovation Crush

Visionaries like Diplo, Mark Cuban, Calvin Harris, Tim Draper, and others have all graced the stages of Recess, a college tour that combines EDM concerts, business inspiration, networking opportunities, and pitch competitions for students and young entrepreneurs around the country. Having graced over 85 campuses and close to 100,000 students in just a couple years, Recess has become one of the top sources for recognizing and entertaining collegiate innovation talent. On innovation Crush, Recess co-founder, Jack Shannon talks working with brands, starting his own venture during college, their recent partnership with Live Nation, and how we should all be thinking about today's college institutions. Featuring special guest co-host, Pili Montilla! more at www.recess.is

One part cultural anthropologist, one part creative genius and all social media muscle, Patrick Mulford serves as Chief Creative Officer of TheAudience, one of the world's leading social media marketing firms. TheAudience connects global brands like Target, Unilever, and Ford, to billions of consumers through celebrity and cultural influencers as well as standalone presence. On this episode of Innovation Crush, Patrick pulls back the psychological and scientific curtain on the reasons social media works-- including satisfying our cave-man-like physiological needs for social connection, our propensity for addiction, and the dangers behind the media. We're also by joined by special guest co-host and Innovation Crush Alumni, Z. Holly, now host of the Art of Manufacturing Podcast: MakeitinLA.org/listen. Check out the TheAudience at www.theaudience.com.

Elizabeth Gore has undying passion to empower the world's best entrepreneur talent to change the world at scale. In addition to her role as Dell's Entrepreneur-In-Residence, Elizabeth is the Emeritus Chair of the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council that builds global partnerships that positively affect the UN’s most pressing humanitarian issues. At Dell, she is working with the UN and the UN Foundation to support innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. She previously served as the first ever Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the UN Foundation as well as Vice President of Global Partnerships, and founded strategic grassroots efforts such as Nothing But Nets, Girl Up, and Shot@Life. Social: @elizbethgore

What happens when you grow up on both Fat Albert and Albert Einstein? You get Hakeem Oluseyi. As one of the world's foremost scientists, Hakeem wears many hats-- TV personality, professor, life coach, consultant, voice actor, philanthropist, and chief science officer at the Discovery Channel, to name a few. As a kid, he grew up in some of the poorest neighborhoods. As an adult he has traveled the world, spreading the gospel of the sciences. On Innovation Crush, Hakeem stops by-- alongside special guest co host and Emmy award winner, Pili Montilla-- to discuss personal branding, his early obsession with how the universe works, life balance, that one time he almost dropped out of Stanford, and even makes a special exclusive announcement. Social: @hakeemoluseyi @pilimontilla

With a brain as wild, stylish, and immaculately brilliant as the hair-do that sits on top of it, David Shing spits hot fire every where he goes. And he literally goes everywhere. As AOL's Digital Prophet (real title), "Shingy" travels the globe recording and reporting on digital trends and social behaviors that inform the way AOL and its clients should be thinking about their businesses in the near and distant future. On Innovation Crush, The Australian born executive stops by to talk about the power of presentation, the future's rules to live by, songwriting, design, and navigating consumer behavior. http://www.shingy.com

Professional skateboarder, stunt inventor, tv personality, entrepreneur, investor, brand partner, and self described "do or die-er," Rob Dyrdek has built his career through obsessive learning and obsessive progress. His goal now? "I want to build and sell 50-120 companies over the next 20 years." Thanks to our friends at Worldz, Rob stops by to talk about his personal and business philosophies, team building, brand building, and future goals. dyrdekmachine.com awaytravel.com/crush

Roman Tsunder is the co-founder and CEO of PTTOW, the hyper-exclusive networking and collaborative movement that gathers c-level executives from global brands, cultural icons, and celebrities to generate world changing ideas. With guests ranging from AT&T and Coca-Cola execs to David Blaine, Sarah Jessica Parker and the Dalai Lama, it's no surprise that PTTOW stands for "Plan To Take On The World." The mission continues in 2016 as Tsunder and his team launch Worldz, a 2-day event designed for a wider audience of innovators, game changers, and cultural leaders. On Innovation Crush, Roman dives deep into his personal history, the highs and lows of PTTOW's growth, and how resilience shaped his upbringing and his perspective as a business visionary. feat. guest host, Bianca Ker. More at www.worlz.us

As the 17-year-old founder of a Tesla based startup, Tesloop, Haydn Sonnad as his team of "pilots" offer city-to-city shared-car transportation that leverages both the low cost of electricity and the rapid advancements in autonomous driving technology. Considered a new form of mass transit -- but with more convenient locations and no airport hassles -- Tesloop is slated to be the next big thing in transportation. On Innovation Crush, Haydn discusses the highs and lows of being a being a teen entrepreneur, balancing school and business, how his love for tennis relates to entrepreneurship, and the couple times he's chatted with Elon Musk.

Craig Thornton is no stranger to the concepts of shock and awe. Growing up in a home filled with both, the chef-slash-artist grew up to draw on all facets of his senses--combining stark, beautiful imagery and experiences with award winning and television-worthy culinary skills. Commonly known as The Wolvesmouth, he and his team have created dining experiences inclusive of taxidermy, sculpture, painting, man-made caves, and of course... amazing food. With clientele and partnerships ranging from ?uestlove to the Museum of Contemporary Art. On Innovation Crush, Craig discusses story telling, brand creation, the power of the five senses, how his childhood affects his craft, leadership, and the definition of success. Feat guest host, Clark Vautier.

Alexis Ohanian is commonly known as the co-founder of the 230-million-user strong media and social platform, Reddit. Almost a year after the company's launch in 2005, Reddit was acquired by Conde Nast, and Ohanian then directed his professional effort to the innovation ecosystem, where he has invested and advised close to 150 companies including Instacart, Double Robotics, Code Academy, and General Assembly. Earlier this year, the internet almost broke once again, upon the announcement of Alexis returning to the company, reuniting with his original co-founder, and now CEO Steve Huffman. With as set of fresh eyes, a heart filled with enthusiasm, and true love & understanding for internet culture, Ohanian is on a path to both disrupt and preserve the brand used by over 1/3 of Americans. On Innovation Crush, Ohanian discusses reuniting with his co-founder, re-invigorating the brand, and how his Armenian heritage plays a role in his life and business outlook.

Since 2010, Jacques Panis has led the vision behind Shinola's growth from cult collector items to a rocket paced rise a cultural icon. His "one team, one dream" approach to the company's success celebrate's each and every employee's contribution, expertise, passion, and creative vision. With stores and employees all over the world, the Detroit-based brand boasts everything from watches to baseball bats, turntables, notebooks, bicycles, and everything in between. The secret to success? A laser-like focus on creating jobs in Detroit and America as a whole. On Innovation Crush, Jacques peels back the curtain on the company's success, growth strategies, it's role in society, and vision for the future. Create a fantastic-looking website using WEEBLY. Join the over thirty million people who are already dreaming big - get started today for FREE at http://Weebly.com/crush

Magician turned composer turned powerhouse tech journalist, and best-selling author, David Pogue has built his career on an i'm-just-like-you-foundation. Admittedly, he is NOT some life-long tech geek who took spent years hacking security systems, taking computers apart, or building robots. Instead, he is simply really good at breaking things down to basic terms. So good in fact, that he as amassed millions of fans and followers all over the world, whether via his NOVA TV series on PBS, or his Yahoo Tech column, or the occasional musical TED talk, and then some. On Innovation Crush, David dishes on some tech industry secrets, his own personal productivity shortcuts, the future of artificial intelligence, failure, and how music parallels with his life today.

At 28 years old, Mike Rothenberg created a venture capital fund to invest in future forward technologies. 3 years and 60 companies later, the former US Math Olympian's portfolio boasts everything from artificial intelligence, to virtual reality, augmented reality, robotics, and even commercial space travel. One of the few venture firms to have built a noticeable brand, Rothenberg Ventures is known-- among other things-- for its annual Founder's Field Day, bringing it's portfolio companies together for a day of fun, networking at San Francisco's AT&T park. On Innovation Crush, Mike discusses the 10 year journey to start his company, his love of mathematics as a kid, how brands should approach frontier tech, and how his company navigates political and consumer hurdles. ... and more! rothenbergventures.com/

Hip Hop artist turned gallerist turned marketer, turned television writer, and now author, Jensen Karp embodies free form artistry. After signing a million-dollar record deal at age 12, Jensen (fka Hot Karl) has gone on to work in varied creative capacities with everyone from Kanye West to Star Wars, to the ESPYS, Mattel, and Nicole Richie to name a few. On Innovation Crush, Jensen discusses getting into the creative zone, pushing pop culture on corporate america, his record-breaking stint as a battle rapper, that one time he spoofed Shia LeBoeuf's art exhibit, personal branding, and his new book, Kanye West Owes Me $300: And Other True Stories from a White Rapper Who Almost Made It Big. jensenkarp.com/

"If God was a DJ, he damn sure used Serato! -Fan When it comes to reinventing an industry, AJ Bertenshaw knows his stuff. In 2004, AJ and his partner. Stephen West, launched Serato Scratch Live, a technology that would revolutionize the very industry that provides the brick-and-mortar soundtrack to music enthusiasts and partygoers all over the planet. For DJ'ing this meant, going up against hard core vinyl purists, cd spinners, and their fans. That was 2 million registered users ago-- which includes the likes of Jazzy Jeff, A-Trak, DJ Premier, Z-Trip, and more. Now he's at it again. This year, Serato launched Pyro, the company's first consumer app, which allows anyone to DJ... like a DJ via their mobile device. On Innovation Crush, AJ dishes on the company's early days as an insular tech platform, the unexpected turns as an entrepreneur, and how he took over the world, one turntable at a time. seratopyro.com/

Having worked with more than 40 television networks, created over 220 original series, and just north of 1600 episodes of television under their belts, it's no wonder that Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato have created a World of Wonder. World of Wonder was formed in the 1980's to manage the business affairs of the duo's early music career, and over the years became a film making power house, documenting the likes of Monica Lewinsky, Chaz Bono, RuPaul, and most recently produced HBO's MAPPLETHORPE - LOOK AT THE PICTURES. On Innovation Crush, we explore the ins and outs of fringe culture, the journey of entrepreneurship, the power of storytelling, the art of pitching, and innovation made simple.

Part two of an amazing conversation with NASA's Deputy Director of Communications. On this first ever "part two" episode of Innovation Crush, we talk bringing science to corporate America, breaking down gender biases, the impact of pornography, and her methods for overcoming stigma. Wooohooo!!!

Troy Carter doesn't mind being known as "the VC formerly known as Lady Gaga's manager." The bets he made to move the iconic artist from obscurity to super-stardom are the same bets he's made for organizations like Lyft, Uber, Spotify, Warby Parker, and countless others. His ability to spot winners in both entertainment and business is uncanny, fueled by his one true skill--empathy. It's this empathy that gives him the wherewithal to think like a consumer, feel like an artist, move like hustler, and make money like a BOSS. On Innovation Crush, Troy dishes on the science of his success, dropping out of high school, diversity in entrepreneurship, his personal heroes, and how he constantly manages to shift perceptions of who and what he is.

Cenk Uygur has mastered the art of news and storytelling for the digital generation. As co-founder and CEO of The Young Turks, his news platform amasses BILLIONS of impressions each month through content deals with the likes of Hulu, Facebook, and YouTube (TYT has 2 Million subscribers on YouTube alone) and even broadcasts live, daily. Numbers like these - especially for millienial audiences - put traditional news outlets to shame and there is certainly more to come. On Innovation Crush, Cenk divulges on the difference between truth and honesty, how news and politics don't mix, and his experience as a multi-hyphenate journalist and CEO. feat special guest co-host, Paula Miranda. http://twitter.com/cenkuygur http://twitter.com/paulaisms http://www.tytnetwork.com

Astronomer, researcher, science pundit, podcaster, geek, nerd, former bullying victim, TV host, PR maven-- these are just a few of the things to describe the force that is Dr. Michelle Thaller, NASA's Deputy Director of Science Communication. In her day-to-day, Michelle spends most of her time teaching the organization, it's engineers, and the public about how to translate the science of the universe into palatable information and experiences. On this episode of Innovation Crush, recorded live in Panama, the "always on" Michelle talks about being authentic, connecting concepts with audiences, overcoming bullying, and living out one's passions. Shout out to the good folks at Hatchexperience.org for helping serendipity do it's thang!