PCH driven

In this episode, we talk "California Casual" with founder Ashley Merrill about her entrepreneurial journey starting Lunya, the popular and comfortable restwear clothing and lifestyle brand based in Southern California. 

It's 11:11, make a wish. In this episode, we talk with Ellie Anest, founding partner and CEO of Eleven Eleven Wines about her serendipitous, fateful journey starting Eleven Eleven Wines and the business behind it. Located in the heart of Napa Valley, California, Eleven Eleven's wines include grapes grown on their three beautiful estate vineyards and winery located in the Oak Knoll District AVA and they also source from verified growers. It is located in a special place where the combination of terroir and temperature is so perfect, it's also known as Napa Valley's “sweet spot” and where they crush, blend and craft their award-winning wines.

In life there's a saying, is it better to follow your heart or your head? In this case, Brian McDonell, the co-founder of Melin Hats, didn't need to choose. He did both. He followed his heart and reinvented the baseball hat on our heads. Something we really didn't even realize needed reinventing in the first place. Brian challenged the status quo and took the ubiquitous baseball hat- one that's been around for over 150 years- and made it better. Much, much better.

In this bonus episode, we reveal some fun things about Jason Wise, award-winning documentary film director and founder of SOMM TV, a new streaming network home to original, beautiful, cinematographic documentary films and shows about wine, food, and visionary chefs.

Jason Wise is an award-winning film director and founder of SOMM TV, a new streaming network home to original, beautiful, cinematographic documentary films and shows about wine and visionary chefs who are changing the face of food, farming, and travel. The stories open up the wine and culinary world in ways we've never seen before. SOMM TV takes viewers through distant vineyards, private wine sellers, underwater with sea urchins, and features exclusive conversations with top chefs and winemakers from all over the world. 

Hydroflask is one of the most popular water bottles in the world. We talk with its founder Travis Rosbach about the incredible innovation behind it that keeps our cold liquids cold and hot liquids hot while also reducing the amount of single use plastic that ends up in our oceans. This was especially important to Travis because growing up, he and his dad ran a scuba dive shop in the Virgin Islands, and he was tired of seeing plastic water bottles wash up on the beach. Today, Travis continues to make an impact through the Tumalo Group where he helps other entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life too.

Looking for a way to beat the Southern California traffic on his daily commute to work, LeGrand Crewse put a motor on his mountain bike and started cruising there instead. For fun, he'd even wear a Superman tee shirt as he'd fly by the cars. Not only was he known as Superman, but he also became known as the “drivetrain guy” with his self-taught knowledge of how motors and batteries move wheels and e-bikes. That expertise would eventually connect him with his co-founders to start Super73- the electric fat tire motorbike company based in Orange County. Super73 is the very definition of brand strength, influence, coolness, and fun- beyond what I've ever experienced.

Anthony Katz is an accidental entrepreneur inventor who founded Hyperice. It's a fascinating story of how a high school history teacher and basketball coach created an "art project" for icing that caught the attention of Kobe Bryant. And now, some of the world's most iconic athletes have joined the mission like LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, Patrick Mahomes, Ja Morant, Kelly Slater, Tony Finau, and so many more. Hyperice is a sports tech company that has pushed the boundaries of innovation with its muscle recovery equipment. It helps people and athletes move better and be better.

In life there's a saying, is it better to follow your heart or your head? In this case, Brian McDonell, the co-founder of Melin Hats, didn't need to choose. He did both. He followed his heart and reinvented the baseball hat on our heads. Something we really didn't even realize needed reinventing in the first place. Brian challenged the status quo and took the ubiquitous baseball hat- one that's been around for over 150 years- and made it better. Much, much better. 

Chase Fisher is the founder of Blenders Eyewear, a company he bootstrapped to success and that was acquired by the second biggest eyewear company in the world for $90 million in 2020. It's an inspiring story of how Chase overcame his childhood struggles with learning in the classroom with his scrappiness, incredible work ethic, creativity, and desire to win. Blenders Eyewear makes sunglasses, snow goggles, and perscription eyeglasses and is based in San Diego- just a couple blocks off PCH. 

Invisible Universe is an entertainment tech company behind the  popular, celebrity-backed animated characters on social media including Qai Qai (Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian), Clydeo (Jennifer Aniston), Squeaky & Roy (The D'Amelio Family), and Crazynho (Dani Alves). In this episode we talk with Invisible Universe CEO, Tricia Biggio, about its wildly fun cast of characters and the business behind its success.  

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center rescues, rehabilitates and releases marine mammals along over 40 miles of the Southern California coastline. In this episode, we hear CEO Peter Chang share some moving stories about the work they do day in and day out to help out these seals, sea lions, dolphins and whales- and our ocean. The PMMC is located in Laguna Beach, California. 

Venture Capital (VC) provides the funding to get visionary ideas and entrepreneurial innovations off the ground. In this episode, we talk with Wil Chockley, a partner at 75 & Sunny, a seed-focused VC firm based in Los Angeles founded by serial entrepreneur Spencer Rascoff. In this episode, Wil shares his thoughts on the most important skills of early stage founders, helpful advice for entrepreneurs on how to create the most effective pitch deck to raise money, the future of work and HR, and the Metaverse.

Sophia Rascoff is the co-founder of Recon Food, a social media food app where people connect through a shared love of food. She co-founded this app while cooking at home during the pandemic with her dad, Spencer Rascoff. In this episode, we talk to Sophia about the future evolution of social media and why it's unbundling into verticals, entrepreneurship, the value of intrapreneurship, and how a post-heroic leadership style can optimize team performance. Oh, and we also talk a lot about food.

In this rapid fire of questions, we reveal some fun, little known facts about Spencer Rascoff like... What's his favorite style of architecture? Where's his favorite place to "staycation" in Southern California? What's his favorite restaurant? What scares him? Join us for some fun in this bonus episode of PCH Driven. Be sure to check out the full conversation with Spencer Rascoff too. 

In this episode, Spencer Rascoff shares with us what drives him as the co-founder and former CEO of Zillow; and co-founder of Hotwire, dot.LA, Recon and his VC firm 75 & Sunny where he's invested in over 75 start-ups including SpaceX, Robinhood and more. 

In this rapid fire of questions, we reveal some fun, little known facts about Greg Creed like... Would he order a Doritos Locos Taco or Crunchwrap from Taco Bell? Would he take a free ride in a Bezos Blue Origin Rocket to space- yes or no? Join us for some fun in this bonus episode of PCH Driven. Be sure to check out our full conversation with Greg Creed too. 

As a kid, Greg Creed played a game with his dad where they would watch TV and try to guess the brands and products the commercials were promoting. This encouraged Greg to become a marketer. Greg then went on to become the CEO of YUM! Brands where he was at the helm of Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut and The Habit Burger. Greg shares with us what he's learned about leadership and culture along the way, marketing insights and the stories behind some of the most iconic marketing campaigns of all time. He also talks about Creed UnCo and his new book R.E.D. Marketing: The Three Ingredients of Leading Brands.  

Not only is Austin Keen a pro skimboarder and wakesurfer, he is also an innovator who helped take the sport of skimboarding to uncharted waters with his athleticism, creativity and his entrepreneurial instincts. In this episode, we talk to Austin about the hard work that went into blazing this trail- including the role social media, video and content creation played in his success. One of my favorite parts of our conversation is hearing him describe what goes into creating some of his epic athletic stunts like Hijacking a Boat Wake, the Tunnel Stunt and more. I have never in my life seen more captivating videos than Austin has created. Check out his videos at www.pchdriven.com.

What's it like reporting to Warren Buffett? Well, our next guest, Susan Jacques, tells us. She reported to him directly for over 20 years as the CEO of one of the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio companies before becoming the global CEO of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) headquartered off PCH in Carlsbad, California. Susan shares with us the leadership lessons she learned from him and brought with her to role at GIA. She gives us a fascinating look inside the diamond, gem and jewelry industry and how technology like blockchain and AI is transforming its mission into the future. 

In this bonus episode, we do a fun rapid fire of questions with John Ashworth of Ashworth Golf and Linksoul. Be sure to also check out the full conversation with John Ashworth on our podcast.

John Ashworth is a legend in the golf industry, with his namesake clothing line Ashworth having been worn by players like Freddie Couples, Tiger Woods and more on the PGA Tour. And if you were golfing in that era, odds are you were probably wearing his clothes too. Now John Ashworth is the co-founder of the incredibly stylish golf line Linksoul based on PCH in Oceanside, California. Linksoul is worn by some of the greatest players in golf, including Bubba Watson. John Ashworth has touched so many parts of the golf game, including how he helped save Goat Hill Golf Course. His stories and impact on the game are legendary. 

Listen to Shawn Buckley's story, the founder of Just Food For Dogs, who invented an entirely new fresh whole-food category of pet food to improve the lives of our pets through nutrition. Hear the fascinating story of how he disrupted an $80 billion pet food industry to make it better- and it all started on PCH in Newport Beach, California. And if you have a dog or cat, this episode could really change your pet's life. Learn more at www.pchdriven.com.

We explore the sharing economy and the City of The Future as we talk with Kristine Everly, the co-founder of Brevvie, where you can go to briefly rent everything.  

After having worked at a butcher as a young kid on the east coast, Brian Smith later went on to co-found The Butchery with four successful locations across Southern California.

Welcome to the PCH Driven podcast where we'll talk with Southern California entrepreneurs, innovators and business leaders on their road to success. You'll hear never-been-told stories from the people who built some of the most successful companies in Southern California. To learn more, visit us at www.pchdriven.com.