Podcast appearances and mentions of Brian Jay Jones

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2024 107:10

What I learned from rereading Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler. ----Get access to the World's Most Valuable Notebook for Founders You can read, reread, and search all my notes and highlights from every book I've ever read for the podcast. You can also ask SAGE any question and SAGE will read all my notes, highlights, and every transcript from every episode for you. A few questions I've asked SAGE recently: What are the most important leadership lessons from history's greatest entrepreneurs?Can you give me a summary of Warren Buffett's best ideas? (Substitute any founder covered on the podcast and you'll get a comprehensive and easy to read summary of their ideas) How did Edwin Land find new employees to hire? Any unusual sources to find talent?What are some strategies that Cornelius Vanderbilt used against his competitors?Get access to Founders Notes here. ----Join this email list if you want early access to any Founders live events and conferencesJoin my personal email list if you want me to email you my top ten highlights from every book I read ----Buy a super comfortable Founders sweatshirt (or hat) here ! ----(2:00) Disney's key traits were raw ingenuity combined with sadistic determination.(3:00) I had spent a lifetime with a frustrated, and often unemployed man, who hated anybody who was successful. — Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life by Michael Schumacher. (Founders #242)(6:00) Disney put excelence before any other consideration.(11:00) Maybe the most important thing anyone ever said to him: You're crazy to be a professor she told Ted. What you really want to do is draw. Ted's notebooks were always filled with these fabulous animals. So I set to work diverting him. Here was a man who could draw such pictures. He should earn a living doing that. — Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination by Brian Jay Jones. (Founders #161)(14:00) A quote about Edwin Land that would apply to Walt Disney too:Land had learned early on that total engrossment was the best way for him to work. He strongly believed that this kind of concentrated focus could also produce extraordinary results for others. Late in his career, Land recalled that his “whole life has been spent trying to teach people that intense concentration for hour after hour can bring out in people resources they didn't know they had.” A Triumph of Genius: Edwin Land, Polaroid, and the Kodak Patent War by Ronald Fierstein. (Founders #134)(15:00) My parents objected strenuously, but I finally talked them into letting me join up as a Red Cross ambulance driver. I had to lie about my age, of course. In my company was another fellow who had lied about his age to get in. He was regarded as a strange duck, because whenever we had time off and went out on the town to chase girls, he stayed in camp drawing pictures.His name was Walt Disney.Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc. (Founders #293)(20:00) Walt Disney had big dreams. He had outsized aspirations.(22:00) A quote from Edwin Land that would apply to Walt Disney too: My motto is very personal and may not fit anyone else or any other company. It is: Don't do anything that someone else can do.(24:00) Walt Disney seldom dabbled. Everyone who knew him remarked on his intensity; when something intrigued him, he focused himself entirely as if it were the only thing that mattered.(29:00) He had the drive and ambition of 10 million men.(29:00) I'm going to sit tight. I have the greatest opportunity I've ever had, and I'm in it for everything.(31:00) He seemed confident beyond any logical reason for him to be so. It appeared that nothing discouraged him.(31:00) You have to take the hard knocks with the good breaks in life.(32:00) Nothing wrong with my aim, just gotta change the target. — Jay Z(35:00) He sincerely wanted to be counted among the best in his craft.(43:00) He didn't want to just be another animation producer. He wanted to be the king of animation. Disney believed that quality was his only real advantage.(47:00) Walt Disney wanted domination. Domination that would make his position unassailable.(49:00) Disney was always trying to make something he could be proud of.(50:00) We have a habit of divine discontent with our performance. It is an antidote to smugness.— Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness: Being Very Good Is No Good,You Have to Be Very, Very, Very, Very, Very Good by David Ogilvy and Ogivly & Mather. (Founders #343)(53:00) While it is easy, of course, for me to celebrate my doggedness now and say that it is all you need to succeed, the truth is that it demoralized me terribly. I would crawl into the house every night covered in dust after a long day, exhausted and depressed because that day's cyclone had not worked. There were times when I thought it would never work, that I would keep on making cyclone after cyclone, never going forwards, never going backwards, until I died.— Against the Odds: An Autobiography by James Dyson (Founders #300)(56:00) He doesn't place a premium on collecting friends or socializing: "I don't believe in 50 friends. I believe in a smaller number. Nor do I care about society events. It's the most senseless use of time. When I do go out, from time to time, it's just to convince myself again that I'm not missing a lot."— The Red Bull Story by Wolfgang Fürweger (Founders #333)(1:02:00) Steve was at the center of all the circles.He made all the important product decisions.From my standpoint, as an individual programmer, demoing to Steve was like visiting the Oracle of Delphi.The demo was my question. Steve's response was the answer.While the pronouncements from the Greek Oracle often came in the form of confusing riddles, that wasn't true with Steve.He was always easy to understand.He would either approve a demo, or he would request to see something different next time.Whenever Steve reviewed a demo, he would say, often with highly detailed specificity, what he wanted to happen next.He was always trying to ensure the products were as intuitive and straightforward as possible, and he was willing to invest his own time, effort, and influence to see that they were.Through looking at demos, asking for specific changes, then reviewing the changed work again later on and giving a final approval before we could ship, Steve could make a product turn out like he wanted.Much like the Greek Oracle, Steve foretold the future.— Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda. (Founders #281)(1:07:00) He griped that when he hired veteran animators he had to “put up with their Goddamn poor working habits from doing cheap pictures.” He believed it was easier to start from scratch with young art students and indoctrinate them in the Disney system.(1:15:00) I don't want to be relagated to the cartoon medium. We have worlds to conquer here.(1:17:00) Advice Henry Ford gave Walt Disney about selling his company: If you sell any of it you should sell all of it.(1:23:00) He kept a slogan pasted inside of his hat: You can't top pigs with pigs. (A reminder that we have to keep blazing new trails.)(1:25:00) Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World by Richard Snow.(1:33:00) It is the detail. If we lose the detail, we lose it all.----Get access to Founders Notes ----“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

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#345 George Lucas

Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2024 119:18

What I learned from rereading George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones.----Get access to the World's Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.comYou can read, reread, and search all my notes and highlights from every book I've ever read for the podcast. You can also ask SAGE any question and SAGE will read all my notes, highlights, and every transcript from every episode for you. A few questions I've asked SAGE recently: What are the most important leadership lessons from history's greatest entrepreneurs?Can you give me a summary of Warren Buffett's best ideas? (Substitute any founder covered on the podcast and you'll get a comprehensive and easy to read summary of their ideas) How did Edwin Land find new employees to hire? Any unusual sources to find talent?What are some strategies that Cornelius Vanderbilt used against his competitors?Get access to Founders Notes here. ----(0:01) George Lucas unapologetically invested in what he believed in the most: himself.(1:00) George Lucas is the Thomas Edison of the modern film industry.(1:30) A list of biographies written by Brian Jay Jones(6:00) Elon Musk interviewed by Kevin Rose (10:15) How many people think the solution to gaining quality control, improving fiscal responsibility, and stimulating technological innovation is to start their own special-effects company? But that's what he did.(17:00) When I finally discovered film, I really fell madly in love with it. I ate it. I slept it. 24 hours a day. There was no going back.(18:00) Those on the margins often come to control the center. (Game of Thrones)(21:00) As soon as I made my first film, I thought, Hey, I'm good at this. I know how to do this. From then on, I've never questioned it.(23:00) He was becoming increasingly cranky about the idea of working with others and preferred doing everything himself.(34:00) Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life by Michael Schumacher. (Founders #242)(42:00) The film Easy Rider was made for $350,000. It grossed over $60 million at the box office.(45:00) The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley by Jimmy Soni. (Founders #233)A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman (Founders #95)Steve Jobs & The NeXT Big Thing by Randall Stross. (Founders #77)(47:00) What we're striving for is total freedom, where we can finance our pictures, make them our way, release them where we want them released, and be completely free. That's very hard to do in the world of business. You have to have the money in order to have the power to be free.(49:00) You should reject the status quo and pursue freedom.(49:00) People would give anything to quit their jobs. All they have to do is do it. They're people in cages with open doors.(51:00) Stay small. Be the best. Don't lose any money.(59:00) That was a very dark period for me. We were in dire financial strait. I turned that down [directing someone else's movie] at my bleakest point, when I was in debt to my parents, in debt to Francis Coppola, in debt to my agent; I was so far in debt I thought I'd never get out. It took years to get from my first film to my second film, banging on doors, trying to get people to give me a chance. Writing, struggling, with no money in the bank… getting little jobs, eking out a living. Trying to stay alive, and pushing a script that nobody wanted.(1:02:00) “Opening this new restaurant might be the worst mistake I've ever made."Stanley [Stanley Marcus of Neiman Marcus] set his martini down, looked me in the eye, and said, "So you made a mistake. You need to understand something important. And listen to me carefully: The road to success is paved with mistakes well handled."His words remained with me through the night. I repeated them over and over to myself, and it led to a turning point in the way I approached business.Stanley's lesson reminded me of something my grandfather Irving Harris had always told me:“The definition of business is problems."His philosophy came down to a simple fact of business life: success lies not in the elimination of problems but in the art of creative, profitable problem solving. The best companies are those that distinguish themselves by solving problems most effectively.Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer. (1:05:00) My thing about art is that I don't like the word art because it means pretension and bullshit, and I equate those two directly. I don't think of myself as an artist. I'm a craftsman. I don't make a work of art; I make a movie.(1:06:00) I know how good I am. American Graffiti is successful because it came entirely from my head. It was my concept. And that's the only way I can work.(1:09:00) Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda. (Founders #281)(1:21:00) The budget for Star Wars was $11 million. In brought in $775 million at the box office alone!(1:25:00) Steven Spielberg made over $40 million from the original Star Wars. Spielberg gave Lucas 2.5% of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Lucas gave Spielberg 2.5% of Star Wars. That to 2.5% would earn Spielberg more than $40 million over the next four decades.----Get access to the World's Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

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The Fantastic Miss Piggy Podcast - Episode 8: Brian Jay Jones Interview

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2024 42:36

This week, Danny is joined by Jim Henson biographer Brian Jay Jones, to talk about Miss Piggy's development, Frank Oz's acting skills, and how hard it was to get Piggy underwater!

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The Story of How The Muppets Began as a TV Commercial

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2024 10:49 Transcription Available

On this episode of Our American Stories, Brian Jay Jones, author of Jim Henson: The Biography, tells the story of how some of America's most beloved characters, The Muppets, got their start -- in advertising and commercials! Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Untold Stories of Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax" and "The Grinch"

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Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2024 7:59 Transcription Available

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Seuss was raised as a Lutheran and had a strong religious background. His books often included strong moral messages… but, he was always very careful with how he went about it. Here to share a bit about Dr. Seuss's “The Lorax” and “The Grinch” is Brian Jay Jones, author of Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fantastic Miss Piggy Podcast - Episode 1: In a Pig's Eye

Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2024 26:35

In 1974, a beautiful, talented and headstrong young starlet got her big break on The Tonight Show, launching a decades-long career as the most glamorous pig in the world. And now, finally, there's a podcast devoted to telling her amazing story — The Fantastic Miss Piggy Podcast! This labor of love is a history, an analysis and a celebration of Miss Piggy as a pop culture phenomenon, created by her devoted fan, Tough Pigs founder Danny Horn. This first episode is a solo Danny effort, as he delves into a crucial mystery: Is Miss Piggy's name really "Piggy Lee"? Coming up in the following weeks, Danny will be joined by Tough Pigs favorites as well as incredible special guests like Bonnie Erickson, Calista Hendrickson, Craig Shemin, Brian Jay Jones and more, as we discuss everything there is to know about this fascinating, fictional femme fatale. Is this too much fuss to make about a single Muppet character? Absolutely! But where Miss Piggy is concerned, "too far" is actually the appropriate amount of far. Join Danny as he begins this love story for the ages. Kissy-kissy, and welcome to the show!

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100. Star Wars

Load Bearing Beams

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2024 127:23

Once there was a time when Star Wars was just the name of a movie, and not the most toxic subject ever to hit the internet. Well, we yearn for that time, listener... so go with us on this journey back to the Skywalker homestead and get ready to harvest some moisture as we return to the very first movie we ever discussed on the show: Star Wars (1977). Among other things, Matt reiterates for the thousandth time that this movie should only ever be called Star Wars. You may be tempted to call it something else, perhaps some sort of chronological designation, or a fragmentary expression of some sort of new hopeulness. Resist this temptation. Also: We unpack why Laci has never been able to get into the original Star Wars movies, and why that is perfectly reasonable. Next week: The Whole Nine Yards (2000)! Time stamps: 00:01:51 — Big-picture thoughts on the Star Wars franchise 00:10:25 — Our personal histories with Star Wars 00:22:28 — Pre-movie predictions 00:25:25 — History segment: Career overview of George Lucas and the development of Star Wars; career overviews of stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Alec Guiness; quotes taken from George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones 00:56:46 — In-depth movie discussion 02:01:34 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Sources: George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones — https://amzn.to/47xTVk3 Power of Story: Visions of Independence at 2015 Sundance Film Festival (George Lucas interview w/ Robert Redford) — https://www.youtube.com/live/YX-9QCkwHiI?si=7wj7qgLqQhKRLIQo

Brian Jay Jones- Lessons From Dr. Seuss

From The Green Notebook

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2023 61:44

New York Times Bestselling biographer Brian Jay Jones joins Joe to discuss George Lucas: A Life, Becoming Dr. Seuss, and Jim Henson: The Biography. Brian and Joe talk about the lessons we can learn from Lucas, Dr. Seuss, and Henson:Overcoming self-doubt and leveraging the power of frustrationPaying attention to our life's purposeThe power of doing the work even the when the results aren't immediateAppreciating the creative journey, not just the end productInnovation and flexibility of thought can lead to major breakthroughsRecognizing the role of important relationships in our lives....and much more!!Brian Jay Jones is known for covering iconic creative geniuses who have made indelible contributions to pop culture. He has explored the lives and legacies of Jim Henson, George Lucas, Washington Irving, and Dr. Seuss for serious fans and newcomers alike. His most recent book, Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination (Dutton, 2019), has been celebrated as “nuanced, profoundly human” (NPR), “compelling [and] sweeping in scope” (The New Yorker), and “a rich, anecdotal biography” (Kirkus). His previous book, George Lucas: A Life (Little, Brown, 2016) was named one of Kirkus‘s Best Books of 2016. The first comprehensive biography of the influential creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones in nearly two decades, George Lucas: A Life was praised as “definitive” (New York Times), “whiz-bang” (People), “must-read” (Parade) and deemed by Rolling Stone as “the one biography for casual and die-hard [Star Wars] fans alike. Brian lives in New Mexico where he is presently working on a history of the U.S. Capitol. You can find him running his mouth on Twitter at @brianjayjones, and @OfficialBrianJayJones on FacebookLearn more about Brian at www.brianjayjones.com

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Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination

american cat grinch george lucas ham seuss horton jim henson dr. seuss whimsical lorax green eggs geisel agonizing american imagination brian jay jones becoming dr seussian theodor geisel

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2023 119:00

he definitive, fascinating, all-reaching biography of Dr. Seuss Dr. Seuss is a classic American icon. Whimsical and wonderful, his work has defined our childhoods and the childhoods of our own children. The silly, simple rhymes are a bottomless well of magic, his illustrations timeless favorites because, quite simply, he makes us laugh. The Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, Horton, and so many more are his troupe of beloved and uniquely Seussian creations. Theodor Geisel, however, had a second, more radical side. It is there that the allure and fascination of his Dr. Seuss alter ego begins. He had a successful career as an advertising man and then as a political cartoonist, his personal convictions appearing, not always subtly, throughout his books - remember the environmentalist of The Lorax? Geisel was a complicated man on an important mission. He introduced generations to the wonders of reading while teaching young people about empathy and how to treat others well. Agonizing over word choices and rhymes, touching up drawings sometimes for years, he upheld a rigorous standard of perfection for his work. Geisel took his responsibility as a writer for children seriously, talking down to no reader, no matter how small. And with classics like Green Eggs and Ham and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Geisel delighted them while they learned. Suddenly, reading became fun. Coming right off the heels of George Lucas and best-selling Jim Henson, Brian Jay Jones is quickly developing a reputation as a master biographer of the creative geniuses of our time.

Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination

american cat grinch george lucas ham seuss horton jim henson dr. seuss whimsical lorax green eggs geisel agonizing american imagination brian jay jones becoming dr seussian theodor geisel

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2023 118:42

The definitive, fascinating, all-reaching biography of Dr. Seuss Dr. Seuss is a classic American icon. Whimsical and wonderful, his work has defined our childhoods and the childhoods of our own children. The silly, simple rhymes are a bottomless well of magic, his illustrations timeless favorites because, quite simply, he makes us laugh. The Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, Horton, and so many more are his troupe of beloved and uniquely Seussian creations. Theodor Geisel, however, had a second, more radical side. It is there that the allure and fascination of his Dr. Seuss alter ego begins. He had a successful career as an advertising man and then as a political cartoonist, his personal convictions appearing, not always subtly, throughout his books - remember the environmentalist of The Lorax? Geisel was a complicated man on an important mission. He introduced generations to the wonders of reading while teaching young people about empathy and how to treat others well. Agonizing over word choices and rhymes, touching up drawings sometimes for years, he upheld a rigorous standard of perfection for his work. Geisel took his responsibility as a writer for children seriously, talking down to no reader, no matter how small. And with classics like Green Eggs and Ham and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Geisel delighted them while they learned. Suddenly, reading became fun. Coming right off the heels of George Lucas and best-selling Jim Henson, Brian Jay Jones is quickly developing a reputation as a master biographer of the creative geniuses of our time.

Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination

Night-Light Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2023 118:42

The definitive, fascinating, all-reaching biography of Dr. SeussDr. Seuss is a classic American icon. Whimsical and wonderful, his work has defined our childhoods and the childhoods of our own children. The silly, simple rhymes are a bottomless well of magic, his illustrations timeless favorites because, quite simply, he makes us laugh. The Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, Horton, and so many more are his troupe of beloved and uniquely Seussian creations.Theodor Geisel, however, had a second, more radical side. It is there that the allure and fascination of his Dr. Seuss alter ego begins. He had a successful career as an advertising man and then as a political cartoonist, his personal convictions appearing, not always subtly, throughout his books - remember the environmentalist of The Lorax? Geisel was a complicated man on an important mission. He introduced generations to the wonders of reading while teaching young people about empathy and how to treat others well. Agonizing over word choices and rhymes, touching up drawings sometimes for years, he upheld a rigorous standard of perfection for his work. Geisel took his responsibility as a writer for children seriously, talking down to no reader, no matter how small. And with classics like Green Eggs and Ham and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Geisel delighted them while they learned. Suddenly, reading became fun. Coming right off the heels of George Lucas and best-selling Jim Henson, Brian Jay Jones is quickly developing a reputation as a master biographer of the creative geniuses of our time.

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#313 Christopher Nolan

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2023 51:22

What I learned from reading The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan by Tom Shone.---EightSleep: Get the best sleep of your life and unlock more energy with the Pod 3. Get $150 off at eightsleep.com/founders/---Join Founders AMAMembers of Founders AMA can:-Email me your questions directly (you get a private email address in the confirmation email) -Promote your company to other members by including a link to your website with you question -Unlock 30 Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes immediately-Listen to new Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes every week ---One of the best podcasts I've heard this year: Listen to Invest Like The Best #336 Jeremy Giffon Special Situations in Private Markets ---Join my free email newsletter to get my top 10 highlights from every book---(7:00) The only way I know how to work is to sort of burrow in on one project very obsessively.(7:25) People will say to me, "There are people online who are obsessed with Inception or obsessed with Memento.”They're asking me to comment on that, as if I thought it were weird or something, and I'm like, Well, I was obsessed with it for years. Genuinely obsessed with it. So it doesn't strike me as weird. . . I feel like I have managed to wrap them the up in it way I try to wrap myself up.(8:30) The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron by Rebecca Keegan and The Return of James Cameron, Box Office King by Zach Baron. (Founders #311)(11:00) I don't think of myself as an artist. I'm a craftsman. I don't make a work of art; I make a movie. — George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones. (15:30) Steven Spielberg: A Biography by Joseph McBride. (Founders #209)(22:45) Nolan is relentlessly resourceful. He wants to spend as as little money as possible so he can maintain as much control over the project as possible.(23:30) He makes his first movie on the weekends while he working a full-time job!(29:30) The efficiency of filmmaking is for me a way of keeping control. The pressure of time, the pressure of money. Even though they feel like restrictions at the time, and you chafe against them, they're helping you make decisions. They really are. If I know that deadline is there, then my creative process ramps up exponentially.(34:00) The result of making a billion dollar blockbuster: Suddenly his position at Warner Brothers went from solid to unassailable.(37:00) Stories can add to your own thinking but you need your own foundation to add them to first.(38:00) I know it's more fun when we're all together and we can do the thing together. That's why we keep it as a family business.(39:00) Rolls-Royce: The Magic of a Name: The First Forty Years of Britain s Most Prestigious Company by Peter Pugh. (Founders #287)(43:30) Every time a new feature or product was proposed, he decreed that the narrative should take the shape of a mock press release. The goal was to get employees to distill a pitch into its purest essence, to start from something the customer might see—the public announcement—and work backward. Bezos didn't believe anyone could make a good decision about a feature or a product without knowing precisely how it would be communicated to the world. — The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone. (Founders #179)(45:30) Once your children are born, you can never look at yourself through your own eyes anymore; you always look at yourself through their eyes.(49:30) I often have terrible luck with the weather, but my philosophy is to shoot no matter what the weather is, always shooting no matter what weather, just keeping going, keeping going. Letting everybody on the crew and cast know we're really serious about doing that, no matter what the conditions are, so they're not looking out the window first thing and going, Oh, we will or won't shoot today.----Join Founders AMAMembers of Founders AMA can:-Email me your questions directly (you get a private email address in the confirmation email) -Promote your company to other members by including a link to your website with you question -Unlock 30 Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes immediately-Listen to new Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes every week ----“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested, so my poor wallet suffers.” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

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The Untold Stories of Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" and "The Grinch"

grinch untold stories seuss lutheran dr. seuss lorax american imagination brian jay jones becoming dr

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2023 7:59

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Seuss was raised as a Lutheran and had a strong religious background. His books often included strong moral messages… but, he was always very careful with how he went about it. Here to share a bit about Dr. Seuss's “The Lorax” and “The Grinch” is Brian Jay Jones, author of Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#310 Walt Disney and Picasso

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2023 53:24

What I learned from reading Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney by Paul Johnson. Join Founders AMAMembers of Founders AMA can:-Email me your questions directly (you get a private email address in the confirmation email) -Promote your company to other members by including a link to your website with you question -Unlock 27 Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes immediately-Listen to new Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes every week ---(3:30) Disney made use of the new technologies throughout his creative life.(4:45) Lists of Paul Johnson books and episodes: Churchill by Paul Johnson. (Founders #225) Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle by Paul Johnson.(Founders #226)Mozart: A Life by Paul Johnson. (Founders #240) Socrates: A Man for Our Times by Paul Johnson. (Founders #252) (5:55) Picasso was essentially self-taught, self-directed, self-promoted, emotionally educated in the teeming brothels of the city, a small but powerfully built monster of assured egoism.(7:30) Most good copywriters fall into two categories. Poets. And killers. Poets see an ad as an end. Killers as a means to an end. If you are both killer and poet, you get rich. — Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy. (Founders #306)(10:00) Whatever you do, you must do it with gusto, you must do it in volume. It is a case of repeat, repeat, repeat. — Les Schwab Pride In Performance: Keep It Going! by Les Schwab. (Founders #105)(11:30) Picasso averaged one new piece of artwork every day of his life from age 20 until his death at age 91. He created something new every day for 71 years.(15:30) Power doesn't always corrupt. But what power always does is reveal. — Working by Robert Caro (Founders #305)(17:30) Many people find it hard to accept that a great writer, painter, or musician can be evil. But the historical evidence shows, again and again, that evil and creative genius can exist side by side in the same person. In my judgment his monumental selfishness and malignity were inextricably linked to his achievement.He was all-powerful as an originator and aesthetic entrepreneur precisely because he was so passionately devoted to what he was doing, to the exclusion of any other feelings whatever.He had no sense of duty except to himself, and this gave him his overwhelming self-promoting energy. Equally, his egoism enabled him to turn away from nature and into himself with a concentration which is awe-inspiring.(21:30) It shows painfully how even vast creative achievement and unparalleled worldly success can fail to bring happiness.(24:00) Walt Disney (at age 18) wanted to run his own business and be his own master. He had the American entrepreneurial spirit to an unusual degree.(27:00) Recurring theme: Knowing what you want to do but not knowing how to do it—yet.(26:20) All creative individuals build on the works of their predecessors. No one creates in vacuum.(28:30) Why Walt Disney moved to Hollywood: The early 1920s, full of hope and daring, were a classic period for American free enterprise, and for anyone interested in the arts—Hollywood was a rapidly expanding focus of innovation.(28:00) Filmaker episodes: Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life by Michael Schumacher. (Founders #242)Steven Spielberg: A Biography by Joseph McBride. (Founders #209)George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones. (Founders #35) (30:10) The relentless resourcefulness of a young Walt Disney!(34:30) This is wild: It is significant that Mickey Mouse, in the year of his greatest popularity, 1933, received over 800,000 fan letters, the largest ever recorded in show business, at any time in any century.(36:00) Something that Disney does his entire career —he has this in common with other great filmmakers— he is always jumping on the new technology of his day.(37:00) Lack of resources is actually a feature. It's the benefit. — Kevin Kelly on Invest Like the Best #334(38:45) Imagination rules the world. — The Mind of Napoleon: A Selection of His Written and Spoken Words edited by J. Christopher Herold. (Founders #302)(41:15) Disney put excellence before any other consideration.(41:45) Disney hired the best artists he could get and gave them tasks to the limits of their capacities.(47:45) Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World by Richard Snow. (Founders #158)(49:30) I Had Lunch With Sam Zell (Founders #298)---Join Founders AMAMembers of Founders AMA can:-Email me your questions directly (you get a private email address in the confirmation email) -Promote your company to other members by including a link to your website with you question -Unlock 27 Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes immediately-Listen to new Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes every week ---Join my free email newsletter to get my top 10 highlights from every book---“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

#309 Arnold Schwarzenegger Before He Was Successful

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2023 48:45

What I learned from reading Arnold and Me: In the Shadow of the Austrian Oak by Barbara Outland Baker.---EightSleep: Get the best sleep of your life and unlock more energy. Go to eightsleep.com/founders/Tiny: Tiny is the easiest way to sell your business. Tiny provides quick and straightforward cash exits for Founders. Get in touch by emailing hi@tiny.comMeter: Meter is the easiest way for your business to get fast, secure, and reliable internet and WiFi in any commercial space. Go to meter.com/founders---Join Founders AMAMembers of Founders AMA can:-Email me your questions directly (you get a private email address in the confirmation email) -Promote your company to other members by including a link to your website with you question -Unlock 25 Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes immediately-Listen to new Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes every week ---Listen to Invest Like the Best #333 Justin Mares---Join my free email newsletter to get my top 10 highlights from every book---(6:30) He forced his sons to eat with silverware at perfect right angles. They had to keep their elbows to their waists. If the boys did not obey, the back of his hand was quick to strike their cheeks.(7:30) His life began to flourish through the art and science of bodybuilding.Arnold ate it, slept it, worked it, imagined it, thought it, believed it, and trusted it.Bodybuilding became his existence.(8:10) He had no time to waste on naysayers. He aligned only with those who shared his passion. (8:15) He knew that to succeed according to his manic standards he needed to master an individual sport.(8:30) His intelligence did not show on his report cards yet he mastered his goals like a wizard. (If you do everything you will win)(8:50) His singular concentration provided a rock solid belief in his potential.(9:30) Not even his peers could understand the enormity of his lifetime dreams.(11:00) Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger (Founders #193)(11:15) Gradually a conflict grew up in our relationship. She was a well-balanced woman who wanted an ordinary, solid life, and I was not a well-balanced man and hated the very idea of ordinary life. She had thought I would settle down, that I would reach the top in my field and level off.But that's a concept that has no place in my thinking.For me, life is continuously being hungry.The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.(13:40) If you do everything you will win.(13:45) And I then saw very clearly what I could achieve, and that gave me a tremendous amount of motivation.(13:55) Instead of training two hours a day like most kids did, I would train twice a day, two hours.Totally abnormal.Sometimes three times a day and sometimes four times a day. I would go home during my lunch time, and then do, for an hour straight, just sit-ups to get that extra hour that no one else has gotten in, just to be ahead of everyone else.(16:20) Arnold was not a man of many surprises. He was clear in his focus, firm in his decisions, and egocentric at all costs.(17:55) Champions behave like champions before they're champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners. — The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership by Bill Walsh. (Founders #106)(21:20) He made it clear that his world was huge and I must learn to accept that other people and activities demanded his attention.(23:30) His family foundation was instrumental in setting up his intense motivation to succeed.This negative motivation pushes him to achieve the maximum potential in every activity.(27:30) No one could restrain his mutinous energy.(27:55) Arnold always felt self-confident, no matter the disparity in sophistication, income or status.(29:30) Francis could sell ice to the Eskimos, Lucas said later. He has charisma beyond logic. I can see now what kind of men the great Caesars of history were, their magnetism. — George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones. (Founders #35)(31:30) I'm not so dominant that I can't listen to creative ideas coming from other people. Successful people listen. Those who don't listen, don't survive long. — Driven From Within by Michael Jordan (Founders #213)(22:40) Problems are just opportunities in work clothes. — Henry J. Kaiser: Builder in the Modern American West by Mark Foster. (Founders #66)(33:10) Optimism is a moral duty. — Edwin Land A Triumph of Genius: Edwin Land, Polaroid, and the Kodak Patent War by Ronald Fierstein. (Founders #134)(33:50) A sunny disposition is worth more than fortune. — The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie by Andrew Carnegie. (Founders #283)(35:30) Stay public. You gotta promote, promote, promote, or it all dies. You just gotta be out there all the time. — Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever. (Founders #219)(37:00) He maintained his rigorous training schedule.(38:30) He craved the interaction with each new expert and remembered every tip.Arnold already recognized that he had the ability to learn any content he chose.(38:45) The best jobs are neither decreed nor degreed. They are creative expressions of continuous learners in free markets. — The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Naval Ravikant and Eric Jorgenson. (Founders #191)(39:15) Imitation precedes creation. — Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. (Founders #210)(44:35) Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Founders #141)Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Founders #193)---Join Founders AMAMembers of Founders AMA can:-Email me your questions directly (you get a private email address in the confirmation email) -Promote your company to other members by including a link to your website with you question -Unlock 25 Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes immediately-Listen to new Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes every week ---“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

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The Untold Stories of Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax" and "The Grinch"

grinch untold stories seuss lutheran dr. seuss lorax brian jay jones becoming dr

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2023 7:59

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dr. Seuss was raised as a Lutheran and had a strong religious background. His books often included strong moral messages… but, he was always very careful with how he went about it. Here to share a bit about Dr. Seuss's “The Lorax” and “The Grinch” is Brian Jay Jones, author of “Becoming Dr. Seuss.” Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

436: The Same Scene Again, But Sad

Movin' Right Along: A Muppet Movie Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2023 33:04

We're talking about Minutes 71-72 of The Muppet Christmas Carol, in which the Cratchit family mourns the loss of Tiny Tim. It's the most heartbreaking scene in any Muppet movie. With special guest Brian Jay Jones, author of Jim Henson: The Biography and other great books! PLUS: Why doesn't Scrooge go in the house? Is Tiny Tim actually dead yet?! London winters are not very green! Planning a trip to Leland, Mississippi! And what do Bob Cratchit and Data have in common? Hosted by Anthony Strand & Ryan Roe Guest Brian Jay Jones Produced & Edited by Ryan Roe Logo by Morgan Davy Movin' Right Along: A Muppet Movie Podcast is available at ToughPigs.com or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Anchor, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or wherever you get podcasts!

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Encore: Scams in the media.

Hacking Humans

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2023 52:14

Mallory Sofastaii from Baltimore's WMAR 2 News sits down with Joe to talk about some recent stories on scams she's covered on Matter for Mallory. Dave and Joe share some listener follow up from Robert who writes in about the technical means to protect phones from robocalls. He shares some insight on how carriers up in the north are able to protect phones. Dave shares a twitter thread from Brian Jay Jones, who is an author of biographies of Jim Henson, George Lucas and Dr. Seuss, who shares how he would have almost had his Twitter account hijacked if it weren't for 2-step verification. Joe's story is on a gentleman pleading guilty in PAC scams, raising almost 3.5 million by making false and misleading representations in the 2016 election. This week we have a string of catch of the days from different listeners sharing different SMS scams. Links to stories: Associate of scam PAC operator pleads guilty Twitter thread of Brian Jay Jones Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@thecyberwire.com or hit us up on Twitter

media news baltimore scams pac george lucas sms seuss jim henson brian jay jones

How The Grinch Sewed Christmas

Thereâ€™s No Thread

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2022 45:07

Could the Grinch really make that Santy Claus hat and coat, given his skill level and the materials hanging around his Grinch cave? And could he do it all on that old treadle sewing machine? What is a treadle sewing machine anyway?Join playwright Meghan and pattern maker Liza as we discuss the major questions raised by the 1966 animated Christmas Classic, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, including: where does the Grinch get his supplies? Could a dogs tail really go through a sewing machine? As well as a side trip into who really sang "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch". Hint: it wasn't Boris Karloff...Come for the PSA about not putting straight pins in your mouth, stay for the part where Liza has Meghan try and cut the costume from a hanging curtain, just like the Grinch does in the cartoon!Books read by Liza as research for this episode include Chuck Amuk, the autobiography of Chuck Jones, Becoming Dr. Suess, by Brian Jay Jones, and of course, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Suess.Our instagram is theresnothreadOur email is theresnothread@icloud.com

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Jim Henson: The Biography with Brian Jay Jones

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2022 121:05

This extraordinary biography - written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family - covers the full arc of Henson's all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in America, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age 53. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives, Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson's contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly 10-year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson's non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth - as well as fascinating misfires like Henson's dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub. An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose dealmaking prowess won him a reputation as "the new Walt Disney", and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson's intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing, his love of fast cars and expensive art, and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life - a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well founded.

america american drawing mississippi saturday night live walt disney muppets labyrinth sesame street jim henson henson dark crystal muppet show christian science brian jay jones jim henson the biography

Jim Henson: The Biography with Brian Jay Jones

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2022 122:00

This extraordinary biography - written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family - covers the full arc of Henson's all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in America, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age 53. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives, Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson's contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly 10-year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson's non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth - as well as fascinating misfires like Henson's dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub. An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose dealmaking prowess won him a reputation as "the new Walt Disney", and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson's intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing, his love of fast cars and expensive art, and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life - a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well founded. https://amzn.to/3GNwLfO

america american drawing mississippi saturday night live walt disney muppets labyrinth sesame street jim henson henson dark crystal muppet show christian science brian jay jones jim henson the biography

Jim Henson: The Biography with Brian Jay Jones

Night-Light Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2022 121:05

This extraordinary biography - written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family - covers the full arc of Henson's all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in America, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age 53. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives, Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson's contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly 10-year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson's non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth - as well as fascinating misfires like Henson's dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub. An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose dealmaking prowess won him a reputation as "the new Walt Disney", and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson's intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing, his love of fast cars and expensive art, and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life - a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well founded.

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#274 A Silicon Valley Story

q: The Podcast from CBC Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2022 70:05

What I learned from rereading The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story by Michael LewisSubscribe to listen to Founders DailySupport Founders's sponsors: Tiny: The easiest way to sell your business. Quick and straightforward exits for Founders. Fable: Make your product accessible to more people. Tegus is a search engine for business knowledge that's used by founders, investors, and executives. Try it for free by visiting Tegus[1:23] Maybe somewhere in a footnote, it would be mentioned that he came from nothing, grew up poor, dropped out of high school, and made himself three or four billion dollars.[7:41] She explained that the shares in Netscape that Clark had given them had made them rich."And you have to understand," she said, “that when this happened, we were poor. I was ready to cook the cat."I assumed this was a joke, and laughed. I assumed wrong.[12:48] He was expelled from school and left town. One time he came home talking about nothing but computers. No one in Plainview had even seen a computer except in the movies.[13:21] I remember him telling me when he came back from the Navy, ‘Mama, I'm going to show Plainview.'[14:42] In under eight years this person, considered unfit to graduate from high school, had earned himself a Ph.D. in Computer Science.[15:05] I grew up in black and white. I thought the whole world was shit, and I was sitting in the middle of it.[17:17] If you want to understand the entrepreneur, study the juvenile delinquent. The delinquent is saying with his actions, “This sucks. I'm going to do my own thing. — Yvon Chouinard[17:56] The most powerful paragraph in the book: One day I was sitting at home and, I remember having the thought ‘You can did this hole as deep as you want to dig it.' I remember thinking ‘My God, I'm going to spend the rest of my life in this fucking hole.' You can reach these points in life when you say, ‘Fuck, I've reached some sort of dead-end here. And you descend into chaos. All those years you thought you were achieving something. And you achieved nothing. I was thirty-eight years old. I'd just been fired. My second wife had just left me. I had somehow fucked up. I developed this maniacal passion for wanting to achieve something.[19:00] Two part series on Vannevar BushPieces of the Action by Vannevar Bush. (Founders #270) and Endless Frontier: Vannevar Bush, Engineer of the American Century by G. Pascal Zachary. (Founders #271) [21:38] New Growth Theory argued that wealth came from the human imagination. Wealth wasn't chiefly having more of old things; it was having entirely new things.[22:54] On creating new wealth/companies: A certain tolerance for nonconformism is really critical to the process.[24:31] The internet has massively broadened the possible space of careers, and most people haven't figured this out yet. —The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Naval Ravikant and Eric Jorgenson. (Founders #191)[25:06] A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.[27:36] George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones. (Founders #35) and Steven Spielberg: A Biography by Joseph McBride. (Founders #209)[33:10] The independence and the control is worth a lot more than the money.[33:32] These people could never build the machines of the future, but they could sell the machines of the present.[35:02] Clark on how to avoid being disrupted: For a technology company to succeed, he argued, it needed always to be looking to destroy itself. If it didn't, someone else would. “It's the hardest thing in business to do,” he would say. “Even creating a lower-cost product runs against the grain, because the low-cost products undercut the high-cost, more profitable products.” Everyone in a successful company, from the CEO on down, has a stake in whatever the company is currently selling. It does not naturally occur to anyone to find a way to undermine that product.[40:41] The young were forever eating the old. In this drama technology played a very clear role. It was the murder weapon.[40:55] The art of storytelling is critically important. Most of the entrepreneurs who come to us can't tell a story. Learning to tell a story is incredibly important because that's how the money works. The money flows as a function of the stories. —Don Valentine[42:53] The Pmarca Blog Archive Ebook by Marc Andreessen (Founders #50)[45:48] What is the role I want to play in my company? I need to make sure to design my environment so I am always playing that role. Make sure you design the job you want. What is the point of being an entreprenuer if you don't do that?[47:45] John Doerr had cleared $500 million in 18 months. 30 times his original investment.[49:13] You must find extraordinary people.I noticed that the dynamic range between what an average person could accomplish and what the best person could accomplish was 50 or 100 to 1.Given that, you're well advised to go after the cream of the cream. That's what we've done.A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players.— In the Company of Giants: Candid Conversations With the Visionaries of the Digital World by Rama Dev Jager and Rafael Ortiz. (Founders #208)[52:03] Clark liked to say that human beings when they took risks, fell into one of two types, pigs or chickens. “The difference between these two kinds of people is the difference between the pig and the chicken in the ham-and-eggs breakfast. The chicken is interested, the pig is committed. If you are going to do anything worth doing, you need a lot of pigs.”[53:14] In our 10 days at sea the value of his holdings had nearly tripled. This is fantasy land he said.[53:54] There are vastly more conceivable possibilities than realized outcomes.—Subscribe to listen to Founders Daily—Get 60 days free of Readwise. It's the best app I pay for. I couldn't make Founders without it.—“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

[Full episode] John Legend, Selma Blair, Kenneth Shirley, Brian Jay Jones

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2022 72:36

Singer-songwriter John Legend talks about his new double album, Legend, his musical roots and what keeps him creating. Actor Selma Blair discusses her new memoir, her rise to fame in Hollywood, her lifelong struggle with alcohol and her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Champion fancy dancer and Indigenous Enterprise founder Kenneth Shirley tells us how the powwow dance collective is bringing traditional Indigenous dance forms around the world. George Lucas's biographer Brian Jay Jones guides us through some of the lesser known facts about the Star Wars franchise.

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#266 Henry Ford's Autobiography

media news baltimore scams pac george lucas sms seuss jim henson brian jay jones

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2022 87:36

What I learned from rereading My Life and Work by Henry Ford.--Support Founders sponsors: Tegus is a search engine for business knowledge that's used by founders, investors, and executives. It's incredible what they're building. Try it for free by visiting Tegus.and Sam Hinkie's unique venture capital firm 87 Capital. If i was raising money and looking for a long term partner Sam is the first person I would call. If you are the kind of founder that we study on this podcast and you are looking for a long term partner go to 87capital.com--[7:45] True education is gained through the discipline of life.[8:00] Land's Polaroid: A Company and the Man Who Invented It by Peter C. Wensberg. (Founders #263)[9:40] Reading this book is like having a one-sided conversation with one of the greatest entrepreneurs to ever live who just speaks directly to you and tells you, “Hey this is my philosophy on company building.”[12:40] His main idea is that business exists for one reason and one reason only —to provide service for other people.[12:50] Everything I do is serving my true end — which is to make a product that makes other people's lives better.[13:47] A sale is proof of utility.[15:00] The sense of accomplishment from overcoming difficulty is satisfying in a way that a life of leisure and ease will never be.[16:00] I think Amazon's culture is largely based on one thing. It's not based on 14. It's based on customer obsession. That is what Bezos would die on the hill for. —Invest Like The Best: Ravi Gupta[20:04] Later Bezos recalled speaking at an all-hands meeting called to address the assault by Barnes & Noble. “Look, you should wake up worried, terrified every morning,” he told his employees. “But don't be worried about our competitors because they`re never going to send us any money anyway. Let's be worried about our customers and stay heads-down focused.” — The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone (Founders #179)[20:40] Henry Fords philosophy: Get rid of waste, increase efficiency through thinking and technology, drop your prices and make more money with less profit per car, watch your costs religiously, when needed bring that business process in house, and always focus on service.[21:15] Money comes naturally as the result of service. —Henry Ford[21:56] Churchill by Paul Johnson. (Founders #225)[22:10] Churchill tells his son “Your idle and lazy life is very offensive to me. You appear to be leading a perfectly useless existence.”[23:45] 3 part series on the founder of General Motors Billy Durant and Alfred Sloan:Billy Durant Creator of General Motors: The Story of the Flamboyant Genius Who Helped Lead America into the Automobile Age by Lawrence Gustin. (Founders #120)Billy, Alfred, and General Motors: The Story of Two Unique Men, A Legendary Company, and a Remarkable Time in American History by William Pelfrey. (Founders #121)My Years with General Motors by Alfred Sloan. (Founders #122)[24:16] Henry Ford's ONE idea that was different from every other automobile manufacturer:He was determined to concentrate on the low end of the market, where he believed that high volume would drive costs down and at the same time feed even more demand for the product. It was a fundamental difference in philosophy. — Billy, Alfred, and General Motors: The Story of Two Unique Men, A Legendary Company, and a Remarkable Time in American History by William Pelfrey. (Founders #121)[25:50] There must be a better way of doing that. And so through a thousand processes.[27:59] The only way to truly understand what you're doing is to do it for a long time and focus on it.[28:30] It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game that you've been playing all your life. — Mickey Mantle[32:25] One idea at a time is about as much as anyone can handle.[35:45] Picking up horse shit used to be a job.[37:30] That is the way with wise people — they are so wise and practical that they always know to a dot just why something cannot be done; they always know the limitations. That is why I never employ an expert in full bloom. If ever I wanted to kill opposition by unfair means I would endow the opposition with experts. They would have so much good advice that I could be sure they would do little work.[38:20] I cannot say that it was hard work. No work with interest is ever hard.[40:45] None of this works unless you bet on yourself. And usually you are not in the best position when you have to make this decision.[49:59] The most beautiful things in the world are those from which all excess weight has been eliminated.[50:15] Rick Rubin: In the Studio by Jake Brown. (Founders #245)[54:10] I can entirely sympathize with the desire to quit a life of activity and retire to a life of ease. I have never felt the urge myself.[55:30] I don't wanna make a low quality cheap product. I wanna make a high quality cheap product. To do that he's literally got to invent the ability to mass produce cars —which did not exist before Henry Ford.[56:00] A principle rather than an individual is at work. And that the principle is so simple that it seems mysterious.[56:25] He says if we can save 10 steps a day for each of the 12,000 employees that I have, you will save 50 miles of wasted motion and misspent energy every day. The way Ford's brain works is very similar to the way Rockefeller's brain works. — Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller by Ron Chernow. (Founders #248)[58:25] What a line! : No one ever considers himself expert if he really knows his job. A man who knows a job sees so much more to be done than he has done, that he is always pressing forward and never gives up an instant of thought to how good and how efficient he is. Thinking always ahead, thinking always of trying to do more, brings a state of mind in which nothing is impossible.[59:10] I refuse to recognize that there are impossibilities. I cannot discover that any one knows enough about anything on this earth definitely to say what is and what is not possible.[59:30] Not a single operation is ever considered as being done in the best or cheapest way in our company.[1:01:05] Continuous improvement makes your business likely to survive economic downturns.[1:05:27] “The definition of business is problems." His philosophy came down to a simple fact of business life: success lies not in the elimination of problems but in the art of creative, profitable problem solving. The best companies are those that distinguish themselves by solving problems most effectively. — Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer. (Founders #20)[1:06:38] The best companies are those that distinguish themselves by solving problems most effectively.[1:06:53] That is the point that Henry Ford is making. You should thank your stars for the problem that you're having because once you solve it, you will now have better problem solving abilities. And therefore it's likely over time, that your company becomes more successful as a result of you being forced into this very difficult position to actually grow and acquire these new skills, because business is problems.[1:08:45] Lucas unapologetically invested in what he believed in the most: himself. —George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones. (Founders #35)[1:12:35] Henry Ford distilled down to five words: maximum service at minimum cost.[1:18:52] Every advance begins in a small way and with the individual.—Get 60 days free of Readwise. It is the best app I pay for. I could not make Founders without it.----“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

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Scams in the media.

Hacking Humans

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2022 51:31

Mallory Sofastaii from Baltimore's WMAR 2 News sits down with Joe to talk about some recent stories on scams she's covered on Matter for Mallory. Dave and Joe share some listener follow up from Robert who writes in about the technical means to protect phones from robocalls. He shares some insight on how carriers up in the north are able to protect phones. Dave shares a twitter thread from Brian Jay Jones, who is an author of biographies of Jim Henson, George Lucas and Dr. Seuss, who shares how he would have almost had his Twitter account hijacked if it weren't for 2-step verification. Joe's story is on a gentleman pleading guilty in PAC scams, raising almost 3.5 million by making false and misleading representations in the 2016 election. This week we have a string of catch of the days from different listeners sharing different SMS scams. Links to stories: Associate of scam PAC operator pleads guilty Twitter thread of Brian Jay Jones Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@thecyberwire.com or hit us up on Twitter

40. The Muppet Show - Sir Elton John with Brian Jay Jones

Muppetsational!

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2022 101:59

It's episode 40 of Muppetsational! with our very special guest, Jim Henson biographer, Brian Jay Jones! This week, Sir Elton John glams up The Muppet Show. And on the podcast, Jade says Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Emma doesn't know the words to Bennie and the Jets, and Lewis has too many outfits of the week! Find out more about the podcast at muppetspodcast.com Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook! Follow Brian on Twitter @brianjayjones And read all about us in The Guardian and The Times! Editor: Jade Turner Theme Music: Peppy Pepe by Kevin MacLeod Peppy Pepe License Artwork: Charlotte Rudge (Instagram: @Charlie_r_rudge)

Chicken

Kermit and Friends

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2022 103:54

Elisa Jordana interviews New York Times Best Selling biographer, Brian Jay Jones, and Hollywood producer, Andre Relis. Elisa also talks to and sets up a date with her fiancée Andy Dick's boyfriend, Chicken.

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George Lucas Weekend Concludes! (Brian Jay Jones Interview Part 2) | Episode 2,872

Star Wars 7x7 | Star Wars News, Interviews, and More!

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2022 35:58

We're wrapping up a weekend celebration of George Lucas' birthday with second half of a conversation with Brian Jay Jones, author of the definitive biography "George Lucas: A Life." Punch it! Here's where you can find Brian online: Twitter: https://twitter.com/brianjayjones Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBrianJayJones Website: https://brianjayjones.com/ ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

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Happy Birthday, George Lucas! (Brian Jay Jones Interview Part 1) | Episode 2,871

Star Wars 7x7 | Star Wars News, Interviews, and More!

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2022 35:49

Happy Birthday to George Lucas! The cinematic pioneer turns 78 today, and to celebrate, we're revisiting a conversation with the author of the essential Lucas biography "George Lucas: A Life," Brian Jay Jones. Punch it! Here's where you can find Brian online: Twitter: https://twitter.com/brianjayjones Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBrianJayJones Website: https://brianjayjones.com/ ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

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The Legacy of Washington Irving with BRIAN JAY JONES - host Mark Eddy

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2022 119:08

Biographer BRIAN JAY JONES joins us to discuss his magnificent work on America's foremost, early author Washington Irving. In his early youth, he was basically his own creation: Rip Van Winkle. However, he would go on to have an impressive career as a minister to Spain. His Spanish experiences influenced his writings. They foreshadowed Poe's fantasy/sci fi writings. He was lionized by many of the leading authors of the age like Dickens, Scott and Mary Shelley. We'll learn about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of 19th Century publishing. Brian's writing career is an example of stellar biographical writing. We will examine what it takes to write a comprehensive biography. Brian Jay Jones | Inspirational. Celebrational. Muppetational.

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The Legacy of Washington Irving with BRIAN JAY JONES - host Mark Eddy