Failure is Funny with Venk Potula

Being scared is a good thing in that it shows that you actually care. - Cassie Petrey 

If you want to be in something - go there. Learn the city. - Jade Driver

Cassie Petrey and Jade Driver formed Crowd Surf in 2007. The company has offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York and provides specialized marketing services to some of the biggest names in music and entertainment including Camila Cabello, Backstreet Boys, Becky G, and Britney Spears. They have been featured on lists such as ” Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and Billboard’s “Digital Power Players”.

Leaders believe in the ability to make great things happen, they take charge and create the conditions for success.

"With comedy - it's all about persistence."

Jacob Williams' comedy follows his misadventures through the worlds of dating, day jobs and dining alone. He recently made his late-night network television debut performing stand-up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS). Jacob first made his primetime network television debut as a stand-up comedian on America's Got Talent (NBC) and advanced to the Semifinals. Jacob has been a cast member on the hit improv/sketch comedy series Wild 'n Out (MTV) for nine seasons including the upcoming one. He has also provided the voice of a cartoon character on the animated miniseries Football U (MTV Other). Jacob lives in New York City where he performs regularly when he is not on tour at comedy clubs, colleges and corporate events across America.

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Jill Knox, who earned a Master of Fine Arts in acting from Brown University, is an acclaimed actress, artist and activist. Through her line, the Young Rebel's Studio, she has built an acclaimed brand focused on activism and action. She most recently teamed up with "Superstore" actor Ben Feldman to raise money for charities benefiting Black lives, including Black Lives Matter, Fair Fight and the National Birth Equity Collaborative. Together they sold 80 pairs of children's shoes that Knox hand painted. Knox most recently starred in "Keith Broke His Leg" and won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy at the Indie Series Awards.

Keith Powell is best known for his series regular role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy "30 Rock." Recently, Powell has mostly focused on writing and directing. He's currently writing a feature for Film 44 and HBO Films, and he is set to direct his first film, "Buffalo." In addition, Powell directs for television, having helmed an episode of NBC's "Superstore." He wrote and directed every episode of his web series "Keith Broke His Leg," in which he also starred along with his wife. It won the Indie Series Award for Best Comedy, and Powell won Best Actor in a Comedy. It is currently being developed for television.

Nicolas Curcio broke into the industry with his Nicholl semifinalist script The Adventures of Rat Girl - a coming of age comedy about a loner teaming up with a group of comic book obsessed nerds in order to take down the mean girls at her new high school. Last fall, his script Barron: A Tale of Love, Loss & Legacy landed on the Black List, which founder Franklin Leonard praised as “an adorable, smart, winning coming-of-age story” via Vanity Fair. Currently, Nic is working as an in-house writer at Sony Animation on an unannounced project, as well as adapting a graphic novel for Paramount. Nic is an alumni of USC's MFA Film & TV Production program.

"Today’s failure is tomorrow’s success"

Stephen Chbosky is an author, director, and screenwriter.  He is best known for his award-winning adaptation of his debut novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (GLAAD, Independent Spirit, People's Choice, WGA nominee) which spent over two years on the New York Times Best Sellers list.  He co-wrote the screenplay for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast as well as the film adaptation of RJ Palacio's Wonder, starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, which he also directed.  His first feature, The Four Corners of Nowhere, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.  He wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Rent and co-created the post-apocalyptic TV drama, Jericho.  His second novel, Imaginary Friend, was published in October and debuted as a New York Times Best Seller.

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From working with Scooter Braun, discovering Grammy-nominated artists Wale and Midland to the real story behind Justin Beiber's 'Boyfriend' and helping Ariana Grande - this episode featuring Matt Graham of BRND MGMT covers it all. Join us in conversations about building networking skills in clubs, managing celebrity artists, and advice for young managers looking to get into the music industry.

"I'm willing to risk everything I have to see my dream come true." - Frankie Zulferino

A pop singer and performer based in New York, Frankie Zulferino, in his earlier years, opened for artists such as Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Westlife, Jason DeRulo and more. He has previously toured across the United States, China and Canada and performed at New York Fashion Week in 2017. He was also a contestant on The CW show, 'The Next', where he was mentored by Joe Jonas. Outside of his music career, Frankie is a choreographer, whose work has been featured on America’s Got Talent and he will appear in the up-and-coming Netflix original movie, “The Fifth Boro.” Frankie has produced and directed his own sold-out show at the Mohegan Sun Resorts Casino in Atlantic City. His new singles "Say Less" and "I feel for you" are out now on all music streaming platforms.

"Failure is Fuel." - Jet Jurgensmeyer

Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Jet made his television debut with a guest role on the CBS television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2010. In 2012 he was cast as Spanky, one of the lead roles, in Alex Zamm's 2014 film The Little Rascals Save the Day. He has appeared in films such as American Sniper and Devil's Knot. In 2016 he appeared in the Disney Channel film Adventures in Babysitting, playing Bobby the middle son of one the sets of children being babysat. The same year Jurgensmeyer was cast in Nickelodeon's Legends of the Hidden Temple television film, playing Dudley the youngest of the three siblings who travel through the temple. Since 2018, he has portrayed Boyd Baxter on the Fox comedy series Last Man Standing, and since 2019 has been part of the cast of the Disney Junior children's television series T.O.T.S. voicing Pip the Penguin. When not acting, he loves to hang out on his family’s farm, ride horses, go fishing, and spend time outdoors.

"All failure is feedback."

David Littlejohn is the founder and Chief Creative Director of Humanaut an Independent Agency based in Chatanooga, TN. The agency recently expanded it's offices to include a 6,000 square foot film studio with lights, cameras, edit bays and post-production in-house. He has spent the last 15 years working as a copywriter, creative director, and equity partner in several startup ventures. In a past life, David worked with CP+B and other top agencies to create integrated ad campaigns for Domino's, Toyota, VW, and Best Buy's Twelpforce, which took home the Cannes Titanium Grand Prix in 2010. He founded Humanaut in 2013 and was named one of AdWeek’s Creative 100 in 2016. In 2020, Humanaut was added onto the Ad Age A-List as the 10th best agency in the country. We dive into 'Content Camp' a Humanaut Experiment I had the chance to participate in and talk about what most young people struggle with and how to re-frame your expectations to find success.