Angus Stevens’ life flashed before his eyes. He didn’t think he would make it after a hang-gliding accident left him in hospitalised for months.

The Sydney father-of-two came out of the near-death experience with fresh sense of purpose. This paved the way for a new business venture: virtual reality and augmented reality studio Start Beyond.

Coming from a background in writing, directing and producing TV, documentaries, theatre and short films, and working with the likes of Taylor Swift, Bob Geldof, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, Angus found his calling.

Start Beyond has since developed more than 1.2 million AR and VR learning experiences. Their clients include Fortune Global 500 companies Accenture and Meta, as well as Woolworths and St John Ambulance. So how did Angus get to this unique space? Hear his inspiring career journey on FIRST ACT.

For more info, visit startbeyond.co.

‘Am I the CEO?’ Astrid Jorgensen asked herself while wrapping her head around the idea that maybe her wildly popular Pub Choir was indeed a business. But when you attract fans like Mariah Carey, KISS and The Cranberries, you’re onto something.

Over the past 7 years, Pub Choir has become a global phenomenon that brings thousands of people together to learn the harmonies of a song in the most non-judgemental way.

Astrid is the centre of the Pub Choir universe – it cannot exist without her powerful energy and her unique ‘musical thinking’, as we learn on this episode of First Act.

We go behind-the-scenes with Astrid on her path from high school teacher to a choral conductor, composer and performer who’s taught more than 300,000 people to sing. 

Head to pubchoir.com.au for more.

First Act is back with a brand new season, kicking off on Friday 14 June.

Each week, Kochie’s Business Builders editors and co-hosts Cec Busby and Adam Bub talk with some of Australia’s most innovative business owners and personalities and share their inspirational stories and origin tales.

So subscribe now for the new season of First Act. Because every story has a beginning.

Cameron Falloon is passionate about fitness. He’s spent decades helping elite athletes, the rich and famous and everyday Aussies meet their fitness goals to be the best they can be. He is the founder of Body Fit Training - the fastest-growing fitness franchise in Australia - with over 240 locations opened across the globe. Plus he’s the former head fitness coach of the Geelong Cats, the Western Bulldogs and was the high performance coach of Port Adelaide Power for a time. At the ripe old age of 24, he was the personal trainer of perhaps the world’s most famous woman - Princess Diana.

Melbourne entrepreneur Mike Halligan is a bit of an overachiever. He’s mastered the worlds of eCommerce, marketing, blogging, apps and subscription services – all driven by his desire to find solutions to consumer problems and build brands accordingly.

Some of his pet projects have taken off, others haven’t. Right now, he’s the co-founder of a howling multi-million dollar success: Scratch, Australia’s fastest-growing direct-to-consumer dog food company. On this episode of First Act, Mike speaks honestly about the lessons he’s learned that any startup founder or budding entrepreneur will lean in to hear.

In this episode, Mike shares:

He’s one of the most recognisable faces on Australian TV thanks to My Kitchen Rules, but that’s only one part of the Manu Feildel story. Coming from a family of French foodies, Manu caught the cooking bug working as a teenage apprentice in his dad’s restaurant in Brittany. Armed with natural talent and joie de vivre, Manu embarked upon a career working in some of the finest French restaurants in London before making the move to Australia.

From the highs of heading up hatted restaurants to the heartbreak of closing much-loved venues, Manu’s learned the hard lessons of hospitality firsthand. In this frank, funny and fascinating First Act, Manu shares the secrets of surviving fine dining, navigating TV fame and the challenges of getting a brand into supermarkets (The Sauce By Manu is his latest).

In this episode, Manu unpacks:

Lisa Cox has a no-BS approach to life. Her ability to cut through fluff has been key to her success as an internationally respected disability advocate, award-winning author, business consultant and media professional.

It hasn’t been an easy ride. At just 24, Lisa suffered a brain haemorrhage caused by an infection. Three weeks in a coma, two months on life support and dozens of operations and procedures later, Lisa had to rebuild her life, living with a brain injury. Dealing with such a curveball presented Lisa with a second chance. Now, she’s renowned as one of Australia’s most powerful voices for representation, diversity and inclusion for people living with disabilities.

In this episode, Lisa unpacks:

Warning: This episode of First Act deals with trauma and may be potentially distressing for some listeners.

Yarrie Bangura is a survivor. At the age of eight years old, her family fled the civil war in Sierra Leone and migrated to Australia as refugees. While the painful memories live on, Yarrie has found a way to celebrate the positive parts of growing up in her West African village.

Inspired by a natural recipe made by her aunty and grandmother, Yarrie created Aunty’s Ginger Tonic. Now a successful entrepreneur living in Sydney, Yarrie has captured the vibrant spirit of Africa and is passionate about giving back to her adopted homeland of Australia.

Episode notes:

In this episode, Yarrie talks about:

From SoCal beaches to the streets of Darlinghurst, Clovis Young’s journey to becoming a fast food mogul has been a winding one.

Growing up in sunny California, Clovis fell in love with the fresh flavours of Mexican cuisine. But it wasn’t until he ditched his Wall Street job as an equity trader for life down under, that he began his singular mission: to bring fresh Mexican food to Australians. It was a move that would disrupt the local fast food movement with a healthier alternative. Fast forward 13 years later and you can find Mad Mex Fresh Mexican all across the nation.

Camplify is an Australian startup success on the road to world domination. Based in Newcastle, NSW, entrepreneur Justin Hales came up with the idea of connecting RV owners with holidaymakers through an online marketplace. Airbnb for caravan and campervan hire, if you like. In 2015, Camplify was born.

Now Camplify is a multimillion-dollar, ASX-listed brand that’s expanded to the UK, Spain and New Zealand. Justin joins First Act to share what he’s learned about about raising capital for a startup, scaling up and harnessing the power of the sharing economy.