Folk Stories

Grant Farwell is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Matcherino, an esports platform that helps game publishers and tournament organizers run successful esports tournaments.

Prior to Matcherino, Grant founded Barc, a social web browsing experience for people browsing the same web sites. This was before the rise of services like discord and slack and offered some of the same functionality. Grant says that while the team had a solid technology base, they struggled with sales and monetization. This led to the eventual shutdown of Barc and the start of Matcherino.

In this episode, we talk about the esports industry and challenges tournament organizers face, we talk about doing sales in startups, and we talk about brands and sponsorship in esports.

Quote

And it was really like an aha moment… All these fans wanted to donate money… and to not just financially, but in so many different ways, contribute to this event that was happening.

– Grant Farwell

Notes

story behind the camel

economics, crypto and financial platforms

Barc'ing up the wrong tree

listening to customers but not taking suggestions literally

matcherino and techstars

esports, tournaments and payouts

sustainability in esports

how brands navigate esports

present and future of esports

Closing

inspiration

being at esport tournament with fans, seeing communities getting together and helping support it

surprising fact

life is quite boring at home, mostly working

principle

treat everyone like how you would want to be treated

k- closing notes

if you want to engage with esports fans, matcherino can help you reach these audience and drive whatever KPIs you're looking to drive

Links

Matcherino: Grant's company, esports platform to help game publishers and tournament organizers run successful tournaments

Techstars: Startup Accelerator

Nick Hughes is the founder of Founder's Live, a global entrepreneurial community started by Nick to inspire, educate and entertain entrepreneurs around the world.

Prior to starting Founder's Live, Nick had already done multiple startups. It was through the process of recovering from a failed startup that Nick started "Feature Friday", an event for early stage entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas in 99 seconds and network with others in the Seattle community. This event proved extremely popular and led to Nick scaling it out globally with events now in over fifty cities.

I know Nick from going to the Seattle Founders Live events. While Nick didn't pay me to say this, I'm happy to say that I've always end up meeting interesting people from the event and come out of it feeling highly motivated about doing my own thing. In today's episode, we talk about Nick's entry into entrepreneurship, lessons from having a startup fail, and Nick's vision with Founder's live and where this is going.

Quote

Have enough courage to say things aren't going well and I'm feeling down and have you had this before? Most people are gonna say "Oh yeah , I know what you're going through and here's what I did!"

– Nick Hughes

Notes

how Nick got interested in business

study habits and business lessons

first startup experience and lessons learned

marriage aka finding a co-founder

founders depression and Nick's experience with it

starting Founders Live and expanding globally

Nick's world tour and living up to your potential

Closing

inspiration

being at Founders Lives events and seeing early stage founders getting on stage and pitching

surprising fact

studied kinesiology and human psychology - used to be a strength coach

principle

Founders Live core values

open doors for people

closing notes

close to announcing something cool around social impact

Links

The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization

Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently

Founders Live

Social Impact Program

Alex Mondau is the Community Ambassador at the Collective. The collective is a co-working space located in Seattle's South Lake Union, and is described by its founders as an urban basecamp for the mind, body + soul. Alex started The Collective Seattle one and a half years ago with business partners Tommy Trause and Scott Barber in order to create a diverse community where people can build genuine relationships as well as find refuge from life outside the walls.

Prior to founding The Collective, some of Alex's former roles included selling sustainable real estate and working tables at the Agua Verde Cafe. As a kid, Alex wanted to be an adventurer and spent time in the mountains of Nepal trying to be a mountain guide in the Himalaya.

In today's episode, we talk about hospitality and its tight feedback loops, we talk about The Collective and its origins, and we talk about community and ways of fostering it.

Quote

I fell in love with hospitality industry. You could succeed or fail every five minutes…for hours in a row and your feedback loop was so tight that you really get to know whether you were meeting that customer's expectations.

– Alex Mondau

Notes

childhood growing up in Olympia and wanting to be an adventurer

selling sustainable housing and green real estate

feedback and the hospitality industry

The Collective Seattle and its origin

building community at The Collective Seattle

lessons and challenges of community building

next steps for The Collective Seattle

Closing

inspiration

spontaneously going paddle boating at night to appreciate nature

surprising fact

good plumber

principle

look for opportunities to be generous

closing notes

recognize Native American tribes and communities that stewarded this place

figure out to be good stewards of this place

Links

Agua Verde: Don’t miss out on the new Rockfish Tacos with Mango salsa and the Carnitas now served on house made tortillas

The Collective: An urban basecamp for the mind, body and soul

wework: Starbucks of co-working spaces

David Mays is Senior Public Relations Manager at Amazon where he oversees multiple high impact initiatives. I actually worked with David in my former life at Amazon but we never had a chance for an extended conversation. But as they say, better late than never and today's conversation makes me wish I'd done this earlier. Turns out we have much in common, besides the common employer and the pathological need to run long distances. Prior to Amazon, David has had an expansive career across multiple industries, including public news, the department of defense, and healthcare.

David's father was a Methodist minister and David remembers moving frequently from small town to small town as a kid. He came across a group of runners in one of these towns and insisted on joining them which led to him running his first marathon at the age of 13. This initial catalyst has sparked a lifetime of running, coaching, and the ability to deal with adversity. David has an amazing ability of coaching civilians into champion runners in just about all the places he's worked - this includes coaching his now wife and clinical psychologist Janice Alley who won her age group during her first half marathon race and continues to race competitively today.

In today's episode, we talk about David's childhood and how it sowed seeds for his current narrative, we talk about success as it relates to running and mentorship, and we talk (corporate) talk and explore how David has helped some of the world's biggest corporations shape their own narrative.

Quote

"Running as a discipline has always been something that has prepared me for adversity, for always having two or three option plans when things go wrong , [for] failure and the ability to overcome failure, [and for] the desire and ability to mentor and coach and help others"

Notes

childhood stories and frequently moving

overcoming obesity and running first marathon at age of 13

thoughts on running, mentorship and facing adversity

inviting and coaching non-runners into competitive athletes

taking leaps of faith and working across different industries (public news, defense department, oil, healthcare, consumer, etc)

supporting the CEO of Kaiser Permanente and defining corporate communication strategy

making decisions in short and long time frames

"davy gravy" and work under Bush administration

vision for the future

Closing

inspiration

long distance mentee, captatain in US army, and competitive runner and triathlete suffered medical condition with unsuccessful surgery

seeing her handle situation with calmness and resiliency

surprising fact

used to play the violin

principle

treat other people the way you want to be treated

closing notes

kind words about the podcast and interviews within (thank you David)

Links

K5 News

Kaiser Permanente

Seattle Marathon

Bao Tran is a professional filmmaker currently raising money for his first feature film, The Paper Tigers, a "Kung Fu indie feature film about three guys who are one kick away from pulling their hamstrings".

Despite knowing that he wanted to do film from watching kung fu movies as a kid, Bao got a degree in computer science as it was the responsible thing to do for someone that is the child of immigrants. This tension between following your dreams and doing what is expected is a theme that is explored both in film and in life for Bao.

Outside of The Paper Tigers, Bao's editing credits include CHO LON, one of Southeast Asia’s highest-budgeted action blockbusters, and JACKPOT, a heartfelt comedy selected as Vietnam’s official entry to the 2016 Oscars for Best Foreign Film.

In today's episode, we talk about kung fu and the action movie genre, we talk about what its like to fundraise for a film, and we talk about telling a good story and what that might mean.

Quote

You have a lot of people you might start out with earlier on but they kind of go their separate ways or they go civilian as we say… Its just industry is very tough and its very hard to keep going and continue doing this.

– Bao Tran

Notes

how Bao's love of kung fu films let to a career in film

pursuing passion vs fulfilling family expectations

marketing and sales for people that would rather do anything else

Bao's first feature film - The Paper Tigers

film fundraising and kickstarter

diversity and shooting with a mixed race cast

shooting action movies and telling stories

Closing

inspiration

as artist, always looking for the work that goes behind art that looks effortless, really impressed with Beyoncé's homecoming

surprising fact

have a background that is not just film (eg. computer science degree)

principle

the golden rule

closing notes

always looking for people that could support the film and want to help - if that's you, reach out

Contact

Bao's website: http://pov-films.com/

Bao's email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tranquocbao/

Socials

Twitter: @_thepapertigers

Facebook: @ThePaperTigersMovie

Instagram: @_thepapertigers

Links

The Paper Tigers Page

The Paper Tigers KickStarter

Subscribe for news on auditions and volunteering

Robert Sweeney is CEO of Facet, the premier platform for hiring senior contract software engineers.

Before becoming a founder, Robert was a senior software engineer himself at companies such as Netflix and Microsoft. Robert knew from an early age that he wanted to be an entrepreneur from working at his grandpa's grocery shop. Robert left Netflix with a friend to start a software development studio with an initial verbal contract from Western Digital.

In 2014, Robert founded Numetric, a SaaS based analytics startup. After working on the company for close to four years, hiring over 40 employees, and raising over $16 million in venture capital, Robert was fired from the very company that he founded.

Today, Robert is working full time on Facet and helping other engineers make the leap from full-time work to doing their own thing.

In today's episode, we talk about negotiating contracts, hiring and firing friends, and that time Robert's house almost burned down.

Quote

We had to make the decision that day… That didn't give us enough time to sign the contract. So we quit our jobs on a verbal yes.

– Robert Sweeney

Closing

inspiration

being fired from my startup - changed my perspective on startups and venture capital and also provide extra motivation

surprising

deal with anxiety

principal

complete transparency

anything else

successful entrepreneurs out there don't have anything that you don't have

Notes

working at grandpa's grocery store

early years at Microsoft and Netflix

first startup and quiting Netflix on a verbal agreement

working with western digital and communicating expectations

hiring and firing friends

that time when the house almost burned down

keeping a family together while doing a startup

Numetric, working with family, and getting fired from a company that you founded

facet, how it came to be and where its going

Links

Netflix Engineering Blog

Numetric

Facet

Why I Turned Down My YCombinator Interview

Jay Westerdal is a CEO, founder, board member, and investor of a wide multitude of companies.

Jay first got interested in technology at an early age after witnessing early demonstrations of the internet in middle school. His first job out of college involved creating systems to help manage domain names, a field that Jay has stuck with ever since. Jay founded his own domain company, DomainTools, in 2001, which provided information about the history and ownership of internet domains. Jay also started the Domain RoundTable, a conference dedicated solely to the topic of domains. Jay later sold DomainTools in 2008 for an eight figure exit and continued to work with domains as well as technology ever since.

Today, Jay is CEO of 800.com, .Realty and Top Level Spectrum. 800.com is a company that provides companies with toll-free 800 numbers, .Realty is a domain registrar for real estate professionals, and Top level spectrum manages various top level domains like .feedback and .forum.

In today's episode, we talk about what domains are and why they matter, we talk about Jay's current day ventures and where he's going, and we talk about the systems Jay has put in place that lets him focus on so many different priorities.

Quote

I like to build a rocketship and ride it to the stratosphere but [exit] before it becomes a spaceship just sitting there doing nothing collecting whatever that status quo income is.

– Jay Westerdal

Notes

Jay's initial interest in technology and the internet

web domains and domain registration

new top level domains and trends in the industry

domaintools, what it was and how it was sold

organizing a domain conference

Jay's current businesses

prioritizing tasks

what Jay looks for as an investor

investing in yourself

how to recharge

Closing

inspiration

travel and looking at other people's concepts and ideas

surprising fact

take vacations seriously

principle

body is a temple, trying to live healthier and healthier everyday

closing notes

would love to do more philanthropic stuff in the future, especially addressing homelessness in Seattle

Links

Blink Tag

Jay's website

Domaintools

Top Level Domains

Top Level Spectrum

.Realty Registry

800.com

John Lauer is the CEO of Zipwhip, a Seattle based businesses that enables businesses to text message their customers through software and API solutions. Zipwhip is one of Seattle's fastest growing private companies and was the first business that made it possible for landlines and cellphones to communicate with each other.

Prior to Zipwhip, John was already neck deep in entrepreneurship. John started coming up with business ideas ever since he was thirteen. John started his first company, Rootlevel, at the age of 21 - Rootlevel was a web design firm based in Detroit and had included GM and Ford as their clients. John dropped out of college one semester from finishing his computer science degree because he made a commitment early on to never do something that would require a resume.

In today's episode, we talk about John's storied history and start in entrepreneurship, we talk about the makings of Zipwhip and the state of texting, and we talk about the focus and people that it takes to start a business.

Quote

If you contribute to humanity, humanity rewards you back, which gives you more ability to contribute. It sort of pancake layers on top of itself.

– John Lauer

Notes

how John got started with entrepreneurship

dropping out of college and commiting to startups

Zipwhip, how it got started and where it is today

importance of texting to businesses and consumers

closed vs open systems

predictions about communication platforms going forward

finding the right people to start a company with

staying focused and deciding what to focus on

ways of recharging

Closing

inspiration

week without at Zipwhip - two weeks without office food, raised $5000 to donate to Mary's place

surprising fact

walk around with smile on face but there's a great amount of simulation happening inside of what might happen at Zipwhip

principle

do the right thing

closing notes

Zipwhip will keep plugging forward and texting is adding huge value to peoples lifes, lots of new releases coming out later this year

Links

Zipwhip

Only the Paranoid Survive

2019 State of Texting Report

Zipwhip Jobs

GeekWire's Deal of the Year Nomination: Zipwhip's been nominated, click here to vote

Vivian Hua is the director of the Northwest Film Forum (NWFF) , a non-profit film and arts center dedicated to public dialogue and creative action through collective cinematic experiences. Prior to NWFF, Vivian was Communications Manager for ICANNWiki, a collaborative resource dedicated to simplifying the complex issues, policies, and players in the sphere of internet governance. Vivian was also editor in chief of REDEFINE Magazine, a print and web magazine focused on music and the arts.

Vivian got a BA in sociology focused on Law, Society & Justice. Social justice has been a central theme in Vivian's life and is reflected in the work she pursues. In 2017, Vivian released Searching Skies, a narrative short film about a Syrian refugee family. The film was screened in 50 venues across the US and accompanied by a discussion series where people could meet a Muslim person, sometimes for the first time, and ask questions.

In today's episode, we talk about Vivian's vision for the NWFF, Vivian's sudden decision to pursue film upon turning 30, and exploring social justice with film.

Quote

When I turned 30, I had a personal revelation. I spent my entire 20's supporting other peoples art … So how do I work on my own now and had a calling to do film

– Vivian Hua

Notes

what is NWFF

getting started in film

divination and following signs

typical day

hosting film discussions

searching skies

current projects

routines to recharge

vr and film

community and diversity at NWFF

marketing art

Closing

inspiration

being inspired by the person that you're with

surprising fact

used to be a huge raver and gamer

principles

be authentic to who you are

closing

anyone who has a cool idea, reach out to Vivian and the NWFF

open to random emails

Links

NWFF

REDEFINE

Searching Skies

Tessa Hulls

Vivian's Website

The Seventh Art Stand

Katamari Damacy

Searching

Bandersnatch

Contact

LinkedIn

Email: [email protected]

Tessa Hulls is an artist/writer/adventurer whose work spans a multitude of genres and whose travels have taken her across all 7 continents, much of it on bike. She is the daughter of two first generation immigrants and is currently working on a graphic novel about her grandmother titled "Feeding Ghosts".

Tessa describes herself as a compulsive genre hopper who has worked in some capacity as an illustrator, cartoonist, editor, interviewer, writer, performer, chef, muralist, conductor of social experiments, painter, teacher, and researcher. She is fascinated by the concept of home. Outside of working on her graphic novel, Tessa is also focused on public speaking about little known women at the turn of the century and social activism.

In today's episode, we talk about Tessa's current project and its origin, we talk about Calvin and Hobbes and being either totally engaged in or out of work, and we talk about the feelings that come with home and solitude.

Quote

I'm completely convinced that serendipity is a muscle that gets stronger the more you exercise it… I just like to sling myself out in the universe and see what happens.

– Tessa Hulls

Notes

history and start into genre hopping

Feeding Ghosts and origin of Tessa's current project

reading habits

Calvin and Hobbes

a day in the life

combining work and hobbies while avoiding burnout

cooking professionally

lifestyle and trade-offs

concept of home

solitude and what it means

artists residency

coddiewompe: "to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination"

feminism and activism

getting to know America by biking across it

Closing

inspiration

overwhelming canon of women in the 20th century doing things that they shouldn't have been able to do

surprising fact

professional cook and how it started with rugby, whisky and pie

principles

piece by Jim Dodge: "They can do whatever you cannot stop them from doing. You can do whatever you can pull off and still live with yourself"

closing notes:

lookout for Guided by Ghosts, Tessa's upcoming project to be exhibited in Santa Cruz, which weaves together her current family history with the Chinese history of Santa Cruz

Links

Feeding Ghosts

Rage Becomes Her

2019 PEN Northwest Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency

Tessa's Piece on Bike Travel and Feminism

Coddiewomple

Tessa's Talks

This Is Home Project

Couchsurfing

Jim Dodge

Guided by Ghosts

Contact

Home Page

Instagram

Mailing List

Feeding Ghosts Notebook