Shock To The System with Dan Gordon

For over 20 years, Audra Gold has worked in startups building cutting-edge technologies and bringing game-changing ideas to the world. Today, she is the CEO and founder of Vurbl dot com, a new audio-sharing platform unlike anything online. Described as the YouTube of audio, Vurbl allows users to share audio content easily and monetize it effectively. Listen as this amazing visionary spills all of her secrets on what it takes to go from idea to execution on building world-changing tech.

If you want to know how to generate big ideas and turn them into TV shows, check out this episode of Shock to the System.

Jeff Apploff just doesn't make television. He makes cutting-edge groundbreaking entertainment that has changed the way people consume media worldwide.

Jeff launched his first show called Don't forget the lyrics with Wayne Brady in 2007. Today there are over 25 different versions of this show in over 25 different countries.

His other hit shows include Beat Shazzam, hosted by Grammy and Oscar winner Jamie Fox and Mental Samurai, hosted by Rob Lowe, which is like jeopardy on a rollercoaster.

Jeff spills ALL his secrets about making it BIG in the entertainment industry.

On this episode of Shock to the System, Coach Dan Gordon probes the mind of Mark Cronin, Reality TV’s superstar producer.

How did a frustrated engineer transform his life to become Hollywood’s hottest producer? When you hate your life bad enough, you’ll do anything to follow a dream. Mark Cronin engineered his way out of a dead-end job and into one of Hollywood’s most lucrative power-positions. Hear his story of success and how he created over 44 different TV shows including The Surreal Life.

Have you ever said to yourself, “Hey, I have a great idea for a TV show?” A lot of people have. My guest today not only said that but he actually created a TV show. And more than that, but he created a kind of show no one had ever seen before. And more than that, he went on to create a total of 44 TV shows. Not 44 episodes of a show. We’re talking 44 different TV shows.

Mark Cronin is one of Hollywood’s most successful and television producers. He is widely credited with co-creating a new version of reality TV called celeb-reality when he created the show ``The Surreal Life” in 2003.

Mark’s path to Hollywood began with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. From there he went into marketing. Then he chose to take the bold step of pursuing his dream career and started writing for television for Nick-at-Nite. I

Mark then became a writer and producer for “The Howard Stern Show.” Then moved to MTV and became head writer for the dating show “Singled Out.” Mark then created his own game show for Comedy Central called “Beat the Geeks.”

From there, Mark started cranking out successful reality show after successful reality show. His work is credited for single-handedly saving the cable channel VH1 as well as setting ratings records across the board for both network and cable TV. Most recently, Mark developed Bravo’s highest-rated series, “Below Deck,” a sort of Downton Abbey on the high seas, now in its eighth season.

Today Mark Cronin runs his company Little Wooden Boat Productions where he’s still at it, making groundbreaking television. So we’re going to find out all about Mark, how he made it big in Hollywood, what it takes to be a creative innovator and so much more.

On this episode of Shock to the System Coach Dan Gordon probes the mind of Phil Quartararo, the music industry’s marketing genius

Phil Q left a high-paying career to join a young Richard Branson in starting Virgin Records. Phil shares how he went on to make household names of U2 and The Spice Girls and how he completely revamped how the music industry markets its artists to the world.

Phil Q has been one of the most influential people in the music business for the last 40+ years. Unless you’re in the music business you may have never heard of him. Phil launched Virgin Records in 1986 with Sir Richard Branson where Phil served as CEO. He was then CEO of Warner Records, EMI, Rhythm Nation. He has personally worked with artists including Linkin Park, Josh Groban, Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Cher, Eric Clapton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith Hill, Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day, The Spice Girls, Janet Jackson, and many, MANY others!

Phil was named Billboard's Music Executive of the Year and is regarded as THE thought leader on branding music artists. Phil Q is also widely known as a defender of artist rights. He worked tirelessly to protect them where many tried to take advantage of them.

Today Phil is President and Chairman of The Hello Group. An agency committed to pioneering a new age of talent management. And if that weren’t enough, Phil gives generously of his time sitting on the boards of the Grammy Foundation, Syracuse University, Cedar Sinai Hospital, City of Hope, and the T J Martell Foundation which is the music industry's largest funding for cancer research.

What happens when you’re tore-up from the floor-up?

Coach Dan Gordon probes the minds of Lucy Hall - Sobriety's Savior & RiKarlo Handy and Documentary Filmmaker on Shock to the System, learning their secrets of success and triumph over adversity and devastation.

Lucy is the Founder and CEO of Mary Hall Freedom House. Since 1996 Lucy has helped over 10,000 women and children break their addiction, to poverty, to homelessness to drugs but even more so, break the addiction from the internal story that says, “I can’t.”

Lucy Hall shares her harrowing story of how she found salvation at the edge of addiction and death. Hear the story of how she came back from being "tore up from the floor up" to create the Mary Hall Freedom House, where she has become sobriety’s savior for hundreds of addicted women, saving hundreds of addicts from a horrific fate.

Lucy is the subject of a new documentary called Hope Village which was produced by my other guest, Rikarlo Handy. You’re going to want to listen to what Lucy has to say because she is going to tell you how she has helped all these people break their addiction and get past their story.

So if she can help those people, Lucy’s going to have some really unique insight into helping you too.

My other guest is Rikarlo Handy. Rikarlo is a superstar in the entertainment world here in LA. He started working in the film industry at just 14 years old. By 18 he was directing music videos, commercials, films.

Rikarlo found a higher calling than just cranking out entertainment. With his company Sunwise Media, Rikarlo makes films that inspire social change with stories about people doing amazing things in the world. Rikarlo made a documentary called Hope Village about Lucy Hall going from addict to creating the Mary Hall Freedom House and serving all those people.

On this episode of Shock to the System Coach Dan Gordon probes the mind of Ernie Singleton. A man who revolutionized Motown and put Hip Hop on the map!
Ernie studied accounting at Southern University while working as a DJ on New Orleans WBOK. Upon graduating he couldn’t get a job in accounting & decided to return to his first love of music.

Ernie then moved from being a DJ to a record promoter for Fantasy Records where he had record-breaking success in promoting their artists. Mercury Records got wind of Ernie, hired him on the spot, and gave him an extensive roster of Gold and Platinum R&B artists to promote.

His reputation for success then landed him a job with Casablanca Records in 1977 at the height of the disco era, representing artists like Donna Summer, Cher, and the Village People.

1984, he was hired at MCA/Universal where Ernie helped artists such as Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, and Mary J. Blige gain their foothold in fame. He also helped a young intern named Shawn Combs evolve into Puff Daddy and guided his career to become CEO of Bad Boy Records.

Ernie was then lured away to Warner Brothers Records in 1987 where he worked with artists such as Prince and Madonna. There he single-handedly reactivated their Reprise Records label and made it so successful Warner went from number seven in the industry to number one.

In 1990 MCA/Universal offered Ernie the coveted position of Head of their Urban Music Division. There he helped bring Hip-Hop to a mainstream consumer audience.
Over the course of his career, Ernie Singleton helped cultivate heavy-hitting acts such as Patti LaBelle, Prince, Gladys Knight, Quincy Jones, and many, MANY others. Ernie also persuaded MTV to feature a hip-hop artist on their awards show for the first time. With over 150 Gold and Platinum records to his credit, it is no surprise that he widely referred to as “The man with the platinum touch!”

Today he is the president and CEO of Singleton Entertainment, an entertainment consulting company, and has launched a podcast called "My Business Is Pleasure"

In this episode of Shock to the System Coach Dan Gordon probes the mind of Glenn Stearns, The Undercover Billionaire, on how he made his fortunes.

Glenn Sterns shares his rags-to-riches success secrets that put him at the top of the highly competitive mortgage industry. He discusses his reality series, “Undercover Billionaire,” where he was tasked with building a million-dollar business in just 90 days. Learn Glenn Stearns entrepreneurial secrets, how he got people to work for free a