The Unconventionals

Pettis, CEO of the 3D printing company MakerBot. Imagine having the power to make creations in your mind's eye a reality - a reality you can hold in your own hands. I's not a plot from a new sci-fi film, it's the premise behind 3D printing powerhouse, Makerbot. Their desktop 3D printers have already completely changed the way creative professionals bridge the gap from vision to reality, and have been hailed on the cover of Wired Magazine as "The machine that will change the world." Founded in Brooklyn in 2009, CEO Bre Pettis and team have since harnessed the power of this futuristic technology in order to make it more widely available to those who simply love to just "make things." They've been featured in everything from The New York Times to The Colbert Report for being worldwide ambassadors of creativity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLCp6fgHLQw

On this episode of The Unconventionals, host Mike O'Toole chats with Neil Blumenthal, cofounder of online eyewear retailer Warby Parker. Once labeled by GQ as "Netflix for glasses," Warby Parker has set out to change the perception that buying a pair of fashionable eyeglasses doesn't have to be a long-term and costly investment. In addition to a hearty entrepreneurial spirit and a start-up process with stories you'll have to hear to believe, Neil shares the true backbone of Warby Parker: Their dedication to giving back. Not only does Warby Parker aim to make fashionable eyewear affordable for the widest audience possible, they strive to give the gift of sight to those in need. This unconventional yet admirable tactic took the company to new heights of credibility and notoriety, and they're not done yet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-D7VPMgjv4

On this episode of The Unconventionals, host Mike O'Toole sits down with Intel's Creative Director, David Haroldsen to discuss The Creators Project: Intel's unique way connecting the future of chip technology with today's modern artist. This revolutionary partnership between Intel and VICE media allows visionary artists using technology in innovative ways to push the boundaries of creative expression. By doing so, Intel is able to gather insights from those who place unusually heavy demands on technology and, ultimately, generate new ideas for future capabilities for their chips. Enjoying the music in this episode? It's a special composition brought to you by The Creators Project and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh9oyffQYd8

On this episode of The Unconventionals, host Mike O'Toole interviews Chief Marketing Officer Geoff Cottrill from Converse, about its innovative Brooklyn based recording studio - Rubber Tracks. For Converse, the sales of athletic shoes used to be very straightforward. Everyone wore Chuck Taylors. Over time the landscape for those shoes has become incredibly crowded, and looking at alternative ways to keep your brand top of mind is challenging. That's where Converse Rubber Tracks Studio comes into play. Rubber Tracks serves as a bridge between the Converse brand and young emerging bands, allowing them the opportunity to record their music in a high performance studio location - no cost and no strings attached.

In this fourth episode of the season, host Mike O'Toole talks to Shelby Clark, Founder and Chief Community Officer of RelayRides. Based in San Francisco, CA and founded in 2010, RelayRides is a peer-to-peer carsharing service. It allows private car-owners to rent out their vehicles on a short-term basis. RelayRides gets attention for an innovative idea that addresses a multi-billion dollar economic opportunity and greens cities with an alternative to car ownership. But it is also a small, rapidly growing business, and is balancing a big vision around collaborative commerce with the scrappy realities of building an unconventional business: making the rental transaction simple and safe, inventing new insurance products, and partnering with GM to scale nationally.

In our third show of the season, host Mike O'Toole talks to Michael Dubin, CEO, Dollar Shave Club. From a baby shaving a man's head to a machete-wielding CEO dancing with a leaf blower, Michael Dubin's Dollar Shave Club video has reached over 7.3 million views on YouTube. His no-nonsense, tell it like it is, "Our Blades Are F**king Great" approach helped this company go from an unknown startup to an overnight brand success story people can't get enough of.

In our second show of the season, host Mike O'Toole talks with Morgen Newman, VP, International Sales and Jeff Avallon, VP, Business Development of IdeaPaint. Based in Ashland, MA and founded in 2002, IdeaPaint gives people the opportunity to unleash their creative potential through innovative tools that re-imagine the spaces where they work, learn and play. A dry erase paint, IdeaPaint turns virtually any surface into an erasable canvas, giving its customers the space they need to collaborate, interact and fully explore their creativity. Join us as we learn how IdeaPaint markets and brands this cutting-edge paint technology both to businesses and consumers.

We're kicking off our first show with Carey Smith, CEO of Big Ass Fans, a company in Lexington, KY that makes, well, big ass industrial and residential fans. It's a company where unconventional goes much deeper than the name - how they manufacture, how they market, how they treat employees and how they see their future are all far from typical.