The Venture

Our season finale! Advice on turning simple ideas into business adventures from a panel of L.A.-based entrepreneurs and Virgin Group founder and author Richard Branson.

Featuring:

Sean Rad, Founder and CEO of Tinder

Miguel McKelvey, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of WeWork

Cassey Ho, Founder of Blogilates

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

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This week, something a little different. A panel discussion featuring Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, along with Seattle entrepreneurs:

Nadia Shouraboura, founder and CEO of Hointer

Jonathan Sposato, chairman and co-founder of GeekWire, CEO of PicMonkey

Chase Jarvis, founder and CEO of CreativeLive

Moderated by Mimi Jung, morning anchor for King 5 News Seattle

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

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She’d never written a line of code in her life -- but she had the guts to take on one of tech’s biggest problems. Meet Reshman Saujani: a daughter of refugees, a Yale Law graduate, a former Wall Street lawyer, and an ex-candidate for Congress. Today, she runs Girls Who Code, an organization she founded to disrupt the tech talent pipeline, by closing the gender gap. Through all of it, she’s learned that sometimes the best way to succeed is to fail. The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte.

This episode features:

Reshma Saujani, Founder of Girls Who Code and author of Women Who Don’t Wait in Line 

Beth Comstock, Vice Chair at GE

Andy Gonzalez and Sophie Houser, Co-creators of Tampon Run

Trina DasGupta, Founder & CEO of Single Palm Tree Productions and founding board member of Girls Who Code

Nihal Mehta, Founding General Partner at Eniac Ventures

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

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Before organic products were trendy, before “hippie chic” was a popular Pinterest search term, there was Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap Company. For decades, Dr. Bronner’s pure-castile liquid soap was affiliated with counter-culture folks drawn to its simplicity and “We are All-One!” messaging. And while it was founded by a German immigrant in the 1940’s, the generations that came after him -- his sons and grandsons -- turned a small, loyal following into the $100 million business it is today. Essentially, Dr. Bronner’s has cracked the code for balancing social activism with a command of global business. In this episode, we visit the company’s headquarters in Southern California, to see the close-knit family business in action. And we learn how “the soap that cleans everything” embodies a spirit of invention, and a commitment to ethical business practices, allowing it to stand out in the health and beauty industry.

The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte.

This episode features:

- Mike, David and Trudy Bronner - family of Dr. Bronner and current heads of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap Company

- Brian Obach - Professor at SUNY New Paltz and author of Organic Struggle

- Sarah Lamm - Director of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

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It all started with coupons -- and it’s become a multi-million dollar, multi-platform media empire. It’s The Onion: A worldwide source for witty news satire. The Onion was started by a few college kids at the University of Wisconsin in the late ‘80s. Now it’s so engrained in our culture that we point out when the real news “looks like an Onion headline.”  The Onion has both observed the world, and changed it -- and become a must-read for millions of people every day. The Onion has had a profound influence on the business of comedy, and survived and thrived in a chaotic media landscape.  This is a story about a company that is unafraid to challenge convention, and is adamant about honoring its vision above everything else.

The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte.

This episode features:

Mike Sacks, contributor, Vanity Fair, and author of Stinker Lets Loose! and Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy WritersBaratunde Thurston, former Onion director of digital, author of How to Be BlackSarah Pappalardo & Beth Newell, co-founders and editors of Reductress, and authors of How to Win at Feminism: The Definitive Guide to Having it All - And Then Some!Scott Dikkers, former Onion editor-in-chief, and author of Trump’s America: Buy This Book And Mexico Will Pay For It, and How to Write FunnyMarnie Shure, managing editor of The OnionMike McAvoy, president and CEO of The Onion

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

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It all started when Jon Murray, a TV and documentary producer, and Mary-Ellis Bunim, a soap opera writer, approached MTV with an idea that ultimately changed television forever. The Real World popularized a new genre of television known as “reality TV.” Today, reality TV has splintered into innumerable forms, but its backbone was built with The Real World, and Bunim/Murray Productions continues to be at the forefront of the industry. They’re the team behind The Simple Life, Born This Way, and Keeping up with the Kardashians. In this episode, we talk to former cast members and industry experts, about the show that dared to be different, and the team that turned entertainment as we know it, on its head.

The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte.

This episode features:

Jon Murray, creator of The Real World & co-founder of Bunim/Murray Productions 

George Verschoor, producer and director of The Real World seasons 1-4. Current executive producer and showrunner at Critical Content

Julie Gentry, original cast member of The Real World season 1.

Tony DiSanto, former MTV president and founder of DiGa Studio

Meredith Blake, entertainment reporter with the LA Times

Special thanks to all of The Real World cast and crew members we spoke to for this episode, including Andre Comeau, Eric Neis, Jon Brennan, Pam Ling and Adam Beckman.

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

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As the owner, head chef, and mastermind behind her restaurant n/naka, Chef Niki Nakayama serves up coveted kaiseki dinners, a structured multi-course meal that emphasizes seasonality and extreme technical prowess. Niki truly straddles the line of tradition and innovation, sourcing local ingredients and employing centuries-old techniques. And she just may be the only woman in the world who does it. But while Niki is the master of her kitchen and craft, getting here was a struggle. In this episode, we tell the story of how she risked it all to launch her restaurant in one of the most cutthroat industries: food. And we learn that a commitment to your creative vision, even if it’s doing it the hard way, can sometimes take you to the top.

The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte

This episode features:

Niki Nakayama, owner and head chef at n/naka restaurant

Carole Iida-Nakayama, sous chef at n/naka restaurant

Besha Rodell, restaurant critic at LA Weekly

Eric Rath, history professor at The University of Kansas

Special thanks to:

Dan Allen, Farmscape

Sarah Rathbone, Dock to Dish LA

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

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Kill Rock Stars is one of indie rock’s most respected record labels, known by fans for its superior taste in music, and by musicians for its ethical approach to business. Nirvana, Sleater-Kinney and Elliott Smith all have roots at the label. But there are a lot of bumps on the road, as you take a business from a one-bedroom apartment to the big time. Follow founder Slim Moon and current label president Portia Sabin, who happen to be married, as they face personal tragedy, their personal demons, and a massive change in their industry’s business model. Through it all, it’s a story about making a space for yourself, and putting people before profits.

The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte

This episode features:

Slim Moon, founder of Kill Rock Stars

Portia Sabin, president of Kill Rock Stars

Corin Tucker, co-founder of Sleater-Kinney

Cameron Esposito, comedian

Rhea Butcher, comedian

Sean Nelson, arts and music editor, The Stranger/member of Harvey Danger

George Howard, co-founder, Music Audience Exchange and founder of Slow River Records

Jessica Hopper, executive editor of MTV News and author of The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic

Songs and Audio featured in this episode include:

“Conflict Free Diamonds” by Kinski

"Feels Blind" by Bikini Kill

"Die" by Bratmobile

"Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill

“Tip Toe Blues (Instrumental)” by Michael Smith

“Mean” by Slim Moon (spoken word)

“You Speak Jealousy” by Unwound

“Reject All American” by Bikini Kill

“Miss Misery (Early Version)” by Elliott Smith

“Howl at the Moon (Instrumental)” by Werwulf

"We Think She's a Nurse" by Kinski

“Arresting and Existing (Edit) (Instrumental)” by Keen Collective

“Needle in the Hay” by Elliott Smith

“Steady Waltz (Alt. 1) (Instrumental)” by WZRDS

“Automatic Music” by Stereo Total

“Real Butcher” by Rhea Butcher (comedy)

“Fremm” by bed.

“Illegal” by Stereo Total

Check out our Spotify playlist inspired by this episode, including many songs you heard in this story:

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

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Starting a business is a leap of faith. It’s unpredictable, exciting, foolish and brave -- it’s an adventure. 

From Virgin Atlantic, Richard Branson’s transatlantic airline, and Gimlet Creative, The Venture introduces you to the innovators, artists and risk takers behind pioneering businesses. These are businesses that changed the face of their industries, but not in the ways you might think. 

You might not recognize these entrepreneurs by name, but once you hear their stories, you won’t be able to imagine the world without them.  

The Venture premieres Tuesday, April 25, 2017.

Go to theventure.show to learn more.

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