Office Hours with Spencer Rascoff

Sunil Gunderia, Chief Strategy Officer of Age of Learning, says two-thirds of America’s fourth graders are not proficient in english language arts or math despite the $700 billion spent on K-12 education. This disparity spurred the creation of Age of Learning, whose flagship product, ABC Mouse, has 30 million young learners on the platform since its launch in 2010. Hear Gunderia describe the Age of Learning business model, how it’s expanding during the time of Covid and what diversity, equity and inclusion measures Age of Learning is taking.

Stripped of their outdoor gear before their move to Los Angeles, Rachelle Snyder and her husband, Ross Richmond, arrived, surrounded by tantalizing outdoor adventure, but unprepared to enjoy it -- and nowhere to turn. That problem led them to cofound Arrive Outdoors, a company that rents camping, hiking and skiing gear and attire. Hear Rachelle dig into the details of partnering with brands, how best to service the consumer -- and why running the business with her husband works.

With so many people out of work, how is it the stock market is soaring? To make sense of it all, listen to Spencer as he speaks with John Scuorzo and Zaheed Kajani, both senior managing directors at Evercore, a global independent investment banking advisory firm. This is an edited version of a webinar that took place on June 23, 2020.

No matter how challenging, if given the choice, Jason Kilar, founder of Hulu and current CEO of WarnerMedia, would willingly disrupt the way television and film was distributed, all over again. Listen to Kilar’s account of contextualizing business during the burgeoning days of the internet, the early, tumultuous times at Hulu, his predictions about where media and entertainment are heading -- and a missed opportunity Jason wishes he had captured.

During the past decade, the Hollywood entertainment industry has worked towards more inclusivity in their ranks and storytelling. Can Los Angeles Tech employ those learnings? Angela Robinson and Alexandra Kondracke are film and television writers, producers and directors, known for their work on Professor Marston and The Wonder Women, True Blood, Hung and The L Word. They’re also founders of Time’s Up, a movement that aims to create a safe and equitable society free of sexual harassment. In this high-energy, frank conversation, hear Spencer, Angela and Alexandra share insight into both the Tech and Entertainment industry, how far the industries have come and how far they have to go. This was recorded well before Covid-19 hit and the protests related to George Floyd’s death.

Led by Tim Ellis, Relativity Space is radically upending the aerospace industry by manufacturing rockets using 3D printers. Hear Spencer and Tim dig into Relativity’s engineering feats, its vision for the future of humans in space, what the cutting-edge company values above all, and how in the not-too-distant future Relativity hopes to send a 3D printer to Mars to print rockets there.

Los Angeles has come a long way in the 20 years that Brian Lee has built up startups. Brian co-founded LegalZoom in 2001, ShoeDazzle with Kim Kardashian in 2008,  and The Honest Company with Jessica Alba in 2012. Now, Brian is co-founder and managing director of BAM Ventures, an early stage fund and startup studio, based in Los Angeles. Hear Spencer and Brian, recorded at the Montgomery Summit earlier this year, discuss Los Angeles’ evolution as a tech hub. They dig into the exciting state of the current Los Angeles start-up scene, what BAM looks for in founders, thoughts on building brands -- and a company Lee regrets he passed on. 

Managing through crisis is difficult, but great leaders and great companies are created during challenging times. Spencer grappled with crises at two companies he cofounded, Hotwire and Zillow.  Hear him and Katie Curnutte, former SVP of Communications at Zillow and now a partner at Kingston Marketing Group, discuss how to manage a company through the strain of calamity while keeping a steady eye on the big picture and the opportunities that can arise.

Earlier this year, Spencer had an opportunity through the Navy’s Distinguished Visitors Program to visit the USS John C. Stennis, an aircraft carrier. During his time aboard the ship, Spencer met Rear Admiral Michael Wettlaufer, who’s spent 32 years serving in the Navy. Throughout his career, Admiral Wettlaufer has received multiple medals for his service, logged 3,500 flying hours, flown 49 different aircraft types and made over 800 arrested landings. To say he’s a brave and accomplished leader is an understatement. In this episode, Spencer returns to the USS Stennis for a conversation with Admiral Wettlaufer about leadership. The two cover a lot of ground, including the admiral’s impressive career in the Navy, the importance of teamwork and how to build a culture that’s committed to excellence.

Nick Huzar is co-founder and CEO of OfferUp, the largest mobile marketplace in the U.S. The company has reinvented the model for local, peer-to-peer commerce, and its engagement metrics are incredible. In 2017, the company reported that it had over 60 million downloads and 43 million users who use the platform as frequently as popular social media apps. Today, OfferUp is one of the highest valued private companies in the Pacific Northwest, officially gaining “unicorn” status. In this episode, Nick offers advice for leaders about scaling a company, the importance of building trust and how his leadership style has evolved with OfferUp’s growth.