The Impossible Network

Here are seven minutes of soundbites from my storyteller series of interviews with guest Jennifer Hutchins - award-winning Hollywood TV and film producer and now Austin-based Founder of All Entertainment Business, the fast-growing entertainment industry networking event series. Social Links Austin Entertainment Business Jennifer Hutchins siteLinkedin Instagram TwitterFacebookLinks in the show Robert Rodriguez Richard Linklater Suzanne Lyons Barbara Doust Michael Blum Dr. Merritt Moore Hopefully SowSteve Jobs - The Man Who Thought Different NeevaDescript - Our edit tool for the podcast   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer Hutchins - award-winning Hollywood TV and film producer and now Austin-based Founder of All Entertainment Business, the fast-growing entertainment industry networking event series. Key sections Jennifer’s reason for pivoting from Journalism to Hollywood to tell stories  The rollercoaster ride of working and competing in Hollywood, Breaking her neck and ribs in a car accident - 28.40 Finding herself working 20 hours plus on Dr. Phil while pregnant, knowing something was not right As a single mother being drawn to Austin and the realization that Austin was calling her (39.30) The genesis of the Austin Entertainment Business and how Jennifer grew the network to over 10,000 by cultivating a culture of abundance and building the event she always wanted (43.00- 52.00)The serendipity of events that led her to achieve her goal of working with Richard Linklater and Bill GuttentagHow she pivoted the event during Covid to All Entertainment Business by embracing Zoom and opening it to the world (57.00)Her global mission and ambition for All Entertainment Business and to discover and support the underrepresented 59.00-1.05 Jennifer describes her natural gifts as an example of her ability and tenacity to bring ideas to life (1.08.00) Dealing with fragility and doubt (1.11.30)The importance of dependability 1.13.00Jennifer's three pieces of advice (1.15.30-1.17.30)  The power of affirmations (1.18.00)The importance of belief, desire, and taking action Her advice on people wanting to get into the industry 1.22.00The change she would like to see in the world 1.28.20Jennifer asks for a financial partner to support her and allow her to grow her global team. 1.34.00Social Links Austin Entertainment Business Jennifer Hutchins siteLinkedin Instagram TwitterFacebookLinks in the show Suzanne Lyons Barbara Doust Michael Blum Dr. Merritt Moore Hopefully SowSteve Jobs - The Man Who Thought Different NeevaDescript - Our edit tool for the podcast   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been 7 months since our last drop and four years since I began the podcast. So before season 5 kicks off, I wanted to explain the changes to the type of guests we will interview and the outcomes we are hoping to effect. Back in July last year, I paused the podcast, and during this hiatus, I worked with creative elder, coach, mentor, and award-winning ex-ad guy, Paul ‘Nobby’ Davies on my underlying mission and vision for the Impossible Network. During one of my Creative Coaching calls, I recounted how a previous pod guest Jeremy Hymans in his book New Power, co-authored with Henry Timms, stated that the event series TED had cornered ideas worth spreading. But what we need in the world are people focused on the problems that need solving. Now, if there is one thing I have learned over the years is that when all great problems were solved, serendipity played a part. This got me thinking, let’s make the podcast a genuine serendipity experiment. So I started with this question. If we have all these problems that need solving, instead of think tanks publishing papers on possible solutions, surely we should have Action Engines doing real work to solve the problem? And could the Impossible Network Podcast play its part and be a catalyst for creating Action Engines to accelerate problem-solving and progress? Why not try?So here’s what we’ll do. We will interview three types of people - what we are calling The Difference Makers - Those on the ground change agents working to make an impact on a particular social problem The Domain Experts - respected people of authority with specialist knowledge or skills whose ideas could have value in finding solutions to problems.The Storytellers - creative folk, those able to shape or change attitudes and behavior through the compelling or emotive stories they tell, committed to improving the world in which we live. Then every two to three months, we will create Action Engine events where we will challenge these guests to collide with each other, those with different perspectives, skills, and experiences in what we are calling Random Collision interviews and participate in structured design thinking workshops where we will explore alternative ways to solve the problems they care about. For example, educational innovation, criminal justice reform, mental health, decarbonization, transportation, electrification, food insecurity, homelessness, artificial intelligence risks, or building sustainable cities.And finally, we will build an Action Engine community and database. A place to easily discover and connect with change-makers, domain experts, and storytellers, filterable by experience, skills, and areas of focus.   It might sound like a crazy experiment, but I think it’s going to be a blast. Ok. Let’s get started.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To say that Robert Hansen, aka RSnake is a man of impact is an understatement. Robert is on a journey to positively impact a billion lives and to leave the plant slightly better than when he arrived. This is a long episode, but it’s an important one for anyone concerned about the threats and risks we face in today’s world. We cover: Robert’s serendipitous start to developing his hacking skillsBuilding a hacker alliance to take down Paedophile groupsHis philosophy and approach to solving problems at the architectural level.  Robert’s perspective on online security, risks, and privacy We discuss the potential damage from insulting children from risk, The threats posed by China’s CCP, their Thousand Grains of sand strategy, and their creeping social credit system, their growing threat to western security from the power of the CCP, the threat of hypersonic missile technology and quantum cryptographyRobert describes his top three existential threats, risk of AIAnd I seek Robert’s perspective on guns. And the historical context of the 2nd amendment and Americans’ s right to bear arms and emerging solutions to gun violence. On a very personal level I also ask how he overcame depression in his twenties. For anyone interested in gaining deeper insights into our fractured world and the risks we face, this episode is unmissable. Social LinksLinkedinPodcast - The RSnake Show Instagram  Links In The Show Tenable White Hat Security Jeremiah Grossman Chinese CCP Thousand Grains of Sand Hypersonic MissilesChina’s Social Credit System 1980’s Fairness Doctrine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dina Lovinsky is a Russian-born, SF-based writer. She is also the ghostwriter of the recent NYT and WSJ bestseller Tony Fadell’s, Build - An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making.This is a fun episode.  We discuss Dina discusses being born in St Petersburg, Russia before moving to the US and growing up in Boston.Being conditioned by her parents with a sense of invincibility. She discusses her parent's experience of being Refusniks in Soviet-period Russia.Her father's experience working for the Mafia.She describes her Star Trek life lesson and developing her superpower to never blame others for how she feels.We discuss how two scientists produced a child with a talent for the arts and English. Dina explains how she developed her love of reading and developing her curiosity.She discusses her school life and not working hard. Dina explains how her path led her to San Francisco to a job in publishing before moving into product management in tech startups. She explains how her focus shifted to writing all content for the companies she worked. We discussed how she developed her copywriting skills.Dina explains her approach to writing, her disorganization, and procrastination.Dina describes her work with Tony Fadell and how she came to ghost-write his book Build, She explains how she and Tony arrived at the structure and wrote the book during the pandemic.Dina describes how people can use the book as a mentor in a box. We discuss the emergence of AI and the impact and threat to writers Dina describes her hopes for the next ten yearsShe answers the quick-fire questionsSocial Links  Linkedin Links  Build - An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making.Star Trek   Refusniks Tenth of December George SaundersSwim In The Pond In The Rain Kurt Vonnegut Gary ShteyngartSuper Sad True love StoryGPT3Jasper AISeverance Radio Lab  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

​​Negar Tayyar is a philanthropic refugee rights advocate, life coach, and co-founder and director of the Global Whole Being Fund (GWBF), an international fund supporting the humanitarian and long-term needs of forcibly displaced people. We cover a lot in this episode from Negar’s early memories of growing up in Iran, her parents being civil rights activists, which resulted in them fleeing Iran, moving from country to country, and relying on the kindness of strangers before arriving and settling in Germany and the challenges she and her parents experienced in an alien culture. Negar discusses in detail the global scale of the refugee response crisis, the vision and mission of GWBF, and how its focus on grassroots ecosystems and holistic approach enables more equitable solutions and empowers displaced people to claim their voice. Negar is not only a powerful advocate of the rights and well-being of displaced people, but she is also reframing the narrative and mechanisms of how philanthropic grants work and changing operational control to encourage refugee-led organizations to flourish.  While our news feed may be filled with stories of despondency and desperation, hearing Negar’s vision and vitality is a timely antidote and much-needed boost of optimism. Please Enjoy. We coverThe challenging experience of seeking safety by crossing many borders. Arriving and settling into Germany and witnessing the toll it took on her parents, who shaped her worldview and sense of self. We cover the transitional fabric of German society and the impact of migrants.Her childhood memories and the precious generosity of people.We discuss the work of the Global Whole Being Fund (GWBF), its focus on local ecosystems, and asset-based grant-making. Negar touches on the Ukraine refugee crisis highlighting Choose Love’s Ukraine Campaign supporting people seeking safety. She explains the imperative to prioritize resourcing dignified approaches to support people seeking safety as we face more displacement in the years ahead.   Links in the ShowGlobal Whole Being Fund Choose Love  Resonance CoachingMo GowdatFast Forward Asylum Seekers Advocacy Project MaKenzie ScottMans Search For MeaningMyriad Intimacies Lata ManiStewarding The Earth   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matteo Vianello, a Creative and Design leader from Venice, shares his journey from a childhood steeped in art to a dynamic career in graphic design. He reflects on the influence of his father's expectations and the critical role of curiosity in creativity. Matteo recounts his bold entry into Fabrica and discusses the evolution of creativity in the digital age. He emphasizes the significance of design thinking to tackle global challenges and highlights the changing landscape of advertising and the impacts of remote work on collaboration.

Chris Debiec is an award-winning writer/producer/executive with a thirty-plus-year track record of producing film and tv series, working with icons across all aspects of the entertainment industry.Chris recently moved from LA to Austin, and as a result of a serendipitous connection, we sat down to discuss his insights and experiences across his inspiring career. We cover a lot of ground in this interview. But what stood out to me was the combination of his willingness to take risks, to trust in his instinct, his fastidious attention to detail, a hard work ethic, and his brutal candor. Securing a place in Disney’s Management Training program.How his free thinking led to his removal from the program.Chris explains how his brutal candor, combined with his hard work ethic, secured a position in Disney Film and Tape and craft service. The serendipitous encounter with Martin Baker that set his future path through film and TV.Discussing why production is a combination of economics and creativity.The trauma of working on the set of the Crow when Brandon Lee was killed. Chris describes why he left Disney to build a career in Hollywood. Chris explains the work he did working with James and John Cameron on Cameron’s underwater adventure films. We discussed the pivot during Covid when he and John Cameron supplied the film industry with PPE and protocols to enable production to occur.We discuss the importance of curiosity and creativity for producers.Where we will be in 10 years.His principles. His advice to ambitious wannabe producers.Social Links Linkedin Instagram  Show Links Lou Wasserman Disney MGM studiosMichael Eisner  Jim HensonScreen Actors GuildJames CameronHuman Health Organization Civilized Entertainment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's guest is Michael Plitkins, co-founder and Co-Der of Spatial Inc - the  Immersive Audio start-up that redefines the human experience by creating virtual soundscapes where you work, where you play, and where you stay. In this interview, Michael takes us on a serendipitous journey through his life; a life defined by his willingness to embrace challenges, the courage to confront uncertainty, and trust in his ferocious independence. We discuss the trajectory of his fascinating career in Software Engineering, his appreciation for, and experience in design, how that opened the doors to his first role as an engineer,  working across some groundbreaking technologies in VR and voice space, at iconic companies from Netscape to Nest. At 27 min Michael discusses the genesis of his idea for creating Spatial when he discovered no immersive audio solution existed to deliver the experience he sought.  Micheal describes how he and his team are breaking down traditional audio barriers, taking audio to a new level, and allowing a community of creators to use Spatial tools to unleash their creative soundscapes as part of their designs, Michael and his team are poised to reimagine immersive audio that will change how we experience community spaces like retail, hospitals, entertainment spaces and even the office. Thanks to past guest Walter Werzowa for the recommendationNow on with the showHis early years and expanding world view from living in the UK and traveling Europe in his youth. The influence of his father and mother The serendipitous impact of discovering the Apple2 computerHaving the confidence to carve his own path without the traditional education trajectoryEarly career path Discovering the need to build immersive audio to scratch his own itch. The commercial applications of SpatialHis quick-fire answers Social LinksSpatial IncInstagramTwitter Linkedin Links in the showIBM Paper SoftwareApple IINetscape Tony FadellSilicon GraphicsTell-Me Networks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have a follow-up to our recent interview with Sana Mustafa. When I interviewed Sana back in November 2021, we could not have imagined the Ukrainian refugee crisis.  So I wanted to hear Sana’s perspective as Director of Partnership and Engagement at Asylum Access, on the mass migration from Ukraine that has resulted from the Russian invasion and to understand the broader impactions on how the world will deal with future mass migrations as climate change forces people North. This is a shorter than normal episode but Sana’s insight and experience make this well worth a listen. Sana's perspective on the crisisThe impact on the host nations The new standard set for welcoming the displacedThe institutional racism and bigotry that exists in the system   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.