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Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders

Revealing conversations with the leading creators of our time. From proven entrepreneurs building the companies of the future, to non-profit founders creating change and the artists shaping our culture - we go beyond the surface to find the nuance in what it takes to turn your ideas, into action.
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Now displaying: December, 2018
Dec 26, 2018

Watch full interview on video:
https://youtu.be/3BHdnOiYym4

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Full show notes & timestamps:
https://www.creatorlab.fm/ronnie-madra-1oak-earos/
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Ronnie Madra is the co-founder of the Butter Group which has an extensive portfolio of brands including legendary nightclubs 1OAK and Up and Down.
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They’ve hosted after-parties for events like the Oscars, Met Gala & Cannes Film Festival attracting A-List celebrities along the way. Alongside business partner, Richie Akiva, they’ve developed properties in NYC, LA, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Dubai & Maldives – building one of the leading food & beverage (F&B) brands around.
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However, after 25+ years in nightlife – Ronnie developed a severe hearing issue which causes constant ringing in his ears. To address this issue for the 1.1bil people who will develop hearing issues in their lifetime – he created, EAROS, an in-ear protection system & an acoustical filter.
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Ronnie shared stories he has never shared before. He opens up about growing up on a coconut plantation in Guyana, landing in NYC as a minority amongst minorities, personal stories about dealing with bullies as a kid, running into trouble with a gang & landing on his feet into nightlife in NYC.
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FIVE THINGS TO LISTEN OUT FOR:

  1. Childhood – growing up with no electricity in Guyana, landing in NYC and how his early experiences shaped his outlook
  2. Fitting in & dealing with a bully – a raw and honest chat about dealing with bullies, trying to fit in and finding the confidence to be yourself.
  3. Building a name – alongside Richie Akiva, Ronnie has built a name for himself in the nightclub space, attracting A-List celebrities like Jay Z, Pharrell, Rihanna, Kate Hudson, Kanye, Gigi Hadid, Virgil and others to their venues. We go into all the details of how they started and built a name for themselves.
  4. Coming up with business ideas & developing a product – scratching his own itch, why he started EAROS, ways you can think about finding inspiration for ideas and knowing how to take action.
  5. Building Brand & Service – learning from his experience in creating a brand, product development, making people feel safe.
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TIME STAMPS:

  • 2:34 – What Ronnie is known for: 1OAK, Butter Group & Earos
  • 5:25 – Scale of their nightclubs & restaurants
  • 7:42 – Growing up on a coconut plantation in Guyana
  • 11:16 – Landing in Queens, NYC
  • 13:15 – Teenage Ronnie
  • 13:55 – Dealing with bullies
  • 19:38 – Early signs of entrepreneurship
  • 23:02 – Listening to all types of music and wanting to fit in
  • 26:32 – Becoming comfortable not fitting in
  • 31:26 – What lead to 1OAK being formed? Finding an A-Team.
  • 36:15 – Starting 1OAK with Richie Akiva & early investments
  • 38:06 – “Pioneers of the pop-up”
  • 41:40 – How to choose partnerships
  • 44:24 – What is next for 1Oak?
  • 47:40 – Attracting A-list celebrities
  • 51:20 – New venture – Earos
  • 55:10 – Developing hearing issues – tinnitus
  • 58:52 – Idea and need for a new type of ear protection
  • 60:50 – Going beyond looking like a hearing aid
  • 66:48 – The process of developing a new product
  • 69:45 – Sound vs. noise
  • 71:35 – The process of reaching out to great people through Linkedin
  • 75:58 – Working day vs. night
  • 79:44 – Pitching the idea to investors
  • 85:16 – When do you know you’re finished?
  • 87:06 – 20 years into the future
  • 91:10 – Closing remarks
Dec 7, 2018

Erika Alexander is an actress, writer & co-founder of Color Farm Media. She’s well known for her role as the iconic character Maxine Shaw, Attorney-at-Law in the 90s sitcom Living Single. She was a regular as Cousin Pam in The Cosby Show & appeared in the Oscar-winning film Get Out (2017).

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Full show notes & timestamps:
https://www.creatorlab.fm/erika-alexander-actress-get-out-cosby-show/

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 Here are five things to listen out for:
 
  1. Childhood – her candid experience growing up as a child actor from the age of 14, her relationship with her parents & how this impacted her throughout her life.
  2.  Being the “other” – feeling like an outsider when she first had some success
  3. Importance of Diversity in Film & Media – how she’s approaching this challenge with Color Farm Media, why it’s important to hire the best people regardless, but find a balance to tell diverse stories
  4. Role of Therapy – how she dealt with depression, navigated lows and the importance of mental health
  5. The Future – hip-hop in Bollywood, collaborations of color, the projects she’s working on with Lionsgate & the importance of long-form conversations

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Time Stamps:

  • 2:32 – Introduction of Erika
  • 4:45 – Her role on Living Single
  • 8:38 – Erika’s childhood
  • 12:15 – Was Erika always outgoing?
  • 15:36 – The “look at me” gene
  • 18:26 – First time acting
  • 23:12 – Erika’s mom’s influence
  • 25:46 – Becoming famous and losing her family
  • 27:31 – Religion and belief when growing up
  • 30:40 – Early pain struggle & depression
  • 32:40 – Being the “other” in the family
  • 36:45 – Ways to cope with parent pain
  • 41:05 – Therapy and mental health
  • 50:41 – Race and misrepresentation in work
  • 51:52 – Race is an illusion
  • 54:13 – Color Farm Media & it’s mission
  • 57:06 – Ben Arnon help & info
  • 61:17 – Current work
  • 66:25 – Black Lightning
  • 71:53 – Making diversity authentic
  • 77:02 – Importance of diverse writers
  • 82:25 – How to change in industry
  • 85:33 – “I’m a badass at acting”
  • 93:00 – Collaborations of color
  • 95:50 – Hire the best writer, but include all
  • 98:14 – The impact of long-form conversation
  • 101:56 – Looking to the future
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