The Prior Transformation

House Hacking In Truckee Feb 01, 2019

A few months ago I came up with an idea that derailed me and my family's life. Let me tell you a bit about it in this short episode.

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Marcus Weller: Can The World Truly Be Decentralized Nov 13, 2018

This episode is a continuation of my Blockchain series where I sit down with people working in the cryptocurrency/blockchain space to try to find out how the blockchain will impact the world.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr Marcus Weller. Marcus has been a Founder, CEO, and Advisor to companies spanning consumer electronics, blockchain, and biotechnology since 2012. Starting in 2009, Dr. Weller served as 1 of 10 Americans selected by the Humboldt Foundation to develop scientific ties in the field of Psychology between Germany and the United States. While in Germany, Dr. Weller also studied Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Munich. After graduating from Wayne State University with a PhD in Industrial Psychology with a subfocus in Data Science, Dr. Weller joined Maxim Semiconductor in Silicon Valley before founding one of the first consumer Augmented Reality technology companies in 2012. Dr. Weller is an inventor on over 20 patent applications spanning areas including biotechnology, consumer electronics, and pharmacodynamics, and has been fortunate enough to learn alongside some of the best innovators in the world. Marcus is currently CMO at iTrust Capital and Head of Science at Halcyon Biotechnologies Inc. We talk about what consolidation may look like in crypto, tribalism in the space, and we ask one big question: Can the world truly be decentralized? - Checkout Halcyon Biotechnologies Music: www.bensound.com

Nathan Mintz: The Future Of Defense Nov 07, 2018

Today I sit down with Nathan Mintz who is the CoFounder/CEO of Epirus Systems. Epirus is a venture-backed startup specializing in agile development of advanced defense systems. The team combines decades of aerospace & defense experience with Silicon Valley innovation in order to address 21st century threats, such as drones and other asymmetric technologies. Nathan is a super sharp Stanford graduate with 15 years of experience in the defense industry. We talk a bit about history, technology, and the future of the battlefield. Music: www.bensound.com

Fred Krueger: Stabilizing Crypto's Value Oct 29, 2018

As a continuation of my blockchain series, on this episode I sit down to chat with Fred Krueger.

Fred is a Stanford PhD and serial entrepreneur with 9 significant exits. He is focused on making consumer blockchain and high volume daaps a reality. EOS Lynx is the fastest growing wallet on the EOS Blockchain, and Workcoin is a gig marketplace on EOS that will launch in October.

We talk broadly about Blockchain usability but the highlight of the conversation is Fred's thoughts about the roll that stablecoins will play in the future of crypto.

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Taylor Monahan: Making The Blockchain Useable Oct 24, 2018

Taylor is the founder & CEO of MyCrypto, one of the leading blockchain interfaces. Previously, she founded MyEtherWallet. She loves the fast-moving, iterative adventure that encompasses the blockchain space & looks forward to ushering in the decentralized future with easy-to-use products. Since starting as a simple paper-wallet generator, Taylor has expanded the reach and feature-set of MyCrypto, built a team of talented & empathetic people, and welcomes new challenges each day.

During this conversation we talk a bit about the past/present/future of crypto as well as decision making under uncertainty and what its like to run a company on the front lines of a tech revolution.

Follow Taylor on Twitter: @tayvano_

Checkout MyCrypro

Music: www.bensound.com

Kaj Larsen: Leading Teams Sep 09, 2018

Today I sit down with Kaj Larsen. To say that Kaj is a former US Navy SEAL is just the tip of the iceberg. He is also a journalist who's work you've probably seen on VICE and CNN. He went to Harvard. He worked with Sorkin on "Newsroom" --one of my favorite shows. The depth of his experience is significant —just take a look at his bio below. In this episode, however, we talk about his SEAL days. I've been fascinated with SEAL training for years so this conversation was an absolute blast. Among many other things, we talk about leading men in combat, building team cohesion, and how some of the ideas from SEAL training can be applied to people in leadership positions outside of the military. ### Kaj's bio: Kaj Larsen was born in Santa Cruz, California, and graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a degree in Political Science. At Harvard University he received his Masters degree in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. At Harvard, Kaj was awarded a fellowship from the Shorenstein Center for Press, Politics, and Public Policy. He was also a joint fellow at Tufts Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism studies. His focus includes international security policy, media politics, and political affairs. Kaj is an award winning filmmaker and correspondent. He was recently the Senior Correspondent and Producer for Now This News. He previously hosted the Emmy award winning series VICE on HBO. At VICE Kaj has produced documentaries on conflict and national security issues. He is the only journalist to be embedded in the Nigerian fight against Boko Haram, and conducted the first exclusive interview with the architect of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program. Prior to Now This and Vice Kaj was a correspondent at CNN as a member of CNN’s Special Investigations and Documentary unit. His on-camera career began in 2005 when he covered the war in Afghanistan for Current TV. At Current TV Kaj helped develop the Emmy Award winning Vanguard Journalism series. He was the first journalist to bring the issue of waterboarding to the public by having himself waterboarded on TV. He broke the media silence on Somalia by being the first western TV journalist in Mogadishu in over a decade. He has since gone on to report from war zones and conflict spots around the world, in places such as Pakistan, Yemen, Cambodia, Colombia, West Africa, and Latin America. His feature documentaries have covered topics ranging from the drug war in Mexico to the devastating floods in Pakistan to Wikileaks. His reporting is distinguished by his in-field and in-depth examination of difficult and dangerous topics around conflict zones, national security, and criminal justice. Kaj’s intrepid reporting and powerful filmmaking has put him at the vanguard of a new broadcast journalism. He frequently appears on other media outlets such as ABC, NBC, MSNBC, and the Huffington Post. He was the senior correspondent and host of The Current Election, a daily show about politics and public policy. As a producer Kaj has created hit television series such as US Navy Pirate Hunters, a one-hour special for Spike TV, and LOCKUP the highly rated show about life in American prison for air on MSNBC. He was Aaron Sorkin’s private consultant on the hit HBO series Newsroom. His work has earned him critical acclaim including an Emmy nomination, a Peabody nomination, two Telly awards, and several Golden Cine awards. Prior to his work in television, Kaj spent five years on active duty serving as a US Navy SEAL. As a Lieutenant he led a team of special warfare personnel in covert operations overseas deploying as a detachment Commander in support of the Global War on Terrorism. He continues his service as a SEAL reserve officer assigned to US Special Operations Command. Kaj is a two time national champion open-water swimmer, and placed third in the Escape from Alcatraz duathalon. Kaj has lived extensively overseas, including Thailand, where he studied Muay Thai boxing. He is a practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and frequently competes in mixed martial arts competitions. Kaj used his pay from the service to help launch The Mission Continues, and served on the Board of Directors for five years. Kaj also serves on the Boards of Advisors to the Veteran service organization Team Rubicon Global. He has deployed three times in support of Team Rubicon to render Humanitarian assistance in Pakistan, the Philippines, and the US. Follow Kaj on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kajlarsen Follow Kaj on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kajlarsen Music: www.bensound.com

Max Mednik - How Investors Think About Risk Jul 31, 2018

In this episode angel investor and hedge fund manager Max Mednik talks with me about how he thinks about risk.

Max is the AMA capital management, which is one of the first hedge funds to use computer programs to automate trading. He is also an active angel investor.

Follow Max on Twitter: https://twitter.com/maxmednik

Read Max's Blog: http://www.maxmednik.com/

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Scott Clausen: Creativity Without Inspiration Jul 16, 2018

On this episode I sit down with Scott Clausen who composes TV/Movie/ Video game music. Scott has worked on shows like The Simpsons, King of Queens, Better Off Ted.

If you ever have thought "I'm on a creativity dry spell" then you will want to listen to this episode of The Prior Transformation. Scott tells us the secret of producing high quality creative work day in and day out without what many people would call "inspiration".

Scott's IMDB: (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1194136/)

Music: www.bensound.com

The Oracle Problem Jun 26, 2018

Listen to find out the one big issue that is not addressed by 99% of blockchain projects.

Great talk from Paul Sztorc about "Oracle Problems" https://www.infoq.com/presentations/blockchain-oracle-problems

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We need dog A.I. Jun 01, 2018

Do we really need A.I. that understands the human voice? Probably not. Let's explore.

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Brian Smith: Supercoach May 30, 2018

Today Brian Smith gives us a sneak peek into what its like to work with a business/leadership coach. This episode is packed to the brim with amazing ideas and insights, check it out.

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Automation and criminal intent May 23, 2018

I once had an interesting conversation with an Uber driver about self-driving cars. It triggered a quite a bit of thinking. Let's explore.

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Privacy May 21, 2018

Digital privacy has become quite a hot topic. What does this mean for the future? Let's explore.

Scale by Geoffrey West

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Justin Rezvani: Entrepreneur turned Biohacker May 18, 2018

Today in the hotseat is the one and only Justin Rezvani. Justin started, ran, and sold one of the leading influencer marketing companies "theAmplify". What made him successful?

Listen and find out.

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Justin Rezvani is a first generation American entrepreneur, investor and Forbes’ 30 Under 30.

Rezvani began his professional career at the Walt Disney Company where his passion for technology that powers and enables mobile experiences matured, leading him to develop a proprietary and patent-pending algorithm, SharedRank™ and the reach!™ Influencer Marketing Platform.

Rezvani founded theAmplify in 2013, at 25 years old, to create large-scale native advertising campaigns for brands on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter Tumblr, YouTube and Periscope. With no investment or funding, Rezvani bootstrapped theAmplify and was cash flow positive within six weeks. The small, but impressive executive team that Rezvani has assembled has allowed the company to successfully expand to become a multi-million dollar company which works with clients within various different verticals including Ford, Lions Gate, Pepsi and Campbell’s to name a few. In April 2016, theAmplify was acquired by You & Mr. Jones a brand tech group.

Rezvani is a notable keynote speaker for global marketing events that include Cannes Lions festival, CES, The CMO Club, StreamCon, Playlist Live, the AAF and has been featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal, AdWeek, AdAge, Business Insider and The Los Angeles Business Journal.

Rezvani received his Bachelor of Science in business administration, marketing management and advertising from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona where he was named student of the year in both 2010 and 2011. You can find him at: @justinrezvani

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Superintelligence May 16, 2018

Think that AI is going to take over the world? Probably not. Let's explore. Music: www.bensound.com

Everything needs marketing May 14, 2018

If you think your business doesn't do any marketing you are wrong. Let me explain why in this quick segment.

Read about the "P's of marketing" that I mention here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_mix

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Robert Kiraz: Applying Lean Methodologies May 11, 2018

Robert Kiraz is CEO of StudioBinder, a leading entertainment project management solution that helps production companies and brands better plan and execute on their productions in the cloud. Recently, StudioBinder acquired ProductionBeast a popular entertainment job board for media professionals.

Previously, Robert was the CEO and cofounder of VOKLE, a video streaming Q&A platform used by high-profile entertainers, content creators and publications like Huffington Post, LA Times, ESPN, CBS and Time Warner Cable.

With a track record for founding companies at the nexus of technology and entertainment, Robert is driven to create solutions that redefine media production workflows for the 21st century. He received his degree in Cinematic Arts from University of Southern California, and currently resides in Santa Monica, California. Find him on Twitter @robertkiraz and @StudioBinder.

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What the hell are mechanical keyboards? May 09, 2018

A $150 keyboard!! Sounds crazy right? Maybe not.

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The problem with ridesharing May 07, 2018

On this episode of The Prior Transformation let's discuss ridesharing.

It seems awesome but there is a big issue.

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Jordi Matsumoto The Wizard Of Digital Production May 04, 2018

Founder Friday with Marching Penguin founder Jordi Matsumoto!

Jordi has spent a decade working with Fortune 500 companies from HP to Burger King to Ford. His work has predominantly been with marketers and has increasingly centered around digital content production and distribution.

He's deeply passionate about the digital space and believes that the right mix of technology and process can yield outstanding work for marketers. His current favorite tool for making work easy is MyProducer.io, a production management tool. You can sign up for a free account at try.myproducer.io.

On a more cinematic front, his favorite camera to shoot on is the Red. His favorite film is "Lost in Translation".

In his spare time, Jordi plays Tennis and practices Yoga. Yes, the latter makes him "so LA", but he's OK with that. When in Rome...

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Is the blockchain an anti-technology? May 02, 2018

I'm generally a big fan of the blockchain but it has one major assumption. Let's chat about it.

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Bird Scooters Apr 30, 2018

Scooters have taken over! Its an interesting business model, but will it work?

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Chelsea Kent Bootstrapper Extraordinaire Apr 27, 2018

In this episode, I interview former Scratch founder Chelsea Kent. We talk about what drives entrepreneurs, the value of time, and explore her very interesting perspective on reality.

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