Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Donner.
Hi Samuel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was studying Mechanical Engineering at UCLA and absolutely hating it. I was passing my classes and doing decent, but this just wasn’t for me. I wanted to study abroad in Australia, but it was expensive so I had to apply for a scholarship. I saw there was a media scholarship which would basically make the trip free so I decided to apply. I was going to make videos. I hadn’t made videos since middle school (where I had my own YouTube channel) but I’m like how hard could it be. I started making videos for the scholarship, got it, then made more in Australia. Bought a duck, raised it into adulthood, made a video about it, put it in some film festivals. Kept making videos, started getting paid for it. Started interviewing local businesses. Got honored by the city of Los Angeles for improving the community. Was approached by Netflix to make content internally. Deal fell through. Lost as graduation approached. Decided to try a new medium: podcasting. Started interviewing my friends who were entrepreneurs. Then interviewed the founder of American Apparel. Got momentum. Started interviewing more people for a podcast I called Finding Founders. Interviewed a guy named Kong Pham. He asked if I could spearhead the podcast department at his company, Jumpcut. Did that. Had a job… for six months.
Then the company let go of half the staff. It was failing. One of the interviews I did for that asked me to make his podcast: paid twice as much as the last job. Started working for him: the Tipsy Bartender. Was awesome, didn’t take a lot of time. Started growing Finding Founders on the side. Doubled the team. The team was at 20 people. We were doing interviews while I was working. Pandemic hit. F*ck. Tipsy Bartender job fell through. I’m like, whatever I’ll just focus on finding founders. Kept doing interviews. Interviewed a guy that wanted me to create a podcast for TV. Started creating podcasts that did in depth topics. Finding Founders was growing. Now I am producing an episode a week for Finding Founders, we have 50 people on the team. I produce podcast IP for TV and film. We’ve interviewed some of the biggest founders in the world. I traveled to Puerto Rico to do interviews, about to travel to Mexico to do a series as well. We did a series on Psychedelics and interviewed Douglas George, an integral member of the counter culture movement. I also was asked to be a host on Wondery’s newest show Secret Sauce. We’ve done four seasons and it’s been a great start. Wondery was recently sold to Amazon for $500M. I have big plans! I’m definitely missing some stuff, but I’m excited 🙂
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No, it has not. There were so many times I thought about quitting. I thought I was going to get an engineering job as I was prepping to graduate. I probably would have it something didn’t come my way. I remember doing an interview and the woman asking, “Do you even want this job.” And I thought about it and answered, “I’m not sure” It was a quality assurance job for some manufacturing plant. Super boring engineering work. I also was let go from my job six months after starting. It was a dream job. Thought I was through but then get hired for an even better job. Then the pandemic his and I thought I was through, but then I found something even better. Every obstacle has been the best thing that could have happened — or maybe I just made it that way because it’s easier to turn defeat into victory than live with defeat.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Finding Founders is a production studio and podcast.
The podcast is about vulnerability and entrepreneurship — learn from the life stories of founders 🚀, activists ✊, and even drug lords 💊
Our aim is to inspire you and let’s face it… you aren’t inspired when you hear about success. Real inspiration comes from hearing someone’s lowest moment and rising with their success. Using music, sfx, and voiceover, we interview the founders of companies, movements, and even drug cartels to reveal vulnerability so you can learn from victory. I’m your host, Samuel Donner, and together with my team, we aim to inspire and educate a global community of leaders.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Books — How to Win Friends and Influence People The man who lied to his laptop
4-hour workweek
Atomic habits
Creativity Inc
Seneca
Books are so important — have been pivotal to my development.
Pricing:
- Podcast Consulting $325 / hour
- Series Development $50k-$150k
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: findingfounders.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/findingfounderspodcast/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/findingfounderspodcast
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/findingafounder?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6ghtIyZc_ghGPBOzaRHbRw
- Other: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders
Image Credits:
Samuel Donner
