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Some individuals would only dream of working with celebrities someday. It sounds amazing to make money hanging out with celebrities on almost a weekly basis. The truth about being an individual with such responsibilities is that it takes a long time to make those connections. It’s also a lot of work having to maintain and deliver for each person.
Ashwin Jacob is someone people know in the entertainment industry as a super-connector. Often times it is hard to pin down exactly what he does since he’s often considered by many to be one of the most connected people in Los Angeles. He has connections in just about any industry you can think of. Entertainment, technology, fashion, consulting/ coaching and several other industries.
Making Connections Has More Value Than Money
People need to understand that one of the fastest ways to grow is to listen to the stories of other individuals and learn from them. That’s something that most people tend to overlook. Everyone has the desire to someday be an entrepreneur but yet very few individuals know where to start. As for Ashwin, most of his curiosities lead him to having several public figures that he can claim to know personally.
“Growing up in the Massachusetts entertainment industry was something that was always something that felt distant, everyone around me told me that it was an unlikely industry to get into, let alone succeed at. Regardless of what everyone around me said I kept finding my way back to entertainment and entrepreneurship. After ending up in LA and landing a couple notable clients as a founding member of the Vario Studios team, I knew this was the life for me.”
Ashwin’s journey was kick started when he was writing for a Yahoo Small Business and when he was writing for Dan Schawbel, New York Times best-selling author with a business called PersonalBrandingBlog.com. With the amount of time people spend on their phones, commuting, and consuming online video, podcasting was a natural place in his mind for him to educate and share what he has learned from his circle to as many people as possible.
“Once I got the logistics set up I would ask my friends, business associates, and people that I thought had a great story to tell to join me and share the real facts, how-to’s, and failures people can expect on their journey. This won’t be one of the many podcasts that sucks. We are going to share actionable tips, real failure, and the mindset needed to survive in the hyper competitive landscape we all operate in”
The Place of Stardom Opportunities
Hollywood and Los Angeles are places where a lot of dreamers and creatives across a slew of industries come. It’s more than just entertainment. It’s a large tech scene. It seems that social media, ad tech, and revolutionary apps are constantly coming out of the silicon beach area. Large opportunities for real estate as well. Not to mention an ever-evolving fashion scene that is growing exponentially year over year could eventually compare or even compete with New York City.
Before Hollywood became the center of entertainment, there was a lot of open land. A lot of unusual alliances were formed as well as amazing businesses were created that still have major name recognition and impact today. The culture today according to Ashwin has remnants of that ideology with some new school integrations of technology and unprecedented access with the ability to connect with people on a global scale.
Podcasts Bring Real Life Value
Like with most podcasts you’ll learn a bit about the guests right off the back. The trick is to help the audience understand why it’s worth their investment of time. After all, time is the most valuable thing anyone can give you.
From there, podcasts then dive into real life situations. Many claim Ashwin’s podcast helps individuals understand that failure is common but provides insight into how to be prepared for the worst. Giving you the advantage the next time things don’t seem to go your way because you were prepared ahead of time.
“I really want every listener to learn something, have their thoughts, or general scope of knowledge expanded by joining the conversation. My goal with the social aspect of podcasting is listeners not only connecting with myself and the guest but also each other. That’s why we’ve build a community aspect connected to our Facebook page. I really want people to find their tribe and grow with each other.
As mentioned, the goal is to provide value to those who need it most. Life comes with hardships and thanks to media such as podcasts, people are able to listen to the stories of others and leverage it for learning.