Brought to you by Virgin Atlantic and Gimlet Creative, a series about pioneering businesses and the people who made them possible.

Starting a business is a leap of faith. It’s unpredictable, exciting, foolish and brave — it’s an adventure.

From Virgin Atlantic, Richard Branson’s transatlantic airline, and Gimlet Creative, The Venture introduces you to the innovators, artists and risk takers behind pioneering businesses. These are businesses that changed the face of their industries, but not in the ways you might think.

You might not recognize these entrepreneurs by name, but once you hear their stories, you won’t be able to imagine the world without them.  

The Venture premieres Tuesday, April 25, 2017.

The Venture

Introducing: The Venture

Kill Rock Stars is one of indie rock’s most respected record labels, known by fans for its superior taste in music, and by musicians for its ethical approach to business. Nirvana, Sleater-Kinney and Elliott Smith all have roots at the label. But there are a lot of bumps on the road, as you take a business from a one-bedroom apartment to the big time. Follow founder Slim Moon and current label president Portia Sabin, who happen to be married, as they face personal tragedy, their personal demons, and a massive change in their industry’s business model. Through it all, it’s a story about making a space for yourself, and putting people before profits. 

The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte

Show Notes

This episode features:

Slim Moon, founder of Kill Rock Stars - http://www.killrockstars.com/
Portia Sabin, president of Kill Rock Stars - http://www.killrockstars.com/
Corin Tucker, co-founder of Sleater-Kinney - http://www.sleater-kinney.com/
Cameron Esposito, comedian - http://cameronesposito.com/
Rhea Butcher, comedian - http://www.rheabutcher.com/
Sean Nelson, arts and music editor, The Stranger/member of Harvey Danger - http://www.thestranger.com/authors/969/sean-nelson
George Howard, co-founder, Music Audience Exchange and founder of Slow River Records - http://www.musicaudienceexchange.com
Jessica Hopper, executive editor of MTV News and author of The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic - https://www.amazon.com/Collection-Criticism-Living-Female-Critic/dp/0983186332


Songs and Audio featured in this episode include:
“Conflict Free Diamonds” by Kinski
"Feels Blind" by Bikini Kill
"Die" by Bratmobile
"Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill
“Tip Toe Blues (Instrumental)” by Michael Smith
“Mean” by Slim Moon (spoken word)
“You Speak Jealousy” by Unwound
“Reject All American” by Bikini Kill
“Miss Misery (Early Version)” by Elliott Smith
“Howl at the Moon (Instrumental)” by Werwulf
"We Think She's a Nurse" by Kinski
“Arresting and Existing (Edit) (Instrumental)” by Keen Collective
“Needle in the Hay” by Elliott Smith
“Steady Waltz (Alt. 1) (Instrumental)” by WZRDS
“Automatic Music” by Stereo Total
“Real Butcher” by Rhea Butcher (comedy)
“Fremm” by bed.
“Illegal” by Stereo Total

Check out our Spotify playlist inspired by this episode, including many songs you heard in this story:
https://open.spotify.com/user/gimletcreative/playlist/4kSRyh7lJF1AdIeYyQ2FB8

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

Kill Rock Stars: We Wanted Everything to Change

As the owner, head chef, and mastermind behind her restaurant n/naka, Chef Niki Nakayama serves up coveted kaiseki dinners, a structured multi-course meal that emphasizes seasonality and extreme technical prowess. Niki truly straddles the line of tradition and innovation, sourcing local ingredients and employing centuries-old techniques. And she just may be the only woman in the world who does it. But while Niki is the master of her kitchen and craft, getting here was a struggle. In this episode, we tell the story of how she risked it all to launch her restaurant in one of the most cutthroat industries: food. And we learn that a commitment to your creative vision, even if it’s doing it the hard way, can sometimes take you to the top. 

The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte

This episode features:
Niki Nakayama, owner and head chef at n/naka restaurant
Carole Iida-Nakayama, sous chef at n/naka restaurant
Besha Rodell, restaurant critic at LA Weekly
Eric Rath, history professor at The University of Kansas 

Special thanks to:
Dan Allen, Farmscape
Sarah Rathbone, Dock to Dish LA

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

Chef Niki Nakayama: Make it Meaningful

The Real World: Disrupting the Status Quo
May 16, 2017
  
“Suddenly everyone at home was going, look at that! Regular people are movie stars.”
 George Verschoor, director and producer of The Real World Seasons 1-4

It all started when Jon Murray, a TV and documentary producer, and Mary-Ellis Bunim, a soap opera writer, approached MTV with an idea that ultimately changed television forever. The Real World popularized a new genre of television known as “reality TV.” Today, reality TV has splintered into innumerable forms, but its backbone was built with The Real World, and Bunim/Murray Productions continues to be at the forefront of the industry. They’re the team behind The Simple Life, Born Like This, and Keeping up with the Kardashians. In this episode, we talk to former cast members and industry experts, about the show that dared to be different, and the team that turned entertainment as we know it, on its head.

The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte

This episode features:

Jon Murray, creator of The Real World & co-founder of Bunim/Murray Productions  

George Verschoor, producer and director of The Real World seasons 1-4. Current executive producer and showrunner at Critical Content

Julie Gentry, original cast member of The Real World season 1.

Tony DiSanto, former MTV president and founder of DiGa Studio

Meredith Blake, entertainment reporter with the LA Times

Special thanks to all of The Real World cast and crew members we spoke to for this episode, including Andre Comeau, Eric Neis, Jon Brennan, Pam Ling and Adam Beckman.

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

The Real World: Disrupting the Status Quo

It all started with coupons -- and it’s become a multi-million dollar, multi-platform media empire. It’s The Onion: A worldwide source for witty news satire. The Onion was started by a few college kids at the University of Wisconsin in the late ‘80s. Now it’s so engrained in our culture that we point out when the real news “looks like an Onion headline.”  The Onion has both observed the world, and changed it -- and become a must-read for millions of people every day. The Onion has had a profound influence on the business of comedy, and survived and thrived in a chaotic media landscape.  This is a story about a company that is unafraid to challenge convention, and is adamant about honoring its vision above everything else.
The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte.

This episode features:
Mike Sacks, contributor, Vanity Fair, and author of Stinker Lets Loose! and Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy WritersBaratunde Thurston, former Onion director of digital, author of How to Be BlackSarah Pappalardo & Beth Newell, co-founders and editors of Reductress, and authors of How to Win at Feminism: The Definitive Guide to Having it All - And Then Some!Scott Dikkers, former Onion editor-in-chief, and author of Trump’s America: Buy This Book And Mexico Will Pay For It, and How to Write FunnyMarnie Shure, managing editor of The OnionMike McAvoy, president and CEO of The Onion
To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure

The Onion: Challenging Convention

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap: Embracing Eccentricity

Girls Who Code: Be Brave Not Perfect

Hiscox: StartUp Midrolll

This week, something a little different. A panel discussion featuring Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, along with Seattle entrepreneurs: 
Nadia Shouraboura, founder and CEO of Hointer
Jonathan Sposato, chairman and co-founder of GeekWire, chairman of PicMonkey
Chase Jarvis, founder and CEO of CreativeLive
Moderated by Mimi Jung, morning anchor for King 5 News Seattle 

To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure