3. thinkers & makers
thinkers & makers
Kate Proulx
Founder, Showpony Brand
1. Personal mantra?
Fortune favors the brave
Pete Rojas
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
VP of Strategy, AOL Brand Group, and Founder of
Engadget, Gizmodo, Joystiq, RCRD LBL, and gdgt
- Iâve been designing and building websites since I was 13. Itâs how I got into design!
- I had never listened to a Beatles record until I was 22, then I listened to their entire discography in order
- I won an online model search for Smashbox Cosmetics when I was younger, but when I arrived in LA with a freshly shaved head, they
refused to give me the contract I had won
1. Personal mantra?
If you make failure an impossibility, you make mediocrity an inevitabilityÂ
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on
your project / business?
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
I had been at a digital agency, working at a computer all day, for about three years when I realized that I wasnât feeling creatively fulfilled. It
made me think-- when have I felt that way? And I realized, the moments I recalled the most, were the countless times as a teenager when I
was sitting on my bedroom floor, listening to music, making something, anything, that felt like I was in creative control. When I was younger
I was constantly teaching myself new skills and trying new crafts, without the pressure of anything having to be «good.» So why not pick
up a new creative hobby? I bought leather making materials and my first hide on a whim, and without much expectation I came back to my
apartment in Brooklyn and put music on and got to work. There was so much trial and error, a lot of learning from my mistakes, and doing
research in books and online. I was only making small thingsâ card holders, coin pursesâ but I was excited, and happy to tell friends about
what I was making. I kept at it and started to figure out how to do things the correct way, and my own techniques and preferences for doing
things. Most days Iâd come home from work and go directly into working on my leather projects. I moved onto making bags, wallets, and
custom work for friends. In the spring, I went on a road trip through Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, states that are full of
western heritage, vintage leather goods, and lots of the «do it your damn self!» attitude. It was incredibly inspiring. On the trip I realized
that I couldnât wait to get home and keep working with the leather, and thatâs when I knew I wanted to keep moving the Showpony brand
forward and make it more legitimate. When Iâm working, it feels just like sitting on my bedroom floor as a teenager, being in creative control
- I was in a post-punk band that got some airplay on BBC Radio 1 back when I lived in England
- I hold dual citizenship with the US and Peru
- I was kicked out of boarding school
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on
your project / business?
I guess it probably makes sense to go back to 2001. I had just lost my job as an editor at Red Herring, a business of technology magazine,
and a friend who worked at Wired successfully convinced me to start a blog, arguing that it would be the best way for an unemployed writer to
keep their name out there
4. Where does your inspiration lie?
Seeing Antioch Arrow play in a garage in Leominster, MA with five other people in the summer of 1994 pretty much changed my life. Everything
I thought about the world had been wrong up until that point
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
«if you make failure
an impossibility,
you make mediocrity
an inevitability»
4. Where does your inspiration lie?
Tough women. Pieces of Americaâs history. Anyone who wakes up and does what they love for a living. Travel, joy and wonder.
Riding motorcycles. Learning or teaching myself something new. Making something. Connecting with other people. Â Feeling understoodÂ
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
Pete Rojas
I would love to continue the momentum that Showpony has going right now; doing holiday fairs, launching the web store and learning more
about business. I want to take more risks, and the ultimate would be to move towards becoming my own boss and leaving agency life behind!
Diane Von Furstenberg is always saying, «Become the woman you want to be!» I want to keep doing that this year
Iâd like to create and cultivate some different kinds of thinking at AOL about what it means to be a media companyÂ
showponybrand.com
www.aol.com
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8. thinkers & makers
thinkers & makers
Claire Mazur,
Erica Cerulo
Co-founders, Of a Kind
1. Personal mantra?
Claire: Iâm not sure I have a mantra per se, but I am constantly reminding myself to be present. Itâs not always easy but it is always effective
Erica: Borrowing from my dad: «Be yourself»
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
Claire:
- I grew up doing community theatre with Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Rec and
Johnny Gallagher of Newsroom
1. Personal mantra?
John Foley
CEO and Founder, Peloton
Surround yourself with people better than you
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
- I spearfished hog snapper with a Hawaiian-sling while skindiving twice a week for 10 years in Key Largo, Florida
- I watched the Branch Davidian fire in Waco, TX from the roof of a manufacturing plant where I worked for 5 years
- Iâm the opposite of a germaphobe. I touch just about anything and I seldom wash my hands Â
Erica:
- I have 2 tattoos
- I run 3 miles every day before work. Which will always be shocking to me
because I was the least athletic kid I knew growing up
- Iâve talked to Justin Bieber on the phone
- I got an internship at DKNY when I was 16 after running into Donna Karan at one
of her stores and telling her how I basically wanted to be her when I grew up
- Suri Cruise is my ultimate style icon
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on your project / business?
Claire: I was applying for a job at 20x200, a company that I find totally inspiring for the way they give access to both artists and audiences through a
really thoughtful business model. I realized there was an opportunity to do the same thing for young fashion designers
Erica: I think coming to the realization that these sorts of industry silos, like publishing, retail, and marketing, donât matter to consumers. They are happy
to buy things from you AND read your contentâthey just want to interact with things that feel authentic and that speak to them in a real way
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on your project / business?
When I realized that the Amazon Kindle Fire was priced below cost because of the digital content business model. Although instructor-lead class
«content» was booming in the fitness category, no hardware businesses had transitioned to subscription digital content business models
4. Where does your inspiration lie?
I find life inspiring. Â Every day I wake up to a great family, in a great city, surrounded by great friends and great colleagues (it helps that Iâm able to stack
the deck on the latter). Iâm probably the happiest person I know.  With this positive outlook, I find inspiration in everyday things and everyday people Â
4. Where does your inspiration lie?
Claire: Other people. I have so many professional heroes when it comes to building the company, and all of my best style ideas come from my friends
or strangers on the streets. Itâs one of the reasons I love living in NYCâI encounter exciting individuals daily
Erica: Interacting with people who are a whole lot more creative than I am
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
We want to create a global lifestyle brand around health and wellness. We have created one of the coolest consumer products at the nexus of fitness,
technology and digital content. In the next twelve months we need to bring this product to market in a way that properly represents itâs ability to
impact peopleâs livesÂ
www.pelotoncycle.com
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Claire: I want to create and cultivate a brand that is constantly evolving so that our audience is always discovering people and products that feel fresh,
new and personal
Erica: I want to create and cultivate a lasting business that means something to peopleâto build something significant that people want to be a part of
www.ofakind.com
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