Prologue Profiles

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Paco / linguistics grad student / Culture 36, NYC. "Don't stay in bed and pull open the curtains."

“I’ve always strived to look up to people that are better and smarter than me.” – Ilya Pozin Ilya (@IlyaNeverSleeps) arrived to the US from Russia at 8 years old not knowing how to speak English. The discovery of the world of computers set Ilya on a high velocity path of entrepreneurship where he’s now building his third tech business. The first being the web design agency, Ciplex, which he started in high school and has been featured in the Inc 500 list, the social greeting card company, Open Me, which currently has millions of users, and his latest project, Pluto TV, is the closest thing we have here on Earth of a TV version of internet video and recently raised $13 million in funding. You’ll hear Ilya discuss his journey of non-stop business growth, the importance of surrounding yourself with the highest quality people possible and that there’s never been a better day to start a project than today.

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Jonathan / dancer (@jojodanzer) / 39th St and 8th Ave Starbucks, NYC. "The ones who succeed are the ones who stick with it regardless."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews DanDan / Senior Experience Designer at R/GA (dandan-i-design.com) / 39th St and 8th Ave Starbucks, NYC. "And then I realized, 'Maybe I can do more than just make graphics and websites...'."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Kevin, fashion designer, at the 39th St and 8th Ave Starbucks, NYC. "Don't hesitate. If you know what you want, go for it."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Renato, photographer (RenatoDagostin.com), at 144 Spencer St, Brooklyn. "Are you doing this full-time?"Yea of course. If I had more time I would use that, too."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Ricardo, architecture grad (@solaric), on the Downtown R train, Brooklyn. "It's really hard to get to build something, you have to go through so much stuff, it's a difficult goal that drives me to get there to say, 'Huh, maybe one day I'll finally draw something up and then it gets built.'" 

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Michelle, aspiring FBI agent, on the Journal Sq PATH Train, NYC. "It's never too late."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Ashley, biology student (@ashley__ashleyy), on the Journal Sq PATH Train, NYC. "What advice would you give to the people out there who want to make their dreams happen?""Just do it and hide from your parents."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Teddy / Creative Director at Saavn / Grove St PATH Station, Jersey City. "Stop planning and just do stuff."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Yen, classical musician, on the Newark PATH Train, NYC. "What's your biggest challenge right now?""I'm trying to understand what I can do better than other people."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Simon, music producer, on the 33rd St PATH Train, Jersey City. "I just want to meet somebody that was never known, that was not a star, and just work with them from scratch and build a major empire from just music."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Lizzy, musician (Big Hair Girls), on the Newark PATH Train, Jersey City. "Think creatively. If one door closes kick a window open. There's always some other way to get to what you want."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Monty, flight attendant, on the WTC PATH Train, Jersey City. "I thought I'd have myself together by 25... Nope!"

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Harry, concert production founder, (GlencorseMusic.co), on the uptown F train, NYC. "Be courteous, be friendly, and make the most of your opportunities when they come along."

"Just start projecting what you want because it is so amazing what comes back your way." - Chelsea Matthews During college Chelsea (@chelseamatthews) knew she wanted to do her own thing, but wasn't sure what that would be. Chelsea is now the founder of her own digital marketing agency, Matte Black, which helps businesses connect with twenty-somethings through social media by running their Instagram accounts and pairing them with online influencers. Matte Black has 21 current clients and this year is expanding to the UK. You'll hear Chelsea discuss her path to creating an agency with 8 full-time employees, the magic of letting people know what you want, and that the best time to face your fear, is right now.

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Jeremy, comic book artist (JeremyWinsLife.com), on the Uptown F Train, NYC. "Make it and tell everybody."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Asia, criminal justice student, Journal Sq PATH Train, Jersey City. "Find something you love and work for it."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Sean, photo blogger (3DNewYorker.com), at 23rd St & 5th Ave, NYC. "The longer you keep doing your passion, the closer you get to it."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Alana, sustainability management student, at Madison Sq Park, NYC. "Stay forward focused."