Gerry Sakkas is the CEO of PlaySide Studios, the largest app and games company in Australia. This Big Friendly Giant, with his fear of sharks and flying, is running one of the most fascinating bootstrapped companies in Australia. In the past, I’ve spoken about how transformative not just gaming but also AR will be to the way we consume media and entertainment in the next two to three years. We see examples in everyday life from Fortnite to Pokemon Go, with a pair of Apple Glasses expected very s...
Mar 26, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nic Hodges is the Founder of Blonde3 and former Head of Innovation for media brands such as Foxtel, NewsCorp and MediaCom. Noted for his tagline “nostalgic for the future”, Nic has also been dubbed a polymath by a few former guests - but particularly his understanding of the mechanics in media is what makes him unique. Nic sits at a unique intersection of media & technology - a skillset to better help us understand the happenings in the background of social media. This was a fairly meaty episode...
Mar 19, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tristan Rose (@tristanrose.com.au) is the Founder of a Veteran-focused Yoga and Meditation service Blind Tiger Yoga, and a former soldier in The Royal Australian Regiment. For a long time, I’ve wanted to interview a former Veteran to get a better grasp of how this community perceives itself amongst the general civilian population. War and violence are at times, necessary, and so I wanted to understand how they view that necessity. For quite some time I would continually pitch former and current ...
Mar 12, 2019•2 hr 42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Greg Sanderson (@GregSanderson) is a Cocktail Bartender, Co-Founder & National Operations Manager of the Speakeasy Group, and easily one of Australia’s most prominent bar operators. The Speakeasy Group owns a range of stunning venues in Melbourne and Sydney including Eau de Vie, Mjøllner, Nick & Nora’s, and Boilermaker House. Greg has indirectly had a major impact on so many people in the hospitality industry, from waiters to bartenders to chefs - we all respect the level he holds himself accoun...
Mar 05, 2019•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Claire Tonti (@clairetonti) is the CEO of Planet Broadcasting, Host of Just Make The Thing podcast, and sometimes known as Mrs Sunday Movies. The Planet Broadcasting business was one of the first true bootstrapped podcast networks in Australia. Early on, Claire was able to scale out the work she was doing for her co-founders James and Nick (through Mr Sunday Movies & The Weekly Planet), by bringing on a stable of notable local podcasters such as Wil Anderson and Charlie Clausen. The inspiration ...
Feb 26, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Kyle Berean is the Chief Technology Officer of Atmo Biosciences, Research Fellow at RMIT University, and fellow IBS Sufferer. Many of you - listeners and readers - may already know about my running IBS issues. A gut disorder that I’d like to put to bed for good. The constant anxiety, nausea and pain I’ve suffered from since my early twenties is still unresolved, simply down to the fact that doctors and researchers don’t truly understand what’s going on inside the mysterious gastrointestinal t...
Feb 20, 2019•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gail Pascoe is a Writer, Presenter and Facilitator in the field of donor conception & IVF. Her knowledge and experience as an individual who conceived a daughter with donor sperm that has conceived over 100 siblings, is truly fascinating. The field of donor conception has greatly expanded in the last decade, while a greater percentage of the population is seeking this option as a means of starting a family. A recent Four Corner documentary piqued my interest in the space and it was the fortuitou...
Feb 13, 2019•2 hr 31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Elliot Loney is an Actor, Comedian, Creator of The Prestigious 9A’s and the funny man of the World Tour Tennis scene. Elliot is undoubtedly one of the most talented comedy actors in the group of Australian internet comedians. Whether it’s his incredibly accurate impersonation of stars like Rafael Nadal, discovering the Metro wasteland as Bear Grylls, or creating a unique world with his Prestigious 9A’s cartoon - Elliot will have you cackling with laughter. This is a great discussion where we cov...
Feb 06, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sebastian Peart and Mark Nicholson are co-creators of the satirical cartoon brand Stepmates. Along with composer and sound/engineer Peter Corrigan, these champions of low-brow “bottom of the barrel” humour are creating hilariously animated satire. What I love about the Stepmates boys is that like comedians such as Friendlyjordies, they’re able to cut through the bullshit, reducing an, oftentimes, critically overthought topic to a key statement or point. In a world where being politically moderat...
Jan 29, 2019•2 hr 42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tune into a show we are producing for GO Markets. Out now - search Margin Call on your podcast app.
Jan 25, 2019•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Luke Kidgell is a Stand-up Comic, YouTuber, Co-Host of Luke & Lewis on Fox101.9, Host of the Memoirs of a White Guy Podcast and probably one of the smartest Meme Connoisseur’s in Australia. This Tambourine Master is probably the most talented comedian I know when it comes to propagating an idea across culture. From the viral “You don’t own me” meme to his newest attack on Space Pineapple Zooper Dooper’s, Luke has a unique talent in knowing how to successfully push an idea across the zeitgeist. W...
Jan 22, 2019•2 hr 31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lewis Spears is a Stand-up Comic, YouTuber, Co-Host of Luke & Lewis on Fox101.9, Host of Spearhead Sundays and an all-around internet shit stirrer. If I was to pick just one comic from the bunch of up & coming internet comedians, Lewis would most typify that mischievous trickster, court jester style archetype. First known for his Facebeef escapades, Lewis has regularly proven the media is all too willing to publish first, and embarrassingly, fact check later. This contempt for authority that Lew...
Jan 15, 2019•2 hr 43 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's been two years since our debut episode - so at Episode 100 we again decided to do a year in review. This is our second attempt, which is somewhat more casual, and allows us to reflect or pause on recent topics, key changes in the business and what the next year holds. For me, it’s incredibly important as a long-form content creator that we take time to reflect each year, giving us a mini-break from the weekly publishing cycle. While also communicating about what’s happening behind the scene...
Jan 08, 2019•2 hr 38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Garry Weaven is the former Chairman & Founder of IFM Investors, former Chairman of Industry Super, and has served as Board Member or Executive for multiple organisations including ME Bank, the New Daily, Pacific Hydro & the ACTU. He’s also known as Australia’s “Godfather of Industry Super”, which is difficult to tell whether it’s a compliment or not. Bernard Wheelahan was kind enough to introduce me to Garry when I asked who he’d recommend as a guest. He immediately called me to talk about Garry...
Jan 02, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Hon Weng Chong is the CEO of CCLabs.ai, Co-Founder of CliniCloud, and Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. When I originally set out to create Neuralle, I had these grand ideas of creating this new movement of self-improvement backed by Neuroscience and Behavioural Psychology. Hence, the name Neuralle is really just “neural” in Danish (and Italian!). So when my friend Zhoe introduced me to Hon, I immediately booked him in, so I could get the opportunity to give you a ...
Dec 27, 2018•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Andrew Lauterstein is a retired Australian swimmer, three-time Olympic medallist, owner of the New Wave Swim School and Director of Engine Swim. Andrew is the perfect match of both talent and hard work. Clearly aware that he holds a nous for sport & high-performance, he rarely lets that get in the way of a focused growth mindset. When I spoke with his sister, it was interesting that she highlighted his willingness to give even mere mortals like myself the time in his busy schedule - when really ...
Dec 18, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dan Monheit is the Co-Founder and Director of Strategy at creative agency Hardhat, Co-Host of the Bad Decisions Podcast, MC of lecture series Real Big Things and a self-confessed sneakerhead. As I’ve said in our previous episode, Dan truly embodies the archetype that is “Chutzpah”- combine that with his need for incessant learning on cognition and you have one impressive media brain. From small beginnings lecturing at Monash University, to jumping straight into his own agency, Dan is full of tha...
Dec 11, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mat Pember is the Founder of The Little Veggie Patch Co, Author of numerous books including ‘Grow. Food. Anywhere’, self declared Nonna’s boy and long time dreamer of a retirement plot in Tasmania. The Little Veggie Patch Co is a stalwart in the world of edible gardening here in Australia, along with the likes of Stephanie Alexander of Kitchen Garden. If you’ve had any real passion for growing your own food in the last decade, you’ve no doubt heard of Mat and the Little Veggie Patch Co. My own m...
Dec 04, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Josh Szeps is a TV and Radio Broadcaster, Political Satirist, Podcast Host of #WeThePeople LIVE, and Host of the ABC Radio National show, The People Vs. He also strangely finds dolphins smug, and according to Twitter Trolls, he is both an alt-right propagandist and Social Justice Warrior at the very same time. From being the voice behind the 2000 Sydney Olympics’ mascot Olly the Kookaburra, becoming a founding host for HuffPost LIVE, and to listening to him on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast; w...
Nov 28, 2018•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Isaac “The Buttsmarn” Butterfield is a Comedian and YouTuber known for dissecting the culture through his satirical critiques of politics and ideology, with a twang of Aussie humour injected for comic relief. Isaac’s tango with The Project - whether it be offending Kiwi’s or defying the assumption that “All Men Are EVIL”, added rocket fuel to his already growing brand of no holds barred style of comedy. His YouTube videos are a brilliant source of fair and reasonable analysis, that not many in t...
Nov 20, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rupert Hackett is the CEO of Bitcoin.com.au, Director at the Australia Digital Commerce Association, while also an Advisor to Apollo Capital and Caleb & Brown. Rupert is probably one of the most active industry leaders for digital assets in Australia. Like the meteoric rise of digital currencies itself, Rupert has leapt forward in his leadership across the industry in multiple positions and opinions, on topics focused around industry governance, services and technical developments. The reality i...
Nov 13, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mark Watt AM is the Co-Founder & Director of Development at Whitelion. With a wealth of experience across not-for-profit organisations for well over 20 years, he’s also a sitting Board Member of The First Step Program, Surrender Australia, and St Kilda Gatehouse. Mark’s work has been recognised with numerous awards, including a Membership in the Order of Australia (AM). Whitelion is a not-for-profit that provides transition services to young people exiting the justice system. Working with these ...
Nov 07, 2018•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Jack “chendo” Chen is a product engineer and co-founder of Assembly Four. Assembly Four makes products and services to empower sex workers throughout the world, committing a portion of profits to help those sex workers in need. Assembly Four rocketed to the forefront of the industry with the launch of Switter as legislation known as FOSTA/SESTA effectively banned sex workers safely engaging clients online. Switter was the beginning of Assembly Four’s modern tech disruption to an industry that gl...
Oct 30, 2018•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Olivia Orchowski is the head coach of Lean Lab, private coach, member of the Instagram Coaching Mafia and known widely as “The Booty Builder”. Interestingly, Olivia and I are also old schoolmates from our early years, providing some great nostalgia on my part. Olivia’s nous across major fitness and nutrition principles is quite apparent as you get to know her, not too dissimilar to the first principles approach being led by the “Instagram Coach Mafia”. In the same vein of former guest Eugene Teo...
Oct 23, 2018•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Neel Kolhatkar is a comedian, content creator, presenter and actor with a powerful audience built from his humble beginnings on his YouTube channel, that now has over 57M views. Well-known for satirical clips such as “Australia in 2 Minutes”, and “Modern Educayshun”, Neel has now expanded into network TV series Virgin Bush (ABC), StreetSmart (Channel 10), as well as creating new characters like “Charles D” which he features regularly, now on a dedicated Instagram account. Neel is an incredibly i...
Oct 16, 2018•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Philip Dalidakis MP is the Victorian State Minister for Trade & Investment, Innovation & the Digital Economy, and Small Business. In addition, he is also MP for the Southern Metro area and a Cabinet member of the Victorian Andrews Government. I’ve said numerous times in the past that it’s important to continually engage political leaders, so we can understand their ambition and goals in representing us. Phil has always been generous with his time and articulate in his ideas. You don’t need to ag...
Oct 09, 2018•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM is a doctor, author, entertainer, shirt aficionado and for a lot of people in Gen X to Z, the man who introduced them to the wonderful world of science. In his own words, Karl is an answer looking for a question and you can feel that immense desire to solve your science problems through his passion. In addition to all of the above, Karl has also been awarded the Member of the Order of Australia Award in the 2006 Australia Day Honours list. It was surreal interviewing Karl...
Oct 02, 2018•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Marco Ryan or Marc-O-Matic as he’s commonly known, is a multi-disciplinary artist, animator, director, storyteller and technologist. His unique work utilises both augmented and virtual reality to tell beautiful stories, that literally jump out from the page. Storytelling is one of the oldest skills known to mankind, and probably one of the most important to our survival as a species. The fact that we can make things up, like the idea of a company or that dragons might exist, allows us to convey ...
Sep 25, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Peter Dickson is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and founder of Dickson Films. With over 16 years experience, Peter is constantly sought-after to create long-lasting sports documentaries for organisations like the AFL, Cricket Australia and national broadcasters. Peter has proven over a long period of time to be (in my opinion), one of Australia’s greatest storytellers. His compelling and emotionally gripping documentaries leave an immense impact, which in the words of Peter himself, “sta...
Sep 18, 2018•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Adam Ni is a researcher of geopolitics focusing on China. He is also a Visiting Fellow at the Strategic & Defence Studies Centre, and Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at The Australian National University. His main areas of interest include China’s international relations, strategy and security issues. Adam has extensive experience working on China-related issues, including in academia, government and the private sector. He is a frequent commentator on geopolitical and China-related iss...
Sep 11, 2018•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
