Story In A Bottle Podcast

Often times in our increasingly divided and contentious society, for better or worse, comedy is the only and best way to actually be heard. It’s something that Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo, co-founders of Reductress.com, know first hand. Dubbed the “the one and only fake women's news magazine” - through its satirical content -  Reductress aims to raise awareness of feminist issues. Over Bell’s Oberon Ale, Beth & Sarah talk about how it came to be and how their roles have evolved during its lifespan and the method to their madness of creating relevant content on a daily basis.

What You’ll Learn:

- Why, more than ever, fake news may be EXACTLY what we need to understand important issues

- Why being the “Oprah of satire” is the ultimate goal

Direct download: SIAB_Reductress_v3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:43pm EDT

Sutian Dong, Partner at Female Founder’s Fund has spent much of her career in the Venture space - getting her start in Business School at NYU Stern and early experience at First Mark Capital thereafter. However, it’s a path that was not always so clearly defined for her. Over mezcal at Fool’s Gold, she explains her unique process of elimination in pursuing this direction, how it ended up getting her into venture during some of the key, formative years of startups and tech in NYC, and how it’s culminated to her unique position at Female Founders Fund today.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The experience of starting in VC when it was the “step cousin” to private equity and other, more “trendy” finance roles
  • What key things VCs want to hear from founders
  • Why diversity matters in company cultures and how it correlates with success
Direct download: SIAB_SDong_v3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:25pm EDT

Jacob Lewis spent much of his early career in publishing - at the helm of the New Yorker and Conde Nast - during one of the most transitional times in the industry’s history. It was a vantage point that revealed a bird’s eye view of evolving processes and the eccentricities of staff - and ultimately the folly in flailing and dying publishing behemoths. It’s an experience that inspired him to do an about-face and embark on a company on his own - to pursue a path in tech. Over whisky (AND beer) at Fool’s Gold, he explains the challenges of establishing that first company, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and how he’s applying them to his latest endeavor - restaurant rating platform, Renzell.

What You'll Learn:

- A story of amazing career growth - from working in the mail room to executive levels.

- Behind-the-scenes insights about the challenges of evolving with tech in the publishing world.

- The importance of nuance of the service industry in reviews.

Direct download: SIAB_JLewis_v3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:27pm EDT

With the major growth of the tech industry it’s never been easier to become a specialist; from hardware to software, design and development, bootcamps and formal degrees there are no shortage of avenues to take to lead you into your career. This is much different than the opportunities Brad Lauster had when his passion for technology began - as he worked his way from the ground up copying printed programs from Atari magazine. Over Sazeracs at Fool’s Gold in NYC, he shares his wealth of experience in both hardware and software, design and development roles spanning across companies like Intel, Stanford University, Equinox - as well as starting his own product, Bindo - all while making the web a better, more usable tool. This experience is especially important today, as he leads product design at Weight Watchers and helps to bring this aging company into a more engaging future.

What You'll Learn:

- What key characteristic all User Experience designers should have.

- The pros and cons of working for large companies.

- The first step to approaching a career in tech.

Direct download: SIAB_BLauster_v3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:03pm EDT

1