Photo credit: Janet Donovan
“We set out on a mission with Startupland,” said co-producer Jonathon Perrelli, “which was to create an authentic series depicting the journey of startups within an accelerator with expert advice intertwined, serving to educate and inspire entrepreneurs and innovators globally.
No matter what part of the world you live in, from Detroit to Cape Town, Startupland will be able to touch, teach and inspire individuals to follow their entrepreneurial dreams.”
Jonathon Perrelli, Steve Case and director Justin Gutwein
The Startupland Documentary Web Series Global Premiere was held in Washington, DC at the E Street Theater with top CEOs attending including Steve Case, Co-founder of AOL and Chairman and CEO of Revolution. Hollywood on the Potomac sat down with the principals to explore their vision and how it worked for their first few entrepreneurial subjects.
One on One with Jonathon Perrelli:
“Being part of this program definitely took us to the next level,” Snobswap founder Elise Whang told us. Snobswap is a luxury designer online marketplace where fashion lovers get together to sell, buy and swap new and gently used designer clothing and accessories.
This is the first business that I have started. I used to be an attorney, so it’s a whole different ball game. Going through the program taught me how to talk to investors and also what things we need to focus on. These were really good tools for how to build a successful business.”
Elise Whang
SNOBSWAP:
Through Startupland, director Justin Gutwein set out to tell the stories of five founders as they experience triumphs and struggles during their journey and present it in a way that would teach fellow entrepreneurs how to start and succeed in launching their own business.
“I had not seen anyone capture the authentic stories of startups experiencing an accelerator and I thought that someone had to share their compelling journey,” said Gutwein. “So much learning takes place over the web and through video and it’s proven that we all learn best through storytelling. We felt it was the right timing and the right platform for audiences to watch entrepreneurs in their early-stage startups.”
One on One with director Justin Gutwein:
“I’m sorry I’m running a little late and thank you for hanging around here,” said Steve Case, co-founder of AOL & CEO of Revolution, upon arrival at the E Street Cinema. “There was a dinner at the US Capital,” he added by way of explanation. There were about 100 people from Congress working together in a bipartisan way on an entrepreneurship policy, including immigration. Bill Gates was the main speaker, but I kept looking at my watch and finally had to walk out. It was a little embarrassing, but I wanted to get here because it’s an important movie and it really celebrates what is unique about the DC tech community.”
Steve moved to DC thirty years ago and started AOL in 1983 when the city was comprised of mostly government contractors and government lobbyists. “The startup community at the time was not great. A quarter of a century later, it is vibrant and exciting,” he noted.
“My prediction is that the next wave of great entrepreneurial success stories are not going to just be the kind of thing that characterized the first wave of the internet that helped build the core infrastructure to get people on; or the second wave where people are building companies apps on that platform – Facebook and Twitter and so forth. This third wave is starting to impact every aspect of our lives – how it transforms learning and health and transportation.
It is also a particularly big opportunity for this region because we understand and realize that policy and government does matter, the partnerships are critical. I think that DNA is going to play very well in this region.” For the full piece on Steve Case go to the Hollywood on the Potomac feature in the April Issue of Washington Life.
