Interviews Podcast

Conversation with Standout Jobs’ Fred Ngo

Ronald Lewis — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 01:24:21 +0000

Published originally on ronaldlewis.com

Photo credit: Simon Law
(actual picture)

Standout Jobs‘ Co-founder and CTO, Fred Ngo, sat down with myself, Jim Turner and Paul Swansen to discuss:

Standout Jobs’ official launch at DEMO ‘08
How the service finds better candidates
The response from DEMO ‘08
And more!

To listen to this conversation, please use the embedded player just below.

About Standout Jobs

The company was founded in February 2007 by Benjamin Yoskovitz, Fred Ngo and Austin Hill. It originated out of the first-ever Montreal-based BarCamp in October 2006 where they met. The discussion quickly turned to the difficulties of finding good startup jobs. Fred and Ben had been looking for great opportunities, but couldn’t find any companies that stood out. Austin Hill, an entrepreneur and angel investor, was frustrated with how difficult it was to market startup jobs to potential candidates.

And so, Standout Jobs was born. Standout Jobs set out to help companies promote and market themselves more effectively to candidates. They first looked at video and how it could throw the doors wide open on companies, their cultures and teams. And they found companies eager to participate. The idea evolved, expanding beyond video into other tools and technologies that improve companies’ recruiting. Austin and other private angel investors provided the initial capital to get started, and the company received additional funding from iNovia Capital. Standout Jobs is based in Montreal, Canada.

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Justin.TV Co-Founder Talks Up Live, Mobile Internet Video

Ronald Lewis — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:17:50 +0000

About Justin.TV

Justin.TV is more than just a web site about following the lives of four dot com entrepreneurs — you’re following them in real-time thanks to the custom solution developed by Justin Kan and his three co-founders. Justin.TV serves as a proving ground for their new mobile video solution for bloggers, actors and others.

Justin.TV Co-Founder Justin Kan talks about his new startup, mobile video, selling Kiko, lessons learned and more in this exclusive interview.

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Down2Night.com Co-Founders Bring The ‘Night Life’ To Your Cell

Ronald Lewis — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 22:57:15 +0000

(L-R: Down2Night.com Co-Founders Daniel Rust and Mark Michael)

About Down2Night.com

Down2Night.com is a web application that allows users to subscribe to their favorite nightlife venues and receive SMS alerts on their mobile phones about events happening on the nights that interest them most, effectively, giving viable options to the all important question: “What are we doing tonight?”

Down2Night.com co-founders Mark Michael and Daniel Rust talk about the idea behind their new service, the competition and more.

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Interview w/Vocalist Wendy Moten (Part 1)

Ronald Lewis — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 05:55:53 +0000

About Wendy Moten (visit Wendy on MySpace)

Wendy Moten has recorded three solo albums and several singles. Blessed with a fluid, stylish voice, the Memphis-born chanteuse started her career with the Billboard hit ballad, Come In Out Of The Rain. Wendy’s self-titled debut EMI release also included up tempo tracks, Step By Step and Nobody But You.

Shortly after, Wendy was selected as opening act for Michael Bolton’s North American tour and Freddie Jackson’s European tour. A year later, Wendy was the toast of Japan when she performed at a sold-out showcase held at the famed Budokan, hosted by Grammy-award winning producer David Foster.

Wendy was an integral member of The Northwest Airlines All-Star Band featuring Billy Preston, Steve Cropper, Randy Bachman, Lou Gramm, Felix Cavaliere and Mark Farner. Jingles include The Burger King Corporation, General Motors, Northwest Airlines, and Roche Pharmaceuticals. Most recently, Wendy tours world-wide as a featured vocalist with Julio Iglesias.

In 1995, Wendy released her second EMI album TIME FOR CHANGE, produced by David Foster and Michael Powell. Popular cuts included Forever Yours and Your Love Is All I Know. After receiving rave U.S. reviews, Wendy’s music became one of Japan’s best selling albums. Wendy recorded the GRAMMY nominated single, Whatever You Imagine, for the animated film, The Pagemaster, starring Macauley Caulkin.

Wendy’s third solo album, LIFE’S WHAT YOU MAKE IT, reflected her diverse musical taste and provided an opportunity to express concerns of racial and social intolerance. Subways Are For Sleeping and her cover of the Rascals classic, People Got To Be Free, are excellent examples of talent with a conscience.

Alongside her solo albums, Wendy has recorded duets with Michael McDonald, No Love To Be Found; and with Peabo Bryson, My Gift Is You. She was also a featured artist on Larry Carlton’s CD, I Still Believe. Wendy’s most recognizable accomplishment, is her recording of the Stevie Wonder hit, All I Do which appears on GRAMMY-award winning saxophonist, Kirk Whalum’s CD, For You, produced by Paul Brown.

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Interview with American Airlines Pilot Kent Wien (Part 2)

Ronald Lewis — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:39:33 +0000

About Kent Wien

Kent Wien is a 14 year commercial pilot with the world’s largest airline, American Airlines. Kent is also the Grandson of the late Noel Wien, founder of Alaska’s first airline, Wien Air Alaska.

In this three part interview, Kent discusses his passion for aviation and flying, working for American Airlines, 9/11 and more.

About American Airlines

American’s Passenger division is the largest scheduled passenger airline in the world. American provides scheduled jet service to destinations throughout North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the Pacific, serving 172 cities with a fleet of 840 aircraft. In 2001, American carried more than 80 million passengers.

On an average day, American Airlines will…

* Receive more than 329,000 reservation calls.
* Handle more than 293,000 pieces of luggage.
* Fly more than 2,600 flights.

(via aa.com)

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Interview with American Airlines Pilot Kent Wien (Part 1)

Ronald Lewis — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:39:11 +0000

About Kent Wien

Kent Wien is a 14 year commercial pilot with the world’s largest airline, American Airlines. Kent is also the Grandson of the late Noel Wien, founder of Alaska’s first airline, Wien Air Alaska.

In this three part interview, Kent discusses his passion for aviation and flying, working for American Airlines, 9/11 and more.

About American Airlines

On an average day, American Airlines will…

* Receive more than 329,000 reservation calls.
* Handle more than 293,000 pieces of luggage.
* Fly more than 2,600 flights.

(via aa.com)

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Engage Co-Founders Solve Work Team Inefficiencies with New Solution (Part 1)

Ronald Lewis — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 08:28:52 +0000

Dr. Doug Harris

After more than 5 years in development, Engage Co-Founders Dr. Doug Harris and Matt Cameron have unveiled Engage ThoughtWare — The world’s first “High Performance Work Team Solution” — to solve a plethora of issues which impact the daily worker and workplace. In this exclusive three-part interview, Doug and Matt discuss in great detail their ThoughtWare solution.

BONUS: Through an exclusive agreement with Engage, listeners of this podcast are entitled to a substantial discount on the Engage ThoughtWare solution. Please use promo code P07000 to take advantage of this great discount at the time of signup.

Visit Engage’s Web Site

About Dr. Doug Harris

Dr. Douglas Harris is a Co-founder of Engage and is the Chairman and Director of Research for the company. Prior to forming Engage ThoughtWare™, Dr. Harris spent more than 15 years in private business consultancy working within the aerospace, pharmaceutical, and telecommunications industries. After completing his B.A. in Business Management, Dr. Harris returned to Brigham Young University to conduct extensive postgraduate research in the emerging field of “Knowledge Work Management.” Dr. Harris holds a Masters degree in Psychology as well as a Ph.D. in

Philosophy of Psychology from Brigham Young University. His research has led to several breakthrough technologies in ideation and collaboration.

About Matt Cameron

Matthew J Cameron is a Co-founder of Engage and is the President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to forming Engage ThoughtWare™, Mr. Cameron spent over twenty years in the business sector as a successful entrepreneur and executive. His wide range of experience includes fifteen years growing a startup company into a profitable $25 million, 230-employee multi-state business with several operating divisions, and running a $280 million, 2400-employee division of Comfort Systems USA, a Fortune 1000 company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Cameron holds degrees in Finance and Business Administration, as well as an MBA from the University of Utah.

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Interview with Actor Sean Cory (”Crash”, “Cradle 2 The Grave”)

Ronald Lewis — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:19:00 +0000

About Sean Cory

Recent appearances: “The Black Donnellys”, The Shift, Crash, Cradle 2 the Grave, Gedo

Sean Cory Cooper (IMDB) was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and raised in Queens,New York. His entry into the world of acting was a bit of a fluke. While he was in the 8th grade, Sean auditioned for a community theater production of the play “David and Lisa”, as an extra credit assignment for an advanced English class, and unexpectedly got the job. He also got the acting “bug”, and, after moving to Queens with his family, attended John Adams High School in Ozone Park (Graduated class of ‘87) where he performed in several productions. He went on to study acting and journalism at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York, but dropped out to study at HB Studios, Weist Barron-Hill and with several private teachers, all the while working in the theatee, honing his craft.

Sean moved to Los Angeles to pursue Film/TV work, where he currently lives, and is working in the areas of Film, Television, Voiceovers, and Theater.

Sean discusses his love for acting, childhood, living and working in Hollywood, working with Paul Haggis and Don Cheadle (”Crash”), succeeding in the movie industry, and more.

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Interview with Peter Sauer, OneYearForSale.com

Ronald Lewis — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 10:34:00 +0000

About Peter Sauer and OneYearForSale.com

Launched January 1, 2007, OneYearForSale.com is Peter Sauer’s “time-based” advertising portal for custom ads. Unlike pixel and traditional text ads, Peter has created a unique platform for individuals and businesses to market themselves to a global audience. Thousands of minutes have already been sold!
….

Peter talks about life as a college student at Grand Valley State, the inspiration behind his idea, why his concept is unique, future projects, and more!

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Interview with Allan Wills, Are You My Wife.com

Ronald Lewis — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 06:22:00 +0000

About Allan Wills

Allan has embarked upon a major undertaking: Finding a wife. To accomplish this goal, Allan launched AreYouMyWife.com, a website which tracks Allan’s current progress, prospective dates, and more. With more than 30 dates spanning several continents, Allan has created one of the most discussed websites on the Internet. Undeterred by geography or circumstance, Allan has redefined the pursuit of love and marriage.
….

Allan talks about the idea behind Are You My Wife?, living in London, traveling the world to meet dates, dating websites, the state of marriage, past dating experiences, and more!

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Interview with Craig Newmark, Founder, Craigslist

Ronald Lewis — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 04:26:00 +0000

About Craig Newmark and Craigslist

(Wikipedia) Having observed people (on the Net, The WELL, and Usenet) helping one another in a friendly, social and trusting community way, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark decided to create something similar for local San Francisco events. Soon word-of-mouth and popular demand led to the addition of new categories, and “the list” became large enough to demand the use of a list server (majordomo), which required a name. Friends started calling it “Craig’s List”, and the name stuck. Craigslist was once renamed listfoundation.org for a brief period in 1999.

Newmark says that Craigslist works because it gives people a voice, a sense of community trust and even intimacy. Other factors he cites are consistency of down-to-earth values, customer service and simplicity.
….

Craig talks about developing an interest in technology, working for IBM, why he never made Craigslist a public company, billionaires, minimal design vs. flashy content, global warming, his legacy, and much more!

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Interview with Linda Rutherford, Vice President of Public Relations, Southwest Airlines

Ronald Lewis — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 00:07:00 +0000

One year of interviews! This interview was originally published January 2006

Linda Rutherford serves as Vice President of Public Relations and Community Affairs for the world’s largest (the company has more than 450 aircraft and annual revenues surpassing $7 Billion) and most successful discount airline, Southwest Airlines.

Rutherford talks about Southwest’s domestic and international expansion plans, returning to Denver International Airport, competition with American Airlines at Love Field, Wright Amendment, Chicago Midway accident, point-to-point vs. hub-and-spoke model, legacy carriers, and more.

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Interview with Kem, Motown Recording Artist

Ronald Lewis — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:51:00 +0000

This interview was first published February 2006

After selling more than 10,000 copies of his independent release, “Kemistry,” in 2002, Motown Records signed R&B/Smooth Jazz crooner Kem to its label in 2003. Motown went on to re-release his debut album, which went Gold and garnered him a #1 and Top 10 Urban AC radio hit. “Album II,” Kem’s latest release, has also gone Gold, selling more than 700,000 copies to date. Collectively, Kem has sold more than 1.3 million records thanks to his “Kemistry” and “Album II” releases.

Kem talks about Superbowl 2006, Tom Joyner’s “Fantastic Voyage” cruise performance, Smooth jazz crooner and scatter Al Jarreau, artistic creativity, film projects, “Tonight” on Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Family Reunion” soundtrack, and much more!

Websites: Kemistry Records, Official Motown Site

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Interview with “The Grandfather of the Internet”, Dr. David Farber

Ronald Lewis — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 01:53:00 +0000

About David Farber

Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy
Carnegie Mellon University
….

Dr. David Farber talks about his childhood and high school years, his career at Bell Labs, most exciting moments in technology, the analog computer, IBM’s 704 computer, developing the first distributed computing platform, Alexander Graham Bell, VoIP and mobile telephony, Google’s Vinton Cerf, social media, the future of the Internet, and much more!
….

(Wikipedia) David J. Farber is a professor of Computer Science, noted for his major contributions to programming languages and computer networking. He is currently Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy at the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Farber graduated from the Stevens Institute of Technology in 1956 and began an 11-year career at Bell Laboratories, where he helped design the first electronic switching system (ESS-1) and the programming language SNOBOL. He subsequently held industry positions at the Rand Corporation and Scientific Data Systems, followed by academic positions at the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Delaware.

At Irvine his research work was focused on creating the world’s first operational Distributed Computer System. While a member of the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Delaware, he helped conceive and organize the major American research networks CSNET, NSFNet, and the National Research and Education Network (NREN).

Dr. Farber subsequently was appointed Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems at the University of Pennsylvania where he also held appointments as Professor of Business and Public Policy at the Wharton School of Business and as a Faculty Associate of the Annenberg School for Communication. He served as Chief Technologist at the US Federal Communications Commission (2000-2001) while on leave from the university.

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Interview with Allison Smith, North America’s Leading Voice Over Artist

Ronald Lewis — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:26:00 +0000

About Allison Smith

If you’ve listened to the public airwaves, used an automated phone system, participated in a phone survey, or even used a talking thermostat, you’re familiar with Allison Smith. One of the most prevalent telephone voices in the world today, Allison has voiced platforms for Vonage, Bell Canada, Cingular and Qwest - as well as being proud to be the voice of Asterisk. Clients include Marriot Hotels, Pfizer, EBay, Toyota, Victoria’s Secret, Safeway Canada, Bank of America and EBay among many others.

Allison talks about her background in theatre (and how it led to her present work), “being the voice of telephony,” her work with major companies, the importance of voice for telephony applications, her recording studio, advice for newcomers, changing trends in the voice over industry, and much more!

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Interview with Scott MacDonald, ChooseMyName.com

Ronald Lewis — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 06:47:00 +0000

From hitchhiking all 50 States, to changing his name, Scott MacDonald (ChooseMyName.com) is making a career out of interesting and creative projects. Scott’s latest project is an auction to legally change his name, with 10% of the proceeds going to Im Jai House.

Scott talks about his encounter with lightening, the story behind Hitch50.com and ChooseMyName.com, older brother Kyle MacDonald (One Red Paperclip), the use of technology to track his hitchhiking adventure, future projects, and much more!

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Interview with Kevin Johnson, "The Famous Guy"

Ronald Lewis — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:52:00 +0000

About The Famous Guy

Kevin Johnson (The Famous Guy) has his eyes set on one goal: Fame. Launched in October 2006, TheFamousGuy.com is Kevin’s portal for achieving his goal of fame by using a series of ingenious ideas to realize his dream.

Kevin talks about the concept of his website, his “regular” job, the inspiration behind TheFamousGuy.com, upcoming endorsement deals, hosting the 80th Acadamy Awards, Jay Leno, and much more!

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Interview with Simone, Furloughed United Airlines Flight Attendant

Ronald Lewis — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:06:00 +0000

Interview with furloughed United Airlines flight attendant Simone. Topics include 9/11, changing dynamics of the industry, pay structure at UA, advice for newcomers, and more.

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Interview with Hollywood’s "Scream Queen" Victoria De Mare

Ronald Lewis — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:21:00 +0000

Hollywood’s hottest “Scream Queen,” Victoria De Mare, talks about her life and career, acting, dancing, living and working in Hollywood, challenges facing women in the movie industry, upcoming films, advice for aspiring actors and actresses, goals, and more!

> Website | Location: Hollywood, California

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Interview with Gemini Waghmare, VP of Sales and Marketing, Casero

Ronald Lewis — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 23:11:00 +0000

>> Download MP3

Company overview

Casero is at the forefront of broadband value-added services with its white-label Digital Media Suite, Premium Device-Based applications and Broadband Application Platform.
The company enables broadband operators to reclaim their broadband audience by delivering value added services that allow subscribers to store, manage and share User Generated Content (UGC). Casero’s Digital Media Suite gives operators a single solution to deliver networked photos, videos, music and storage to broadband subscribers.
The Digital Media Suite’s underlying Broadband Application Platform also provides Social Networking extensions that allow any branded enterprise to build online communities centred around UGC.

Casero is working with the several of the world’s leading broadband service providers, including Bell Canada, TELUS and British Telecom to build, market and launch UGC and other device-based premium applications.

Principal location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Website

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Interview with David Friend, President and CEO, Carbonite

Ronald Lewis — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:00:00 +0000

>> Download MP3

David Friend, CEO and President of Carbonite, is an “Internet-based Backup for Everyone”. Subscribers to the service enjoy unlimited and automated backup and recovery of their PCs.

David talks about Carbonite’s online backup solution, past ventures and lessons learned, the Carbonite advantage and ease of use, competition (Google, etc.) and more. The company also reached a deal with Microsoft to provide its services to users of Microsoft Money 2007.

Principal location: Boston, Massachusetts
Website

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Interview with Stephen Meer, CTO and Co-Founder, Intrado

Ronald Lewis — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 20:00:00 +0000

>> Download MP3

Stephen Meer is CTO and Co-Founder of North America’s premier provider of 911 and e911 emergency solutions for wireline, wireless and VoIP telephone service providers.

Meer talks about Intrado’s acquisition by West Corporation, Intrado’s 911 technology, working with VoIP carriers, challenges facing the VoIP industry, Intrado’s upcoming 911 replacement (IEN) and much more!

Principal location: Longmont, Colorado
Website

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Interview with Alec Saunders, CEO, Iotum

Ronald Lewis — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 20:00:00 +0000

>> Download MP3

Alec Saunders, a former Microsoft manager, is CEO of Ottawa, Ontario-based Iotum Corporation. The company develops its renowned Relevance Engine, which effectively serves as a “traffic manager” to decide which calls are important to you.

Alec talks about Microsoft, Asterisk and Astricon, Iotum’s technology, the Voice 2.0 Conference, recent company announcements, the future of Telephony, web mashups, advice for new VoIP startups and more

Interviewer: Ronald Lewis
Producer: Ronald Lewis
Principal location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Website

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Interview with Kevin Rose, Founder, digg

Ronald Lewis — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 19:00:00 +0000

Kevin Rose, founder and chief architect of Digg.com, and former TechTV ScreenSavers host, joined Interview’s Ronald Lewis to discuss in this exclusive interview:

Digggames.com and trademark infringement
Digg.com
Inaccuracies reported in recent BusinessWeek article
Microsoft
Server scaling
TechTV
Web 2.0
Debian/Linux
PHP
Diggnation
Dot coms
Launching a startup
And much more

Principal location: San Francisco, California
Website

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Interview with Jody Gnant, Singer-Songwriter

Ronald Lewis — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 19:00:00 +0000

>> Download MP3

Jody is a Phoenix, Arizona-based singer/songwriter who prides herself on writing music “from personal experiences.” A monthly performer and staple in Phoenix, she has released a soundtrack, and is soon to begin work on her first solo album, “Pivot.”

Recently, Jody was introduced to a national audience via her trade of one year’s free rent, in exchange for a recording contract, with bartering/”trade up” man Kyle MacDonald of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

In this interview, Jody discusses:

Her newfound audience
Meeting Kyle MacDonald
Her music
Performing at Alice Cooper’s Town
Recording her upcoming project, “Pivot”
And more!

Principal location: Phoenix, Arizona
Website

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