B. Jeffrey Madoff — Dealmaking, The Hidden Persuaders, Working with Ralph Lauren, and Finding the Secret to Life in the Mojave Desert (#526)
Illustration via 99designs“Everything you do, if your eyes are open, informs everything else you do.”
— B. Jeffrey Madoff
B. Jeffrey Madoff (@madoffproductions) began his career in fashion, becoming one of the top 10 designers in the US before switching careers to film and video production. He has directed award-winning commercials, documentaries, and web content for clients around the world, including Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret, and Tiffany.
His book, which is based on the class he teaches at Parsons School of Design, is Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas.
He has been a featured speaker at Wharton School, Princeton University, NYU Steinhardt, Google Next, Barclays’ Rise and Verizon on the topics of creating a brand and creativity. He works with private equity firms and investment banks, such as Lazard, to create the brand story for companies that are being sold or startups looking to attract investment.
Madoff is also a playwright and theater producer. His play Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical, based on the life of the titular Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legend, will have its world premiere in March of 2022 at People’s Light theater in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
He graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin with degrees in philosophy and psychology. He was also on the wrestling team, which, combined with his academic studies, prepared him for a life in the film business.
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Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#526: B. Jeffrey Madoff — Dealmaking, the Hidden Persuaders, Working with Ralph Lauren, and Finding the Secret to Life in the Mojave Deserthttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/82927b43-9dc3-49a7-9651-0582d6784585.mp3DownloadThis episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, LinkedIn Jobs can help. LinkedIn screens candidates for the hard and soft skills you’re looking for and puts your job in front of candidates looking for job opportunities that match what you have to offer.
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Want to hear an episode with someone else who’s never been shy about initiating conversations with celebrities in the wild? Give a listen to my discussion with Academy Award-winning producer and New York Times bestselling author Brian Grazer, in which we talk about cultivating curiosity, making high-end connections from lowly places, good producers versus great producers, contacting the difficult-to-reach, what can happen when a good story’s perspective is poorly calibrated for its intended audience, and much more.
#279: The Most Curious Man in Hollywood — Brian Grazerhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/0229ba90-4725-4718-b788-e50326fcc779.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with B. Jeffrey Madoff:Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Madoff Productions | Madoff Productions’ Instagram
Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas by B. Jeffrey Madoff | AmazonPersonality: The Lloyd Price Musical | DR Theatrical ManagementParsons School of Design | The New SchoolThe 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss | AmazonThe Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard | AmazonJunky by William S. Burroughs | AmazonEasy Rider | Prime VideoApocalypse Now | Prime VideoAn Oral History of the Chelsea Hotel: Where the Walls Still Talk | Vanity FairGroundhog Day | Prime VideoThe 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss | AmazonVictoria’s Secret Live! Part Seven: Alessandra Ambrosio & Tim Ferriss | Madoff ProductionsMojave National Preserve | US National Park ServiceThe Fuller Brush Man | America Comes AliveDNA Genetic Testing & Analysis | 23andMeAlways Be Closing | Glengarry Glen RossMonkey Business Shoes | MothersbloghThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Prime VideoB. Madoff, and Proud of It | The New York TimesI’m Not That Madoff | HuffPostLawdy Miss Clawdy by Lloyd Price | AmazonHow ‘Race Records’ Turned Black Music Into Big Business | HistorySpringsteen on Broadway | NetflixStephen Colbert Brings ‘The Late Show’ Back to Ed Sullivan Theater | VarietyThe No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t by Robert I. Sutton, PhD | AmazonPeople’s LightLa Jolla PlayhouseGoodman TheatreThe Public TheaterHamiltonJersey BoysNonprofit Show, But Money’s Riding On It | The New York TimesMoneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis | AmazonThe Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis | AmazonFreakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner | AmazonThe Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis | AmazonJudgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases by Daniel Kahneman, Paul Slovic, and Amos Tversky | AmazonThe Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires by Tim Wu | AmazonThe Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick | AmazonMotherless Brooklyn: A Novel by Jonathan Lethem | AmazonMotherless Brooklyn | Prime VideoPhillip Marlowe Series by Raymond Chandler | AmazonL.A. Confidential | Prime VideoL.A. Confidential by James Ellroy | AmazonTo Kill A Mockingbird | Prime VideoTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee | AmazonRainbow Room | Rockefeller CenterWhy Shroud of Turin’s Secrets Continue to Elude Science | National GeographicSHOW NOTESHow learning to scratch one’s own itch can launch a career. [05:35]After graduating with degrees in philosophy and psychology, where did Jeff first find gainful employment, and how did this inform his future career path? [08:49]On the informed perseverance it takes to make it over the early bumps of a new path taken — and learning past the point of ignorance. [10:59]In what ways did The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard influence young Jeff? [13:21]How did Jeff go from fashion design to film and video production? [15:18]An aside: a Dennis Hopper anecdote Jeff’s never told anyone. [20:23]Why did William S. Burroughs’ lawyer introduce Jeff to people who were starting a production company, and why did they bring him on board even though he was yet unproven in the filmmaking world? [23:40]The difference between a good lawyer and a great lawyer. [26:57]Why does Jeff ask his students to define success at the beginning of every semester at Parsons? What is he hoping to hear, and how has his own definition of success changed over time? [29:02]If engagement in what he’s doing is key to Jeff’s success, what does this feel like? [31:46]How does Jeff choose who to interview for his class? [32:34]An aside: here’s that video of Ferriss Baggins making a salad for Victoria’s Secret models. [33:58]Jeff shares the story about that time he trekked deep into the Mojave Desert to visit a life coach who had insights about the meaning of life to share — for a small fee. [34:56]Learning to sell and manage: Jeff fills us in on Fuller Brush foibles and shoe store monkey business. [42:29]Just to clear things up: Ben Jeffrey Madoff is not the same person as Bernie Madoff. But the Post Office and people using the Manhatten phone book didn’t always know this circa 2007. [51:13]Who was Lloyd Price, how did he change the course of music history, and what led to Jeff writing a play — Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical — about him? [58:22]How did Lloyd respond when reading the first few scenes of Personality, and how did it make Jeff feel? [1:03:16]As Lloyd passed away in 2021, what’s the current status of this play? [1:05:43]How Jeff broke the news to Personality director Sheldon Epps that he has a “no asshole” rule, and why you should never let anybody rob the joy of the process. [1:08:47]How regional theaters with successful productions feed Broadway, and how enhancement deals work. [1:10:22]When publishers rejected the pitch for my first book, a select few did so gracefully. Others, not so much. Did I remember names when it came time to pitch my second book? You bet. Remember: cruelty is far costlier than kindness. [1:12:19]If you’re going to try to do anything in the world, you need to get used to people saying no to you. Here’s how to protect your psyche from rejection and cultivate the empathy to reject others without crushing their morale. [1:16:37]Where can people go to support, drop off a bag of cash, or just find out more about Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical? [1:20:08]What books does Jeff gift and recommend most often? [1:21:11]The movie that never fails to make Jeff tear up, and a conversation he had with Gregory Peck about it. [1:27:15]Has Jeff always had the chutzpah to initiate conversations with celebrities in the wild — like the time he and I encountered a very kind and gracious Jason Statham? [1:31:23]What would Jeff’s billboard say? [1:34:21]Parting thoughts. [1:35:22]QUOTES FROM THE EPISODE“Everything you do, if your eyes are open, informs everything else you do.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff
“Ignorant, you can learn. Stupid’s forever.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff
“If you’re bored in New York, it’s on you. There is so much going on all the time and I can go hear a jazz concert, see a play, eat at a great restaurant, and walk to all those places. I love it. That’s why flying saucers land in Wyoming. New York, you can’t find a place to park.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff
“I was hired to sell shoes, not be a zookeeper.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff
“Never let anybody rob the joy of the process, because the process is what’s magic.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff
“The sure way to make sure that nothing happens is do nothing.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff
“Pay attention to the road.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff
“Stay curious, keep learning.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff
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PEOPLE MENTIONEDRalph LaurenCary GrantFred AstaireGary CooperVance PackardMollyDennis HopperWilliam S. BurroughsTerry SouthernMarlon BrandoFrancis Ford CoppolaM.C. EscherNostradamusTaylor SwiftAlessandra AmbrosioAdriana LimaWilly WonkaDr. DolittleNapoleon SoloAlec BaldwinDavid MametBernie MadoffDavid LettermanLloyd PriceShirley TempleElvis PresleyThe BeatlesBruce SpringsteenStephen Colbert Sheldon EppsShelton BectonChester GregoryStanley MathisHarold LoganDavid GalloRob KaplowitzJillian ManusSteve HanselmanRaymond ChandlerJames EllroyMichael LewisCharles DickensBilly BeaneDaniel KahnemanAmos TverskyTimothy WuJames Gleick Edward NortonWalt DisneyLiza MinnelliGregory PeckAtticus FinchAlan PakulaHarper LeeJason StathamRosie Huntington-WhiteleyGuy Ritchie
