Office Hours with Spencer Rascoff

Managing through crisis is difficult, but great leaders and great companies are created during challenging times. Spencer grappled with crises at two companies he cofounded, Hotwire and Zillow. Hear him and Katie Curnutte, former SVP of Communications at Zillow and now a partner at Kingston Marketing Group, discuss how to manage a company through the strain of calamity while keeping a steady eye on the big picture and the opportunities that can arise.

Too many fashion options is a pain point Terry Boyle, cofounder and CEO of Behold, aims to solve with his newly launched retail platform. Hear how Terry, who’s been in fashion tech for over ten years with most of that time spent at the venerable Nordstroms, is competitively positioning and running his trailblazing company.

Earlier this year, Spencer had an opportunity through the Navy’s Distinguished Visitors Program to visit the USS John C. Stennis, an aircraft carrier. During his time aboard the ship, Spencer met Rear Admiral Michael Wettlaufer, who’s spent 32 years serving in the Navy. Throughout his career, Admiral Wettlaufer has received multiple medals for his service, logged 3,500 flying hours, flown 49 different aircraft types and made over 800 arrested landings. To say he’s a brave and accomplished leader is an understatement. In this episode, Spencer returns to the USS Stennis for a conversation with Admiral Wettlaufer about leadership. The two cover a lot of ground, including the admiral’s impressive career in the Navy, the importance of teamwork and how to build a culture that’s committed to excellence.

It’s not easy to turn around a company. But some executives seek out that challenge. An experienced turnaround expert, Brad Stewart is the relatively new CEO of Fair, an app to lease used, affordable cars for as long as desired. Brad started out in management consulting before becoming CEO of then-struggling XO Jet. After seven successful years at XO Jet, Brad now brings to Fair a wealth of experience. Hear his insight on the steps he takes to fix companies, the unique issues facing Fair and the plan he’s putting into action to help the company thrive.

During the past decade, the Hollywood entertainment industry has worked towards more inclusivity in their ranks and storytelling. Can Los Angeles Tech employ those learnings? Angela Robinson and Alexandra Kondracke are film and television writers, producers and directors, known for their work on Professor Marston and The Wonder Women, True Blood, Hung and The L Word. They’re also founders of Time’s Up, a movement that aims to create a safe and equitable society free of sexual harassment. In this high-energy, frank conversation, hear Spencer, Angela and Alexandra share insight into both the Tech and Entertainment industry, how far the industries have come and how far they have to go. This was recorded well before Covid-19 hit and the protests related to George Floyd’s death.