Recommendations

Books
‍Seven Summits by Dick Bass & Frank Wells – I walked away from this wanting to climb mountains. I haven’t and possibly never will sadly, Miami is too flat, but that’s how impactful of a story this is. 
‍11/22/63 by Stephen King – This story of what would happen if you go back in time knowing what you know was entrancing. Stephen King is a master story teller and did his homework for this. I couldn’t put it down. 
‍Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson – Steve wasn’t the nicest boss, or even the nicest guy but he helped popularize many of the products that we use on a daily basis. There are business lessons and even life lessons in this books that are priceless. 
‍The Soul of Basketball by Ian Thomsen – My dad and I are big basketball fans. This was a fascinating inside look into one NBA season while also going back in time to show what led us to this season. As a Miami Heat fan I was captivating reading about guys I watched on the court in person. 
‍The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway – This is a short read but so much meatier than a book 3 times its size. 
‍The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – I skipped this in high school but tried again right before the Baz Luhrmann movie came out. I was so happy I did, it was heart wrenching and beautiful and a book that I would’ve never appreciated as a teenager.
The Brothers Warner by Cass Warner Sperling – Today WB is known mainly as the home of DC but that wasn’t always the case. From humble beginnings to titans of industry this immigrant journey book made me proud to be the son of an immigrant. 
‍Superman by Larry Tye – I’ve always loved the man of steel, this story of his creation and the history revolving the character was engaging and entertaining. 
‍When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird & Magic Johnson – These guys are legends who turned a tattering league around. They may not get the credit that Jordan gets sometimes but I don’t think the league would’ve been what it is today if not for all three of them. Reading about their battles against each other from both points of view was fascinating. 
‍Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life by Michael Schumacher – My mom got me this book when I was 18. I devoured it. FFC is a fascinating person who continually bets on himself. The one quote that has stuck out all these years from it is “If somebody gave me $2 Billion, I’d use it as leverage to borrow $30 Billion and do something really big.” 
‍All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein – Great book, great movie. This is reporting at its best and a reminder of why the media is so important, even when those in power don’t like what they’re asking. 
‍The Secret Life of Houdini by William Kalush & Larry Sloman – I can’t remember details but the feeling while reading this book alternated between OMG and “No way he can do that” throughout most of the book. 
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‍Audiobooks
‍I like biographies from funny people read by the author, their timing is always better than when read on paper.
‍Still Foolin’ ‘Em by Billy Crystal
‍Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
‍How to American by Jimmy O. Yang
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
‍Adventures of an IT Leader by Robert D. Austin, et al
Harder Than I Thought by Robert D. Austin, et al
‍Fooling Houdini by Alex Stone
How to be Perfect by Michael Schur
Jewish Comedy by Jeremy Dauber
Super Founders by Ali Tamaseb
Build by Tony Fadell
Will by Will Smith
The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
Yearbook by Seth Rogen
The Art of Business Wars by David Brown

‍Podcasts
‍Pivot by Vox – Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway – Twice a week Kara and Scott share important news in the tech/business world while sharing their unique views on these stories. 
‍May I Elaborate – JB Smoove & Miles Grose – Daily JB & Miles share a quote from a quote a day calendar, and then JB shares his hilarious thoughts on the quote. I struggle to not laugh too loud at some of these. 
‍The Long Shot – Duncan Robinson & Davis Reid – I came to this a bit late but will catch up now that Duncan is taking a break for the playoffs. Duncan is the hot shot guard for the Miami Heat who came from “nowhere” to become a force in the NBA. As a Heat fan he is entertaining to listen to, as a fan of the sport it’s just as entertaining to listen to. 
‍Zack to the Future – Mark-Paul Gosselaar & Dashiell Driscoll – Zack Morris himself and the man behind Zack Morris is Trash meet weekly to discuss an episode of SBTB. I was shocked to learn that Mark-Paul had never watched the show and has barely any memory of the shows details. This is just a fun show. 
‍American Prodigy – Grant Wahl – So far this show that has two seasons has done a deep dive on Freddy Adu and Ken Griffey Jr., both seasons are highly produced and just great to learn about how they impacted their sports, the culture, and how all of that impacted their lives. 
‍The Land of Giants by Recode – I’m listening to the current season about Google right now as I type this. Big tech is..well Big, and this show shows all the ways some of these companies work and have grown from their beginnings and what implications they can have in the future. 
‍Business Wars – David Brown – This is what brought me into podcasts. Each season they take two competing businesses and talk about how they started and lead us to when they cross paths and compete with each other. It’s a mix of talking and acting out the scenes to the best of their research. After each season they have an expert on for an episode to discuss the companies and the future. 
‍The Book of Basketball – Bill Simmons – Have I said I like basketball? Bill Simmons has lots of opinions, some I agree with and some I definitely don’t. I love hearing his takes on the game, the players, how we should rank them and everything in between. 
The Pitch - Josh Muccio
Pitch Deck - Nick Telson
Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch
Loop It In - DoorLoop
Business Wars - David Brown
Masters of Scale - Reid Hoffman
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‍Movies
‍Hamilton (Disney+) – I’m not throwing away my shot, must I say more? 
‍Star Wars (Disney+) – I’ve loved the Star Wars films as far back as I can remember. As a child my dad and I would binge the trilogy, before binging was a phrase, once a year. My oldest memory will always be a vivid memory of this in our first house when I was around 4 years old. Now You See Me – I love magic, it’s a guilty pleasure. I may know how some illusions are done and yet I can watch professionals do them over and over and still be amazed every time. This movie did a great job of integrating magic and not making it feel forced in, it was just a piece of the movie.

‍TV Shows
‍The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) – We just binge watched this. The character growth through 7 episodes was amazing. Anyone want to teach me chess? 
‍The Mighty Ducks Gamechangers (Disney+) – Oh the nostalgia. I grew up on the original Ducks trilogy and this hits all the right beats. Sadly the pandemic ruined plans for more drop-ins by the OG Ducks but the hope is that season 2 will allow for that. 
‍Cobra Kai (Netflix) – Speaking of nostalgia. If you told me a decade ago that I’d be watching Daniel Larusso and Johnny Lawrence on the screen again, I probably would’ve laughed at you. The team behind this sequel have done a great job of giving us fan service while also growing the story and not compromising it. 
‍Home Economics (ABC, Hulu) – I love weird families and this one has something for everyone. 
‍The Goldbergs (ABC, Hulu) – My wife and I relate to this jewish family a little too much at times. Now we have our own little shmoopie and I’m not saying my wife will be a Smother but I’m also not saying she won’t be. 
‍Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC, Hulu) – This show may be ending, again, but it will always be one of my favorites. I know the problematic nature of these cops at times but the antics and Andy Samberg are what keeps me drawn in. 
‍The People’s Court – I tape this daily and watch with my wife. We love Judge Marilyn Milian. They pivoted during the pandemic and have done a great job. Our favorite new segment is when she and her husband discuss either the previous case or answer viewer questions. They are so endearing. 
Shark Tank (ABC, Hulu)
Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch (YouTube)