Cavale has honed his own skills as a leader by watching Bob Iger and Spike Lee's MasterClassesPENN STATE
This week, THE DAILY caught up with INFLCR Founder & CEO JIM CAVALE to break down what's on his watch list. Some responses have been edited for clarity and brevity:
- Downloading the MASTERCLASS app has been one of the bright spots that I’ve really enjoyed when it comes to continuing education over COVID-19 and the quarantine. I want to invest my time and not just spend it, so I really do enjoy TV that I feel can make me better. Disney Exec Chair BOB IGER’s stories of dealing with bureaucracies and corporate environments to still be innovating and pushing the envelope is something that anyone in the modern day business world can take and apply. Having the emotional intelligence to be aware, listen and build an environment of transparency and a culture of feedback is something that Iger has been able to do everywhere he’s been a leader.
- SPIKE LEE’s MasterClass was absolutely incredible because he uses his story of growing up in Brooklyn to talk about the formulas he’s applied to make movies. The ability to build a vast network and use that network to his advantage -- in how he staffed his films, casted his films and how he even one time had to raise money to complete a film, “MALCOLM X” -- those are all things that Spike talks about in film making that you can apply to the business world in a successful manner. He’s also really good at writing in a way that’s going to provide all perspectives that people can relate to.
- Disney+’s “THE IMAGINEERING STORY” shows the value of ideation, innovation and, ultimately, the continuous pushing forward of a company and brand versus staying stagnant. From its founding, Disney over-invested in the Imagineering Department. These imagineers are the ones who came up with all the ideas and were given the money and backing to be able to execute. The whole story of that -- from the middle of the twentieth century through the present -- is told by the imagineers themselves along with showing how they pulled some of the things off that you’ve experienced because you’re a consumer who has been to Disney World, used Disney products, watched Disney content, etc.
- “THE DEFIANT ONES” is probably my favorite documentary. It’s a four-part series about two different men who converged in their music careers and became partners, starting Beats headphones together, which eventually sold to Apple for several billion dollars. JIMMY IOVINE, who was born in Brooklyn and came up in the industry as a producer and eventually started Interscope Records. And DR. DRE: His story of becoming a rapper in NWA and then going off on his own, being signed by Interscope and eventually starting what became Death Row Records within Interscope. For me, because of the music and the stories of how that music was created -- let alone the story of Beats headphones -- I just really, really love it. The biggest learning: both of those men were unreal at networking, unreal at having all of the talent around them be able to connect with each other and work on projects together.
Interested in sharing your binge-watching favorites with the industry? Contact Andrew Levin at alevin@sportsbusinessdaily.com.
