“AI Is the Cheat Code and the Game Is Life” - How AI Can Change Your Community and Career - A Sit Down With Will .i. am

Doug Melville interviews Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes, about reinventing life after building a one-for-one company that delivered over 100 million pairs of shoes and gave away nearly half a billion dollars... yet left him depressed after selling the business. Mycoskie describes losing purpose and self-esteem, rebuilding through mental health work, and launching Morning Water, a creatine-based hydration supplement inspired by his pre-surf routine with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Blake explains the nonprofit Enough Movement and “You Are Enough” bracelets that fund mental health organizations, his mentoring of entrepreneurs, and he also shares business lessons on distribution strategy and demand. More of Blake: Blake's Website Instagram DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug Melville hosts an episode recorded at LinkedIn’s Talent Connect in New York City, featuring an interview with Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn’s chief business officer, about LinkedIn’s newly launched AI recruiting product, Hiring Assistant 2. Mark explains the tools relevance in the recruiting process, and advises job seekers to keep profiles rich and updated since AI systems pick up keywords and activity signals like follows and content engagement. The two discuss how AI is reshaping leadership demands and skills needs, with AI job requirements growing faster than AI skills on profiles, and Lobosco urges employees to build AI fluency, prompt well, and stay adaptable. He also outlines effective organizational AI adoption, and frames the future as a human-plus-AI workforce where tasks shift and new jobs emerge. DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug Melville interviews artist, photographer, and director Mark Clennon about pivoting from ad sales into a self-taught photography career. Clennon describes early momentum from a Brooklyn street photo and a major 2020 breakthrough image of protesters outside Trump Tower that went global. This led to use in TIME Magazine, and brought awards, sales, and agency representation amid new opportunities for Black creatives. Mark discusses building a versatile portfolio through high-volume spec work tied to personal interests, and his advice for aspiring artists to maximize time while employed and develop style by making lots of work. Clennon recounts conceptual shoots with Mike Tyson and LeBron James’ TIME “Athlete of the Century” cover, shares views on AI and creator culture, and highlights his ongoing “Father’s Hands” project documenting Black fatherhood. More of Mark: Mark's Website Instagram DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug Melville welcomes Emmy-nominated journalist Mimi Brown, Front Page News correspondent for The Breakfast Club and host of Front Page with Mimi Brown on the Black Effect Podcast Network, to discuss what it takes to build a career in journalism amid today’s nonstop social media driven news cycle. Brown explains her daily process of curating stories for different audiences in different mediums, distinguishing national policy impact from local relatable news, and emphasizes old-school standards like training, sourcing, and fact-checking versus today's 'race to be first'. They explore why journalists now need a clear personal brand, and how shifting corporate dynamics and DEI pullbacks are pushing more people—especially Black women—toward ownership and content creation. They also touch on the midterm election urgency, civic literacy, and Brown’s advice to know your value, create opportunities, and avoid staying in a narrow lane. More of Mimi: @MimiBrownTV Front Page Podcast DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug Melville interviews Amman Ahmed, founder of the Youtube channel Music for Pets (Relax My Dog/Relax My Cat). He shares his vision about the confidence needed to believe in your unconventional ideas, and learning through experimentation. Ahmed describes growing up in Armley, Leeds, finding hope through books, studying IT, and realizing corporate life wasn’t for him after reading Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek. He started a YouTube-based relaxation music channel with $1000 and later expanded into pet-focused music and “dog TV” visuals, using insights about instruments, BPMs, frequencies, and color grading to help pets with anxiety and stress. After being pushed out of a VC-backed music discovery startup, he recommitted to bootstrapping, scaled a highly profitable business with multiple revenue streams, and sold it for in 2023 for eight figures after turning down earlier offers. He now stays in music, angel invests, and campaigns a new age album, “Ekta,” for Grammy consideration. DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.