Taking risks and developing creativity and perseverance, with B. Jeffrey Madoff

Episode 957: Taking risks and developing creativity and perseverance, with B. Jeffrey Madoff

B. Jeffrey Madoff is the founder of Madoff Productions, based in New York City. Madoff is considered a storyteller and incisive interviewer. He has used those talents to help position major brands such as Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret, Radio City Music Hall, Harvard School for Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts to name a few.

Madoff began his career as a fashion designer. He was chosen one of the top 10 designers in the U.S. then switched careers to film and video production. He has since expanded his reach to include teaching, book and playwriting, and theatrical producing.

He is an adjunct professor at Parsons School for Design, teaching a course he developed called Creativity: Making a Living with Your Ideas. Every week Madoff has a conversation with a guest from a wide variety of fields, from artists and entrepreneurs to venture capitalists and business leaders. A book about his class, entitled Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas, is being released June 16, 2020 by the Hachette Book Group.

Madoff has been a featured speaker at Wharton School, NYU Steinhardt, North Carolina State, SXSW Brazil, Vision Summit, Rise: Barclay’s Bank Accelerator, XRB Labs, Mastermind Group, Google Next and many others.

He has written and is producing a play based on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend, Lloyd Price. Its world premiere will be at People’s Light Theater in May of 2021.

Madoff graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin with degrees in philosophy & psychology. Madoff was also on the wrestling team, which combined with his academic studies prepared him for a life in the film and theater business.

What you will learn from this episode:

• How Jeff got involved in the design and manufacturing of clothing, and how his career journey taught him key lessons he was able to apply to other businesses as well
• How Jeff’s New York experience began with a buying position for the company he worked for
• How Jeff overcame the fear of moving to New York and starting out with no job or housing, and why he chose to take a chance on himself in spite of the risk
• Why not being paralyzed and instead having the courage to pivot and go after what you truly want, especially in light of the global pandemic, is critical
• Why Jeff felt compelled to write his book, Creative Careers, and why he chose to name his book after the college course he was teaching
• Why Jeff believes “creativity” deserves a much broader definition than it gets, and why he defines it as “the compelling need to affect change”
• What key concepts Jeff wrote about in his book, including learning how to overcome obstacles and developing your perseverance
• Why Jeff views his parents as his most important mentors, teaching him how to value people and treat them well
• How a great early work experience taught Jeff important lessons about business and leadership

Resources:

• Creative Careers by B. Jeffrey Madoff: https://amzn.to/3fwcuLk
• Website: www.acreativecareer.com
• Website: https://madoffproductions.com/
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/b-jeffrey-madoff-5baa8074/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/acreativecareer/

Additional Resources:

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/