EVP & GM | Advisor | Founder - Pet Collective | Earned over $40M for Creators
I got my first “real” job at age 30. Different people hit their stride at different times in their life. My 20s were odd jobs in the film business living in NYC, bookended by listening to a lot of EDM. Some highlights: ☑️ I didn't get coffee fast enough for Richard Belzer on Law & Order: SVU ☑️ I drove a PT Cruiser around LA for a summer with a wrap of Alanis Morissette CD Art (Sean Kisker Clint Kisker) ☑️ I got pranked by James Frey as an assistant at Paramount ☑️ I produced a death metal video in Puerto Rico for the band Shadows Fall But at 29 I was essentially in the same spot professionally as 21. Then I got a random call from Michele Fino, who said there was an entry-level job on a team at her company. I ended up working for amazing bosses like Jason Turner, David Luner, Olivier Gers, Keith Hindle, David Ellender and Cécile Frot-Coutaz, and with a list of co-workers so talented that I can't begin to name them all (but I tried -see bottom). We did industry-first partnerships with trailblazing leaders who built the biggest tech companies we all talk about today. Now those partners are powerful founders, operators, VCs, and investors in their own right. All of a sudden a career started to come together. The moral of the story? 1⃣ I nearly let my ego stop me from seizing this opportunity, just because I would need to start at the bottom. I'm grateful I made the right decision. 2⃣ Today's young professionals achieve remarkable success at breakneck speed. Their accomplishments are astounding, inspiring, and eye-opening. But innovation isn't exclusive to those under 30, 40, or even 50. A diverse workforce with employees of all ages is a tremendous asset for any organization, and I don't believe at all that employees over a certain age lose their energy for work if they are in an exciting environment with challenging problems. If you aren't at the same place in your career as your peers, it is OK. Eliminating what you don't want to do is as important as succeeding in what you do want to do. Personally, I keep myself fresh by trying to install Python correctly, running broken AutoGPT's (probably the Python issue), writing, and dreaming of starting a weekend business where I can mow and powerwash abandoned homes for free and post the videos on Youtube. Yes, I am weird. What was the job that got you started on your path? Shannon Pruitt, Megan Udis, Felicity McVay, Tom Hoffman, Tom Maynard, Richard Vargas , James Ngo, Chi Kephart, Naz Amarchi-Cuevas, Erica Gadecki, Robbie Spargo, Robert Cocker, Katharine Lewis, Michelle Landy, Ben Liebmann, Jessica Trinca, Josh Kreitzman, Claire Tavernier, Lisa Honig, Tim Grau, Elena Magula, J.R. Griffin, Gayle Gilman, Andrew Felsher, Nicholas Dale, Andrew Piller, Dominic Burns, Todd Green, Christian Grobel, Amber Brown (and many others) #firstrealjob # #opportunity #allages
I love an open share while I enjoy morning coffee :) Since you asked... I sold Cutco knives while in college. I was a nerdy/bookish pre-med student at the time (with an art minor) who started at age 15. So the mix of door-to-door selling plus my youth plus a "bag of knives"... the jokes write themselves! Fast forward, I ended up in executive recruiting and realized how valuable that initial sales training was, for business AND life skills. Plus I had excellent mentorship when I shifted my career into that. You never know as a younger person how much these disappointments and ego strikes will ultimately form you, strengthen you, and eventually become funny stories. huzzah
Michele Fino
1y
... it was a butt-dial. I mean who has more than one 'Olivier' in their phone..?
Brilliantly written Olivier and I feel humbled to have made the list! I'll be forever grateful to Jon Penn for giving me a chance as his first employee at FremantleMedia AU. With a couple of years of law experience behind me, I wasn't necessarily the best candidate for the job, but he rolled the dice and I never looked back. I've been reflecting recently that it's people that really make a place and looking at that list of past colleagues, it's no wonder it was such a magical experience.
Gayle Gilman
1y
Love this post Olivier! "Odd jobs" is a great way to describe the career path in this industry. I got my first real job in TV after meeting someone who worked for Nat Geo in a restroom. I mean, where else?
Sam T.
1y
You forgot one ;)
Steven Hein
1y
#PTcruiser
Jason Turner
1y
Authentic, insightful, humble, inspiring. A true leader;)
Simon Brown
1y
Thanks for sharing your story Olivier Delfosse! 🙌 I didn't go to university until I was thirty, graduated at thirty-four and then started at Jellysmack in September '21 at the ripe (old 😉) age of thirty-seven, yet I feel like I am finally doing what I should be doing career-wise and have 'made it'. 🚀 P.S. Will need further details re: the SVU coffee story 😆
Drives Client Success | Creates Value at the Intersection of Technology, Entertainment and Consumer Brands + Content + Culture | "Swiss Army Knife"
1yI absolutely LOVE your post, Olivier Delfosse! What an entertaining and inspiring story - I didn't know your history. I shifted from the auto industry, where I was doing really well, to the entertainment industry, where I had to start over again as a temp at 28. Luckily, I landed a job at FOX (also as a temp) when it was a start-up and then was on my way - and I ended up working with you and many of the people in this post. I agree with your recommendations - always keep learning, get a side hustle, get away from your laptop, and help people out!