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The moment a gallery visit turns into a dinner and a documentary deal, you realise some careers are built on curiosity meeting readiness. We sit down with producer Mark Sternberg, who left a two-decade marketing run to build films that carry real weight—projects that start with a strong why, gather great teams, and earn their audience through clarity and craft. He shares how COVID pushed a reset, how Oxford sharpened his storytelling chops, and why producing became the perfect home for a builder who loves people, logistics, and narrative momentum.

Mark unpacks the long arc of making a film: shaping a story, securing attachments, and solving the classic catch‑22 of talent versus financing. He explains how a producer thinks like a market—who the film is for, where it belongs, and how to fund it without losing the point. We dig into his slate: a neighbourhood slice-of-life called Why We Mow, Central California winemakers challenging Napa’s shadow, a data-informed look at addiction recovery in Alabama, and a two-year journey across museums and studios for Cowgirls, focused on women in Western art. Then comes the spark: a chance meeting with Thomas Blackshear that became Outside the Frame, an eight-part docuseries featuring Blackshear, Ezra Tucker, and Dean Mitchell—three African American artists reshaping the Western canon.

Throughout, Mark returns to the habits that make creative work sustainable: embracing failure as feedback, building generous networks, and keeping the door open to serendipity. He’s honest about the money—grants, donors, equity investors—and specific about his next milestone, a £300k raise for the docuseries pilot. If you care about documentary filmmaking, arts equity, creative careers, or how to turn purpose into a plan, this conversation brings you into the room where decisions get made and films get finished.

Enjoy the episode, share it with a friend who loves art and story, and if it resonates, subscribe and leave a review so more listeners can find it.

Music, lyrics, guitar and singing by Dr Ariel Rosita King

Teach me to live one day at a time
with courage love and a sense of pride.
Giving me the ability to love and accept myself
so I can go and give it to someone else.
Teach me to live one day at a time.....

Support the show

The Business of Life
Dr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita King
Original Song, "Teach Me to Live one Day At A Time"
written, guitar and vocals by Dr. Ariel Rosita King

Dr King Solutions (USA Office)
1629 K St, NW #300,
Washington, DC 20006, USA,
+1-202-827-9762
DrKingSolutons@gmail.com
DrKingSolutions.com

Send us a text

Want the truth about building something from nothing? Emil Saiden joins us to unpack the beauty and the bruises of entrepreneurship, from testing ideas in Tunisia to leading BetaWaves across Africa and the Gulf. We talk about the messy middle founders rarely share: the nights when cash runs dry, the days when faith feels thin, and the moment you decide to choose yourself anyway. Emil shows how surrounding yourself with mission-led peers, acting fast under pressure and learning in public can turn a near-failure into the push that saves a company.

We dive into how BetaWaves evolved from venture building to a full innovation advisory with deep tech partners in AI, IoT and cybersecurity. Think real execution: building learning platforms in Nigeria, a sandbox in Botswana and AI products that democratise incubation and power smarter B2B connections. Then we go bigger, mapping bridges between ecosystems—Africa to the Middle East, GCC to Europe and the US—so founders can unlock markets, talent and capital rather than waiting for them to trickle down.

The funding conversation gets candid. Despite headlines, African venture capital still accounts for a sliver of global investment and remains heavily concentrated, with added barriers for women. Emil explains why early-stage VC underperforms and how to fix it by pairing capital with hands-on support. She breaks down two funds: a climate and sustainability vehicle focused on MENA and North Africa, and a sports tech fund connecting European innovation to the Middle East’s booming sports economy. The aim is simple and bold: do good and do well, without treating them as opposites.

If you’re a founder, policymaker or investor who believes ecosystems can be designed, you’ll leave with practical insight and renewed conviction. Subscribe, share this with someone on the edge of a big leap, and leave a review with the toughest decision you’re facing right now—we might feature it next time.

Music, lyrics, guitar and singing by Dr Ariel Rosita King

Teach me to live one day at a time
with courage love and a sense of pride.
Giving me the ability to love and accept myself
so I can go and give it to someone else.
Teach me to live one day at a time.....

Support the show

The Business of Life
Dr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita King
Original Song, "Teach Me to Live one Day At A Time"
written, guitar and vocals by Dr. Ariel Rosita King

Dr King Solutions (USA Office)
1629 K St, NW #300,
Washington, DC 20006, USA,
+1-202-827-9762
DrKingSolutons@gmail.com
DrKingSolutions.com

Send us a text

What if the strongest thing a man can do is feel? Gary Turner joins us to unpack a lifetime of conditioning—from schoolyard bullying to corporate stoicism—and rebuilds masculinity on a foundation of empathy, courage and community. His story moves from numbing and burnout to a quiet revolution: dropping the strongman script and choosing presence over performance.

We dive into the mechanics of unhealthy masculinity without shutting the door on the men we hope to reach. Gary explains why he swaps the word toxic for unhealthy, how macho industry cultures reward control, and why supremacy and patriarchy trap everyone in roles that hurt. He shares a visceral moment of “spiritual bankruptcy” on a beach—everything he chased, nothing he felt—and the insight that worth can’t be borrowed from status. From there, we explore what healthy strength looks like: building with care, protecting without possession, listening before leading and pairing ambition with humility.

The conversation stretches beyond self-help and into systems. We trace how colonisation, binary thinking and scarcity narratives fuel violence and despair, including why men die by suicide at higher rates. We flip Maslow on its head, acknowledging Indigenous roots and the idea that we are born actualised and held back by design. We champion yes and over either or, show how community dissolves loneliness, and talk candidly about young men, the manosphere and the digital pull toward red-pill ideologies. If Ubuntu—“I am because you are”—guides the future, then a small committed minority can tip the culture toward wholeness.

Tune in for a grounded, compassionate roadmap: reclaim your self-worth, unlearn what dims your humanity and build together with love. If this conversation moved you, follow the show, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear, “You are already enough.”

Music, lyrics, guitar and singing by Dr Ariel Rosita King

Teach me to live one day at a time
with courage love and a sense of pride.
Giving me the ability to love and accept myself
so I can go and give it to someone else.
Teach me to live one day at a time.....

The Business of Life
Dr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita King
Original Song, "Teach Me to Live one Day At A Time"
written, guitar and vocals by Dr. Ariel Rosita King

Dr King Solutions (USA Office)
1629 K St, NW #300,
Washington, DC 20006, USA,
+1-202-827-9762
DrKingSolutons@gmail.com
DrKingSolutions.com