Emmy Nominee, Bastiano Ferrari: From Broke and Sleeping on Beanbags to Building Hollywood Success

Summary

Episode Summary: Emmy Nominee Bastiano Ferrari – From Broke and Sleeping on Beanbags to Building Hollywood Success

In this compelling episode of Leap Academy with Ilana Golan, host Ilana Golan engages in an inspiring conversation with Bastiano Ferrari, an Emmy-nominated actor, producer, and entrepreneur. The episode delves deep into Bastiano’s multifaceted journey from humble beginnings and significant adversities to achieving remarkable success in both Hollywood and the tech industry. Below is a detailed summary capturing the key discussions, insights, and lessons shared throughout the episode.

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1. Introduction

Ilana Golan sets the stage by expressing her excitement for the episode and outlining her mission to help listeners "leap their careers, elevate their careers, land their dream roles, fast track to leadership, jump to entrepreneurship, create portfolio careers." She emphasizes that the podcast aims to provide actionable maps to success through honest and inspiring conversations with influential figures.

Notable Quote:

• Bastiano Ferrari [00:32]: "Fear is temporary, but regret is permanent."

2. Bastiano Ferrari’s Background and Early Life

Bastiano shares his unique upbringing, having grown up across multiple regions including Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This diverse background granted him a profound ability to connect with people from various cultural nuances, significantly shaping his interpersonal skills and career trajectory.

Key Points:

• Early Challenges: At age 11, Bastiano's father lost his wealth, leading to financial hardships that starkly contrasted his previously affluent upbringing. This period required Bastiano to adapt to a drastically different lifestyle, fostering resilience and a deep understanding of life's unpredictability.
• Impact of Hardships: Experiences such as begging for new shoes and surviving near-death situations instilled in him a relentless drive to pursue his passions without succumbing to fear.

Notable Quote:

• Bastiano Ferrari [02:34]: "I realized that fear is temporary, but regret is permanent. So I promised myself that if I'm going to survive that I'm going to do things differently."

3. Journey to Hollywood and the Tech Industry

Bastiano narrates his foray into acting against his family's disapproval and his parallel career in tech. Initially pursuing computer science to satisfy his family's expectations, he landed an acting role at 18. However, financial pressures led him to abandon acting temporarily and immerse himself in the corporate world, where he co-founded a tech company that was later acquired.

Key Points:

• Balancing Dual Careers: The intersection of technology and storytelling became Bastiano’s niche, allowing him to bridge gaps between Hollywood and the tech sector.
• Resilience in Pursuit: Despite setbacks, including financial instability and familial pressure, Bastiano's unwavering commitment led to an Emmy nomination and collaborations with prominent Hollywood figures.

Notable Quote:

• Bastiano Ferrari [10:14]: "It's not about having the best idea, because guess what, your first idea is going to suck."

4. Overcoming Adversity and Embracing Resilience

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on how Bastiano's challenging experiences, such as living on a beanbag for a year and facing repeated failures, served as building blocks for his eventual success. He draws parallels with renowned figures like Picasso, Oprah, and Michael Jordan, emphasizing that perseverance through failures is crucial for greatness.

Key Points:

• Mindset Shift: Viewing problems as indicators of one’s capacity to handle larger challenges helped Bastiano maintain a positive and resilient outlook.
• Learning from Failure: Each setback was treated as a learning opportunity, enabling him to pivot and adapt his strategies effectively.

Notable Quote:

• Bastiano Ferrari [16:11]: "If your problems are large, it means that's what you can handle. It means I'm doing things great."

5. The Importance of Networking and Giving Value

Bastiano underscores the significance of networking, not just as a means to receive but as an opportunity to give value. He advocates for surrounding oneself with great networkers and building mutually beneficial relationships based on understanding and solving problems.

Key Points:

• Skill Building: Networking is a skill that can be developed through public speaking, taking courses, and pushing oneself out of comfort zones.
• Reciprocal Relationships: By focusing on what he can offer to others, Bastiano found that giving first fosters stronger and more meaningful professional connections.

Notable Quote:

• Bastiano Ferrari [18:38]: "The more you give, the more value you create."

6. Balancing Portfolio Careers

The conversation delves into managing multiple career paths effectively. Bastiano shares strategies such as prioritizing key activities, eliminating non-essential tasks, and delegating responsibilities to maintain a balanced and productive portfolio career.

Key Points:

• Time Management: Utilizing techniques like time boxing and prioritization helps in focusing on what truly matters while discarding activities that do not add value.
• Team Collaboration: Understanding his strengths and delegating other aspects to experts ensures efficiency and quality in both his tech and acting endeavors.

Notable Quote:

• Bastiano Ferrari [22:16]: "Time is the most valuable resource out there. It's not money."

7. Insights on Perseverance and Knowing When to Pivot

Bastiano discusses the delicate balance between perseverance and recognizing when to pivot. He advises dreaming big and viewing failures as stepping stones towards greater goals, rather than as endpoints.

Key Points:

• Dream Big: Encouraging listeners to set ambitious goals that might seem scary ensures that failures are part of a larger journey rather than defining moments.
• Sunk Costs Awareness: Understanding when to let go of unproductive endeavors prevents wasted resources and fosters continuous growth through new opportunities.

Notable Quote:

• Bastiano Ferrari [29:29]: "If your dreams don't scare you, then you're not dreaming big enough."

8. Lessons for Listeners

The episode concludes with actionable lessons for listeners aiming to leap their careers:

• Embrace Resilience: View challenges as opportunities to grow and develop.
• Build and Nurture Networks: Focus on giving value to foster strong professional relationships.
• Prioritize and Delegate: Manage time effectively by focusing on key activities and delegating others.
• Dream Big and Persist: Set ambitious goals and persist through failures, viewing them as milestones towards success.
• Create Opportunities: Instead of waiting for opportunities, proactively create them through innovation and problem-solving.

9. Conclusion and Future Projects

Bastiano shares his excitement for upcoming projects in both Hollywood and the tech industry. He mentions his film "Love Me Dead" starring Dove Cameron, set to release in August, and several AI initiatives, including an AI project with eBay that involves facial scanning technologies.

Notable Quote:

• Bastiano Ferrari [34:34]: "If your dreams were this small, then that thing that didn't work will define you versus if those things that didn't work are just part of a bigger vision and bigger dream, then it's okay to fail."

Ilana closes the episode by appreciating Bastiano’s contributions and reiterating the importance of actionable insights for listeners striving to achieve their career aspirations.

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Final Thoughts

This episode with Bastiano Ferrari offers a rich tapestry of experiences and lessons that underscore the importance of resilience, strategic networking, and the courage to pursue one’s passions despite obstacles. Bastiano’s journey from financial despair to Emmy recognition serves as a testament to the power of perseverance and the multifaceted approach required to build an extraordinary life and career.

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Notable Quotes:

1. Bastiano Ferrari [00:32]: "Fear is temporary, but regret is permanent."
2. Bastiano Ferrari [02:34]: "I realized that fear is temporary, but regret is permanent."
3. Bastiano Ferrari [10:14]: "It's not about having the best idea, because guess what, your first idea is going to suck."
4. Bastiano Ferrari [16:11]: "If your problems are large, it means that's what you can handle."
5. Bastiano Ferrari [18:38]: "The more you give, the more value you create."
6. Bastiano Ferrari [22:16]: "Time is the most valuable resource out there. It's not money."
7. Bastiano Ferrari [29:29]: "If your dreams don't scare you, then you're not dreaming big enough."
8. Bastiano Ferrari [34:34]: "If your dreams were this small, then that thing that didn't work will define you versus if those things that didn't work are just part of a bigger vision and bigger dream, then it's okay to fail."

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essence of Bastiano Ferrari’s inspiring journey, offering listeners valuable insights and actionable strategies to leap forward in their own careers.

Transcript

[Ilana Galancho]

Well, I am so excited about the show today, and I'm sure you're going to have an amazing time listening, but I have a favor to ask. See, I'm on a mission to help millions leap their careers, elevate their careers, land their dream roles, fast track to leadership, jump to entrepreneurship, create bookfolio careers. And this podcast is about giving you the map of how some of the biggest leaders of our time reach success. So subscribe, download to never miss it. Plus, it really, really helps us continue to bring amazing guests your way. So let's dive in.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

Fear is temporary, but regret is permanent.

[Eliana]

Bastiano Ferrari, actor, Emmy nominated, producer, entrepreneur.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

My family looked down on acting. They were like, bastiano, you cannot be an actor. We will disown you, more or less. There was a year where I had no money. I was drinking protein shakes for food because I couldn't afford a meal. I almost lost my life once. So I promised myself that if I'm going to survive that I'm going to do things differently. Got Emmy nominated last year, and I have a few projects with the biggest names in Hollywood. If you're given a big problem, it's because you can handle it. It's because that's how big of a person you are. Just don't wait for things to come your way. You created.

[Eliana]

How do you know there's something beautiful on the other side? Versus that's it.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

I have a unique perspective.

[Eliana]

Bastiano Ferrari, actor, Emmy nominated, producer, entrepreneur. It's just incredible. You've been on so many films. Thank you for being on the show.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

Thank you for having me. I'm excited for this.

[Eliana]

Tell us a little bit about how you grew up and how did that shape you?

[Bastiano Ferrari]

Bastiano I grew up in a multiple geography, if it makes sense. I grew up between Europe, Middle east, and Africa. And I feel that just made me connect with people on a different level. I understand the different cultural nuances. I understand why people do certain things that they do, and I just relate to them more organically. And that helped me in my work and that helped me in my career, and that just helped me with my endeavor. And I feel my childhood tremendously shaped who I am today, why I do what I do.

[Eliana]

Tell me about a story that you think maybe some people don't know or most people don't know that shaped you.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

My childhood was a little bit unique. It was an incredible childhood up until 11, and then it went into a Hollywood movie, if it makes sense. I grew up with a father that was a farmer. And entrepreneur, moved to the Middle east, to Kuwait. Not myself, just him before I was born to work in gold, then traveled around to work in agriculture, farm and gold, among other stuff. And we were very well off in my childhood. I'm the youngest, and we were very well off until I was 11. And then when I turned 11, my dad had a problem and he lost all his money. And I never saw him up until I was 24. And that was the best thing that ever happened to me, to be honest, because my oldest sibling is about 10 years, even more age gap. So I'm very young compared to my siblings, and they lived a very comfortable life. Meanwhile, in the ages and days that are very critical to how I am shaped as a human, I had to go through certain difficulties. One example, my brother, I was begging him for new shoes at some point, and we didn't have the money to buy new shoes. So I had to stick with my old shoe for a couple of years before we swapped it. And with that, it was a bit of a shock for me because coming from a lavish life where I was spoiled, very spoiled, anything I wanted, my father does it for me. To a, you have to go to school and you have to work and you have to do all of these things to continue your education. And my brother was a kid also, so it was tough on him. He didn't know how to handle it the best way. So he was very mad at me, if it makes sense. And that gave me a bit of perspective about life. And then at the age of 16, I accidentally was in the middle of war, which is a second story that shaped my life. And I almost lost my life in those few minutes where I really thought that I'm going to use my life. It kind of changed who I am forever. I realized that fear is temporary, but regret is permanent. So I promised myself that if I'm going to survive that I'm going to do things differently and I'm going to go for whatever I want to achieve In a way where cultural norms that people think this is how you should live your life is not necessarily how you should live your life and you should actually go for what you want. And then I moved from just being a dreamer to being a dreamer, a doer and an executor. And I just went after it and things kept happening. That was a big life lesson for me.

[Eliana]

So, first of all, just this one quote. Fear is temporary. Regret is permanent. Oh, my God. But learning this at such a young age is so rare because I feel like when we're young. We don't really understand regret. We're just living life. And to some extent, we're sleepwalking through life, and we just stumble upon luck. And it takes a little bit of that wake up, which I guess you got in a very early age. So talk to us a little bit. How did that shape you and how, you know, eventually, I don't know when exactly you got to Hollywood, but, you know, as somebody that is not coming from the Hollywood scene, clearly it doesn't sound like your parents who are actors. So how did you even break that ceiling that looks so impossible to most people?

[Bastiano Ferrari]

That event was the start and not magically. After that day, I became a superhero. You know, it was just one thing that clicked in my head, and it did change me as a person, and I wanted to pursue acting. I loved acting. I studied acting in my school, and my teacher was Bastiano. You have to do this. You have talent in it. However, I don't believe talent is the most important ingredient for success in general. That said, I studied computer science in university because my family wanted me to be an engineer, which I love. Engineering. However, my family looked down on acting. They were like, bastiano, you cannot be an actor. We will disown you, more or less. And what happened is I landed an acting gig when I was 18, and I was like, if I'm not gonna study acting, if my family's not gonna let me study acting, I'm gonna just do it for fun, because I believe that I can do it. And I landed a lead role. It was support. Then they moved me into a lead character. However, reality hit. Life happens, and I wasn't making money as an actor, and I needed to support my mother. So I faced reality, and I left acting. And I thought that was the end of it. I'm never going to go back into acting ever again. And I started tech. Worked in McKinsey, which I learned a lot of strategy there. Started, you know, the corporate life and corporate career, which is tremendous, to be honest. Met brushed shoulders with magnificent people, very smart individuals. And I started a company with my brother, a tech company. We got acquired in 2013, which got us some funding, some liquidity, granted. We tried, I don't know how many hundred ideas that didn't work before that one worked, but that's another story, maybe. So the one idea that worked and we made it work got me enough money to do things with less pressure. I started choosing what I want to do in life. So I started advising more, and I started in 2020, I had a role offered to me in Bad Boys for Life. I was consulting for Carnival Cruise Lines, building syncros. It's an $8 billion product, revenue wise. Not for me, for them. Just to be clear. And what happened is, on set, seeing Will Smith do his thing, I just ignited something. And I was like, you know, I love this. Why don't I just do both? And I started thinking about it. Hollywood is so good at storytelling. Tech is great at strategy and execution. Tech is not great at storytelling. Hollywood is not great in business and tech and execution. So there was a gap where I could be the bridge in the middle of those two things. Granted, both of them rely on vision. Both of them rely on aspirations and big goals. So I found a lot of commonalities in both. I moved to Los Angeles, landed an acting role, and I positioned myself in a way. You know, in tech, we're problem solvers, and that's the key to everything, I believe, finding a problem to solve. And I started looking at opportunities where I can help people solve key problems even before they realized that they had a problem. And I feel that helped me bridge a huge gap in Hollywood and become, you know, people are really having high regards for me. People really wanted me to be part of their projects. Worked on honing my talent with resilience and got Emmy nominated last year. And I have a few projects with Jenny Ortega, with Terrence Howard, with Dove Cameron, the biggest names in Hollywood and tech. Still. I'm very passionate about tech. I'm starting an AI project right now. I'm doing a lot of AI work for eBay, and I'm doing an AI project for myself as well. So I'm very, very happy to do both. Still challenging, nevertheless failing every day, which is why I'm succeeding.

[Eliana]

That was an incredible recap. I will probably take you back in time because I'm sure there's just so much learning on this incredible journey of yours. I think we grew up in a similar environment in the sense between two options. I could either be a doctor, or I can be a lawyer, and if I have to, then maybe an engineer. But these were the options. You know, I was just like, you know, choose one of two or three. That is your life. I just love the fact that you were able to say, you know, we are big believers in portfolio careers and that in the future of work, everybody will have a portfolio and not just one thing. I do believe that there's this whole thing of portfolio career, but take me back in time a little bit. So I'm sure throughout your career, there was, like, some really core challenges. And we always learn more from failures than from the successes. Can you share a moment that you're like, oh, my God. Huge challenge, but huge learning opportunity?

[Bastiano Ferrari]

When I first finished my master's degree here in the States, there was a year where I had no money. I was drinking protein shakes for food because I couldn't afford a meal. And one of my good friends hosted me in his dorm room on a bean bag for a year. I was sleeping on a beanbag. Imagine. And my family were pressuring me. They were telling me they cut off funding, which they did that priorly, and they were telling me that I need to go back to either Europe or anywhere else, and I didn't want to. I really believed in America. I really believed in this country, and I really believed in the people here and the possibilities in America. The American dream, pretty much. And I stayed consistent and resilient for a year of everybody telling me that it's not going to work, very few people telling me, hey, there's a possibility. And every maybe week or so trying something that it's not working. And then eventually even I got somebody that wanted to put me in touch with Meta for an acquisition. And then he had a tragic event in his family, and I lost that connection. So every glimpse of hope and then going back to even below zero, and it's just my mindset was, I've really positioned myself all my life to be here, and this is what I actually want, and I'm not gonna stop. I had that vision, and I really had that aspiration, and I just couldn't let go. So I kept trying different things and pivoting until it worked. We started the tech, my brother and I, and started getting some positive feedback around it. Found another person that put me in touch with some people in tech. And it worked. We developed it. It's a massive project that was built with $20,000 and a team of engineers that helped me do it for free. So just people believed in it, and we have a lot of speculation. So for that year of struggle was the building block of my entire career until today. It doesn't mean everything afterwards was success. No. I still get punched every day, you know, and you stand back up. And this is true for both the tech world and Hollywood, if you think about it. Picasso, the painter and the artist, he created, I believe, 20,000 pieces of art before he got recognized as a genius. Oprah got fired as a news anchor. Now she's a billionaire. Spielberg got rejected from Three acting schools, and now look who he is, Michael Jordan. Another industry 9,000 missed shots before. He's the goat now. And maybe a more recent example is Mr. Beast had about around 440 or 50 videos before he went viral for the first time. So all of these great people, it's not about having the best idea, because guess what, your first idea is going to suck. Your second idea is going to suck too. Your third probably going to suck as well. It's just how resilient. How can you learn from all of those? Do you have a vision? Do you have a goal? Do you know what you want? Do you want it enough to get all the punches and sticking to that, learning agile, you know, and then just trying to go for it and keep resilient and stay at it and execute. It's not about the best study, it's about the great execution, bringing everybody on board. Don't wait for people to make you feel positive. Be the person that makes people feel positive. Just don't wait for things to come your way. You create it. And Eliana, there was a great example, if I may share with you, that somebody mentioned it and I'm going to phrase it my words, but. And I'm going to tie it back to the example that I said about all these geniuses that I mentioned. The one thing they have in common is they kept knocking and knocking and knocking on the door. Nobody opened the door. So they created their own stage, they created their own house, and they let people knock on their house instead. So if you don't find the opportunity, just create it. It's okay. Don't be mad at it. Just create it. Create something for others. You know what I mean?

[Eliana]

Ooh, I love that. And for the audience, if you didn't catch this, if you can't get in the door, maybe you need to build your own door, right? And just carve your own door and get in, right? I mean, I just love that, right? But, Bastiano, sometimes, and I think for many of our listeners, sometimes life gets so hard, right? It's like you're trying so hard, things are still punching you, things are not falling into place. You slept on a beanbag. Maybe some people here lost their job. Some of them are in some kind of financial stress. How do you train that well enough to just keep on going, keep on believing, keep on taking one step at a time? What works for you, Bastiano?

[Bastiano Ferrari]

So that's a very good question, actually. There's two aspects of it. The harder your problems, the more you are Shaped to face bigger ones. And if you're given a big problem, it's because you can handle it. It's because that's how big of a person you are. You're not going to be given a problem, a small problem, unless you are a person that can only handle small problems. And that's how I always think about it. If my problems are large, it means that's what I can handle. It means I'm doing things great. I didn't have money multiple times in my life, not just once. You know, I almost lost my life once. A lot of things happen. And each time I just think sometimes you don't get what you want because you deserve better. And sometimes, whatever it is, I'm saying that in the term where the example you mentioned, if somebody lost their job, maybe they didn't get what they want because they deserve something better. It's true. And sometimes the hardship is there just to shape you for something that is as great as you want it to be. Because, and this is key if you're getting successes in small doses. And that's it. It's like a drug that keeps you mediocre. But if you're challenged, then that's what builds you to become great. Because when you overcome all of these things, you develop skillset and it's true, you develop certain skill set resiliency that lets you face the final boss, if you want to call it from a game perspective. So just understand what you're working with. Your network shape yourself in a way that once that door is created by you or once that door opens, you're ready to take the reins. And you've been shaping yourself and training yourself and gaining that knowledge to be able to take the reins.

[Eliana]

Oh, such a beautiful way to put it. I do believe that you're building a muscle to become the legend that you were supposed to be. But that muscle needs to be built by some challenges that come your way to create that and to build you to the next version of you. And Bastiana, you also talked about network and I think that's really, really important because, yeah, I'm pretty sure every opportunity you've ever gotten is through people bringing you opportunities. It's not job boards. These opportunities are not coming from the newspaper. Right. So can you give like an example of how exactly that worked for you?

[Bastiano Ferrari]

So I'm going to give a tactical example there. I love people. I have an introvert, extrovert piece of me. I'm an introvert when I want to study something and just geek on something and I have my times where I'm an extrovert, loses my energy and I have to go back to being an introvert. You have to understand who you are. Networking is a skill set that can be built, but also until you build it, you can hang out with people that are great networkers and help each other. You have a skill set that they would need and vice versa. They help you with the networking piece. So it's really important to understand who you surround yourself with and give value. I think the biggest thing I've received in my life where after I've given something to somebody or given away something, not after I've taken something. So the more you give, the more value you create. I think I mentioned something at some point. Find problems that you can solve for people even without them knowing that they have that problem and help people out. If you're helping people, if you're building together, that is the best thing that you can do. Understanding your strength, understanding areas that you can improve on, and understanding the strength of your circle and network and collectively positioning yourself and the collective self in a way that can have a competitive advantage out there, whether it's in acting, whether it's in anywhere. And I think that's both tech and acting and networking is very important. So I would say if you feel like you need help networking, start with public speaking, start with some courses or putting yourself out there to speak publicly. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Find friends that are really good at it. Find a good role model like yourself, Ilana, for example. I'm pretty sure people use you as an example, so find an example and hone your skill set. But don't wait until you're perfect. It's okay if you're not perfect at it. Just know who your team is because you can achieve way more as a team than as an individual.

[Ilana Galancho]

Hey, I'm pausing here for a second.

[Eliana]

I hope you're enjoying this amazing conversation. Don't forget to subscribe and download now.

[Ilana Galancho]

If you're looking to leap your own.

[Eliana]

Career, figure out what's next for you.

[Ilana Galancho]

Fast track your own growth and create portfolio career. Check out my free 30 minute [e-mail] training. That's leapacademy.com training.

[Eliana]

Now back to the show. First of all, the notion of give, give, give. Yes, I understand. It's a chess game and you want to do this right. And there's also an ask that we need to get better at asking what we need. But if we don't give, we Become that person that is just taking, taking, taking, and eventually the squeaky wheel maybe gets the oil, but it's the first thing you're going to get rid of, Right? So at some point it's really important to understand what is the other person. What can I help, what can I offer? Because when there's really specific things that you can give and you are seeing as that indispensable, it's just incredible. And I love the example of public speaking. For me, public speaking changed my life. It's just such a great way to be on one hand, more of a thought leader, on the other hand, give a lot back. Just love all of this. Bastiano and I think we both share kind of what we talked about. These portfolio careers. You don't have to do just one. There's like an element of multiple things that can actually create a ripple of the value that you bring of create this like incredible snowball. How do you juggle all of this? Because sometimes it gets daunting. It can get a lot of work.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

I get asked that a lot. And I don't spend my time in avenues where it doesn't bring value to my life. That's number. We have a lot of time. Time is the most valuable resource out there. It's not money. We have a lot of time, though. Time box, it's a tech term if you time box correctly and if you prioritize. So identify what is the key things that you can focus on in a lean way and eliminate waste. So activities that don't matter, just don't focus on them and focus on activities that matter on both sides. So prioritization and eliminating waste is key. And on the ground, you don't have to do everything on your own. In Hollywood, for example, I know what my key skill sets are and I know what I want and I know certain avenues that people are better than me at. So I focus on the areas that are important for me and I delegate some avenues that other people can help me with. So as a team were succeeding. And then tech takes most of my time, to be honest. And it's very similar in tech. I feel film is more of a passion to me. Film, acting, producing, all the above is more of a passion for me. It's like somebody playing tennis. You spend time maybe every day, sometimes or three times a day playing tennis. I spend that time doing film, if it makes sense. But prioritization and eliminating waste, I would say are the key aspects that allow me to diversify in both avenues.

[Eliana]

Ooh, I love that. Bastiano. And for you, the audience listening to this or seeing us on YouTube, I love looking at this as bread. B R E A D so batch, reduce, eliminate, automate and delegate. So if you can look at your life and decide what can you reduce, what you can eliminate altogether, what you can automate, what you can delegate, but it's going to make such a big difference. Basiano, that was amazing. And I love that acting on one hand is your fun area, but that's maybe also why, you know, in such a short time you've been able to be Emmy nominated and like, it's probably because you're having a blast. Can you give us a glimpse into this world? So I come from the tech world, but I think Hollywood is this thing that we just see on the screen. Can you give us a glimpse of what does that feel like, what does it look like and what's next there?

[Bastiano Ferrari]

It's very exciting, Hollywood. It's nice because I'm going to tell you a funny example in a little bit, but you grew up watching these people that inspire you on the big screen and you think it's the others, it's them. It's like in Mars, it's not real life, it's not the real world, and it's unattainable sometimes. And then the more you get closer to it, he just realized it. Just to me, it was very motivating and very inspiring and I didn't believe it at first. I had the imposter syndrome for a little bit and I was like, am I really doing this? No, there's no way. I come from a small farm down in the middle of nowhere and I'm here right now. So I had this dilemma in my head of is this real? And it's just very inspiring and something very funny between the tech world and the film world. In the film world, if you tell somebody that I'm about to do a movie with Will Smith, for example, they find it harder to believe. Like, no way. That is not true. It's a big up. Vice versa. In Hollywood, if you tell somebody I'm building a billion dollar product, they're going to be like, yeah, right, that is not going to happen. Versus in the tech industry, like, oh, really? What are you solving? What market are you focused on? What's your go to market strategy? You know, what's your technology? So it's more real to them. They're still impressed, but it's more real to them. So any limitation, it's there because of something you don't Understand not something you're incapable of. And I really believe that. I feel like sometimes we put limitations on ourselves because we just were told by somebody that didn't believe they can make it, or somebody that tried once or maybe 10 times, which 10 times is not enough. If you're anybody successful, they will tell you 10 times. It's very little that tried 10 times and decided they can't do it and they tell you that you cannot do it. In reality, they're projecting their own experiences on you. So a lot of the self inflicted limitations are because of something that we don't know, we don't understand and not something that we're incapable of or we're incapable of acquiring or learning. For example, I know you're part of the entrepreneurial world and to you, maybe it's very surprising if somebody's working with Will Smith versus somebody on Will's team is very surprised by the things that you accomplish because they don't understand it.

[Eliana]

I totally know because, you know, I started my career in the Air force as an F16 flight instructor. And for most people that's weird. What did you do? But for me, that was my life. That's what I Knew. At age 18, 19, 20. But I think the interesting thing is what you just said that is so important. Usually the people that will kill those dreams are not where you want to be. So I think one of the biggest things that I want people to listen to, the reason why I'm so passionate about this podcast is because we're bringing these blueprints and these proofs, basically this evidence that, yes, you can come from a small town and still make it to tech in Hollywood. And I think that just so, so, so important for people to hear. It's like, okay, so I just need to try harder. I love that story, Bastiano.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

Thank you. You said it very well, by the way. Very nicely put. I should listen more to your podcast so that my, my English is as articulate as yours, Ilana.

[Eliana]

I don't know if that's what I.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

Would say, taking my Italian Sprenglish and changing it into articulate terms. All right, I see.

[Eliana]

No, you're awesome, Osiano. But seriously, we just had Seth Godin on the show and one of the things that he says which I think is interesting and I would love your perspective, sometimes you persevere through something, but.

[Ilana Galancho]

It'S actually what he calls a cul.

[Eliana]

De sac or a dead end. You're persevering through something, but it's clearly not gonna have some major success on the other side. So you're actually kind of wasting your time. On the other hand, many times there's just this amazing things that's gonna happen on the other side. So work harder, persevere, try again. What works for you? How do you know you know when things are really challenging, like when you sleep on a beanbag, how do you know there's something beautiful on the other side versus that's it, I'm done. This is never going to work. Let me pull the towel and that's it, I'm done. What is that for you, Bastiano?

[Bastiano Ferrari]

I have a unique perspective on that avenue particularly. I'm going to tie a very blanket big coat that I'm in love with into the reality of what you just said right now. There's a quote that I love. If your dreams don't scare you, then you're not dreaming big enough. And why is that important? Think of what you just said. You always try things that don't work. But if your dreams were this small, then that thing that didn't work will define you versus if those things that didn't work are just part of a bigger vision and bigger dream, then it's okay to fail continuously and quickly and learn and pivot because your goal is much bigger than that. And all of these are tactical moves and milestone for you to achieve your big goal and vision. That's why dream big, have big vision, don't be scared. And those failures would be just milestones and stepping stones and there won't be your entire self. And that term is also related to sunk costs. Sunk costs in the business world means when you've invested resources and time on a product or an idea and it's not working. However, because you spent so much resources on it, time and money, you continue to bleed and you continue to spend more resources on it without letting go. Now, sunk cost is not good. These are. I believe you were talking on these terms as well. It is important to understand when you need to pivot. Not give up, but pivot. If you're already investing too much resources on something, stop doing the exact same thing and repeating your mistakes, Learn from them, let go of some costs, pull the plug on something and start something new, or reshape it, or reimagine it into something. And I feel, continuing to do that, understanding what is working, what is not working, there's nothing that you can do where everything's working, that's unrealistic. That's an unrealistic expectation on yourself. And it's not fair for yourself. It's unrealistic for you to expect everything's gonna go well and everything you're gonna try is just gonna work magically. Nobody's that brilliant, especially successful people. So have this big vision and everything you do on a tactical level is a milestone to achieve that big goal. That's when little failures and things that are not working are easy to let go of or pivot from because your goal is much bigger and you understand where you're heading towards.

[Eliana]

I love this, Basano. This is super, super, super true. And I think that if you can dream really big, but then take those imperfect steps every single day, suddenly the clarity comes from action. Not just thinking about it, dreaming about it. That just creates fear and doubt. But, Stano, if you're looking at cure younger self, what are some of the things that you know today that maybe would have shaped you differently based on where you are right now?

[Bastiano Ferrari]

I will tell you something very interesting that I thought about this for the longest time and I had gq. I had an interview with gq. They. They asked me the same question, but I'm going to give you a different answer than them because I gave him an answer that later I kept thinking about it and I decided that I would do something differently. So can I give you a new answer to that question?

[Eliana]

I would love that.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

I wouldn't tell him a single thing because if you go back to my story of I had a lavish life as a kid and then it became very tough. I think that question mark, that unknown and those hardships were the main things that shaped me the way I am today. Had my dad continued to have money and be rich throughout my teenage life, I would not be here today. I would be in a different position completely. So I would maybe just go and enjoy watching myself go through those things with a different perspective and know that, hey, man, I thought that's the end of the world. And I thought that is gonna be the way it is forever. But something inside of me since I was a kid knew that I will do something that is big and. And I never let go of that. All my life until today, I would be worried to tell myself that it's going to be fantastic and, you know, give myself that reassurance of taking it easy. You know, I don't want to take it easy at that age. I think all the hardships meant great things. Maybe I would tell myself to buy a thousand bitcoin.

[Eliana]

I love that.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

And just don't sell them until 2025. Trust me.

[Eliana]

On that. And it sounds like you have some big plans in tech and in Hollywood. Anything you want to share?

[Bastiano Ferrari]

Yeah. So I'm very excited to work on some new film projects. I hope everybody watches my journey in Hollywood and watches the movies that we're creating. Very excited for them. One of them is called Love Me Dead with Duff Cameron. I'm really, really a big fan of Duff Cameron. I think she's fantastic and I got to work with her on this project. It's coming to the theaters in August. And I'm also working on an AI company, so stay tuned for that. It scans your face and gives you some fun stuff. I'll say more in time. And we're rolling out some new AI technologies with eBay as well. So I would love for you to go test them out, test the AI, help experience with ebay and let me know if you have any feedback there. That would be amazing. And I would leave you with something that I just noticed. As I do product training, when I do agile and product strategy and execution, there's a game, a ball game, where we take iterations, different sprints, and each time the team, we split people into different teams and the teams have to meet back and decide how can they do things better and how can they improve the quality of the product. Now, on the third or fourth sprint, I just give them one piece of information. Their scores would be around 10, 15, 20. I just tell them when I did this exercise for the first time, my score was 2,400 instead of 22,400. That little piece of information which they hate me for at that moment of time, they're like, why are you bragging? But I do it on purpose. The next sprint. Every single time I do this training, the same thing happens the next sprint. Everybody score more than doubles automatically. So they move from 15 points per sprint to 100 something points per sprint automatically. And I realized that it's because of a limitation that they had on themselves. It's because they believed, all right, everybody's just doing this good, so this is the norm. And then it shifted to something out there could be done that is greater. And they just open their minds into different possibilities. And that's how life is. The moment you realize that there is something bigger that you can do, not somebody else that you can do. It's magical how your outcome, performance, mindset and yourself becomes that much better, bigger and grander.

[Eliana]

So you broke the four minute mile for them. And since then, they know that it's possible. So now they're aiming for bigger things. I love that. Thank you so, so, so much for joining us. I can't wait to see you in one of the film fancy things that you're doing and I'm really, really excited that you made it to the show. Bastiano, thank you so much.

[Bastiano Ferrari]

Thank you. Eliana, it's been a pleasure and stay in touch. Hopefully we'll meet in person sometime soon and best of luck on the remaining podcasts and everything you're doing.

[Eliana]

Hey, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. If you did, please leave a five star review below. This really helps us continue to bring amazing guests. Also, if you're feeling stuck or simply want more from your own career, watch this 30 minute free [e-mail] training. That's leapacademy.com training. Now I will see you in the next episode of the Leap Academy with Ilana Galancho.