When Vietnamese refugee Senh Duong fled after the fall of Saigon, he could never have imagined he’d one day co-found one of the most influential movie sites in the world - Rotten Tomatoes.

A kid who grew up on Hong Kong kung fu flicks, Senh was obsessed with Jackie Chan.

So when Jackie tried to break into Hollywood again, Senh went looking for honest reviews...

But couldn’t find any.

Every critic said the movies were great (even when they weren’t).

So Senh decided to build a site that told the truth.

What began as a side project coded through sleepless nights turned into a cultural phenomenon - one that raised $1 million (2 months before the dot com bubble burst!!), sold for $10 million, and changed how audiences everywhere judge movies.

In this episode, Senh opens up about:

🔸 Fleeing Vietnam and growing up in a refugee camp in Hong Kong

🔸 How Jackie Chan inspired the birth of Rotten Tomatoes

🔸 Almost quitting Rotten Tomatoes due to burnout

🔸 Being treated as “second-class citizens” by film publicists at screenings (and when that changed!)

🔸 Raising $1M, surviving the dot-com crash & selling too early?!

🔸 Why he says he’s proud to be a “one-hit wonder”

This is the story of how a movie-obsessed refugee created one of the most iconic brands in film history - all because he wanted Jackie Chan to get the credit he deserved.

Highlights:

2:08 The Fall of Saigon
4:48 Arriving in the US
6:01 Falling in love with Hong Kong movies & TV series
8:55 The mafia controls the film industry?!
10:14 Studying computer science at Berkeley
13:14 Dreaming of becoming a PIXAR animator?
14:00 Founding a startup design studio with friends, Patrick Lee & Stephen Wang
15:52 Landing Disney as a 7-figure client due to pizza party?!
20:52 Launching Rotten Tomatoes as a side project
23:58 What kept you going?
26:22 Leaving Design Reactor & feeling lost
28:52 Rotten Tomatoes’ traffic explodes
31:34 Turning a side project → company (+ raising $1 million)
35:30 Building a relationship with film critics
36:52 Tomatometer
38:42 Investors saying, ‘Are you crazy?!’
43:46 Internet bubble bursts, layoffs & living in the office
47:02 What kept everyone going?
48:49 Major turning point
53:18 Selling for $10 million
54:47 What’s next?
56:03 IGN buys Rotten Tomatoes for $650 million (1 year later?!)

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🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/pWO2IVYZvlI&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/154

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