Jesse Derris: A Masterclass in PR & Brand Building
Jesse Derris is the founder and CEO of Derris, a brand consultancy with offices in New York and London. He is also the founder and managing member of Amity Supply, which invests in and supports early-stage consumer brands, and an advisor-in-residence to the Columbia University Entrepreneurship Program. \n\nHe is an investor and advisor to over 120 emerging brands, including Everlane, Glossier, Harry\u2019s, Hims, Oscar, and Warby Parker. Jesse started his career in politics, working on various campaigns as a spokesman, and is a proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is married to Jordana Kier, the founder of LOLA, a women\u2019s reproductive health brand.\n\nThis Episode\u2019s Heavy-hitter\u2019s:\n\nJesse says his key to success at a young age was not being afraid of failing. Although he worked on some really high-profile PR campaigns, he was able to understand that he was smart enough to deserve his place in the room and stood out by speaking his mind.\n\nJesse was the press secretary and spokesman for the Transit Union when it went on strike at age 25, which saw him in the middle of a nationwide news story for almost a full week.\n\nOne of the most important lessons Jesse learned early in his career came shortly after working on the John Kerry campaign. His boss and mentor, Ken Sunshine told him he could be a nice person and still be successful.\n\nJesse recalls the early days of Warby Parker, where they launched one of the first massively successful DTC brands of the time, and remembers he didn\u2019t initially think it would work. He builds by talking about how they were adaptive and had the right people in the building to make the correct changes, which ultimately led to the success of the business.\n\nWe get into the value that each of our spouses has had in our careers as entrepreneurs, and Jesse talks about the importance of intentionality when picking a life partner that shares the same values.\n\nTo learn more about Jesse, please check out: https://www.derris.com/\n\nIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review: \xa0\xa0https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast\n\n#thePOZcast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller \u2013 the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiters and sellers.\xa0\n\nCheck out a free demo today!\xa0https://bit.ly/2Fbm/BZ\n\nThanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and Twitter @AdamJPosner.eth\xa0and please check out past episodes at www.thePOZcast.com Thanks!