SXSW and The Meaning of Work podcasts
Ross, Founder of Rise has been lucky to take part in a documentary. Yeah! Crazy but true. He is one of a small select group of artists being filmed about attending South by South West 2018 (SXSW), a huge conference, music and film festival held in Austin TX each year. The doco makers want to get the scoop as to why he wants to attend and what he hopes to get out of the experience.
Besides networking and hearing world renowned speakers from a range of genres such as, ‘intelligent future’, ‘start-ups and tech’, ‘social impact’ and ‘brand and marketing’, Ross wants to gather ideas and learn from those who are doing things well. The end game of course, is to bring his vision to life and be at the forefront of everyone’s minds when it comes to, “creating happier people and workplaces through meaningful work.”
Last week the doco makers interviewed Ross. This was the pre-interview before we head to SXSW in March. Whilst I listened to his story, the part I enjoyed learning the most was when Ross realised that the Meaning of Work podcast series could be the foundation of his PHD. No kidding.
He called an old lecturer from of his MBA and asked, “this is what I’m doing, could it be a PHD?” His lecturer replied, “I’ve dedicated the rest of my career to the meaning of work, and I’m fascinated about your podcast series for my own research.” He told Ross that he must come in and see him immediately. Two weeks later Ross had signed up to do a research degree, and shifted his entire business to focus on meaningful work and happiness at its core. That pivotal conversation, “changed my life in a huge way,” Ross explained to the interviewer, Shannon. Not only are the podcasts a creative outlet, they’re a discovery about how real-life people have made work, work for them, by finding true meaning and happiness in their work.
Stay tuned for more great stories about Ross and his adventure to SXSW. The documentary will be released mid to late 2018.