Dear OZY Tribe,
I hope by now you've had a chance to watch OZY's latest prime-time TV show on PBS, Breaking Big, which explores how some of the world's most influential artists, innovators, political leaders, athletes, authors and entrepreneurs got their big break. Last Friday, we debuted with a look at The Daily Show's host, Trevor Noah. We also announced an exciting partnership with Facebook Watch, which is making the series available to some 1 billion people worldwide. The Daily Beast called Breaking Big "one of summer's most exciting new shows," and The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly included Breaking Big in their "must-see TV" columns. As OZY's co-founder and editor in chief, I wanted to give you some background on how we came up with this series and why it is so meaningful to me. Breaking Big arises from my personal belief in individual possibility — one that's central to OZY's mission. On OZY.com, we highlight seemingly everyday people doing transformative things, from our "Rising Stars" section to our OZY Genius Award grants. In the age of American Idol, it is tempting to believe in overnight celebrity, but very few big breaks come that quickly, or easily. More often, they are the product of years of hard work, preparation, passion, pain and grit. So tune in this Friday, June 22, at 8:30 p.m. on PBS, OZY.com and Facebook Watch to learn about restaurateur Eddie Huang's unusual path to stardom, and how he ultimately "broke big." I hope to see you there. Best, Carlos |