Best Mike Gelb Podcasts (2025)

1
Don’t Raise VC Money Until You Hear This | Mike Gelb with Shamin Walsh | Consumer VC 58:21

20d ago58:21

58:21

This episode is brought to you by Highbeam. Highbeam is the all-in-one banking and cash management platform built for consumer brands – https://www.highbeam.co/capital?partn… Join host Mike Gelb as he chats with Shamin Walsh, Managing Director at BAM Ventures — the early-stage VC firm behind Thrive Market, Honey, and Cotopaxi. Shamin breaks down ho…

1
“Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band" with Thom Zimny 52:35

6h ago52:35

52:35

Thom Zimny (“Springsteen on Broadway”, “Springsteen: Letter to You”) can tell you a lot about Bruce Springsteen. Through the course of Thom’s many documentaries featuring Bruce and the E Street Band, including his latest film, “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,” Thom has delved deeply into the music, personalities, and rollicking…

1
From Surviving a Plane Crash to Building Baby Formula and Energy Drink Brands: Richard Lavar 1:02:43

4d ago1:02:43

1:02:43

This episode is brought to you by Highbeam. Highbeam is the all-in-one banking and cash management platform built for consumer brands – https://www.highbeam.co/capital?partn... Richard Laver isn't your typical founder. At age 12, he survived a plane crash that killed 137 people—including his father. Years later, he built Kate Farms to save his daug…

1
"Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer" with Liz Garbus 27:19

5d ago27:19

27:19

As explained by director Liz Garbus ( Bobby Fisher Against the World), ”Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer is, “A documentary series that follows the case of young women who went missing from New York City and Long Island. Ultimately, it's a story about what victims are valued and how when justice fails, people have to step up and demand it…

1
"CHAOS: The Manson Murders" with Errol Morris 42:23

7d ago42:23

42:23

More than 50 years after the conviction of Charles Manson and members of the Manson Family for the shocking Tate-LaBianca murders, acclaimed filmmaker Errol Morris takes aim at the case. Inspired by author Tom O’Neill, whose book (“CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties”) attempts to debunk the thesis of famed prosecu…

1
"Pee-wee as Himself" with Matt Wolf 19:17

12d ago19:17

19:17

As Director Matt Wolf shows in his insightful and fun 2-part HBO series “Pee-wee as Himself”, in Pee-wee, Paul Rubens found a persona that allowed him to both reveal and yet hide some core truths about who he was. Fascinated with television and show business since he was a boy, Rubens combined elements of his childhood’s pop culture with the art wo…

1
"American Murder: Gabby Petito" with Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro 33:11

14d ago33:11

33:11

On the pod today, Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro return to discuss their latest for Netflix, American Murder: Gabby Petito. Mike previously had Julia and Michael on to talk about Murdaugh Murders, and like that effort, this series both fulfills the expectations of the true crime genre, while finding deeper themes to explore. While in M…

1
"Deaf President Now!" with Nyle DiMarco & Davis Guggenheim 36:08

19d ago36:08

36:08

In March 1988, when the Board Chair of Gallaudet University, the world’s only Deaf university, announced Gallaudet’s new president, she had no idea what was about to happen. As chronicled in Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim’s riveting new documentary, “Deaf President Now!”, the students revolted against the decision to hire yet another hearing per…

1
"Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary" with Garret Price 26:59

22d ago26:59

26:59

Our guest today is Garret Price, who Mike speaks to about his HBO Series “Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary.” In addition to editing dozens of narrative and documentary series and films, Garret directed “Love, Antosha”. This is his second directorial effort for “Music Box”, the previous being, “Woodstock 99: Peace Love and Rage.” In “Yacht Rock”, Garret n…

1
"Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos" with Alex Gibney 22:29

28d ago22:29

22:29

As we continue Season 5, Mike speaks with Alex Gibney (Agents of Chaos, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Taxi to the Dark Side) about his documentary series for HBO Max, “Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos”. If you are familiar with Gibney’s work, you will know that his documentaries often have a political topic or a political…

1
How Ithaca Hummus Scaled to $50M Without Venture Capital? Mike Gelb with Chris Kirby | Consumer VC 56:03

1M ago56:03

56:03

This episode is brought to you by Highbeam. Highbeam is the all-in-one banking and cash management platform built for consumer brands – https://www.highbeam.co/capital?partnerId=consumervc In this episode of The Consumer VC, Mike Gelb sits down with Chris Kirby, founder of Ithaca Hummus, to uncover how he turned a local farmer’s market stand into a…

1
"Chef's Table: Legends" with David Gelb & Adam Bricker 42:23

1M ago42:23

42:23

We're kicking off our 5th Season and the beloved Netflix doc series “Chef’s Table” is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the new release of “Chef’s Table: Legends,” a special four-part series spotlighting the achievements and life lessons of four extraordinary pioneers of the kitchen who have changed the food world and culture writ large. Joinin…

1
Classic: "Beckham" with Fisher Stevens 37:37

1M ago37:37

37:37

While we gear up for Season 5, we hope you enjoy this re-release from July of 2023. Since we spoke with Fisher, "Beckham" went on to win several Emmys including Best Documentary or Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Directing of a Documentary/Nonfiction Program for Fisher. From the opening moments when David Beckham strolls through a country field w…

1
Are You Building for the Right Reasons — or Just Because the Category Is Hot? Should there be a Better Business Bureau for VCs? w/ Sid Banthiya 58:59

1M ago58:59

58:59

#venturecapital #consumervc Join host Mike Gelb on The Consumer VC as he talks with Sid Banthiya — investor, advisor, and former CSO at Milk Bar. In this episode, Sid dives deep into consumer startup dynamics, term sheet red flags, and how founders can scale smarter (not louder). Learn why many startups fall into the trap of "venture validation," w…

1
Classic: "20 Days in Mariupol” with Mstyslav Chernov (from July 2023) 42:07

2M ago42:07

42:07

As we gear up for Season 5, please enjoy one of our favorite shows. Since we released this pod first in July of 2023, "20 Days in Mariupol" won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The letter “Z” seems innocent enough – until you see a Russian tank painted with that mark slowly turn its turret in your direction. For AP journalist Ms…

1
Our Most Popular Pods, Season 4 32:46

2M ago32:46

32:46

To finish out Season 4, we're revisiting some telling moments from 4 of our most popular shows of the season: Rob Reiner: "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life" Lucy Walker: "Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa" Sam Lipman-Stern & Adam Bhala Lough: "Telemarketers" Ibrahim Nash'at & Shane Boris: "Hollywoodgate" The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Do…

1
The Future of Restaurant-Tech: Inside EMERGING’s $100M Fund with Mathew Focht 49:33

2M ago49:33

49:33

Mathew Focht is the Founding Managing Partner of EMERGING, a $100M growth capital fund investing in the future of restaurant-tech and entertainment. In this episode of The Consumer VC, Mathew breaks down how EMERGING helps scale innovative hospitality concepts like F1® Arcade, BatBox, Puttshack, and more. We explore why the intersection of restaura…

1
"The Perfect Neighbor" with Geeta Gandbhir 24:32

2M ago24:32

24:32

“Stand Your Ground” became a part of the cultural lexicon over a dozen years ago when a Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman of murder in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin under the Florida self-defense law. Director Geeta Gandbhir takes a probing look at Stand Your Ground laws in her searing new documentary “The Perfect Neighbor,” which…

1
Will AI Screw IP Holders, Content Getting Better or Worse, and The Future of Journalism with Ishan Sinha, Partner at Point72 Ventures 57:48

3M ago57:48

57:48

#consumervc #venturecapital #aicontentcreation Join host Mike Gelb on The Consumer VC as he talks with Ishan Sinha, Partner at Point72 Ventures.In this episode, Ishan shares insights into the evolving role of AI in consumer startups, the challenges of AI-driven media, and the future of monetization for creators. He discusses the impact of AI on int…

1
"The Dating Game" with Violet Du Feng & Joanna Natasegara 21:29

3M ago21:29

21:29

Forget about the original “The Dating Game,” not to mention “The All-New Dating Game” and “The Celebrity Dating Game.” This is director Violet Du Feng’s “The Dating Game,” which just had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Of course, this is a documentary not a Chuck Barris game show and, like Violet’s previous film, the sublime …

1
"Gen_" with Gianluca Matarrese & Dr. Maurizio Bini 23:23

3M ago23:23

23:23

To unwind, Dr. Maurizio Bini, who runs a clinic in a public hospital in Milan, takes long walks in the mountains and picks mushrooms. But even in these calming moments, work is not far from his mind. In “Gen_”, director Gianluca Matarrese’s thoroughly entrancing new documentary portrait (a world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival), Dr. …

1
"Middletown" with Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss 23:44

3M ago23:44

23:44

Continuing our coverage live from Sundance, we are once again joined by Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss (Boys State, Girls State, The Mission) to discuss their new film, “Middletown”, which depicts a charismatic high school teacher in Upstate New York who in the 1990s led a “Breakfast Club”-like group of his students to investigate the town dump–whic…

1
Academy Awards Breakdown 2025 with Clayton Davis 41:27

3M ago41:27

41:27

Joining us for the 4th year in a row, Variety’s Senior Awards Editor Clayton Davis is back on “Top Docs” to break down this year’s Oscar races for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short and to offer his predictions for who will walk away victorious on March 2nd. With this year’s feature doc race the closest thing to a real toss-up in y…

1
Selling Shorter Shorts to a Successful Exit, The Story of Chubbies with Preston Rutherford 54:39

3M ago54:39

54:39

Join host Mike Gelb on The Consumer VC as he talks with Preston Rutherford, co-founder of Chubbies. In this episode, Preston delves into their founding journey, tackling topics like why they raised VC money, overcoming early manufacturing challenges, and evolving their brand strategy. He shares insights into achieving product-market fit, the import…

1
"Incident" with Bill Morrison & Jamie Kalven 27:26

4M ago27:26

27:26

Rounding out our coverage of the 2025 Academy Award nominees, we are joined by producers Bill Morrison (“Decasia”, “The Dockworker's Dream”, Dawson City: Frozen Time) and Jamie Kalven (of the Invisible Institute) to discuss their Oscar-nominated short, “Incident,” which depicts the police shooting of Harith “Snoop” Augustus and it’s immediate after…

1
"Instruments of a Beating Heart" with Ema Ryan Yamazaki 23:00

4M ago23:00

23:00

Ema Ryan Yamazaki attended Japanese elementary school, then an international school before heading to New York for her college education. In “Instruments of a Beating Heart”, her Academy Award Nominated short, she reveals some of the differences she found between national pedagogies, and some of the key learnings which have made her who she is. Tol…

1
"I Am Ready Warden" with Smriti Mundhra & Maya Gnyp 33:24

4M ago33:24

33:24

In Smriti Mundhra’s (“St. Louis Superman,” “Indian Matchmaking”) recently Oscar-nominated documentary short, “I Am Ready, Warden,” John Henry Ramirez speaks direct to camera and says, “If you all are seeing this, it means the state of Texas has murdered me…” For the audience, it’s a punch to the gut, a spoiler, and an announcement of what’s at stak…

1
"Death by Numbers" with Kim A. Snyder and Sam Fuentes 31:49

4M ago31:49

31:49

When documentary filmmaker Kim A. Snyder began her directing career, she didn’t set out to make a string of films about school shootings and their aftermaths. But, from “Newtown” (2016) to “US Kids” (2020), and now with her Oscar-nominated short documentary “Death by Numbers,” Kim has brought critical attention to the issue and built deep relations…

1
The Fusion of Innovation and Leadership with YuChiang Cheng 53:15

4M ago53:15

53:15

Having transitioned from founding companies to supporting early-stage ventures, YC shares his passion for creating consumer-centric solutions across diverse industries. From media and sports technology to consumer goods, he reflects on shifting his focus from generating ideas himself to aiding under-managed ventures with effective execution and str…

1
"2000 Meters to Andriivka" with Mstyslav Chernov 24:34

4M ago24:34

24:34

One of the most haunting moments in director Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing new documentary “2000 Meters to Andriivka” — a follow up to his Oscar-winning “20 Days in Mariupol” — is a rather prosaic conversation about handmade cigarettes between the filmmaker and a Ukrainian soldier as they huddle in a foxhole while artillery shells explode around the…

1
Why The Supplement Industry Is Broken and How Momentous Plans to Fix It with Jeff Byers 1:07:21

5M ago1:07:21

1:07:21

Thank you to our presenting partner –– Propeller Industries https://www.propellerindustries.com/Propeller Industries is the leading strategic finance and accounting partner for venture-stage companies.Our guest today is Jeff Byers, CEO of Momentous. Momentous produces and sells best in class human performance products. Previously, Jeff Byers founde…

1
"Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat" with Johan Grimonprez 43:44

5M ago43:44

43:44

The 15th UN General Assembly of September 1960 may not seem like the most avant-garde topic for a cinematically adventurous documentary, but don’t tell that to director Johan Grimonprez. His stunningly creative “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” recently named to the Oscar Shortlist for Best Documentary Feature, is a cinematic high point of 2024 and al…

1
"The Bibi Files" with Alexis Bloom 26:32

5M ago26:32

26:32

Continuing our Academy Award coverage, today we speak with Alexis Bloom about her documentary, "The Bibi Files," which has been Oscar-shortlisted. "The Bibi Files" features never-before seen police interrogations of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, his wife Sara, their son Yair and many of their friends, associates, and people who …

1
Why Invest in CPG and Tech? Expected Returns and Red Antler's VC Journey with Daniel Faierman, Partner at Habitat Partners 54:59

5M ago54:59

54:59

Thank you to our Partner –– Propeller Industries https://www.propellerindustries.com/Propeller Industries is the leading strategic finance and accounting partner for venture-stage companies. Our guest on today’s episode is Daniel Faierman, Partner at Habitat Partners. Habitat Partners is an early-stage venture fund that is part of Red Antler. Red A…

1
"Will & Harper" with Josh Greenbaum 45:24

5M ago45:24

45:24

Road trips — and road trip movies — are as American as apple pie. And now, currently streaming on Netflix, we have director Josh Greenbaum’s poignant and very funny documentary “Will & Harper,” which tags along on a cross country road trip with close friends Will Ferrell and Harper Steele as the two navigate Harper’s recent transition as a woman. S…

1
"Makayla's Voice" with Julio Palacio 27:33

5M ago27:33

27:33

Due to a rare form of autism, 14-year-old Makayla has grown up with plenty to say but lacking the ability to say it — until now. Thanks to a groundbreaking therapy, she has found her voice and is making up for lost time. In Julio Palacio’s deeply moving Oscar-shortlisted documentary short, “Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World,” Makayla uses a le…

1
"The Only Girl in the Orchestra" with Molly O’Brien 26:57

5M ago26:57

26:57

The first thing you should know about double bassist Orin O’Brien is that she doesn’t think she’s anything special. The second thing you should know — as director Molly O’Brien’s thoroughly endearing Oscar-shortlisted documentary short “The Only Girl in the Orchestra” makes perfectly clear — is that Orin O’Brien is very special, indeed. The first f…

1
Sundance 2025 Preview with Basil Tsiokos 44:33

5M ago44:33

44:33

“Hello, 2025!” And as the doc calendar turns to a new year, we turn our attention to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The 41st edition runs from January 23 – February 2 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah (and online from Jan. 30 – Feb 2). To help get us fired up, we welcome back Basil Tsiokos, Sundance Senior Programmer, Nonfiction, for his four…

1
"Frida" with Carla Gutiérrez 43:13

5M ago43:13

43:13

Frida Kahlo is everywhere. From pajamas imprinted with her likeness to exhibitions of her work, Frida’s image and art are omnipresent. But what about Frida’s own perspective on life, art, politics and love? Taking inspiration from Frida’s letters, illustrated diary and other writings, filmmaker Carla Gutiérrez’s stunning documentary portrait “Frida…

1
Oscar Shortlist 2024 Rundown with Anne Thompson 34:32

5M ago34:32

34:32

Welcome to our Anne-ual Top Docs Holiday Special featuring the one-and-only Anne Thompson, Editor-at-Large at IndieWire! Anne joins Mike and Ken to tackle this year’s Best Feature Documentary Oscar Shortlist, released on December 17th. One day following the release of the list, Anne is already fired up and ready to go. How competitive is this year’…

1
Anatomy of a Scene from Sugarcane with Emily Kassie & Julian Brave NoiseCat 39:29

6M ago39:29

39:29

Today’s pod features one of our special “Anatomy of a Scene” episodes. Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat join us once again to discuss their feature documentary, “Sugarcane”. Emily & Julian were first on the show when we recorded them live from Sundance. We wanted to have them back on to dig in deep on a scene from the movie that spans contine…

1
Is AI the Sole Future of Consumer Tech, What's Missing in Social & Will Glasses Be The Consumer Platform with Bryan Kim, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz 1:01:53

6M ago1:01:53

1:01:53

In today’s episode, we’re thrilled to host Bryan Kim, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, for an insightful conversation on the intersection of venture capital and consumer innovation. Brian shares his remarkable journey from a thriving career in investment banking to becoming a driving force in the tech industry. He opens up about the transformative e…

1
"No Other Land" with Basel Adra & Yuval Abraham 27:40

6M ago27:40

27:40

For Palestinian villagers in the rural southern West Bank community of Masafer Yatta, life under the Israeli occupation is terrifying. The Israeli military can show up, without warning, waving orders to demolish your house; those resisting can be arrested or even shot. Among the Palestinians who call Masafer Yatta home is filmmaker Basel Adra. Base…

1
"Elton John: Never Too Late" with RJ Cutler 22:15

6M ago22:15

22:15

RJ Cutler (“The War Room”, “The September Issue”, “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry”) joins Mike and Ken once again to talk about his latest documentary, “Elton John: Never Too Late.” As RJ tells us, the film “ Tells the story of two monumental decisions in the life of Elton John. The first, a decision he makes [to come out] in an intervi…

1
"Separated" with Errol Morris & Jacob Soboroff 27:25

6M ago27:25

27:25

Today our guests are Errol Morris, director of the new MSNBC documentary “Separated”, and Jacob Soboroff, executive producer, upon whose 2020 book, “Separated: Inside an American Tragedy,” the documentary was based. We had Errol on the show last year to discuss his Oscar-shortlisted portrait of John le Carré, “The Pigeon Tunnel”, which with its imp…

1
Anatomy of a Scene from "Porcelain War" with Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev 29:57

6M ago29:57

29:57

We invited directors Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev back to “Top Docs” to discuss the unique art that animates their Sundance award-winning documentary “Porcelain War,” an intimate portrait of three Ukrainian artists and their responses to the Russian invasion of their country. Brendan and Slava analyze one of the film’s magical moments, about …

1
"Black Box Diaries" with Shiori Ito 33:03

6M ago33:03

33:03

The message from some of the most powerful forces in Japanese society was clear: “Don’t talk about it.” But, over the course of a yearslong journey depicted in her powerful new documentary “Black Box Diaries,” Japanese journalist Shiori Ito does all she can to expose the facts and tell her story of how she was raped in 2015 by a prominent journalis…

1
"Night is Not Eternal" with Nanfu Wang 30:39

6M ago30:39

30:39

Today we speak with Nanfu Wang, about her new documentary, “Night is Not Eternal,” a portrait of the Cuban struggle for democracy, with a focus on Cuban human rights activist Rosa Maria Payá. Nanfu was previously on the pod discussing her last documentary “In the Same Breath”, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2022. In that film, Nanfu …

1
"The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" with Benjamin Ree 44:29

7M ago44:29

44:29

To his “real” family, Mats Steen was a loving brother and son, rather shy and reserved; to his World of Warcraft family, Mats — known by his avatar Ibelin Redmoore — was bold, outgoing, and something of a ladies’ man. Both families were devastated by Mats’ tragic passing from Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was only in his mid-20s. In his deepl…

1
"Leonardo da Vinci" with Ken Burns & Dave McMahon 40:34

7M ago40:34

40:34

In their first foray outside the context of American history and culture, Ken Burns (“The Brooklyn Bridge”, “The Civil War”, Jazz) and Dave McMahon (“The Central Park Five”, “Jackie Robinson”, “The War”) take on Leonardo da Vinci. As they tell Mike, casting themselves deep into the past, Burns and McMahon explore the world that Leonardo found himse…

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Mike Gelb Podcasts

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