Hunter's Fund

Justin Diaz is a Syracuse University student, Hunter Watson Entrepreneurship Recipient, actor, and founder of Eco Bamboo Living, an organization working to design and build affordable, environmentally conscious tiny-homes made of bamboo. In this episode of YES! (The Young Entrepreneur Series) host Jacob O’Connor talks to Justin about entrepreneurship, attending a start-up accelerator program, growing up in New York City, and how networking and mentorship have helped him establish himself as an entrepreneur. 

“At the end of day, it’s not what I want and what my dreams are —  it’s what the people want. And if I can give them what they want and need, essentially that's all that matters.” - Justin Diaz 

Brianna Howard is a Syracuse University alumni and co-founder of PAANI, a global health company that aims to provide access to clean water to women in India through water filtration devices that are built into traditional worn women's saris. She and partner Nikita Chatterjee won a Hunter Watson Entrepreneurship Award grant for PAANI through Syracuse University in 2019

In this episode of YES! Brianna talks with host Jacob O’Connor about balancing work and getting her Master’s Degree with developing a start-up business, how being a woman of color and first-generation college student inspired her to become an entrepreneur, launching her global business, finding grants, and using and networking opportunities to develop her business, and the downfalls of using modern solutions to solve problems in third-world countries.

“If you have an idea and you're super passionate about it, stick with it.

There's going to be people who might not believe in it... but in the coming years it could be something really valuable that our global community needs."

Sophie Fazio is a Brooklyn, New York based filmmaker, director, producer, and actor who has worked on set of shows including The Tonight Show, The Affair, and Vinyl. She developed a love for film while growing up in Tribeca attending the Tribeca Film Festival, and will soon release her latest film, Wilde Flowers.

In episode three of YES! Sophie talks to host Jacob O’Connor about how getting her start in filmmaking, growing her network to land jobs on film sets, and creating her latest film in the pandemic.

“A lot of the best advice I've had from some of my mentors has been to really try everything. Even if you're the best actor in the industry, there might still be a time where you have a few months off. Why wouldn't you want to try writing, or producing, or directing? I think making my own stuff, being an assistant, acting.... It's allowed me this sort of learning experience that I didn't really get in college.”

17-year-old Anwar Karim may be young, but the high school student is already making major waves in the Washington D.C. area’s rap music scene. The young hip-hop artist launched his music production and merchandise company Elevate & Motivate in 2018 and hopes to use rap music and fashion to shine a light on racial injustice and engage young people in activism.

In episode two of YES! Anwar talks to host Jacob O’Connor about the intersection of social justice and music, how he got his start in the music industry, how his song landed on local news, and how he’s learned to stay true to his sound.

“By the time it’s all said and done, it would be a disservice if we didn’t give back,” Karim says. “I just want to give people more opportunities and try to bring more equity into the world.”

Capricious Productions: https://www.capriciousmusic.com/

This week’s episode features Cassie Leachman and Matthew Farrelly, founders of the music production, artist management, and record label Capricious Productions.

Cassie and Matthew were inspired to start Capricious Productions while studying at Syracuse University. Unlike large, corporate record labels, they are committed to transparency and offer custom contracts to artists that allow them greater freedom over their music and futures.

“We try really hard to educate the artists that we work with on all of the pieces and parts of a recording contract,” Leachman says. “It’s really hard for artists, and really scary if you don’t know what you’re doing, so we try to make that process as helpful and as educational as possible.”

On this week’s episode of the YES! Series, Cassie and Matthew share how they started their company, how to avoid predatory record label contracts, how professors and networking have helped their business succeed, how they scored their first client, and advice for people wanting to break into the music industry.

“My advice to anyone who wants to get into the music or entertainment industry is to not be deterred by the amount of people who are going to tell you it's not plausible,” Leachman says. “I’ve heard the same pieces of advice so many times that it would be easier to quit and get an office job, but I really recommend that you don’t give yourself an out. Go and forge your own path with whatever things you want to do.”