This week’s guest on Speaking Of is no stranger to the world of television. She’s Jesse Draper, creator and host of online talk show, “The Valley Girl Show.” The show profiles entrepreneurs and businesspeople, but in a format not often seen in Silicon Valley: on a pink-themed set, Draper draws her guests out of their shells in fun, light-hearted interviews that focus less on numbers and more on what the guests are like outside of their work lives.
A Silicon Valley native, Draper grew up around entrepreneurs. Her inspiration for The Valley Girl Show came from watching her father’s friends – her heroes – being grilled in television interviews, and noticing that no one was talking about the fun, creative sides of these entrepreneurs. She set out to create an entertaining business talk show, decided to play off of the stereotypical Southern California “valley girl” persona, and ran with the pink.
Now, most guests of The Valley Girl Show know to expect more than a traditional interview. Draper has hula hooped with MC Hammer, eaten escargot with Elon Musk, and played Guitar Hero with the game’s creator. Next up for the show that ends every episode with a dance party: Draper hopes to become the Ellen DeGeneres of business, broadening the show’s appeal to non-businesspeople in the hopes of inspiring anyone to start a company.
As always, we end on Draper’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. She’s going places with her “pink talk show,” so take a look as she explains how to take a leap and start a business.