Have you ever felt the urge to help change the world – as an entrepreneur? If so, a new 10-episode documentary series following social entrepreneurs who are tackling “today’s most pressing challenges” may be for you.
How to Change the World, a production of World Within Studios, in partnership with Religion of Sports, that is executive produced by Mark Cuban, Geralyn Dreyfous and Gotham Chopra, will premiere on YouTube on Sept. 10.
It explores entrepreneurs’ work and their “innovation, determination and community-driven solutions. “Each episode follows the emotional arc of a real founder, from a small brick-and-mortar beverage startup to a Lakota-founded green energy company,” the creators say. “The scale of growth varies by story – but not the measure of success. Community impact is the measuring stick throughout every narrative.”
Business voices featured in the show include Cuban, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, NYU Stern professor and podcast host Scott Galloway, Acumen founder Jacqueline Novogratz and Our Place co-founder Shiza Shahid. Other faces sharing their insight in the series include Free Solo climber and Alex Honnold, Humans of New York author Brandon Stanton, former White House chef Sam Kass and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
World Within founder and CEO Rostam Zafari and co-founder Dylan Mulick, who co-created the series, are also among the executive producers, along with Victor Buhler, executive vp of unscripted at Religion of Sports.
World Within Studios team members, courtesy of Kelly Balch
Courtesy of Kelly Balch
“There’s a mythology about entrepreneurship: grow fast, sell for as much as possible and walk away without looking back,” a synopsis for the show says. “How to Change the World follows a different kind of founder, one whose success is measured by what a business gives back rather than what its founder takes home. The series sheds light inside the lives of entrepreneurs finding new ways to expand clean energy, strengthen local economies, improve food systems and create opportunities for the communities they serve. Through cinematic storytelling and firsthand access, the series highlights the people behind the ideas and the perseverance required to turn those ideas into lasting, global impact.”
Individual episodes are directed by Mulick, Oliver Riley-Smith and Nicholas Mihm. The series is produced by Jason Bowers and Jacob Mosler, World Within’s COO, with Radhika Womack co-producing. World Within is a nonprofit working at what it calls “the intersection of impact investing and storytelling.” Among the projects the firm has been involved with are Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World, which won the best documentary short award at the Tribeca Film Festival and The Voice of Hind Rajab.
“The traditional entrepreneur story rewards scale and personal payout, often without asking what the true cost is on people and communities,” Zafari said. “How To Change The World follows founders who measure success differently: by what their businesses give back to the communities they are built in, not by what they can walk away with. This is the version of business worth telling stories about.”
And Mulick emphasized: “We are following individuals who are sacrificing personal gain to solve huge problems, some of which may never be solved, against extraordinary headwinds. By blending investigative journalism with a premium, stylized cinematic aesthetic, we are presenting these narratives not as passive interest pieces, but as dynamic blueprints for systemic change.”
Buhler highlighted that “we typically tell stories of athletes who have overcome incredible odds to become great. On this series, we’re proud to work with the World Within team to profile social entrepreneurs who have overcome incredible odds also. These entrepreneurs all have a clear mission: to create sustainable companies that provide real solutions to today’s most pressing issues.”
Cuban shared why he just had to support the series: “I don’t back a project unless the people behind it are doing the work, not just talking about it. Rostam and Dylan built something different: a series that skips the crash-and-burn stories and instead follows entrepreneurs who are actually solving problems and building something that lasts in their communities. World Within isn’t just filming that work. They’re funding it. That’s the kind of entrepreneurship I want more people to see.”
Watch a trailer for How to Change the World right here.
