Breaking Big: Carlos Watson talks about the new eye-opening show
By Ryan Mekkes
Carlos Watson, the mastermind behind the groundbreaking news and media movement, Ozy, takes the time to speak with us about his new show, Breaking Big.
A show that examines first-hand the questions of how and why people become successful, Breaking Big is for the curious at heart. What separates these people from the pack? Why do some ascend to the heights of stardom while others don’t? What are the tangible and intangible factors of success?
Carlos Watson examines these questions and more in this new eye-opening series featuring the likes of The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah, The Walking Dead and Black Panther‘s Danai Gurira, and many more. Are you ready for the experience of a lifetime?
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Hidden Remote: So first of all, on behalf of FanSided and Hidden Remote thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today. It’s seriously an honor sir to speak with you
Carlos Watson: Oh thank you! Appreciate that, thank you.
HR: What you’re doing at Ozy Media is unique, and it’s special; … what is your main purpose behind what you’re doing there?
Watson: You know, I feel like we’re living in one of the most dynamic, and in some ways tumultuous times in history. And I feel like it’s made media more important than ever before to kind of help people make sense of the world, and in some ways not only see what’s happening in front of their eyes but sometimes what’s happening even beyond your immediate view. …
HR: What inspired you to do Breaking Big, in particular?
Watson: I think part of it, honestly, probably came from my parents, who were teachers and who always had a belief in infinite possibility. Not that possibility was always fairly distributed or evenly distributed or easily accessible, but that there certainly was possibility out there. And so I wanted to take a look at what the new rules of the road were for people who wanted to break big, whether you’re, ya know, a young comic from South Africa, or whether you’re a board lawyer in New York, or whether you’re a struggling writer from Nebraska. We wanted to take a look at how Trevor Noah and Eddie Huang and Roxane Gay and lots of others — unlikely superstars — got their shot, and hope that by sharing that information we’ll not only inspire other people, but we might even inform them about how to make some of their own moves.
HR: What were you the most curious about going into this show? …
Watson: I think I was curious about lessons on success that went against conventional wisdom. I wanted to know where people threw away the playbook and still won, or maybe even won because they threw away the playbook. That was the most interesting for me. …
HR: Were you surprised at anything that you discovered in the course of doing this show?
Watson: I was. For example, Michael Strahan saying to me some people saw [his] early story and felt that [he] was at a disadvantage because [he] didn’t go to big-time high schools or big-time colleges — [and because he] wasn’t a first-round draft pick. But he said, actually, being in slower environments allowed [him] to come into [himself] and have full confidence and to get all the reps that [he] needed.
Hearing someone say that going fast isn’t always the way to get somewhere, I thought, was really interesting. …
HR: Did you ever look across the table when you were doing these interviews and see a like-minded individual? Did you connect with anyone, in particular, in that way?
Watson: Oh sure I would say [I connected with] a bunch of people in different ways. I mean, I connected with Trevor Noah talking about the importance of his mom. I connected with Jason Aldean, the country music singer, talking about just how tough-minded you have to be [to make it]. [And], you know, I knew Danai Gurira from before, but really hearing her lay out her story was just — not only was it inspirational, but it made you optimistic about the future, honestly. …
HR: So you just did the show Breaking Big, and you were interviewing all of these wonderful people — but it’s your turn. I want to ask YOU … what was your path like to get you to where you are today?
Watson: … I think that I learned to take chances as I went along. And I think that openness and that willingness to kind of throw [myself] at something that’s uncertain or unlikely has been helpful. … That certainly, I think, ended up making a difference for me — that willingness to give it a shot and go for it.
HR: You like to address the elephant in the room to bring people together — addressing awkwardness and making people feel comfortable enough to speak their minds. Do you believe that the world has a chance to be unified through open conversation and communication?
Watson: I do. I mean, I’m ultimately an optimist, Ryan — that doesn’t mean a naive optimist, but an optimist. And I I know there’s a lot of bad stuff in the world. I know there’s a lot of people that aren’t interested in understanding other perspectives; but for the most part, I think people are open to hearing more. And it doesn’t mean they’re always going to agree right away, and it doesn’t mean there’s going to be an immediate snap-of-a-finger epiphany. But I am a believer that healthy, candid conversations can help people get past misconceptions or at least agree to disagree in a humane way.
HR: If you could make one change in the world what would it be?
Watson: I guess I’d make sure that we all treated each other with decency. And I realize there’s a lot that you could throw underneath there. But that would mean you wouldn’t let anyone go hungry, that would mean that there wouldn’t be that kind of violence that we see, [And] that would mean we’d give people a fair shot just like we want to get a fair shot. That’s what I would want — kind of a basic human decency all of us one to another, the old [golden rule].
HR: So what are you working on now? What projects do you have coming up?
Watson: We’ve got an amazing Summer Festival: Ozy Fest, which debuts next summer, which we’re really excited about. And then we have a terrific new podcast series, which will debut this fall. So I feel like we’re firing on all cylinders, and I’m excited about the idea of it. We’re increasingly allowing People to enjoy Ozy however they want if you want to watch Ozy if you want to read Ozy if you want to listen to Ozy if you want to hang out with Ozy — we’re giving you all those opportunities and choices.
HR: It’s been an absolute pleasure, sir. Thank you so much for your time!
CW: Thank you!
Next: Interview: It’s Criminal director, Signe Taylor, stands up for underprivileged women
Breaking Big will begin airing on Friday, June 15, on select PBS stations (check your local listings) and will be available for streaming on pbs.org the day after broadcast.