In The News

Entrepreneur, investor and APB speaker Soraya Darabi is taking over the second season of Business Schooled, the hit podcast by Synchrony, as the new host and resident business expert. The eight-episode season features probing conversations with an up-and-coming generation of entrepreneurs from across the country. Darabi’s mission with this season of Business Schooled is to unpack why today’s generation of entrepreneurs are more successful across the board than in the prior three decades. She talks to business owners and founders that run the gamut of modern business, from the world of 3D printing in the heart of New York City to a backyard grilling guru in Louisville, Kentucky. This consistently top-ranked business podcast explores what it really takes to start and grow a business, from the financial to the personal.

The 42nd annual Kennedy Center Honors are set to take place at the Kennedy Center Opera House on December 8th. This year’s showcase marks the first time a television program will receive an award, with Sesame Street being honored as the iconic cultural institution that it is. APB’s Sonia Manzano, known for her longtime role as “Maria” on Sesame Street, is set to introduce the co-founders of the program who will be accepting the award. Manzano, who won many Emmy Awards as part of the Sesame Street writing team, is a core part of the show’s legacy. 

Long known as “America’s Historian” for his beloved History Channel shows, and as the best-selling author of over 10 thrillers, APB’s Brad Meltzer put his literary and historical expertise to use to create the popular series of children’s books, Ordinary People Change the World, based around inspirational historical figures. Now, the series has been turned into a new show, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, airing at 9am EST weekdays on PBS Kids.

Forget your worries about the rise of AI, robotics, blockchains, IoT and other technologies “botsourcing” our jobs. Instead, get ready for a golden age when humans are empowered to flourish, emotional connections are paramount, and authenticity is essential. According to Dr. Nada Sanders, futurist, AI expert, keynote speaker and distinguished professor at Northeastern’s D’Amore McKim School of Business, we are at the dawn of the Human Era. In the Human Era, machines are just tools doing automated, repetitive, and standardized tasks. Our uniquely human qualities will reign supreme, advancing our enterprises, society and economy.

APB speaker Vaclav Smil, a renowned scientist, professor and thought leader has released his much-anticipated new book Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities via the MIT Press. Smil’s expertise in the realms of climate, energy and consumption have made him a larger-than-life figure in the scientific discussions around our society’s response to climate change, especially the potential of energy transitions.

A political analyst for NBC and MSNBC, APB speaker Karine Jean-Pierre released her new book Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America. Chronicling her path from New York's Haitian community to working in the Obama White House, Moving Forward "gives us an astute and insightful look at both a remarkable political journey and an inspiring life," said Edwidge Danticat, author of Brother, I’m Dying.  

Technology and science expert David Pogue put himself and his fellow CBS Sunday Morning correspondents to the test in an escape room! Escape rooms, explosively trendy since they came on the scene in the U.S. in 2012, are immersive experiences during which you get locked in a room and have to look for clues to escape – all while trying to beat the clock. In the segment, Pogue interviews superfans and unpacks what is behind the love for escape rooms. The overwhelming answer seemed to be that it is an immersive, tangible experience to share with family and friends, away from the daily grind of stress, screens and reality.

November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, marked most famously by Veterans Day. The sacrifices of veterans and their families are the bedrock of our country’s identity, and here at APB, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the contributions of our speakers that have served our country. We express our gratitude to APB speakers and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.

In a recent interview in Variety, Cameron Douglas, son of Academy Award-winning actor and producer Michael and grandson of Hollywood legend, Kirk, explained why he wrote his new bestseller, Long Way Home. “I can’t go back and change a lot of my decisions and the pain and the wreckage that some of those decisions have caused,” he said. “What I did endeavor to do is take those experiences and turn them into something useful.” In Long Way Home, which has climbed to #1 on Amazon, Cameron provides an unflinching account of his dangerous descent into years of addiction and incarceration—and his inspiring rise to recovery and return to society and family. Contrasting what it is like to grow up as Hollywood royalty with hitting rock bottom as a heroin addict, Cameron shares his struggle to return to society and family after almost eight years in federal prison.

Known for his insightful perspective on American democracy, law and governance, APB speaker Lawrence Lessig is set to release his much-anticipated new book on November 5^th, entitled They Don’t Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy. In his new book, Lessig sets out to unpack why American democracy is so detached from the people it supposedly serves.