I’m not a financial advisor; nothing I write in Superpowers for Good should be considered investment advice. You should seek appropriate counsel before making investment decisions.
Remember, you can watch the Superpowers for Good show on e360tv. To watch the episode, download the e360tv channel app to your streaming device–Roku, AppleTV or AmazonFireTV–or your mobile device. You can even watch it on the web.
Devin: What do you see as your superpower?
Aaron: The thing that I get from others a lot is I'm a very empathetic person. I have an ear, and I have patience. I don't mind just people sorting through their feelings or whatever it may be and frustrations and me being the ear to hear those. I am empathetic with people when I know what they are going through. So, when it comes to relationships, that's one of my superpowers.
Aaron Heimes is the CEO and co-founder of e360tv Network, Inc., the Netflix of creators. It’s the network that hosts the Superpowers for Good show. The company is raising money via Wefunder; I’m proud to note that I have participated in a small way there.
Aaron and his team have reinvented distribution for content creators like me. E360tv allows us to distribute content simultaneously across a range of devices, from the 65-inch big-screen television in the living room to a laptop, phone or other mobile device.
Aaron succinctly shared the history of e360tv:
We've been around for six years now, which in this industry–over-the-top television–makes us ancient. We grew out of a need for independent creators and storytellers to be able to get distribution for their content onto platforms beyond social media. The social media platforms are really, really tough to get traction on. We wanted to be an extension of their distribution.
It all came together about three years ago when we launched e360tv Live. That is where we could make it, where an independent storyteller or creator can go live. But they're going live across multiple platforms, including their social media, all at the same time.
A fantastic part of the experience is that voices sometimes ignored by mainstream media are rising to the top on e360tv. Aaron says it happened “organically,” with the show host ranks growing by word of mouth.
Aaron describes the pool of show hosts:
It's intensely diverse because it's just people from around the world and different walks of life and age groups from mid-twenties all the way up to the 80s. Race, but not only just race–races from different areas of the globe, so you have different perspectives even amongst that.
It organically happened. But there is a commonality. You'll see a common thread that goes through all of the hosts on e360tv; everyone wants to do some good. They want to put media out that has a purpose and brings value to people's lives. That is the commonality that you'll see throughout. But the diversity just happened, and we're continuing to grow that. That's important to me.
That community is now driving the crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder. Aaron learned as a founder that many investors have minimums of $1 million or more. He didn’t want to raise that much. He didn’t want to have to employ a valuation he couldn’t defend, so he’s raising a relatively small amount from the e360tv community.
To build the network, Aaron admits needing a lot of tenacity and perseverance. Still, he says, his real superpower is empathy.
AI Episode Summary
Devin Thorpe introduces Aaron Heimes, the CEO of e360tv, the network that hosts the superpowers for good show.
Aaron explains that e360tv was created to provide distribution for independent creators and storytellers beyond social media platforms.
360 TV launched e360tv Live three years ago, enabling creators to go live on multiple platforms simultaneously.
360 TV has a diverse group of show hosts and networks with a common thread of wanting to do good and provide value to people's lives.
The network is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder to raise funds for future projects and expansion.
Aaron and his team chose crowdfunding because it made sense, given their community-based approach and specific funding needs.
Tenacity and empathy are two superpowers that Aaron highlights, with the latter being the one he values more as a leader.
He advises others to practice empathy by looking people in the eye, listening without an agenda, and recognizing our shared humanity.
Aaron shares an example of using empathy to help one of the network presidents overcome challenges and become a better leader.
To learn more about e360tv and the crowdfunding campaign, people can download the app or visit the e360tv website and Wefunder page.
How to Develop Empathy As a Superpower
To illustrate the power of empathy as a tool for building the network, Aaron shared a story about the person who runs the channel AchieveTV, where you can find my show on the e360tv network:
Julie Ann Meyer is one of the presidents on e360tv–or AchieveTV that you're on. When Julie and I started first working together, she started coming back to me saying, “I'm hitting this, I'm hitting these issues, I got issues. It feels like I'm herding cats. I feel like…,” You know, at first I chuckled because I said, “See, now you know what it feels like.”
But at the same time, that was a specific sit down–virtual sit down–that we could have. I told her, “Look, these are the things that are going to happen. And that's okay. I know what you're going through because I've been there. It will work itself out. You're going to be able to adjust how you handle these situations in your processes from the beginning to cure these ills.”
That's one instance that resulted in a magnification of her skills. Now she's, I'd say, close to the number one president that we have on e360tv.
Aaron thoughtfully offered some advice for developing and deploying empathy:
The number one thing is to look people truly in the eye when you're speaking to them. Let your guard down. Be open. Don't have an agenda. Just allow them to talk and look them directly in that pupil of their eye. That gives you calm in the conversation and allows you to run its course.
It makes you listen. Just let them travel--let them travel the path. These are some lessons that I learned. I learned these in my leadership classes during my MBA. This is one of the things that was brought up; women leaders are recognized a lot of times as better leaders because they are more empathetic with their teams.
Sometimes, people just need to get it out; they get almost a reset so they can take a deep breath and move forward.
I'd say the number one thing is to shut up, look people in the eye and just listen.
By following Aaron’s advice and example, you can build your empathy. With time, perhaps you can make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.
Guest Profile
Aaron Heimes (he/him):
CEO, e360tv Network, Inc.
About e360tv Network, Inc.: e360tv is a conduit between independent content creators, events and brands with audiences across social media platforms, web and connected TVs… all simultaneously. e360tv was founded and functions as a distributor of content for independent content creators and storytellers, events and brands, both on-demand and live.
Website: e360tv.com
Twitter Handle: @e360tv
Company Facebook Page: facebook.com/e360tv/
Other URL: wefunder.com/e360tv
Biographical Information: Aaron Heimes is a passionate and disciplined media executive who is focused on the expanding over-the-top media distribution and marketing channels. With a background in media, marketing, and project management, Aaron focuses on the creation of cross-device distribution channels that include a feature-rich viewing experience for audiences. This includes content-to-commerce, live content production and distribution, and branded content to create a value proposition that allows viewers to control their experience while unobtrusively pushing brands to the right people in the right places at the right time. Aaron is a producer of branded content and President of the OTT network e360tv. Aaron holds a Bachelors in Business Management and two MBAs in Energy and Project Management.
Twitter Handle: I don't Tweet :)
Personal Facebook Profile: facebook.com/gilbert.smith.3363/
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/gilbertsmith1/
Instagram Handle: @e.360tv
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