Ryerson University’s student-run TV show The Naked Entrepreneur is set to air on the Oprah Winfrey Network in January 2015, according to content manager and Ryerson graduate Dana Abou Shackra.
The show, which began airing in Canada on Rogers TV on Oct. 28, showcases different Canadian entrepreneurs and their journey to success, said show host and Ryerson entrepreneurship professor Sean Wise.
“When I started teaching entrepreneurship at Ryerson, I was sad to see there was no Canadian content celebrating entrepreneurship,” Wise said. “I set up to change that.”
The show’s name is from the idea of sharing the naked truth behind success, according to Wise.
“Sometimes entrepreneurs are only seen by their success and that’s only half the story,” he said.
Wise added the show is run for students and by students, and the networks approached the show to use its content in classrooms. The show began filming in September 2012, according to Abou Shackra.
Abou Shackra began working on the show as part of her school curriculum, and said her continued involvement after graduation has been a rewarding experience. She said the entrepreneurs interviewed have been a great inspiration for her.
“It has been empowering to meet with entrepreneurial icons,” she said. “Dr. Wise always reminds us that every overnight success has many years of hard work behind it.”
Abou Shackra said she manages the show’s website, which provides a keyword portal of over 200 subjects in entrepreneurship and innovation. The show aims to clarify the definition of entrepreneurship and to remind viewers the road to success is sometimes met with some failures, she said.
“With The Naked Entrepreneur, you learn all the trials and tribulations, the successes and the struggles that these successful entrepreneurs faced to reach where they are today,” she said. “It’s a candid perspective about the entrepreneurial journey and [has] been an empowering new learning experience.”
Wise said he hopes the show will not only bring light to Canadian entrepreneurial talent, but also showcase the true realities of starting up your own business.
“Informing viewers of only the positives [of entrepreneurship] does them a disservice,” he said. “People need to understand just how hard it is to be [a] success.”
