What's the story with that guy in the Burt's Bees logo, anyway?
By Shana Lebowitz
If you've got just a few hours to boost your business savvy, we've got you covered. These 11 documentary films offer in-depth looks at entrepreneurs, companies, and big ideas you might only be superficially familiar with.
From a film on Wal-Mart's business practices to one on aspiring sommeliers, each will simultaneously entertain and educate you about business.
If you've got just a few hours to boost your business savvy, we've got you covered. These 11 documentary films offer in-depth looks at entrepreneurs, companies, and big ideas you might only be superficially familiar with.
From a film on Wal-Mart's business practices to one on aspiring sommeliers, each will simultaneously entertain and educate you about business.
What it really takes to launch a company
1/11
If
you think that starting and building a company is like a real-life
version of "The Social Network," think again. The 2014 documentary
miniseries "startupland"
takes viewers through the development of five businesses enrolled in a
tech accelerator, showing how scary the experience really is. Each
episode features interviews with well-known business execs and
entrepreneurs, including Reddit's Alexis Ohanian and AOL's Steve Case.
(The feature film "startupland," from the same creators, comes out this
year.)
How a personal-care line became an accidental success
2/11
The
face on Burt's Bees products belongs to Burt Shavitz, a beekeeper who
never anticipated that he'd found a billion-dollar international brand.
"Burt's Buzz" tells the story of Shavitz's career, starting from his
days as a young New York City photojournalist. Viewers also learn about
Shavitz's complicated relationship with cofounder Roxane Quimby, who
eventually bought Shavitz out and sold the business to the Clorox
company.
How to turn your passion into a profession
3/11
"Somm"
follows a group of four men preparing for the master sommelier exam, a
test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world. Their obsession
with getting ready for the exam consumes them as well as the people
closest to them. The film will inspire you to pursue your own ambitions,
however lofty they may seem.
How an energy empire crumbled
4/11
Based on the bestselling book, the 2005 film "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"
traces the downfall of Enron, the energy company that was once valued
at $70 billion but filed for bankruptcy in 2001. The documentary takes a
look at the psychological factors that led to the fraud and corruption
at the company.