The Daily Mastermind
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Episode 1345 · Aug 28, 2026

The Business Behind Broadway Magic With Sue Gilad

Sue Gilad
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Most people never see the years of pitching, rejection, and quiet math that sit behind two and a half hours of magic on a Broadway stage. Sue Gilad has lived all of it. A Grammy and five-time Tony Award-winning producer with two decades of experience, her productions — including The Outsiders, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and Buena Vista Social Club — have earned more than 84 Tony nominations and 30 Tony Awards. On The Daily Mastermind, she sat down with George Wright III to break down what Broadway can teach anyone who is trying to build something that doesn't exist yet.

Gilad is the co-founder of In Fine Company, and she's currently preparing to bring Prince's Purple Rain to the Majestic Theatre in April 2027. Her lessons aren't really about theater. They're about partnership, pitching, resilience, and the uncomfortable place where art meets commerce.

Sue Gilad on How a Theater Kid Became a Broadway Producer

Gilad's origin story starts with her mother, an English teacher who filled her childhood with great stories, and with the TKTS half-price line in New York. No internet, no phones — just picking whatever show sounded good. "I saw wildly age-inappropriate theater at a very young age," she told George, "and I just knew that I felt my best self in that dark theater listening to the stories unfolding."

She became an actor, but discovered she liked being in the room creating the thing far more than performing. Years later, friends she'd done theater with came to her with scripts and a simple proposition: you're the biggest theater fan we've ever met — why don't you produce it? When they explained what producing actually meant — finding the director, the choreographer, the designers, the theater, the funding, the marketing, and never shutting up about it — that last part is what sold her.

That's the first lesson for anyone chasing a passion: the dream always comes bundled with the unglamorous work. If you want the result, you have to be willing to own the whole job.

Why the Right Partner Covers What You're Bad At

"It's amazing how many things I'm bad at," Gilad said. What she is genuinely great at is casting — not just actors, but the who, what, when, why, how, and where of a production. She casts teams. She finds the people who will be terrific at the things she stinks at or simply doesn't want to do.

Her producing partner Larry is, in her words, the yin to her yang. He can look at a rough sketch of a show and recognize the evergreen theme audiences will connect with for the next twenty years. She doesn't have that skill at all. What she has is the ability to shape a show as it moves closer to an audience and name the weak points nobody else wants to name.

George connected it to Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy's "who not how" principle: find the right whos, and the how takes care of itself. Notably, Gilad's partnership wasn't strategic — it was organic, built on years of seeing shows together and breaking them down for fun. And when they started, they were radically honest about it. "As long as we're straight with everybody that we are inept, we are inadequate, and we are inexperienced, so we manage expectations — we're gonna have a great time."

How to Pitch an Idea So People Believe In It

Asked for her secret to pitching, Gilad was blunt. A pitch works when the project is genuinely yours. "If I'm pitching something because there's a checklist of things that are going to be good about the show, but it's not in my heart and soul, it's not my show, I'm not gonna get any result. It might be an amazing product, but it's not mine."

The other half is paying attention to real signals. When she announced Purple Rain at a Buena Vista Social Club event, the room erupted — a leading indicator that told her she was in the right room.

Reading the Audience Instead of the Stage

Her most important feedback loop is the out-of-town tryout. While her directors and choreographers watch the stage, Gilad watches the audience. Are they leaning in? Sobbing? Laughing? Where are they fidgeting or glancing at each other? Those moments get flagged and fixed. Her favorite focus group is the women's bathroom line at intermission, where she seeks out the youngest person there — because they have strong opinions and they're completely candid.

She also believes live theater is an antidote to AI. "It has to happen together, it has to happen collaboratively, and it has to happen in person. So as analog as we are, it's a very good time to be involved in theater."

What 399 Rejections Teach You About Resilience

Being raised as an actor — "and not a very good one" — taught Gilad the math of rejection: twenty auditions for one callback, twenty callbacks for one job. "That's 399 rejections before you get a yes."

I never hear no as no. I always hear no as not now, or maybe I have the Rolodex to where my next yes will be.

Failure also isn't final. A show that doesn't work on Broadway can thrive on tour, in the West End, in Australia, Japan, Germany, or the Netherlands. Some shows — Dirty Dancing, Flashdance, The Bodyguard — will never come to Broadway, but audiences love them in Des Moines and Dubuque. The long tail matters more than the opening night verdict.

The Business Side of Art — and Knowing What Only You Can Do

Gilad's most honest failure story is an off-Broadway show she adored and refused to close. Everyone wanted to keep it running because it was a party.

Small detail, George — we didn't happen to be selling enough tickets to sustain the show.

Rule number one, she says: if more money is going out weekly than coming in, close the show. She didn't, because her writers wanted to keep going. Art is subjective, and she's clear with investors: "If you want returns, stick with real estate, stick with stocks."

Today she protects her time with one daily question: what can we be doing that only we can be doing and nobody else can? Administrative and procedural work gets delegated. Her hours go to readings, developmental workshops, and summer stock — hunting for that delicate balance of art meets commerce — plus events like the Stay Gold Initiative, which brings kids from schools without arts funding to see The Outsiders for free. "Three more theater kids were just born, and they never knew before that day."

Action Steps

  • Name three things you're genuinely bad at, then find a partner or team member who is excellent at them.
  • Before your next pitch, ask honestly: is this in my heart and soul, or just on a checklist?
  • Stop watching the stage and start watching your audience — track where customers lean in and where they disengage.
  • Reframe every no as "not now" or a referral to your next yes.
  • Ask daily: what can only I do today? Delegate or drop everything else.

Gilad gives her kids experiences, not things — because a story well told opens your heart, shifts your perspective, and builds empathy in a world running short on it. Slow down, get in the room, and take the action. It's never too late to start living the life you were meant to live.

About the guest

Sue Gilad

Sue Gilad is a Broadway producer whose shows have earned 84 Tony Award nominations, 30 Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award. Her producing credits include Tony Award-winning productions The Outsiders, Merrily We Roll Along, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Buena Vista Social Club, Company, and Angels in America, as well as Funny Girl and Jagged Little Pill. The upcoming Broadway musical Purple Rain is set to open in spring 2027. Sue is an Angel and former Leadership Council Co-Chair for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. She also leads theatre-based leadership and communication programs and speaks internationally about the power of Broadway in business, education, and community.

READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sue Gilad: [00:00:00] We had this absolutely beautiful off-Broadway show. One of the writers I had met [00:00:05] doing Summer Stock in the '90s and phenomenally talented. And we brought this show [00:00:10] to off-Broadway. We made all the mistakes that a young producer would make. Everybody wanted to keep the [00:00:15] show running because we loved it. It was a party. But we just didn't, small detail, George, we didn't [00:00:20] happen to be selling enough tickets to sustain the show. But why- Oh, George Wright III: that's important in Broadway? [00:00:25] I didn't know. Sue Gilad: Why would something like that stop me?[00:00:30] [00:00:35] George Wright III: Okay, guys, welcome back to The Daily Mastermind. George Wright III with your daily [00:00:40] dose of inspiration motivation and education and I'm joined with just a super fun [00:00:45] guest. You guys are gonna have a great time tonight. I can't wait. Sue Gilad how are you doing? Sue Gilad: I'm great [00:00:50] George. You have my dad's name. George Wright III: Really? And my dad's name so [00:00:55] he's not around anymore but no, this is great. Thank you so much for being here. You're in New York. [00:01:00] You are... Hey guys I'm gonna let me give you a quick background 'cause this is gonna set you up for some really good stuff today [00:01:05] to help you create the life you were meant to live. So Sue is a Grammy and five-time Tony Award-winning [00:01:10] producer 20 years of experience I guess your productions have earned over 84 Tony [00:01:15] Award nominations 30 Tony Awards "The Outsiders" "Moulin Rouge!" the musical "Buena [00:01:20] Vista" Broadway. You specialize in and this is why I wanted to bring you on [00:01:25] identifying developing funding launching ideas and you're the co-founder of In Fine Company. [00:01:30] You've got a brand-new musical actually hitting Broadway called "Purple Rain" this coming spring, [00:01:35] right? Sue Gilad: Yes, and I would love to sing to you that we're gonna party like it's [00:01:40] 1999, but I think we're gonna party like it's 2027, George, 'cause that's when we're opening in April. [00:01:45] And we have had-- We just announced that we'll be opening at the Majestic Theatre, and there has been this [00:01:50] tidal wave of excitement and love and joy. So I'm excited to [00:01:55] introduce a new generation to Prince's music, my kids in particular. George Wright III: Oh, this is a great [00:02:00] point. Yeah, and you know what? Music and musical I have some of my fondest memories going to New York and [00:02:05] Broadway and catching shows and plays and things like this. There's been a lot of changes, [00:02:10] obviously, in the world, and we'll kinda dig into that too. But just, guys, if you're listening to this, I wanted to give you a framework of [00:02:15] why I wanted Sue to come on. Success leaves clues and people that are successful in what they do and how they do it can [00:02:20] teach you so much. I'm gonna frame our conversation with this, Sue. You are someone who [00:02:25] really is able to take ideas of something before they even exist and [00:02:30] not only put them together and fund them and build them and execute on them, but deal with the [00:02:35] risk and rejection and resilience of what it takes to make it happen. So with that [00:02:40] framework, I want you to help me to understand what brought you into Broadway [00:02:45] and, kinda what drew you into that? What was your background? Sue Gilad: I think I was very lucky, George, in that [00:02:50] my mom was an English teacher, so I really grew up listening to her [00:02:55] tell great stories. I grew up as a bookworm, and we would go, um, and [00:03:00] stand on the half-price line, the TKTS line, and get whatever show was [00:03:05] available. Um, we didn't have the internet. We didn't have cell phones, so we relied on, "The title [00:03:10] of that show sounds good." So I saw wildly age-inappropriate theater at a [00:03:15] very young age, and I just knew that I felt my best self in that dark [00:03:20] theater listening to the stories unfolding. It was the highest high, the lowest low. I would [00:03:25] sob. I would scream with laughter. I knew I wanted that feeling forever and ever. And when I [00:03:30] was a kid, there weren't any, uh, MFAs in producing like there are today. So [00:03:35] as I moved forward, I just became an actor. I, I loved-- I didn't like acting, singing, or dancing as [00:03:40] much as I really liked being in the room creating the thing, that we were all a bunch of strangers, [00:03:45] and two weeks later, suddenly we couldn't live without each other, and there was the star and the stage [00:03:50] manager and the third tree from the left. That was usually me. And everyone was [00:03:55] equally important. Um, so I, I really became this, [00:04:00] uh, theater kid. Obsessed, I would say. And then luckily for [00:04:05] me, all my friends that I did theater with coming up in the industry 10, 15, 20 years [00:04:10] later said, "Hey, I wrote something, and you're the most theater-- the biggest [00:04:15] theater fan we've ever met. How about you produce it?" I was like, "I'm all [00:04:20] in. What does that mean? What is produce?" And they were like, "You know, you, [00:04:25] you build the thing. You find, you find the director, you find the choreographer, [00:04:30] you find the designers, you find the theater, you find the funding, you find the marketing, you sell the thing, [00:04:35] you never shut up about it." And I liked that part, George. I liked the never shut up about it, because anyone [00:04:40] who's gonna give me license to talk about theater, I am in. So the crazy thing [00:04:45] is, each of our shows is its own entrepreneurial venture. You [00:04:50] know, the success of one will not beget the success of another, so you have to be very, [00:04:55] very comfortable with failure George Wright III: Well, and you, you made a really [00:05:00] good point, and that is if you really wanna do what you're passionate about, generally it's [00:05:05] not just the fun part. It always comes with all of the other pieces, and if [00:05:10] you're going to make it happen, and you're gonna really n- not so much be successful, but take to fruition [00:05:15] your idea, your passion, you have to be willing to do the work and all of the other work that comes [00:05:20] around. So were you really surprised, and how much did you hesitate wanting to do [00:05:25] all of the other stuff because you had so much passion for doing the [00:05:30] result of the show that you wanted to do? Sue Gilad: Yeah, well, it's amazing how many things I'm bad [00:05:35] at. So the one thing I'm really good at is, uh, being a casting [00:05:40] director. Actually, for theater, for Broadway, we have casting directors that find the cast for our shows, but I'm a casting [00:05:45] director of who, what, when, why, how, where. What the show is going to be, [00:05:50] who are my teams- Hmm who's gonna be terrific at the things that I really stink at or [00:05:55] I don't wanna do. And I'm fortunate in that I have a producing partner. He's, he's sort of [00:06:00] the yin to my yang. We met-- Of course, we met doing theater in the '90s. Um, we were both [00:06:05] Rentheads, if you know the show. Yeah, yeah, George Wright III: yeah, Sue Gilad: yeah. And Larry has this amazing [00:06:10] ability to see a show, a germ of a show, just really an idea sketched [00:06:15] out, nothing, and say, "That's the golden ticket. That's the evergreen theme [00:06:20] that people are going to click into in five, 10, 15, 20 years and forever as we [00:06:25] extend this show around the world." And then I don't have that skill set at all, George, but I have the other side [00:06:30] of things that when, as we're developing it and shaping it, getting ever closer to audiences, I'll say, [00:06:35] "These are the weak points that we should really pay attention to." So it's a very good balance, [00:06:40] um, on the artistic side. George Wright III: Yeah. How early on did you notice that you needed, [00:06:45] and, and was it a core decision to say, "I, I need to complement my weaknesses with a [00:06:50] partner"? 'Cause I think a lot of people sometimes either try to go it alone, and then they get pulled out [00:06:55] of their lane that they're amazing at, whether it's in business or life. And the other thing i- uh, b- partly because [00:07:00] they don't recognize the need for that, but they get pulled out of their lane, and also they just... When [00:07:05] is the best time to bring on that person? 'Cause it's, it sounds to me like that was a pretty core piece of your [00:07:10] success and being able to do what you love. Sue Gilad: For us it was very [00:07:15] organic. I didn't have a plan. It wasn't like I woke up and said, "Hey, do I wanna be a policeman or do I wanna [00:07:20] be a producer?" It came over time, and because Larry and I were friends, not just friends but [00:07:25] theater friends, so going to see shows and evaluating and breaking down, and this was just our sense of fun, [00:07:30] that when our friends first came to us and said, "We believe in you. We think you should produce this," we were like, [00:07:35] "Well, we know we're gonna mess it up 'cause we don't know what we're doing, and as long as we're straight with everybody that [00:07:40] we are inept, we are inadequate, and we are inexperienced, so we manage [00:07:45] expectations- Yeah ... we're gonna have a great time." And, you know, inevitably in our industry we'll have failure more [00:07:50] than success. That's just the way it works because it's art. So even if the show is a [00:07:55] complete and total failure, which now of course our track record is getting better, but in the beginning, even [00:08:00] if nobody showed up at the reading or no one showed up at the opening night or no one showed up at the party, Larry and I are [00:08:05] gonna be there, and we're gonna have the time of our lives. So I think that's the trick. I think it's our company [00:08:10] name is In Fine Company to remind us who we wanna surround ourselves with. We [00:08:15] wanna always be in fine company. George Wright III: I love it, I love it, and I do think a lot [00:08:20] of people in business, they lose track of what they really wanna do because they get caught up in the [00:08:25] logistics. But if you can do what you just said, and actually, uh, Dan Sullivan and Dr. [00:08:30] Benjamin Hardy talk a lot about who not how, and you find the right who's, then your how, uh, really kinda [00:08:35] translates and, and makes it own i- i- itself come to fruition. So how do you, how do [00:08:40] you pitch your ideas or, you know, your vision [00:08:45] and, and, and help people to believe in it? What is your secret to making that happen? 'Cause you've [00:08:50] clearly taken some things, uh, out of just nothing but concept to fruition [00:08:55] from everything from funding to developing and producing. So what's your, what's your secret to really pitching [00:09:00] an idea? Sue Gilad: I think the trick is when you pitch it, if [00:09:05] you are successful, it's your project. That's your secret sauce. If I'm [00:09:10] pitching- Mm ... something because there's a checklist, George, of things that are going to be good about the show, but [00:09:15] it's not in my heart and soul, it's not my show, I'm not gonna get any result. Yeah. [00:09:20] It might be an amazing product, but it's not mine. On the other hand, if like everything is [00:09:25] flowing, if it's the right team, if it's the right funding, if we landed the theater, if people are... [00:09:30] You know, last night I- we were leading an event for, uh, Buena Vista Social Club, which is already on [00:09:35] Broadway, and I mentioned, "Hey, guys, we just announced this show Prince's Purple Rain," and the [00:09:40] entire, the entire room, George, went And I was like, "Well, okay, I'm in the [00:09:45] right room." George Wright III: Right. Sue Gilad: And that's- That George Wright III: you can get some leading indicators there with-- If you're [00:09:50] aware, right? If you're actually looking for it, that's great. Sue Gilad: Yeah, and we do-- Our, our most [00:09:55] important leading indicator is our out-of-town tryout. So for a musical, because it's so [00:10:00] collaborative, you have to be in the room. In fact, I think it's the antidote to AI. Seriously, [00:10:05] I think that theater is going to save the, "I don't know what I'm watching," because it [00:10:10] has to happen together, it has to happen collaboratively, and it has to happen in person. [00:10:15] So as analog as we are, it's a very good time to be involved in theater. It's, it's good for [00:10:20] humanity. But we'll do our out-of-town tryout, and my directors and choreographers, they're watching what's [00:10:25] happening on stage, the actors. So am I, but I'm really paying attention to my [00:10:30] audience. Are you leaning in at the right moment? Are you sobbing? Are you dying with laughter? Are [00:10:35] you spent at the end of the experience? Where are you futzing? [00:10:40] Where are you kind of looking at other audience members? Those are the moments where we need to go back and say, [00:10:45] "What's happening on stage at that moment, and can we Maybe can [00:10:50] we adjust it so that every moment of the show is on the edge of your seat? [00:10:55] So our out-of-town tryouts give us a lot of information, and of course, my favorite focus group [00:11:00] is the women's bathroom line during intermission. I s- I [00:11:05] usually wanna talk to the youngest person in line because they have strong opinions and they're very candid. [00:11:10] So I just wanna know, "Oh, are you enjoying the show? What, what's your favorite moment so far? Which character do you really [00:11:15] resonate with?" And they will talk for all 15 minutes of intermission, and that's my focus group. [00:11:20] George Wright III: I love it because you have to be able to balance your conviction with feedback and [00:11:25] skepticism or, you know, comments or whatever else, uh, but you gotta look for that as well. And I love how you said get [00:11:30] in, get in the room. Uh, in Fine Company, by the way, that's a such a great-- There's so [00:11:35] many benefits to being in Fine Company besides, like, the value that you get out of it yourself. But also, I [00:11:40] do think being present, uh, being in the room will be a differentiator [00:11:45] between what is AI, what is real, and what isn't, because there's still that human connection. There's that live [00:11:50] type of thing. So I think that's important to have both your conviction for something, but [00:11:55] also a connection to something. So I think that's something that you, you clearly value quite a bit. [00:12:00] Sue Gilad: It's really special. At The Outsiders, which is, um, uh, one of our more [00:12:05] recent shows on Broadway, um, The Outsiders is a story about [00:12:10] teenagers fighting for identity and their place in the world. [00:12:15] And so we have a project called the Stay Gold Initiative, where we'll bring in kids from, [00:12:20] uh, schools in New York that they don't have any arts funding, and they have never seen a show, forget about a [00:12:25] Broadway show. Yeah. And, uh, we bring them in for free, and my favorite thing is to [00:12:30] watch them watch the show because, you know, three more theater kids were just born, [00:12:35] and they never knew before that day. George Wright III: There's, there's gotta be a lot of fulfillment in that as [00:12:40] well. And but, you know, and I wanted to kinda shift gears a little on you because I think that there's a lot of [00:12:45] resilience needed in what you do, but also in business, because Broadway tends to have a [00:12:50] lot of uncertainty, I would imagine. And, uh, you got some rejections and some nos and, [00:12:55] and, uh, bad reviews and things like that. How do you balance staying [00:13:00] passionate and driven for an idea you have conviction for in, in, in [00:13:05] the face of uncertainty and skepticism and bad reviews? How do you deal with that? [00:13:10] Sue Gilad: Well, I think I'm might be an anomaly in that I thrive on that. I [00:13:15] really like the you versus you competitive nature. Can this show top [00:13:20] the last show that I was doing? But I think being raised as an actor, and not a very good one, [00:13:25] uh, really taught me, you know, 20 auditions, one callback, 20 callbacks, one job. [00:13:30] That's 399 rejections before you get a yes. So I'm very comfortable [00:13:35] with rejection. I never hear no as no. I always hear no as not now, or [00:13:40] maybe I have the Rolodex to where my next yes will be, right? If I'm meeting [00:13:45] someone new and they're not my people, but they know someone just as crazy as me. So I'm, I'm really comfortable with [00:13:50] no. And, uh, also, if a show fails on Broadway, that doesn't necessarily mean, [00:13:55] George, that it will fail forever. It's really about what you do with the long tail. So if you're fortunate [00:14:00] enough to have a runaway hit like a Moulin Rouge or an Outsiders that will then go [00:14:05] on tour, will then go, uh, our shows will go to London, the [00:14:10] West End, to Australia, to the Netherlands, to Japan, to Germany, and [00:14:15] they will have long, robust lives in all sorts of markets. Um, but you can also [00:14:20] do that either when your show is not a success on Broadway or when your show is not a fit for [00:14:25] Broadway. Not every show is a Broadway show, and there's a huge market out there in the world for [00:14:30] people who want to hear specific messages. Shows like Dirty Dancing and [00:14:35] Flashdance and The Bodyguard will never come to Broadway, but people [00:14:40] love them in Des Moines and Dubuque George Wright III: Yeah. This is interesting, 'cause you, you said that [00:14:45] you may be an anomaly, but-- And that's true, you are. But that's because the top [00:14:50] 1%, 2% of success in life, um, are anomalies, [00:14:55] right? And, and you s- and you said another thing I like, and that is it is how you're, how you view your [00:15:00] perspective, your filter on what rejection, failure, and things is. Because-- Not just [00:15:05] because I think a lot of people like you, they, they view it as it's a numbers game, and so they already expect [00:15:10] these things. But also, failure's not just failure. I-if it's something that could lead you [00:15:15] to, you know, more knowledge, more, you know, uh, expertise, um, and could turn into [00:15:20] something that was a failure in one venue but not in another or location. So that's really [00:15:25] good. I really like that. What, um... Have you had some, uh, monumental failures or [00:15:30] unsuccessful projects? I mean, you seem like overall just not only a very successful person, but a happy [00:15:35] person and, and, you know, some people would probably say, "Wow," just like, you know, a, a, a magnet for [00:15:40] success. Any failures? Sue Gilad: I wouldn't be in the theater if I did not have failures. George Wright III: I [00:15:45] thought so. Sue Gilad: Um, many, many. Um, but it depends how you define [00:15:50] it. So for example, we had this absolutely beautiful off-Broadway show. One [00:15:55] of the writers I had met doing summer stock in the '90s and phenomenally talented, [00:16:00] and we brought this show to off-Broadway. We made all the mistakes that a young producer would make. [00:16:05] Everybody wanted to keep the show running because we loved it. It was a party, but we just didn't-- Small detail, [00:16:10] George. We didn't happen to be selling enough tickets to sustain the show. But what- [00:16:15] Oh, George Wright III: that's important in Broadway? I didn't know. Sue Gilad: Why would something like that stop me? My writers, who I was [00:16:20] deeply in love with and still am, said, "Can we keep the show going?" And my writers wanna keep the [00:16:25] show going, George. I'm gonna keep the show going. The f-- You know, rule number one: If you [00:16:30] are sending out more money on a weekly basis than money's coming in, you should close the [00:16:35] show. Why does any Broadway show close? If you are losing more money than you're making, stop [00:16:40] the train. So-- And I absolutely did not, because my writers wanted to keep [00:16:45] the show going. But who cares? We had a great time. My investors knew right from the [00:16:50] beginning, I can promise you one thing, and that is a fantastic opening night. We did. We had a [00:16:55] great opening night party. Um, but if you want returns, you know, stick with real estate, stick with stocks. [00:17:00] We're, we're art. We are so subjective. If you hit, [00:17:05] if you have an "Outsiders" or you have a "Moulin Rouge," you, you really are Babe Ruth. But [00:17:10] anticipate that it's not gonna go well initially, and then find your niche [00:17:15] where this audience really speaks to you. There are some shows that are not Broadway-ready, not [00:17:20] appropriate for Broadway, but really, really great for middle schools George Wright III: Hmm. [00:17:25] Yeah, you know what? Um, and I think it, it do- it is important for... I always talk on [00:17:30] the show here about gaining clarity, uh, around what you're trying to accomplish and, and what your [00:17:35] real goals are, because sometimes we go down the rabbit hole and we say, "Oh, we're, we're just so busy doing things," we don't realize that there [00:17:40] are... that you also have to have it make money, and you gotta, you gotta maintain. You can't just be doing things for fun. [00:17:45] And you're in a position where you not only can do what you love, but you're also [00:17:50] managing expectations of investors and business. And before we got going on the [00:17:55] interview, you made the comment that there's certain things you just don't deal with, whether it's technology or whatever else. You let other [00:18:00] people do that. And so you've clearly surrounded yourself with people that will help you to stay on [00:18:05] top of those things. But where do you manage your time now? I'm curious, like, where you [00:18:10] find, based on your talents and skills, you like to keep your sweet spot for [00:18:15] building and growing what you're doing Sue Gilad: This is the question that we ask on a daily basis. What [00:18:20] can we be doing today that only we can be doing and nobody else can be [00:18:25] doing? And so I try to farm out anything that is procedural or [00:18:30] administrative. First of all, I stink at it. Second of all, there are people so much better than me, so much more efficient, [00:18:35] but also it's not a good use of my time. So the best use of my time is we have a team [00:18:40] that will sort through and read new scripts for us. Um, we get, we get a [00:18:45] tremendous amount of submissions. I always request of my writers, in case you have any writers on here, George, please make [00:18:50] sure you have those two magic words, "The end," before you send me anything. Super- George Wright III: Nothing [00:18:55] unfinished, yeah ... ' Sue Gilad: cause I can't, I, I, I, I need, I, I need my journey. I [00:19:00] need my beginning, my middle, and my end. If I don't have my end, I, I don't know [00:19:05] if your show is worth it. Anyway, um, so, uh, I will spend much [00:19:10] of my time, when we have time to do this, going to readings and developmental workshops. [00:19:15] In the summer especially, we love going to SummerStock to see shows in early development to see if they [00:19:20] have commercial potential for Broadway, because there are so many shows that I love that are just not a fit [00:19:25] for the commercial potential of Broadway. Doesn't mean they're a bad show. They're beautiful shows. They're just not a fit. So we [00:19:30] go and we look for that delicate balance of art meets commerce, [00:19:35] and that's how we're spending the bulk of our time. And then because it is my absolute joy to [00:19:40] be a theater nerd, we do so many events with people who don't usually have that [00:19:45] kind of access to theater. So we will do, uh, on Broadway last night we brought a group [00:19:50] of CEOs to see Buena Vista Social Club. They had the chance to meet the star beforehand to hear a [00:19:55] little bit about the business of Broadway. We do that a lot with our shows on the road as well, so that you [00:20:00] can not just see the show and appreciate the art and get lost in it for two and a half hours, but also [00:20:05] understand the craft and the magic and the business and the entrepreneurship that goes into it. So my [00:20:10] job is to turn every kid into a theater kid and to make them think that we are [00:20:15] even cooler than sports. George Wright III: That is awesome. And you know what? It has been in this [00:20:20] digital world where, you know, we talk about this a lot on our Franklin Planner podcast, in this [00:20:25] digital world of overwhelm and quick, you know, dopamine satisfaction, people [00:20:30] really don't slow down to try to enjoy. And, um, you know, really, uh, [00:20:35] you seem to be a, a, a big storyteller and a creator of memories and things like [00:20:40] this, and I think that that's the stuff that ultimately when people do slow down at the end of the night or end of the day or end of their [00:20:45] life- they wanna have, and they forget that. They lose track of that. It's almost like you're bringing them [00:20:50] back to that, it sounds like. Sue Gilad: I am trying, and my kids know if they want a present, that [00:20:55] present's gonna be an experience. It's cer- First of all, I live in New York City. I have no room to bring anything in, [00:21:00] but also you're not gonna get a thing from me. I don't like things, but I am obsessed [00:21:05] with experiences, and usually that experience involves somebody telling a story that will [00:21:10] open your heart, open your mind, provide a different perspective, give you a little bit [00:21:15] more empathy in a world that is, seems to be losing it. George Wright III: That is such a [00:21:20] great message, you know, to open someone's thoughts and minds in messaging. Um, I love [00:21:25] it. Well, this has been a great conversation. I, I actually am looking forward to more things happening. You have a lot of stuff [00:21:30] happening right now, so the, the new show is gonna come out next spring, so it's And then [00:21:35] right now, where are you putting most of your time? You have The Outsiders that's gonna be making some rounds, sounds like through, [00:21:40] uh, even some places I'm at with Salt Lake City and Scottsdale, right? Sue Gilad: We're gonna bring our shows to wherever you [00:21:45] are. We're gonna find you, George. Yeah, the good thing about The Outsiders, we're now just entering year two of the [00:21:50] tour, and we're going to all the best American cities. We've been everywhere. We [00:21:55] really started in the South, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and now we get to hit California and [00:22:00] Texas. And Buena Vista Social Club, uh, is gonna launch the tour [00:22:05] next month, and of course we're starting that in Miami because it's Buena Vista. It's a great [00:22:10] Cuban story. We're also gonna launch The Who's Tommy on tour. Which is a [00:22:15] show we had on Broadway a few seasons ago. So if you're a rocker and you like Pete Townshend and The Who and you [00:22:20] like amazing storytelling- George Wright III: Sweet ... Sue Gilad: Tommy. And then we'll chase you around the globe. Moulin Rouge: The [00:22:25] World Tour is happening. We're gonna open Moulin Rouge in Australia in 2027 [00:22:30] again because of the success the first time around. So wherever you go on vacation, we'll have a show for [00:22:35] you. George Wright III: Wow, this is so great. Well, listen, I, I, I hope people will check things out. Where's the best [00:22:40] place w- for them to check out where the shows are and what you're doing and kind of connect with you and the company? [00:22:45] Sue Gilad: Oh, that's such a good question. If you go to infinecompany.com, you'll get links to all of our [00:22:50] current shows that are running. Okay. And then if any of those shows sound good to you, you can always look them up [00:22:55] individually. Each of our shows have their own, um, PR, marketing, digital, [00:23:00] social. So those are running beautifully, and you can get terrific updates and very fun [00:23:05] insider info from our actors and our teams as we build the show out. George Wright III: That's awesome. [00:23:10] Well, listen, guys, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put a lot of those links in the show notes for you. I'm gonna kind of make it easy to [00:23:15] track it down. But Sue, it's good to talk with you. Thank you so much for joining us today on the show. Sue Gilad: [00:23:20] George, thanks for becoming a theater kid. George Wright III: Oh, this is great. And guys, listen, one last thing. I wanna [00:23:25] make sure I, I, um, remind you that there's a lot of things going on in this digital [00:23:30] world. The reason I started the Daily Mastermind is so that you could really truly remind yourself daily that [00:23:35] it's never too late to start creating the life that you're meant to live. You just need to take some actions. You need to plug [00:23:40] in. You need to slow down sometimes and, and, and connect and create those memories. So I hope this is [00:23:45] something that's inspired you. If it has, make sure you share the episode, share the show. We're super excited about [00:23:50] topping the charts again. And so, um, do us a favor, share the show, and I'll look forward to talking with you more tomorrow. Once again, [00:23:55] this has been the Daily Mastermind. Have a great [00:24:00] [00:24:05] day.

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About the host
George Wright III, host of The Daily Mastermind

George Wright III

George Wright III is an entrepreneur, investor, and the host of The Daily Mastermind. Over more than two decades he has founded and scaled several multimillion-dollar companies and built a renowned seminar business that put some of the world's biggest names and brands on stage. With 25+ years across marketing, sales, and executive leadership, he's made a career of turning bold ideas into results — and momentum into lasting growth.

Today his mission is singular: empower driven entrepreneurs everywhere to master their mindset, unlock their potential, and live their ultimate destiny. Through The Daily Mastermind, George shares the Prosperity Principles and strategies that help people create massive change — in their business and in their life.

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