Danny Meyer grew up in a Jewish family in St. Louis with two competing lessons about business: his father’s entrepreneurial spirit taught him to dream big, while his bankruptcies taught him the risks of growing too fast. With an early love of food, travel, and hospitality, Danny opened Union Square Cafe at 27. He went on to build Union Square Hospitality Group, behind celebrated restaurants like Gramercy Tavern and The Modern, and founded Shake Shack, turning a project to revitalize Madison S

Isaac Larian is the founder and CEO of MGA Entertainment, the company behind Bratz, L.O.L. Surprise!, Little Tikes, and dozens of other iconic toy brands. But long before he built one of the largest private toy companies in the world, Isaac was a Jewish kid growing up in Tehran, where he faced antisemitism, bullying, and poverty. After arriving in America alone at 17 with just $753 in his pocket, Isaac worked the graveyard shift washing dishes while putting himself through college. He later b

Irwin Winkler has spent more than six decades in Hollywood, producing films that have earned 52 Academy Award nominations and helped define generations of moviegoers. His credits include Rocky, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Right Stuff, and The Irishman, but the path that led to those films was anything but predictable. In this episode of Big Shot, hosts Harley Finkelstein and David Segal sit down with Irwin to look back on the twists, turns, relationships, and moments of good fortune that sha