740. From 10 Fellows to 3,500: The Nonprofit That Started Before It Was Ready - Jai Al-Attas

Innovation

Sep 14

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About This Episode

Jai Al-Attas started a record label at 16 and sold it to Virgin Records at 24 — no college degree required. So when creative companies asked whether formerly incarcerated women and formerly homeless youth were enrolled in college before considering them for internships, he took it personally.

He and co-founder Marky launched Creative Futures Collective in 2019 with 10 fellows, laptops they couldn't afford, and stipends from their own savings. Seven years later: 3,500 creatives across 10 cities and three countries, landing at Nike, Interscope, Live Nation, and Ralph Lauren.

For any leader sitting on an idea they can't yet fund, this one's a permission slip.

In this episode, you'll hear:

Why renaming "internship" to "futureship" unlocked doors that had been closed for two years — and what that says about the language your org is using
How Jai and his co-founder funded the first cohort out of their own savings, and why that upfront risk was the only way to get a case study worth showing
Why he refuses to call any of this charity, and how that reframe changed who was asking whom for a favor

You'll walk away with permission to start the thing you've been waiting to be ready for. 🩵

Episode Highlights:

(3:33) From a record label at 16 to a one-way ticket to LA
(5:48) "Are these people in college?" — the gatekeeping that started it all
(7:24) Futureships, and paying for them out of pocket
(9:21) COVID, remote work, and Naomi Glasses' path to Ralph Lauren
(12:36) Scaling with Amazon, Soho House, and 10 cities
(14:38) Why this was never charity — and how Untalent was born
(19:13) Best Buy Teen Tech Centers and what partnership looks like
(25:10) One good thing: start before you're ready

Episode Transcript

Meet Jai: The Record Label Founder Rebuilding Who Gets Into the Creative Economy

Jai Al-Attas is the co-founder and CEO of Creative Futures Collective, an opportunity ecosystem that has connected 3,500 emerging creatives to paid work experience, mentorship, and full-time roles across the creative industries. He's also the founder of Untalent (short for Underrepresented Talent), a culture-forward creator platform matching that community with brands including Def Jam, Red Bull, and Sony Museum.

An Australian transplant to Los Angeles, Jai started his first company — a record label — at 16 and sold it to Virgin Records at 24, all without a college degree. That's not a footnote to his work; it's the whole thesis behind it.

Powerful Quotes

"You've got an idea. Never be perfect. Just start doing it, and you'll figure it out." — Jai

"If they're not going to take you in, we'll find another way in, because there's always another way in." — Jai

"We had no resources. Marky and I, we were using our savings for that." — Jai

"I got in trouble from the landlord, paid my rent late, but I got started. And I think that was the most important thing." — Jai

"We never saw what we were doing as a charity. There are very talented people out there who just haven't had access to these opportunities." — Jai

"If you keep hiring the same people from the same neighborhoods, you get the same results." — Jai

"By the time people start paying attention, you'll probably be a little bit further down the road, and you can polish it up then." — Jai

"It may not be exactly what you set out to do, but it'll lead you somewhere. And usually that somewhere is better than where you were yesterday." — Jai

"Taste can be your superpower to get into places that need your taste." — Afdel

Resources Mentioned

Creative Futures Collective: opportunity ecosystem providing futureships, fellowships, and mentorship to emerging creatives — Instagram: @creativefuturescollective
Untalent: culture-forward creator platform connecting 3,500 global creatives with brands for paid work
A New Way of Life: reentry program for formerly incarcerated women; one of the early nonprofit partners that surfaced the original problem
Safe Place for Youth: homeless youth organization serving West LA and Venice
Soho House Mentorship Program: Creative Futures' largest partnership, now running in 10 cities across the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil
Best Buy Teen Tech Centers: newly signed pilot bringing high school teens through CFC programming with mentors and paid work experience in the music industry
Conspiracy of Love: co-host Afdel Aziz's agency