Leadership Lessons from Show Business - A Conversation with Steven Puri

Episode notes

Leadership Lessons from Show Business In this episode, Tom and Adrienne chat with Steven Puri and trace his unexpected path from a "code monkey" in Northern Virginia to an Academy Award–winning visual-effects producer and later a tech entrepreneur. Steven shares how he bridged left-brain engineering and right-brain creativity on films like Independence Day, Braveheart, and several David Fincher projects. He reflects on lessons learned in Hollywood—managing creatives, nurturing "lightbulb" moments, and building culture—that carry over into hybrid and remote leadership. Long before remote work became a buzzword, Steven was orchestrating VFX teams across studios in Los Angeles, London, and Sydney, balancing creative, financial, and logistical mindsets over distance—an early test of distributed leadership that today's managers face. Throughout the conversation, candid anecdotes like the famed "Bart" trailer story illustrate why inviting every voice can spark game-changing ideas. As our work (and often our brains) has scattered in today's culture, Steven is dedicated to bringing us the tools for intentional focus.