Former American Idol Producer and World of Dreams CEO, President & Founder: Ron DeShay

Growth Unscripted

If there’s anyone who knows how to dream, it’s Ron DeShay. After arriving in Los Angeles with his Ford Explorer on a U-Haul, he quickly rose through the ranks of Hollywood to become a producer on American Idol, the revolutionary show that “broke television.” On this week’s episode, Ron joins Carolyn to discuss his arrival in Hollywood, the beginning of his career in entertainment, including acting in Pamela Anderson’s TV show, his transition to behind the scenes work, and his influential role in creating American Idol. He also discusses leaving the #1 show on television to found World of Dreams and his upcoming production, A Better World Project, which aims to bring people together and end racism. In addition, he talks about how he’s revolutionizing the way content is created, and how inspiring others to dream is at the core of his mission at World of Dreams.

1:34 Ron talks about growing up in Bastrop, TX, his early interest in entertainment, and arriving in Hollywood with his Ford Explorer on a U-Haul.

4:35 Ron discusses the beginning of his Hollywood career which included acting in several commercials and having a role on Pamela Anderson’s show, V.I.P.

5:45 After taking a 6 month break, Ron gets a behind the scenes entry-level position as a logger on a show called American Fighter Pilots.

6:42 Ron meets the executive producer his first day on the job and he gets promoted to associate producer on day 4.

8:03 Fighter Pilots is canceled after 3 weeks on the air, but he becomes an associate producer on the show that became American Idol.

9:00 Ron talks about the challenges of transforming the U.K. version of American Idol for American audiences and A-list celebs who passed up the chance to host American Idol.

12:34 Ron tells us about his defining moment of screening a first cut of the show for UK producers, Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, and how it influenced the creation of the show.

17:31 The reasons why American Idol had universal appeal, had something that everyone could relate to, and became the show that “broke television.”

25:04 Why Ron left the #1 TV show in America to start his business.

30:12 The importance of seeing opportunities in difficult situations.

35:20 How Ron came up with the idea for World of Dreams and the importance of being a sponge and learning everything you can.

43:39 The 4 lines of business within World of Dreams Entertainment Group and how he created a technological platform in which content creators can get feedback from the people who are watching the content like millennials and Gen Z.

49:05 Ron discusses A Better World Project and the show’s mission to bring people together and end racism by partnering with the National Student Council Association.

58:24 The World of Dreams shoe line and Dubai’s influence on Ron.