Scooter Braun: Entertainment mogul and former talent manager who discovered Justin Bieber and managed Ariana Grande, Kanye West, Tori Kelly and others. Founder of SB Projects; sold his company for a reported $1.1 billion and an early Spotify investor.
What this episode covers
Scooter Braun traces his rise from selling fake IDs and throwing Atlanta parties to building a billion-dollar entertainment empire, driven by a 'mask' (his persona Scooter) and a deep fear that he wasn't enough. He opens up about the hardest stretch of his life: the Taylor Swift catalog controversy, a public backlash, his divorce, and a night in 2020 when he had a suicidal thought at the peak of his success. He describes the inner work that turned things around, including the Hoffman Process therapy retreat and intense self-examination. The conversation becomes unusually two-way, with Braun coaching host Steven Bartlett on prioritizing relationships over endless achievement. He closes by reflecting on legacy, reincarnation, philanthropy, AI, and admitting his real fear-blocked goal is to write a book.
Recommended on this episode
Many Lives, Many Masters
Brian Weiss
“Have you read Many Lives, Many Masters? By Brian Weiss. Easy, quick read on a weekend, you'll enjoy the hell of it.”— Scooter Braun
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
The Surrender Experiment
Michael Singer
“you know, Michael Singer, I need to surrender. You know, you had their surrender experiment, you know, like everything surrender.”— Scooter Braun
The Promise of a Pencil
Adam Braun
“my brother wrote a book, a really great one called The Promise of a Pencil, and it was a New York Times bestseller”— Scooter Braun
Ithaca
C.P. Cavafy
“he said, I want you to read a poem. And he gives me Ithaca by Kafi. And I named my holding company ... after this poem”— Scooter Braun
Big reveals from this episode
- Admits that at the top of his game he wanted to kill himself and went to a very dark place.
- Says losing his kids 50% of the time through divorce is what finally rocked him and woke him up.
- Recounts a 20-minute suicidal thought in October 2020 that pushed him to do the Hoffman Process.
- Confirms he sold his company for a reported $1.1 billion at around 39.
- States it has now come out factually that he did offer the catalog to Taylor Swift's side multiple times and they said no.
- Expresses deep guilt over young artists he managed, wishing he'd put a therapist on the road for all of them.
- Reveals one of the most talented artists he signed, Spencer Lee, died of an overdose last year.
- Admits the one thing fear of failure has kept him from doing is writing a book.
Worth remembering
- His real name is Scott; he created the 'Scooter' persona as a mask because he didn't think Scott could achieve great things.
- His first business in college was selling fake IDs before he moved into party promotion.
- He tracked down a 13-year-old Justin Bieber by calling Canadian school boards after seeing his church videos on YouTube.
- He grew Bieber's YouTube views from about 60,000 to 60 million when people insisted YouTubers couldn't become musicians.
- He became an early Spotify investor after cold-calling everyone on the Billboard 30 Under 30 list at age 27 and meeting Daniel Ek.
- He has not sold a single Spotify share in roughly 18 years.
- He has an 'amor fati' tattoo from Marcus Aurelius, meaning love of one's fate.
- After studying Kabbalah he came to believe in reincarnation and the idea of being a custodian who should give 10-20% to charity.
- On selling his company he gave tens of millions to employees and former artists, reportedly across 264 people.