Jenny Paul, CEO of Intent Entertainment & Executive Producer/Creator/Actor (Jane) of “Adulting with Jane,” is an award-winning actress, producer, content creator, and teacher. Based in New York City, she holds a Magna Cum Laude degree in Theater Arts from Brandeis University and a business certification from Harvard Business School.
Jenny’s best-known credits include Hulu’s The Looming Tower starring Jeff Daniels, Netflix/Marvel’s Jessica Jones, internationally acclaimed series’ That Reminds Me… and Adulting with Jane.
Adulting with Jane is a new short DIY Comedy series – think sitcom meets how-to video – with a different expert/influencer appearing to teach jane how to “adult.” In addition to being a palatable way to learn new skills, the show is one of the first narrative series ever to feature shoppable video technology. When viewers see and like a featured product in the show, it can be clicked on and purchased before easily returning to the episode.
Intent Entertainment’s mission is to partner with brands, people and products that share an aim to serve the personal development and quality-of-life improvement goals of millennials and Gen-Zers.
Please tell us a little bit about your company – what is Intent Entertainment/Adulting With Jane all about?
People hate ads. And have for quite some time now. Occasionally, you’ll see an ad that makes you smile (many Super Bowl commercials are a great example), but even those so rarely connect the viewer with the actual product that is being sold. That’s where Intent Entertainment was born: with a goal to make commercial content built specifically with the brands AND their audiences in mind. Adulting with Jane is our first commissioned project. It is a sitcom/how-to video hybrid series geared to millennial females ages 16-34 that teaches and demystifies an “adulting” skill in each episode and provides the opportunity (within the video itself!) to learn about and even buy the tool(s) to accomplish the relevant skill on the spot.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
Connecting with people and empowering them to give themselves permission to live their best lives has always been at the root of my purpose in my work as an actor, producer, and teacher in New York City. At some point, I realized that there was a growing demand for media content and simultaneously, a widening disconnect between brands and opportunities to reach their intended audiences. This, along with big businesses such as Amazon getting more if not all of the public’s attention and dollars, it’s getting harder, not easier to grow a business and reach relevant audiences.
What would say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur and why?
Resourcefulness, Patience, and Patience. Everything takes much more time, money, energy, than you think it will. Put one foot in front of the other. Be prepared to hurry up and wait all the time. Growing a business is like chasing a moving target. By the time you’ve hit your first set of goals, you will (and should) already be knee deep in the next set and to keep being able to afford to play is to win.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
I had the fortunate experience of having done a lot of my on the job learning with two other companies on other projects. The most important piece of advice I have is, make sure that you are on the same page as your partners and company/project VIPs. The people make the experience. Make sure you’re working with the right people for you and build your strong core team from there. I am lucky to have worked with all three of the major players in Adulting With Jane on past projects. Elvin Roytman, Samantha Saltzman, and my brother, Jonathan Paul, are all people whose work and work ethic I deeply admire. I trust them inherently and that trust makes doing what I need to do every day not only easier, but most days, a pleasure.
What are three books or courses you recommend for new entrepreneurs?
This year, I’ve really liked Start Something That Matters by Tom’s founder Blake Mycoskie; To Sell is Human by Daniel H. Pink, and Boss Up!: This Ain’t Your Mama’s Business Book by Lindsay Teague Moreno. I read dozens of these types of non-fiction books, and every time I read another, I learn something new and get inspired all over again.
I also completed the Harvard Business School CORe certification in 2020 with classes in Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting. It was a behemoth, but I can’t say enough good things about the program.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
In New York State, you’d have to spend it all on incorporation in Year 1. But, if you want to incorporate in Delaware, or, if you’re asking hypothetically, I would spend it on the absolute necessities. Getting some samples of your product made, photographed, and put up on a site if it’s a product, and getting word of mouth out there with a demo if it’s a service– and/or get a few happy customers under your belt at cost so you can start building your word of mouth and your online/SEO presence. Most of the social media platforms and Google’s business services are free: getting your business listed- analytics, ad words. You can do a lot to lay a strong foundation before you spend any advertising dollars. Also- make sure you have strong, written agreements with your partners and core team so there’s no confusion later on as to whose responsibility is whose and who owes/is owed what.
How can we get in touch with you?
Watch our show and subscribe at Adulting With Jane or find us on any of the social media platforms @adultingjane. If you are a business or brand looking to partner with us for an episode Adulting With Jane or propose another project, email info@intententertainment.net
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