They filmed fake press conferences where an interviewer laughs at the idea of Ahmed playing Bond, and he 'crashes out.' It went viral: 20% thought he was a douche, 80% defended him. The show is called Bait. The audience took it.
Where this was said
At 28:30 · chapter starts 27:20
The conversation zeroes in on the structural failure at the heart of Hollywood's talent pipeline: unpaid development. Ahmed recounts that the producer of Everything Everywhere All at Once — one of the most acclaimed films of the decade — was driving Ubers throughout the entire development process and half of production just to make ends meet. That's not an inspiring bootstrap story; it's a cautionary one. The industry cannot expect to attract and retain the best emerging talent if the price of entry is financial self-immolation. Ahmed's prescription is simple: compensate people for the journey of development, not just the fruits of it. The marathon has to be paid for. [1] — Riz Ahmed "The producer of Everything Everywhere All at Once drove Ubers to survive development. That's not a badge of honour — it's a system failure.…" 27:15
The producer of Everything Everywhere All at Once drove Ubers throughout development and half of production to make ends meet — cited as evidence that unpaid development is unsustainable.
To market Bait, Ahmed filmed fake press conferences where he 'crashes out' over being laughed at for wanting to play Bond — the clip went viral, with 80% defending him and 20% calling him arrogant.
Steven Pressfield's insight: don't wait for the commitment to feel real before acting like a professional. Set up the studio. Make the schedule. Show up. Commitment doesn't precede action — it follows it. You act like a pro first, and your brain catches up with justifications after. The action is the commitment.
Robby Hoffman isn't fearless — she's terrified all the time. The difference is she does it anyway, because not doing it feels worse than the fear itself.
John Mulaney texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere saying he'd been a fan for a while and wanted to make a Netflix special with her. Robby called it 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling' — and said yes.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Music had Pope Gregory forcing notation. Comedy has had 'magical thinking' — he's just got funny bones. But jokes work through discoverable, teachable mechanics. Writing down the rules doesn't kill the magic; it gives more people access to it.
Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.
The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.
The anonymous French artist Invader has hidden 1,500 pixelated mosaic artworks across Paris alone, with thousands more scattered across 80+ cities — affixed to the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, and even sent to the International Space Station. He might be even busier than Banksy.
The Flash Invaders app turns city streets into a treasure hunt, letting players scan Invader's hidden mosaics for points. Players have collectively logged over 47 million flashes. Unlike most mobile games that glue you to a screen, this one forces you to look up and engage with your surroundings.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.