MoviePass was his idea. HBO documented the chaos, but now he’s taking it back.

There Are No Girls on the Internet

iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture, Technology

4.4 • 820 Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the 2010s, MoviePass became a cultural phenomenon, but behind the viral success was Stacy Spikes, a Black entrepreneur and visionary who co-founded the company. Then, he was pushed out. But today, he’s back in charge. Stacy joins Bridget to talk about the rise and fall of MoviePass, the power of culture and human creativity, what it was like to be sidelined from his creation, and the rare second chance to take back the company he built from the ground up.

Stacy Spikes is an award-winning entrepreneur and inventor who USA Today named one of the 21 most influential Black professionals in technology. He is the co-founder and CEO of the viral phenomenon MoviePass, now the subject of the HBO documentary MoviePass, MovieCrash. He is also the founder of Urbanworld, the largest international festival dedicated to nurturing Women and Diverse filmmakers.

Stacy's critically acclaimed memoir: Black Founder, The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider

On Reddit, read Stacy's forum: Ask Me Anything

If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:04.2	Run a business and not thinking about podcasting.
0:06.9	Think again.
0:07.5	More Americans listen to podcasts than ads supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora.
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0:15.7	Learn how podcasting can help your business.
0:17.6	Call 844-844-I-Hart.
0:19.6	Hey, y'all.
0:21.0	If you're interested in learning more about how technology and the Internet of
0:24.0	things are shaping all of our lives, I have a podcast recommendation for you.
0:27.9	It's called TED Tech, and it's hosted by the wonderful Sherelle Dorsey.
0:32.0	She guides you through the latest ideas from TED speakers,
0:34.9	uncovering how tech is shaping our lives by influencing our beauty
0:38.1	standards, our memory, and even our understanding of the universe.
0:42.1	Tune in to TED Tech wherever you get your podcasts.
0:46.2	Show me how good it can get today, God, and show the rest of the world what we already know.
0:51.5	It can't get no better than being hella black,
0:56.0	hella queer, and hella Christian.
0:58.1	My name is Joseph Rees.
1:00.8	I am the creator and host of hella black,
1:02.3	hella queer, hella Christian.
1:04.9	A fully black, fully queer, fully human,
	...

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