It’s a leadership tool I built by blending what I learned making documentaries at FRONTLINE with what it takes to pressure-test a venture strategy.

Now, it’s available to you.

pointc.co/the-venture-...

That’s what The Venture Story does.
→ 3 Acts
→ 9 Scenes
→ 54 Beats

A full arc that brings together the bottom-up user journey, the top-down market landscape, and the story of your team's momentum — in the same amount of time it takes to stumble through a dense, top-down slide deck.

If you actually want to see your strategy — and help others believe in it — you need a narrative that forces you to connect every part.

Full breakdown in the newsletter:

pointc.co/the-design-r...

If you want a culture where people get sharper, faster, and more self-correcting with every iteration — this might be the most powerful ritual you can build.

In this week’s Idea Bucket, I break down exactly how it works:

— the purpose
— the agenda
— the cadence
— the norms

And here’s the key: you go last.

That’s what The Design Review is for.

It’s a ritual I’ve used in accelerators, leadership programs, and exec teams — to help teams share work before it’s ready, surface risks early, and build real strategic muscle.

Because real innovation requires both.

You need high standards to push the work forward.
You need psychological safety to surface the gaps.
And you need a rhythm that turns feedback into a habit — not a threat.

In this week's Idea Bucket post, I break down the full Venture Design Rubric I use with founders and leadership teams — and share a downloadable worksheet to help you build your own version.

If you're trying to get your team aligned on strategy, start here:

pointc.co/therubric/

Without a rubric, teams drift.

The loudest voice sets the standard.
Tradeoffs don’t get surfaced.
Feedback feels personal.
And strategy falls apart quietly over time.

A well-built rubric prevents all of that.

Want to read more or apply?

→ pointc.co/sulzberger

All prospective applicants should sign up for the Sulzberger mailing list to stay in the loop throughout the process:

→ Sign up: bit.ly/sulzbergerma...

The first info session is July 15. I’ll walk you through the full experience and answer your questions directly.

→ Sign up: bit.ly/sulzberger20...

You’ll be supported every step of the way with 1:1 executive coaching and a tight-knit cohort of peers.

This is not an academic exercise.
We don’t do white papers.
You do the work that matters — and get the structure and support to do it better.

Then we go virtual.

Over 18 weeks, you’ll accelerate a strategic project and build a personal leadership playbook — designed to create a subculture of innovation inside your organization.

It kicks off in January with two weeks in NYC:

• A 5-day immersive Training Camp
• MBA-style deep dives in strategy, marketing, negotiations, and user research
• Your first Design Review — built to help you fail fast and succeed sooner

The Sulzberger Program is a 20-week executive leadership accelerator at @columbiajournalism.bsky.social Columbia — built for senior media leaders ready to take on real strategic and cultural challenges inside their organizations.

This week’s post from The Idea Bucket introduces The Selection Stack — a 6-step ritual to align your team and stakeholders before you get too far down the road.

pointc.co/the-selectio...