Episode 55: How an ADHD Entrepreneur Built the AOL Newsroom and Created Source of Sources
- Sarah Russell
- Mar 11
- 1 min read
Featuring:
Peter Shankman, entrepreneur, founder of Source of Sources, and early architect of the AOL newsroom
Before the internet became corporate and slow, it was chaos... and a lot of it was built by neurodivergent brains moving fast and breaking things.
Peter Shankman joins Sarah to talk about helping build the AOL newsroom, quitting the corporate meeting machine, and accidentally creating one of the most powerful media networking tools on the internet.
In this episode, we explore:
The First Real Job:
Peter lands at America Online in the 90s (back when AOL was the internet) and helps create the AOL Newsroom by experimenting & moving fast.
The Identity Shift:
Next, Peter tries a traditional media job and immediately hits a wall: endless meetings, zero momentum, and a structure that was never gonna work for him.
Protecting Your Peace:
Find the workaround for you: if the system isn’t working, try something new.
Unexpected Human Detail:
Peter grew up in NYC, went to the Fame school (High School of Performing Arts) as a vocal major, sang for decades, and still wakes up around 3 AM to give his ADHD brain quiet time to think.
Key Questions Answered in the Audio:
Why do so many ADHD people end up building companies or working in startups?
What was it actually like inside AOL when the internet was first exploding?
How can creators, podcasters, and entrepreneurs get press and media attention without hiring a PR firm?
Resources Mentioned:
Source of Sources (SOS) – connect journalists and experts
Peter Shankman
Follow Peter on social (@petershankman)
Connect With Us!
Follow us on all the socials @NDreportpod
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