Startup.com

Starring:Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, Tom Herman, Kenneth Austin, Tricia Burke, Roy Burston, David Camp (II), JosÃ© Feliciano, Dora Glottman, Julian Herbstein, Christina Ortez, Jonathan Angus, Chieh Cheung, Sean Coar, Ambika Conroy, Patrick Cromer, Jerry Greenberg, Richard Herman, Susan Herman, Tia Herman, Bob Higgins (II)
Director: Chris Hegedus, Jehane Noujaim
Studio: Live / Artisan
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Directors Chris Hegedus (The War Room) and Jehane Noujaim couldn't have imagined the drama that awaited when they began documenting the creation of the pioneering e-commerce site govWorks.com. For over a year they followed the company, the brainchild of childhood-friends-turned-business-partners software geek and doting single dad Tom Herman, and ambitious young business-school-grad-turned-company-CEO Kaleil Isaza Tuzman. During the rise of the Internet investment frenzy and the subsequent crash of the dot-economy, the cameras remain keyed into the human dynamic: the lifestyle compromises, the personal sacrifices, and the clash of philosophies and personalities that ultimately tear boyhood buddies Tom and Kaleil apart...almost. Startup.com's portrait of the cutthroat nature of American business culture and the choices one makes (or doesn't) to succeed poses the one question most documentaries ignore: Is it worth it? --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

What price are we willing to pay for .......2007-04-10

As I write this review,I am two days removed from hearing of the tragic and senseless suicide of an acquaintance who had it all, risked it all,lost his family,fell into depression and substance abuse and hung himself.Why?.....his life WAS his startup and it came crashing down around him and he couldn't bear it.
STARTUP.COM is a timeless look at the rise and fall of businesses and the people who rise and fall with them.Some people who will view this film will only want to know one thing:How do I succeed in building a business and make money? Others will view this film and learn about the trmendous sacrifices to self and interpersonal relationships that comes from examining the failures of others driven by an intense desire or need to "succeed".This documentary examines both aspects of business-the technical and the personal.The two aspects are always competing.The lives of the "twentysomething"founders of gov.WORKS.com are examined in intimate detail as Kaleil and Tom are followed from the infancy stage of their internet organization,through it's quick rise to fame,(they were on every major mag cover and even had audience with President Clinton!!!)and it's crashing in 20 months.Loyalties and passions are questioned.This is a very realistic look at the down -and -dirty business world as portrayed in the .com rush of a few years back.What this film has to teach us is about the price that one pays in blood for what one thinks is necessary for "success".This film is a sobering look for anyone,any age who needs to possibly reexamine their priorities in business and in life.

Great, observational documentary.......2006-10-07

One of my favorite documentaries, "Startup.com" follows two high school friends as they create an internet business together.

Besides catching history on film, the filmmakers document what happens when friendship enters the business realm.

Anthropological Record of the Decline and Fall of the West.......2006-02-01

This will be as valuable to future anthroplogists after this civilisation has gone the way of all self-indulgent greed-obsessed cultures, as the murals of Pompeii's preening elite. The two main characters are equally obnoxious and equaly revealing of all that's wrong with this culture of money and ignorant selfishness. All the 'extras' floating around in the background who get churned in the delusional business fantasies of these two idiots are far more interesting, but we dont get to hear much about them. Enron wasnt a fluke, judging by this film.

don't even bother!.......2005-10-21

Okay, I was excited to see this movie. I read a few non fiction books on the dot.com bust and thought I knew a thing or two, but when I watched this movie focus on petty relationships and nothing more, I found myself wondering what planet these film makers were from. I mean, WHO cares about these people's relationships?? NOT ANYONE WHO IS WATCHING THIS MOVIE! We care about why and how businesses succeed and fail. This movie sucked!

Entrepreneurs Dream Movie.......2005-10-04

This movie is awesome! Basically, it talks about a startup dot com and takes you through the company timeline from the day the name was chosen until they had to close the doors. A lot of interesting things happened along the way like a break-in, and . . .well, I dont want to spoil it for you. If you are thinking about owning your own business, you MUST watch this movie.

Average customer rating:

Startup.com [Region 2]
Starring: Kaleil Isaza Tuzman , Tom Herman , Kenneth Austin , Tricia Burke , and Roy Burston
Director: Jehane Noujaim , and Chris Hegedus
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ABC News UpClose Kaleil Tuzman

Manufacturer: ABC News
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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amazon.com

Hubris. It's from the Greek word hybris, meaning "exaggerated pride or self-confidence." And just as it takes a high degree of confidence and personal risk to forge a new business idea, get the financial backing and hire a staff to execute the idea, the same level of confidence can also blind you to the realities that can come crashing down on you. Kaleil Tuzman's cautionary tale is also a very public one. As he was making his ascent into the world of the dot-coms, he invited some documentary producers to shadow him. Trouble was the filmmakers were there for both govworks.com's high-flying days when the 20-something Tuzman was worth an estimated $70 million on paper and for his ignominious fall back to earth. What he hoped would be a business to link government to the internet put him deeply in debt. Anchor: John Donvan.

Charlie Rose with Jehane Noujaim, Kaleil Isaza Tuzman & Chris Hegedus; Yoshio Taniguchi & Glenn Lowry (May 25, 2001)

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Charlie Rose with Jehane Noujaim, Kaleil Isaza Tuzman & Chris Hegedus; Yoshio Taniguchi & Glenn Lowry (May 25, 2001)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Description

Filmmakers Jehane Noujaim and Chris Hegedus and former CEO of Govworks.com Kaleil Isaza Tuzman are on to discuss their work on the new documentary, Startup.com. The film follows the conception, implementation and demise of the internet start-up, Govworks.com, and how the dissolution of the company impacted the two childhood friends who founded the website. Then, Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi & director of the Museum of Modern Art Glenn Lowry talk about the design for the new Museum of Modern Art which they will start construction on this spring.