Jason Flom | The Big Record Executive Fighting for Those Wrongfully Convicted

The Lesson: In many circumstances, the U.S. government, and those governing the 50 states, will place extraordinary, ruinous sentences on men and women who are simply in a difficult period of their lives socially, or who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well these loaded convictions are not always the end of the story, as there are many people and organizations around the country, whose effort often goes unreported, working to set innocent and wrongfully convicted people free.

Notable Excerpt: "It was Winston Churchill who said 'we make a living by what we get we make a life by what we give,' and it's also true [that] at the end of the day I've been very fortunate in the music industry. I've discovered a lot of great artists, helped to launch their careers—but nobody really cares, it doesn't matter. Nobody really cares next week. Nobody cares who discovered the Beatles! Who discovered the Beatles, do you guys even know? I don't know, it doesn't even matter! The Beatles matter, they'll always matter. But what does matter is that I've helped so many people get out of prison, start their lives again, help put their families back together, that actually does matter."

The Guest: Jason Flom was described by the New Yorker as one of the most successful record-men of the last 20 years, and serves as CEO of Lava Media. He held previous positions as chairman of Atlantic Records, Virgin Records, and Capitol Music Group, and played a major part in the breakouts of artists like Katy Perry, Lorde, Gretta Van Fleet, and Kid Rock. His other life is in criminal justice reform, and hosts the hit podcast, Wrongful Conviction, which features interviews with men and women who have spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit, some even sentenced to death. Flom also hosts Righteous Convictions, which spotlights social justice leaders working for change in criminal justice. His work has led to dozens of first-time, non-violent, or innocent convicts regain their freedom.

Episode Resources:

Jason Flom | Instagram

Jason Flom | Twitter

Jason Flom | Facebook

Jason Flom | Wrongful Conviction Podcast