Lizz Warner Of Popcut.com: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To Make That Happen
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Education and Training: Provide business and financial literacy programs tailored to women, especially those from underrepresented communities.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lizz Warner.
Lizz Warner is a tech founder, executive producer and content creator whose work has garnered over 5 billion views across digital platforms. She has led projects for renowned brands like Netflix, BuzzFeed, and the President of the United States. She’s the founder of Popcut.com, a US-based talent marketplace offering top-tier video editors with over 10 billion views on their content. Known for her innovative storytelling and leadership, Lizz is dedicated to empowering women in business and media through mentorship and advocacy.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
My first job after college was as a video producer at BuzzFeed. In the early days of growing our channels, the primary focus was to generate as many views as possible — essentially, to make content go viral.
Day in and out my fellow producers and I studied content like data analysts, figuring out what the key to success was in terms of maximizing performance. I quickly learned that how It was edited was just as important as what you filmed. If the story wasn’t told succinctly, and with a great hook (etc), your video would almost certainly flop. Suddenly, finding good editors became crucial, and there was a constant bottleneck to work with the best ones.
I saw this time and time again after leaving BuzzFeed and freelance producing — there was a major market demand for editorial talent for brands that needed their stories told right. Popcut was born out of the need to address a critical gap in the content creation industry, and provide everyone with access to top-quality video editors.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
One of the most remarkable moments in my career was working on the 2020 Presidential campaign during the pandemic. With everything done remotely and content needing to be uploaded in real-time, the whole thing was intense. It was surreal to witness how our small but mighty team’s work reached such influential audiences. In those moments, you truly understand the importance of impactful storytelling through editing — whether it’s a video about cats or a message from the most powerful office in the world.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Early in my career, I was producing a video called “Hot Guys Read a Bedtime Story” — it took a lot of legwork, and I had a fog machine on during the shoot. Of course it started setting off the fire alarms. It was such a nuisance, and I was so embarrassed as a young producer. Luckily, we pushed through and got the shoot done. I spent a week editing the video, submitted it to final review — only to find the bedtime story the actors read in the video was copywritten. Smh.
I ended up re-writing the entire book with “millennial jargon,” for the actors to re-read, and I re-shot the entire video. Luckily, no fire alarms went off this time and it came out even better than the first one.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Gosh so many people, it’s hard to name just one! We were always on tight deadlines, so things were constantly in a state of chaos. Anytime I had a technical issue or my footage wouldn’t sync properly in Premiere, Jeremy Koenig would always know how to fix it and help me out. I want to give him a huge shout out — thanks Jeremy !
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
A book I read recently that I keep thinking about is called “So Good They Can’t Ignore You.” It made me re-think how to approach career and business. The central idea of the book — focusing on developing rare and valuable skills instead of ONLY chasing passion — really resonated with me. It shifted my mindset from obsessively trying to find my “true calling” to honing my craft and building expertise. By focusing on becoming exceptional in my work, I was able to create opportunities, build Popcut, and stand out in a competitive industry. This lesson has been crucial in shaping my path as an entrepreneur.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
One of my favorite life lessons is the quote: “Never take anything personally.” This idea has been incredibly relevant throughout my life, especially in the world of media and entrepreneurship, where criticism and feedback are constant. Back in the day, I used to be super sensitive and internalize criticism. As I matured in my career, I learned that most feedback, both positive and negative, often has more to do with the person giving it than with you. This lesson helped me stay focused on my goals and minimize external opinions derailing my path.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
One of the most impactful projects I’ve been part of was producing and directing a video for Kevin Hines, a suicide prevention advocate who survived a jump from the Golden Gate Bridge. I edited his story in a powerful way, and the response was overwhelming. It went viral, reaching millions of people and, most importantly, he got over 10,000 messages from people saying the video made them reconsider committing suicide the day they watched it. It was overwhelming and such an honor to get to work with him.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
One of the biggest barriers women face, myself included, is the fear of failure, which is often amplified by societal expectations. Many feel the need to people-please which can make it harder to take risks or pursue entrepreneurship. Additionally, being surrounded by a predominantly male business environment, investors included — can make it intimidating and awkward to fit in. When you’re often the only woman in the room, it’s easy to feel out of place or like you have to prove yourself even more.
Can you share with our readers what you are doing to help empower women to become founders?
I’m constantly looking to connect with other female founders, as I find we are a great support to one another. I threw an event this past year for female founders to speak and mentor each other, and a lot of great connections came of it. At Popcut, I’m constantly looking for killer female editors whose career I can help promote and support through the platform.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
- Representation Matters: When women become founders, they pave the way for others to follow, creating more inclusive industries.
- Unique Perspectives: Women bring diverse perspectives to leadership, which can lead to innovative solutions and ideas.
- Women Are Exceptional Leaders: Women are natural leaders, often excelling at collaboration, empathy, and long-term thinking. These qualities make them well-suited to lead successful companies and create lasting change.
Creating New Products for Women: There are so many potential products for women that don’t yet exist because of a lack of female founders. Women are in the best position to create innovative products that meet their specific needs.
- Awareness of Male-Dominated Norms: We are often so used to being in male-dominated industries that we don’t even realize how much we’re missing. More women founders will help us identify and challenge the status quo, paving the way for entirely new industries and categories to emerge.
Can you please share 5 things that can be done or should be done to help empower more women to become founders?
- Mentorship Programs: Create more accessible (and less expensive) mentorship opportunities for aspiring female entrepreneurs. Mentorship is key to building confidence and learning the ropes.
- Access to Funding: VCs and investors should create specific funds aimed at supporting female-led ventures. Lack of capital is a huge barrier for women.
- Education and Training: Provide business and financial literacy programs tailored to women, especially those from underrepresented communities.
- Visibility: Media platforms need to showcase more female founder programs to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
- Flexible Work Policies: Encourage workplace policies that support women entrepreneurs who are balancing family responsibilities with growing a business.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would love to inspire a movement that provides education and mentorship for women in tech and media, particularly in underrepresented communities. Education is the greatest equalizer, and by offering resources and knowledge, we can empower women globally to take control of their futures.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I’m a huge reality TV addict — I’d love to have lunch with Elan Gale, the creator of FBOY Island and the mind behind some of the my favorite reality TV shows. His ability to combine humor, authenticity, and commentary on modern relationships has made for excellent television. The way he gets bold ideas out there and is always pushing boundaries in reality television is something I admire.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Find me on IG — @wanderlizz and @popcutvideo, or linked in — Lizz Warner. Readers of this article can reach out to me for a discount on your first project with one of our editors at Popcut.com
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
Lizz Warner Of Popcut: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To Make That was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.