‘Those are fighting words’: Why Weston Bergmann won’t stop until ‘The Blox’ changes every challenger’s life

With the largest live-in startup competition now available on Amazon Prime Video, the stakes have never been higher and the potential never greater for “The Blox” — a show where the reality TV format is mined to turn entrepreneur education into entertainment.

“The demand to be on the show has exponentially grown, and with it we’ve edited our casting lens,” said Weston Bergmann, the Kansas City-based creator of The Blox docu-series and founder of BetaBlox, which boasts Overland Park headquarters. 

Weston Bergmann, The Blox, Season 8; image courtesy of The Blox

“This means the vibrancy of the chosen entrepreneurs has reached a boiling point,” continued Bergmann. “What we’ve learned is that if we correctly vet a big room of the right kinds of entrepreneurs, an indescribable magic occurs.”

Click here to check out The Blox on Amazon Prime.

The show works like this: The Blox features 20 startup founders competing daily in exercises, pitches, and tests to earn points; with themes like inbound marketing, growth hacking, and fundraising shaping the competition.

RELATED: MTV veteran’s new docu-series crowns ‘greatest startup on The Blox,’ evolving reality TV beyond ‘messy’ sensationalism 

Coaches and mentors from Season 8 of The Blox; photo courtesy of The Blox

Bergmann acknowledged the show’s evolution, emphasizing the monumental changes in size and scale. With about 100 contestants this season, the demand has led to a threefold increase in coaches, contractors, and support staff. 

In its eighth season, the diverse narratives of the participating entrepreneurs come to life on the screen, offering an educational opportunity for the cast and an engaging viewing experience for fans.

“When this happens it’s making our job of teaching the viewer these valuable entrepreneurial principles easier,” said Bergmann.

Watch The Blox’s season 8 trailer, then keep reading.

The Blox goes Prime Video

Availability of The Blox on Prime Video marks a strategic move to enhance accessibility in order to further expand the reality show’s audience. 

Bergmann shed light on the decision, feeling that the alignment with Amazon’s services was a smooth transition for the show. 

“We use so many of Amazon’s services to empower our entire business incubator,” explained Bergmann. “It seemed natural to look into Prime Video as an option, and we couldn’t be more happy with it as an on-demand option for our viewers.”

New father, new changes

Bergmann has now entered his most important role yet; as a first-time father, he discussed the addition of his newborn baby, Lucy, to his life and work. 

“She’s impacted every single area of my life, including every department of my company. So in a way, it’d be hard to answer this without more hours,” said Bergmann.

“That said, I think it’s fair to say that I have to be smarter with my work time than I ever have been before,” he continued. “I’ve got to say ‘No’ to more things. And the things I say ‘Yes’ to need to be better delegated.”

With a newborn baby, balancing family and career also demands the development of more scalable processes like beefed up playbooks, processes, and training to keep Bergmann on track, he said. 

 

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Mental marathon of entrepreneurship

The show is no easy task for the competitors, Bergmann said. Filming week can be potentially daunting, as the filming crew monopolizes the entrepreneurs’ day for about 14 hours for six straight days, combined with a lot of public speaking being filmed for the world to see.

Competitors on The Blox cheer in celebration; photo courtesy of The Blox

Bergmann delved into the “mental marathon of entrepreneurship,” recognizing the challenges that early founders go through, such as working long hours with little-to-no pay. 

“Our family and friends seldom truly understand what we’re going through. At the risk of being a little melodramatic, starting a company is traumatic,” he said.

The Blox serves as a safe space for unpacking the emotional toll of starting a company, fostering vulnerability among entrepreneurs.

“This aids in high-quality reps and makes them stronger. But it also forces them to be mentally clocked in for an insane amount of hours in a row. It can be daunting,” said Bergmann. 

The entrepreneurs are prepped for months leading up to the experience with an online academy so they’re better equipped to take on their advanced lessons. Then, they put their skills to the test all day, every day, until the experience is over.

“Dealing with these things requires a great deal of vulnerability that is challenging for entrepreneurs,” said Bergmann. “But it’s ultimately rewarding to talk about these topics so we can all learn we’re not alone.”

But, with high stakes, comes high reward.

“We aren’t exaggerating when we say if this week doesn’t change their life we’ve failed. Those are big words. They’re fighting words,” Bergmann said. 

Jack McCarthy, CEO of Vortex Events: Virtual Team Adventures, celebrates as his season’s grand prize winner on The Blox; photo courtesy of The Blox

BetaBlox and The Blox evolves

BetaBlox — Bergmann’s flagship business incubator that functions as an extended coaching program — is currently taking applications.

“It’s an aggressive multi-month coaching program followed by more passive years of mentorship and community,” said Bergmann.

Previously limited to in-person services within driving distance of Kansas City and Tulsa, Betablox has now transitioned to an entirely remote program, allowing Bergmann and his team to assist entrepreneurs from anywhere in the country.

Expressing his vision for The Blox’s future, Bergmann sees continual evolution for the show, with a primary goal for 2024 being to achieve “more.” His main focus is the commitment to make entrepreneurship education more accessible for all.

“I want to introduce entrepreneurship education in a more digestible way through the lens of entertainment,” he said. “The Blox is entrepreneurship education, scaled — and I won’t stop until it’s known as the most effective tool of its kind.”