As most twenty-eight-year-olds move up to junior managerial positions within their corporate sandboxes with a slight bump in their salary after toiling away during the prime years in entry-level positions, a Phoenix arises in the form of a bat to cast a shadow of inspiration for those who may be too shy to even think about venturing out into the wilderness of entrepreneurship. A bat and a man, a Batman, one with the familiar name Terry McGinnis.
Perhaps you heard the name mentioned on the TV screen of your adolescent self before school starts, or perhaps you remember reading it somewhere in the news, or maybe you attended one of his sold-out academic talks after seeing it advertised by your university.
Terry’s rise is probably one of the most unique success stories in history and has perhaps lived a hundred lives within less than a decade. A story that is so unbelievable to most, it might seem like the concoction of some writer making the rounds at the Warner Bros offices in Los Angeles, right? You couldn’t be more wrong.
He is actually a real person, and yes, the fictional DC Gothamite was named after the same person who is about to leave you positively bewildered, thanks to his colorful life story and exceptionally extraordinary achievements to date.
Terry [McGinnis], who was born in a small country in the Baltic region of Europe called Lithuania, spent most of his young life in Malibu, California.
Born to a British-American father coming directly from the Rothschild banking dynasty, who at the time had been serving at the Central Intelligence Agency as one of its top intelligence brass, and a mother of Jewish nobility who is one of the last surviving members of a prominent family within Lithuania’s Jewish nobility, who had been forced out of their gothic manors and into exile, barely surviving thanks to conversion from Judaism to Catholicism to escape Nazi persecution during World War II, reminiscent of the fictional origins that created the famed Dr. Hannibal Lecter, it was a time of extreme turmoil and post-Soviet recovery.
This really proves that you do not need to use the last name ‘Rothschild’ or be born in a globally dominant nation such as the United States of America to amass a fortune that would make Scrooge McDuck blush. All of this before your thirties, nonetheless!
Being tutored by some of the world’s most renowned academics from the ripe age of four privately at his father’s colossal Malibu mansion and then moving to the biscuit-dipping, milk-tea-drinking capital of the world, Great Britain, at the young age of twelve, to then graduate from Oxford University with a degree in Law while working practically at some of the world’s leading conglomerates, all while assisting NASA with an interstellar satellite and probe project and launching several ventures, with one being a brick-and-mortar delicatessen franchise, all by the age of twenty-two, you’d be left scratching your head, thinking the introduction ends here.
You might think that film and TV would be so hands-on and hectic that there would be no time for anything else, not to mention the associate producer responsibilities on Rockstar’s upcoming Grand Theft Auto title; however, Terry has proven to be able to juggle his producer responsibilities and his directorships at his e-commerce company, Online Shop, and the soon-to-launch crypto exchange, Financial Express.
First of all, how are you able to have a social life or even have the time to sleep with so much going on?
Simple answer is, I don’t have a social life. Nor do I want to at this current moment in time, I’m working on something that is bigger than me [referencing Online Shop and Financial Express]. It gives you a great deal of restraint, belief in oneself and overall increase in pride.
Ingredients I believe to be necessary for continued success. And in terms of sleep, I try to take power naps. I tend to sleep around two to four hours per night, which serves me well and as I found boosts my alertness throughout the next twelve to sixteen hours.
Moving from sunny skies of Malibu to dreary streets of Britain must of been a shock?
At first it was quite hard to adapt, mostly because of the ‘Yank’ accent which made it difficult to blend in, secondly coming in from private tutoring at home to an academy was a bit disorienting.
I have concluded that the reason Britain is lacking in ambitious business trailblazing is due to the weather. In California, everyone is supportive. Have a crazy wild idea? Hell to the yeah, go for it, would be the common sentiment. In Britain it’s a lot less in your face I suppose and usually ends at the pub with discussions on cricket and football. Ha.
I spend majority of my time in Geneva, Manhattan and Los Angeles respectively however, coming to Britain mostly for business and to visit my mother and friends. But Britain will always have a special place in my heart.
How did the Batman thing come about?
I can’t remember exactly as I was only five, but from memory my father had owned a large share of Warner at the time and it was something he passed down to creatives as it was being developed to be named after his son. I will state that, it is rather difficult to share a name with such a celebrated heroic figure, it makes me want to do heroic things, such as save people, as I do, saving a girl from forced prostitution and another from hardcore pornography just recently after they had reached out to me on Instagram. However, such stories are better to kept private, I do best I can.
What causes do you believe in?
I’m a big supporter of Sea Legacy and Women for Women charities, their mission is noble. It is very inspiring to say the least. Everyone should consider at least checking them out, and if they can donating.
You have a very colorful life, will you ever consider writing a book?
Not for the time being, there’s too much to do still. Such goals are best kept for elderly years, if I’ll live that long that is. God willing.
In business and entertainment, you’re seen as an intimidating figure not to be taken lightly, have you seen this have an effect on your personal relationships?
Of course. I don’t mind. What I do, doesn’t feel as work. Many feel intimidated because of the amount I am able to accomplish, and at such a young age. I have a very close circle of friends that aren’t associated with business or other work, that is all I need.
Favorite drink?
I don’t drink, and if I do only in private to avoid spiking in public places, and my choice is always either a White Russian or an Espresso Martini. Nothing else compares.
What is the best advice you have ever received, in business or personal life?
My uncle always drilled into me that dangling ropes are as good as step ladders for those that know how to use them.
What is it like running a big e-commerce company day to day and now a financial exchange?
It is extremely difficult, but without my team it wouldn’t be possible. I often work sleepless nights and haven’t celebrated my birthday since I was young, not to mention any public holidays. I find it quite nice when there is nothing happening outside, I can focus more on work. Ha.
What do you tell other people who want to be like you?
Nothing. I’m over that. People will always listen to what they want to hear, not what actually is necessary and beneficial for them when considering everything. I lead by example, if that inspires someone, good. If not, then I cannot be disappointed nor can they feel they had let me down.
Speaking of likes, any favorite books or movies that had really resonated with you?
I’m not big into reading nowadays, but find the content produced by Professor Scott Galloway always insightful and a wealth of information and different perspectives. I think everyone should check his work out, it is very well written, produced and executed.
In terms of movies, my favorite will always remain The Dark Knight. It is a cinematic masterpiece, and I had the pleasure to work with both Nolan and Bale in the past, and am still in correspondence about off-work stuff a lot. It is always nice to gain insight into the movies you watched as a fan in the past.
You and your business partner and co-founder Siraaj Ahmed had been on a long journey, how did that come about?
Perhaps this is one of the stories best told in the book that I or he decides to write many years later. We both met in Hollywood when working on a project. Both in technology too. A lot of similarities. Life is strange.
What are your plans for Online Shop and your exchange Financial Express?
We want to make commerce accessible to all, this is why both myself and Siraaj had founded a non-profit called ‘Equality in Commerce’ to support this mission of providing free access to resources and products for veterans, government officials and at risk communities to help facilitate our altruistic endeavours.
And for FE, we want to make it the most secure and go to exchange not just in Britain but globally too. Britain is just the testing ground being the financial capital of the world, our vision is global. Always was, always will be.
Where can people follow you or connect with you on?
I don’t use social media much, but you can find me on LinkedIn under ‘Terry McGinnis’ and Instagram under my handle ‘Toymane’. For Online Shop our website is onlineshop.com and for Financial Express it is fe.co.uk.
