Gaming and fandom streaming service Machinima is one of the biggest video producers on the internet. With over 32,000 creators in its network, Machinima is the fifth-largest channel network on YouTube, according to ComScore data for April.

It's no surprise Machinima is on the rise. It hosts popular shows like talk show ETC, cartoon Battlefield Friends, and top gamers such as Minecrafter JermoneASF and Zack Scott.

With famous YouTubers always dropping in and all the latest video-game consoles available to play, Machinima looks like a fun place to work. We recently stopped by the company's Los Angeles headquarters to check it out for ourselves.

Machinima's offices are located in an oddly shaped building in West Hollywood. You might miss it if you were driving by. Because of building regulations, Machinima can't have signs announcing its location.

Look for their iconic "M" logo on the door.

Enter the lobby and you'll be greeted by a TV playing some of its latest and greatest YouTube videos. When we got there, Machninima's popular show ETC with cohosts Ricky Hayberg and Eliot Dewberry was playing.

There aren’t many things more refreshing than a cold glass of Coke on a hot day.

But the famous soda, which dates all the way back to 1886, has so many more uses than that. 

From getting rid of rust to keeping grass lush and green, a little bit of Coca-Cola can go a long way. Plus, it makes a mean BBQ sauce.

And even though Coke can clean your toilet or polish the chrome of your car's bumper, it's still safe to drink. The carbonic acid which makes this soda so good at cleaning is still way less acidic than your stomach acids or even a lemon, according to LIVESTRONG, meaning Coke won't have the same effect on your stomach lining as it has on a dirty coin.

Keep reading to see the 43 things you can do with a can of Coke.

CLEANING

Clean coins: If your coins look dull and you want to spruce them up, drop your money into a glass of Coke. Wait for a full day or overnight before pulling your coins out. Wipe with a rag and buff the coins — most of the grime will have come away.

Clean toilet: Diet Coke is better than most chemical cleaners. Pour it around the rim and let it flow into the bowl. Let it sit for about an hour and then scrub off any stubborn stains with a toilet brush. Flush once you’re done.

Remove stains from clothes: If you get grease stains on your clothes, you can break up the stain with a can of Coke. Just pour the soda in with your regular normal cycle and detergent to combat the stain.

Remove blood stains: While the rumor that police use soda to get blood stains off highways is a myth, Coca-Cola is really effective at busting through blood stains — the show "MythBusters" even confirmed that this was possible.

Polish chrome: Whether it’s for your car's bumper or another chrome surface, aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola will remove rust much better than any traditional polisher.

Clean burned pots: You can “unstick” burnt pots and pans by pouring in some Coke and bringing it to a boil. Take the pan off the heat and carefully use a scrubbing brush to stir the soda — the food should come right off.

Get rid of rust: If you have any rust stains or tools covered in rust, Coca-Cola will eat away at the rust for you. Leave the rusty object submerged in Coke for an hour or overnight and then scrub off the rust.

Descale a teapot: Filling a kettle with Coke and letting it sit overnight will dissolve any scale hiding inside. You can then thoroughly scrub with a sponge and by the time you’re done, the teapot will look like new.

Get rid of tile grout: Because it’s caustic, Coca-Cola can lessen tile grout stains and build-up. Wet the grout with Coke and let the area sit for a few minutes before wiping with a clean cloth. Repeat until the grout is clean.

Remove marker stains from carpet: To remove a marker stain, soak the area in Coke for a few minutes, before blotting up the excess liquid and diluting the area with water. Keep blotting until the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove permanent marker from dry erase boards: If someone mistakenly used a permanent marker on a dry erase board, soak it in Coca-Cola for a few minutes and then wipe clean with a rag.

Unclog garbage disposal: Pour Coke down your garbage disposal and wait for the fizzing to stop. Then rinse with hot or boiling water. The Coke and hot water should be enough to help break down the gunk and clean the disposal. 

HEALTH 

Relieves nausea: Drinking flat Coca-Cola will help relieve a queasy stomach. Avoid regular carbonated Coke since that could agitate your stomach and make it feel worse.

Soothe jellyfish stings: If you find yourself stung by a jellyfish, a little bit of Coke could help. The acid of the soda will help combat the jellyfish venom and ease the pain.

Fight stomach blockages: A new study suggests that soda could help fight stomach blockages. Researchers think it could have something to do with Coke’s acidity level that resembles gastric acid and could help the digestion process.

BEAUTY

Get gum out of hair: If you or someone else has gum stuck in your hair, pouring a little Coke over the gum will help it slide right out.

Fades hair dye: If you got a dye job that you don’t like or if the color looks too vibrant or dark, you can wash some of the color out with a can of Coke.

Texturize hair: Model Suki Waterhouse recently admitted she rinses her hair with Coca-Cola to give it more texture. It also gives your hair some extra body and bounce, which is a plus as well.

OUTDOORS

Lawn tonic: Combine a can of regular (read: not diet) Coke with a can of beer, dishwashing soap, household ammonia, and a cup of mouthwash and put it in a 10-gallon hose-end sprayer to dilute the mixture. Spraying this on your lawn a few times a week will keep it green and thick.

Keep bugs away outdoors: If you’re having a picnic or have food that bugs keep coming over to inspect, fill a bowl with Coca-Cola and place it far away from you. The sugar will draw the bugs to the bowl and away form you and your food.

Eliminate oil stains: Coke will help get rid of any oil stains on your driveway or in the garage. Pour Coke over the stains, scrub with a brush, and then rinse with water.

Kill slugs: If slugs or snails are overrunning your garden and plants, you can lure them away with a small bowl of Coca-Cola. The soda will attract and kill the pests, leaving your garden slug-free.

Defrost windshield: Pour a can of Coke onto your car’s windshield if you’re out of windshield-wiper fluid or don’t have a scraper. Just avoid getting it on the paint, since the corrosive soda can ruin the paint job.

Pesticide: Coke and Pepsi were both rumored to have been used by farmers in India where the sodas are cheaper than traditional pesticides. Though this is unconfirmed, soda does actually work rather well as a pesticide since it not only attracts the bugs but also kills them. Spray or pour a little Coke next time on any unwanted ant hills.

Kickstart compost pile: A can of Coke will infinitely help your compost pile. All you need to do is pour in the soda, and the mildly acidic soft drink will help break down all the organic matter in your compost and attract micro organisms that will be helpful in the composting process.

Clean bugs from car windshield: If you have a lot of dead bugs and grime on your windshield, pour a can of Coke over it. Let it sit, and then wipe down with a damp cloth to easily remove any residue. Rinse with water to keep Coke from damaging the car’s paint.

Pool cleaner: A few sites say that if you pour two two-liter bottles of Coca-Cola into your pool, you’ll notice a significant change in your pool’s appearance for the better once the pool has cleaned out the soda. No more iron or rust stains!

Clean car batteries: If your car battery is looking corrosive, you can clean it with Coke. Since Coca-Cola is a mild acid and the corrosion is a mild alkali, it causes a chemical reaction and remove the corrosion.

FOOD 

Brownies: By mixing together a box of fudge brownie mix and a can of Diet Coke, you can get perfectly cooked, moist brownies in under half an hour.

Jell-O: You can substitute any type of Coca-Cola with the water in a Jell-O recipe to create a sweet and soda-themed version of the classic. The blog Something Swanky has some good combination ideas, like lime Jell-O with regular Coke.

Diet Coke float popsicles:  You can combine Coke, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to create a Diet Coke popsicle spin on the classic root beer float for the summer time. See a recipe here.

Chicken drumsticks: This recipe only takes three ingredients: Coke, soy sauce, and chicken wings. Throw everything in a slow cooker and set it on low for six hours. Once the wings are tender, pour the leftover liquid into a pot, simmer it down to a glaze, and then pour over wings.

Barbecue sauce: Combine Coca-Cola with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and a few other seasonings of your choice. Simmer the mixture, and it will turn into the delicious BBQ sauce of your dreams. See a popular recipe here.

Cupcakes: Combine Diet Coke with a box of chocolate cake mix — it will fizz at first, but don’t freak out. Pour the batter into a cupcake pan and cook for about 20 minutes. Top with powdered sugar.

Pot roast: A can of Coke combined with au jus, McCormick's slow cooker Savory Pot Roast season packet, and the rib roast itself will make an amazing meal. Slow cook the roast and seasoning for eight hours on low in a crock pot for tender and delicious results. 

Baste a ham: Combining Coca-Cola with a little brown sugar and crushed pineapple will make for a delicious dinner that’s very easy to make. See a recipe here. 

“Dirty Diet Coke”: The blogger community went crazy for this easy-to make recipe. Combine Diet Coke with half and half milk, coconut syrup, and a squeeze of lime. Drink and enjoy.

Cocktails: Mix your alcohol of choice with any Coke product and then add any accoutrements you’d like. Here are some recipes to get you started.

MISCELLANEOUS 

Exploding Mentos: Drop a few Mentos mints into a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke to create a Coke geyser. This is "MythBusters" tested and incredibly fun.

Skunk odor killer: Though tomato juice works better, Coke is an effective skunk odor remover. Rub the soda into your hair and skin and let sit for a few minutes. Then rinse off with soap and water. This will also work well for any skunked animals. 

Remove paint from metal furniture: You can remove paint from metal furniture by soaking a bath towel in Coca-Cola and covering it for a week, continuing to saturate the towel with Coke every day so it stays wet. After a week, the paint should strip off very easily.

Loosen rusted bolts: If you happen upon a rusted bolt that you can’t undo, soak a hand towel in Coke and apply it to the area for a few minutes. Continue soaking the bolt until most of the rust has been removed and comes off on the towel. After the bolt is removed, rinse the area with water to avoid stickiness.

Make antique-y pictures or letters: Coke can give paper an aged or antique look in lieu of coffee or tea. Just soak the paper in Cola, wipe off excess liquid after letting it sit, and dry in the oven for five minutes or until the paper has dried and the edges start to warp.

SEE ALSO: 64 things you can do with a simple mason jar that will transform your daily life

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 6 scientifically proven features men find attractive in women

Click here to see the story »

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 6 shortcuts in Excel that will save you a ton of time

A new trend in underwear could spell trouble for Victoria's Secret. 

Women are increasingly abandoning thong underwear, choosing instead to buy briefs, or "granny panties," according to The New York Times. 

In the past year, sales of skimpy thongs fell 7%, while sales of briefs, boy shorts and high-waist briefs grew 17%, according to NPD Group. 

"Perhaps motivated by the same kind of contrarianism that helped elevate Birkenstocks and fanny packs, young women are embracing 'granny panties' — and not just for laundry day," the New York Times writes, citing practical up-and-coming panty brands like Ten Undies. 

Victoria's Secret has built a business around skimpy thong underwear and push-up bras. 

But this approach might need to change soon.

"Most women just want something basic for every day that will make them look and feel good," lingerie designer Greer Simpkins told The New York Times.

Victoria's Secret's image is under pressure.

The brand currently controls 35% of the lingerie market and has posted quarter after quarter of same-store sales growth. 

Several key Angels, including Karlie Kloss and Doutzen Kroes, have left the brand. Start-ups like AdoreMe are poaching top designers and offering similar products at cheaper prices.  

Plus-size customers are petitioning executives to offer larger sizes. And Lane Bryant took aim at Victoria's Secret's models in a recent ad campaign.

"Like Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria's Secret is in real danger of losing its relevance amongst women as the brand is labeled sexist and stodgy," branding expert and University of Southern California professor Jeetendr Sehdev told Business Insider. 

Abercrombie & Fitch ruled the teen sector for years but lost its footing when it failed to adapt to fast-fashion competitors like H&M and Forever 21. Abercrombie was also criticized for excluding plus-size customers and minorities in its stores.

"Victoria's Secret needs to stop hiding behind dazzle and dated '70s concepts such as 'Angels" and the 'Fantasy Bra,' and start having a real conversation with women," Sehdev said. 

The brand famously hires 10 famous models to represent its brand as "Angels." It also spends millions of dollars on a televised fashion show, complete with diamond-encrusted bras and performances by Taylor Swift. 

"The dazzling and over the top fantasy positioning is simply alienating to the modern day sophisticated and complex young woman," Sehdev said. 

As consumers' opinions of beauty change, Victoria's Secret seems outdated. 

SEE ALSO: 25 companies that are revolutionizing retail

Follow Us: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Two models in Russia just posed with a 1,400-pound bear

It's easy to get caught up in tourist traps and miss out on local favorites when visiting a new city, especially in a big city like Chicago, where visitor options are seemingly endless.

So we asked some Chicagoans for their suggestions on the best the city has to offer.

From boats to beer tours to baseball games, here are the real best things to do in Chicago.

Listen to some jazz and swing music at the Green Mill cocktail lounge, a true piece of history that opened in 1907. Along with its connections to the Chicago mob scene, the lounge is known for the poetry slams it hosts every Sunday night.

For more information about Green Mill, click here >

Watch from North Avenue Beach (or an apartment that overlooks the beach) as historic fighter planes perform daredevil maneuvers in the sky for Chicago's annual Air and Water Show. The show takes places August 15-16 from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m.

Click here to find out more about the air and water show >

Catch a show at the comedy club Second City, whose notable alumni include Steve Carell and Tina Fey.

Thunder Ranch at Bottle Bay is a nature lover's dream home. 

Sitting on over 48 acres of land, 7095 Bottle Bay Road in Sagle, Idaho promises scenic views and an escape from reality.

And for $36 million, the most expensive home on the Idaho real estate market can be all yours. 

Thunder Ranch is a hidden estate submerged in nature.

A gate surrounds acres of land adorned with artifacts and sculptures, not to mention a helipad, barn, and stable.

Constructed in 2008 of natural stone and wood, the main residence is full of character and charm — and seven fireplaces!

A strong network, affordable tuition, and campus location are all important factors to consider when choosing a business school. But these aspects don't matter much if you're not getting a solid education.

Online grad school guide GraduatePrograms.com surveyed over 10,000 current and former business school students about their programs to find which places offer the best quality of education — schools where students have access to relevant, interesting, and challenging courses taught by qualified professors.

Students ranked their schools on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being a perfect score. The scores for each school were averaged together and then ranked accordingly.

These business schools earned top marks for quality of education:

SEE ALSO: The 10 best business schools in the US

FOLLOW US:  Business Insider is on Twitter!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The Most Important Thing I Learned About Business From Hugh Hefner

Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus, the sexual dysfunction specialist and clinical director of The Medical Center For Female Sexuality, explains that a "sex schedule" is good for your relationship, and most happy couples have one (perhaps without realizing it). 

Produced by Sam Rega and Joe Avella. Camera by Jason Gaines.

Follow BI Video: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

LeBron James is one of the NBA's most feared competitors. Here's how he spends that hard-earned salary. 

Produced by Devan Joseph. Special thanks to Tony Manfred.

Join the conversation about this story »

.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A Japanese lifestyle guru explains how to organize your home once — and then never again

Ever wanted to live like royalty? 

Well, you absolutely can — for a price. 

Our friends at property search site Estately.com, rounded up some of the best castle-like homes in the US. 

Complete with secret wine cellars, custom indoor lap pools, rose gardens, multi-floor libraries, and stone walls, these 18 castle homes are available for purchase right now. 

This 240-room castle in Connecticut comes with 75 acres of land and a moat.

Built by Christopher Mark, the great-grandson of Chicago steel tycoon Clayton Mark Senior, this impressive gothic structure took seven years to complete.

Known as Chrismark Castle, the home has eight bedrooms, a moat, and once housed exotic animals including a zebra, emus, and camels. 

Address: 450 Brickyard RD, Woodstock, CT

Price: $45,000,000

A 28,000-square-foot castle in Virginia has an indoor lap pool.

This castle in McLean, VA looks more like a university library than it does a private home. 

The 28,000-square-foot estate has eight bedrooms and 12 baths. The home also has an indoor lap pool, a sophisticated library complete with spiral staircase, and is filled with exquisite chandeliers. 

Address:7201 Dulany Drive, McLean, VA 

Price: $28,800,000

This stunning French Chateau in Napa Valley has its own conservatory.

This elegant French Chateau sits on over 46 acres of picturesque land in the Napa Valley. 

The Chateau has an incredible mosaic tile floored foyer, an elevator which takes you up to the conservatory, a state-of-the-art entrainment pavilion, and an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven.

Address: 256 N Fork Crystal Springs Rd, St. Helena, CA

Price: $16,996,000

A site that lets you buy brand new pricey men's clothing and accessories for consistently less than retail sounds too good to be true.

And for the most part it is. Except for Massdrop.com.

Started in 2012, Massdrop is a new kind of web service. It's not a retailer, and it doesn't have any kind of item on hand to sell you. Instead, it acts as a middleman between manufacturers and customers.

Massdrop's 1 million active users vote for what product they would like to see on a "drop." Coats, backpacks, boots, shoes, wallets, belts, and more are all available to be voted on. Once the poll closes, Massdrop will reach out to the brand of the top-voted product. If they decline, Massdrop will then reach out to the product with the second most votes. Massdrop presumably gets the goods for cheaper wholesale, making a tiny profit in the process.

Since the goods offered are voted on by a group of enthusiasts, the brands are often considered very good quality. In the past, Massdrop has featured Fjallraven, Rancourt & Co., Randolph Engineering, Seiko, Orient, Alpha Industries, and Oak Street Bootmakers. Massdrop also offers other enthusiast equipment, including headphones, camera equipment, lockpicking sets, and even vaporizers.

Once a brand is signed up and on board for the drop, Massdrop will allow users to join the drop and sign up to the purchase the item. It will start at full price, but the price will lower as more people sign up to purchase it. There's no gambling involved here, luckily. You can also sign up to buy the item only if the lowest price becomes unlocked.

When the drop ends, Massdrop sends the exact order to the manufacturer. All drops are a limited-time only affair, and some are only offered in a limited quantity. The product will then be shipped as one order to Massdrop, who will then package it in individual shipments and send those out to the customers.

And here's where the first real drawback comes in. From the time Massdrop submits the group order to the time the product is shipped, Massdrop has absolutely no control over the timeline. If you're looking to get your new item in a hurry, Massdrop is not for you.

First you have to wait for the drop to end, then wait for Massdrop to submit the order, then wait for the manufacturer to fulfill the order, then wait for Massdrop to split the order, then wait for the order to get to you. 

That's a lot of waiting, but Massdrop keeps you in the loop throughout the process with reassuring "drop update" emails.

I've ordered two items from Massdrop in the past couple of months: a Corter Leather Bottlehook and a Faler Brand Belt. In terms of turnaround times, I committed to the Corter drop on May 1 and my bottlehook was in my hands on May 26. The hook I got for $27 and it has a regular price of $36, while I paid $40 for the belt. (I'm unsure of the retail price of the belt is — Faler doesn't have a company website.)

For the Faler drop, there were some issues with the manufacturer securing the materials for the belts. I committed to the drop on March 28, but didn't receive the belt until May 18. Not exactly a speedy turnaround.

If you're willing to wait, however, the deals can definitely be worth it.

SEE ALSO: 17 men's fashion experts on Instagram who will inspire you to dress better

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 5 Classic Men's Shoes For Work And Play

The documentary "Deep Web" gives the inside story of Ross William Ulbricht, the convicted mastermind behind Silk Road.

"Deep Web" was funded through a successful campaign on Kickstarter and will premiere on Epix on Sunday, May 31.

Get more information about the film at deepwebthemovie.com 

Video courtesy of Alex Winter

Follow BI Video: On Facebook 

Join the conversation about this story »

Tired of Manhattan? Head to Red Hook, a laid-back neighborhood in western Brooklyn that's just far enough from the madding crowds.

Here, a cool vibe seeps into some fun restaurants and bars and a handful of charming shops.

No trains go to Red Hook, so it can be a hassle to get there, which is how many locals like it. But take the trip by cab, water taxi, bike, or the B61 bus, and you won't be disappointed.

We've rounded up our favorite spots to eat and drink and take in the views in the waterfront neighborhood.

The Brooklyn Icehouse

318 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn, NY 11231 (map)

A perfect dive and entry point to Red Hook, the Icehouse has a fun staff, a variety of beers, and good grub, including delicious pulled-pork sliders and just about perfect onion rings (the sweet-potato fries with chipotle mayo are good too).

While the bartenders play good tunes, you can play board games and watch pretty much any sporting event that's on TV. This place ain't fancy, which is how the locals like it. Bring cash, and try to snag a table in the beer garden out back.

Baked

359 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn, NY 11231 (map)

Baked is a sweet spot not just for coffee and tea but for some of the best muffins, cupcakes, and cookies in all of Brooklyn. If you can score a seat, it's a good place to take a load off and stare out the window at the passersby.

(Don't be surprised if you find yourself standing in line with Michelle Williams or Michael Shannon, both of whom live down the block.)

Red Hook Lobster Pound

284 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn, NY 11231 (map)

This place recently reopened after a major renovation, and it's better than ever. The live lobsters come straight from Maine, and they're delicious whole or in a roll.

There's a lot of good stuff on the menu, such as the Berkshire pork-and-bacon hot dog, hearty New England clam chowder, and lobster cheese fries. Definitely order the potato salad. Good beer selection, fun atmosphere. Come very hungry.

For only two days a year each July, the sun perfectly aligns with Manhattan's city grid, generating the city's most spectacular sunset of the entire year.

What it looks like is similar to what happens on the summer solstice at Stonehenge: As the sun shrinks below the horizon, its circular outline fits perfectly in the center of the tall towers lining the streets and avenues of the Big Apple.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History and host of the wildly popular television series "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey," described it as "a rare and beautiful sight."

Because of its similarity to what happens at Stonehenge, the event is appropriately called Manhattanhenge. And it's a big deal on Instagram, so get your cameras ready.

The event will take place Friday and Saturday at sunset, which is at about 8:12 pm ET.

DeGrasse Tyson says that you need perfectly straight streets to see the phenomenon and not to be fooled by some streets like Sunrise Highway.

"True, some municipalities have streets named for the sun, like Sunrise Highway on Long Island and the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. But these roads are not perfectly straight. And the few times a year when the Sun aligns with one of their stretches of road, all you get is stalled traffic solar glare temporarily blinds drivers."

If you want to get a spectacular view of this year's Manhattanhenge, the best cross streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, and 57th. Also, the Chrysler building on 42nd and the Empire State Building on 34th are ideal vantage points.

Whatever location you choose, arrive 30 minutes prior to 8:12 pm. If you miss it or the weather doesn't cooperate, don't fret: Manhattanhenge occurs again on July 12 and 13 at 8:20 pm.

Here are some incredible pictures of the Manhattanhenge of former years:

If you get any shots of the Manhattanhenge, send them with a description, your name, and location to our science team at science@businessinsider.com and we might feature them on our site.

SEE ALSO: The 10 most beloved tweets by NASA astronauts in space

CHECK OUT: This photo shows a mysterious mechanism of the sun that has baffled scientists for centuries

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch SpaceX launch their Falcon 9 rocket right at sunset

Produced by Matthew Stuart

Follow BI Video:On Facebook 

Join the conversation about this story »

Growing up in New York City housing projects, Howard Schultz says he never dreamed of going into business.

Schultz certainly never imagined he'd one day run a global coffee chain and have a net worth estimated at $2.3 billion, according to Wealth-X.

The chairman and CEO of Starbucks writes in his book "Pour Your Heart Into It" that he was raised in a working-class Jewish family in Canarsie, Brooklyn.

While his mother Elaine tended to him and his siblings full-time (she later became a receptionist), his father Fred held a series of blue-collar positions, including truck driver, factory worker, and cab driver.

In 1961, when Schultz was 7 years old, his father broke his ankle while working as a truck driver picking up and delivering diapers. At the time, Fred had no health insurance or worker's compensation, and the family was left with no income.

Today, Schultz writes, he still remembers the way his father looked laying on the couch with his leg in a cast. In a way, his tremendous professional success is a tribute to his father, who died years later and "never attained fulfillment and dignity from work he found meaningful."

Almost from the outset, Schultz's career path was different from his parents. In high school, he played football and earned an athletic scholarship to Northern Michigan University, becoming the first college graduate in his family.

After graduation, Schultz landed a job in the sales training program at Xerox, where he got experience cold-calling and pitching word processors. In a few years, he took a job at Hammarplast, a housewares business owned by a Swedish company called Perstorp. There Schultz ascended the ranks to vice president and general manager, leading a team of salespeople.

Despite his seeming success, Schultz writes that he was "getting antsy. It may be a weakness in me: I'm always wondering what I'll do next."

Or perhaps it was because he hadn't yet found what he would discover in Starbucks: "what it means when your work truly captures your heart and your imagination."

Schultz first encountered Starbucks when he was working at Hammarplast. The coffee shop had four stores in Seattle and caught his attention when it ordered an unusually large number of drip coffeemakers.

Intrigued, Schultz traveled to Seattle to meet the company's then owners, Gerald Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. He was struck by the partners' passion and their courage in selling a product that would appeal only to a small niche of gourmet coffee enthusiasts.

Joining Starbucks would mean moving across the country and taking a significant pay cut, but Schultz was certain it would be the right move for him. It took a year to persuade Baldwin to hire him as the director of marketing.

Schultz's career — and Starbucks's fate — changed forever when the company sent him to an international housewares show in Milan. While walking around the city, he encountered several espresso bars where owners knew their customers by name and served them drinks like cappuccinos and cafe lattes.

"It was like an epiphany," Schultz writes of the moment he understood the personal relationship that people could have to coffee. He was convinced that Starbucks should start serving espresso drinks the Italian way — that Starbucks should be an experience, and not just a store. 

Baldwin and Bowker, however, felt differently. In 1985 Schultz decided to leave Starbucks to start his own coffee company: Il Giornale (Italian for "the daily").

He spent two years away from Starbucks, wholly focused on opening Il Giornale stores that replicated the coffee culture he'd seen in Italy. It caught on quickly. In 1987, Il Giornale bought Starbucks, and Schultz became CEO of Starbucks Corporation.

Throughout his career at Starbucks, Schultz's first priority has been his employees' well-being, he says. Largely because of his father's experience when he was injured, Schultz offered all his employees (including part-time workers) complete healthcare coverage as well as stock options. Last year, Starbucks announced it would pay for employees' college tuition.

Schultz has also been committed to maintaining the quality of his product. In 2008, when Starbucks was struggling financially, he temporarily closed 7,100 US stores in order to retrain baristas on how to make the perfect espresso. Over the next two years, he led Starbucks' massive turnaround.

Today, there are more than 21,000 Starbucks stores in 65 countries, and the company is valued at $77 billion.

Although it's been years since he was a college football player, Schultz writes that he still identifies with the persona of the blue-collar athlete whose determination and perseverance more than compensate for his lack of training.

"I've always been driven and hungry," Schultz says. "Long after others have stopped to rest and recover, I'm still running, chasing after something nobody else could ever see."

SEE ALSO: From welfare to one of the world's wealthiest women — the incredible rags-to-riches story of J.K. Rowling

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Scientists figured out how to avoid making a bad first impression

Click here to see the story »

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How to skip long lines at the airport — just like the 1%

Richard Prince, the artist behind the controversial Instagram print collection that reportedly sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, is showing another exhibit in New York City right now.

Prince did not create any new materials for this collection, but acted more like a curator — not that he distinguishes between art and curation. Printed at the top of the exhibit's program is the Prince quote, "I don't see any difference between what I collect and what I make."

Currently on display at the Gagosian Gallery in on Madison Avenue, the cheekily named "Untitled (original)" features book covers from retro adult novels framed beside the original paintings that inspired them. The books are taken from Prince's massive collection, according to Gagosian.

Prince is known for appropriating the work of others.

"Mining images from mass media, advertising and entertainment, Prince has continuously redefined authorship and ownership as they relate to contemporary art," explains the Gagosian Gallery website. 

SEE ALSO: Two of the women whose Instagram pics were hijacked by Richard Prince admit they didn't even shoot their photos

The Gagosian Gallery & Bookshop is located on the Upper East Side at 976 Madison Avenue.

Prince's collection can be found just behind the Gagosian bookstore.

The collection features 28 of Prince's works.

Wass Stevens is what you call New York-famous.

He's the city's best-known nightclub doorman and a sometimes actor who once battered a man with the "business-end of a velvet rope." 

Now that you have an idea of who we're dealing with, here's the latest news from Wass: He recently revealed to Page Six that he threw away a bunch of drawings given to him by the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. 

"Every time I would see him, he would draw me a little picture on a napkin or a VIP ticket, which I, of course, threw away, thinking it wouldn’t be of any worth," said Stevens.

Apparently, back when Stevens was working the door at Palladium — a haunt of artists like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring — he'd blocked Basquiat from entering the VIP room.

"I told him he was a crackhead and to get the hell away from me," he recalled. But, at the behest of Warhol, he changed his mind and let Basquiat through. Stevens assumes the drawings were a kind of thank-you. 

Though we don't know exactly what these type of casual napkin drawings would be worth today, seven lots of Basquiat's drawings on paper recently sold for prices ranging from $25,000 to $125,000. 

Talk about an expensive mistake. 

SEE ALSO: The most expensive, over-the-top pieces of art owned by tech billionaires

DON'T FORGET:  Business Insider is on Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch the heartbreaking trailer for the upcoming Amy Winehouse documentary 'Amy'