15 Media Juggernauts Who Rose from Total Obscurity

It has been said that "anything is possible" and the stories of these fifteen individuals are living proof of that. From rock bottom to best-selling author, from trauma to triumph, from ranch hand to billionaire, from millionaire to jailbird, from stationer's son to filmmaker, from weeds to wealth, from cotton farm to best-selling author, from poverty to prosperity, and from the Roddenberrys' humble beginnings to star-studded proportions, these fifteen individuals have gone above and beyond to make their dreams come true... and they've basically shaped modern pop culture.

Each of these stories is unique, but there are a few things that they all have in common. They all faced adversity, they all worked hard, and they broke into the media business without any friends or family greasing their way.

So, without further ado, let us take a journey through the inspiring stories of these fifteen individuals. From J.K. Rowling to George RR Martin, from Oprah to Tyler Perry, from Jeff Bezos to Walt Disney, from Paul McCartney to John Grisham, from Martha Stewart to James Cameron, and from Roald Dahl to Gene Roddenberry, these fifteen stories might leave you motivated to pursue your own dreams.

15 The Roddenberrys began a journey of star-studded proportions.

CRACKED GENE RODDENBERRY Gene Roddenberry's mom and dad got married in 1920, when she was only sixteen. Gene was born a year later, and they lived on his salary as a lineman for the electric company. — Texas Monthly

14 George's stories sure have come a long way.

CRACKED GEORGE RR MARTIN George RR Martin grew up poor; his dad was a dockworker. Не hand-wrote scary stories for the other kids in the projects, for a nickel a pop. — Independent

13 Stephen King's mom made a world of difference.

CRACKED STEPHEN KING Stephen King's parents split, and he and his brother were raised by their mom. Her sisters gave them a house and money to look after her aging parents. After they passed, she got a job at a place for people with mental disabilities. — Stephen King

12 James Cameron: truck driver turned Oscar winning director.

CRACKED JAMES CAMERON James Cameron was born in Canada in 1954 and then moved to the USA in 1971. After he graduated from California State University, he had to work as a truck driver to make money for his dream of becoming a screenwriter. — Empire Online / Twitter

11 Roald Dahl rose above adversity.

CRACKED ROALD DAHL Roald Dahl had a tough time growing up. Не lost his dad and sister when he was young, and then was in a car crash that ripped off his nose. — Wired / NY Times

10 From poverty to prosperity.

CRACKED TYLER PERRY Growing up in New Orleans, Tyler Perry had a tough childhood with poverty and abuse in his home. But he was inspired by Oprah Winfrey to start writing down letters to himself. This advice was the beginning of his successful career. — Tyler Perry

9 From paper route to Disney.

CRACKED WALT DISNEY Walt Disney's family moved to Missouri when he was four, but his dad couldn't make a living there, so they later moved to Kansas City. Walt helped his dad with his newspaper route for six years, delivering papers before and after school, and on weekends. — History

8 From cotton farm to best-selling author.

CRACKED JOHN GRISHAM John Grisham was born in 1955, the second of five kids. Не grew up on a cotton farm in Arkansas, and his family had a tough time. His dad had to work really hard, sometimes seven days a week and up to twelve hours a day, just to make ends meet. — The Guardian / Clarion Ledger

7 From weeds to wealth.

CRACKED MARTHA STEWART Martha Stewart was born in '41 to a working-class Polish family in New Jersey. Her dad pushed her to succeed and she showed it from the age of three, pulling all the weeds from the cobblestone path. — CNN / PBS

6 Lucas: From stationer's son to filmmaker.

CRACKED GEORGE LUCAS George Lucas was the son of a stationer, and his mom was often sick. Не got into filmmaking in high school (and was also an avid car-racing fan until he crashed at age 18). — Britannica

5 Paul's mom passed away when he was 14.

CRACKED PAUL MCCARTNEY James McCartney was born June 18, 1942 in Liverpool. His mom was a nurse at Walton Hospital and his dad was away fighting in WWII. Sadly, when James was 14, his mom died from an embolism. — Gold Radio UK

4 Millionaire or Jailbird?

CRACKED RICHARD BRANSON At 15, Richard Branson decided to leave school and start a magazine (his dyslexia may have been one reason for that choice). His headteacher told him You're either going to prison or you're going to become a millionaire. — CNBC / Virgin

3 Jeff Bezos: From ranch hand to billionaire.

CRACKED JEFF BEZOS When Jeff Bezos was a kid, during summers, he would go to his grandparents' ranch in Texas and do lots of hard work - which, naturally, made him more understanding towards his workers later on... right? ita — Business Insider

2 From trauma to triumph.

CRACKED OPRAH Oprah had a tough childhood, facing physical and sexual abuse, but found stability and success as a teen in Nashville when she discovered her love of media. — Business Insider

1 From rock bottom to best-selling author.

CRACKED J.K. ROWLING J.K. Rowling had a tough childhood and a failed marriage, but she became a top author with Harry Potter. Despite poverty and rejections, she kept going and made her dream of being an author come true (and then she became a TERF, but hey, she had a nice run). HAR POTT and the Deatbly — Insider

Must Read

I Would Feed My Right Hand to A Gator to Stop Adam Sandler From Making ‘Happy Gilmore 2’

An alligator ended Chubbs Peterson’s golf aspirations — could it close down Sandler’s sequel dreams, too?

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: April 24, 2024
Comments: 5

Rob Schneider Pivots From Cancel Culture Comedy to His Other Shtick

After driving away the anti-woke crowd with his holiday gala meltdown, Schneider will try to win them back with some old-fashioned Christian entertainment

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: April 24, 2024
Comments: 2