• Home
  • popular
  • Events
  • Submit New Event
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • News
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Home + Design
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Innovation
  • Sports
  • Charity Guide
  • children
  • education
  • health
  • veterans
  • SOCIAL SERVICES
  • ARTS + CULTURE
  • animals
  • lgbtq
  • New Charity
  • Series
  • Delivery Limited
  • DTX Giveaway 2012
  • DTX Ski Magic
  • dtx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Your Home in the Sky
  • DTX Best of 2013
  • DTX Trailblazers
  • Tastemakers Dallas 2017
  • Healthy Perspectives
  • Neighborhood Eats 2015
  • The Art of Making Whiskey
  • DTX International Film Festival
  • DTX Tatum Brown
  • Tastemaker Awards 2016 Dallas
  • DTX McCurley 2014
  • DTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • DTX Beyond presents Party Perfect
  • DTX Texas Health Resources
  • DART 2018
  • Alexan Central
  • State Fair 2018
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Zatar
  • CityLine
  • Vision Veritas
  • Okay to Say
  • Hearts on the Trinity
  • DFW Auto Show 2015
  • Northpark 50
  • Anteks Curated
  • Red Bull Cliff Diving
  • Maggie Louise Confections Dallas
  • Gaia
  • Red Bull Global Rally Cross
  • NorthPark Holiday 2015
  • Ethan's View Dallas
  • DTX City Centre 2013
  • Galleria Dallas
  • Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty Luxury Homes in Dallas Texas
  • DTX Island Time
  • Simpson Property Group SkyHouse
  • DIFFA
  • Lotus Shop
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Dallas
  • Clothes Circuit
  • DTX Tastemakers 2014
  • Elite Dental
  • Elan City Lights
  • Dallas Charity Guide
  • DTX Music Scene 2013
  • One Arts Party at the Plaza
  • J.R. Ewing
  • AMLI Design District Vibrant Living
  • Crest at Oak Park
  • Braun Enterprises Dallas
  • NorthPark
  • Victory Park
  • DTX Common Desk
  • DTX Osborne Advisors
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • DFW Showcase Tour of Homes
  • DTX Neighborhood Eats
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • DTX Auto Awards
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2017
  • Nasher Store
  • Guardian of The Glenlivet
  • Zyn22
  • Dallas Rx
  • Yellow Rose Gala
  • Opendoor
  • DTX Sun and Ski
  • Crow Collection
  • DTX Tastes of the Season
  • Skye of Turtle Creek Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival
  • DTX Charity Challenge
  • DTX Culture Motive
  • DTX Good Eats 2012
  • DTX_15Winks
  • St. Bernard Sports
  • Jose
  • DTX SMU 2014
  • DTX Up to Speed
  • st bernard
  • Ardan West Village
  • DTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Taste the Difference
  • Parktoberfest 2016
  • Bob's Steak and Chop House
  • DTX Smart Luxury
  • DTX Earth Day
  • DTX_Gaylord_Promoted_Series
  • IIDA Lavish
  • Huffhines Art Trails 2017
  • Red Bull Flying Bach Dallas
  • Y+A Real Estate
  • Beauty Basics
  • DTX Pet of the Week
  • Long Cove
  • Charity Challenge 2014
  • Legacy West
  • Wildflower
  • Stillwater Capital
  • Tulum
  • DTX Texas Traveler
  • Dallas DART
  • Soldiers' Angels
  • Alexan Riveredge
  • Ebby Halliday Realtors
  • Zephyr Gin
  • Sixty Five Hundred Scene
  • Christy Berry
  • Entertainment Destination
  • Dallas Art Fair 2015
  • St. Bernard Sports Duck Head
  • Jameson DTX
  • Alara Uptown Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival fall 2017
  • DTX Tastemakers 2015
  • Cottonwood Arts Festival
  • The Taylor
  • Decks in the Park
  • Alexan Henderson
  • Gallery at Turtle Creek
  • Omni Hotel DTX
  • Red on the Runway
  • Whole Foods Dallas 2018
  • Artizone Essential Eats
  • Galleria Dallas Runway Revue
  • State Fair 2016 Promoted
  • Trigger's Toys Ultimate Cocktail Experience
  • Dean's Texas Cuisine
  • Real Weddings Dallas
  • Real Housewives of Dallas
  • Jan Barboglio
  • Wildflower Arts and Music Festival
  • Hearts for Hounds
  • Okay to Say Dallas
  • Indochino Dallas
  • Old Forester Dallas
  • Dallas Apartment Locators
  • Dallas Summer Musicals
  • PSW Real Estate Dallas
  • Paintzen
  • DTX Dave Perry-Miller
  • DTX Reliant
  • Get in the Spirit
  • Bachendorf's
  • Holiday Wonder
  • Village on the Parkway
  • City Lifestyle
  • opportunity knox villa-o restaurant
  • Nasher Summer Sale
  • Simpson Property Group
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2017 Dallas
  • Carlisle & Vine
  • DTX New Beginnings
  • Get in the Game
  • Red Bull Air Race
  • Dallas DanceFest
  • 2015 Dallas Stylemaker
  • Youth With Faces
  • Energy Ogre
  • DTX Renewable You
  • Galleria Dallas Decadence
  • Bella MD
  • Tractorbeam
  • Young Texans Against Cancer
  • Fresh Start Dallas
  • Dallas Farmers Market
  • Soldier's Angels Dallas
  • Shipt
  • Elite Dental
  • Texas Restaurant Association 2017
  • State Fair 2017
  • Scottish Rite
  • Brooklyn Brewery
  • DTX_Stylemakers
  • Alexan Crossings
  • Ascent Victory Park
  • Top Texans Under 30 Dallas
  • Discover Downtown Dallas
  • San Luis Resort Dallas
  • Greystar The Collection
  • FIG Finale
  • Greystar M Line Tower
  • Lincoln Motor Company
  • The Shelby
  • Jonathan Goldwater Events
  • Windrose Tower
  • Gift Guide 2016
  • State Fair of Texas 2016
  • Choctaw Dallas
  • TodayTix Dallas promoted
  • Whole Foods
  • Unbranded 2014
  • Frisco Square
  • Unbranded 2016
  • Circuit of the Americas 2018
  • The Katy
  • Snap Kitchen
  • Partners Card
  • Omni Hotels Dallas
  • Landmark on Lovers
  • Harwood Herd
  • Galveston.com Dallas
  • Holiday Happenings Dallas 2018
  • TenantBase
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2018
  • Hawkins-Welwood Homes
  • The Inner Circle Dallas
  • Eating in Season Dallas
  • ATTPAC Behind the Curtain
  • TodayTix Dallas
  • The Alexan
  • Toyota Music Factory
  • Nosh Box Eatery
  • Wildflower 2018
  • Society Style Dallas 2018
  • Texas Scottish Rite Hospital 2018
  • 5 Mockingbird
  • 4110 Fairmount
  • Visit Taos
  • Allegro Addison
  • Dallas Tastemakers 2018
  • The Village apartments
  • City of Burleson Dallas

    Fortune Favors the Kind

    Altruistic Texan is the bankable subject of award-winning documentary

    Kendall Morgan
    Jul 13, 2017 | 11:44 am
    John Paul DeJoria Good Fortune movie
    Good Fortune filmmakers Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell with John Paul DeJoria.
    Courtesy photo

    In America, we are told we can be — and achieve — anything we want. Our fascination with the self-made man lies in the fact that those who truly succeed in that role are few and far between.

    This is why the new documentary Good Fortune is such compelling viewing. It's the story of billionaire entrepreneur and native Los Angelino John Paul DeJoria, who is now based in Austin, and is a passion project of filmmakers Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, whose previous films include the documentaries Pump, The Big Fix, and Fuel.

    A breezy look at how DeJoria went from homeless biker to billionaire co-founder of Paul Mitchell hair products and Patrón tequila, Good Fortune came about through a fortuitous meeting at the Sundance Film Festival seven years ago.

    “They won the audience award for Fuel and I got to meet them,” recalls DeJoria. “I did a little film for them on electric cars. One thing led to another, and they turned (my life story) into a documentary. We entered the Sedona Film Festival and not only won best documentary but the best of the festival, and Lion’s Gate picked it up.”

    It’s surprising that no one thought of DeJoria as a natural documentary subject in the past. The arc of his life is nearly mythic. Raised poor alongside his brother by a single mother in LA’s Echo Park (friend Danny Trejo jokes in the film DeJoria didn’t know he wasn’t Hispanic until he was 16), he was taught to give back something even when he had nearly nothing.

    “At 6 years old my mom and I gave a dime to a guy ringing a bell,” he recalls. “I said, ‘Mom, that’s two Coca-Colas and three candy bars,’ and she said, “Boys, that’s the Salvation Army, they take care of people who don’t have a house or food to eat.’”

    After a stint in the Navy and the implosion of his first marriage, DeJoria found himself in a similar spot, one of two times he was homeless. Despite dire circumstances, his “the only way is up” philosophy led him to continue to look on the bright side, so much so that in even recalling the most depressing situations he remains relentlessly cheery.

    After succeeding in (but yet still being fired from) a series of sales jobs, DeJoria partnered with hairdresser Paul Mitchell in 1980, turning his boutique line of products into a runaway success with the investment of just a borrowed $700.

    “I knew Paul for nine years before we started a business together,” he says. “Our backer pulled out and we did it anyway. Our dream was maybe we’d do $5 million a year, and that was all the money on the planet. Little did we know what would happen.”

    The company was already a success when its namesake and co-founder died, and DeJoria stepped from behind the scenes into the spotlight, turning it to an even bigger success in the process. Possibly most famous for his friendly, bearded visage staring out from the pages of 1980s fashion magazines, he drove sales up to their current status of over $50 million yearly.

    Not content to settle on his laurels, DeJoria followed that up by co-founding Patrón, currently the world’s number-one ultra-premium tequila, as well as ROK Mobile and Aubio, an over-the-counter cold sore gel. Although the film touches on these highs, what sticks with the viewer is not only how DeJoria treats his employees, but also how he treats human beings in general.

    Says co-director Josh Tickell, “J.P. is one of the rare individuals in today's society who imbibes his business practices with his real world ethos of first taking care of people and the planet, and then — and only then — making a profit. He's cool, he's real, and he is a refreshing antidote to the cynicism that seems so commonplace in America.”

    Bookended with scenes of its star appearing on Shark Tank, the film highlights DeJoria’s ability to think completely differently than the rest of the one percent. As Mark Cuban and the other sharks in the tank try to convince the Florida-based creator of the Tree-T-PEE water conversation system to jack up his prices, DeJoria is the only one to buy into the concept, keeping finances low for farmers so that they can afford it.

    This egalitarian thinking separates DeJoria from his equally successful brethren, and makes Good Fortune work. When the bottom line is “profit, people, planet,” everyone succeeds.

    DeJoria, who contributes to a plethora of charities with a special focus on animals, children, cancer research, the environment, and healthy food, explains his philosophy in terms anyone can understand.

    “I do what I can, and I work it into my style of life," he says. "The right thing for me to do was make the film, because hopefully it influences others in a good way. The average person can wake up every morning and smile at the first three people you see. Find [a charity] you like, and just volunteer some time.”

    ---

    Good Fortune opens July 14 exclusively at the AMC Stonebriar Mall in Dallas and at the AMC Studio 30 in Houston.

    interviewmediaopeningsmoviescelebrities
    news/entertainment

    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Chuy's big move from Knox Dallas leads this week's top 5 stories

    CultureMap Dallas
    May 10, 2025 | 10:00 am
    Chuy's happy hour quesos and drinks
    Photo courtesy of Chuy's
    undefined

    Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week kicks off with a Tex-Mex move and two fun openings. Plus, a final look at the 2025 Tastemaker Awards. Catch up on our five most popular stories below, then head to this event guide to plan your weekend.

    1. Chuy's from Knox Dallas now open at new Greenville Avenue space. An institution in Dallas' Knox Street neighborhood has been uprooted: Chuy's, the Tex-Mex restaurant that had been open at 4544 McKinney Ave. for nearly 32 years, has moved to 1520 Greenville Ave., on the lowest part of Lower Greenville, where it opened on April 28.

    2. Vending machine cafe with artsy collectible toys debuts in Lewisville. There’s a quirky new shop in Lewisville that combines toy store and cafe. Called Velcrokid, it's a place with coffee and snacks, plus designer collectible toys, now open in a former convenience store at 1298 Justin Rd.

    VelcrokidVelcrokid serves coffees and collectibles.Photo courtesy of Velcrokid

    3. Vintage downtown Dallas building to become lounge with stellar drinks. A vintage building in downtown Dallas is getting a new lease on life. Located at 1519 Main St., the space will become a spectacular new lounge and event space called 1519 Main, and it's from Hospitality Alliance, the company led by restaurant wunderkind Kevin Lillis, who helped create the original AT&T Discovery District downtown.

    4. Dallas professional soccer team chooses new name and team colors. A new era of professional soccer is coming to North Texas: The soccer entity previously known as USL Dallas has a new identity, called Atlético Dallas.

    5. Tastemaker Awards party salutes the best in Dallas restaurants in 2025. Foodies from all across Dallas showed up for the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards on May 1, celebrating Dallas' top restaurants, bars, and chefs.

    openingstex-mextoyssoccertastemaker awardsgreenville-avenuemost popular stories
    news/entertainment
    Loading...