Binderama60for60

The story of a life can be told in linear fashion, a sort of timeline. That’s boring. Such a tale would miss all the best stuff, the diversions and tangents, the screw-ups and resets, and most importantly, the people that shuffle through our lives.

For this post, I’m going to imagine life as a line that meanders and widens and splinters and branches out like a tree. Life is complicated and fun that way.

If we’re lucky, the branches bud and blossom as we reach new places and experience new things. To continue this analogy, birds might alight on one branch, linger and disappear; years later we meet them again on another. They stay a while and disappear again. Some build nests in your life and never leave, in a good way.

Depending on the kind of tree we are, there might be bees that pollinate and…okay, I’m done with this analogy. Besides, this is already going to be long post. Full of goodness but long.

Meet the Cast: Part One conjured up some bittersweet memories from the formative years. I was an awkward loner of a kid: hard to believe. But after 20+ years of braces, b.o. and bullies, I left that behind to be jettisoned into the big unknown as a relatively normal, reasonably smart young man with lots of drive but not a lot of direction. Killer combo for an exciting life IMO.

Here in Part Two, I can’t wait for you to meet and mingle with some excellent people I’ve met along the way, especially those who’ve aided me, counseled and inspired me on the daily.

Let’s start with a moment that changed everything: while still at JMU, I answered an ad for an internship at Walt Disney World. With a head full of steam, a whiff of the wanderlust, a lifelong love for Disney and a preference for warm weather — and soon, a diploma — I headed south.

Say what you will about Orlando, but when you’re in your early 20s and unleashed into sun, fun, sand, tan lines and relentless partying, the bonding comes easy. And work. Work is important. I should have led with that. Work. Let’s get to work.

Disney

Janis Petrie took an interest in my career when I was an intern on the WDW College Program, aka MKCP. She elevates the meaning of Human Resources: truly caring about and supporting the individual, finding opportunities to match need and potential. Janis opened doors, made introductions and offered counsel. I’m sure there are thousands of others who have Janis stories like this. Which leads me to…

…The first time I ever saw Jody Carbiener Dreyer. She was standing at a podium in front of Cinderella Castle one morning before the park opened, being installed as the 1986 WDW Ambassador, the highest honor for any employee. I was in awe: she was like the closest incarnation to the Disney ideal. Thanks to Janis, who happened to be Jody’s roommate, within a year or so I was working on major events for Jody in PR. Her beau at the time, John Dreyer, was the director of publicity and comms; he also generously offered his advice and support. While I didn’t stay at Disney long, the encouragement these amazing people offered me inspires me to this day. I’ve long since tried to pay it forward. But first…

…To kick off the Summer of ’86, we threw a party at our newly rented apartment across I-4 from Epcot. My bestie Steve Watson coerced me into meeting Matt Palmer as a potential SIXTH roommate in a two-bedroom. When I finally found Matt at the party, he was sitting on the floor leaned against a wall all by himself. And I will never let him forget it. Roomies, co-workers, occasional rivals, from Disney and Universal to NYC and LA and beyond, Matt and I have never been too far apart, though occasionally distant. More Matt to come in 60|60.

The first time I met Kristine Vorpagel a few years later, she showed up in a different apartment on what appeared to be a double date or after-date with my roommate Paul Buss and friend Joel Curran. Innocent but a bit sketch. A few weeks later, as I was about to undertake a large-scale Disney event, Mickey’s 60th, the aforementioned Jody Dreyer introduced me to my new supervisor. In came Krissy. Awkward, in a promising way. In no time, we got on like peas and carrots, fueled by laughter, cynicism and happy hour. She’s still an inspiration, though we haven’t seen each other in years.

There will be lots more Disney in later 60|60 episodes, from the internship to Main Street and Guest Relations, Publicity, PR and the Event Office. Lots of shoutouts to come. Okay, here are a few, in the name of SEO: Gary McKechnie, Chuck Simikian, Brad Moore, John Rogers, Tom Eberts, Mike Donnelly, Bill Brett, Jennifer Campbell, Eric Hartness, Jake Poore, Ken Kreafle, Bob Bates and Barb Wilhelm.

One Friday afternoon in March 1989, Jody Dreyer came to me in the PR bullpen: “I just got a call for a reference from Universal. I think they’re going to hire you!” They called an hour later.

Universal Orlando

Eliza Halcomb had gotten me through the front door and Lexa Ruoff sent me to the office door of Rod Caborn, one of the most clever publicity guys I ever met. He hired me.

A few months later, Eileen Harrell took over PR. Intelligent, classy and strong of spirit, she mustered up some serious thick skin to face the gang of old Hollywood misogyny every day. She gave me several early and encouraging career bumps that bolstered the course of my journey (as well as my ego). More to come in 60|60. Grateful for Eileen.

When Matt Palmer came over to Universal from Disney (I had to pull teeth!), we had it pretty good for a while, holding the keys to the proverbial kingdom. We could go anywhere on property and get things done. Then a new voice came on the radio: Paul Meena. Paul had a diehard production work ethic, newly arrived from Hollywood. He was also a Lebanese adonis who oozed charm. I scotched my plans to destroy him when I actually met him. He became a great good friend. You’ll learn more about Paul in 60|60, and since he doesn’t know how to operate a computer, he can’t do anything about it. Check it.

Paul reigned over the production trailer near the back lot, where Kim Anschulz and I first bonded. We’d step out every hour or so for a cigarette (or maybe we didn’t have to back then). A few years later, we’d both moved on and were living and working in Las Vegas, spending weeks traveling for Intel events in smoker-friendly venues in South America, Europe, China, India, and all over the States. Kim is one of the most enthusiastically loyal people I have ever known. Today, we’re both smoke-free. Lots more Kim-ness to come.

I bonded with Susan Skeen by trading odes to pearl onions back in the trailer (the commissary had a thing for them). She is wonderfully honest, incredibly smart and seriously funny, and she wears her emotions on her sleeve in the most endearing way.

When I started getting noticeably bald, Joel House told me, don’t fight it, just let it go. Joel’s a contractor/builder guy who dabbled in pyro, and a few other things. Fun combinations!

Long before Cheryl Hines married into the Kennedy family, I knew she was way out of my league. But when she kept stalking me around Universal in 1990 (she admits it), I did what any guy would do: I screwed it up. Years later, I happened to be visiting her in LA when her agent called with the official offer for “Curb…” We drank heavily all over Hollywood. A good night.

Ronit Larone was a producer for ABC Sports in NYC. We worked together on an annual “Wide World of Sports” event at Universal. Super sharp, confident, talented with a personality that can light up a room and hold its attention. She’s one of the few loves of my life. She’s the one that got away.

Time to drop a few Universal names for SEO, a few of whom we’ll meet in more depth later on: Kevin Kolczynski, Tim Flynn, Brad Bohnert, Alyssa Ziegler, Wendy Kopen, Richard Jackson, Dave Carver, Doug Trueblood, Ed Honzik, Mike Petty, Andrew Kral, Mark Austin, Bill Donaruma, Molly Miles, Genon Rost, Bob Jury, Pam Warren, Smokey Knudsen, Paul Williams, Ron Sikes, Jennifer Richman and Jennifer Pearce.

Steven Phillips urged me to make the leap from Orlando to New York, sensing that I needed a bigger sandbox. He was right, but the disruption was pretty overwhelming and reverberating. I credit Steven with emboldening the next chapter of my career (and life).

New York

You met Thomas Morrison and Mark Kimsey in Part One. They made it possible for me to move to the City. Since I didn’t do a lot of clubbing or late suppers at Elaine’s, I didn’t grow my Rolodex much (Google it).

I’d known Robin Stratton Rivera from the ABC project at Universal. She helped me navigate, mix and mingle when I got to the City. A beaming warm smile and full-on laugh, along with a worldly empathy that could bring you to tears. I hope she doesn’t mind me also calling out her stamina for drink and carousing. We were doing just that somewhere around Union Square when she met her future husband. George was like, Hold my hat, son, I’ll take it from here. It was a beautiful wedding reception in Bryant Park.

While I was in New York, I started working for clients outside the City as well.

Lisa Sanders and I shared an apartment for a few weeks in Birmingham, MI while contracting for Kmart. She’s a fantastic producer and a bit of an anomaly: Lisa’s an intelligent SoCal blonde. As roomies, I jokingly called her “Mother” and might have occasionally ribbed her with, “at night, when I watch you sleep.” In no time, she helped me find alternate accommodations. I did. Maybe that’s why we remain friends to this day.

Las Vegas

My Universal colleague Amy Henry recruited quite a few folks to Las Vegas when she became head of production for Encore in the late 90s. It changed many of our lives. Amy and I spent a lot of time together walking the arroyos and hiking in the hills. But we spent even more time, elbow to elbow, in video poker bars. Ultimately, that was my undoing. As you’ll learn in the Vegas episode of 60|60, I split town in rather inelegant fashion.

After months of commuting to Vegas from New York every other week or so, Bill Welter invited me to make the move and join his Encore team on the burgeoning Intel account. I did. Bill is wildly creative and engaging, with a booming voice, a beaming smile and a gale of confident rizz. He helped me turn my unfocused creative enthusiasm (“purple prose”) into effective comms. A good run.

What can one say about Darryn Cray? I’ll start: he is a loyal cat with a penchant for anything leather and everything loud. He’s an even bigger name dropper than I am. If you know Darryn but haven’t seen his Barry Manilow crew picture, seek it out. It will confirm all that you love about him.

Technical director Paddy Collier lives north of London, England. Every couple of months, we’d meet up in Beijing or Sao Paolo or Milan to put on a show or series of shows for Intel. Our tradition was that after each wrap party, we’d stay up all night drinking and then go to the airport for our international flights home. Really good idea. Just common sense.

John Masse is the most rawly creative guy I ever met. He’s got the kind of creative spirit that, when he’s waiting for people at a restaurant table, he will pull out a sketch pad and fill three pages with the coolest, bitchin’est illustrations and caricatures, anime style. And when it comes to drawing ass, John is in a class by himself. We’ve recently reconnected and he’s journeying back to some old-school media like pen, watercolor and acrylic.

Julie Coppernoll was Andy Grove’s TA when he was Chairman of Intel. She gave me entree to, not only make Andy laugh, but also blush. Done. The day after 9/11, she called and asked me to join her in NYC to roll out Intel technology for first responders and others to stay connected. I demurred, and it eats at me to this day. Julie epitomizes business leadership fueled by service, empathy and intelligence.

Throwing down some Vegas SEO with the likes of The Laneys, The McClains, Jonny Sudbury, Wendy White, Julie Zimmerman, Joe Morris, Julie Gilday-Shaffer, Gregg Stokes, Eve Lensner and The Peterses. There are more to come.

Next Stop: Santa Monica

I’d known Steven Pine since the New York days when I hired him for an IBM gig that involved him talking to a horse along Central Park South. Nailed it! Aware, cynical, acerbic: all the things that LA people aren’t. We got along great there. We met up for lunches at places semi-famous people go, went to parties where semi-famous people hung out, and basically just laughed at it all.

MJ Coveny shares the same cynical seed but she hides it better. She lived around the corner from me off Montana Avenue, and there was a lot of carousing. I’ve got more MJ stories, but I’ll never tell. Unless she insists.

In the SoCal SEO list we’ll find Michelle Rydewski, the boys at Brass Knuckles Editorial and the Orlando bestie Bob Jury.

Before we courted, Mary moved to West LA and spent a goodly amount of time at my place closer to the beach. She brought a domesticity to the very SoCal pad, cooking, doing crafts, carving pumpkins, co-raising my dog Binger. The aforementioned Mary’s Family was also a presence. Soon enough, we both picked up stakes and moved 250 miles north in Silicon Valley.

Silicon Valley

Mary and I spent a year in Mountain View, then Willow Glen and finally 12 years in Sunnyvale. Silicon Valley is not an easy place to meet people, especially when you work from home as I did for many years.

One exception was the reconnection with Jill and Barry Peters. I’d met them when I was in New York but the connection dates back to when Barry and Mark Kimsey lived a few towns over from where I grew up in Northern Virginia. Long and complicated story, but it was good to have such generous friends as sweet as Jill and as obscene as Barry.

Things changed when I took a full-time gig in 2013. You’ll meet many of the characters and connections I built at InVision later in 60|60. Thing is, the office was more than an hour away across the Bay and through the mountains, so bonding was done only during office hours. Sounds very “Severance,” which is a show I have never seen.

One name that I have to roll out here is Jill Tanner. Jill took a risk in hiring a stray cur of a journeyman like me. Young professionals, especially women, idolize her. To them, she’s a strong leader who carries herself with poise, class and confidence. To me, Jill is that, plus a generous soul who occasionally needs to slam the door, light a candle and brew a cup of tea. It works! Over the past decade, she’s built the creative team and the company into a player in the industry. I heart Jill, so grateful for the opportunity and the collaboration.

Silicon SEO: Too many to name. You’ll meet plenty of them later on in 60|60. As for tagging the pic at the top, those are colleagues and friends Jude Braunstein and Corey Burton on a typical day in the office. I wish. Suffice to say: they are excellent people.

Next up: Builders and Leaders

In Part Three of Meet the Cast, I’ll introduce you to folks I admire for what they’ve built and how they have enriched and empowered my journey and others’. Folks like Intel’s Andy Grove; Microsoft’s Deb Cupp; Panasonic’s Yuki Kusumi; Universal’s Mark Woodbury, Randy Garfield and Tom Williams; InVision’s Rod Mickels and Drew Hagen; Encore’s Phil Cooper and Bill Dayton; CCW’s Julio Campos and more.

I promise: no more tree analogies.