Milestones

My road in life took a while to figure out.
Closest relative (my grandmother) & biggest influence in my life was in the entertainment business.
I was mentored and inspired by two well known writers, William Goldman & Lawrence Kasdan.
My mentors said to avoid starvation as a writer, I should go get a job and try to make some money.
Got a job as a marketing / concept creation guy for a restauranteur.
I joined a small start-up investment company...and had no life. They paid for me to get an MBA.
Company went public & I quit to travel to SE & Central Asia. I climbed mountains and saw the world.
Returned to develop shows for tv & write interstitials for TODAY Show.
A 3.5 yr detour to start an Internet company with Apple. THEN focus on writing & producing film & TV.
Keep following my journey

Career

Lost & Found Expert

I write and produce television shows and feature films.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Science
Environment & Nature
Being Creative

Day to Day

My life is 7 days a week. I love to work and hope to do it until I can't anymore. Get up at 6:15 AM, walk the dog, which I love doing...because we talk! Drive my son to his school bus and am at my office by 7:20 AM. Typically the only one at that time. Love the quiet. This is a time I write alone until the onslaught of distractions late morning. That's when I schedule my calls, meetings, and collaborations. Around 7 PM it gets quiet again. Dinner with my kids and then back to write again until 2 or 3 AM.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for middle school students

Start being creative and sharing with others. Post a video to Youtube. Write a story on Tumblr. Put photographs on Pinterest. Don't get discouraged if you don't have the skills yet. None of us had polished skills to start. Learn something new...check out tutorials on Youtube. Read comments from strangers and don't get upset if they don't like your work or disagree with you. The world is made up of 6 billion seats in the audience and YOU ARE ONLY ONE SEAT. That's the cool part! No one knows what works.

Recommended Education

My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:

undergrad
Bachelor
Philosophy

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Parents:

"You should get a stable job in real estate or business for a while THEN join the family business. I grew up in a small house. My dad was very strict. Our family was old fashioned. It was clear: follow the preordained path."

Challenges I Overcame

Expectations