A Little Bit About Me
Since this is about me, and not my job or employer, I’m going to write about me and nothing but the me. Not really. That would be boring. Damn. I’m just getting started on my autobiography and clearly I’m already an unreliable narrator.
At my core, I consider myself a writer. I’ve always been a writer. I started early. Genetics played a role in several ways. And so did tutelage.
In high school I wrote for the newspaper and some other publications. I mostly wrote for myself.
When I went to college (Go Hoosiers!) I attempted to study journalism. I even had a scholarship because I could write real good.
After college and the foretold death of print, yet curiously before the birth of Buzzfeed, I tried to write some more. Mostly for Hollywood. Seeing as how nepotism is rampant in that industry I thought I stood a good shot at success. My family neglected to tell me that writers are the industry’s cannon fodder. My Eszterhasian dreams were dashed.
Unable to write, at least for a living, I switched gears to production. Mostly working on live events. I helped put on some great shows and had tremendous experiences. I also discovered the meaning of exhaustion. Unrelenting hours and brutal schedules.
Reminds me of an old joke. A guy works in the circus, following the elephants with a pail and shovel. One day, his brother comes to see him. He says, “Sam, I’ve got great news. I’ve got you a job in my office. You’ll wear a suit and tie, work regular hours, and start at a nice salary. How about it? Sam says, “What? And give up show business?
Well, that was me, only with a horse. True story.
On a high note, I got to meet this nice lady and travel the world with her.
It’s at this point, dear reader, you’re wondering how I got into tech. Although easily explained, it’s hard to fathom. The simple answer is luck. Pure, unadulterated luck.
While I was galavanting about, a bunch of my friends were hired to create some crazy new thing called interactive television. Still inexplicably, this technology completely re-shaped my career trajectory. It led me to Apple, Charter Cable, Time Warner Cable, Aereo and now GSN. Since this really isn’t about my jobs or employers, you can learn more about my professional life here.
I essentially gave up on writing for the last 20-something years. I had fits and starts but nothing really serious. Of course, I got to write as part of my daily career machinations but that’s not really writing. Since I’m not getting any cuter, it makes sense to get started on my writing career.
So, here I sit. Pondering what to write (Bulwer-Lytton be damned!). They, not sure who ‘they’ think they are, tell you to write what you know. Well, I know a bunch of stuff. So, I guess I won’t run out of topics anytime soon. Or commas.
One last thing. While I was busy not writing for 20-something years I managed to connive a lovely woman into marrying me. In a Gift of the Magi twist of irony she sexed me up, at least two times that I can recall, resulting in two children that either of us knows of.
