WEBVTT - We'll Beg for Forgiveness, Because We Ain't Asking for Permission with Will Lucas 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:04.000 We'll luke you here Black Tech, Green Money. So pleasing 0:00:04.080 --> 0:00:08.000 to be with you here in this new season Black Tech, 0:00:08.039 --> 0:00:10.680 Green Money. It's going to be a special one because 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:12.719 I get to talk about something that's near and dear 0:00:12.800 --> 0:00:16.040 to my heart on this episode. And this episode is 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:20.360 really about asking permission, and you need to ask permission 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:23.239 and doing things without permission. So but before we get 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:26.240 into that, we're gonna talk about Afro tech News. Shout 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:30.560 out to all the Black inventors. Lanny Smooth becomes the 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:34.560 second person from Disney since Walt Disney himself to get 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.879 inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He joined 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:42.279 the twenty twenty four class of recognized Inventors. Smooth who 0:00:42.320 --> 0:00:46.479 was making history as the first Disney imagineer to receive 0:00:46.520 --> 0:00:49.600 the honor. He's also the second person at Walt Disney 0:00:49.600 --> 0:00:54.120 Company since Walt Disney to earn the recognition. His forty 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:59.400 five year career, he's been a theatrical technology creator, inventor, 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:04.640 electrical engineer, scientists, and researcher. He's a mass the collection 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:08.000 of over one hundred patents, seventy four of them created 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:11.720 during his twenty five year stint at all Disney Company 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:17.000 and is star shined long before he joined Disney. Graduated 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:20.960 with a bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from 0:01:21.000 --> 0:01:27.560 Columbia University, developed multiple innovations such as video on demand technology, 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:34.600 video conferencing technologies, and specialized in television for remote locations, 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:38.640 just to name a few. He's been integral in creating 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:42.000 some of the most technically advanced special effects at Disney 0:01:42.120 --> 0:01:45.720 theme parks and experiences, and if you've been some of these. 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:52.440 Examples of his special effect technologies include the Seance Room 0:01:52.600 --> 0:01:56.960 at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. He worked on the Madame Leotas 0:01:57.000 --> 0:02:02.320 float there that I've not been there. Well, I've been there, 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:05.120 but I've not seen this particular thing. But Madam Leota's 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:10.080 floating in the Seience Room at Disney's Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:16.120 he worked on that. Disney Live Entertainment's Extendable Lightsaber, he 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:20.800 worked on that. The Magic Playfloor interactive game experience on 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:25.280 Disney's Cruise Line, he worked on that. And the Fortress 0:02:25.320 --> 0:02:29.200 Explorations adventure at Tokyo Disney c. He worked on that, 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:33.639 and he said in a statement as a lifelong as 0:02:33.639 --> 0:02:35.640 a lifelong inventor. Let me start that over. As a 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:39.760 lifelong inventor, I am excited, delighted, and humbled to be 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:43.760 inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. This is 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:45.880 he told this to Disney Parks. He said, to be 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:51.000 included alongside my childhood hero Thomas Edison and my lifelong 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:55.320 role model Jim West, the electreate microphone inventor who's also 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:58.680 a black man. It's exciting and humbling, and as someone 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:01.440 who's had the privilege of working at the Walt Disney Company, 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:05.320 it's especially meaningful to know that Walt Disney himself is 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:10.320 also an inductee, So big shout out to you, mister smooth. 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:14.320 Next up, Cole Trane Curtis. If you know him, you 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:18.400 know he's an icon for marketers like myself and he 0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:21.680 makes Afro Tech News Today. Team Epiphany the company he 0:03:21.919 --> 0:03:26.519 founded his black indigenous people of color founded marketing agency, 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:29.560 and they've worked with people like Easter Ray, companies like 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:34.079 American Express and more. They have been acquired by Stagwell. 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:37.640 Kudos to you, Coltrane, he said in a statement. We're 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:41.880 excited to become part of Stagwell and its constellation network 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:44.800 a company that shares our values and looks to further 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:50.120 Team epiphanies long standing commitment to aspirational marketing, embracing culture, 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:55.680 and impacting communities of influence through our work. As previously 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:59.680 reported by afro Tech, Curtis runs the business alongside his 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:04.280 why and fellow managing partner, Lisa Chu. The team works 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:07.400 to not only put culture at the forefront of the agency, 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:13.000 but also create community impact through its efforts. Team Epiphany's 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:18.720 clients include American Express, HBO, Max, Heineken Moore. For AMX, 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:22.640 the company worked on the company's campaigns for its AMX 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:26.440 one hundred for one hundred program, which invested two point 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:29.919 five million dollars in black female entrepreneurs part of their 0:04:29.960 --> 0:04:33.680 press release and what's more, after creating launch campaigns for 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:38.880 the Insecure Fest for Easter Ray's show Insecure, Team Epiphany 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:42.520 went on to obtain a strategic partnership with Ray's Hooray 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:48.720 Media in twenty twenty three. Justin Lewis, who's chair of Constellation, 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:52.320 said in the statement, people tend to see Team Epiphany 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:57.520 and one to compartmentalize its offerings into multicultural or experiential, 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:00.040 but when I met the team, it became clear it 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:04.279 me that their deep appreciation and mastery of culture is 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:09.440 an essential ingredient for contemporary brands focused on forward looking growth. 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:12.520 I'm excited to welcome col Train, Lisa and the entire 0:05:12.560 --> 0:05:15.839 team to the network. So much more afro tech news, 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:19.159 but I'll do one more for today, and that is 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:23.440 seven diverse brands will be shelved at Target stores thanks 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:28.000 to a woman owned tech platform prioritizing diverse led startups 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:31.920 and suppliers. This push is in part due to Diverse 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:36.120 Powered Brands of Business to Business Global digital catalog that 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:39.920 helps buyers connect with diverse supplies and brands. According to 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:43.200 his website, the efforts have led to victories for the 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:46.599 new business owners. According to a news release, thirteen suppliers 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:51.279 to partner a pitch competition moderated by Diverse Powered Brands 0:05:51.320 --> 0:05:56.280 in last year at Target headquarters in Minneapolis, and suppliers 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:59.839 were able to pitch Target's wine team while founders interacted 0:05:59.839 --> 0:06:04.240 with the executives from several wine distribution companies. And among 0:06:04.440 --> 0:06:07.919 the companies who will be on this shelf soon is 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:11.960 Boyd Crew Wines, which has been talked about an afrotech 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:15.240 before it is a story on afrotech dot com entitled 0:06:15.240 --> 0:06:18.159 the Boyds are behind the first Black family owned wine 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:21.720 company in Maryland, So check that story out on afrotech 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:24.560 dot com. It created out of a deep desire to 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:28.440 honor their families legacy. Matthew and jon El Boyd created 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:31.760 Boyd Crew Wines, which is a family owned winery crafting 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:37.200 locally made wines. Were also fostering community and connection. Jon 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:39.920 El said in the statement, as the old saying gohs, 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:44.320 representation matters, and although when considering entering the wine industry 0:06:44.360 --> 0:06:47.280 and starting our own winery, we noticed there was a 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:51.520 lack of diversity, it was the innovation and history of 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:55.280 what our ancestors were able to accomplish and what that 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.200 stood for that gave us the faith and the courage 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:02.360 to move forward and launch our own wine company. They're 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:05.880 Wine reopened in twenty twenty three, and they said their 0:07:05.960 --> 0:07:09.440 ultimate goal is to own and operate a standalone vineyard 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:14.760 with a community marketplace incubator for entrepreneurs and small businesses 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:18.280 who are just starting their business. So salute to you 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:20.760 and you guys, go look for them on a target 0:07:21.000 --> 0:07:39.520 shelf soon. That's Shaffro Tech News, Black Tech green Money 0:07:39.520 --> 0:07:43.520 will Lucas here another exciting episode. I'm excited about this 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:47.480 one because I could do by virtue of tell you 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:54.640 my story hopefully inspire you to take bigger steps in 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:58.560 your journey without the things that hold you back today. 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:02.559 So I'm going to tell you two different stories today. One, 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:05.840 I'm going to tell you the story of afro Tech, 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:08.480 how I found my way at afro Tech. I've told 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:11.560 pieces of your story on previous episodes, but today I'm 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:14.200 going to tell it from like a slightly different perspective. 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:16.560 And I want to tell you the story of my 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:20.440 marketing company Creatio, which I was actually when I was 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:22.280 looking at the Afrotech News that I was going to 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:25.080 do today, it was so fitting to talk about what 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:28.160 col Trane Curtis did in the Afrotech News segment previous 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:32.240 to get into this section right here, because Cold Train 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:34.600 is such an inspiration to people like myself. So I'm 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:37.679 going to talk about two stories for my life and 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:44.320 give you, hopefully fodder to feed the spirit inside you 0:08:44.600 --> 0:08:49.200 of going without permission. Okay, so the first one, let's 0:08:49.200 --> 0:08:52.079 see I'll do I'll do Creatio first because that one 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:56.280 came first in my life. So Creatio is a full 0:08:56.320 --> 0:09:02.400 service marketing production technology agency. We do everything from video production, 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:10.280 website development, communication, strategy design, more and we're situated in 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:14.480 Northwest Ohio and in my region, I have the only 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:18.760 full service agency that's run by a black person, that's 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:22.559 run by a minority. So we lean into that particular 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:26.920 niche and because we own it, there is no other 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:29.560 person doing it in our region. And so I'm like, 0:09:29.600 --> 0:09:31.000 if I'm going to be the only person doing this, 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:35.640 and I'm the only minority that's doing this, then i 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:41.000 have a particular value proposition, a competitive advantage that every 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:44.559 other marketing company in the region does not have. So 0:09:44.600 --> 0:09:47.800 I'm going to lean into the things that make us special. Well, 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:52.640 my company I started because I got an idea and 0:09:52.679 --> 0:09:55.840 it's in sort of a way, well, it's truly a 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:59.040 way that if you're just paying attention to the way 0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:02.080 that your life works, you will pay attention. I've given 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:04.400 you this quote before because it is my favorite quote. 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:06.600 It's that Steve Jobs quote, and it says, you can't 0:10:06.600 --> 0:10:09.600 connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect the 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:13.480 dots looking backward. And what I get from that and 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:15.640 it's necessary to set this foundation, as I tell my 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:20.680 story is when you're in certain times of your life, 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:25.280 you may not always appreciate in the moment or understand 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:28.160 why in the moment you're doing the thing that you're 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:30.840 doing now, whether that is why am I in this 0:10:30.880 --> 0:10:34.800 particular relationship, Why am I working at this particular job, 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:38.760 Why am I working this particular function at this particular job, 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:42.040 Why am I taking this class, et cetera, et cetera, 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:46.160 And you feel in the blank. And so I got 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:51.040 my idea for what we do at Creatio, not intentionally 0:10:51.080 --> 0:10:54.280 on my part, but it was by virtue of the 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:58.640 dots connecting for me. And so I was wanting to 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:01.080 be in the music business growing up. I told you guys, 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:03.040 it's part of my story. Before I wanted to be 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:04.880 in the music business, I didn't necessarily want to be 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:07.440 an artist, because that wasn't my gift. I wanted to 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:10.120 be a songwriter, a producer. I wanted to be the 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:14.640 person behind the scenes helping the person make amazing music. 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:18.400 I will particularly write R and B songs. I could 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:23.040 write rock songs, things like this. I could produce R 0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:26.800 and B beats, hip hop beats, etc. And I thought 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:28.800 it was pretty good at it, but The point in 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:32.200 telling you that part is that I'm from Toledo, Ohio, 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:38.559 and in Toledo there's not a music industry scene necessarily, 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:41.240 or at least the scene as we consider the music 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:44.200 industry to be. There is no scene for the music 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:46.640 business in Toledo if you want to be signed by 0:11:46.640 --> 0:11:49.320 a record label or there's no record labels on the corner, 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:51.760 you know, and there's not a lot of studios, etc. 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:58.120 And so me, being a very ambitious teenager, I said, 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:01.200 you know, well, look well I live intele Ohio, not 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:05.319 moving yet, So what is how close can I get 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:10.880 to the music industry from where I'm at? And I've said, 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:15.760 you know, well, the radio is pretty close. And mind 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:18.800 you like this. This is years after having asked myself 0:12:18.800 --> 0:12:20.760 that question first, which is why I learned how to 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:23.000 play the drums, because I was like, you know, I 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:25.079 wanted to be in the music business one day, let 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:27.240 me start learning some instruments. And so I started playing 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:30.480 the drums in church. But I wanted to give you 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:34.360 that so later in my teenage years, I'm like, you know, 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:37.960 the radio is the closest thing to the music business here, 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:42.319 And so I went to a teen summit which was 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:45.800 at least I'm not sure if it was produced by 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:48.360 or hosted by, but there was a program director from 0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:53.319 a local radio station on the panel at this teen summit. 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:56.440 And this is before I graduated from high school. So 0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:59.559 this program director is on stage at this teen Summit. 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.000 I'm there with a friend of mine and I'm like, Okay, 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:04.120 here's my chance, because I want to be in the 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:07.200 music business and he's in the radio, and I've already 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:10.040 determined that the radio is the best way for me 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.400 to find my way into the industry. And so at 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:15.920 the end of the teen Summit event, which was at 0:13:15.920 --> 0:13:19.880 a local library, I walked up to him and I'm like, hey, 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:23.280 you know, my name is Will Lucas, and I want 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:26.360 to be in the music business. You know me me 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:28.920 as sixteen, seventeen year old kid, and I'm just like, 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:31.040 I don't you know how to make that sound any 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:33.400 you know, more professional or whatever. It's just like, this 0:13:33.440 --> 0:13:35.280 is what I want, you know, tell me what to do. 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:40.240 And so at the end of that conversation he was like, 0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:41.800 you know, well number one, there was like a bunch 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:45.040 of other people in line waiting to talk to him, 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:47.720 and so I'm like, one of ten kids at the 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:49.840 time waiting to talk to him and get some of 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.320 his attention. And so he's like, you know, the best 0:13:52.320 --> 0:13:54.280 thing I can tell you to do is find an 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:57.839 internship somewhere. As a matter of fact, just come out 0:13:57.840 --> 0:14:00.240 to the radio station and we'll talk some more. Because 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.800 again there was other students' kids. They're waiting to talk 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:05.560 to him. So he's like, just come out to the 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:08.120 radio station, we'll talk some more and I can spend 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:11.320 some more time with you. So that next day, because 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:14.120 that's just the kind of person that was in him, 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:16.560 next day, I drove out to the radio station, which 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:20.840 was like in this one of the suburbs of Toledo. 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:23.600 It was out in the country. So I drove out 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:28.160 there after going to school. That they drove out because 0:14:28.240 --> 0:14:32.080 he had the afternoon drive radio program, so he was 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:34.280 on the air from three to eight. So I got 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:36.440 out of school at like three and then drove out 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:41.440 there to talk to them. So I like, I get 0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:44.440 out there and he's like, you know again we number one. 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:47.320 He gave me this catalog which is like this old 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:53.160 musician's friend catalog, which are these catalogs of instruments, keyboards, 0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:57.200 you know, processors, beat machines, and et cetera. He gives 0:14:57.240 --> 0:14:59.640 me this catalog and he's like, you know here. So 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:02.160 I'm like, you know, thank you. I didn't have the 0:15:02.160 --> 0:15:03.800 money to buy none of that stuff anyway, So it 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:05.440 was strange that he gave him me. At least I 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:07.360 thought it was strange. It was the fleeting thought. But 0:15:08.760 --> 0:15:10.600 so it gives me this catalog and it's like, you 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:12.240 know again, the best thing I can tell you to 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:16.880 do is find an internship somewhere. Matter of fact, we 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:20.960 need to intern here. And so my internship at the 0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:25.960 radio station started that day and so three days. So 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:30.400 every day after going to school, I would get in 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:34.119 the car and drive out to the radio station immediately 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:39.760 after school. Three days into that internship. Because I don't 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:41.800 even it wasn't even like a structured internship. I would 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:43.760 just hang out with him and learn what he was doing. 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:48.320 And so I would go out there. Three days after 0:15:48.720 --> 0:15:51.160 doing that, he put me on the air with him, 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:54.240 like on a whim during the five o'clock traffic jam, 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:56.520 because again he was on from three to eight, So 0:15:56.600 --> 0:15:58.640 at five o'clock he puts me on the air with them. 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:01.240 Three days in and he's like you know, something to 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:03.880 the effect of like, hey, I'm out here. You know, well, 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:06.480 Lucas is in the studio with me, and we just 0:16:06.640 --> 0:16:09.320 jamming for thirty minutes, which was the five o'clock traffic jam, 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:13.200 and so then I would come off the air. No, 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:15.200 I stayed on the air with him until eight o'clock 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:17.840 I would finish the show. And so I was on 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:21.240 every day after that, starting at five o'clock, because I 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.640 guess the chemistry was just really good until it's like 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:28.160 he's kept putting me on. Six months after that, they 0:16:28.200 --> 0:16:31.640 gave me a Saturday night show on that station. I 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:34.640 was doing six to ten on Saturday nights, and it 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:36.280 happened to be pretty good at it because I was 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:39.400 beating all the big radio stations in town on Saturday nights. 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:43.560 And then six months after that he went to the 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:46.640 morning show and they gave me his drive time radio show. 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:50.120 But this story is not about me in the radio. 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:52.840 I just got to set a bed for the story 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:56.840 I actually want to talk about, and that is creatio. 0:16:57.040 --> 0:17:02.240 And so again, I did not get into radio to 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:04.600 be in radio. I got into radio to be in 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:08.639 the music business. But I told you this. My favorite 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:11.439 quote from Steve Jobs about connecting the dots right, so 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:16.200 you know, keep that in your head. So I am 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:21.760 walking through a clothing store in my hometown. This is 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:24.320 after I had been on the radio maybe three years 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:27.880 or so. So I'm walking through a clothing store and 0:17:28.200 --> 0:17:31.960 they're playing it's like a hood clothing store, so they 0:17:31.960 --> 0:17:35.760 sell stuff very inexpensively. It's in the part of town, 0:17:35.920 --> 0:17:38.160 in the inner city, et cetera. So I'm walking through 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:40.960 the clothing store at this time, I had had, you know, 0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:43.399 two or three years of radio experience under my belt. 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:48.920 And this clothing store is playing FM radio over their 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:53.879 sound system as there in store music, so inevitably the 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:57.679 commercials come on and so you can hear it, like 0:17:58.000 --> 0:18:00.359 on all the speakers in the store can hear the 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.199 commercials just like you can hear the music. And so 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:08.520 one of their competitors came on another clothing stores commercial 0:18:08.680 --> 0:18:12.160 came on over the air inside the store that I'm 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:16.719 standing in, and I'm at the time, if I recall, 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:19.200 I was like the only person shopping at that time. 0:18:19.320 --> 0:18:21.080 And it was a big store too, and so it's 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:24.840 like fifteen thousand square feet and so I'm the only 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:30.639 person in the store. At this particular moment and that 0:18:30.840 --> 0:18:33.119 these commercials come on and one of their competitors come on, 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:35.720 and I'm looking at the I'm looking at the speaker. 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:38.719 I'm looking up at the roof the ceiling looking at 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:40.640 a speaker like I can't believe what I'm hearing because 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:45.440 it makes no sense. Why are they allowing another clothing 0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:48.359 store to get airtime in their clothing store. It doesn't 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:51.040 make sense to me. And so in that moment, I'm like, 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:54.600 they need their own radio station that just talks about them. 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:58.560 And so this light bulb goes off like, hey, I 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:02.479 can build that. Because I had just had three years 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:06.000 so far of radio experience, I know how to make 0:19:06.040 --> 0:19:10.040 a radio program. And so one of my mentors at 0:19:10.040 --> 0:19:13.439 the time owned six McDonald's and I would DJ for 0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:17.720 him because he also like hosted Wednesday night skate. I 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:20.720 think he still does in town. It's like forever ago, 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:23.320 but he was at least back then I think he 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:26.760 still does. Was the host of skating in our town 0:19:27.320 --> 0:19:30.800 every Wednesday night, and so I DJ for him, and 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:34.639 so I went to skate. I went to DJ for 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:37.280 our skating that next Wednesday night, and I'm like glug 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:40.960 Glenn I got this idea, like, I want to build 0:19:40.960 --> 0:19:45.320 these radio stations, these custom radio stations for brands, Like 0:19:45.800 --> 0:19:48.159 the same music that you would listen to on the radio, 0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:51.920 same music that's tailored for the audience that's going to 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:55.840 be in your store. But when the radio DJ comes on, 0:19:56.840 --> 0:20:00.600 in between the songs, they're talking about that busines. So 0:20:01.400 --> 0:20:04.640 imagine you know, me being like in it was called 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:08.199 VIP Clothing store, so imagine me it's called VIP Sports. 0:20:08.200 --> 0:20:12.119 So imagine me being in VIP Sports. And in between 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:15.960 the songs, DJ comes on, like, yo, welcome to VIP Sports. 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:20.600 That was the latest song from this particular artist. Hey 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:23.280 make sure you check out in Asle two. We've got 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:26.280 a sale on hoodies and all backpacks are twenty five 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:30.240 percent off. Here's the latest song from this other artist. 0:20:30.960 --> 0:20:34.760 You're listening to VIV Sports Radio. So that was the idea. 0:20:35.359 --> 0:20:39.280 And so what I wanted to do was build this thing. 0:20:39.560 --> 0:20:41.240 And at this time it's just an idea. But when 0:20:41.280 --> 0:20:44.520 I told my mentor, Glenn, he's like his eyes got 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:47.679 big and he's like do it, and that's all he said. 0:20:47.880 --> 0:20:50.359 And Glenn was not the kind of guy to just 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:53.320 have that particular kind of response to something. But then 0:20:53.440 --> 0:20:55.439 he wasn't gonna like easily encourage you to go do 0:20:55.520 --> 0:20:58.040 something that he didn't think had any merit. And so 0:20:58.240 --> 0:21:00.320 him's you know, being looking at me to he was 0:21:00.359 --> 0:21:04.800 looking at me and just like do it made it? 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:07.200 Gave me validation that it was something and if I 0:21:07.200 --> 0:21:08.920 can make it something real, it could be something real. 0:21:10.000 --> 0:21:14.360 So I go and I go to the studio, back 0:21:14.400 --> 0:21:17.200 to the radio station, and I put together like this 0:21:17.280 --> 0:21:21.000 demo of what it could sound like in a McDonald's restaurant, 0:21:21.000 --> 0:21:26.359 because again he had six McDonald's that he owned. And 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:28.960 so I'm like, like, if I build this, like, would 0:21:28.960 --> 0:21:32.439 you let me test it in one of your restaurants? 0:21:32.520 --> 0:21:35.240 And so he gave me one restaurant I could test 0:21:35.240 --> 0:21:40.080 it in. And what's interesting about what this particular restaurant 0:21:40.119 --> 0:21:43.240 he allowed me to test this in. And this is 0:21:43.440 --> 0:21:46.359 the actual point of this story to pay attention here. 0:21:47.600 --> 0:21:50.639 So I go to this McDonald's restaurant Number one. I 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:53.159 didn't know how to stream over the internet. This is 0:21:53.760 --> 0:21:57.119 you know, mid this is like not two thousand, but 0:21:57.640 --> 0:22:01.560 it's not quite twenty ten, so it's it's mid two thousands, 0:22:02.240 --> 0:22:06.400 and so I didn't know how to stream. At the time, 0:22:06.480 --> 0:22:09.919 streaming was not like a huge thing back then. And 0:22:09.960 --> 0:22:12.399 so I'm like, I'm gonna just burn a CD of 0:22:12.440 --> 0:22:15.159 a radio program and I'm going to produce that and 0:22:15.200 --> 0:22:18.160 then put it in his store. So I produced this thing. 0:22:18.680 --> 0:22:20.959 The store doesn't have a CD player, so I find 0:22:21.320 --> 0:22:25.000 a and I needed it to loop, and so I 0:22:25.080 --> 0:22:27.399 didn't really know what I was doing. So I bought 0:22:28.000 --> 0:22:31.960 a mini computer. It was a mini PC, and I 0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:35.240 just programmed it to just loop continuously this one hundred 0:22:35.280 --> 0:22:38.080 and twenty minute, ninety minute whatever it was CD, just 0:22:38.160 --> 0:22:41.440 on a loop. And so I'm all ready to go. 0:22:41.680 --> 0:22:45.800 I get to the store and the store does not 0:22:45.960 --> 0:22:51.840 have speakers in the lobby area, and you have to 0:22:51.880 --> 0:22:57.040 sit the actual media console, the hardware, the DVD player 0:22:57.119 --> 0:22:59.440 or the CD player or in my case, the computer 0:23:00.200 --> 0:23:02.800 in the back office. And so I've got to figure 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:05.040 out I've never run by this time, I had never 0:23:05.080 --> 0:23:07.359 run any type of wires. Was like, I was a 0:23:07.480 --> 0:23:11.359 very like interesting kid in the fact that I would 0:23:11.359 --> 0:23:14.439 play with electronics, but I really I knew enough to 0:23:14.840 --> 0:23:16.760 figure it out, but I had never done it. I 0:23:16.760 --> 0:23:19.159 had never had any experience doing it, especially not in 0:23:19.160 --> 0:23:23.439 a commercial environment. It has its own city code and 0:23:23.440 --> 0:23:27.280 et cetera and laws, and so I've got to figure 0:23:27.320 --> 0:23:31.600 out number one, what to buy speakers, wise to get 0:23:31.640 --> 0:23:37.399 it appropriately designed for this restaurant, having never done this before. 0:23:37.920 --> 0:23:41.320 Got to figure out how to get speaker wire from 0:23:41.359 --> 0:23:43.280 the back of the restaurant to the front of the 0:23:43.280 --> 0:23:46.720 restaurant where the speakers are, having never done that before. 0:23:46.800 --> 0:23:51.400 And also the CD player or the PC in my condition, 0:23:53.480 --> 0:23:57.680 how to get that to work. And so the challenge 0:23:57.720 --> 0:24:01.879 on top of this was there was no ceiling tile 0:24:02.240 --> 0:24:06.640 between the back office and the front of the restaurant. 0:24:07.600 --> 0:24:12.199 It's drywall, so I can't run the speaker wire above 0:24:12.240 --> 0:24:15.359 the ceiling to make it look appropriate and to be 0:24:15.440 --> 0:24:19.200 safe like your kid. You can't just run speaker wire 0:24:20.119 --> 0:24:22.359