“AN IDEA MAN.”

This was my answer when my parents asked a younger me what I saw as an ideal career. They weren’t enthusiastic about that. Nor were they when, for a high school project, I labeled myself a future movie producer — largely because I couldn’t say what a movie producer actually did.

Well, fast-forward a few years — Past filling an HR-type role in the U.S. Air Force. Past college and a lieutenantship at the school paper. Past column/review/feature-writing for the local alt-weekly. Past several other career-building but largely miscast stints as “marketer.” — to arrive at today. Now, I am an “idea person,” whether it’s a real thing or not. And I’m a movie producer, even if it means pointing my own camera at things. I’m other things, too: doting father of triplets, husband, DEI warrior, writer, photographer, web dabbler, t-shirt designer, dog lover, voice actor (sort of), and on and on and on.

Not to undersell, but I am not the world’s greatest at anything I do. Never have been. (One day, maybe. I’ll keep working at it.) What I do well is dream. And adapt. And work well with humans (and dogs). And stack skills (AKA synergize). And learn, relentlessly. And improve EVERYthing I touch.

So, what kind of collaborator can you expect in me? One who can edit video but also edit the script, titles, or copy he’s given. One who can draft a narrative but also lay it out on a webpage. One who can lead a team but also follow explicit instructions. One who can, and will, leave you feeling better about yourself at the end of the day.

If given the opportunity, I invite you to talk with me, even for just a few minutes. At worst, you’ll have the empathetic ear of a freethinker. But you never know: In just the right situation, maybe partnering with this “idea person” could improve your life — or change the world!