Art suffers the minute you start getting paid for it. I consider myself an artist. I’m a musician, a writer, a vlogger, a comedian, a graphic designer and a video producer. Among other things. I have produced videos, web sites and written, recorded and performed music for corporate America.

The most enjoyable part of my journey was the struggle, trying to get the C-Suite to listen to my ideas. In October of 2002, I was summoned to headquarters in Boston a.k.a “The Ranch” ostensibly to show them how I was killing my numbers by shooting Cardiolite™ patient education videos for my customers. I thought this should be part of our business model and I wanted to share.

What they really wanted me back for, was to tell me to smarten up and get back to work, like everybody else. I was totally naive, but my naivete paid off. When they saw the potential in a Spanish version of which would soon to be known as “Taking The Test”, Peter Card, V.P. of Global Marketing, pushed me into the corner and told me I had to move in house…. immediately.

That day started a ten year run that had me behind the wheel of every major ongoing campaign in the company. I built a video production studio for every facet of internal communication and fed digital signage screens all over the site.

I produced a viral marketing campaign called “Outbreak” of all things to start a conversation with customers without throwing up all over ourselves by talking about product. Which is commonplace today. They thought I was Satan.

The Luddites came at me full force. Eyes rolled at meetings, subjects were quickly changed and on March 14, 2008, in frustration, I resigned. I walked away from big bucks and a cozy, boring, future.

On March 15, I became a consultant. 🙂

Then, everything changed. My ideas had more weight. My demands were met. My influence grew. And my enemies list quadrupled. The people I used to report to were making half of what I was taking down and it wasn’t sitting well.

Pretty soon everything I did was scrutinized. Every invoice questioned and I had to endure long editing sessions with people who couldn’t use a crayon. It was wearing me down.

Then things got repetitive, stale, and safe. Everything an artist tries to avoid. I was micromanaged into a zombie state until it ended in 2012.

In 2016, the things that got me through those long edits, international travel, bad hotels, missing equipment, nightmare shoots, non paying clients and shitheads who think they’re Otto Preminger, Ambien, Xanax, Soma and Tramadol, finally caught up with me.

I surrendered my whipped, whimpering and willing ass to the VA in Bedford Ma. for detoxification. I’ve been clean, sober and incredibly fit for four years.

But I have the creative bug again. I’m going to get out there and go for broke. This time a lot older and a little wiser. I am starting up a Youtube Channel called “Enlightened Rogue Fitness” to share my fitness journey and impart all the valuable knowledge I have gained as a fitness professional.

Art might suffer but not at my hands.  🙂