Right About Now with Ryan Alford - " The power of a story " - With Emmy winning News Anchor Nigel Roberston

Episode Date: March 2, 2019

In this episode of the Radical company podcast... Ryan talks with Nigel Robertson an Emmy winning news anchor with more stories to tell than time we had! They talk about tech advances, the power of the news, covering the olympics (twice!), Incredibly deep stories about loss and advance and even the future of the industry! Take some time to listen to learn the power of story telling in 2019! - If you enjoy this episode please check out the rest of our information and nugget filled episodes in our profile. Please share, review, and subscribe so we can continue to bring the down to earth and priceless information from our amazing guests for both your #business, #marketing and #lifestyle needs. . Have a great weekend Rad Fam! #NowThatsRadical🤙 #YeahThatGreenville 🌿 - Radical Podcast is always looking forward to meeting both aspiring, and grounded professionals across the country! Feel like you have something to say? Slide us a Dm and let's make it happen! @radical_results @ryanalford www.radical.company [phone] [e-mail] 25 Delano Drive, Greenville, SC 29601, USA If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, join Ryan’s newsletter https://ryanalford.com/newsletter/ to get Ferrari level advice daily for FREE.  Learn how to build a 7 figure business from your personal brand by signing up for a FREE introduction to personal branding https://ryanalford.com/personalbranding.  Learn more by visiting our website at www.ryanisright.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel  www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford. 

Hey guys this is Ryan Alford welcome to the Radical Company podcast it's podcast Friday here at Radical and it's gloomy and rainy like it's been every day in Greenville I think like yeah that's like perma perma rain out there out the window today. Hope you like the new set. If you're watching on video, we've got the video and the audio. But really excited about our guest today. I am so excited to be here. Nigel Robertson, WYFF News 4 here in Greenville, Anchor. And got a lot of stories to tell, which we'll get into. But Nigel, man, so blessed to have you on the show today.

I am so thankful to be here. Like I've told you, I saw your work and Radical's work long before we ever met, and I was sucked in. What you guys are doing is amazing, and to be able to be here today live on all these platforms and to be part of the story is excellent. So I'm honored to be here well you know we appreciate the the kind words but you've got a lot more stories than we do uh some of the things you've done uh which I can't wait to delve into but we've been starting you know as a

little bit of a warm-up uh a little bit and we'll have some of your stuff on the screen here. That's cool. Yeah, I know. We got you live and in person. But what's been, anything been on the radar for you the last couple weeks, either in pop culture? I know we said we weren't going to go down the politics path. But in the news, either locally or whatever, anything caught your eye the last couple weeks? I got to tell you, I'm a tech junk yeah I love technology and you know I'm definitely in the

Apple ecosystem yeah I'm very upfront about that but that's when I saw Sam's tongue unveiled that foldable phone yeah it was it's just seeing it and I can't wait to get my hands on it now I'm not saying buying yeah I'll go to the store and see it but uh you know that technology for many facets and I'm sure we'll we'll get into it but technology I find amazing but I also find it so necessary to understand it, to understand all the platforms that are out there. Because as we get into this world of, you know, from flip phones to smartphones to now phones that could start your car you know apps that can start your car yeah and where we are going with this with VR and augmented reality is is amazing yeah and I want to be on the forefront of it at least

knowing all about it yeah so warning here as we do this live, I can talk forever. So we could be live till 7 tonight easily. You don't think there was some strategy here, Nigel? You know, like, I like to have my guests talk. I'm like, you know. So someone may have to give you a ride. Do this for a living. Yeah. No, we won't do that.

But I love the phone. We've got it up excellent on the screen. I mean, I'm the same way. Apple. I did Google Android phones to start and having done a lot of verizon work i was able to switch out phones almost uh monthly uh but this has caught my attention as well i don't know yet until i hold it like is it gimmick i mean it's 1800 like right certainly you're like a laptop but i guess if the functionality is there, you can warrant it.

But it will be interesting, whether it's gimmick or next way forward. But it would be epic to watch me on the 5 o'clock news on that. That would be cool. Yes, it would. See what I did there? I did. You need the big screen to get all the features. What's interesting is if you put this lens on, if Apple had done that,

don't you think it would be immediately, like, you know, if that was an iPad that opened immediately, like iPhone to iPad. Right, right. I wonder if it would just be gangbusters. But thinking about, you know, everyone from Apple to Google are sitting there and seeing this, seeing the hype and the conversation about it. So, you know, their engineers are like, how can we do this, but do it better and in our format? Yeah, it almost seems like Apple's playing that game now where they are just making, you know, they didn't have wireless charging, but they're trying to make it the best. They didn't have some of these features, but they're trying to one-up the features instead of maybe innovate as much.

Right. Other companies had smart watches before the Apple Watch came out. But it's whoever can do it and get their brand out there and get people talking about it and then purchasing it. Yeah. The Jonas Brothers are back together. Yeah, I saw something about that. Did you see that last night? I don't know.

We're probably a little old for that. Yeah, yeah. But it was interesting nonetheless, I guess. We have some young folks in the newsroom, and they were all talking about it. I was like, I didn't know they ever broke up. And since they're brothers, did they really break up? I don't think they did. They stayed brothers. I don't think you can divorce your brothers. You can't. You can't. Yeah, I know. So they did it via carpool karaoke last night. Oh, really? Yeah.

Yeah. One of the brothers in the front seat and the other two guys, he's like, I need to make a stop. The other two guys are back. So That's awesome. Anyway, so that. But does your wife make you watch The Bachelor? No. Okay. So my wife loves The Bachelor, and she watches that, but no, she doesn't. What's funny is, you know, I've got my shows that I watch, and it'll be like, all right, honey, good night, kiss,

and then she'll go to one TV, one room, and I'll go upstairs or go to the other room, and we'll watch our shows. But she does watch it. She won't even, like, follow those accounts on social media because what she likes to do is record it and then watch it. Yeah, you can't follow their channels or it gives it up. Exactly, exactly. She doesn't watch the talk shows and all that stuff because she doesn't want to be spoiled.

Yeah. To spoil it. Colton, I think, is going with Hannah G in case you're worried. Oh, okay. You know. Yes. Yes, exactly. So your wife makes you watch it?

She's not, I, look, I will say it's a guilty pleasure now. Like, I did not want to watch it. It's very formulaic, but I think it's like anything else. If you watch it enough, you're like, all right, I'm invested now. Yeah. You know, so. Well, but I think it's like anything else. If you watch it enough, you're like, all right, I'm vested now. Yeah.

You know, so. Well, and that's like shows. And it's crazy how big is. Bachelor Nation is not to be messed with. Right, right.

And then even like shows like The Voice, you, you watch the premiere or you watch the first couple, you fall in love with a character. Yeah. You like someone's voice and then you get sucked in and you want to watch. Exactly. And if there's anyone local on it. Yeah. you want to cheer them on as well so uh yeah those those it's amazing how reality tv and you know we're around the same age so when it started

i'm probably a lot older than you actually no when when it started it's amazing to see how it's continued yeah you know and and it's a genre of television that that people love yeah it's evolved a lot for sure and you know we have a couple clients that have been approached indirectly about it and it's uh so we're we're uh getting up to speed quickly yeah on on all of that process i've seen seen it through other clients in their life, but it's changed a little bit now. It's harder to get. I mean, there's more platforms, but I think they're more selective because some of these shows go off the rails.

Well, you become, when you're on these shows, you become, I mean, your brand becomes a whole other ballgame. Yeah. And an industry. So, I mean, television networks have to be very obviously careful in who they're putting up there. But, yeah, it's amazing to see some of these great stories. And the platforms that it gives, you know, you have your actors,

your high-paid actors who do what they do and are awesome and win these awards. And they have their platforms that they care about. And they can help raise funds for these nonprofits or so on. When you have people, everyday world, that go on these reality shows and then they have a stage, it's great to see so many of them do end up giving back. Yeah. Which is nice to see. It is. Well, cool, man man i want to dig

in yeah let's um let's start like i know you're you're on the news every night every day um i'm sure some people know your story but like let's start down like the nigel the ro Robertson, you know, history. Like, I know, like, I read, I've done, I did my homework on the Q&A, like, where you're from and all that. But talk about your background, what got you in the news anchor. I do want to get down, really, it was interesting, we started together a little bit, the future of news and the future of social with all these channels and all that. Let's get there. But let's start with just the Nigel story yes so aside from what you see on the news every day

I am I'm a little kid from Warren Ohio but my parents are from Trinidad and Tobago and my parents after they got married, they wanted their children to have every opportunity possible. My grandfather owned a bunch of automotive companies, which did stuff with GM. Mind you, this is decades and decades ago. My father was able to get a work visa and came to work for General Motors in the United States. And my parents wanted, they knew that if they raised their kids in America, that their kids would have every opportunity possible, which is just beautiful. The fact that they, my parents moved here knowing that they they wanted with us in mind before we were even born, my brother and myself.

So they came here and my dad was on a work visa and they became American citizens. And I grew up in Ohio, went to Bowling Green State University, and I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, go to college, and graduate from college. And when I was in school, I was a poli-sci major, so I loved political science, and I loved government. loved government not necessarily running for office or anything like that but I love the story of America and how people can work together and make stuff happen make this country as awesome as it is. And when you think back to when America started and how it started, and it's just an amazing thing.

I found it amazing and I love studying about that. So that was my jam. Yeah. However, I'm sitting in class and some of my classes were very, very boring. So I remember- What's exploring sound? I know, like what am I doing? Do I really want to be a poli-sci major? But as I'm sitting in class, I noticed that West Hall at Bowling Green State University, as I'm sitting there, I noticed that I would see students coming out of the basement of West Hall and they had cameras and all this gear. And I thought, huh, what's going on down there? Let's rewind a bit.

When I was growing up, the news came on at six o'clock. So you had 30 minutes of your local news and then 30 minutes of your national news. My parents didn't really let me watch TV growing up. So we were allowed to sit down for that hour and watch the news. So I grew up knowing what was going on in my community, knowing what was going on around the world. I'm not just a political junkie, but I'm also, I love geography and love culture and love

travel. So I believe that all that in my head started back then. So love the news. Fast forward to me walking down the steps to find out what was going on downstairs in West Hallrun newsroom BG 24 and I will never forget they have the printer and the printer was printing out wire copy and you know it was old-school printer so yes you know exactly and then the edges had you know the you could tear Yeah. So it's feeding through. You can hear that there were, you know, there weren't a lot of network 24 hour TV back then. People were on the phone and it was the sights and the sounds and the smell of a newsroom. And it was at that moment that it changed.

Everything changed. And I thought, if I'm feeling like this right now, this is what I need to be doing. So that's how I got into news. And I sent out VHS tapes all over the country, and I got my first job. And I was able, thank God, I was able to graduate and be in a car driving down to Florida. My first job was in Florida. I worked there two years. And then knew someone who knew someone who got me an interview here at WYFF.

I came here to Greenville in 1999. Wow. I didn't know it had been that long. Yeah, so 20 years this year. But I came here in 1999 and I saw downtown Greenville and was just blown away by how beautiful this whole area was. And I've never been to this part of the country before. And the Carolinas just kind of spoke to me and I'm like, this is where I'm gonna come. But I figured I'd be here three years

and then get, you know, move to Atlanta or DC or something like that. Ron, I gotta tell you, I fell in love with this place and the community and my station and the company we work for has just been such a blessing day in and day out. And when I talk to schools, I try to make this a point that I want kids to think about when they're planning their future is I go to a job every single day that for me is a passion it's not really a job and what I try to tell kids is if you could find what what excites you what makes

you want to get up in the morning and go to that every day because all of us unless we win the lottery are going to go to that every day because all of us, unless we win the lottery, are going to go to work every single day. And if you can find your passion, does that really work? And that's a beautiful thing. It is a beautiful thing. Yeah. So that's my story of how I got here. Yeah, I know. I got a baby face. I know. Yeah, for sure. So what's 20 years all at YFF?

All at YFF, yeah. And what are the shows now that you're anchoring? So I anchor the 5 p.m. newscast on WYFF News 4. And so that's from 5 to 6. But I get in around 9 o'clock, and basically I am putting stories together out front. In this day and age that we live in, there's the story that's happening face-to-face, but there's also the conversation that's happening on Twitter and on Facebook. So I will spend chunk of the day what putting and seeing what the story is happening there and I'll front something on that about that in the four o'clock and then the five

o'clock you know after being here 20 years I have the people who were young movers and shakers when I first started working here, are now, in many cases, running the show right now. So it's been, the longevity of my career here has been a blessing because I have gotten to sit down and build relationships with so many amazing people who are helping make our community work and tick. And I count myself blessed that I can pretty much pick up the phone and call anyone at any time and find out what's going on and help keep the viewers at home informed, safe, knowledgeable. And that's a big responsibility, but I'm thankful that I'm in the position that I am and able to do that.

Yeah. I want to talk about some of your favorite stories, some of your favorite interviews, but before that, I just got to get, you mentioned Twitter, social media, what we're doing right here, now on the podcast, live with audio. Media's changed, man changed man yeah it has it it it's amazing um it's amazing and it's crazy at the same time um what's beautiful about it is you know back in the day

in a newsroom you had a scanner and that's what you had to be listening to. And it's funny because I was never the person, I would tune the scanner out and there are people who would hear when something's going on and then start making the calls. But normally it was someone who would say, Nigel, did you hear that on the scanner? And I'd be like, no. They'd tell me and then I'd make calls. Twitter is now the scanner of this generation. Because when news happens, oftentimes it's there first.

The power of the cell phone has given so many people, the cell phone and social media, have given so many people not just a platform, but a voice. And they make everyone, in a way, their own TV station. Whereas I would have never in a million years, 20 years ago, thought people would be able to go live at any time, at anywhere, about anything. Without a big old band. I mean, think about anything. Without a big old van.

I mean, think about that. Yeah, I would have to get in a live truck. You'd have to drive up to something. They'd raise the mast. They'd find the satellite. That's how we would go live now. I mean, we're going live off of a backpack. And that's just because that's connecting to like 15 cell phones.

So we get the strongest signal possible. But people, yeah, so seeing that is amazing. But it's constant. And it gives some people a voice who probably shouldn't, who should listen instead. Which is the tough side of social media. How do you know with, it's never off, right? It's never off. Like the news, in a way, you know,

some would argue the purist price of the news is never off anyway, right? Right. You know, you put it down right but with twitter like you said and the the 24 the one hour news cycle yeah yeah yeah like how do you because i struggle with this even in in our business you know managing social media accounts and feeling like did we do it like did we take advantage of every moment for a client or doing something? I can only imagine in the news, like missing a story or like this or that.

Do you just have to condition yourself like when you're off, you're off, and when you're on, you're on? How do you control the volume of feeling like you're going to miss something or you're getting everything? So that's a great question. And that's a great question because in part, when, let's say you miss something, at that moment where you realize it, you have the opportunity to get it. Whereas before, if you miss miss something it wasn't until the next newscast or the next cycle that you will be able to get it right right right so

so right on the Facebook page right, yeah, on my personal account or anything. Or just simply tweet it. And, yeah, so it's amazing. That's amazing. However, just like you need a vacation from work, I think people need a vacation from all that stuff that's constantly trying to get in our mind. And that's why I'm a firm believer that faith is vitally important. So, you know, I've got, in many ways, I'm refueled every Sunday morning when I'm in church and when I'm focused on that.

But even for people who don't go to church, I think it's important for them to have those moments where they just be. Yeah. So disconnect. Yeah. What's a big, you've talked to a lot yeah talk about like what's the most memorable like what are some of the did the Olympics yeah I mean you know I saw where you talk to the Obama yeah yeah what's some of the most memorable tell me a good story um I uh I've I've been blessed in the sense that I've gotten to,

when I look at the years that I've been doing what I do, I've gotten to sit down and talk to so many amazing people, and I've gotten to be in so many amazing places at such amazing times, good and bad. at such amazing times, good and bad. There's no question that when I'm sitting at my desk and my boss comes up to me and says, can you come in my office real quick? So that could either be good or that could either be terrible. Yeah.

So I walk in my boss's office and I sit down and it's it's my news record and the general manager and they're smiling which was awesome so I knew this is gonna be good yeah and they say do you have your passport and I said yeah I've got a passport and they told me that I've been chosen to be part of the Olympic team and that I was going to go cover the Summer Olympic Games in Rio. I mean, I literally, it took everything in to go to Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympic Games? I'm going to live there for a month. I'm going to be working not just for WIFF4, but for Hearst Television and all 30 Hearst Television and every, all 30 Hearst stations,

and I'm one of three people that you picked, that the company picked? I mean, that's huge. And I, I mean, I still get goosebumps thinking about, thinking about that. And so in my mind, I'm like, how awesome in that is that? But then I think, Nigel, you need to go there and do the best, not just do a good job,

do that times 10. Because if they picked you, they see something in you, and you need to make sure that they know they made the right decision. With great opportunity comes great response. Exactly, exactly. So let me tell you, I go down there, and it was, I mean, I interviewed everyone from Michael Phelps to Ryan Lochte. I mean, just go down the list. I got to interview so many amazing people.

And I got to tell so many amazing stories. And I was live from coast to coast. And then, you know, part of my job is not just to interview the athletes and cover the games, but go to Copacabana Beach and eat the food. games but go to Copacabana Beach and eat the food and go to all these places and soak up the culture and then tell people about it. It was awesome. So I went and I did that and I was eternally forever grateful and then it did. It did and more so.

And then it did. It did. And more so. And in many ways, because I don't know. I mean, as much as I love to travel, there's so many other places that I would have went to first told, they want you to go to South Korea to cover the Winter Olympics. That's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity twice. And, again, four weeks, 30 stations. Mind you, I work hard here, but doing the Olympics, covering the Olympics, is the hardest I have ever worked for four weeks in my life. You are running constantly in a place you don't know. And Brazil, I don't speak Portuguese. South Korea, I don't speak Korean. So Google Translate is constantly my best friend. And myself and a photographer are told to go cover this or go do that. And you have to be able to do it and then put it together and turn it,

send it back to the States and do it all over again. So that was great. But, you know, I've gotten to meet some amazing people when at the time Senator Barack Obama was running for to be president, the South Carolina primaries were coming up. And I remember calling the DNC and saying, the contacts with the Democratic Party and saying, I would like to sit down with the most high profile person you can get me. I had no idea who it would be. And so my contacts were like, okay, we'll see what we can do. So my phone rings and they say we need you to be in Columbia at this certain time. And you need to be here early enough because you've got to go through Secret Service.

So I figured, you know, any high ranking senator, any of the candidates running, I knew it would be, I'd have to go through all that. So I had no idea who I was going to meet. So I go through, and it was just me and one, it was me from the upstate, a reporter from the Midlands, and a reporter from the lower country, and a reporter from the PD. So four of us. And we're in the bottom of the convention center in Columbia, and we have no idea what's going on. And we see the Secret Service and the dogs, and they're going through our equipment and I lean

over and I say so who are we interviewing and they say you're gonna sit down with Senator Obama and I was what I got the candidate that is great and then after about 20 minutes goes by, there's all this activity going around. And I said, what's going on? And they say, well, Michelle Obama has been missing her husband. So she has flown down. So when you do the interview, it's going to be with both of them. And what an amazing opportunity.

So I had that. And then, you know, I've gotten to, with South Carolina being an early primary state, every single candidate, Republican and Democrat, they come here and you get to interview them and talk to them and bring their story to the voters, which is awesome. And I got to tell you one of, and I told you I could talk forever. So I'll tell you one of, and I told you I could talk forever, so this, I'll tell you about this. I, after Governor Haley was chosen to become Ambassador Haley, I had been, I knew her as governor, and so I had been calling her and

basically saying I would love to get it get up there and interview you, you know, see what your world is like as an ambassador. And my phone rang, and I had the opportunity to fly up to New York and see Ambassador Nikki Haley in the UN doing what she does, cross the street at the mission in her office, seeing her view of the East River, seeing her world and how it went from Columbia to New York. And I was one of, again, four reporters chosen to do that.

That was such an amazing experience and opportunity as well. And I count myself blessed. Flip side. September 11th, 2001. I woke up that morning. My father actually called me and said, do you have the news on? And I said, no.

And I put the news on and what I saw still to this day is unbelievable. This thing you'll never forget. No. Where I was at my old band, Oh, still to this day is unbelievable. This thing you'll never forget. No. Where I was at my old, my original agency I worked at, and we had two monitors on there, and I was walking by with a cup of coffee because it was early enough.

It was like 8 to 10 a.m. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Something like that. I'm going to wait a second. That's one of the trade centers on fire. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah.

So we were, you know, everyone was watching the networks that day. And I remember I got a call that a local church was going to go up and just do whatever they could and ask if I wanted to go with them. So I went up to my boss at the time and I said, can we go? And he said, absolutely. boss at the time and I said can we can we go and he said absolutely so within a week after I remember flying into New York City taking the subway to canal Canal Street which was the because of the Trade Center that's as far as we can go but you I got off yeah right so under for those who have not been, underground is, yes, yes. There's a whole community underground in the subway.

You know, there's stores. And when I got off that train, that subway, the smell of sulfur and smoke, I will never forget. of sulfur and smoke. I will never forget. But everything, as far as I could see, had about an inch of ash on it. Everything was frozen in time. And I remember walking up the steps into Lower Manhattan

and two parts of not just New York skyline, but of America, gone. And to be up there and at that moment, you know, as a journalist to be there was, was a, was a huge responsibility. And I remember thinking as an American, I am angry as a human. I'm scared. What happened? Why did this happen? Um, as a, as a believer, my soul was broken because pictures of the missing were still everywhere you looked. And then the firefighters and the policemen. I mean, these men and women who are strength defined are broken crying and exhausted mentally and physically but they weren't stopping to be able to be up there and see all that and tell

that story again I've been here 20 years Again, I've been here 20 years. The breadth of the stories that I've been able to tell and get a front row seat as history is written is an honor, a blessing, a huge responsibility, and everything I've always wanted to do. huge responsibility and everything I've always wanted to do. You know, back to that, you know, the magnitude of 9-11. It's one of the things that worries me, like we were talking about the news cycle,

because everything kind of comes fast and in the moment it seems so big now, but it is gone like that. It is. And it's almost like I worry about my own children and about other people, like the news cycle is being so quick. Like in the moment, you just don't think anything can be bigger, but then it seems a week later it's gone. And things like 9-11 seem seemingly out of sight, out of mind. I mean, do you ever think about that or reflect on that as a journalist?

You know, the speed with which some of these really seismic news things come and go. Yeah, yeah. It is a lot. But here's the thing. It's not going to change. It's not going to go away. not going to change. It's not going to go away. Soon we'll be able to put on glasses and be at the beach or be live at the scene. When you think about it now, back in the day you used to sit in front of a big monitor like this and watch the news.

Now we pick up our phones or get alerts on our watches. None of that's going away. Back to technology, another reason. Remember I said part of the reason why I'm so, I love technologies because that is, understanding that and the formats is is important but it is important for uh people to take a vacation and take a break and you know um but being informed there's nothing more powerful than being informed and being truly educated on something. Whatever your passion is, whatever your vision of your future, whatever you want it to be, understanding it, embracing it, and figuring out what affects it and that knowledge is important. And we all have our own story.

We all have our own vision for our lives and for our children and it's important to know what is important and what you need to do to make your life better you can enjoy some of the clutter, but just like your house, you have to clean it. Because if you walk in every day and it's just junk everywhere, pretty soon, it's gonna be, you can't go inside anymore. So you gotta make sure that you clean up the clutter.

So the show Clutter shows me. Right, right. Exactly, exactly. Oh, yeah, exactly. That's hilarious. Yeah, that's true. So you, all right, I got to ask this question. I know you're not going to answer it.

All right. You'll answer the first part, not the second. You're going to answer the first part, not the second. Who's been the nicest, unexpected interview that you maybe like, wow, they are really genuine, nice. And on the flip side, maybe not, I don't want you to call out who was. Right. I mean, anyone that you don't mind calling out that wasn't like so pleasant or not so fun. Or not so fun? Well, I have to say, I think the biggest surprise for me was probably Michael Phelps.

Yeah. And I say Michael Phelps because he is, he's a goat. And for those of you who don't know what goat is, it's greatest of all time. And he is, he is, I mean, he's Michael Phelps. So he could be a little arrogant or you might expect. Well, I had no idea what to expect. Michael Phelps was such an awesome interview and he was so humble and so I mean you know in the pool he is you know a beast outside he was so passionate and

what we were talking about was his goal to make sure the youth of the world learn how to swim. So yeah, we talked about the gold medals and his legend and his story, but, and then I was just talking, I told him, you know, I've got three boys and I remember getting them in the pool and being terrified, but wanting them to know how to swim. And so we started talking about that. And I remember thinking, oh, my gosh, I'm having a conversation with Michael Phelps at the Olympics about the importance of swimming. How you, it's funny because you, with everyone, you could take away the title, take away the TV cameras. Yes. But we're all just humans.

And when you could sit down with someone like this and let them talk about their passion, and let them talk about their passion, the audience is always going to respond, period. Because when someone's passionate about something, it comes through. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You don't need to be good on camera or a writer or a photographer or anything like that. When you're sitting there and you're talking about something you're passionate about, or, you know, a writer or a photographer or anything like that to...

When you're sitting there and you're talking about something you're passionate about, it comes through. So, yeah. So I answered the first part. You get to answer the second one. Now! Yeah! Yeah.

I was waiting for the right moment to do that. Yeah, it was a good moment. So, no, on the flip side, any not-so-pleasant? Have there been, are there those moments? Are there the not-so-pleasant moments? I mean, I know it's not all rainbows and butterflies. Yeah, there's definitely plenty of not so pleasant moments. I mean, everyone, the fact that everyone has a voice is not always a great thing. Right.

But, you know, sometimes, like I was talking about, not letting the clutter get in, sometimes you have to do that, but, you know, it's, it, it, it was like that in elementary school, it was like that in middle school, it was like that in high school, college, and it's like that today, so. What's, what's, you know, I know you've been here a long time, you're seated, planted here, I know you've been here a long time. You're seated, planted here. The community loves you. You know, do you, is this a day at a time?

Or like, you know, where do you see yourself? I know you're doing some things at Clemson. Yeah, yeah. Are you going to go speak with your class? Yeah. I can't wait to have you and your team come and talk to my class. I, the future, to be honest with you, not just saying this

because I'm sitting here, but the future is this. Yeah. Even with all the technology, even with all the cameras and the microphones, sitting down and talking to someone face-to-face is not something so many people do anymore.

And it's missing from so much of what we do, period, that I think this is going to become something that people crave. And I think that's a great thing. I do think technology, figuring out how to use technology, is what the future holds. Greenville is positioned so perfectly for, you know, the city is becoming, using 5G technology already before we even have phones to use that. And Greenville and the upstate, the Carolinas, South Carolina itself, I mean, has been so innovative from, you know, textiles went away.

And then this area decided, what about automotive? And look at us now. We're like the automotive cluster in the state of South Carolina is unbelievable. Now you add Boeing and we're making some of the most beautiful planes and safest planes in the sky just down the road in Charleston. and maybe four dollars in gas to get up to the mountains and just disconnect and be. And it's beautiful. It's right up the road. It takes us two hours to be in Atlanta. It takes us an hour to be in Charlotte. We, I believe that I think we are It takes us an hour to be in Charlotte. We, I believe, I think we are location, you know, when you're doing real estate, location, location, location.

I believe that where we call home is in such an amazing position for the future. That's part of the reason why I've stayed here so long is because it's just amazing. And then between us, we've got seven kids, you know, seven boys that we're raising. And to raise kids in this community is awesome. It's great. I will say one of my biggest passions outside of technology and social media and journalism and so on is helping find a cure for ALS. I lost my father to ALS and which is Lou Gehrig's disease. You know I got a call from my father who was so active and never slowed down.

And he said, I was on the tennis court and my foot, I kept falling because my foot just wouldn't keep up. And within two years, he was in a hospital bed, paralyzed, could only move his eyes. And I saw what ALS did to my father and how ALS took my father and how hard that journey was for all of us. For those who don't know, ALS, basically, when you move, your brain tells your nerves, sends the signal, and the nerves make your muscle move. That's how you move. Well, with ALS, there's a disconnect between the nerves and the muscle. So your mind is 100% perfect, but your body's not responding. So the fact that in many ways I saw my father become trapped in his own body and his mind be perfect, my father become trapped in his own body and his mind be perfect. I have made it my mission to do everything I could and can to find a cure and to help people suffer, not with just ALS. But when

you look at ALS, there's a whole spectrum of neurological disorders that kind of are in the same family from Parkinson's to MS to Alzheimer's. And I firmly believe that the second we find a cure for Parkinson's or MS or Alzheimer's or ALS, a light bulb is going to go off. And just a few tweaks, I think we'll be able to do something for all of them. So I've been given a certain amount of time here on this planet. And after seeing my father, you know, you go through life trying to figure out your purpose. And after seeing what happened to my father, I found a purpose and a passion to the point that as tragic as it was, I bet when I get to heaven and I hug my father and I ask him,

I bet he wouldn't have created a thing. Because he is able to see his son take the pain of losing his father and how he lost his father and instead of curling up in a ball and crying in the corner, which hey, some people have to do. But the fact that I've been able to turn around and do, and I say this humbly, you know, I mean, the Greenville Polo Classic is a fundraiser that I and others have been able to create to raise money to help people suffering through neurological disorders. I've worked with two hospitals now to bring care and doctors and the needs to these patients. I mean, right now I'm working with Bon Secours St. Francis and we are helping create such a massive neurological

facility where people can get the care that they need right around the corner, right here at home. And I mean, for a hospital system like Bon Secours to do that, that's one thing. But you need the community behind you. And you need community champions to be there and help tell the story. And I've been able to team up with them. And it is the, what is on the horizon is unbelievable. And, you know, I do all this work and I'm passionate about it. And, you know, I'm raising money for the Greenville Polo Classic, funneling money through the hospital to, and there's nothing more special than being stopped by someone who says,

my mom has Parkinson's and she's getting care at the hospital. And in part, what you've been able to do is help me, my family. Someone who I don't even know. And that's amazing. And I tell you all, we've talked about the stories that I've been able to cover and the places I a positive and strong path for my family so that they can continue on and that I have left a mark here in my community that lasts longer than I will. It is. It is.

And that's what, you know, I think we're kindred spirits in that way. You know, the things we're kindred spirits in that way. You know, the things we're trying to do with our content, trying to be positive, trying to spread messages. It's amazing how that all comes back around. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. I love it. I love it. Well, I'm going to open it up. Any questions for me? I mean, how were you able to be, how did this happen?

How were you able to be on the forefront of so much of what we're seeing and talking about right now? I've been blessed in my career. I mean, I've always been a curious soul creature, but I came up through the ad business. It was around technology. Verizon Reynolds is a huge client. It was around technology and the smartphone. And the cusp of it, because I started working on Verizon in 2001. So I really, it was my largest account for 13 years. And so it, in many ways, wasn't just an account. It was getting to see the evolution of wireless, everything that you talked about, wireless technology, social media, the empowerment of these 4G networks.

That's what people talk about. They go, why weren't we doing this on time? But you weren't doing this because there was not 4G. You couldn't you couldn't video yeah yeah you didn't have a 4g network in 2009 yeah yeah yeah 4g is like really coming around 2010 2011 and the networks so it was interesting so you know there's a long way to answer that in short ways but it was really being in the cusp of seeing the wireless technology smartphones the enablement of all of these communications that allowed me to come up through that combined with being a marketer and naturally wanting to communicate messages that allowed me to kind of and then my natural curiosity um i think it's like the

culmination of all of those things and then just the human experiences that i've been through um i've always been the the guy in the family that fixed the tech stuff yeah you know i mean i know I'm always that guy. I'm always, like, tearing a computer apart. It was always, like, that kind of on the cusp or forefront. Like, if there was a technology, when Apple iTunes or iPods were out, I had one the first day. Like, I was always on the cusp of technology, combined with the curiosity, and then the blessings of the career.

And all of those things, I think, have molded into the vision that you see with a lot of the communication that we're doing with the show, with what we're trying to do. Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. I truly believe that technology is, you know, we see what we can do now, but it's only going to open the doors for so many people. For example, when my father was in those final days, to be able to put a VR headset on him and get him out of the hospital room

just through VR. Until a cure is found, I've always said technology is a cure. Steve Gleason, actually, who played for the Saints in New Orleans, had said that once, and ever since I heard that, I was like, that is

that is that that is so true and the power of technology and the voice is huge so and I mean I I saw what you were doing on social media before we even met and it was it blew my mind and then just to to see what you're doing and how you're doing it where you're doing it and it's, it blew my mind. And then just to, to see what you're doing and how you're doing it and where you're doing it. And it's just, it's been amazing to watch. So, yeah. So what's the future hold for you? Uh, we're going radical, man.

It's going fast. I mean, like it was radical was me less than a year ago. Me only. Yeah. And now we're 10 plus people and growing like wildfire but you know but it's enabling me to do these kind of things and have these kind of conversations and to spread positivity messages like you know we're doing things in the community with ring will hustle and that's our way it's not a non-profit, but it's not profitable.

We pay for these things, you know what I mean? But it's meant to aggregate like-minded entrepreneurs and just the community, and I think seeing that go to new heights, providing a place where people want to come to work means a lot to me. You know, like, I want to grow Radical as much because I want to provide a place that people want to work. You know, if I wanted to get rich, ad agency owners are not, like, they're not on the Forbes list.

Right, right. It's not because you can't make a good career out of it but it's not like i i could probably use my brain to faster pass you know but i just love communication and technology and marketing and telling stories yeah and that's what we're doing yeah so i want to tell more stories i want to provide a place that people love and want to come to work at i want to tell more stories. I want to provide a place that people love and want to come to work at. I want to have more conversations and getting to know people like you better. And

raising family. More boys and an amazing wife. And soaking up Greenville. I was born and raised in Greenville. You know, like, I don't see, I was born and raised in Greenville, and I think I take it for granted how far it's come.

I appreciate it, and I think I'm, you know, we live downtown and work, we're here, wheelhouse downtown, like, I think I try to take advantage of it as much as possible, but I don't, I sometimes, you know, like, am I really, like, realizing how blessed we are to be here? Yeah. Are you sure we're not twins? I mean,

we really could be twins. It is possible. It's amazing, because our stories are so, so the same. That's great. I think we're gonna finish with a little quick Q&A or wait we were rolling how's this working now we asked the Andre, we asked the one word.

You just say one word, and the person responds with the first thing that comes to their mind. All right. Okay. You can go first. You can put me on the spot first. All right. Well, on this list, the first thing is two words. Okay.

He says the two words, and I answer, right? All right. And so you answer with one word. So, happy hour. Vodka. Orange peels. First thing that popped in my head was Clemson. Yes.

Yes, yes. And I work at Clemson too, so there you go. Netflix. Ozarks. Oh, okay. Data. Knowledge. Design.

Creative. Playground. You know, I don't... So... Yes, I'm a talker, I know. I know, I know. You tell me to say one word, but... You said playground, and it took me back to being a kid on the playground.

You know what I thought? I thought ABC. Remember that? A little bad creation. Another bad creation. Another bad creation. Another bad creation. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep.

My turn. Kitchen sink. Radical. Oh. How bad can you be radical? Yes it is. Algorithm. Oh.

Instagram. Fire. Hot. algorithm oh uh instagram fire first word yeah sneakers uh running yeah that's all my words yes you know I've enjoyed getting to know you getting to know you more and anything and everything and I know our listeners are gonna on both the video and the audio are gonna really really be fascinated and really be moved by some of the stories and just really blessed to know you man well and me the same you know when we first met up and you came by the station and we sat down and chatted I knew it was the start of not just a a great friendship but I we're gonna be doing a lot and that was the post that I

put on my Instagram was I mean there's so many things that I believe we'll be able to do and for me interviewing you for TV and you coming to talk to my class but but just also I mean I'm humbled just to see your operation and what you're doing and the positivity and the voices you're putting out in the community is an amazing thing. So I am honored to have met you and be part of this story, this radical story. Cool. Appreciate it.