much. It is a pleasure to be a part of your mentoring program. Truly an honor. Well, I think when that's a big question, when you ask, how did you get here? You know, I think if we if we look back, if I look back, I think my parents first of all we're ah, were a big part of my life. Um, they taught us to work. Where was, uh, I'm gonna move my screen, Lou, that they taught us to work. They taught us to, uh, say yes when there was ah, work assignment. You know, in our case, we chopped a lot of weeds. Well, in our large property, I had three brothers, and it seemed like we we never ran out of work to do. And, uh, I've also had a very encouraging ah, no wife and Children who who also think it's it's a good idea to to work into to appreciate other people. I think those two things have been when really helped to me. Um, and my parents were a big part of that. They they wanted us to ah to recognize that we were not alone on an island that we need each other. And and I think that that that plays a part. It sort of informs your whole life. Um and, um And what inspired what? Incidents and experience to shape your career, pal. Well, academically, I got a bachelor's degree in broadcasting and journalism of the Masters and communications. Um, but I think what really helped because I wasn't headed in the communications direction initially but really helped was that I had an opportunity in high school, too. Well, I have a little radio show that reported on our high school are rival High school had had a show and we didn't. And so I volunteered to check on it, and one thing led to another, and I was the person slammed to do the radio show. But it didn't initially guide me toward getting into communications. My, um, I took a class in college and happened Teoh past the radio station. It's day and I said cash. I remembered doing those radio reports for my high school. That was that was a very enjoyable time. And and so one thing led to another. And I said, Maybe auto Look at, uh, the radio and television newspaper the Communications world. Now, of course, it would include social media, unusual media. Um, but, uh, but that was Ah, very, very nice occurence in my life to, uh, to have a chance to work in high school on a radio show. And it it opened the whole world. Who knew who knew what it would open up, But it it opened up a lot. And so when? Uh, no, I had been done quite a few years, maybe 20 years or so and in advertising, Well, im the foundation for a better life. People gave a call more the same people that really random, actual kind of condemnation. They gave a call and said, I would like you to common and make a presentation. We think we would like to do a nonprofit organization that promotes positive values. And so in the beginning, I was just the agency guy presenting in behalf of our agency and really an opportunity opened up to join the foundation. And 20 years ago this year, we're joined on Valentine's Day 2000 with the idea that we would promote positive values to provide a reminder for people that Truman's tell you people are bad, but to say people are good. That's the basic permission. People are good and simply could use a reminder so that that was the beginning of the idea. And we started with the television spots. There were billboards on radio and on social media and, um, all with the idea that we might, you know, reach people in some small way and provide an uplifting bit of inspiration for them. And what's remarkable is this has become the most watched television PS campaign in the country, and the Billboard campaign is the most accessible outdoor advertising campaign in the history of outdoor advertising. And that's a launch to say. But we didn't start out what way and the reason that make it has become, that is because people are very interested in values. Well, im I think we're all more interested now than ever, man. And so it's been a great privilege, a great opportunity to see all the support from the billboard companies. The broadcaster is the music people that donate their music broadcasters that donating your space and time and and most of all, the reaction from people, I think, um we reaction kind of surprised us. Well, we have about 200 countries coming to the website. And, uh, eight of lunch countries are Muslim in the top 50 or Muslim. Well, when one is the United States and Canada in the U. K. Germany on then number four is India. Interestingly, when were six is China and and then is there mentioned a member of Muslim countries and, uh, and then goes down. I think the Maldives somewhere in there as well, lower population, but they're still attending the site. And what I found that was fascinating about all this is that values are borderless. You really are. And ah, I didn't really know that, uh, what people come from all over and say, Oh, this message, I really inspires me. Well, wow. So you pick a value generosity, kind, slow sharing, and you realize that people are sitting around the table in Afghanistan with their families. They're sitting around the table in Mumbai, in Indiana and in Frankfurt and wherever, and it's all the thing right. We're all hoping that our families do a little better when your Children get much education as possible. Well, that we all have opportunities to become who we hope to be so maybe the foundation of all this and the excitement of wooden is that it truly is a global enterprise. Well, and who would have suspected their values would be a global enterprise quality on very, very hard. So long answer to a short question, but I hope that helps.

We're a challenge everywhere. A brand new nonprofit. Uh, my biggest concern was would the broadcasters accept us? And I remember going back and forth with one of the television networks and they said, Well, no one just promotes values, you know, There must be something for sale. Somewhere in here you're gonna be selling a book or selling a course or selling a subscription or something. You know, you can't just be promoting values. So we went back and forth with one of the networks. I would fill out forms, send them in, they would send it back and say, Well, you know, we see that you're truly a registered non profit, but we don't know if your legitimate in your motivation. And then I finally sent them one of our sample TV commercials. Uh, what look service at. And there it was. It got to the end, and all it said was courage. Pass it on a message from the foundation for a better life when they said, That's it. What's hold? It is just a a TV spot about a value. And of course, I've been saying is alone, but nothing and feel it when they said Oh, well, that's the case. Urine. And that was my toughest. That was my tough with cell. And from there it was convincing the rest of the broadcast community and music industry billboard industry that this is all we wanted to do. Just promote values. There wouldn't ever be an agenda. There wouldn't be a for profit motive. It wouldn't be a religious motive or a political motive. And, you know, people have no reason to believe you just because you're saying it. They want to know that that's true. And so, in the first few months, we had to create messages, get them out and slowly built trust with the broadcast in music industry and the billboard industry. Ah, Trust that said Okay, They said they were going to do this. They're actually doing it on. And they didn't said let their space. And by that I mean yet we allow sponsors to come on and Philip the bottom part of our screen, you know, like this message brought to you by, you know, some corporation or whatever. We had to be true to our word. And you talk about the first few months. He was actually probably a year or two before people finally said, Oh, so you're actually just promoting beds? Oh, no other agenda attached to this. And so I think if I were to pass something along to the students who might see this, it's if you say that you're going to be doing something, be sure that you stay true. Though people appreciate consistency, they appreciate you being someone they can trust, especially if they give you their airwaves or give you their space on a billboard. They want to know that you're never going to show up with something that might have an agenda to it when you said you didn't have one or whatever. But just being true to your original premise has built a wonderful trust. And then, and that's why these are so widely seen, I think

In fact, that's a very insightful question. Umthe traditional way to do the point of work is to have writers, producers when our directors I want to do the kind of creative that we have. And I had come from an ad agency where that's what we have. Writers, producers and directors, I think. But I thought, What if we could have very best, not just the people we had hired, but people who really got this message really understood this message, no matter where they were. What if we could pick from a top agency in New York, somebody from Mexico, somebody from Los Angeles from Arizona, from Salt Lake City, from wherever Denver, Colorado? And so that's what we did. Um, we decided that we would be an administrative hub, but that all the creative would be done by the very, very best. The people, for instance, that created the milk mustache campaign we are Director had done working Russia for Coca Cola. They had done, um, I think a visa commercial in Hong Kong that, you know, we wanted to get people who had tremendous experience but not necessarily bring them on full time staff it, but have access to the very best anywhere in the world. And so that's That's how we solved our our issue. We had to have top creative, Um and yet we're a small nonprofit, and so that's what we did. We reached out to the very, very best, um wherever we could find them and continue to do that. We we love to hear about great writers, Um, who can, uh, who really get this? It's not just smart people. It's people that really understand the heart and soul of this, this kind of work in this kind of message to promote positive values. And, um so just looking at my notes for your question, I think I think the key is not to necessarily follow what has always been done, but to take a step back and say, Is there a way to solve our talent needs in a different way than just hiring lots of people? Ah, in our case, we were able to do that. Not not every nonprofit will be able to do such a thing or not every company, but I think we gather people around an idea and a cause and allowed them to live wherever they were