As some of you may know, I do not travel for work. I work while I travel. The type of work I do allows for this freedom. I am an entrepreneur, adviser to professionals and business consultant who specializes in business strategy and tactics (more on all of that in a different upcoming post). But, basically I can be productive anywhere I have WiFi, a good mobile phone connection and within an hour of an airport. With all of that, I am good to go.
Well, on November 1, 2014, a professional I advise invited me to a private interview. The interview was for The Dan Vega Show. The producer and host is, of course, Dan Vega. The interviewee was, none other than an original shark on Shark Tank, Kevin Harrington. I brought 2 of my 3 sons with me, Ethan (13) and Trevor (9). My eldest was out-of-town on his own adventure and Mama Nomad was back at home base.
I felt that this would be a good opportunity for my sons to be able experience what it was like to meet professionals who were top in their industry, see how a TV Show is produced and, essentially, see what and how Dad does what he does. Not to mention the fact that Trevor wants to be an actor, so the showbiz side of this was very intriguing on top of the boys being avid fans of Shark Tank.
We arrived in St. Petersberg , Florida and pulled up to The Vinoy at 501 Fifth Avenue NE. This is a historic hotel that is held in very high regard. Let me tell you, the building is beautiful and the staff was top-notch. The gentleman assigned to assist with meeting all of our needs and accommodations for the show was Clinton Stoller, Event Manager. Clinton was attentive, respectful, indulgent of needs and extremely helpful. He made it to where we did not have to think about anything but producing the show.
Mr. Harrington showed up and the room was already prepped. He just needed to be miked and the team was ready to roll. I have seen many different shows in production (radio, TV, movies) and this was a phenomenal interview. First of all, Mr. Harrington stated that this was the first time that he had EVER seen camera men in suits! You read that correctly. Mr. Vega had his camera men in suits. I guarantee that Mr. Harrington will never forget that. In addition, the whole interview flowed so naturally. Everything was done in one take. When this airs, it is going to be great. Some of the pearls of wisdom that Kevin Harrington, the guy who invented the infomercial world-wide and responsible for over $4 billion in product sales, were invaluable. Some stories about his life were touching and others quite surprising.
Mr. Vega allowed, during the time leading up to the show, for business professionals and fans to submit questions to be asked to Mr. Harrington. Trevor, my nine-year old, submitted a question. And, guess what? That’s right. Mr. Vega picked Trevor’s question to be one of the questions asked. It was just icing on the cake that Mr. Harrington was able to meet the person who asked the question face to face. This was a great all around day for Mr. Vega and his staff, Mr. Harrington and The Nomads. I can’t wait until it airs. When it does, I will post it to our site. If you want to be notified, subscribe to our updates (located on the right side on our Posts page).
After the interview was finished, Mr. Harrington departed and the gear was packed up, The Nomads were invited to lunch with Mr. Vega and his staff. We, of course, graciously accepted the invitation. Ethan and Trevor were able to interact with the camera men, photographers, marketing professionals, assistants and Mr. Vega. It was a great experience for them. And, again, they were able to see their old Dad work while enjoying myself. They learned the meaning of the old saying, “If you love what you do, you will not work a day in your life.”
All in all, it was an educational and enjoyable day for The Nomads. I would call that a success any way you look at it. And with that…it’s a wrap!
