I’ve learned and accomplished a lot in my first 57 years. But it wasn’t easy. I stumbled often, took the wrong path at times and occasionally got very lost; it takes a great deal of listening and willingness to learn and change when appropriate to gain the proper insight and perspective in reaching your personal and business goals.
Life is tough. Life is far from fair - it plays no favorites. And it’s almost impossible to obtain “the good life” without help. Almost every personal or business success story has at its core, a key figure that provided a timely ‘spark’ to set the stage for great accomplishment. During my life, I’ve been helped along the way by people who took an interest in me and provided the needed attention at just the right time to allow me to make the prudent decisions that lead me down a path of creative, financial and now physical & emotional success. To all who've touched my life in profound ways...THANK YOU!
Having lived my life in reasonably good shape during early adulthood, spent a prolonged state grossly overweight and pathetically out of shape, and now back to maybe being in the best shape of my life, I can unequivocally say that ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE ARE BETTER when you are FIT--you can't help but face each day with an attitude of "I can do anything!". It's really an awesome way to truly experience life.
In an effort to 'pay it forward' if you want help getting 'back in shape', just let me know. I can be reached at: [email protected]
Credentials: Former head strength coach at Aspen Hill Nautilus.
Having lived my life in reasonably good shape during early adulthood, spent a prolonged state grossly overweight and pathetically out of shape, and now back to maybe being in the best shape of my life, I can unequivocally say that ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE ARE BETTER when you are FIT--you can't help but face each day with an attitude of "I can do anything!". It's really an awesome way to truly experience life.
In an effort to 'pay it forward' if you want help getting 'back in shape', just let me know. I can be reached at: [email protected]
Credentials: Former head strength coach at Aspen Hill Nautilus.
A Career In TV
I spent my first 18 years of work at Discovery Channel. I went from sweeping the floors and making video dubs to being Discovery’s first Avid NLE editor to producing programs for Shark Week. In 1996, I managed the content for the launch of the Animal Planet network. When I finally left, we had a 54 room post production facility and I had been Director of Post Production for all 12 domestic networks for 5 years. Discovery is a unique company, I learned a ton about business and management-- and I had a great ride!
General Manager
Shortly after leaving Discovery and starting Home Team Handz, I also became the General Manager at MVI Post. MVI Post was a top DC area HD production and post facility. We did production and post on shows for ESPN, National Geographic Channel, Discovery, TLC, A&E, Animal Planet, among others. We also did post work for high profile 'events' like “In Performance at the White House” that featured singers Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, John Mellancamp and was hosted by Morgan Freeman. The music director was American Idol’s superstar Rickey Minor.
Dream BIG!
Follow your dreams....I started my entrepreneurial journey with a venture making and selling a sports fan product that I helped invent and patent.
Once I committed to the idea, I turned my basement sports room into a factory and worked tirelessly to create the first prototype. Fast forward 7 years and we have provided our product to sporting events around the world. Our biggest client remains minor league hockey here in the states. Our very first event was a Hershey Bears AHL playoff game. The media coverage was very cool and can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p3toH-HX14
Link to our updated Fan Handz demo:
https://youtu.be/DUX1-yEbRD8
*You need to highlight, then open.
Video of full events featuring Fan Handz can be viewed here:
Baseball Fans Having a Blast! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2vgaUepvMU
NHL / XM All Star Fan Fest giveaway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HxCCXFN6aA
All State sponsored Team USA Soccer Match: http://www.frequency.com/video/hth-clappers-activation-vehicle-for/10346707
Phantoms: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aV7QzwopOI
Boston viewing party: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-PaZ0QzeQo
Fundraising Event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFhbEFiuJs
“Pink In The Rink” cancer awareness event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmiOcFUjWRk
Opening Night at the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJTELUHZeDw
Once I committed to the idea, I turned my basement sports room into a factory and worked tirelessly to create the first prototype. Fast forward 7 years and we have provided our product to sporting events around the world. Our biggest client remains minor league hockey here in the states. Our very first event was a Hershey Bears AHL playoff game. The media coverage was very cool and can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p3toH-HX14
Link to our updated Fan Handz demo:
https://youtu.be/DUX1-yEbRD8
*You need to highlight, then open.
Video of full events featuring Fan Handz can be viewed here:
Baseball Fans Having a Blast! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2vgaUepvMU
NHL / XM All Star Fan Fest giveaway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HxCCXFN6aA
All State sponsored Team USA Soccer Match: http://www.frequency.com/video/hth-clappers-activation-vehicle-for/10346707
Phantoms: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aV7QzwopOI
Boston viewing party: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-PaZ0QzeQo
Fundraising Event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFhbEFiuJs
“Pink In The Rink” cancer awareness event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmiOcFUjWRk
Opening Night at the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJTELUHZeDw
In 2016 I started building and operating synthetic ice rinks.
My first rink was on the rooftop of the iconic Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC.
From humble beginnings, USA Synthetic Rinks now has the most commercial / seasonal synthetic ice rinks in the nation!
www.usasr.org
My latest entrepreneurial endeavor is the creation of the Koh-nai.
This pat. pend. new product is explained here: www.kohnai.com or click on pic!
Life as a Product Developer
A pet peeve of mine is sitting at a wobbly table or in a wobbly chair. As a product developer, I'm always on the lookout for items that can be re-purposed. One day I came across a building material shim that I knew I could be re-purposed into a item that would instantly fix anything that wobbles. Behold...."Wobble Gone!".....Just slide under a table or chair leg and 'snap' off to perfect size in just seconds. Currently selling to retailers.
Creativity
Bagels & BS! Although I'm very proud of my body-of-work for Discovery that ended up on the small screen, I'm also quite proud of a social event I started--which came to be known as Bagels & BS! Discovery was such a growing TV juggernaut that chaos was the order of the day and demanded that my direct reports and colleagues be pulled in different directions. I could never get my group together for a full staff meeting during regular business hours and so we sometimes didn’t see each other for weeks at a time. I wanted my department to spend time with each other, so I created a weekly social event that brought us together every Wednesday morning from 8:15 to 9:00 -- to catch up on work issues and personal goings on. Our social gathering became known as Bagels and BS! It became a social phenomena within Discovery that grew to encompassed all production facility personnel and most network producers, AP’s and coordinators. For my last couple of years at Discovery, we averaged over 150 people each Wednesday.
Wheel Of Appreciation My creativity was challenged out of necessity when Bagels & BS! grew beyond my control--so I created the Wheel of Appreciation. Where at first our dept. hosted each Bagels & BS! session, it quickly became cost / time prohibitive for my dept. to continue supplying food each week to feed over 150 people. I needed a way to get colleagues from other departments to host the weekly Bagels & BS! sessions, so I planned the "Bagel Bash" and unveiled the 'Wheel of Appreciation!' Colleagues attending the Bagel Bash would spin the wheel and take a chance to land on either Lunch, Swag or Host. If you landed on Lunch, you won a free lunch from a local restaurant; if you landed on Swag, you got to pick from a pile of Discovery branded merchandise; but if you landed on Host, you had to immediately sign up your group to Host a Bagel & BS! session later in the year. Out of 150 spins, about 26 will land on Host -- and we’d be set for the next 26 weeks of Bagels and BS! The Bagel Bash became a biannual event highlighted by the Wheel of Appreciation. The Bash and Wheel are now lore within the halls of Discovery.
RadioSpeak Again, out of a necessity, I created a public / business speaking program called RadioSpeak. I was the world’s worst public speaker and I needed to get better in order to advance my career. I studied the art of public speaking and created my own self-help program that allowed me to practice speaking aloud; which also trained my voice, elevated my diction and I learned to enunciate clearly -- while talking faster and with more authority. The program is unique because it allows training ANYWHERE, without having to gather a bunch of people and actually speak in front of them.
Perhaps a little too personal...
While in college, I worked as a strength coach at a Nautilus training facility. I was one of the lead fitness trainers specializing in muscular development through High Intensity Training (HIT). The training was groundbreaking at the time as it focused on "one quality set" of weight training repetitions to the point of momentary muscular failure. HIT training was popularized by the NFL's Washington Redskins in the 1980's and is still in use today and quite popular among those that want increased strength without spending too much time in the gym.
I got married at 28 and took on two stepdaughters - just a couple of years before they became teenagers! Two years later, I had a son. Before there was a social consciousness toward fathers staying at home, I negotiated to take off every Tuesday for an entire year to spend time with my new born. I worked extra on weekends and/or during the week to allow being 'off' every Tuesday. I have an amazing relationship with my son and I know that part of the reason was the time I devoted to him every Tuesday of that year.
Raising an infant and dealing with teenagers simultaneously was good training for handling difficult circumstances that encroached my work and personal life later on. I feel good that I was able to adapt to an 'instant' family and be there to assist my wife with all the craziness that goes along with raising teenagers and an infant simultaneously. I helped put both girls through college and gave the eldest an exceptional wedding (she now she has four kids of her own). The younger graduated nursing school and was a top emergency room nurse for many years. My son is currently a senior at the University of Missouri...go Tigers!
I got married at 28 and took on two stepdaughters - just a couple of years before they became teenagers! Two years later, I had a son. Before there was a social consciousness toward fathers staying at home, I negotiated to take off every Tuesday for an entire year to spend time with my new born. I worked extra on weekends and/or during the week to allow being 'off' every Tuesday. I have an amazing relationship with my son and I know that part of the reason was the time I devoted to him every Tuesday of that year.
Raising an infant and dealing with teenagers simultaneously was good training for handling difficult circumstances that encroached my work and personal life later on. I feel good that I was able to adapt to an 'instant' family and be there to assist my wife with all the craziness that goes along with raising teenagers and an infant simultaneously. I helped put both girls through college and gave the eldest an exceptional wedding (she now she has four kids of her own). The younger graduated nursing school and was a top emergency room nurse for many years. My son is currently a senior at the University of Missouri...go Tigers!
I enjoy inventing and building things. I love being an entrepreneur. Helping others is a passion. I generally just like doing things that benefit myself and others in a positive way.
My two favorite quotes are from the great Winston Churchill: 1. "Never, never, never give up". 2. "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
I did all of the above all the while battling depression. I wrote this article a few years ago that explains my particular situation. http://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/personal-stories/living-at-the-speed-of-life
I've since become aware that my depression is in part linked to concussions. I'm determined to raise awareness of the seriousness of concussions.
My two favorite quotes are from the great Winston Churchill: 1. "Never, never, never give up". 2. "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
I did all of the above all the while battling depression. I wrote this article a few years ago that explains my particular situation. http://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/personal-stories/living-at-the-speed-of-life
I've since become aware that my depression is in part linked to concussions. I'm determined to raise awareness of the seriousness of concussions.
That's enough about me...I'd welcome hearing from you-- if you'd like to begin a new 'healthy' phase of your life.
To Good Health and Happiness,
Marc
To Good Health and Happiness,
Marc