A Short Life History:
Born and raised in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Served in the US Army as a heavy equipment transport operator. Moved to Tampa, Florida in 1986. Got into the sports & entertainment industry after learning the concessions industry and minor league baseball. Moved to Sarasota, Florida. Managed a movie theatre. Moved back to Tampa 10 years later. Worked in the sports & entertainment industry in arena management. Got more serious about writing. Made people laugh. Got hooked on writing. Is now a writer.
Education
- Benton
Harbor
High School
, High school diploma
- University of South Florida, Certificate in Public Relations, 2003
Professional Event and Logistical Accomplishments
- Assisted in the management of the 24/7 operation of utilizing the Sun Dome arena (on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa) as a Hillsborough County Special Needs Emergency Shelter during the 2004 hurricanes that ravaged Florida; housing over 1,000 evacuees, nurses and staff
- Worked closely with the Secret Service, National Advance Team and press pool, in the coordination of the media covering the presidential visit of George W. Bush to the Sun Dome in November 2002
- Served as Sun Dome, Inc. representative for the USF Faculty & Staff Charitable Campaign, a fundraising drive that supports scholarships, programs and other areas that are vital to USF’s academic growth and prosperity
- Coordinated the use of facilities by the Tampa Bay Lightning for their pre-season off-ice conditioning program prior to the 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons
- Oversaw all aspects of the “Celebration Of Lights” event held at USF in 2000, 2001 and 2003
- Served as Coordinator of the North Tampa Hospitality Network, a coalition of hoteliers, restaurateurs, USF representatives and merchants
Other Credits
- Played 'Vince Fontaine' in "Grease", presented by Theatreworks in Sarasota, Florida (1996)
- Played 'Guard" in "Atonement", a short film by Ryan Leigh Saul. (1997)
- Served as 'Bodyguard for 'Raymond', the official mascot of the Tampa Bay Rays (2000-2001)
- Offstage Announcer, 2004 American Freedom Festival in Tampa, featuring performances by Darryl Worley, Karri Turner, Mark Willis and WWE superstars Eddie Guerrero and John Bradshaw Layfield. (2004)
- Beverly Harrison Award winner, Plant City Entertainment's production of "Fools". (2004)
- Offstage Announcer, 2005 American Freedom Festival, at the historic Roseland Ballroom in New York City, featuring performances by Darryl Worley, Lee Ann Tweeden, Charlie Daniels, and Al Franken. (2005)
- Produced and made all the noises on an album of original instrumental songs titled "Sometimes the Stars Are Not Themselves" (June, 2008). Nobody has ever purchased this album and in fact, only two physical copies of it exist. Maybe someday I'll get around to trying to make some money off of it. In the meantime, if you really want a copy, let me know. I'm pretty sure I can probably get you one.
- Appeared in the video component of artist Ellen Mueller's "Complete With Illustrated Manual", a performance art piece presented at the William and Nancy Oliver Gallery at the University of South Florida. (February, 2009)
- Played 'CEO Jack Fields' in Ellen Mueller's "1st Annual Black & White Sustainability Mixer & Recognition Ceremony", a live performance art piece presented at the University of South Florida's Marshall Center (October, 2009)
- Became an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church (April, 2010). Relax, it's not a pushy religious thing. Just know that I am legally qualified to commit weddings and will happily do so upon request. There's more info here.
- Appeared in Ellen Mueller's "The Waiting Room", a live performance art installation at the USF Contemporary Art Museum (April, 2011)
