A QUICK SUMMARY OF MY LIFE
Born in Montgomery, Alabama
Simmered in the complexity of the South for almost 3 decades
First concert: The Beatles
Played in a high school soul band
Auburn University campus radio music director
Bachelors in marketing, minor in broadcasting
One day roadie for the Rolling Stones
First broadcast job: Dialling for Dollars host and live studio wrestling ring announcer
Second: television anchor, reporter, and cinematographer in Macon, Georgia
Indulged in the Southern music scene in Macon
Radio News Director, Montgomery
Television anchor, reporter, and cinematographer in Columbus, Georgia and Montgomery
Played guitar and sang in coffee houses
Covered the final years of Alabama Governor George C. Wallace, after he made a significant political turnaround
Sipped tea with Rosa Parks
Migrated to Portland Oregon in 1978
Sang tenor in a bluegrass band
Producer / Cinematographer / Editor for local TV news
Covered the aftermath of the eruption of Mount St. Helens
Won a Peabody and New York Film Festival Gold Award
Documented the legacy and final years of Oregon’s maverick Governor Tom McCall
Covered the Rise and fall of Rajneeshpuram
Co-produced one of the first documentaries on the AIDS epidemic
Become an indepenent commercial production cinematographer
Travelled to Germany, Arizona, Alaska, and Napa shooting one of the first “infomercial” projects
Moved to a small island on the west coast of Canada in 1990
Produced documentaries for Canadian television from there
Initial board member of Hollyhock, an innovative learning centre on Cortes Island
Spoke at NAB and MacWorld as one of the first “digital cottage” filmmakers from a rural area
Moved to Victoria, British Columbia, continued to produce award-winning films
Became a Canadian citizen
Became an Irish citizen
Served on the board of the VIctoria Film Commission
Served as vice-president of the Victoria Independent Filmmakers and Producers Assn.
Founded Media that Matters, a conference for change-makers from all facets of media
Co-founder of Gaining Ground conferences on urban innovation
Served as President of the Power of Hope Canada
Travelled the world covering anti-corruption heroes for the Allard Foundation
Vice President, Cortes Island Housing Society
Semi-retired, producing short films for social and environmental change
Rediscovering my music and myself. Perhaps that’s the media that matters the most.