Reconnections

Wednesday July 10^th, 2013 – Niles, IL 

   The flow in my life seems to be focused on reconnecting with past contacts, so that’s what I’ve been doing quite a bit of recently. I’m not opposed to making new ones, but I’ve got an extensive list of quality individuals I know, like and respect that I haven’t been in contact with for too long.  

   It takes consistent effort to maintain both personal and professional contacts, and although I’ve been better than most throughout my life I still feel I can use major improvement.  With all of the obstacles and distractions I’ve had in my life for so long, it’s remarkable that I’ve done this well.

   A big problem is I’ve just got way too many high caliber people on my list. That’s a delightful problem to have on one hand, but on the other it is next to impossible to maintain steady contact with everyone as I would like. There just aren’t enough hours in a day to squeeze everybody in. 

 

   I’ve resigned myself to the fact I’m always going to have to budget my time effectively, so I’m going over my list of contacts and seeing who jumps out as someone that I should reconnect with that fits what I’m doing now. I’ve grown a lot in the last few years, and I know others have also.

   I’m finding that names are jumping out at me I wouldn’t have necessarily pictured even a short while ago, and that’s fine. I’m going to have some adventures with people I have not necessarily been all that close to before. I know I can’t do everything myself, and this is the way to grow.

   Today I had four meetings with people I think are right for my situation as it sits now. My first stop was to see Cathy Rubino. She’s a former comedy class student from years ago, but she’s full of creative talent and I love working with her. She rode up to Milwaukee to help me organize the ‘Schlitz Happened!’ shows in April, and is brilliantly creative on many levels. She’s razor sharp.

  After that it was a lunch meeting with Bill Gorgo and Joe Nuccio as we continue to reshape and improve our comedy class curriculum. Bill’s years of teaching high school and Joe’s knowledge of both the corporate and entertainment markets make me feel like we’re making great progress.

   Next was a brainstorming session with Dan Morris. Dan is a funny comedian who lives in Lake County, IL and besides Karl Newyear in Waukegan I can’t think of many others. Dan and I have become friends, and since we’re located in the sticks we want to team up and start some shows in the area. Right now, we’re a perfect fit for what the other is doing and we can help each other. 

   Wrapping it up was a dinner meeting with Jeremy Danley aka “The Mighty Jer Dog.” He has a funny story of how he made that nickname up, and it stuck. I have ultimate respect for him, as he is one of the absolute most brilliant marketers I have ever seen. He’s a natural, and works hard.

   I still think James Gregory has the championship belt of being THE best comedy marketer I’ve ever seen, and my hat goes off to King James for his long lasting success. He’s earned the stripes he has, and I bow to not only his work ethic but his execution. James does it all extremely well.

   Jer Dog is no slouch though. He’s made most of his living carving out his own following doing self booked gigs anywhere he can. He sells himself better than most politicians, and that’s not an insult. He studies marketing, and implements it in his business. I’ve always liked him as a person but he’s really evolved into a top flight contact. www.jerdogcomedy.com is his website, and he’s always doing gigs he books himself. He’s ahead of the pack by miles, and I can learn from him.