VISIONARY

I have always been influenced by visionary people. People with limitless minds seeing what can be but isn’t there just yet. Not just dreamers, but doers. Walt Disney, of course, has been a lifelong source of inspiration and motivation. Growing up in the shadow of nearby Philadelphia, I was also greatly inspired by Benjamin Franklin. Meeting creative genius George Lucas at his Skywalker Ranch was a great experience.

I remember my first day of camp one summer. The camp counselor said in humor “I bet you’re going to be one of these kids that thinks his way through camp.” In early October of fifth grade, my teacher put a scarecrow by his desk sitting in a chair merely as a Halloween decoration. I suggested to him in private that someone should embody that scarecrow on Halloween to scare everyone. He loved the idea and fitted me inside the scarecrow on Halloween day. When my classmates entered the classroom after lunch, I ‘rose from the dead’ to scare them all. Not only was this my first role as a scare actor, but my teacher’s trust in my creativity gave me confidence to express ideas.

Ideas Shelved

I was always wondering, exploring and learning. While in elementary school, my dad was also going to college. I went to college with him one day to sit in on a professor’s lecture. In fifth grade, I would become published with a brochure for Fire Prevention Week with spiritual parallels. At a young age, I created my first ‘bucket list‘ of things I’d hope to do in life. I also kept a journal and jotted down many ideas. Some of my ideas and inventions would come true in my lifetime by other people. I designed the skate shoe (now made by Heelys), posture keeper (now made by Hempvana – Straight 8), specialized shampoo dispenser (now made by Dispenser Amenities and other companies), and many other items which would later become the reality of other inventors. My idea for the mailbox door chime would signal when your mail has been delivered. I designed some practical inventions for transportation including the ice wheel for automobiles. More for fun, I designed a sports car called Flame and a spaceship similar to E.T.’s, but before I ever saw the Spielberg film.

I wrote a compelling movie synopsis for a sci-fi thriller. The basic plotline introduces astronauts arriving at the International Space Station on a routine mission. A rouge asteroid strikes Earth before the departing crew make their return. With no communication from Earth, these astronauts fear all life may have destroyed as seen from their orbiting viewpoint. The survivors attempt returning to Earth to assess the global damage and perhaps even save the species.

When I was young, I enjoyed designing theme parks and attractions. One concept, Amazing Stories theme park, was based on scriptural and historical accounts to illustrate antiquity. Years later, Marvin Rosenthal would create the Holy Land Experience park in Orlando; it would be a smaller scale than my original design. I still sketch ideas and design plans for theme parks. More recently, I designed the Sky Tram concept and a nighttime spectacular hologram parade full of technologically visual marvels.

I have written school curriculum, proposals, business plans, proof of concept designs, and scripts. While spending a couple weeks in the country of Norway visiting my former Walt Disney World College Program roommate, I was inspired for a television series based in Scandinavia. Fascinated by Norse mythology, I began a script treatment on The Vikings. Years later, I was delighted that Michael Hirst would actually fulfill this vision with his brilliant masterpiece Vikings (TV Series 2013–2020).

While in college, I enjoyed the music and lights of big city nightclubs. Walking through an entrance volcano to the main area of the Big Kahuna club in Wilmington, I was struck with the idea of noise-cancelling as frequencies become null out of phase. I mulled over concepts of how this could be used in a spatial environment to control unwanted sounds. Only years later would I find out my theories on acoustic phase cancelling would practically work for headphones as commercially marketed.

Another idea I would have while frequenting a club during that era was something I called ‘Space’. I designed a restaurant with nightlife themed as a space station overlooking the earth. I put a lot of thought and planning into that idea, even scouting out locations. But my career in radio, at that time, sidetracked me from the venture. Only in 2021 did I find out that Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center was unveiling a new restaurant called ‘Space 220’, comparable to what I had envisioned over 25 years prior.

Ideas Shared

A few years after graduation, I was hanging out with a college buddy in Philadelphia. We bumped into someone he had worked with at the nearby QVC home-shopping TV network. This tall fellow with a ball cap had lost his job with QVC and was eagerly trying to find another gig. In conversation, I told him of my own TV show concept. I went into great detail for creating a pilot for what I called ‘Extreme Jobs’. At that time, reality television in American culture was far from ubiquitous programming. He hung on my every word. Although I never saw him again, I would only find out later that ‘Dirty Jobs’ with Mike Rowe became a television network reality.

I studied the retail planogram and inventory systems at Sears. I gave an idea to a manager about using product RFID tracking inventory and wireless automatic updating price tags. Paper tags had to be printed and updated weekly for sales and special offers. I explained how a digital tag could self-update and even reflect product inventory in real time. I doubt the idea went to corporate, but several years later retailers began using these practices. Best Buy replaced their paper price tags and began using this technology I envisioned.

I have several exciting ideas currently in development for a few businesses and organizations. This intellectual property is, of course, confidential and classified under sensitive information protection.

Throughout my adult life, I have shared countless ideas and suggestions to employers, organizations and government officials. Smart insights shared lead to change. It is always satisfying to see that one little spark of imagination ignite. I believe in being humbly helpful (positive) and never arrogantly opinionated (negative). I am always quick to acknowledge and applaud others who share well-thought-out ideas too. Collaboration with encouragement will build a better team.

Ideas Implemented

I took my scholarly mindset into my career. I gave a proposal during my senior year of college to resurrect the defunct high school radio station of the Brandywine School District. By creating my own position, I was able to unleash my creativity and develop my leadership skills. Implementing the Broadcast Learning Center for radio, television, film audio/visual, puppetry and live performances took my imagination to new heights.

As the technical force behind the operation, I introduced the school district to many new technologies including websites and email. I implemented many technical innovations for WMPH 91.7 radio station too. With a personal purchase at Circuit City of a new Windows 3.1 computer at that time, I immediately saw the potential to air audio announcements digitally and even implement automation techniques. Ubiquitous now but pioneering at that time, these concepts were before broadcast software really existed. All broadcast stations were still using analog carts to air announcements. I modified this computer for the station’s first digital audio workstation and player.

Mount Pleasant High School would have a complete building renovation during the 1995-96 school year. Only 25 years old and still new to my role, I submitted my detailed plans for design, technology and architecture. I was told by the committee chairperson my plans were far better than all of the others submitted by teachers and administrators (and some with masters and doctorate degrees). The district superintendent would call and meet with me to discuss ideas on several occasions. I proposed many ideas… some ahead of their time like classroom eLearning. I also implemented what I called ‘Creativity Walking Tours’. Essentially, walk through the properties and facilities imagining all that could be done for efficiency with simplicity while pretending cost was not a hinderance. As a business person, however, I believe in monetizing good ideas whenever possible. I did a lot to monetize products and services, where legally applicable, within the district.

After bringing the school district into the 21st century with innovative technologies, new communications strategies and special programs, I felt I had accomplished my agenda with the Brandywine School District. I needed new career pathways and challenges. In 2008, I created the limited liability company Dance Radio Network while still managing and programming WMPH 91.7 FM. I had been influential over my years in radio and the music industry to help many aspiring artists. I was hanging out with Lady Gaga in Atlantic City just months before her career exploded. I also predicted dance music would be the next big genre to hit the airwaves. With a Declaration of Dance, exhibiting at the NAB Radio Show and lots of promotion, that prediction came to fruition for a time in America. I met with quite a few station presidents and vice presidents. Everyone loved the concept of my Dance Radio Network so much that their parent companies created their own internal versions of my network. Imitation is flattery, except when business profits are at stake.