If you would’ve told me back then that the story that originated in 1991 would continue through today and beyond, I would not have believed you. But, it’s true. My interest in television production began over 30 years ago at Highland Oaks Middle School in Miami, Florida. Because of Ms. Spicer, the school news, and remote broadcasting school assemblies, the CLEMCO.AV journey was born.
After studying the art of media production in middle school, I continued to do so in high school, church, and then college. Whether a sporting event, concert, convention, Broadway play, or church service, I wanted to be a part of the various forms of production and feel the energy these live events exuded. I began to understand the way in which we as the technicians and coordinators helped to amplify voices and share messages. My skills continued to be enhanced throughout my career, but the fundamentals of these techniques began with this early education.
While in college, I earned an internship with the Orlando Magic NBA franchise during their 2001-2002 season. Serving that organization to the best of my ability, led to the introduction of the Corporate Event/Corporate Theater sector of the Live Event Production Industry. In February of 2002, I worked my first event at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center right down the street from Disney World.
That first day on the job has always been firmly imprinted into my memory because of the energy in the ballroom, the lights that illuminated the stage, and the sounds that commanded so much attention. It was LIFE!
It was so much life that I dedicated a good amount of mine to it. I fell in love with learning, thriving, growing, building relationships, and traveling the country creating experiences. Attendees would enter the spaces we engineered, see the visuals we projected, listen to the words and sounds being shared, and then exit with their lives changed forever. Some would call it magic, but I call it intentional creativity.
After many successful gigs and many years of high earnings, I soon realized that my technology-focused education did not give me the business skills needed to be successful in my industry.
The ability to budget and manage cashflow, prepare for tax liabilities, purchase insurance, network, plan strategically, and prepare for long-term lifestyle changes may not seem important to someone just entering the workforce, but for those starting their career as a Freelancer and 1099 Independent Contractor, these skills are dire. What I didn’t realize at the age of 22 was that I was a fulltime Entrepreneur which meant I was a fulltime Small Business.
“According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), approximately 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first 10 years.” -inverstopedia.com
In 2002, I started my career without the tools needed to succeed as a small business owner, and based on my financial decisions, I was destined to fail. There were so many things that I couldn’t wrap my head around, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t think in the way my business needed. It was a constant struggle, and even my CPA wife couldn’t help me get it. She used all the terms and programs that were used in public and private accounting, but despite her efforts, I couldn’t overcome my childhood traumas and poverty mindset. Consequently, my financial habits began affecting our marriage.
I became so determined to figure things out and hold onto the life we’d built together, that I prayed and asked God to send me the resources I needed to understand what I couldn’t, and ultimately help me understand how to be a better man. I wanted to be successful, I wanted stability, and I wanted to provide for my family by being a better steward of my finances.
My prayers were answered through counselors, business coaches, bookkeepers, accountants, insurance providers and even the Tampa Bay Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator Program. These people and resources helped me break down my life, my habits, and the knowledge I possessed to understand how to realign my focus and project a better future. What God sent me was a NETWORK!
“Being an entrepreneur is a faith walk. Every day you have to walk, trust in God, and do everything in your power to be focused, disciplined, and keep moving.” These are words I often share with my mentees and students.
Analyzing and reverse engineering the life and businesses my wife and I built, then thinking about the ideal future we are striving for, was what finally made it click. Now, I try to provide all the guidance I can to the youth and young adults I see pursuing a career, and path, similar to the one I’ve had. By creating a philosophy known as #Projection101, and helping them see a vision of their future, I attempt to provide a structure for my mentees that I lacked.
I tell them about Hebrews 12:11 and Philippians 4:11-13, letting them know that in life and in business you will both have and lack. The key is to manage your fear, doubt, anxiety, and stress. The key is to be content and maintain balance. It may not always be pleasant, but discipline will produce a harvest of righteousness and peace.
This past January, CLEMCO.AV partnered with the Dr. Martin Luther King Parade Foundation and created the “Living the Dream” Audio Visual Leadership Academy. Consisting of students from Kirkland Ranch’s Academy of Innovation, Wesley Chapel High School, the GZL Educational Foundation’s Men of Tomorrow Program, and various other Tampa Bay organizations, our Stagehand 101 students learned about the Live Event Production Industry and the numerous opportunities that exist within it. From Audio, Video, Lighting, Scenic, Rigging, and Production Coordination, the students were exposed to professionals who not only work in those roles, but professionals who were also willing to share their experiences to help them grow.
Day 1 of our four-day Academy was spent at an audio-visual equipment warehouse understanding how events are dreamed up and then turned into a reality. We also focused on relationship building and different types of leadership styles before loading a truck with gear for the next day’s activities.
Day 2, we learned how to read Production Schedules, Equipment Lists, and Drawings prior to our hands-on training workshops facilitated by industry leading professionals. Identifying and wrapping XLR, HDMI and BNC cables, connecting microphones, audio mixers and speakers, engineering video switchers, projectors and building screens, then installing pipe and drape were all things we did in the controlled environment of the GZL Educational Resource Center.
From there, on Day 3, we took our skills to the Hilton Tampa Downtown and worked alongside CLEMCO.AV’s Certified AV Technicians to build the City of Tampa’s MLK Gala.
All the experiences the SH101 students endured up to that point culminated as they unloaded the truck on a busy downtown street, pushed the cases in the freight elevator, unloaded the gear into the ballroom, separated it by department, and began turning the empty room into the premiere experience that included an address by Mayor Jane Castor, scholarship award presentations, community hero recognitions, and multiple live band performances.
As the students took turns listening to the Stage Manager and various production team members over the headset comms, I could tell that this 500+ attendee, black tie affair was a night that these students would not forget.
Bringing it full circle, Day 4 of the “Living the Dream” experience returned to the GZL Educational Resource Center on MLK Blvd, and we then focused the conversation on lifestyle management and financial literacy. Facilitated by a health and wellness coach, multiple CPAs, and a financial analyst, these nine students received the experience I wish I had entering this industry at the young age of twenty-two.
We broke down sustainable eating and physical fitness habits, W2 vs 1099 payments, planning for taxes, building a cushion/emergency fund, and saving for one’s retirement. This “60/40 Split” conversation was, and continues to be, a practice that many Independent Contractors aren’t familiar with. That is why we shared it with The Academy students, and why I wrote about it in my book Career Projection 101: An Independent Contractor’s Guide to a Successful Business and Balanced Life. Things that should be taught, sometimes just aren’t. We could either complain about it, or we can do something about it.
Since completing the 4-day Academy experience compiled from my life’s journey, I have had the privilege of hiring multiple students on several events CLEMCO.AV has produced for our local clients.
Similar to the Notorious B.I.G.’s statement, “It was all a dream,”
I can truly say “Dreams really do come true!”
I couldn’t be happier seeing my students work in the industry I love, grow in their technical knowledge, face and overcome life’s challenges using available resources, and most importantly, save for their retirement at such a young age. This is everything I wanted CLEMCO to be, and this is everything the Coach, Lead, Educate, and Mentor model is based on. For our CLEMCO.Network, this is the Projection 101 Philosophy.
See it . Believe it . Achieve it .
#Projection101