My journey is a wild one. Undergraduate degree in philosophy and religious studies (summa cum laude), graduate degree in digital humanities (with honors). But the jobs I had (aside from being a university lecturer) had nothing to do with my formal education. For twenty-years I worked in mental/behavioral health. During my time in the field I helped develop a training series to onboard families who were in the process of becoming certified as Intensive Therapeutic Foster Care (ITFC) parents. I co-developed and implemented a dual diagnoses program and a vocational/educational program for adolescents transitioning from detention to their homes and communities. I developed community engagement interventions and taught them to clinicians of all levels of experience. I was a counselor in a community treat facility (CTF), a wraparound services facilitator, and a lecturer on family and community engage strategies and tactics. Overlapping this work, I also spent about twenty-years being a nightclub bouncer. These two fields are surprisingly compatible.
I wasn’t one of those thump and dump guys—I always tried to defuse a situation before violence occurred. I was good at it, too. If you ever decide to become a coach or a clinician, I suggest spending time in nightclubs. The entire range of human emotion and behavior is on full peacock mode. I’d listen. I’d empathize. I’d escort them out, hug them, and then invite them back the following week. More often than not, this tactic worked. When it didn’t, I had to get in the thick of fists and feet. But when it did work, it felt wonderful. That person was acting that way because of something else, aside from the Jagermeister. The alcohol was definitely a driver, but there was almost always something else igniting them. My talk and lead out style got me teased by the other bouncers (some liked to be identified as ‘doormen’ or ‘doorperson’ or ‘security’). After a while, the nickname ‘priest’ was given to me. Hilarious because I thought I’d become one.
I took all the skills learned from the above and channeled them into running a school program for students who weren’t served by the traditional school system. Under my five-years of leadership, I was able to increase the graduation rates by 80% per year.
That’s the short a gritty version of my history, my purpose, and my qualifications. But here are a few other things that may interest you:
I am a poetry slam champion, winning the Oakland Slam in 1999 and placing third with Team Oakland of the same year at he National Poetry Slam.
I’ve published two books (both sucked)
I’ve been featured in the New York Times (online edition) for my writing about parenting and masculinity.
I’m a huge nerd.I am a founding author of the geek culture site www.thenerdsofcolor.org and I am a founding organizer of the Black and Brown Comix Arts Festival.
I’ve been on numerous podcasts talking about fandom/fan culture and popular culture. I’ve published in thee areas as well.
I was a Senior Fellow with the Pop Culture Collaborative focus on the transformative social and political power of fandoms.
Here’s a video of my Frank Talk about fandoms:
I’m a creative consultant who has architected campaigns for authors, and have been a creative coach for Netflix and HULU series writers.
I’m an alum of the Opportunity Agenda’s “Creative Change Retreat” at Sundance.
A partial list of my guest/keynote presentations, appearances, and workshops :
Open Society Foundations
The Harry Potter Alliance
Entertain Change
Imaginary Worlds (podcast)
How Do You Like It So Far (podcast)
Wonderland (podcast)
UC Riverside
Napa Valley College
Critical Design and Gaming School
Seneca Family of Agencies