As the production stage manager for Spamalot, at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Tom Bartlett has his hand in just about everything. In third grade, when the class was producing a play, Tom wanted to pull the curtain and run the lights; many years later, he is essentially doing the same things. “I get to be the center of the hourglass,” says Tom. “Just about everything filters through the stage manager.” Passion, in Tom’s eyes, “is what you cannot wait to do in the morning.” “If I wasn’t making a living as a stage manager,” Tom adds, “I’d be doing it for free.”

After following his passion through high school, Tom found that college was not for him, and left after a year. Through friends, he found his way to become a touring stagehand, and the rest is history. “If you put your passion out to the universe,” says Tom, who has made it to the very top of his field, “there is really no reason for the universe not to support you. But you have to put yourself out there.”

Although he is somewhat stable in Las Vegas, Tom admits that in the theater business, “traveling is the price you pay.” If he were able to give himself advice at 23, it would be about listening. He says: “Listening is a skill and requires practice. I would practice being intently involved in what people say. Stop formulating the next thing you want to say, and sit back and listen.”

Renee West is the first female president of a property on the Las Vegas strip, but she doesn’t really care that much. “It’s pretty cool,” says Renee, “People make a big deal about it, but I don’t really care that much.”

As the president of Excalibur, owned by the MGM group, Renee relishes in the autonomy she is allowed. “I don’t own the place,” she says, “But I often get to function like I do.” What began as a career in human resources has now blossomed into a very powerful position, from which Renee is able to pursue her passion: developing people.

Renee lives in “a constant state of growth,” constantly evolving and adapting to new situations. She is open about the decision making process, allowing all employees to see why certain decisions are made, and furthermore, allowing them to freely express their opinions. This has created a community instead of a dictatorship, and her staff appreciates the openness.

When asked to elaborate on the assumed struggles of a woman in a male-dominant world, Renee says that she “experienced very few obstacle because [she] never showed up like [she] was disadvantaged.” Renee advises people to take risks. “I could’ve pushed it more,” she admits. If to do it over again “I would get rid of my limiting beliefs.” She finishes simply, “Don’t listen to the chatter that tells you can’t have it.”

Gamal Aziz, CEO of MGM Mirage and COO of the MGM Grand, has spent his entire life in the tourism industry. Born in Egypt, Gamal was fortunate enough to naturally acquire various languages as a child, possibly foreshadowing a life of demanding communication. At 16, Gamal spent his entire savings on a roundtrip ticket to France; his first job was bussing tables in Paris. After business school at the University of Cairo, Gamal realized that his “true passion is quality service.”

Today, Gamal uses that passion to lead more than 9,000 employees, a responsibility he gladly undertakes. “It is essential to know,” says Gamal, “That leadership is leadership, wherever you employ it,” whether as the CEO, or a pool attendant.

“There is nothing better,” Gamal says, “Than loving what you do. What a waste it is to dread doing your job.”

When asked how people can better identify their talents, Gamal suggests they make a list of everything they like to do, regardless of how applicable to the business world it seems. “What do you flock to?” says Gamal. “With what are you most comfortable?” The more honest people can be with themselves, the more chance they have of finding their passions as coinciding with real world opportunities.

Mark Starr, owner of David’s Pizza in Spokane, Washington, goes to work everyday to make a difference; success has been a pleasant byproduct. David’s Pizza sits adjacent to the campus of Gonzaga University, on the outskirts of a neighborhood of 3rd and 4th generation Spokane residents. The placement is fitting; Mark spends nearly all of his free time giving back to the community that sustains him. With a thriving catering business, in addition to the actual pizza parlor, Mark has empowered his employees to love the restaurant, and feel committed to what they represent. As part of this empowerment, Mark rewards good grades by paying half of his staff’s tuition at the local community college.

As liberally as he donates his time and talents, Mark has built an incredibly successful operation. His pizza has been voted best in Spokane 11 years running, and an informal survey of a Spokane tavern places his status, in Spokane, at Unofficial Mayor. Mark is a humble man, saying the only way to succeed is through long hours, and a deep sense of compassion. David’s Pizza does not advertise, relying instead on its public works, and of course, its pizza. Mark says, “Our advertisement everyday is giving you good food.” For what it’s worth, the food is fantastic.

Michael Hynson, the featured surfer in the legendary movie The Endless Summer, as well as one of the finest surfboard shapers in the world, offers a warning to those pursuing their passion:

“Fame and fortune do not go hand in hand.”

After filming The Endless Summer Michael had attained a legendary status in the surfing, yet he saw no financial reward in that legendary status. Passion took Michael around the world and back, but in the end was more of a blinding force than a supportive one.

The boy who grew up in Hawaii but became enamored with surfing in California, is credited as one of the people who brought the surfer lifestyle into mainstream American culture. He was recently featured in a nine-page spread in Surfer magazine displaying his innovative line of Hynson Surfboards.

Michael is a sarcastic, funny, gruff man, reflective of many years of successes and also failure. But he comes across as an incredibly honest man, to the extent that he offers no personal review of his surfboards, leaving that job to those who ride them.

Michael is resilient in his business drive, working his way to the top with a more sound business plan than before, and his surfboards will certainly be a big part of the surfing culture for many years to come.

You can check out Michael Hynson’s surfboards at http://www.michaelhynsonsurfboards.com/

At first glance, Cathy Anderson hardly appears capable of a furtive takeover of a company, yet that is precisely what she did. In 1997, upset with what she calls “ethical issues” in the San Diego chamber of commerce, Cathy moved the San Diego Film Commission, the organization she still heads, literally in the middle of the night. Through coordination with her fellow employees, who were also perturbed by issues of ethics, Cathy managed to secretively make autonomous a government funded organization, and neither she, nor her employees, ever missed a paycheck.

After graduating from college with degrees in film and theater, Cathy became quickly disillusioned with the meager compensation offered to the regular folks who tread among the stars. She left the industry to teach, but thanks to the support of her husband, who insisted she do what she love. This led her to a volunteer position with the film commission, from which she established herself as an invaluable leader.

She advises that only through communication was she able to earn the trust to take control in 1997, and suggests that all aspiring leaders focus on their communicative abilities. San Diego is lucky to have Cathy, and the $80 million dollars left in their community last year alone, by film, print and television crews capturing the beauty of what lies south of Hollywood.

One might expect the head killer whale trainer at Sea World SeaWorld San Diego to have, well, a killer whale size ego; that could not be further away from the truth. Although Robin held an almost prenatal love for the ocean and its inhabitants, having been raised around a SCUBA air station owned by his father, Robin found himself at 27 working in sales. An ad in the paper for SeaWorld caught his eye one day, and his inner child took control.

Yet through all of his successes, he remains humble, approachable, and as inspired as ever. These are the footprints of passion. Robin, who has led countless Shamu performances during his tenure at SeaWorld, still speaks with a charming reverence for his craft, and for the animals he so dearly respects and admires. Robin calls himself a behaviorist, but any similarities with Pavlov’s bell end there. To see Robin and the other trainers interact with the whales is to see a microcosm of a better world, where diverse inhabitants embrace their differences on the way to understanding their similarities.

There’s no better place to watch a baseball game than Wrigley Field in Chicago. It’s the home of the beloved Cubbies, with the brick outfield walls covered with green ivy and the retro scoreboard in centerfield, changed manually and lacking the flair of newer stadiums’. The 40,000 seats at Wrigley Field are sold out every game whether the Cubs are having a losing or winning season; surprising for a team that has not won a World Series in close to 100 years. Needless to say, Chicagoans are passionately dedicated to their Cubs! Vendors yell loudly to be heard over the fans’ chatter and can throw peanuts from distances a marksman couldn’t reach. Old Style beers are reasonable priced at $5.50 a far cry from the $9 domestics you find in newer stadiums. Wrigley Field is not just a baseball diamond, but a cathedral, the Mecca of professional baseball, where the gamel is found in its purest form. Adding to that purity is Gary Pressy, the Chicago Cubs’ in-house organist. Gary provides the notes that complete the Wrigley Field experience. His organ leads the crowd in cheers and chants and attempts to hide the poor vocals of celebrity singers during the 7th-inning stretch’s “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”.

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Gary grew up in show business. His father was a press agent for big names like Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Joan Crawford, Cary Grant, and many others. His father was one of the best in the business. He must had some clout to have his young son Gary be babysat by Marilyn Monroe herself!

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Growing up, Chris always knew that he wanted to work in the news business, despite both of his parents being doctors. At a young age he dreamed of being a reporter on camera and before he graduated college he got his first taste of the business through an internship at NBC for the Today Show.

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