Steve and Brian run the website Alive in Baghdad, a foundation dedicated to getting video cameras in the hands of Iraqis, and allowing those Iraqis to tell Iraq’s story. It is a novel idea in a world that presumes to intelligently cover news from thousands of miles away, often in front of a condescending, scenic backdrop.

What began with a trip to Baghdad, during which Brian endeavored to help bring the Iraqi public’s message to the US, has now developed into a global phenomenon, spurring Alive In projects in Mexico and beyond. Now, hundreds of thousands of people watch the videos shot by Iraqis on the ground in Iraq, but the cost has been both financially, and personally great; people close to the site have died, and financially, the site will not much longer survive.

Steve recognizes the obvious Catch-22 in charging for news, and for that the site will always be free. But donations are required and currently, the duo struggles to inspires its viewers to donate to the site. Brian says, obviously somewhat annoyed with apathy, “Just admit what it is you want to support,” be it a website,
political party, or other cause. We will not charge, Steve says, “because the information deserves to be seen, and it will be seen.”

With just the support of just a fraction of its viewers, the website will thrive, and one gets the sense that Steve and Brian will do whatever it takes.

In a rare personal plea from this writer: give them money! They truly deserve it. www.aliveinbaghdad.org.

Anne Jaeger loves to garden, but it took a life-threatening illness to force her to truly pursue her passion.

Anne was working as a television reporter when she was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, a rare form of lymphatic cancer. Facing possible death, Anne decided she could not live with regret inside of her and, with the support of her employer, began to do the work she always dreamed of. Changes in management left her facing possible unemployment, but Anne would not be deterred. She picked up her show, and her sponsor, and took them to a different network. Instead of unemployment, she now faced a primetime Saturday night television show, hosted mostly from her own garden.

Recently 49, and glad to have made it, Anne is a correspondent for Smart Gardening, a PBS gardening show broadcast around the nation. A beautiful woman, who at one point lost her hair and faced a very uncertain future, Anne now does what she has always wanted to do, and glows with excitement when talking about it.

To arrive at this point, the most difficult step, she says, is overcoming fear. “Fear keeps us in some pretty tight boxes,” she says, suggesting that younger people find a job that satisfies them. “Have fun,” she says, “Take time to enjoy life.” It is a good reminder to anyone stuck in a rut; life is too short to be lived in a rut.

Peter Gros needs very little introduction. As the host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, Peter has been seen by countless millions of people. Every year, Peter has the opportunity to speak with hundreds of thousands of young people across the United States, hoping to inspire the next generation to not lose faith in the infinite possibility of the natural world.

The grandson of a forester, Peter grew up in the wild, but almost entered the world of sales. A series of strange occurrences, and one lucky photo-op, landed Peter on the Johnny Carson Show, and soon after, he began hosting the Wild Kingdom.

Peter lavishes praise upon his wife for standing by him through uncertain time; her support allowed him to take opportunities running, and never compromises his dreams. The other target of his praise is Mutual of Omaha, the company that provides the backing for everything Peter has been able to do. It is not a shameless corporate plug. Without the sponsorship of such a company, there is simply no reasonable method for Peter to have reached the audience he has.

Peter’s most sage advice comes when speaking about the future; too often in modernity is doom forecasted for the natural word. Peter says, “We definitely have serious problems, but we’re turning the corner. We’re making a difference. My personal goal, until I die, is to convince as many young people as I can that it’s not too late to make a difference.”

Since we are still waiting on posting interviews with video, and since we are currently in Vegas, I thought I’d post this video of me in Vegas looking for interviews at the annual SHRM conference on June 25th, 2007. I actually did make a few great connections, one which was Arte Nathan, who we interviewed during our stay in L.A.

Doug Irving, freelance producer, director and cinematographer extraordinaire, has been working in the world of video for the last decade. What advice has he gleaned from ten years?

“Live life and enjoy it,” Doug says, “But always be ready for the next chapter.”

And Doug knows something about turning a new chapter. After six years in a staff position, as director of photography for a Seattle television station, Doug left the security of biweekly paychecks, and struck out on his own. He has spent the last four years freelancing, and in the process has learned that when working alone, he is a business owner and a photographer simultaneously.

“Be in touch with your money,” says Doug, when asked for advice to help others hoping to get into a freelance job.

He notes that boring words, like 401(k), really do offer advantages if they are used efficiently. Married with two children, Doug happily accepts the challenges of his independent life, offering mentoring advice to others hoping to follow his path.

“Ask questions,” Doug says, “People love to give information, but you need to be willing to acknowledge what you don’t know.”

A Side Note: Doug was a cameraman during our appearance on Seattle’s hit TV Show, Northwest Afternoon. After the show, with our RV parked right under the Space Needle, we decided to do impromptu interviews. Doug had proclaimed his passion for the camera earlier, so we interviewed him for ten minutes in the RV. It was our first interview that we conducted without prescheduling something. The success of this interview prompted us to schedule whole days of on the spot interviews for the second leg of the tour.

“Is this path the right one? Am I doing the right thing?” These are the questions Scott Foreman, Director of Post-Production for Jobing.com, asked himself when he was 22, working as an unpaid production intern for a television station in San Francisco. Lack of pay did not stop Scott from doing what he loves. What he learned from his mentors in San Francisco he parlayed into an editing position at Jobing.com in Phoenix, and has since advanced to become the company’s head of post-production.

Ten years after leaving San Francisco, Scott has found himself doing exactly what he has always wanted to do: telling stories. “It may sound trite,” Scott warns, “but never lose sight of what you want to do, and place yourself around brilliant minds.” The latter advice comes from years spent managing creative minds in the unique, open work environment Jobing.com offers its employees.

Although professionalism is important in to any company’s well being, Scott warns “if you want honey, you can’t kick over the beehive.” That is to say that people with different skill sets require different management. To allow diverse talent the room to flourish Scott suggests a “team mentality, not reverence to a rigid hierarchy.” Scott now finds himself the head of a blossoming department in a burgeoning company. He is now not only a storyteller, but also an executive with the ability to help others tell their stories.