May
23
Another Day – Another Dirty Jobs Opportunity…
Orlando, Florida – Mike Rowe, host and star of “Dirty Jobs”, had another dirty job to fulfill in Orlando recently – entertain a couple thousand veterinarians at a corporate event while strung out on flu medication and fighting a fever. In classic Mike Rowe-style, he hit it out of the park! He had the crowd laughing hysterically for practically the entire 90-minute set. Many highlights during the evening, but one of my favorites was when a young boy interrupted Mike’s set for an autograph. As Rowe tells it…“Then, there’s the kid who walked up to the stage in the middle of my presentation and asked for an autograph. Did he have a pen? No. Did he have a something for me to sign? No. So – while I can’t congratulate him for his organizational foresight, his boldness and complete lack of guile gives me further hope for H sapien. Thanks, kid.”
ARE YOU PROFOUNDLY DISCONNECTED®?
During this time of the year, millions of seniors in high schools across the U.S. are graduating and moving onto the next phase of their life’s journey. Seems like a good time to highlight and quote some of Mike Rowe’s insights and (researched) opinions of the opportunities available to these young adults.
Rowe said there are 5.6 million job openings waiting to be filled in fields that for the most part do not require a bachelor’s degree.
The former “Dirty Jobs” host stated he’s sent letters to both former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump drawing attention to that fact and has testified before Congressional Subcommittee on closing the skills gap.
“There’s a belief … in the country that we can cure unemployment by creating opportunity,” Rowe said. “The skills gap proves that opportunity alone is not enough to get people employed.”
“It’s a sucker’s bet … You have to be talking about jobs that are uniformly cared about,” Rowe said, referencing many trades where such job openings exist.
Rowe said that taking vocational-technical training out of high school curricula helped accelerate the skills gap, in that it taught “a whole generation” that the best path to success is a college degree. Currently, the U.S. has over a trillion dollars of student loan debt, record high unemployment and three million good jobs that no one seems to want.
“The vast majority of available opportunity right now requires training – not a liberal arts degree, not a four-year education.”
-Mike Rowe
Today, Mike runs the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which awards scholarships to students pursuing a career in the skilled trades. He is closely associated with the Future Farmers of America, Skills USA, and the Boy Scouts of America, who honored him as a Distinguished Eagle Scout.
In addition to his foundation, Mike’s website, mikeroweWORKS.org, focuses on all the issues related to the widening skills gap, aging workforce, high unemployment and millions of unfilled jobs. It also provides comprehensive resources for anyone looking to explore those vocations, as well as continue to focus the country on the real dilemmas facing our trade workers, miners and farmers.
For those so inclined, you can listen to a new episode of Mike’s Podcast: “The Way I Heard It”, every Tuesday.
Posted by: Scottsdale Event Photographer – TZENPHOTO.com, RobertKeithPhoto.com
Jun
30
Keynote Address Deep in the Heart of Texas
San Antonio, Texas – George W. Bush, the former Lone Star Governor and 43rd President of the United States of America, made his appearance at a corporate event held in San Antonio, Texas; addressing a crowd of 2,000+ attendees to promote his book and discuss his life after the White House.
During his “conversational-style” keynote address, President Bush managed to steer clear of political discussions and whether or not he was going to publicly endorse either of the candidates running for office. Instead, “Dubya” chose to connect with the audience through humorous anecdotes and personal reflections on his presidency. President Bush’s story about Vladimir Putin’s dog, Koni, and Putin’s dissing of Bush’s Scottish terrier, Barney, had the audience cracking up. The former-president also shared how he was –and still is– inspired by the spirit and resolve of the American people during the tragedy of 9/11 and the disaster of Hurricane Katrina.
“As president, I had the privilege to see that character up close. I saw it in the first responders who charged up the stairs, into the flames to save people’s lives from the burning towers. I saw it in the Virginia Tech professor who barricaded his classroom door with his body until his students escaped to safety.
I saw it in the people of New Orleans who made homemade boats to rescue their neighbors during the floods. I saw it in the service members who laid down their lives to keep our country safe.”
Photo-ops with “George W. Bush”
After the former-president’s keynote address, we had a meet-and-greet photo-op session backstage for the execs and VIPs – even us humble photographers were able to have their photo-op with the former POTUS! Though the line was long, Mr Bush stayed true to form of the Lone Star GOP politician: greeting everyone with a firm hand-shake; a big smile and a friendly slap on the back, some witty banter plus a personality as big as Texas! The consummate GOP Lone Star… George W. Bush.
Posted by: Scottsdale Event Photographer– TZENPHOTO.com, RobertKeithPhoto.com
Apr
24
Dr. Jesse McGuire
Phoenix, AZ – Award-winning trumpeter, Dr. Jesse McGuire, is always at-home with the National Anthem and this particular performance was a supreme rendition! Dr. McGuire raised goosebumps among the commissioners, legislators, directors and attendees with his moving performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the opening session of the NAIC Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. What a fantastic way to start a corporate event!
Throughout the years, McGuire has had the honor and privilege of performing for three U.S. presidents and at many major sporting events – most notably the 2000 Daytona 500, Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, and the 2014 NFL Playoff game between the Panthers and the 49ers. Jesse’s resume reads like a Who’s Who of soul, gospel, and rhythm and blues. Jessie McGuire has toured and recorded with some of the world’s biggest musicians, including Elton John, Paul Simon, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Tower of Power, Wynton Marsalis, Seal and Hootie and the Blowfish.
Even after performing for three presidents (Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush), playing at the Carnegie Hall and touring all over the world, McGuire said there are still two things that remain on his bucket list: opening for the Rolling Stones and performing at the Super Bowl!
“Nothing else carries the clout, the hype and the universal exposure that the Super Bowl does,” he said. “Now, regarding the Rolling Stones? I just think it would be a blast to open a Stones concert. I would love to do a rock concert, and it doesn’t get any bigger than the Stones! I’d blow the roof off the stadium!”
No doubt you surely would, Jesse McGuire!
Posted by: TZENPHOTO.com, RobertKeithPhoto.com
Mar
23
Laura Bell Bundy
Phoenix, AZ – “LBB” and her band were lighting up the stage in Phoenix at NTCA’s 2015 RTIME event! Her performance brought down the house with hits like, “Giddy On Up”, “That’s What Angels Do” and “Kentucky Dirty”. Laura Bell had just enough time to meet with fans backstage before embarking on a 15-hour flight to Australia to perform for CMC Rocks in Ipswich.
For those not familiar with her work, Laura Ashley Bell Bundy is an American actress and singer who has performed in a number of Broadway roles, both starring and supporting, as well as in television and film. A self-proclaimed “HOT MESS”, her best known Broadway roles are the original Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray and the original Elle Woods in the musical version of Legally Blonde. She signed to Mercury Records Nashville and released her first country music single, “Giddy On Up,” in early 2010. The album’s second single, “Drop on By”, was released to country radio on August 9, 2010.
In addition to dominating Broadway stages, Laura Bell has also been spotted in front of the camera, appearing on network television shows such as Cold Case, Veronica Mars, Home Improvement, Malibu Country,”Becky” on How I Met Your Mother, a recurring role as “Shelby” on Hart of Dixie, and her current lead role as Dr. Jordan Denby on Anger Management. She also played the disgruntled teen “Marah Lewis” on Guiding Light. Taking television to the big screen, Laura Bell’s film work includes Dream Girls, Jumanji, Life with Mikey, The Adventures of Huck Finn, CMT’s first original movie To The Mat, Watercolor Postcards and Hallmark’s Dear Dumb Diary.
Read more: www.laurabellbundy.com
Posted by: Scottsdale Event Photographer – TZENPHOTO.com, RobertKeithPhoto.com
Nov
04
William Tyler performing in Nashville
Nashville, TN – While in Nashville last week on a two-day promo shoot for prominent Philadelphia blues guitarist, Mark Kormanik, I was introduced to another American guitar sensation – William Tyler. To say his style is vibey and eclectic is quite an understatement. To quote Rolling Stone Magazine, “William Tyler may be a born-and-bred Nashvillian, but his cosmic guitar stylings extend way beyond the Grand Ole Opry. His incandescent, resonant finger picking might evoke a modal Indian raga one moment, an Appalachian folk drone the next, or even celestial Eno-esque ambience – all within one song.” Or as Tyler explains, “What I do exists in this in-between sphere of experimental avant-garde and pop music…”
2014 has been a good year musically for William Tyler – being selected as one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Young Guns” (most notable guitarists from the next generation of six-string legends) and one of RS’s, “10 New Artists You Need to Know”. Additionally, Tyler was voted Nashville’s “Best Instrumentalist” for 2014. Checkout his masterful fingerpicking on his upcoming release, “Lost Colony“.
Posted by: Scottsdale Event Photographer – TZENPHOTO.com, RobertKeithPhoto.com
