Fireside International

I am the founder & president of Fireside International, a non-profit media company. Fireside International is the parent organization to three key programs: HANDS Across Haiti, The Learning Village, and The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies. "HANDS Across Haiti" uses social networking to inspire, encourage, and provide tools that enable cooperation among non-affiliated groups and individuals working in the the developing world. "The Learning Village" harnesses the power of audio and video production to make education highly portable in countries where illiteracy is often greater than 50% and access to quality information is significantly lacking. "The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies" is a first-of-its-kind media training school with the specific goal of offering technology-based storytelling skills to those living in underdeveloped nations. With these skills, our students are learning to create educational programming that will lead their country forward.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. In Haiti, demise and progress are waging a virulent war. With an exploding population and the myriad of obstacles already in place (food shortages, the world's smallest supply of safe drinking water, cataclysmic deforestation, a nearly non-existent health care system... 2 doctors per 10,000 people, etc.), the odds are heavily stacked against progress. The problems are so far gone, the only realistic hope for sustainable progress is to launch a massive educational counter-offensive, the likes of which Haiti (and perhaps the world) has never seen.

Haiti may lack roads, water, food, and forests but it does not lack air. On that air, education can rise and fall like rain, onto the soil of a population that is starving for knowledge. Through a broadcast educational initiative, the tide can be turned and a sustainable future will have a fighting chance in Haiti. Certainly, the daily need for emergency relief is still very real, but "hand-to-mouth" programs do not offer lasting change. You can save a person from starvation, but that person will eventually die anyway. You can save a person's life through quality health care, but they too will eventually die of natural causes. No one lives forever. Unfortunately, "hand-to-mouth" programs generally fail to offer solutions that last longer than the individual... solutions that pass from generation to generation. With the education of storytellers, and the subsequent creating of powerful educational materials, millions of people can experience lasting growth and sustainable progress for generations to come. There is a real need for storytelling in Haiti and throughout the rest of the developing world. As a professional storyteller, that is where I am focusing my energy and the energy of this organization. In a country where more than half of the population cannot read or write, mass communication is perfectly poised to be used as a tool of mass education. Through broadcasting technology, the problems of limited infrastructure are finally surmountable and the millions of people who lack basic education may finally be reachable. Already we are seeing results as we deliver educational programming in a myriad of ways. As we move forward, we seek to do our job better as we reach a greater number of people.

Upon graduating from Anderson University, I implemented the in-house television media operations for Bill and Gloria Gaither at their Gaither Studios facility in Alexandria, Indiana. Under the mentorship of Bill Gaither, I began my live directing career, which continues to this day. In short order, I was nominated for a Gospel Music Association Dove Award, earned 8 gold and 9 platinum RIAA video awards, and spent over 400 weeks on Billboard Magazine's "Top Video Sales" charts (over 30 of those spent at number 1)... and all before the age of 30. I have been blessed to work around the globe, from London and Ireland to the impoverished shores of Haiti, from the heart of Africa to the railways of Russia. I have filled the director's chair at venues the likes of Carnegie Hall, The Beacon Theater, Red Rocks Amphitheater, and the world renowned Sydney Opera House and have worked alongside countless recording artists including Paul Simon, Randy Travis, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Bill & Gloria Gaither, Michael W. Smith, Andrae Crouch, and The Elms. Regular clients include FOX, SPEED, A&E, and Universal. Most recently, my wife (Adrian) and I have become actively involved in humanitarian efforts around the world through the implementation of our non-profit organization. More than ever before, we have come to realize that the career-driven pursuits we once held dear now pale in comparison to the work of helping those less fortunate than ourselves. We are presently living in Haiti with our three children, doing the work that we are so passionate about.