So, I had a really GREAT about page. One of the best I’ve probably ever written.
But, after reading it out loud, I decided it was the worst about page EVER, and took it down. I’m just too darn busy right now to do another.
But, if you really must know, in a nutshell: I’m black (duh); I’m a film geek; professionally, I help media companies with brand and content marketing (Google content marketing if you don’t know what that is. I don’t have time to explain it right now); I was host and creator of Radio Film School (think This American Life, but for filmmakers, which sorta makes me the black Ira Glass) which for a shining moment was the #1 visual arts podcast on iTunes; I am also already a published author, but for a totally different book that is about how to market your video business.
I like to write. A lot. I’ve had nearly a dozen Medium articles curated to topics like Marketing, Design, Race, Equality, Satire, Spirituality, Family, and Parenting. I’m also a published writer in Better Marketing and The Startup (two of the largest Medium publications about business) and managing editor of Film Riot. I am a top writer in “Satire.” My very first Medium post went viral and garnered over 157K views in three days.
On the more personal side, I’m the father of two; husband of one; and brother to 1 and 2 halfs (half brother from my mom’s re-marriage and half-sister from my dad’s). I was once a semi-professional Lindy Hopper during the swing dance resurgence of the late 90s (my big move was leap-frogging over my partner’s shoulders and landing in the splits).
My favorite Spotify playlist is an eclectic mix of songs that includes Barry Manilow’s “I Can’t Smile Without You,” Neil Diamond’s “Song Song Blue,” Blue Suede’s “Hooked on a Feeling”, Modern English’s “I Melt With You,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Tupac’s “Only God Can Judge Me,” and many more songs that in no other universe belong on the same f-ing playlist. (That right there probably tells you all you need to know.)
Oh, and my name is not “Ronald.” I go by Ron. Which is short for Ronaldo. Once you read the book, you’ll understand the “Ronald” reference. My first name is actually Cleve. Which is my biological father’s first name. That makes me a “junior.” I was never called “Junior” growing up. I was called “Ronnie.” Then I changed it to “Ronny” because some kid told me “Ronnie” is short for Veronica, which is a girl’s name. (Only later did I realize that idiot meant “Roni.” So I changed the spelling of my name for no reason.) I think that’s why I downgraded to just Ron. It stuck.
If you wanna know the rest, in the immortal words of Farmer Ted, “Buy the book.” (or, start reading it right now).
Look. This website is for a book (duh again). I’m the author of the aforementioned book. If you like the kind of writing you see on this blog, you will love the book. If the style of this blog is not your cup a tea, Amazon has some great Martha Stewart recipe books and Elizabethan-era Christian YA romance fiction novels that may be right up your alley.
(Note: in case you’re wondering, in the header photo, I’m the black guy in the middle. That other black guy is Jeff, one of the few others at my high school. Few other black guys, not Jeffs. We actually had a lot of “Jeffs.” Probably more than we had black guys.)