You started off as a media person – how did you make that transition to the “others side” into PR and then authorship?
It was just an opportunity that came up. The Penguins reached out to me a few years earlier and it didn’t feel like it was the right time. They reached out again a few years later and I figured they wouldn’t reach out a third time. I was 40 years-old and I figured “Why not?” I Might like it or I might not – but I figured if not I could always go back to the media.
Teams now tell their own stories – now that the internet has exploded. At the time they wanted someone someone from the media to run their media. I didn’t have a PR or marketing background -I didn’t have that experience – but we all do the job in our own way anyway. I relied on my background and hopefully I did some good – I’m sure I screwed up sometimes too. The landscape changed so much over those years – in 1996 I couldn’t imagine all of the social media outlets that arose. It was an exciting time. They said I was smart for taking the job when I did but I didn’t see that all coming, honestly.