It’s Never Too Late…

Who’d have thought that my late-life career in ‘communication’ would be of interest to college students?  Yet, last week I was invited to share my recent personal experiences in ‘the field’ with the ‘Communications Department’ at the local college, CCBC – and made a gratifying discovery…

It’s Never Too Late…

When our oldest son enrolled in the Mass Com. Program here at Essex 30 years ago, I told him he’d be the first in our family to work in the field of communications. To which he replied, “Mom, you and Dad are teachers, for Pete’s sake. What do you think you’re doing in that classroom all day?”

It’s true. Communication is at the very core of our lives, yet, unless we’re involved in some form of media, we give it little thought. 13 years ago, I began giving it some serious thought. I was recovering from breast cancer, and decided the time had come to do something I’d always wanted to try. So, for the next few years I took writing courses, attended writing conferences and workshops — and began to write. I joined a couple of critique groups and completed 3 middle-grade novels — which rose in prominence to the top — drawer in my dresser — where they remain today. I think of them as ‘learning vehicles.’ It’s a good place for them.

A young woman in my critic group said that she loved my sense of humor and handed me a magazine she’d picked up at a writers conference saying, “They’re accepting manuscripts; give it a try.”  That was the beginning of my late-life free-lancing career in the communications field.

My most rewarding success, and testimony to the power of ‘the written word’ was a letter. My mother had been the Baltimore Orioles most passionate fan since the St. Louis Browns moved here in 1953. After breaking her hip at the age of 90, she suffered serious complications and lost the will to go on. I wrote a letter to the Orioles front office describing life with an ‘over-the-edge’ fanatical fan. I wrote about the evening in my home when Mom fell and how despite severe pain, insisted on being helped to the den so that she could watch the ball game until the ambulance arrived. I wrote about the risky, life-threatening surgery days later when she awakened with one thing on her mind: “Did I miss the game?” I asked if they could perhaps send a card to their most devoted fan.

Days after sending my letter, we received an autographed Orioles baseball — followed by a telephone call inviting my mother to throw out the opening pitch at an Orioles game. She resumed PT that very day telling the doctor she had to walk to that pitchers mound — which she did. Aahh…the power of communication….!

This past year, at the age of 73, my career in communications took a ‘dramatic turn.’ Thanks to a son who is a communicator by trade, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in three vastly different types of “communication.’

The first was when my husband and I joined our son, Mike, for an episode of Dirty Jobs in Cambridge, Md. We witnessed a simple production that was authentic and believable– and inexpensive to produce. A crew of six professionals are sent to a location to film Mike Rowe for a day as he works alongside a man or woman doing a job that’s — well…dirty, filthy, disgusting, and sometimes–nauseating. As for our involvement, we merely chatted, cooked crabs, picked crabs – and ate crabs, as Mike did some of the ‘messier’ jobs. No wardrobe or make-up, no script or second takes.

Now in its 7th season, Dirty Jobs airs in 180 countries and has a simple message. The civilized life we so enjoy would not be possible without the men and women who get up every morning and do the kind of jobs that you and I don’t want to do.

My second experience in communications came in California. Since Mike’s brand is all about ‘work’, he represents a lot of products that relate to work — Ford trucks, Caterpillar machinery and footwear… When Kimberly-Clark asked him to advertise a paper towel with a violet, chartreuse, and orange wrapper, called — Viva, he had to figure out a way to relate the product to ‘work.’ So he wrote a commercial involving his real-life parents and pitched it to Kimberly-Clark. They bought it.

Working on the set of a national commercial with a budget in the millions and a media budget in the of tens of millions was a sharp contrast to a ‘reality show.’ Make-up, wardrobe, script, story boards, a clap-board and multiple takes. Plush trailers lined the curbs, in front of the lovely (rented) home in Pasadena, CA. Flowers and branches were tied onto bushes, huge silver screens redirected sunlight, furniture, rugs and pictures were moved to the side yard…

We shot for almost 10 hours for one 30 second commercial. We were surrounded by a production crew and client and agency reps. There were producers, directors, cameramen, sound people, gaffers, grips — 60 people in all — many of whom were huddled around monitors scattered about the house and grounds. I had a hand model, ‘people,’ and a union card was in the mail. Sales are up, apparently. The power of communication!

My third experience came in March of this year when I joined Mike on a Hollywood soundstage for a series of ‘breast cancer awareness’ PSAs. Mike was this year’s ‘celebrity ambassador’ for Lee National Denim day. Together, we got the word out and raised over $4,000,000 for breast cancer research and support. Instead of another earnest, heartfelt plea like those already saturating the airways, Mike used humor, removing his pants to encourage people to donate the cost of a pair of jeans. A few weeks ago we spoke to hundreds of Lee employees and cancer survivors in Kansas city. Again, the power of communication!

Whether it’s a blog, a reality show, a commercial, or a PSA, the goal of ‘communication’ remains the same: to deliver a message to an audience. Thanks to my recent experiences, I know first hand that it’s never too late to ‘communicate.’