I've been in the business of designing broadcast and recording studios
for about 30 years, and since the beginning I've been traveling
at least once a week. I've learned that the captive conversation
between me and my seatmate can have some unexpected business
or personal consequences that are downright karmic.
About 20 years ago on a flight back to Dallas
from New York, my seatmate was this tall
long-haired guy. I was a little tired after
winding up several productive days working on
a project at NBC in Rockefeller Center,
designing and overseeing construction of Edit
7, ''Saturday Night Live's'' primary audio
post-control room. And I wasn't sure if I
wanted to chat.
But this guy and I did start to talk. He
shared that he was a musician and songwriter.
I conveyed that I designed recording studios
and broadcast facilities. Both of us were
just starting out in a really tough industry.
We got along really well, sharing stories
about our love of music and our families.
He told me he had just renegotiated a recording contract,
and his first breakthrough album would be released soon.
I told him I'd look for his record, and he said that he'd
try to record in one of the studios that I designed.
Some four years later, while I was working on the Sony
Music Entertainment Studios, I received a call from someone
who worked on the recording engineering staff of the artist
who was next to me on the plane. They wanted me to help
with the design of a recording and mix studio at his residence.
By now, this guy, Michael Bolton, had Grammy Awards, multi-platinum
records, sold-out concerts, and was a success in both his
career and personal life -- respected not only for his talent
but for the charitable work he conducted within the community.
When I visited his house in 1992 to work with him and
his engineer on the design of the studio area, Mr. Bolton
recognized me but couldn't place where we had met. It came
back once I recounted the story of the airplane ride from
New York to Dallas some four years earlier.
We had a lot of fun working on his recording room and went
on to work together building a pet project for the Michael
Bolton Foundation called Safe Space. It's an outreach project
to help inner-city kids find productive outlets through
music and careers in the music business.
So, a simple plane ride home turned into something of
an extended adventure. All because I took the time to talk.
On a recent flight back to Dallas from Los Angeles, I
sat next to a gentleman who owns a marketing and innovations
firm. Although we had never met, we started talking before
we even took our seats. The more we talked, the more it
became apparent how much we had in common.
I told him how my daughter chose to complete degrees both
in cultural anthropology and corporate communications. He
said his company had a division that used cultural anthropology
in marketing. He offered to introduce her to some people.
My daughter wound up with an internship that morphed into
a full-time position.
Again, a chance meeting on a plane and a friendly conversation
with a stranger turned into something extraordinary: an
excellent career opportunity for the daughter of a very
proud father.
You never know what a conversation will reap. So I'm going
to try to talk a little bit more. If you happen to be one
of my seatmates and don't want to talk, just let me know.
But you never know what might transpire.
