{"id":570,"date":"2010-10-12T13:16:43","date_gmt":"2010-10-12T17:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/?p=570"},"modified":"2010-10-12T13:16:43","modified_gmt":"2010-10-12T17:16:43","slug":"mjf-funny-frank-and-fond-of-promos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/2010\/10\/12\/mjf-funny-frank-and-fond-of-promos\/","title":{"rendered":"MJF: Funny, Frank and Fond of Promos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, we enjoyed an unprecedented event here at ASI \u2013 an interview with actor and Parkinson\u2019s activist<\/a> Michael J. Fox. Personally, it was a thrill for me to participate in the freewheeling discussion\u00a0on ASI Radio<\/a> \u2013 and to ask Fox a question.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re about the same age and I unabashedly admit I\u2019m a huge fan who saw \u201cBack to the Future\u201d five times when it first came out. I\u2019ve followed Fox\u2019s career ever since and think his upcoming keynote<\/a> at the ASI show in Orlando<\/a> January 25 will be the best we\u2019ve ever delivered.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fox was exactly what I\u2019d expected. Frank, funny and fast. He didn\u2019t dodge a single question and barreled through the interview in his unmistakable voice. He talked about everything from overcoming challenges and his love of promotional products to the way to his wife calls him \u201cMr. Mayor\u201d when they stroll the streets of New York because of all the people who recognize him.<\/p>\n

Fox\u2019s upcoming speech is co-sponsored by Evans Mfg. (asi\/52840<\/em>) and Showdown Displays (asi\/87188<\/em>). Tuesday, Michelle Mann from Evans and John Bruellman from Showdown were among those asking questions. To listen to the archived show, click here<\/a>\u00a0and turn up your speakers. Feel free to Tweet the link to your friends and followers. Below are some edited excerpts from the interview:<\/p>\n

Q: How did you react when first diagnosed?<\/p>\n

A: Obviously, it was a shock. I was 29-30, and not thinking about Parkinson\u2019s. I thought it was something elderly people got. I originally thought I had a physiological injury and it turned out to be neurological. It took a while to sink in. Then, it was just a matter of dealing with it. But accepting it is not the same as being resigned to it. Second, it was becoming an activist.<\/p>\n

Q: What does it take to battle the disease while becoming a force for change?<\/span><\/p>\n

A: When you face struggle, you face the truth of it. You go moment to <\/span>moment. When you do that, you don\u2019t recognize loss, you recognize opportunity.<\/p>\n

Q: When you were acting full-time, what was your most challenging day?<\/p>\n

A: It was a series of days, while doing \u201cSpin City,\u201d before I\u2019d disclosed I had Parkinson\u2019s, when I was performing in front of a live studio audience. I was twisting, grinding and shaking, waiting for my pills to take effect, thinking \u201cCould they laugh at somebody they knew was sick?\u201d I had to go moment to moment and think about the goal. The audience always laughed, thank god<\/p>\n

Q: \u00a0Like so many people in business you\u2019re forced to overcome obstacles. Do you have any advice for businesspeople facing personal or professional challenges?<\/p>\n

A: Loss is not a vacuum. With any unpleasant challenge, you have to acknowledge what\u2019s taken from you. And create a new landscape with new opportunities and challenges. You might be forced to take a different path. And it could lead to new growth.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 Do you need to find your own personal happiness in order to succeed in business?<\/p>\n

A: When you find happiness in life, you find it in business. When I was first diagnosed, I worked non-stop. A doctor said I had 10 good years left to work and I wanted to fill that up. But then I started to realize how crazy that plan was. I was in New Zealand for five months working while my family was back in New York. And I\u2019m thinking \u201cThis is nuts.\u201d You\u2019ve got to try and find balance in your life and be able to bring more to your work. Nothing I accomplish would be possible without my family.<\/p>\n

Q: You\u2019ve enjoyed a very successful career. What are you most proud of?<\/p>\n

A: Being able to raise a family outside the business while living in New York. We get to deal with people from all walks of life, which gives my family a wider experience. That\u2019s the accomplishment I\u2019m most proud of.<\/p>\n

Q: My favorite role was in \u201cAn American President\u201d when you played the assistant to the president, Michael Douglas. What\u2019s your favorite?<\/p>\n

A: From a pure acting challenge, playing in \u201cRescue Me\u201d with Denis Leary. It was so cool. I played a bitter, paraplegic guy in a wheelchair. When Denis first called me about it I said, \u201cYou do realize with my condition I can\u2019t stop moving? And you want me to play someone in a wheelchair?\u201d I\u2019ve also recently been in episodes of \u201cThe Good Wife\u201d and \u201cCurb Your Enthusiasm.\u201d Usually, the last thing I\u2019ve done is the most fun. Now, I\u2019m involved in fundraising for Parkinson\u2019s and moving the dial a little bit in this mission.<\/p>\n

Q: What\u2019s your favorite promotional product?<\/p>\n

A: I have tons. I love swag. At the foundation we have Team Fox, which is involved in fundraising drives, and we\u2019re always sending out hats and T-shirts with logos that I and my kids also wear. I\u2019m a terrible golfer but some of the most effective advertising for me is on golf balls. Including one that said, \u201cIf found, return to Randy.\u201d It all reminds me of what we do at the foundation: It\u2019s all about getting people together, sharing ideas and goals. It\u2019s important to have something recognizable that represents you and your brand.<\/p>\n

To register for the ASI show in Orlando January 23-25, click here<\/a>. For more information on Michael J. Fox\u2019s keynote<\/a> on January 25, click here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Let me know what you thought of the interview by posting a comment or emailing me here<\/a>. I\u2019m also on Twitter<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, we enjoyed an unprecedented event here at ASI \u2013 an interview with actor and Parkinson\u2019s activist Michael J. Fox. Personally, it was a thrill for me to participate in the freewheeling discussion\u00a0on ASI Radio \u2013 and to ask Fox a question. We\u2019re about the same age and I unabashedly admit I\u2019m a huge fan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asi-shows","category-community","category-news-about-asi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":577,"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570\/revisions\/577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}