Heartprints

“Whatever you are, be a good one” — Abraham Lincoln

At a trendy Manhattan restaurant named Tao, I had one of my first business lunches in my new career as a publicist and marketer at NBC Sports & Olympics.  It was here that I first met Wayne and Max, who brought tears to my eyes within that first meeting and many times since.

After jobs in news and entertainment, I decided to pursue a career in sports because I wanted to do more than simply contribute to a company’s bottom line. I believe that sports events provide a communal experience that bring friends and family together in a way that no other form of entertainment can, and I wanted to be a part of bringing that experience to others.  NBC Sports provided me that opportunity specifically in 2009, with our broadcast of Super XLIII in Tampa, Florida.

My colleague, who had previously worked at the NFL, was familiar with Taste of the NFL and suggested the lunch meeting with Wayne and Max as we were beginning our Super Bowl promotional plans. Though I was prepped about the concept behind Taste of the NFL, meeting Wayne and Max impressed me even more with their commitment, enthusiasm, belief in the purpose and genuinely kind demeanor. It was a business meeting that began with a handshake and ended with a hug. It was the meeting that made me truly believe that I could achieve my goal of using a corporate job and corporate resources to serve the public and actually do good in the world.

Tears came to my eyes as Wayne and Max talked with sincere passion about hunger in America and briefly educated me about the millions of working Americans who can’t make ends meet and need the resources of local food banks, and I knew that NBC Sports needed to be their partner.  Though most meetings end with intentions and plans that never materialize, this was not most meetings. After leaving the meeting with hugs and business cards, Wayne and Max and I were in touch the very next day and every day for the next year.

Many months prior to this lunch, I had a dream of creating a cookbook full of meals for families to make as they sit down together to watch NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” I had no clue as to how to make this happen until that lunch with Wayne and Max.  Not only did they have connections with prestigious chefs all over the country, but making a cookbook in partnership with Taste of the NFL would help raise money for local food banks. In a whirlwind three months, we pulled off a minor miracle publishing the “Sunday Night Football Cookbook” with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit local food banks through Taste of the NFL.

To help promote the cookbook and raise awareness of hunger in America and Taste of the NFL, we promoted the book through segments on NBC’s TODAY Show, Weekend TODAY, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC’s “Football Night in America” with Bob Costas, and through celebrities such as Faith Hill and Jerome Bettis.  Bravo’s “Top Chef” franchise also got involved with a booth at Taste of the NFL.

The “Sunday Night Football Cookbook” did more than just help promote NBC’s primetime football, it raised the profile of Taste of the NFL and put the issue of hunger in the spotlight through high profile spokespeople and popular network shows. 

In my five years at NBC Sports & Olympics, I have been privileged to work on many prestigious properties such as the Olympic Games, Kentucky Derby, golf’s U.S. Open, NFL and Super Bowl, among many other events, but I am most proud of the work that I did with Wayne and Max. We were able to complete the cookbook, promote it and raise the profile of Taste of the NFL because we approached the project with passion and a true belief in the mission to serve others. Wayne and Max are not simple business partners, they are friends who challenge me and take my work to a higher level – the level beyond corporate title and position – the level of doing good.