The above photo means a lot to me. Let me explain why.
This photo, taken on a hill overlooking the Seattle skyline, shows me, Stephen Tobolowsky, Stephen’s wife Ann, and Jeff Hansen, Program Director at KUOW (the public radio station in Seattle).
We were about a year into The Tobolowsky Files when Jeff approached me to put the show on the air in Seattle, WA. Jeff took a massive chance on us. It was a chance that few other Program Directors would have taken, but one that paid off handsomely for all the parties involved. The Tobolowsky Files is now doing quite well on KUOW, well enough that we were able to sell out an audience of 850 people at Seattle’s Neptune Theatre.
This photograph was taken on the morning that Stephen and I performed The Tobolowsky Files live at the Neptune. Here, you can hear the audio of my intro that evening:
So why the importance of the photo? Because to me, it shows the power of an idea. It shows that with a few committed people, you can put together something of value, something that enriches people’s lives, something that brings them joy and intellectual stimulation. With the perfect confluence of the creative abilities of only a few individuals, wonderful things can happen.
Each of us played a role in this enterprise. This photo was the first time we were all together in one place. I treasure the photo for the moment it captures, but also for the promise that it implies.
Its lesson to me: don’t stop dreaming. You never know what is possible.