I reconnected with George Blackwell, the now recording engineer and his wife. A couple of years later his wife inherited a couple of oil wells in Michigan. George wanted to open his own voice over recording studio. He knew nothing about business and asked me for my guidance. This was the beginning of my clientele in the music industry.

In 1994, a client in the entertainment world in New York City asked me to come there to help a young actress he was living with who had come into some money. Now that I was licensed for insurance and registered for securities in New York state, I realized there was a great opportunity there. I asked for  referrals from my clients in Miami to the recording studios there.

While I was preparing for the first foray up North, George said to me,

“What makes you think you can go up there and just walk into recording studios?’

“Look at who my clients are? With referrals!” I responded.

“Look at yourself!” he laughed.

“What are you talking about?” I responded with dismay.

“In the mirror” he said, pointing. “You’re straight!”

“I am not!” I insisted.

“Short hair, no beard, suit and tie? Yeah, right. WE knew you when you were COOL in the 60’s!” George said with a smirk on his face.

On the drive back to Tallahassee, the idea for the postcard sprung to mind full blown, like Aphrodite from the sea foam. I had a great printer who helped me put it together. I then had my nominators write a personal note on the postcard to the referrals in NYC. I mailed it ahead. I called and made appointments. When I got to a studio, I held the postcard up to the peephole. The door would open, a hand would reach out and grab me by the tie, and as I was pulled into the studio they yelled out,

“Hey, it’s the guy with the dog on the postcard.”

Yep, the dog. I daresay that postcard is still taped to a lot of refrigerators or on bulletin boards or walls in a lot of recording studios in NYC.