AEPI Interview Series (Chi Alpha Re-Founding Father)
The AEPi blog will be featuring a number of interviews with active brothers, alumni, staff, and other people with something interesting to contribute. I am proud to include the first interview below, an e-mail discussion with a Re-Founding Father of the Chi Alpha Chapter (UC Berkeley). The interviews will be longer than most of the posts here, so I am including the first questions below, with the rest behind a link. (I guarantee it’s worth your time, as there are comments below the fold about a certain Supreme Governor drinking throw-up.) Finally, If you know of someone who the AEPi Blog can interview, please drop us a line, as we are always looking for great new people to talk to.
Please say a little about yourself: What did you study at Berkeley and what other activities did you participate in? Where did you go after graduation, and what are you doing now?
I went to Cal from 1984-1988, I started off as a computer science major, but the math class requirements proved too much. So I transitioned to a Music degree while still taking computer classes that interested me. Between studying, AEPi and trying to get laid, I had a full schedule.
One day during my Senior year I noticed that someone was speaking about advertising careers on campus. I had wanted to do film composition and heard that the best way into the industry was to start out doing advertising jingles. So I attended the presentation, was quite impressed with the company (Chiat/Day) that was featured, and decided to try and just send a letter to ask about an internship for the summer. I got the internship and then worked that summer in the video room for Chiat/Day in San Francisco. The company was impressed enough with me to offer me a job at the end of the internship, so I worked there part-time while finishing school and then became a full-time employee the day after I graduated.
After around 3 years at the agency, I decided that I wanted to do what I was doing for the company for other companies, not wanting to limit myself to a single place. So I left the ad agency and started computer consulting. That was 15 years ago. I still am doing it, with my brother Alex (Cal, AEPi, ‘90) as my business partner and around 20 other people.
1. Why did you decide to become a re-founding father for the Chi Alpha chapter?
Rob Ackermann was a transfer from San Diego State and had been in AEPi there, he met a number of other students around the time that AEPi was being reformed. After one initial discussion about AEPi, Rob came into my dorm room, I was lying on my bed, he lifted the entire mattress up against the wall, pinning me between the mattress and the wall. He said (in the voice of a drill sergeant), “WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER BE OR DIE?” - I didn’t know what he was talking about, but finally realized that “AEPi” was the answer. And so I committed to joining. True story.
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