"I was a television sportscaster for a while. In 1986, after four
years in Flagstaff, AZ, it was time to move on to a larger market. No
such luck. I realized I really wanted to live in Phoenix. No luck
getting a TV job there, either.
While moping around the tiny newsroom complaining that I couldn't walk
into a corporation and ask if they were looking for a sportscaster, a
co-worker said to me, "You're a great writer. Why don't you get one of
those cushy PR jobs and write press releases all day?" A couple of
months later, my resume landed on the desk of Ed Moser, then-president
of Ed Moser & Associates in Phoenix. The VP at the time was a classmate
of mine at Northern Arizona University and knew my work. I was hired as
an account writer, where I sat in front of my typewriter writing
articles, letters, and, of course, press releases.
Five years later, Ed decided he wanted out of the agency business.
Instead of looking for another job, I bought the company and changed the
name to Hanson, Moser & Associates. Ten years later, the name became HMA
Public Relations. I must admit though, after 15 years, I'm still waiting
for the "cushy" part."
