“In comic book terminology, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains.”
-Beginning of the Wikipedia article for “origin story”
Here it is. The story of how I got here.
Remember remember…
“Dad, who did you vote for?” I said as I watched the map on our TV turn red and blue. It was November 5th, 1996 and I was all of twelve.
“Dad voted for the guy who’s going to lose,” my father said with an exasperated sigh.
“That was nice of him,” I thought. Giving the guy he knew would lose one more vote so he wouldn’t feel so bad. Obviously, I was wrong and my father had cast his vote for then-Senator Bob Dole over President Clinton. That question was my entry into politics.
These days he speaks of his listening to Rush Limbaugh like it was a two-pack-a-day smoking habit.
“There are no words…”
I was in band when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. In the months and years to come I would find myself solidly against the wars being conducted in my name. Afghanistan was being ignored while we invaded Iraq based on a lie. Only one of my family members had to serve over there and she came home safe. I can’t imagine how devastating it must be to the families who weren’t as fortunate.
As I got into college and film school I discovered my passion for these issues would not go away. I stayed up late with my friend Mike Bonanni watching CNN cover the 2004 primaries and we walked for 3 hours on the night of the NY Primary to see John Edwards speak. I saw through the guy immediately.
I volunteered for the Kerry campaign and the coordinated campaign in Pittsburgh, PA while attending Pittsburgh Filmmakers and got my taste for field work. My ears and knuckles ached from the hours of phone calls and doors knocks I made in Lawrenceville, Etna and Shaler. I described the election results of 2004 on my LiveJournal (yes, I had a LiveJournal. Shut up.) as “a giant flaming basket of crap with an ‘eff you’ post-it note.” I was sad, but not deterred.
The Audacity of Hope
“Ohh, that’s bad.” said my Mother as I told her the middle name of the guy for whom I was uprooting myself in mid-2007. After helping Chuck Pennaccio ride to a crushing defeat in the 2006 US Senate primary to now-Senator Bob Casey, I knew 2008 needed to be different. Barack Obama was certainly that. Note: My mom came around to the guy pretty quickly and ended up voting for him. Thanks, Mom!
After watching his announcement speech on February 10, 2007, I told my manager at the Courtyard Marriott Pittsburgh Downtown that once the semester was over, I’d be leaving for Iowa. I sold off everything I could, used my tax return to buy the laptop I’m writing on at this very moment and on August 1st, 2007 I made my way West.
Fast forward
The Obama campaign changed my life completely and I don’t have the wherewithal to type out every experience and memorable moment. There were plenty, believe me. I don’t want to brag and sound jerky, but I produced some of the most inspiring and thought provoking videos of that entire campaign and met so many people who affirmed the work we were doing and the change we were making.
After the election, I returned to Iowa with Emily to fight for the causes I believe in. There’s much less of a political machine here than New York or Pennsylvania so getting heard and getting your foot in the door is a lot easier. So far, so good.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and other posts. I wish you the best.
Greg
