ELEVATE BEYOND
The Blog of Jake Kelfer
 Success Spotlight with Richard Washington: CNBC News Associate Richard is what happens when a Dallas Cowboy Super Bowl Champ & a network television producer fall in love and decide to start a family. Richard is a family first man and thankful everyday for supportive parents that taught him that he could do anything he sets his mind to. His passion is connecting people through the medium of story telling. How do you define success? Success…daily positive habits compounded over days, months, and years that result in a deeper understanding of who you are, why you are doing what you do, and spending each day doing what it is you want to do. Everyone has their own journey and story to tell. Can you talk about your journey up to this point? My journey has been a series of ups and downs, but I’m learning to appreciate every second of it. If I had to choose a theme for my journey it’d probably be self-discovery through humility. My relationship with God was frail and my relationship with my true self was non-existent – all because I underestimated the power of habits and failed to exercise the discipline of goal setting. The only three goals I set for myself when I got to USC: have a full-time job by the time I graduate, make some money DJing and hosting parties, and have as much fun as humanely possible while doing it. I’m sure one can imagine why that is not okay. With the last two goals, comes a lifestyle I was NOT ready for. Looking back on my years in college, I can only shake my head and laugh at how much of a lost soul I was. I guess you could say, I accomplished all three of my goals. I DJ’d the majority of fraternity and sorority parties. I hosted a number of memorable, private events throughout LA and at USC, and I graduated with a full-time job in commercial banking…only to discover that you cannot mute your passion. My passion has always been people; more specifically, meeting new people and sharing their journeys…their personal narratives through the medium of television and film with the hope of pushing our culture forward. After two-years of banking, I took a leap of faith and drastically altered my career path to align my day-to-day with my passion. Now I’m at the beginning of this journey in television broadcasting and reporting! I couldn’t be happier, and I am excited to see where it leads. As for my relationship with God, each day I thank Him for the opportunity to implement His will and I pray for the focus, creativity, and strength to do so. Have you always liked being in front of a camera? Never in a million years would I think I’d feel comfortable in front of a camera. I’ve always been the guy behind the camera – producing and directing. Honestly, I’m still not comfortable with it. I get a nervous every time the “recording” light comes on. I still have much practicing to do on my on-camera presence. You’ve always been a hustler and hard worker since I met you. What motivates you to be the best you possibly can be? It’s just the way I was raised. My mom and dad are probably the hardest workers I know. As far back as I can remember, they always seemed to be able to do everything! It’s as if they secretly have more hours in a day than the rest of us. My mom – well, let’s start with putting up with me, my brother, my sister, and my dad. Every family has that one person who is the anchor, the glue that holds it all together – she is our anchor. She also works in television industry as a television producer, putting out multiple production “fires” each hour. My dad is in his first season as the head coach for Bishop Alemany's varsity football team. He also has his hands in real estate development as well as Shelter37, his non profit that serves at-risk youth in South LA. I don’t know any other way. The way I see it…you’re either moving forward and progressing, or you’re lagging behind and missing opportunities to be the best. What has been your biggest failure and how have you learned from it? July 3, 2011. I hosted an event. It failed miserably. Only 75 people attended. I had to pay thousands of dollars (that I did not have) to the venue because we did not hit our bar guarantee. The bouncers locked us in back room and almost beat me and my friend up because we did not have the money. My dad had to come and save us. Completely embarrassing. I could not pay my team. It was a huge embarrassment to the brand, and me. What went wrong? I deviated from the successful formula my team and I created for hosting events. I went against every fail-safe we had in place to prevent such a failure from occurring. I let my ego get the best of me. Never again. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? “Do the right thing.” – My mom “Bro, just stick to the plan.” – Daniel Barrios “There’s no such thing as a problem. Only solutions.” – Ronnie Essett If you could have lunch with 3 people, dead or alive, who would they be and why? Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, and Michael Jackson. We would skip lunch and I’d take them to a recording studio and film that jam session. The Fundamental Round Favorite food: Cajun, Gumbo Favorite book: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren Favorite movie: Rush Hour 2 Favorite athlete: Kobe Bryant Favorite sports team: Los Angeles Lakers Favorite song: Change Gonna Come by Sam Cooke Biggest role model: Charles King, CEO of Macroventures Biggest dream: To write and produce my own television show Animal you most resemble: Lion You can connect with Richard here: Richard Washington Facebook Richard Washington LinkedIn Richard Washington Twitter Richard Washington Instagram
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Hey, I'M JAKE!I am on a mission to help ambitious entrepreneurs and freedom seekers start their dream business, build a world-class network, and scale to 6 figures!
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