Who: Tommy Stephenson, customer development for TMB.
What: Distributor of entertainment production supplies.
Where: HQ is in Pacoima, Calif. (Los Angeles area). Offices in New York, Toronto, London, and Beijing.
First gig: Cleveland’s Agora Ballroom, 1979. He was the guy pushing cases.
Latest gig: “Working very hard on trying to not strangle anyone.”
I knew I wanted to do this when… “I never said I wanted to do this.”
Career low point: “At the 2003 CALM tradeshow in Beijing I hand-carried the booth on the plane as excess baggage. Later, my laptop, bag and passport were stolen on tradeshow floor… Long story short: not pretty.”
Career high point: “Every day brings a new level of that feeling of accomplishment. I don’t know if I have one particular thing that I think was the best. Of course I have been lucky to be a part of some pretty amazing stuff in this industry, but for me, the people I work with at TMB and the customers I deal with on a daily basis make it worthwhile doing all of this, and it certainly gives me a sense pride knowing the amount of miracles we pull off every day.”
Recent company highlights: “Our constantly growing list of new cutting-edge products, including the (Green Hippo) Hippotizer. The success of these types of products and TMB’s ability to bring them to market is really unmatched.”
Coolest “toy” I’ve had my hands on recently: “The new Blues System range of products. The applications for these units are unlimited. The quality of the products is unbeliev-able. Cool stuff!”
Home front: “Two fantastic kids, Christian and Megan. The list of animals is too vast to print.”
Least cool thing about my job: “More and more people out there that just don’t get it. Lighten up, we are selling fun!”
Most cool thing about my job: “Helping the customer, busting balls and making the sale.”
What I’m listening to right now: Aerosmith.
Last great movie I saw: American Gangster.
If I could be someone famous for a day, it would be… Basil Fawlty.
My greatest fear is…. “Having the Asian Times publish my phone number.”
If I could go back in time and tell my younger self one thing, it would be: “Stay out of the entertainment industry and sell frozen bananas on a beach.”
People might be surprised to know: “I don’t think anyone would be surprised. Shocked? Maybe. Surprised? No.”
If and when I go on vacation, you’ll find me … “Skiing with my kids.”
If I was a cartoon character, I’d be … Bugs Bunny.
My biggest guilty pleasure is … “Wasting an entire Sunday watching football. Go Browns!”
In the kitchen, I make a mean … Pizza.
Words to live by: “There is no such thing as a bad beer, only varying levels of excellence.”
