Backstory
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I was born in the blue-collar steel country of Pennsylvania, raised and shaped by a close family with its salt of the earth character rooted deeply in the greatest generation. By following their inspiration to take nothing for granted, while living life to its fullest and contributing more than I take, my life has been a rewarding adventure since my earliest childhood memories.”
I’m a self-confessed throwback adventurer who enjoys cold dinners out of a can, loosely planned expeditions to the middle of nowhere and long dives with sharks. I can fashion a tourniquet out of any necktie, prefer A1-Sauce over Grey Poupon and skirt steaks that are just a little pink in the middle.
As an entertainment industry veteran, I my first paycheck at 14, playing drums in Las Vegas with my parents’ fulltime traveling show band, Brooks Paxton & What U Need.
While furthering my education and living in Los Angeles during the 1990s, I gained experience on the other side of the entertainment industry in management and multi-national media sponsorships.
In 1998, after moving back to my adopted home state of Florida to be closer with family and the bio-diversity surrounding us there, I spent several years as a licensed real estate professional and residential investment specialist, while serving on various boards including the North Port Area Chamber of Commerce and the Sarasota County Economic Development Corporation.
For the next two decades, with my show business family, and later, touring with other artists like Swamp Boogie Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Doobie Brothers, I had the pleasure of performing for hungry crowds around the world as a touring and studio drummer/percussionist. Those travels extended my exposure to adventure in the outdoors and wildlife that began during my early youth in the wilds of western Pennsylvania.
As this 21st Century approached, I took an honest look back at all those divergent miles across the map of my life and saw there was a loose, but hearty handful of passions on board for every single step of the journey. That’s the stuff that drives me. The most precious cargo of all. It’s why I’m here. Doing what I do.
With my Brother and Co-Founder, Brooks, we founded and operate Shark Brothers Multimedia. We produce content for series, documentaries, destination, tourism and product promotion, innovative live streaming events, education and cause marketing. The Shark Brothers nickname is an occupational hazard, of sorts. A journalist gave it to us in the mid 2000s when we were producing a wildlife documentary project about sharks and the real story behind the JAWS book and movies. With that and other shark-related work over the years, the nickname got sticky, so we accepted it.
I’m fortunate to remain engaged with work that never feels like a job, while enjoying forty years living on the Myakka River on the Gulf Coast of Florida, next door to my brother and just down the waterway from our parents, with everything from alligators to bull sharks swimming around in the back yard. As a family, we celebrate the simple thing in life while carrying on the traditions and a legacy that keeps us close. After all those miles traveled together and apart, we all found our way home. Life is good, and the adventure continues. {sp}