I’ve explained that my media career is preceded by an extensive urban arts background, and that I liken my transition to that of a sportscaster who’s a former athlete. I refer to myself as a “media hustler”, to honor the transferable skills, sensibilities and insights I’ve brought with me. In that regard, Anthony Bourdain was (is) one of my primary influences, and his passing hit me harder than expected, for someone I didn’t actually know.

I was lucky to meet him once in 2013 (with his friend Eric Ripert); he was as cool as you’d imagine and graciously spoke with me for a while. We discussed achieving a successful media career as a “second act”,  the idea of “What’s a journalist?” (he famously maintained that he wasn’t one), and the all-important question —“Who gets the investment and uninhibited creative freedom to tell cool stories?”— which he addresses in the Fast Company interview below.

I brought up Studs Terkel, another primary influence. Both creative hyphenates were beloved for their genius media work (and for their politics and humanitarianism), though neither were considered conventional journalists (Studs is primarily regarded as a historian). We agreed that their storytelling and interviewing styles were comparable, and that key ingredients are curiosity, respect and integrity. Yes, I still call myself a journalist (reporter-presenter-correspondent-producer-documentarian-etc.), but whatever the title, I’m really just trying to do similarly truthful and insightful work…

Here’s the Parts Unknown opening theme and a cool behind-the-music story about it…