Meeting people you admire

So, I decided a while back that I wanted to meet/shake hands with/talk to all of my… well, I don’t want to say heroes… that’s not really the word; more like, people whose work inspires me or that I want to emulate. Unfortunately, I came to this conclusion after already passing up opportunities to actually meet both Joel McHale and Donald Miller. Hopefully I’ll get another shot at both.

Proactively, I’m making plans, next year, to fly out to North Carolina for Heroes Con and meet Matt Fraction, my favorite comic book writer.

So who have I actually met so far? Glad you asked.

A couple of years ago, Sara and I got to meet the Avett Brothers and tell them one of their songs was going to be in our wedding. They seemed genuinely appreciative.

And now, tonight, I got to meet Alton Brown of Good Eats fame. I love that Alton Brown doesn’t just have a cooking show, but has a cooking show that combines comedy, science, and all kinds of other nerdy stuff. It’s not like anything else on TV. When I met Mr. Brown I told him that I create creative content for my church and that his work is a big inspiration for me. He told me he makes videos for his church too. That was a nice moment for me, let me tell you. Sara was at the side, taking pictures like a madwoman.

So here’s the list and where I stand. I’ve been in the same (sometimes very large) room with everybody on the list but Fraction, but the crossed out names are people I’ve gotten to shake hands with and thank them for what they do.

~~The Avett Brothers~~
~~Alton Brown~~
Matt Fraction
Anthony Bourdain
Donald Miller
Joel McHale

I’ll keep you updated.