Here’s a little story about how my bold personality and “gift for gab” led me to the Modern Day Matchmakers Paul Carrick Brunson and Brandon Scott of OneDegreeFromMe and opened up the door for a possible career change.
I was dead set on making 2010 the BEST YEAR EVER {in a completely unnecessary and epic sounding tone} We will fast forward through a great 2010 to a (paraphrased) conversation I was having with a dear friend Mr. Newton.
After procrastinating for a week or so…. I googled the name “Paul Brunson” and several Paul Carrick Brunson related links popped up, including a few articles, the OneDegreeFromMe website, and a lot of blogs featuring the matchmaker. I read some of his articles about education reform, watched every OneDegreeFromMe video on YouTube, and then decided to register for their upcoming speed dating event in Baltimore. Oh course, because of my procrastination, there were no more female speed dating tickets available. So I settle for a mixer seat and figured I could watch the magic unfold and still mingle with the men if I wanted to...Me: B, with all these great parties and contacts that you have… I need you out there finding me a man.
Newton: You are funny. Why don’t you check out this guy I know… he puts on these speed dating events for elite singles all around the country. The guy is dope and I hear the events are really good. You should check it out.
Me: I’ve never done speed dating and I’m not that “elite”...
Newton: Naw, don’t give me that… you should really check it out. His last event was in DC and I heard it was crazy. The next one is coming up soon in Baltimore.
Me: If you say so…Newton: He’s a good dude, young married, happy… he’s smart and he knows what he’s talking about. He used to be an activist or something for education reform. He recognized that he had a knack for matching up his friends. He saw that there was a hole in the market for a Black matchmaker and decided to put some true effort behind this talent. Google his name Paul Brunson and see what comes up.
Me: I’ll look him up. Send me the info about his upcoming event.
The night of the Baltimore Quarterly was pretty cool. Some attractive men showed up and of course it was a packed house full of women. I mingled with a group of friends and then introduced myself to organizers of the Quarterly Paul Carrick Brunson and his business partner, fellow matchmaker Brandon Scott. There was a buzz going around the lounge. I could tell that all the guests were anxious to meet and mingle. Admittedly, I grew very restless and dare I say it, bored watching the first few rounds of flow dating. So I got up and began emulating T. French, of http://www.frenchkissez.com/, as she instructed the flow daters on what to do at the end of each round. Because I was dress so fiercely (pat on my own back) and was telling other guests what to do in a flirty, upbeat way, I kind of just assumed a role on the team. It was fun so I just ran with it. At the end of the night I was chatting it up with Brandon and Paul and thanking them for letting me pretend to be a hostess. A couple of days later, I received a call from Brandon asking if I would like to join their team as a logistics manager. He said that he and Paul really liked my initiative and upbeat personality. I was extremely flattered by their offer and accepted without haste. So there I was with a snazzy new title and some new responsibilities to look forward to. I relied on Brandon and T. French for guidance because I’d never helped plan a speed dating event (or any other large scale social event) and the next event was being held in New York City! For the two months, I participated in conference calls, team brainstorming sessions, back-and-forth emails, etc in support of The Quarterly-New York. My major role was to assess the layout of our venue Greenhouse (http://www.greenhouseusa.com/newyork) and plan the flow of the entire evening from registration to let out.
On the day of The Quarterly, I was responsible for supporting the registration manager, providing guidance and instruction to volunteers, maintaining the flow of daters and mixers, coordinate the sponsors and the swag bags, and help get all guests out of the venue by a predetermined timeframe… all while rocking a beautiful orange mini-dress and 4in black suede Mary Janes by Jessica Simpson. Talk about being on my game! The night had its up and downs, but in the words of B. Scott it was a “TRULY EPIC EVENT”. I was exhausted but completely pumped about how well the event had gone! All totaled up, we had over 300 people attend with nearly 150 flow daters. I am told now that we made over 150 matches as a result of The Quarterly and I’m anxious to hear about if any genuine relationships blossom from that number. It was bittersweet driving back to home from New York. The Quarterly was finally over and I received a lot of positive feedback. I sat in my bed on the Monday afterwards and for the first time since forever I felt a sense of purpose. Like I was able to shine at something that felt interesting, dynamic, and fast pace enough to hold my attention and utilize a lot of my natural talents. I pray that this takes off because I would gladly walk away from my current career path as OneDegreeFromMe moves upward.
Check the video @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpyQh93c8A8I thought about what I would say if ever interviewed about my work with Paul, Brandon, and the OneDegreeFromMe team… what would I say? Of course me being the dreamer and visionary that I am (again, patting myself on the back, lol), I have prepared a little something just in case:
"Working with Paul Carrick Brunson and Brandon Scott has been amazing! As a member of OneDegreeFromMe, I am excited about the opportunities to plan and organize these epic Quarterly events throughout the US. While The Quarterly offers an opportunity to educate and entertain our guests, our sole purpose is to bring well deserving people together and foster genuine connections. With the mixture of good music, beautiful people and a positive charged atmosphere, love is closer than you think!"
I’m posting a link to the OneDegreeFromMe website, contact info and some other associated links. See below:
- OneDegreeFromMe website: http://onedegreefrom.me/
- Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/OneDegreeFromMe
- Twitter page: http://twitter.com/onedegreefromme
- Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/OneDegreeFromMe
If you’d like to attend an upcoming Quarterly flow dating event, check out http://www.meetup.com/Quarterly/ for the most up-to-date information!
So that’s my spill… Ms. Mickel has turned herself into an event planner and has jumped on an opportunity to be a promoter, planner, swag bag stuffer, social intern, and socialite! Okay, maybe not a socialite, but who knows. I’m having fun and enjoying the new connections being formed. I will pray for continued success for Mr. Brunson, Mr. Scott, and everyone else taking this trip with me.
I hope you all are grinding for your dreams and not sitting idle while the world passes you by…
Be well,
Mickel
“Sacrificing more than most could imagine, for a life that most can only dream of...” – Mr. Newton
