I’m a Florida boy. Didn’t see snow till I was a junior in college at Michigan State University. I graduated in 1957 (Dick Nixon gave the commencement address) and came to New York and Allied Stores hired me as an executive sales Promotion trainee—for $3400 a year—I took home $200 a month after taxes.

Yes, I remember those days. They didn’t hurt. A few years later, married by then, we had our first child—in Syracuse. I was up to $6,000 a year as a copywriter. When my second daughter came along 19 months later, I was working in NYC for a small ad agency for $9,000 a year. Overnight (it seems) I was a creative copy supervisor in a giant agency, and we were richer than Croesus—I was earning $30,000 a year. We lived in Larchmont, NY, as pretty and nice a town as you can find for raising children. Then one day, because I always knew there were other trees to climb, I accepted a big job as Creative Director of the largest advertising office in South America—J. Walter Thompson’s Buenos Aires, Argentina office. They moved the four of us plus all our furnishings of a nine room house.

It was exciting. The girls were 11 and 9, and we were there for some politically circus-worthy years—Peron, who had raped Argentina in earlier years with his killer wife, Evita at his side, returned to Argentina, and the Argentines did the impossible—re-elected Juan Peron as President, and he named his new wife, Isabellita, as Vice-President. Then Juan died, and She, yes, that one, became La Presidente! What else happened those years? Oh yes, Nixon resigned, whenever I was in NYC on business all people could talk about was Watergate, but all that mattered to me were The Peronistas in Argentina; the Junta in Chile; and the Tupamaros in Uruguay. I learned back then you can’t live on two continents. And besides, I had Ford, Pan Am, Kodak and Lever Brothers, depending on my creative leadership, plus a staff of 40 Creativos. My secretary was a young Communist. He didn't speak one word of English. Working overseas puts a lot of demands on you.
 

In 2013, by divine intervention, I ended up at a Master Hypnotist Society, Hypnosis Boot Camp.  I knew no one and to this day I really don’t know how I ended up there. But, it was meant to be and I have been with the Master Hypnotist Society and under Scott McFall’s mentorship ever since.  2015 is when The Canadian Hypnosis Academy, a division of the Master Hypnotist Society Canada was created.

Jeremy Ferguson is the placemaking director in Santa Monica’s Downtown. He is deeply involved in professional and community activities centered around placemaking, including general, creative, and tactical placemaking projects. Jeremy is also on the Board of Directors for the Santa Monica History Museum and works closely with children’s programs such as the YMCA, PAL, and the Boys and Girls Clubs. As an Ambassador for the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, he actively participates in various initiatives to promote community engagement and development.

Jeremy’s interest in Route 66, especially its terminus in Santa Monica, ties into his professional expertise in civil infrastructure. He is focused on the history and placemaking elements along Route 66 as it approaches its centennial in 2026.

He is committed to equity and supports LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Women’s rights communities. Jeremy’s dedication to sustainability, community building, and high-quality, locally sourced foods aligns with his health choices. He aims to establish his professional brand to spearhead discussions on placemaking and community building while generating revenue to support nonprofits such as Heal the Bay and the Santa Monica History Museum.

Alan is a contemporary violinist hailing from Washington, DC., who at the age of 5 announced to his parents that he wanted to learn to play the violin after visiting a music “petting zoo.” After attending the Duke Ellington School of the Arts he continued his education at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and Valencia, Spain.

Alan toured in Spain and he has traveled to Bolivia where he performed the Bolivian National Anthem with other musicians on the Salarde Uyuni, (world’s largest Salt Flat). He has performed at the White House for former first Lady Michelle Obama and led Patti Labelle’s orchestra as concert- master at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C.

Alan has interest in film and has arranged and played strings for a major film. Presently Alan is enjoying performing throughout Los Angeles,California and is recording his first solo album.

Versed in classical, hip-hop, river dance and jazz. Alan brings his background in violin training and skills in music production to create a unique music style whether performing solo or with a group.

Alan is grateful for all of his teachers/mentors. Music is inspiring for Ala and he enjoys bringing happiness to others thru his music, and envisions his future working with big names in the music industry and performing his original compositions internationally.

In his spare time he enjoys hiking, traveling, cooking, holistic living, listening to music and spending time with family and friends.

Together with Bill & Hillary Clinton, Pope Francis and a select few among journalists throughout the world, Sarah Kendzior was named by Foreign Policy Magazine as one of the “the 100 people you should be following on Twitter to make sense of global events”. In October 2013, St. Louis Magazineprofiled Ms. Kendzior as one of 15 inspirational people under 35 in St. Louis. Frequently in the media, Sarah has appeared on the BBC World Service, CBC, HuffPost Live, and Al-Jazeerah for whom she is an op-ed columnist. Among Ms. Kendzior's specialties are the authoritarian states of Central Asia and the former Soviet Union. The work of this prodigious writer is indispensable for a thorough understanding of what is happening behind the scenes of our world.