Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Bienvenidos and leaders in quebran tables. Soy Jose Pereira. Yoy hablamos del verdadero liderasco frente lo mayor television.
Buenas tardes.
Joe Fui un CEO de Lendusta Petrolera. Fui CEO Enchidgo Petroleum.
So bienvenido aqui alidre Jose Pereira yete un programa don de profunda en lo principios de la residencia. La authentecidad, la capacidad paralliderar y hace el cambio hoy 10 un granor de conversar con Bruce Mehring.
Bruce Mehring es fundador the Bruce Maring public relations and celebratory speakers. Bruce Merric aconstruido una carrera le gendaria pormade cinquenta de entertenimiento.
Bruce a representado iconos anivel mundiale como Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, inclusive aprecidentes de los Estados Unidos.
El es conocido como Mr. Las Vegas e sumpionero de las relaciones publica y representacion de conferencista. Conectando avicionario convodiencias en tod el mundo.
Bruce.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: Muchas gracias. Hola de Vegas.
[00:02:35] Speaker A: Bruce.
[00:03:39] Speaker B: So and ingles. When I began my career, I was so fortunate that my mom was there to guide me. From the time that I was a little guy in Nueva York till Las Vegas, she guided me. And my mom was responsible for me going to the UCLA film school. Very famous film school, probably the most famous film school in the world. And when I was done at the film school, my mom suggested, Bruce, why don't you try to get a job at MGM Studios, the most famous famoso studio in all of the world. I got a job at MGM Studios thanks to my mom. Madre dulce.
And when I was working at MGM, this was in 1972, El Presidente de MGM, he is a blondo conmigo. He says, bruce, would you like to meet Elvis Presley? We have a brand new film that's coming out. It's called Elvis on Tour. Bruce, would you like to have lunch with Elvis Presley in the commissary?
So I told el presidente, oh, my God, Elvis muy famoso. Oh, me gusta mucho.
So I went to the commissary. I met Elvis Presley in the commissary. I sat down and I said to Elvis Presley, I said, elvis, we are really going to get along. We are both mama's boys. And Elvis Loved it. He absolutely loved it. So thanks to my mom, my very first client. El primero Elvis Presley. El rey El rey de mustica so.
[00:05:25] Speaker A: Mucho suerte una ves que tu logas contactar con Elvis Victoria Blues When I.
[00:05:41] Speaker B: Began working with Elvis Presley, it was at MGM Studios, the movie. And by the way, I tell all your viewers, if they get a chance, it was made in 1972. It's called Elvis On Tour. It's a very, very good film. So I did all the publicidad. All the publicidad. I did the publicity at mgm. We did many news releases that went out all over the world. And I was able to set up interviews for Elvis Presley. So that was my first time working in Publicidad.
So the publicity for Elvis went great.
But then after mgm, I continued working with Elvis Presley on many of his films here in Las Vegas. Many people know Elvis Presley was a big star. He was an entertainer at the International Hotel. I was at the International hotel for over 500 conciertos. Conciertos. So I got to see Elvis and I got to work with Elvis. And many of your guests, viewers, know Elvis Presley.
You know, he was so famous. So. So the King, after he went to heaven, after he went to Cielo, there was a new producto that came out, a producto called Elvis Presley Wine.
And the Colonel, Colonel Parker came to me, came to Bruce, he said, bruce, will you handle the publicidad on Elvis Presley Wine? So I did the publicidad on Elvis Presley Wine. And it was a very big success. But I owe so much of my carrera, my carrera to Elvis because he was the first celebrity that really started me in working with super estrellas. So mucho suerte. Mucho suerte. Elvis te amo.
[00:07:32] Speaker A: Bruce, tuque a travajado contenta celebridad. Por que de amo poco ma.
[00:07:52] Speaker B: See muchas many, many celebrities that I got to work with in my early career. Jose, in my early career, imagine, in anyo numero uno, I worked with Michael Landon. I worked with Johnny Carson, I worked with Muhammad Ali, I worked with Jackie Robinson. That was in Anno numero uno. So I was very, very, very lucky. And Michael Landon. Many of your viewers know Michael Landon.
Muy faboso. Television, Bonanza, highway to Heaven, Little House on the Prairie.
But una cuenta. I think your people would enjoy the first time that I met Michael Landon. And there is Michael again. Gracias. Madre dulce.
My madre told me, she told me that Michael Landon was shooting a film at the studio where we had an officina, we had an office there.
So she said, bruce, why don't you go try to meet Michael Landon at the studio?
So because the people at the big studio knew me, they let me inside the studio. And when Michael Landon finished doing a scene as an actor, when he was done with the scene, I went up to Michael Landon, I took out a business card, Jose. And I said, Mr. Landon, if I ever have a chance to have lunch with you, it would mean the mundo to me. I would love to have lunch with you. Two weeks later, Joseph, he called me up, he said, bruce, why don't we get together for lunch? I'd love to meet you for lunch. And Jose, at that lunch with Michael Landon, you know, muy famoso, he says, bruce, this is very exciting. I'm working on a brand new TV series. It's called Little House on the Prairie. I just got chills. I got chills thinking about it. So when I was working with Michael Landon at the beginning, he was just starting working on Little House on the Prairie, which became one of his signature TV series after Bonanza. So I was so, so lucky. And Michael was definitely one of my favoritos. I just loved Michael Landon.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: Segimo en proximo segmento entrevitando a Bruce, Mary.
Television estamos viendo leaders in Kerr antables and NOW Media Television of aboritos de NOW Media TV Envivo o bajo de manda cuando quieran de cargan aplicacion gratuita de Now Media TV and Roku and iOS Web and www.NowMediaTV de denegocios y noticias hasta stilos de vida cultura y mas now Media TV trafficuatrora.
[00:12:57] Speaker B: Well, thank you for that question.
In answering that question, and we're talking about leadership, I have to tell you a story about Johnny Carson, because working with Johnny Carson in year number one, he was an amazing leader. When you think about Johnny Carson, probably he was the most famous talk show television host of all time. And I was a young man, I was muy hoven, muy hoven when I started working with Johnny. So he really taught me a lot about leadership because I had many meetings with Johnny. I was at his TV show probably more than 500 times.
I had many lunches with Johnny. So when it comes to leadership, he was so important to me as a young man in telling me in terms of how one can deal with leadership. And one of the things that Johnny discussed with me and I think your viewers would enjoy Johnny talked to me about empathy because I feel, Jose, that all leaders, if there's one, one wonderful trait that they could have, it would be empathy. And Johnny said, Bruce, to have empathy, it's really important to stand in the shoes of the other person, try to feel what their feelings are, be empathetic, listen.
And in terms of listening and empathy, I will share with you one of the things that all of the celebrities that guested on Johnny Carson's show would say. Johnny is such a good listener. He listens to us. He doesn't interrupt. He listens.
So I think when it comes to leadership, not only is empathy very, very important, being able to stand in somebody else's shoes, but the other thing in being a. Being really good leader is being able to listen, not interrupting the person all the time. But if you're a good leader, you're listening and listening to what the other people have to say and giving them an opportunity to talk to you as an equal. As an equal.
So that's one thing I would say to you right away about leadership. Empathy, to me is very important.
[00:15:42] Speaker A: The algun leader, the alguna celebridad que tenido a failure como a. Como asido tu eperiencia manejando eto casas.
[00:15:55] Speaker B: Okay?
So aqui esta una cuenta cerca de un astronato. Muy famoso. Okay? Muy famoso. At the beginning, when the astronauts were first starting, there were seven astronauts who were muy famoso. They were called the original seven astronauts in the United States.
And a movie was actually made, a very successful movie called the Right Stuff. And it was about seven astronauts who started the space program. And you're in Houston right now. That's really the space program started. So in terms of a Picasso, in terms of a situation that I had to deal with, an astronaut, very famous. His name is Scott Carpenter. Now, at the time, he was one of the original seven astronauts out of Houston. Very, very famous astronaut. And so you know that I'm booking habladores muy famosos. So I booked Scott Carpenter for McDonnell Douglas, one of the biggest, biggest aerospace companies in the world.
I booked him in Florida, in Orlando, Florida. He was the main oblador. He was numero uno. People came from todo el mundo to hear Scott Carpenter speak.
So I was at the podium and the dais with all the presidentes, the big, big people from McDonnell Douglas, and Scott Carpenter was centauro, right next to me. Muy proximo.
They introduced Scott Carpenter to the audience. They were probably DSMIL people that were in the audience. Over 10,000 people in the audience. Now here's the part that was el problema grande. Scott Carpenter walked up to the podium. We all noticed he was not walking steadily. There was a problem with his walking when he got to the podium, when he is a blondo and his words were coming out, he was slurring his words. So in other words, all of us knew immediate. He was borracho. Imaginese the astronaut, muy famoso. He's borracho in front of 10, 10,000 people and oh my God, Mikada. Oh, it was very difficult. So what happened?
The president of McDonnell Douglas went up to the podium within. Un minuto, un minuto. He went up to Scott, he said, Mr. Carpenter, I think you need to sit down.
So what happened there?
The very famous astronaut, Scott Carpenter, he was drunk, he was borracho.
So. Oh, I was so embarrassed. I felt terrible. It was one of the worst things that ever happened to me when I booked the speaker.
But what wound up happening, fortunately, out of that incident, he did. He actually wrote a book. He recovered. He was an alcoholic and of course everybody knew that he was, but he wrote a book and he recovered and he never went back to drinking again.
But in terms of an embarrassment for me, it was one of the most embarrassing things that I, that I ever had because he was this very famous astronaut and everybody flew all around the world to see him, but he was boracho.
So, you know, and. Yeah, yeah, but we all learned a good lesson there because later, one year later, Scott called me on the phone. He said, bruce, thanks to you and the people of McDonnell Douglas, I'm now sober and I will never take another drink. And he never did.
But at the time it was very embarrassing for me. Very embarrassing.
Yeah, I, I think because, you know, I, I've been fortunate to work with so many people. You in, in answer to your question, I just flashed on another incredible entertainer that I got to work with. Robin Williams. Robin Williams. And there's a reason that I'm mentioning Robin Williams. Everybody knows he was one of the most famous stand up comedians of all times. And he was in so many great, great films. For example, Mrs. Doubtfire. Mrs. Doubtfire. Everybody loved him in Mrs. Doubtfire and good Morning Vietnam and Dead Poet Society. But the reason that I'm mentioning Robin, he became a really good friend of mine and I had an amazing experience with Robin Williams. If we have time on this segment, I'll tell you a client from bank of America called Me up. They said, bruce, we'd like to book Robin Williams. We know you book Robin Williams. Would Robin consider coming and doing a special surprise presentation?
We're going to have 10,000 people in the audience and we'd like him to come out as Mrs. Doubtfire, dressed up as Mrs. Doubtfire. Will you ask Robin would he consider doing that?
So I called up Robin and Robin said, yes. He said, si, let's do it. So it was a big sor presa because what happened when they opened up the curtain, out comes Mrs. Doubtfire. All the audience, they knew the Sorpresa was that Mrs. Doubtfire. It was Robin Williams there on the stage and he did an amazing job. He got a standing ovation and then he did his stand up comedy. But after the show, we sat down, both of us, we were privato, just the two of us. He said, bruce, it means the world that we're working together because all the people in the public, you know, they know me as the funny, funny Robin Williams. He says, but honestly, Bruce, and you've gotten to know me, I have a dark side as well. I have a dark side as well. He says, sometimes I'm very depressed and, you know, the public doesn't really know. They don't know my feelings. But when I'm private, there are times that I'm very, very depressed. So that's one of the special things about working in my arena, that you get to know these celebrities as real people, not just under the lights where, you know, in some ways they're acting. So that was my Robin Williams story. I hope it's helpful to the people and the viewers that are watching.
[00:23:45] Speaker A: For Now Media Television and now Media Television, Bruce Maring la dificultad esta enque cambiatan rapido la Persona.
[00:25:05] Speaker B: Ah una pregunte increible.
So to start out, when we talk about legacy, a term that I like to use that all my clients in different ways have taught me was the term impact lives.
You have a gift. Un tesoro de oro. You impact lives.
For me in my business for 52 years, the reason that I am blessed by God, by the Os, is because my clients, when they go out and do speaking engagements, they impact the lives of the audiences. And that's why my legacy that I want and that I have is that I'm able, not only me, Bruce Marin, but my clientes are able to go out and impact lives. An example with this would be I've been blessed to be able to book some of the most famous motivational and inspirational speakers in the world. Blessed. But Dr. Wayne Dyer. I'd like to mention Dr. Wayne Dyer, because when I first met Dr. Dyer, it was at the beginning of his career. He was just starting to get muy famoso. But Dr. Dyer became one of my favorite inspirational and motivational speakers, and I had booked him in Palm Beach, Florida. There was a big crowd of about 10,000 people there in Palm Beach.
At the end of his talk, as always, he got a thunderous standing ovation. They just loved Dr. Dyer. And then he went backstage and he signed a lot of books. But then I was seated with Dr. Dyer after his talk, and I said, Dr. Dyer, the people in the audience absolutely loved you.
You really impacted the lives of everybody out there in the audience. He says, bruce, I like that line, impact lives. You ought to use that line, because that's what we all do. You impact lives.
You book speakers like me that impact lives. And I have the ability to go out worldwide and impact the lives of different people. And another example of this would be my very first sports client was Jackie Robinson. Now, when we think about people that have impacted the lives of billions, and I'm saying billions of people, when Jackie Robinson started playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was the only black person, the only negro in baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers that was playing at the time. And he took a lot of abuse, a lot of sadness. And it's great to see that photo of me with Jackie. But when I met Jackie for the very first time, it was in Los Angeles, and I said, jackie, again, using that word, impact lives. I said, jackie, you impacted my life because as a young kid, I went to Ebbets Field and I saw you play for the Dodgers, and you're one of my heroes. So to think, Jackie, that now I'm able to work with you and we're able together to be able to impact lives. That's a really, really special thing. And I shared some very special stories with Jackie because as a black man, I understood what he was dealing with in those early years as a Dodger.
And there was one experience I'd like to share with you and your viewers, because I told this to Jackie, and he actually had tears coming down his. His cheeks. At the time, we were living in Queens, New York, and we drove in my dad and Mom's DeSoto. We drove to Miami to visit my grandma and grandpa. We stopped at a gas station, a filling station, as they called it back then in South Carolina. When I got out of the car at the filling station, I noticed in the restrooms, one sign said white, the other sign said Negroes.
So I went up to my mom and dad. When I went back to the car, I said, why do the Negroes have to use a bathroom all by themselves?
And they explained to me back then they weren't able to be able to gather with the white people. So when I told that story to Jackie, he had tears coming down his cheeks because Jackie told me, he says, yeah, in the early years, I couldn't even eat in the restaurants with the white people.
So again, here's a wonderful story of how Jackie was able to impact my life. And then subsequently, when I did book Jackie for speaking engagements, he was able to tell some of the stories, how he was able to impact lives as well.
[00:29:45] Speaker A: Bruce?
[00:30:19] Speaker B: Yeah. What I'd like to say to you is a compliment to everybody who's watching when we talk about a leadero.
It's you. It's you. Jose, I admire and respect everything that you had to go through. I mean, imagine here you're the president and CEO of Citco. You get kidnapped, you're sequestrado for what cinco anos.
And what you had to go through during those cinco anos was unbelievable. But you had the faith in God. Ah, gracis Dios.
And then after, finally, you were let go. Just think of the way that you are now impacting the lives of billions all around the world. Being able to tell your story as a leadero, because you really are a libero, because you experienced firsthand some of the most sad incidents that anybody should ever have to go through. You know, you were tortured.
So I think as leadero, all the things that you learned way after Citco, you're now able to go out and talk to audiences and really impact the lives of audiences because of your personal experience.
And I really admire and respect. Yes.
[00:32:08] Speaker A: Daniel Grossman, the kprc, the Macarons, Qualcommendazia.
[00:32:45] Speaker B: Ah, well, when you were asking me that question, I flashed on Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali. He was my second sports client, as you know. Now, when I first met Ali, and there's a reason I'm answering you with Muhammad Ali, I was born in Louisville, Kentucky. I was born in Louisville. Muhammad Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky.
So when I first met Ali, I told him how much I admired him. This is a story that I think you'll enjoy, you know, based on our segment time, you know that I was in Vietnam. I was in Vietnam for eight months. Luckily, I made it back, although I had an incident where my very best friend unfortunately was killed by a sniper and he died in my arms.
So when I met Ali for the first time, we had a very talk muisterioso.
He lost three years of his life fighting because he was a conscientious objector. Ali was a conscientious, anxious objector. So he refused, you know, to go into water. He would not be in a guerra.
So I told Ali, I said, ali, I really respect you. I was in Vietnam. I saw the terrors of war. But the fact that you were able to give three years of your life away from boxing because of your beliefs in your corazon, you did not believe in guerra in luxando.
So Ali and I really got along because I admired and respected his view. In Ali's corazon, he never would be in a guerra.
So I hope maybe that helps just explain in a different way. Ali impacted lives of so many people, but for his beliefs, he was not willing to get a gun and go out and kill people. No reflex for him, you know. So that's something that I admired.
[00:35:43] Speaker A: And now. Media Television Sigurd projectavoni mahempolica lol Bruce.
[00:37:03] Speaker B: I think that is a good question.
And being authentic to me is so important. As you know, we're celebrating our 52 year anniversary. And one of the things that I do take pride in is I demand being authentic. Never, as you know the word phony, I never ever want to come off as being a phony. I want to be authentic. I want to care about people. And when you were asking me that question, I just flashed on somebody that was so authentic to me and somebody that really meant the world to me. And that was Ed McMahon. As we know, Ed McMahon was the star along with Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. And the reason I'm talking about being authentic, Ed was the funny guy on Johnny Carson. You know, he was the guy with the big guffaw laugh. And he was the guy that would always be there with Johnny to make Johnny look good and be laughing all the time. But Ed also was muy serioso and he was very authentic. And this is where I want to talk to you about being authentic.
One of his passions was the charity called St. Jude's we all know St. Jude's Danny Thomas started St. Jude's and it's one of the most amazing nonprofits of all time. I had the pleasure of working with Danny Thomas, but I also had the pleasure of working with Ed McMahon. So when we're talking about being authentic, Ed would fly from Hollywood here to Las Vegas, many times. And I would meet Ed.
The reason I would meet him is that Ed was doing television commercials for St. Jude's he was doing TV commercials for Danny Thomas here. So when we talk about being authentic, Ed was never paid for these TV commercials. He did them pro bono for free.
But Ed was so authentic in his love for the kids, these kids that were unfortunately suffering from very serious problems.
So when Ed would come in here, we would go to this church here in Las Vegas. It was a church that was run by Father Ward, very spiritual young man. But when you mentioned about authenticity, Ed was so authentic about his love for the kids. And we all remember when, to this day, we see the commercials for St. Jude's on television all around the world. But when Ed came here to Las Vegas, his authentic feelings, his heart, were for these kids that sadly were suffering. And he really, really, really cared. So when we talk about authenticity, my goodness, Ed flashed in my brain immediately because he was so authentic. So for me as well, in my business, I feel that it's imperative, the English word. I feel it's imperative to be authentic, because with our heart, if we're authentic, other people can pick up. They see that. So if we're authentic with our corazon, that's a really important thing. So to me, I take pride in impacting lives and also taking pride in being authentic, because I think it's one of the really important traits that hopefully everybody can display in being authentic. And that also goes for my love for love, you know, my love for Jesus, you know, the same thing. Being authentic to him.
Yeah, yeah. For me, the faith. And I know you're aware of that, but the people that are watching for me, my faith means so much to me. I know that you're aware that in my office here in Las Vegas, every day, I listen to the Christian radio station, SOS Radio. I listen to it every day.
And this morning, right before our interview on the radio station, they were playing Cece Wayans, one of my favorite Christian songs of all time. Come, Jesus, come.
Just love, love, love, love that song. And right before that song, there was another song on the radio that I love.
And anyway, Jesus is in my corazon. And I know that you know that. And he's an important part of my life, and I pray every night. And my spirituality is a very important part of who I am. So in the Galicia or in my Ovicina or at my casa, I love Jesus.
Well, one thing that I would say, as you know, and I mentioned earlier, I owe everything in my Life. Everything to my maid, Dulce. Everything to my ma dere Dulce. She lived to be 98 and a half. And luckily for me, she never had Alzheimer's. She never had any bad problems. So I was able to speak with her to the last day I was able to speak to her.
And there was just such love every time that I was able to be with my mom. But what I do want to share with you, when I was with my mom on her ultima dia. Her ultima dia, I was holding her hand, Jose. I was holding her hand, she was squeezing my hand. And I said, mom, I love you with all my heart. And you have always meant the world to me. And. And just know when you go to heaven, you are still going to be with me, Madre Dulce. And I love you with all my heart. And I will never forget all the blessings that you have given to me since the time I was a little infante.
So I felt my mom squeezing my hand. And then slowly I felt her hand leaving my hand. And I knew she was going to El Cielo. But I will say to you, I will never forget what my mom has done for me, because everything that I've accomplished in the world is thanks to my ma de redulce. Does that help answer your question?
Oh, just. I'm sorry, just how the people.
[00:44:46] Speaker A: How the people can follow you. What is the best way to follow you?
[00:44:49] Speaker B: Thank you. Very nice of you. Isn't that funny that on that one question on Facebook, it's very easy. On Facebook it's my name, Bruce. Bruce Marin. On Instagram, it's Bruce Maron speakers. And on LinkedIn it's Bruce Marin.
So those are different ways that the people can follow me. And by the way, you are the biggest blessing of the year. I've got to tell you.
I just want to tell you one thing. Mi numeno favorito es cuatro. Okay? Cuatro. Nasi el cuatro dia de Abril. Y mira, el cuatro dia di siembre. Nos vemos en Vegas.
See.
[00:46:23] Speaker A: Jose Pereira ytracido leaders in quebrantables. Gracias atal approxima.