After a lifetime in public service, Joseph Patrick Fair was ready for a new challenge.
Joseph enjoys a good challenge. After working in public service all his life, he has done things many of us can never even imagine – getting shot at, rescuing people after Hurricane Katrina, being lowered down from a helicopter onto a rooftop – yet with a smile, he told me that being on camera is definitely “up there” in terms of tough things he’s done.
After retiring, Joseph made a list of things he wanted to do. Next to volunteering with the Red Cross was getting involved with public media. “I said, I’ll go to an informational meeting, I’ll throw my creativity out there and see what happens.”
Joseph now produces his own show at PMN, Spotlight Community Service, where he interviews people working in public service – anyone from teachers to firefighters. He shared what motivated him to create it: “In society, we have a communication barrier where some stuff in the media is polarized. So you see only the good side or the bad side of something. The goal of my show is just to focus on the service, but not the political side of it.”
He hopes the stories spark curiosity and possibility in its audience. “Maybe a kid’s watching and they want to become a firefighter someday or a psychologist or something. Then they get to watch the interview and hopefully consider pursuing that later on.”
But the process wasn’t easy. Joseph became a part of something that inspired him, but also challenged him. “I found I was a little excited each day. Like, am I gonna be able to figure this out or am I gonna crash and burn?”
Being surrounded by creativity in a collaborative environment helped him to get more used to operating outside of his comfort zone. “I was going through that thought process – what if I fail? What if I fumble? …But there has not been any judgment here. I got a little comfortable being uncomfortable. I think that’s what this place has done for me.”
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