We recently had the chance to connect with Bruce Wawrzyniak and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Bruce, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
I would most definitely hire myself, without reservation. (If not, then there’s a problem.) People who work hard will always get noticed for such, and I have always prided myself on doing exactly that. You won’t win too many people over by being a slacker or cutting corners. And even if you’re a solopreneur, being lazy will crush your business. My dedication, my hard work, are why I’m able to get as much done as I do, although I’d like to think that my personality is also as pleasing to others as I know it would be to me if I was considering hiring myself.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a longtime publicist, running Now Hear This, which is a PR agency that has clients all throughout the U.S. Over the years we have been fortunate to serve indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more. I am also exceptionally proud to report that I recently was chosen as a Member of the Recording Academy!
At some point I changed my LinkedIn profile to start off by saying that I have made peace with the fact that I have been blessed with the gift of gab. Ironically, I’m often heard saying that this life isn’t about me, it’s about Him (pointing to heaven). That translates over to my business in that I love that my work allows me to tell others about all the great things that the Now Hear This clients are doing. Meaning, I’m not talking about myself.
Since February 2014 I have been podcasting every week, and that too allows me to put the spotlight on deserving music creators via guest interviews, rather than just talking alone on each episode.
My business and my podcasting have resulted in lots and lots of speaking opportunities, where I get to share my experience and insights with audiences near and far — including having spoken at an event in the UK!
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
While my parents emphasized the importance of a strong work ethic, I do feel that the discipline I learned by working for my grandfather really had a huge impact on me.
He had an enormous stand (selling produce) at an open-air market. I would work there every Saturday, from maybe 6 or 7am to 5pm. If it was closer to 7am then his greeting would be, “Good afternoon.” Papa, as us grandkids called him, would arrive at 3:30am to go do his buying and then set up — five days a week. So to see his grandson stroll in at 7am necessitated a lesson in ‘the early bird gets the worm.’
In addition, by 5pm he would be one of the last vendors still set up, knowing that that one last customer might still come around, while his competitors around him had all packed up their tables and trucks and gone home. I’d love to know how much those late sales added up to over the years, although it taught me about dedication.
His routine and his commitment clearly made an impression on me.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Two lessons that I’ve learned out of suffering are that you need to choose to get back up and that God must have special plans for me.
If everything was all sunshine and roses, you would expect that there would never be adversity and thus there would be no lessons learned.
I have gone through two open-heart surgeries, two strokes, a motorcycle accident, an emotional divorce, a bout with Covid that hospitalized me for a week (only to come home and get worse before I got better), plus I am in chronic atrial fibrillation, with doctors telling me I’m too far gone and there’s nothing more that can be done about it.
I share these stories with anything but a desire for pity. On the contrary. I tell people what I’ve gone through because to look at me you would never know, which should inspire people to not only take care of themselves but realize the choice you have in adversity. You can hang your head and feel, ‘Woe is me,” or you can get up, dust yourself off, and keep pushing ahead. After all, for me to have come through all that I’ve been dealt, there clearly is something in store for me that I need to keep staying at the ready for.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
With me, what you see is what you get, whether I’m sitting at my desk working, out at a restaurant eating a meal, driving in my Jeep, out of town on a business trip, up on a stage speaking at an event, or sitting in front of the TV doing something I’ve heard is called ‘relaxing.’
If you adopt a different persona in one or more settings, it’s almost like telling a lie — you have to remember the specifics so you can duplicate it over and over. I’m busy enough that I don’t need that extra work just to become what I think other people need to see.
The fact is, I’m humble and I’m genuine and I care, so why not exhibit those qualities everywhere I go?
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
As I said earlier, I was blessed with the gift of gab. Talking — whether about my clients or to guests that I interview on my two podcasts — is what I was born to do.
I have done lots of broadcasting (and still do some, in fact) and know that I am being of service in the various environments where I’m taking the lead through communicating, as opposed to talking for the sake of talking, or talking because I want to be the center of attention.
No one told me that this is what I should do and I think that’s what makes me peaceful about it. This was organic and felt logical. So many people get nervous having to talk in public or in a meeting or when they’re being interviewed (for a job or on a podcast or by traditional media), whereas to me, I’m in my element in those settings.
Interestingly, I think it puts people at ease that I can be counted on to start a conversation and/or keep it going as opposed to awkward silence.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://now-hear-this.net/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowhearthisentertainment/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucewawrzyniak/
- Twitter: https://www.x.com/NHT_tweets
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NowHearThisInc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/watchNHT
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nowhearthisinc
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nowhearthisentertainment
http://bit.ly/spotifyNHTE
