Ryan Alford [00:00:05] Hey guys, this is Ryan Alford, welcome to the Radical Company Podcast, it's podcast Friday here at Radical, and it's gloomy and rainy like it's been every day in Greenville. It’s like perma rain out there out the window today. Hope you like the news said if you're watching the video, we've got the video and the audio, but really excited about our guest today. 

Nigel Robertson [00:00:30] I'm sorry I'm here. 

Ryan Alford [00:00:32] Nigel Robertson, WIIFM news for here in Greenville anchor and got a lot of stories to tell which we'll get into the Nigel man. So blessed to have you on the show today. 

Nigel Robertson [00:00:43] I am. I am so thankful to be here. OK, I've told you I saw your work and radicals work long before we ever met. I was something that you guys are doing that is amazing. To be able to be here today, live on all these platforms and to be part of the story is. So I'm honored to be here. 

Ryan Alford [00:01:05] Well, we appreciate the kind words, but you've got a lot more stories than we do some of the things you've done, which I can't wait to delve into. But we've been starting as a little bit of a warm up a little bit. And we'll have some of your stuff on screen. We've got a lot of them in person. But what's been on the radar for you the last couple of weeks, either in pop culture? I know we said we weren't going to go down the politics path, but in the news, either locally or whatever, anything caught your eye the last couple of weeks. 

Nigel Robertson [00:01:43] I got to tell you, I'm a tech junkie. I love technology. And, I'm definitely in the Apple ecosystem and I'm very upfront about that on the iPhone, iwatch. 

Ryan Alford [00:01:54] But that's exactly, 

Nigel Robertson [00:01:58] When I saw Samsung unveil that foldable phone. It was like I was just seeing it and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Now, I'm not saying I'm buying or I'll go to the store and see it, but that technology for many facets and I'm sure we'll get into a technology I find amazing. But I also find it so necessary to understand it, to understand all the platforms that are out there, because as we get into this world of, from phones to smartphones to now phones, that could start your apps, that can start your car. And where we are going with this with VR augmented reality is amazing. Yeah. And I want to be in the forefront of it, at least knowing all about it. Yeah. So warning here as we do this live, I can talk forever. So, I think at seven tonight.

Ryan Alford [00:03:09] There are some strategies here Kneisel. I like to have my guest talk like,

Nigel Robertson [00:03:14] So someone may have to do this  for a living.

Ryan Alford [00:03:15] We won't do that. But I love the phone. We've got it up on screen. Yeah. I mean, I'm the same way Apple. I did Google Android phones at the start and haven't done a lot of Verizon work. I was able to switch out phones almost monthly, but this has caught my attention as well. I don't know yet. And I hold it like it's a gimmick. I mean, it's eighteen hundred dollars, like it's certainly like a laptop, but I guess the functionalities there, you can warrant it. But it will be interesting whether it's a gimmick or the next way forward. 

Nigel Robertson [00:03:52] But it would be epic to watch me on the five o'clock news on it. 

Ryan Alford [00:03:56] Yeah that would be cool. Yes it was what I did. I did. You need the big screen, to get all the features. What's interesting is like if you put this lens on, if Apple had done that, how do you think it would be immediately like if that was an iPad, it opened immediately. Like the iPhone. IPad, right. I wonder if if it would just be gangbusters, but 

Nigel Robertson [00:04:20] Thinking about everyone from Apple to Google or sitting there and seeing this, seeing the hype and the conversation about it. So their engineers are like, how could we do this, do it better? And in our format,

Ryan Alford [00:04:35] Yeah, it almost seems like Apple's playing that game now where they are just making it, they didn't have wireless charging, but they're trying to make it the best. They didn't have some of these features. But there's like they're trying to one up the features instead of maybe innovate as much. Right. And I don't other 

Nigel Robertson [00:04:53] companies have smartwatches before the Apple watch out but it's to whoever can do it and get their brand out there and get people talking about it and then. 

Ryan Alford [00:05:04] Yeah, the Jonas Brothers are back together. Yeah, I see that. I don't know, we're probably a little old for that, but it was interesting nonetheless. 

Nigel Robertson [00:05:16] I guess we have some young folks in the newsroom and they were all talking about it because, like, I didn't know they ever broke up. 

Ryan Alford [00:05:22] And their brothers, did they really break? I don't think they did. They say brothers. I don't think you can divorce your brothers. 

Nigel Robertson [00:05:31] Yeah. 

Ryan Alford [00:05:32] Yeah. And so they did it via carpool karaoke last night. Oh, really? Yeah. One of the brothers in the front seat and the other two guys, he's like, I need to make a stop. The other two guys are back. So that's awesome. Anyway, so that. But does your wife make you watch The Bachelor? No. 

Nigel Robertson [00:05:49] OK, so my wife loves The Bachelor and she watches that. But no, she doesn't. And what's funny is I've got my shows that I watch and it'll be alright, honey. Good night kiss. And then she'll go to one TV, one room, and I'll go upstairs in another room and we'll watch our shows. But she does watch it. She won't even, like, follow those accounts on social media because what she likes to do is record it. Yeah. And then watch 

Ryan Alford [00:06:17] it. The other channel gives it up. Exactly. 

Nigel Robertson [00:06:21] Exactly. She doesn't watch the talk shows and stuff and she doesn't want to spoil Colden. 

Ryan Alford [00:06:26] I think it's going with Hannity. But your wife makes you watch. She's not I look, I will say it's a guilty pleasure. Now I did not want to watch it. It's very formulaic, but I think it's like anything else if you watch it enough. You're all right. I'm vested now in a well and that's like shows and it's crazy. How big is Bachelor Nation is not to be messed with. 

Nigel Robertson [00:06:52] And then even with shows like The Voice, you watch the premiere or you watch the first couple, you fall in love with a character. Like someone's voice. And then you get something and you want to watch. Exactly if there's anyone local on it, you want to cheer them on as well. So, yeah, it's amazing how reality TV and we're on the same page. So when it started, I'm probably a lot older now than when it started. It's amazing to see how it's continued. And it's a genre of television that people love. 

Ryan Alford [00:07:28]It's evolved a lot for sure. And we have a couple clients that have been approached indirectly about it. And it's so we're getting up to speed quickly on all of that process. I've seen it with other clients in another life, but it's changed a little bit now. It's harder to get I mean, there's just there's more platforms, but I think they're more selective because some of these shows go off the rails. 

Nigel Robertson [00:07:57] When will you become when you're on missions, you, I mean, your brand becomes whole. It becomes a whole other ballgame. And an industry. So, I mean, television networks have to be very obviously careful who they're putting up there. But yeah. But yeah, it's amazing to see some of these great stories and the platforms that it gives us. You have your actors, your high paid actors who do what they do and are awesome and win these awards and they have their platforms that they care about and they can help raise funds for these non-profits. Or so we have people everyday world that go on these reality shows and then they have stage. It's great to see so many of them do end up giving. 

Ryan Alford [00:08:41] Yeah, which is nice to see. It is cool man. I want to dig in. Yeah. Let's start like I know you're on the news every night, every day. I'm sure some people know your story, but let's start down like Nigel Robertson history, like I know, like I read, I've done. I've what. I did my homework. Look at you in a like where you're from and all that. But talk about your background. What got you in the news anchoring? I do want to get down really is interesting. We start to get there a little bit. The future of news. Yeah. And the future of. But social with all these channels and all that. Let's get there. But let's start with just the Niger story. Yeah. 

Nigel Robertson [00:09:26] So aside from what you see on the news every day, I am I'm I'm a little kid from Warren, Ohio, but my parents are from Trinidad Tobago in the Caribbean. And my parents, after they got married, they were like they wanted their children to have every opportunity possible. So my father, my grandfather owned a bunch of automotive companies which did stuff with GM. And mind you, this is decades and decades ago. So my father was able to get a work visa and. He came to work for General Motors in the United States, and my parents wanted them to know that if they raise their kids in America, that their kids would have every opportunity possible, which is just beautiful. The fact that my parents moved here, knowing that they wanted with us in mind before we were even born, my brother myself. So I came here and my dad was on a work visa and they became American citizens. And I grew up in Ohio, went to Bowling Green State University, and I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, go to college and graduate from college. And when I was in school, I was a poli sci major. So I love political science and I love the government, not necessarily running for office or anything like that. But I love the story of America and how people can work together and make stuff happen and make this country as awesome as it is. And when you think back to when America started and how it started and it's just it's just an amazing thing. I found it amazing. And I love studying about that. So that was my jam. However, I'm sitting in class and some of my classes were very, very boring. I was like "do I really want to be a poli sci major?'' But as I'm sitting in class, I notice that West Hall at Bowling Green State University, as I'm sitting there, I noticed that I would see students coming out of the basement of West Hall and had cameras and all this gear. And I thought, oh, what's going on down there? Let's rewind a bit. When I was growing up, the news came on at six o'clock. So you had 30 minutes of your local news and 30 minutes of. My parents didn't really let me watch TV growing up, so we were allowed to sit down for that hour and watch the news. So I grew up knowing what was going on in my community, knowing what was going on around the world. I'm not just a political junkie, but I'm also I love geography and love culture and love travel. So I believe that all that in my head started back then. So I loved the fast forward to me walking down the steps to find out what was going on downstairs in West Hollywood University. And I opened the door to this newsroom. There was a student run newsroom. Twenty four and I will never forget they have the printer and the printer was putting out wire copy and it was old school printers. So, yes, the basics. 

Ryan Alford [00:13:20] Yes, that's exactly it. 

Nigel Robertson [00:13:22] And then it had the edges that you could tear off them. So it's feeding through and you could hear that there weren't a lot of networks. Twenty four hour TV back then. So we had networks on the monitors and it was just amazing. People were on one and it was the sights and sounds and the smell of the newsroom. And it was at that moment that. It changed, everything changed, and I thought, if I'm feeling like this right now, this is what I need to be doing. So that's how I got in the news and I sent out VHS tapes all over the country. And I got my first job and I was able to thank God I was able to graduate and be in a car driving down to Florida. My first job was in Florida. I worked there for two years and then I knew someone who knew someone who got me an interview here. Why? If I came here to Greenville in 1999. Ninety nine. 

Ryan Alford [00:14:27] Yeah, I don't know. Has it been that long. 

Nigel Robertson [00:14:28] Yeah. So 20 years this year. But I came here in 1999 and I saw downtown Greenville and I was just blown away by how beautiful this whole area was. And I've never been to this part of the country before in the Carolinas, just kind of spoke to me and I'm like, this is where I'm going to come. But I figured I'd be here three years and then get it, move to Atlanta or D.C. or something like that. I ran. I got to tell you, I, I, I fell in love with this place and the community and my station and the company we work for. And it's just been such a blessing day in and day out. And when I talk to schools, I try to make this appointment. I want kids to think about when they're planning their future is I go a job every single day. That for me is a passion. It's not really a job, and what I try to tell kids is you could find what excites you, what makes you want to get up in the morning and go to that every day? Because all of us, unless we win the lottery, are going to go to work every single day. If you could find your passion for work. Yeah, and that's a beautiful thing. 

Ryan Alford [00:15:53] It is a beautiful thing. 

Nigel Robertson [00:15:55] Yeah. So that's my story. How I got here to stay here. Yeah I know. And I got a baby face. I know. Yeah. 

Ryan Alford [00:16:06] Yeah. So what's 20 years. All the way. All that life here. And what do you do? What do they have? One of the shows up here. 

Nigel Robertson [00:16:18] So I anchor the five p.m. news and my wife has news for and so that's from five to six. But I get in around 9:00 and basically I am putting stories together up front in this day and age that we live in. And there's the story that's happening face to face, but there's also a conversation that's happening on Twitter and Facebook. So I will spend a chunk of a day putting and seeing what the story is happening there and out front, something about that in the four o'clock and then the five o'clock. After being here 20 years, I have the people who were young movers and shakers when I first started working here, in many cases running the show right now. So the longevity of my career here has been a blessing because I have gotten to sit down and build relationships with so many amazing people who are helping make our community work and tech. And I count myself blessed that I can pretty much pick up the phone and call anyone at any time and find out what's going on and help keep the viewers at home informed, safe, knowledgeable. And that's a big responsibility, but I'm thankful that I'm in the position I am and able to do that. 

Ryan Alford [00:17:49] I want to talk about some of your favorite stories, but for that, I just got to get mentioned. Twitter, social media, what we're doing right here now on the podcast, live with audio media's changed. 

Nigel Robertson [00:18:04] Man Yeah, it has it. It's amazing. And it's. Crazy at the same time, what's beautiful about it is, back in the day in a newsroom, you had a scanner and that's what you had to be listening to. And it's funny because I was never the person, I would tune the scanner out. And there are people who would hear when something's going on and start making the calls. But normally with someone who would say, Nigel, did you hear that on the scanner? And I'd be like, no, they tell me. And then I make calls. Twitter is now the scanner of this generation, because when news happens, oftentimes it's their first. The power of the cell phone has given so many people and the cell phone and social media have given so many people, not just the platform, but a voice. And have they made everyone, in a way, their own TV set, whereas I would have never in a million years, 20 years ago, thought people would be able to go live at any time at anywhere about anything without a big bang. I mean, think about that. Yeah, I would have to get the live truck. You'd have to drive up to something. They'd raise the mass. They'd find the satellite. That's how we would go live now. I mean, we're going live off of a backpack. And that's just because we that's connecting to my 15 cell phones. So we get the strongest single signal possible. But people. Yeah, so see, that is it is amazing, but it's constant. Yeah. And it gives some people a voice who probably shouldn't listen instead. Which is the tough side of social media, 

Ryan Alford [00:20:12] It's never alright. It's never like the news in a way. Someone argues the pure price of the news is never alright. Put it down. Right. But with Twitter, like you said, and only for the one hour news cycle. Like, how do you do it because I struggle with this even in our business, managing social media accounts and feeling like, did we do it? Like did we take advantage of every moment. Right. Like for your client or doing something I can only imagine in the news like missing a story or like this or that. Like you just have to condition yourself, like when you're off you're off. And like when you're on, you're on. Like, how do you control the volume of feeling like you're going to miss something or you're getting everything. 

Nigel Robertson [00:21:06] So that's a great question and that's a great question, because in part when let's say you miss something at that moment where you realize it, you have the opportunity to get it. Whereas before, if you miss something, it wasn't until the next newscast or the next cycle that you will be able to get it. You always have to because you go. Right, right. Right. So you can get life on the right news for the Facebook page. Right. Or or. Yeah. Oh, my personal account or anything. It's just simply tweeted. Yeah. And yeah. So it's amazing. That's amazing. However, just like you need a vacation from work, I think people need a vacation from all that stuff that's constantly trying to get in our mind. And that's why I, I'm a firm believer that faith is vitally important. So, I've got in many ways, I'm refueled every Sunday morning when I'm in church and when I'm focused on that. But even for people who don't go to church, I think it's important for them to have those moments where they just are so disconnected. 

Ryan Alford [00:22:40] What's a big deal if you talk a lot. Talk about what's the most memorable. Like what are some of the, you did the Olympics. Yeah. I mean you, so you talk to Obama. I sat down with them and what some of the most memorable American stories 

Nigel Robertson [00:23:01] I've been blessed in the sense that I mean I've gotten to. When I look at the years that I've been doing what I do, I've gotten to sit down and talk to so many amazing people and I've gotten to be in so many amazing places at such amazing times, good and bad. There's no question that when I am sitting at my desk and my boss comes up to me and says, can you come to me, come in my office real quick? So that could either be good or that could either be terrible. So I walk. I walk to my boss's office and I sit down and it's my news director and general manager and they're smiling, which was awesome. So I knew this was going to be great. Yeah. And then I say, do you have your passport? And I said, yeah, I have got a passport. And they told me that I've been chosen to be part of the Olympic team and that I was going to go cover the Summer Olympic Games in Rio. I mean, literally I, it took everything in me not to start bawling at that moment because. Did you just tell me that I'm going to get an opportunity? To go to Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympic Games, I'm going to live there for a month. I'm going to be working for Hearst Television and all 30 Hurst stations. And I'm one of three people that you pick that the company picked. I mean, that's huge. And I, I mean, I still get goosebumps thinking about thinking about that. And so in my mind, I'm like, how awesome is that? But then I think Nodule, you need to go there and do the best. If not just do a good job. Do that time. Yeah. Because if they picked you, they see something in you that you need to make sure that they know they made the right decision with a great opportunity. So let me tell you, I go down there and it was and I'm from I mean, I interviewed everyone from Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte. I mean, I just go down the list. I got to interview so many amazing people. I got to tell so many amazing stories. And I was live from coast to coast. And that was and then I'm part of my job is not just to interview the athletes and cover the games, but go to Copacabana Beach and eat the food and and go go to all these places and soak up the culture and then tell people about it was awesome. So I went and I did that and I was eternally, forever grateful. And then it did. It did. And more and more in many ways, because I don't know. I mean, as much as I love to travel, there's so many other places that I would have went to first. And the fact that I got to experience Brazil that way was just awesome. Then I get called in the bosses office again and I told you, you're going to get they want you to go to South Korea to cover the Winter Olympics. That's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Twice. Yeah. And again, for weeks, 30 stations, mind you, I work hard here, but doing the Olympics, covering the Olympics is the hardest I have ever worked for four weeks in my life. You are running constantly in a place you don't know. And Brazil. I don't speak Portuguese. South Korea. I don't speak Korean. So Google Translate is simply my best friend and myself and a photographer are told to go cover this or go do that. And you have to be able to do it and then put it together. You turn it, send it back to the states and do it all over again. So that was great. But, I've gotten to meet some amazing people when at the time Senator Barack Obama was running for president, the South Carolina primaries were coming up. And I remember calling the DNC and saying I had the contacts with the Democratic Party and saying I would like to sit down with the most high profile person you can get me, who I had no idea who would be. And so my contacts were like, OK, we'll see what we can do. So my phone rings and they said, we need you to be in Columbia at this certain time and you need to be here early enough because you got to go through the Secret Service. So I figured, any high ranking senator or any of the candidates running, I knew it would be I'd have to get through it. So I had no idea who I was going to go through. And it was just me and one, it was me from the up, say, a reporter from the Midlands and a reporter from London and a reporter from the party. So four of us and we're in the bottom of the convention center in Columbia and we have no idea what's going on. And we see the Secret Service and the dogs and and they're going through our equipment. And I went over and I say, so who are we interviewing? And they say, you're going to sit down with Senator Obama. And I was the candidate that is great. And then after about 20 minutes goes by, they come. There's all this activity going around. And I said, what's going on? And they say, well, Michelle Obama has been missing her husband, so she has flown down. So when you do the interview, it's going to be with both of them. And what an amazing opportunity. So I had that. And then, I've got to with South Carolina being an early primary state, every single candidate, Republican and Democrat, they come here and you get to interview them and talk to them and and bring their story to the voters, which is awesome. And I got to tell you, one of them and I tell you, I can talk forever. So I'll tell you about this. After Governor Haley was chosen to become Ambassador Haley, I had known her as governor. And so I had been calling her and basically saying I would love to get up there and interview you, see what your world is like as an ambassador. And my phone rang and I had the opportunity to fly it to New York and see Ambassador Nikki Haley in the U.N. doing what she does across the street at the mission in her office, seeing her view of the East River, seeing her world and how it went from Columbia to New York. And I was one of, again, four reporters chosen to do that. That was such an amazing experience, an opportunity as well. So I count myself blessed. Flip side. September 11th, 2001, woke up that morning. My father actually called me and do you have the news on? And I said no. And I put the news on. And what I saw still to this day is unbelievable to see you never forget.

Ryan Alford [00:31:25] No, I wasn't. I was in my old life, but I didn't say I work that we had to go on there. And I was walking by a cup of coffee because it was early enough. 

Nigel Robertson [00:31:36] It was like, yeah.

Ryan Alford [00:31:40] Oh, no, wait a second. That's when the Trade Center is on fire. 

Nigel Robertson [00:31:45] Exactly. Yeah. So everyone was watching the networks that day. And I remember I got a call that a local church was going to go up and just do whatever they could and asked if I wanted to go with. So I went up to my boss at the time and I said, can can we go? And he said, absolutely. So within a week after I remember flying into New York City, taking the subway to Canal Canal Street, which was because of the Trade Center. That's as far as we can go. But I got off the wall. Yeah, right. So for those who have not been underground is. Yes, yes. There's a whole community underground in the subway, little stores. And when I got off that train, that subway, the smell of sulfur and smoke, we'll never forget. But everything, as far as I can see, had about an inch of ash. Everything was frozen, and I remember walking up the steps into lower Manhattan and. To. Parts of not just the New York skyline, but of America. Yeah, gone and to be up there and at that moment, as a journalist to be there was it was a huge responsibility. I remember thinking as an American, I am angry. As a human, I'm scared. What happened, why did this happen as a believer? My soul was broken because pictures of the missing were still everywhere you looked and then the firefighters and the policemen, I mean, these these men and women who are. Strength defined our broken crying and exhausted mentally and physically and. But they weren't stopping to be able to be up there and see all that and tell that story again. I've been here 20 years. I like the breadth of the stories that I've been able to tell and get a front row seat. As history is written, is an honor, a blessing, a huge responsibility and everything I've always wanted to do, 

Ryan Alford [00:34:45] you get back to that. the magnitude of 9/11 is one of the things that worries me like we do in the news cycle, because everything kind of comes fast. And at the moment it seems so big now, but the heat is gone like it is. And it's almost like I worry about my own children, about other people, like the news cycles being so quick, like in the moment, you just don't think you can be bigger than it seems a week later. Yeah, yeah. And things like 9/11 seem seemingly out of sight. Out of mind. I mean, do you ever think about that or reflect on that as a journalist, that the speed with which some of these really seismic news things come and go. 

Nigel Robertson [00:35:33] Yeah, yeah. It is a lot. But here's the thing. It's not going to change. It's not going to. Yeah, it's not going to go away soon. Will be able to put on glasses and be at the beach or be live at the scene. We think about it now. We've got back in the day used to sit in front of a big monitor like this and watch the news. Now we pick up our phones or get alerts on our watches. None of that's gone away. Back to technology. Another reason I remember, I said part of the reason why I love technology is because I understand that. And the format is important, but it is important for people to take a vacation and take a break, but being informed, there's nothing more powerful than being informed. And being truly educated on something, whatever your passion is, whatever your vision of your future, whatever you want it to be, understanding it, embracing it and figuring out what affects it. And that knowledge is important. And we all have our own story. We all have our own vision for our lives and for our children. And it's important to know. What is important and what you need to do to make your life better, you can enjoy some of the clutter. All right. But just like your house, you have to clean. Because if you walk in every day and it's just junk everywhere, pretty soon it's going to be you can't go inside anymore. So you got to make sure that you clean clean up the car so 

Ryan Alford [00:37:43] the show goes. 

Nigel Robertson [00:37:45] Oh, yeah, exactly. That's hilarious. Yeah, that's true. 

Ryan Alford [00:37:55] So you are right. I got to ask this question. I know you're not gonna answer her. You're the first person on second who's been the nicest unexpected interview that you maybe like. Wow. They are really genuine. Nice. And on the flip side, maybe not. I don't recall who was right. I mean, anyone that you don't mind, it wasn't so pleasant or not so fun. 

Nigel Robertson [00:38:22] Well, I have to say, I think the biggest surprise for me was probably Michael Phelps. Yeah. And I say Michael Phelps, because he's a goat. And for those of you who don't know, the goat is its greatest of all time. And he is. He is. I mean, he's Michael Phelps. 

Ryan Alford [00:38:54] So here he could be a little arrogant or you might expect. 

Nigel Robertson [00:38:57] Well, I had no idea what to expect, Michael. Michael Phelps was such an awesome interview and he was so humble. And so, I mean, in the pool, he is a beast outside. He was so passionate. And what we were talking about was his goal to make sure the youth of the world learn how to swim. So, yeah, we talked about the gold medals and his legend and his story, but then I was just talking, I told him I've got three boys and I remember getting them in the pool and being terrified, but wanting them to know how to swim. So we started talking about that. And  I remember thinking, oh, my gosh, I'm having a conversation with Michael Phelps at the Olympics about the importance of swimming. I mean, how it's funny because with everyone, you take away the title, take away the TV cameras. Yes. Or whatever. We're all just humans. And when you could when you could sit down with someone like this and let them talk about their passion, the audience is always going to respond. Period. Because when someone is passionate about something, it comes through. Yeah, whether you don't need to be good on camera or a writer or a photographer or anything like that when you're sitting there and you're talking about something you're passionate about, it comes through. So I answer the first part. 

Ryan Alford [00:40:56] You get an answer. The second one is right now. 

Nigel Robertson [00:41:02] Yeah. I was waiting for the right moment to do that. 

Ryan Alford [00:41:10] So now on the flip side, any not so pleasant has there been are there those moments are there the not so pleasant moments? I mean, I know it's. Yeah. Rainbows. 

Nigel Robertson [00:41:21] Oh yeah. There's definitely plenty of not so pleasant moments. I mean, everyone, the fact that everyone has a voice is not always a great thing. Sometimes, like I was talking about not letting the clutter get in and sometimes you have to do that, but, it's it's it was like that in elementary school. It was like that in middle school. It was like that in high school, college. And it's like that today. 

Ryan Alford [00:41:56] So what sports? I know you've been here a long time. Your seeds planted here. Community loves you, do you just a day at a time or like, where do you see yourself and know you do other things at Clemson. Yeah. Go speak with your class. 

Nigel Robertson [00:42:16] I can't wait to have you come. You and your team come and talk to my class. I mean the future. To be honest with you, I'm not just saying this because I'm sitting here, but the future is this. Even with all the technology, even with all the cameras and the microphones. Sitting down and talking to some. Face to face is not something so many people do anymore, and it's missing from so much of what we do period that I think. This is going to become something that people crave. And I think that's a great thing. I do think technology figuring out how to use technology is what the future holds. Greenville is positioned so perfectly for the city is becoming using 5G technology already before we even have phones to use. And Greenville and the upstate, the Carolinas, South Carolina itself, I mean, has been so innovative from, textiles went away and then this area and decided, what about automotive? And look at us now. We're like the automotive industry. The automotive cluster in the state of South Carolina is unbelievable. Now, you add Boeing and we're making some of the most beautiful planes in the and safest planes in the sky just down the road in Charleston and all. It takes us 20 minutes and maybe four dollars and gas to get up to the mountains. And just disconnect, yes, and be and it's beautiful, it's right up the road, it takes us two hours to be in Atlanta. Yeah, it takes us an hour to be in Charlotte. I believe that. I think we are location. When you're doing real estate, location, location, location, I believe that where we call home isn't such an amazing position for the future. That's part of the reason why I stay. I've stayed here because it's just amazing. And then and then between us, we've got seven, seven, seven kids, seven boys that we're raising. And to raise kids in this community is awesome. Yeah, it's great. I will say one of my biggest passions outside of technology, social media and journalism and so on is helping find a cure for illness. I lost my phone. Yeah, I lost my father to ALS and which is Lou Gehrig's disease. I got a call from my father who was so active and never slowed down. And he said I was on the tennis court and my foot I kept falling because my foot just wouldn't keep up. And within two years, he was in a hospital bed, paralyzed, and could only move his eyes. And I saw what it did to my father and how else took my father and how hard that journey was for all of us. And for those who don't know else, basically when you move your brain, tell your nerves, send the signal and the nerves make your muscles move. Well, with ALS, there's a disconnect between the nerves and the muscle. So your mind is 100 percent perfect, but your body's not responding. So the fact that in many ways I saw my father become trapped in his own body, his mind be perfect, I had made it my mission to do everything I could and can to find a cure and to help people suffer, not with just ALS. But when you look at ALS, there's a whole spectrum of neurological disorders that are in the same family, from Parkinson's to Hamas to Alzheimer's. And I'm I firmly believe that the second we find a cure for Parkinson's or M.S. or Alzheimer's or ALS, a light bulb is going to go off and just a few tweaks, I think we'll be able to do something for all of them. So I've been given a certain amount of time here on this planet. And after seeing my father, you go through life trying to figure out your purpose. After seeing what happened to my father, I found I found a purpose and a passion to the point. That is tragic as it was, I bet when I get to heaven and hug my father, I ask him. I bet he wouldn't trade it because he is able to see his son. Take the pain of losing his father and how he lost his father, and instead of growing up in a ball crying in the corner, which some people have to do. But the fact that I've been able to turn around and do and I say this humbly, what I mean? The Greenville Poll Classic is a fundraiser that I and others have been able to create to raise money to help nerve people suffering through neurological disorders. I've worked with two hospitals now to bring care and doctors and the needs to these patients. And right now, I'm working with Bocskor St. Francis and we are helping create such a massive neurological facility where people can get the care that they need right around the corner, right here at home. And I mean, for a hospital system like Monsegur to do that, that's one thing. But you need the community behind you and you need community champions to be there and help tell the story. And I've been able to team up with them. And what is on the horizon is unbelievable. And, I do all this work and I'm passionate about it. And, I'm raising money for the group of polar classic, funneling money to the hospital too. And there's nothing more special than being stopped by someone who says, my mom has Parkinson's and she's getting care at the hospital and in part what you've been able to do. He's helping someone who I don't even know, and that's amazing. And I tell you all I've we've talked about the stories that I've been able to cover and the places I've been and the people I've sat down with when I leave this earth, the most important thing is going to be that I have set a positive and strong path for my family so that they can continue on and that I've left a mark here in my community that lasts longer than I.

Ryan Alford [00:50:41]  It is and that's what I think we're kindred spirits in that way, the things we're trying to do with our content to be positive, try to spread messages. Yeah, amazing how that all comes back to you. 

Nigel Robertson [00:50:53] Exactly.

Ryan Alford [00:50:55] I love it. Well, I'm going to open up any questions for me. 

Nigel Robertson [00:51:01] Oh, How were you able to be? How did this happen, how are you able to be on the forefront of so much of what we're seeing and talking about right now? 

Ryan Alford [00:51:21] I've been blessed in my career. I mean, I've always been a curious soul creature. But I came up through the ad business was around technology. Verizon Wireless is a huge client. He's around technology in the smartphone that is on the cusp of it, because I started working on Verizon in 2001. So it really was my last account for 13 years. And so it in many ways wasn't just an account. It was getting to see the evolution of wireless. Everything that you talked about, wireless technology, social media, the empowerment of these 4G networks, that's what people talk about. They go, why weren't we doing something? You weren't doing this because there was not 4G. You could. Yeah, you could. You didn't have a 4G network. 4G is like really coming around 2010, 2011 and the networks. So it was interesting. So, there's a long way to answer that sort, but it was really being in the cusp of seeing the wireless technology, smartphones, the enablement of all of these communications that allowed me to come up through that, combined with being a marketer and naturally wanting to communicate messages that allowed me to kind of and then my natural curiosity. I think it's like the culmination of all of those things and then just the human experiences that I've been through. I've always been the guy in the family that picks the tech stuff. I mean, I always know that guy like I always like to do a computer apart part was always like that kind of on the cusp or forefront, like there was a technology for when Apple, iTunes or iPods were out. I had one the first day. I was always on the cusp of technology mind with curiosity and then the just blessings of the career. And all of those things, I think have molded into the vision that you see with a lot of the communication that we're doing with this show, with what we're trying to do. 

Nigel Robertson [00:53:39] Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. I truly believe that. Technology is, we see what we can do now, but it's only going to open the doors for so many people. And like, for example, when my father was in those final days to be able to put a VR headset on him and get him out of the hospital room just through VR until a cure is found. I've always said technology is a cure. And Steve Gleason actually played for the Saints in New Orleans, had said that once and ever since I heard that I was like that. Is that is so true. And the power of technology in the voice is huge. And I mean, I saw what you were doing on social media before we even met. It blew my mind. And then just to see what you're doing and how you're doing it, where you're doing it. And it's just it's been amazing to watch. So what's the future hold for you? 

Ryan Alford [00:54:51] Oh, we're going radical, man. It's going fast. I mean, like, it was radical with me less than a year ago. Me only. Yeah. And now we're ten plus people growing like wildfire. But, it's enabling me to do these kind of things that have these kind of conversations and to spread positivity, just like we're doing things in the community. We will hustle. And that's our way. It's not a nonprofit, but it's nonprofit. What we write for these. But  it's meant to aggregate like minded entrepreneurs and just the community. And I think seeing that go to new heights, providing a place where people want to come to work means a lot to me. I want to go Radical as much because I want to provide a place that people want to work is. If I wanted to get rich, adding as the owners are not like they're not on the Forbes list right now because you can't make a good career out of it. But it's not like I could probably use my brain to a faster pace. But I just love communication and technology and marketing and telling stories. Yeah, and that's what we're doing. Yeah. So I want to tell more stories. I want to provide a place that people love and want to come to work at. I want to have more conversations and getting to know people like you better. Yeah. 

Nigel Robertson [00:56:32] And raising a family. Yeah. 

Ryan Alford [00:56:35] More boys and an amazing wife. Just and soaking up Greensville. Like I don't see I was born and raised in Greenville and I think I take it for granted how far it's come. I appreciate it. And I think we live downtown and work with your wheelhouse downtown. I think I try to take advantage of them as possible. But I don't sometimes, like I really like realizing how blessed we are. Yeah. 

Nigel Robertson [00:57:07] Yeah. Are you sure we're not twins? I mean, we really could be twins. It is possible. It's amazing because our stories are so the same. That's great. 

Ryan Alford [00:57:25] Yeah. I think we're going to finish with a little quick Q&A and a quick way. 

Nigel Robertson [00:57:31] We were rolling. 

Ryan Alford [00:57:32] Alrght. One word answers here. How is this working now under we ask the one word, we just say one word and 

Nigel Robertson [00:57:47] The person responsible person in. Alrght, OK, you 

Ryan Alford [00:57:51] You can go first. You put me on the spot first. 

Nigel Robertson [00:57:53] All right. Well, it's on this list. The first thing is the two words you said. 

Ryan Alford [00:58:00] He says the two words and I answer. 

Nigel Robertson [00:58:02] Right, all right. And so you answer with one word. So happy hour, 

Ryan Alford [00:58:07] vodka, orange peels. 

Nigel Robertson [00:58:13] I first thing that pops in my head. Wisconsin. 

Ryan Alford [00:58:16] Yes. OK, yes, 

Nigel Robertson [00:58:18] yes, yes. And I work for Clemson too. So there you go. Netflix Ozarks. Oh. Pater. Knowledge. 

Ryan Alford [00:58:34] Design, creative playground.

Nigel Robertson [00:58:40] I don't so yes, I'm a talker, You tell me to say one word, but you said playground and took me back to being a kid on the playground. 

Ryan Alford [00:58:59] ABC 

Nigel Robertson [00:59:02] a little bit. A little about another battlecry. Another backtrace. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was my kitchen sink. Radical, bad. Yes, it is an algorithm. Oh, uh, Instagram fire, hot air sneakers. Running, yeah, so that's all my words, yes. 

Ryan Alford [00:59:47] Well, not your man, I can't thank you enough. I've enjoyed getting to know you, but getting to know you more. Can't wait to report on anything and everything. And I know our listeners are going to be on both the video and the audio are going to really, really be fascinated and really be moved by the stories and just really well. 

Nigel Robertson [01:00:16] And me the same. When we first met up with you at the station, we sat down and chatted. I knew it was the start of not just a great friendship, but we're going to be doing a lot. And that was the post that I put on my Instagram. But I mean, there's so many things that I believe I will be able to do. And for me, interviewing you for TV and you come to talk to my class, but which is also I mean, I'm humble just to see your operation and what you're doing in the positivity and the voices you're putting out in the communities is an amazing thing. So I am honored to have met you and be part of the story, this radical story of.