One random night eight years ago I met Craig Ferguson in a crosswalk. I’d just finished having dinner with a couple friends and we were heading back to our car across the street.
I looked left. No cars.
I looked right. No cars.
I started to cross and looked back to my left. And there was Craig Ferguson.
“How’s it going, Craig?” I said. “Can I get a picture with you?”
“Do you mind if we finish crossing the street first?” he quipped.
He spent a few minutes joking with us and taking photos. We laughed as he made fun of my friend’s hat and asked us some questions. Then, he shook our hands and strolled off into the shadows of Hollywood.
At a private event recently, a man asked me my name and why I was in attendance. I explained that I was the entertainment and would be performing following dinner.
He dismissively made smalltalk while never quite making eye contact with me. Then he turned to leave, saying “Nice to meet you, Matt.”
“It’s Mark, actually,” I corrected him, and nodded politely as he walked off.
Later, after my show, he approached me raving about my performance.
“That was amazing, Mark…let me buy you a drink!” he exclaimed, and dragged me over to show off to a table of his friends.
“I was friends with Mark before we knew how amazing he was…” he bragged, as I introduced myself to the other guests.
The night went on but I couldn’t forget how he had treated me before he saw me in my element. Featured entertainment or not, I felt that I should have been met with common decency from the beginning.
It’s amazing to me that a celebrity in the middle of the street made a bigger effort than a person having a one-on-one conversation with me at a small dinner party. It shouldn’t matter if the person you’re talking to is a stranger or your best friend, you should always strive to make that person feel special.
At my gigs I make a big point of befriending the crew. I learn the names of the sound and lighting people, the stage manager, the director of the venue, the director of catering, the custodians, and the servers. Sometimes I’ll end up talking with them even more than my client.
I do my best to make them feel important. I’ll read their minds backstage and ask them where they’re from and what they enjoy doing. It doesn’t take much to make a positive impression on someone.
If something goes wrong or I need some help, the crew is always more apt to assist me. I would be kind without the extra incentive but it’s always nice to know they’ve got my back.
Just this week I learned that one of the employees in my garage suddenly moved away and is no longer working in my building. I used to show him tricks and ask him about his family every chance I could. Now he’s gone and I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye.
I just hope that when he thinks about Chicago he remembers me and knows that I thought of him as more than just the valet grabbing my car. I thought of him as a friend and a fellow human being. I truly enjoyed getting to know him and will miss him dearly. No matter what kind of day I was having, he always put a smile on my face.
It could be a crosswalk or a parking garage, but it’s amazing how much of an impression people can make on you in such a short period of time. And quite often, they vanish from your life as quickly as they arrived.