Sports and Fitness Media requires that a successful professional must continuously strive to “reach farther.” Someone once said, “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space” and risk taking began for me at an early age.

When I was three years old my father went surf fishing in Pacifica, California. He parked our car on a cliff, Mori Point (back then there were roads where you could drive up to the peak), high above the sea, and hiked down the mountain in his wetsuit carrying his fishing rods. My brother was asleep in the back and I was bored so I climbed into the front seat, started playing in the car, shaking the steering wheel, the car began rolling, and we plunged off a 200+ foot cliff into the ocean. I remembered delightfully screaming, ‘Wheeeee!’ as the car filled with water and seeing the firefighters and my terrified father swimming over to rescue us. We were blessed because we ended up with only minor injuries from an unforeseen accident.

I learned that every moment in life is a risk and the only thing that is permanent is Impermanence.

I had my first sales job when I was 12 years old which gave me the chutzpah to being accustomed to having doors slammed in my face, rejection, and people saying “no.” In high school, while other kids were going to drama club, I was out auditioning for professional theatre companies, acting jobs, and modeling assignments. Actors learn to embrace the trinity of rejection, criticism, and feedback and I liked the challenge of going out on as many castings and auditions as I possibly could. It’s tough at times but when you take the personal feelings out of risk and rejection and recognize that everyone has his/her job to do, it becomes easier to accept. I gained a reputation with agents and producers for being reliable, professional, and easy to work with. If you want to be successful, you, and only you need to put yourself out there and take the knocks. Failure can hurt but mediocrity is an even deeper torture for me. You develop a stronger insight, resilience, and drive the more you fall, pick yourself up, and try again. A wise Executive at SONY once told me, when it comes to accepting criticism, “Would you also accept a compliment from the same person?” and that pretty much put things into perspective.

For one of my national fitness presentations, I took a chance and recruited some Chippendale dancers to be on stage with me and we did a ‘Magic Mike’ routine in a giant auditorium that was packed with people. The crowd roared, first with gasps then with adoration and nonstop applause while we were on stage. A few of my former colleagues at the time were jealous and said afterwards that my work was scandalous and inappropriate (we only took off our shirts on stage and my mother designed and sewed the rip away tank tops that we wore). Two years later I became one of the highest paid instructors for three different health club organizations and other gyms were including ‘pole dancing’ and striptease aerobics in their schedules as novelty exercise classes. What’s more, an agent was also in the audience and I scored an underwear ad as a result!

I’m therefore not afraid, as a Sports and Fitness Media Producer, to pitch prospective projects to television networks and major studios because the bottom line is that, if you truly believe in yourself, both professionally and personally, then risk taking, if you’re prepared, transforms into excitement rather than pain.

At RichardSport.com we produce health and fitness video segments, media content evaluation, and photo shoots for major studios and networks by combining my 4-year Exercise Science degree, my accreditation as an American College of Sports Medicine Exercise Physiologist, and my years of experience working both behind, and in front of, the camera. I am very grateful to have successfully worked in a wide variety of fields, from corporate business, modeling, acting, fitness, sports communications, and media production. Although I’m now on an executive level, I still find it gratifying and enlightening to also continue my work as a Private Trainer in order to maintain a “hands on” perspective on what is currently taking place in the fitness industry.

My childhood taught me that wider experiences will lead to success in many venues. I was born and raised in San Francisco, California and moved to San Diego about 22 years ago.

My Chinese American Grandfather owned the oldest business in SF Chinatown, my Grand Uncle was the esteemed Hollywood Character actor Kam Tong, who appeared in numerous movies, westerns, and TV shows, and my Japanese American Grandfather was a Merchant Marine. Dad served in the United States Military during WW II and was a decorated veteran and Mom spent her childhood in an Internment Camp and later worked for the US Department of Army and other government agencies and attained a GS-14 status. Both of my parents married and had children later in life (Dad was in his mid-40’s when I was born). It was different having parents who were older and the kids at school often asked if that was my “Grandfather” who was dropping me off to class. I was thankful because, while some of my school mates’ parents were getting divorces, my parents were more settled and grounded.

As a kid I was always super active and curious and spent my time at the beach, in the mountains, at science academy, and performing on stage. In high school I had a program worked out where I would attend general education on campus in the mornings and then classes downtown at the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in the afternoons and evenings.

At age 18 I went to work for a large clothing company in product manufacturing and design. Succeeding in the corporate world had its rewards however it was also the unhealthiest I had ever been, both physically and mentally. Long work days and corporate politics left little else for my mind, body, and spirit. The epiphany came when, one work day, around 9 pm, after missing yet another workout because we were still in the office, we were informed that the President of the company was unable to sign off on an important line of designs because he was on an excursion to the North Pole and we ended up missing fashion week. This was a mistake which cost the company several million dollars in sales and resulted in reduced/no bonuses for the employees. I asked myself, “Why am I battling so hard for a small chance to do what is good for my body just so I can make another person wealthy?!”

In my twenties I left the 9 to 8+ life, signed with a talent agency, and returned to acting and modeling (see, that’s where the earlier trainings and experiences paid off). I also began working in gyms and found a new passion in the booming health and fitness industry while also walking fashion runways and appearing in commercials and newspaper ads. Regardless of industry, my parents taught me never to “Chase the Money” if it means that your health and happiness will be compromised because a new body is a lot more difficult to obtain than a new job.

I feel blessed that I can now combine my passion for fitness and exercise with my ongoing work in Sports and Fitness Media and relate that inspiration to a broad population! Our company consistently delivers excellence, precision, dependability, and most of all, motivation. A network executive recently said, “Richard’s real name should be Dumbledore because he and his team are always working their magic!”