Who Am I?

I’ve held positions in film, technology, the arts, and various non-profits. I was born to a socially and politically involved family, and learned about fairness, justice, faith and good governance from my dad, who was a Democrat, and my mom, who was a Republican.

Armed with their wisdom and my boundless optimism, I wound up a homeless, hopeless drug addict at 26. Let's call that a false start…

With a more realistic view of myself and the world, I co-founded a non-profit with some friends in 1994 and, since then, I’ve volunteered with several non-profits, helped to found others, and been a board member, development director and executive director, all while holding various day jobs to support my search for purpose and meaning in my life.

I got and have stayed sober (and housed) for nearly 35 years…

…and in 2014, when I read about a small non-profit in San Francisco that was breaking all the rules, a door opened that changed my life and brings us to today.

I’m annoyingly passionate, charming, and engaging. My dad often called me a "silver-tongued Devil," which I assumed was a compliment along with his other favorite, "he's strong as an ox and half as smart." Still, I may have been wrong, as my dad was obviously not good at giving compliments.

A co-worker once said, "Paul's fuckin' tops, so if you can't work that out on your own, go fuck yourself."

That's the best thing anyone has ever said about me, ever.

Paul has documented years of travel around the world in pictures. He’s also written extensively about his dysfunctional Minnesota family, creating new legends in the process.