Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

J.K. ROWLING

 
This is definitely one of the first series I fell in love with. I don’t have a favorite book in the series, but I chose Deathly Hallows because it’s the only one I could find. I’ve definitely read all of them – a little too much.
When I first started reading Harry Potter, I was the same age as the characters, so I grew up with them. I’m a huge sci-fi or fun book fan, so I have re-read them many times. My mom and I used to go to the midnight book releases, so we could pre-order copies of the books. I’d get to Barnes and Noble at 10 o’clock, wait for the midnight release, get them and read them right away. My mom would generally read all of the books that I read. Not in a sense of like, helicopter parent. More that she wanted to experience what I as experiencing. We continued to do that with all different sci-fi series, and she continued to do it with my brothers. She’ll read all the same books that they do, if she finds them interesting. It gives kind of a common ground. She enjoys books just as much as we do. She’s a teacher, so it’s all kind of wrapped into that. There’s definitely the love of reading and escaping into those kinds of worlds.
 
 

The Handmaid’s Tale

MARGARET ATWOOD

 
This is an interesting one, because this is one that my fiancé recommended. We both really like to read, but we generally read very different things. I like fun, sci-fi, definitely a lot of escapism and mainly fiction, but Handmaid’s Tale is a little bit darker and deals with some literary themes. It is an interesting book, with some feminist themes and subtle sci-fi elements. For someone who reads a lot of Harry Potter, this is a different kind of thing. I like when people give me recommendations, because I think what people choose to read says a lot about them.
My fiancé got a writing degree from TCU so while we read different books, we also read differently; he marks up his books – he’ll highlight and underline and make notes. I am not that way. I have a hard time dog-earing a page, so we’re very different in how we handle books.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I got a little mad at the end. It’s a book that just ends without resolution, which is part of why it’s very raw and very real. It’s not a happy ending; you don’t know what happens and it kind of sucks. It’s just a very interesting one.
 
 

The Art of Looking Sideways

ALAN FLETCHER

 
This is a design book that I got in college. It’s not a book I needed for college, but I definitely was the girl who kept all of her books from college. I hoard them. The general point of the book is to look and think about things differently. It’s very visual and it has a fun layout. The cover has an unnamable font, and it’s actually difficult to open. You can open it however you want to and you can work with it however you want to.
There’s an element of the book that’s unlike normal routine, and the book teaches about unconventional approaches. Sometimes, we forget to play around with the way we think about things and the way we do things from a creative perspective. While I have not read the whole thing, I’ll pick it up, and read a part of it as a reminder to look at things a little bit differently.
 
 

Ender’s Game

ORSON SCOTT CARD

 
This is definitely sci-fi and I love it. I grabbed the first of the series, but I’ve read the next four or five. It gets a lot more sci-fi crazy as you move through the books. It blends technology, aliens and religion. This is one where they made the movie and I don’t think the movie gave it justice. It’s a classic sci-fi, breeze through it and read it again. It’s really enjoyable and a fun read.
 
 

Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

ED CATMULL

 
This one was on Charlie’s list, but it’s on my list because he let me borrow it as a recommendation. I haven’t started it yet, but I’m looking forward to reading it. He told us about different excerpts, but now I’ll be able to read it myself.
 
 

The Vegetable Garden

WERNER DRESSENDÖRFER

 
This one’s more of a pretty book, that’s why I chose it: to look at the pictures from a design perspective. This book kind of serves as art. We change the décor in our house a lot – we move paintings and pictures around, and we use things, like books, as décor. Between my fiancé and I, we have way too many books; multiple bookshelves, books piled in corners, but any that are really nice like this, we want to display for fun. They’re so nice to look through.
 
 
 

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Kelli Cook and Ken have known each other for a number of years through community volunteering. Ironically, Kelli worked as a bookkeeper for a friend of Ken’s that shared an office in the Schaefer building.
We lured Kelli to a third-floor phone room to explain that we like to introduce our new hires with a casual interview and initiation rituals. We quickly divulged that there would be no rituals.
Though nervous, Morgan got her to share some stories, family traditions and connections to our off-beat office, read here:
 
So, Kelli, we’ve already gotten to know you, have shared lunch and countless stories with you. Tell the world a little about yourself:
I am a great mom, I am a people-pleaser and I am going to Heaven when I die.
I have one son and two daughters, 3 kids: Robbie, Riley and Remi. Remi is a sophomore at Texas A&M. Riley just graduated from Texas A&M and she’s teaching. Robbie is 26, newly married and lives in DC. My daughters are inseparable. Well, they’re obviously separated now, but they’re really close.
 
How did you hear about Schaefer?
I read a magazine article about the building, I showed it to Scott and said, “This is the kind of place I want to work.” He said well go get yourself a job there. I remember thinking I’m just a bookkeeper, what am I going to do at an Advertising Agency? Fast forward a couple of years, I met Ken at Paschal High School. We became friends through volunteering for the school’s booster club. I remember telling him that I loved his building, and I saw the article. An opportunity for a position independent of Schaefer opened and when I showed up for an interview it was in the Schaefer building. It was so ironic and so bizarre. It’s a God thing that it all came together just like that.
 
I’m curious about this one, what is your biggest fear?
I have two fears: half bridges and birds. Half bridges are bridges that go nowhere or they’re under construction. I have a terrible fear that I’m going to take the wrong exit and accidentally take a bridge that leads to nowhere. Also, drawbridges, I have a fear that it’s going to open and I’d go crashing down. I guess, I fear any bridge that can move or that is not finished. I think they’re the only thing that has actually given me a panic attack. 
My fear of birds developed from the movie, Birds. When I was in sixth grade, my babysitter was watching it so my little sister and I snuck out of our room to watch the movie with her. We got scared and she realized we were there, but she didn’t want to stop watching it so she let us watch it with her. In the movie, the birds attack the people on the island and peck their eyes out. Still to this day, I can’t watch it and am terrified of birds.
 
A little bird also told me you have a problem with beets? These are all B’s, what’s up with that?
I just hate beets. They’re gross, especially the canned ones. It’s become a family joke, because I’ve always hated them. Beets really became popular in the past few years, and every restaurant added a beet salad to their menu. One of the first times my son brought home Lauren, his then girlfriend–now wife, I got on a sarcastic rampage about beets. I started joking that I was getting the beet salad, and my girls were playing around with it saying, “You do that mom.” We were going on and on with it and Lauren was oblivious to the fact that we’re making fun of the beet salad. When the waiter came, Lauren ordered the beet salad. I thought she was being funny and playing along with the joke. I said, “Come on Lauren, seriously what do you want?” She still said, “The beet salad.” I said, “Wait you eat beets?” Then she got embarrassed, and said she didn’t want to order it anymore. I said, “I’m just kidding!!” It became a big, family joke.
My family has a tradition, where every year we give each other Christmas ornaments that reflect something in our lives. That was Lauren’s first year to get an ornament for our tree, and she got a can of beets.
 
That’s a fun tradition! What’s your favorite ornament that you were given and one you gave? 
Well, right now, my favorite would be the bride and groom that I got from Robbie and Lauren. My favorite one that I’ve given is when Remi wrapped all of my Christmas presents for me one year, and her ornament was a roll of tape that I tied a ribbon around.
 
That’s hilarious, how big is this tree of ornaments?
It’s really big, about 9-feet and it’s covered with ornaments. I still haven’t decided when I’m going to let the kids have their ornaments. I have ornaments that are back from forever ago. I have a little felt doll that’s me in my royal guard uniform from when I was on the drill team in high school. There’s an empty coke bottle, because I was a Coke fanatic for a long time. Remi got an ornament last year, because she made a “C” and it’s the first “C” she’s ever made in her life. She was so sad. We found a report card and on the back we wrote, “C’s get degrees.”It’s a very cool and very fun tradition. Every year, when we decorate, we remember the stories behind them.
 
So, in the Cook household is everything all ornaments and butterflies? Got any horror stories?
Robbie was two years old, we’re at a friend’s house having dinner. It was a really elegant dinner, while the two, two-year olds were playing. Robbie was getting cranky, so Scott picked him up and felt his head. Scott goes, “Oh my gosh, Kelli, he’s on fire, he’s burning up!” As we were leaving and telling them goodbye, Robbie threw up down my back. It went down my shirt, I puked on the woman in front of me and all over her rug. It’s without a doubt, the most embarrassing moment of my life. We had to pay to get their rug cleaned.  It was awful, but still a good story.
 
When did you change your opinion of the Schaeferites from, “those people are nuts” to, “I’d like to work with those monkeys?”
I never thought y’all were nuts. I thought y’all were fun. I can’t remember how many times I came out and told y’all, “Y’all know this isn’t a real job, right?” Y’all have too much fun! I hated sitting on the other side of that glass window because I felt separated from y’all. I think it’s really cool the way it all happened, because, who would’ve thought I would have joined the Schaefer team?
 
What do you think your favorite prank phone answer will be? i.e. “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?” Or “City Morgue…?”
This is hard. What would I say? I’m not a funny, fast thinker. My dad would always try to answer the phone in a funny, weird accent but he never could. I can’t do any accents; my kids are pretty good with it. Every time I try to do one, my kids just laugh at me. I could do a southern drawl, but that’s about it. I would probably say something silly like, “Kelli’s bar and grill, what can I serve ya?!”
 
 
 
 
 

A Drive Into the Gap

Kevin Guilfoile

 
This book is my style. It’s a short, easy read that is well designed. It’s also about baseball connecting a father and son. So, right up my alley. The book is a great collection of stories that reference Kevin Guilfoile’s memories growing up in Pittsburg in the 1970’s. He jumps between his own memories and the stories his dad has shared with him over the years. His father was the public relations director for the Pittsburg Pirates and today suffers from Alzheimer’s, so this book was a way for him to document his stories and hold onto them. There are some fun baseball stories told from a unique perspective. He quotes Tennessee Williams saying, “Memory takes a lot of poetic license. It omits some details; others are exaggerated, according to the emotional value of the articles it touches, for memory is seated predominantly in the heart.” These stories are memories that take on a whole new life to the people they’re passed on to and they can change with time. My dad and my father-in-law are also big baseball fans, so I gave them this book for Father’s Day.
This book is published by the sketchbook aficionados at Field Notes. They designed the book in the same style as their sketchbooks, which makes it nice to read and nice look at on my shelf.
 
 
 

Meet Mr. Product

Warren Dotz

 
This is a picture book (another one of my favorite kind of books) and it is all about the art of the advertising character from the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. Whether it was a donut shop, a bag of potato chips, breakfast cereal, or a gas station, companies created a face or a character for so many products. I love the illustration styles and the joyful personality that this approach brings out.
I got this book while I was in college. I’m a fan of cartoon characters and this fits within that interest. I enjoy drawing them, I enjoy seeing them and it’s neat to have this in my collection. I was actually able to use this for some direct inspiration when we were working with Nolan Ryan Beef to help bring Howdy the Hotdog to life. It sits on the shelf in my office and surprisingly inspires a wide range of projects directly and indirectly.
 
 
 

And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street

Dr. Seuss

 
This story reminds me of our business. We are hired to see the world a little differently and then tell others about what we see. I had this book growing up and my parents would read it to me before bed. I love the story and the great imagination the little boy has. Obviously, Dr. Seuss is known for that. Today, I enjoy reading it to my boys.
The energy and exaggeration that builds throughout the book is seen in the illustrations. The book is printed using four spot colors, yet the creative use of color and overlapping those colors creates a vibrant story. It starts with blue line drawings and as the story progresses yellow is introduced and then blue is overlapped for green. Then they introduce red with the blue for purple. It’s simple color mixing and a simple technique that we still consider today in how to best tell a story or how to efficiently print projects with traditional offset printing. The simple use of the four colors is able to produce a depth in the illustrations and is supported beautifully with the story.
 
 

Chip Kidd Book One 

Chip Kidd

 
Chip Kidd is one of my favorite designers. I actually got to meet him and he signed this book for me. He wrote, “Hi Charlie, here’s my life, handle with care, xoxo Chip Kidd.” If you don’t already admire his work, Kidd is a graphic designer that has created amazing book covers for Alfred Knopf, Penguin, Random House, DC Comics and Pantheon, to name a few. This book is an incredible collection of inspiration. He designed it, naturally, and it almost feels like you’re in his sketchbook, his office or even his brain. He did an incredible job of collecting what goes into his thinking, his process and what he’s done in his career. It’s a 20-year collection of his work where you can see his style change, deepen and evolve. You can also see the other influences that inspired his work. He included his collections of batman, superman, comic book work and shows how it influenced certain projects.
I keep this book at the office for inspiration. It can break you out of a rut or linear thinking. He’s just so eclectic and very diverse in the way that he approaches design problems. He’s done work for a variety of things – from Charles Schulz in Peanuts to DC Comics. He’s one of my design heroes’. I’ve been lucky enough to hear him speak and study his work. The medium that he works on is unique, in the fact that it’s primarily book covers. It’s very similar and relatable to what we do, in that, you must take the context, the big pictures, the depth of a story and summarize that into a cover. Your intention is to summarize, to intrigue and provoke someone to dive in deeper. It’s very much a parallel to how we look at everything from logos to ad campaigns. It’s a very similar thinking in a very specific medium.
 
 
 

Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness 

Eric Metaxes

 
A friend gave this one to me to read. Eric Metaxes goes through the lives of seven incredible men throughout history. Men like George Washington, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Jackie Robinson. He tells the story of them historically and highlights the tremendous role they played in history. It shows the consistencies of all seven men is and their dependence on faith. Each man, who we celebrate as heroes today, once selflessly relied on God’s provision and not on their own abilities. It was humbling to see these extra layers of humanity that are less often discussed when you read about them in history books. Each of these seven men had different struggles but the same selfless reliance on the Lord’s will.
It’s also cool because it doesn’t portray itself that way, it presents itself as a history book. It’s a way for this author to witness to other people. Today these men are role models for their accomplishments and they deserve to be role models for our faith.
Each man handled a tremendously difficult situation and very real struggles.  In the moment, there was a lot of unknown and uncertainty that we take for granted when we look back on their lives knowing the final outcome. They didn’t know that slavery would end, that the United States would become its own country, that the barrier of race would one day not be an issue for major league baseball player. It’s interesting to look back in hindsight to see what their struggles were and how a faith in God allowed them to persevere and ultimately conquer their challenges.
 
 
 

Creativity Inc.

Ed Catmull

 
I love this book. The author, Ed Catmull, was one of the founders of Pixar. He is an incredibly smart guy. He’s a computer scientist who has contributed to many important developments in computer graphics. He is the technology and operations brain within the best animation studios, Pixar and Disney. I gained a lot of insight by relating to someone very technically driven and operationally focused inside a creative organization. He’s a tremendously creative person and has such a great philosophy on how to run a creative business. Pixar has done some pretty great things, consistently, year after year. They have hundreds of people who work for them who are constantly motivated and inspired to create incredible things. This book focuses on the management and balance of an organization’s creativity without stifling it. How do you light the light, fan the flame and keep it under some sort of control without letting it go out? It was eye opening to see him talk about the struggles from a company, like Pixar, that is so incredibly successful. He shared stories of how they’ve powered through some of their failures and mishaps and used it to grow from to truly excel beyond where they were.
 
 
 

Graphis Poster Annual 2008 – 2009

 
Graphis is an international design publication. I actually got published in this annual for a poster series that I designed and illustrated in 2006. It was one of my very first professional projects and it was very humbling to get published right out school. My work is featured right next to some of my design heroes like DJ Stout, Michael Schwab and Milton Glaser. I studied these guys in school by looking through books like this. I felt incredible validation when I realized I too could do this. This collection is what Graphis deemed the best posters in the world that year but after its done you go back to work to compete again next year. It’s a very inspiring accomplishment and it motivates me to keep creating. It sits on my shelf and is as much affirmation as it is motivation.

 

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Barneys New York Magazine
Holiday Issue

I brought a combination of books and magazines, since I read a myriad of both on a regular basis. I try to make time for reading every day, though sometimes a lack of time prevents that. Anyone that knows me at all knows that I love fashion and I love that Barney’s supports independent designers and up & comers. I always try to follow what they’re featuring. This issue is incredibly well-edited and art directed. Alas, perhaps what they feature is bit more aspirational than my budget allows, but amazing nevertheless.

Anthropologie Home

This is one of the company’s home décor magazines, so it seems a bit superficial, right? But it’s gorgeous, I mean the way they lay it out, the way they set up the various ensembles of furniture and jewelry is just beautiful and intriguing. As an advertising geek, I greatly appreciate the paper stock, photography and the way this magazine is consistent with the Anthropologie brand. There is never a disconnect between how they represent their clothing and décor.

[do you like interior design?] I do for my own home, but not particularly for other people. Anthropologie does a wonderful job of mixing eclectic, glam and color in a way that resonates with my style. I find it very inspirational for my own spaces.
 
 

Food & Wine

I love wine – everyone here knows that. I also love food and don’t have the luxury of a lot of time to cook, so this is my aspirational magazine. It’s what I pull out when I think I am going to have time to sit down and make a gourmet meal, or when I think I am going to have the opportunity to travel to some of the exotic places they cover. This is the only magazine that I regularly subscribe to, so something must be inspiring about it. This happens to be the Thanksgiving issue.

[did you make anything out of it?] Not yet, because my sister also loves to cook and she hosted Thanksgiving this year. She was pretty specific about what recipes were on the menu.

Mad Women

JANE MAAS

 
This is an excellent book for advertising professionals, but particularly for women who are passionate about this field. Jane Maas, the author, worked her way up at Olgivy & Mather in the 60’s (a.k.a. the Mad Men era) from copywriter to creative director at a time when women in advertising were incredibly rare. She is the brain behind the famous campaign, “I Love New York.” She was a front-runner for female advertising professionals, as well as a wife and mother. She depicts her professional and personal story in a way that brings Madison Avenue and the energy of advertising world to life. It is juicy – let’s just say that I am glad we have all moved past the Mad Men era. It is also pretty sweet that I had the opportunity to meet her and have her sign my copy of her book.
 
 

The Opposition of Fate

AMY TAN

 
This is a leisure read for me written by Amy Tan, who is one of my favorite authors. She is also the author of The Joy Luck Club, which is a superb book that shares stories of two generations and four strong-willed Chinese-American women and their daughters as they navigate through life, often times referring back to China and previous generations of the family. I have a great appreciation for Tan’s writing because she is amazingly creative and gifted at bringing the characters and scenes in her novels to life. I have never been to China, but she is capable of transporting the reader to a scene in a way that makes them feel they know the environment incredibly well. As a Chinese-American, Opposite of Fate is Tan’s own memoir about her childhood, upbringing and evolution into an author. In most of her books, there are underlying themes related to the strength of family and the strength of women. I believe I’ve read every one of her books and I always am thrilled when a new one is released.
 
 

Backwards in High Heels: The Impossible Art of Being Female

 SARAH VINE AND TANYA KINDERSLEY

 
Okay, admittedly, I first picked up the book because of its beautiful bookbinding and the title. On further perusal, it was clearly a great read – not just a tutorial on how to wear my shoes. I consider this book more of a reference, or guide, than a start to finish read. Two British authors, Sarah Vine and Tanya Kindersley write their thoughts and advice from a female perspective on topics ranging from politics, to careers, to motherhood (working and stay-at-home-moms alike) to shopping and love – they really cover the gamut. I am not much of a “self-help” reader, but the delivery is wise, intelligently written and funny. It’s a great book to pick up and read about a topic that may be highlighted in your life at that moment.
 
[What is your main motivation for reading?]  I’ve always been a reader, even since I was a very young child. It was an escape in a way just to remove myself from the day-to-day world. So, I typically read more for pleasure, but as I’ve become a mom I’ve started reading more books about child development, things that can give me insight. As a professional, I read things that are more relevant and keep me refreshed as it relates to advertising or the like. I am a huge follower of politics, but I typically don’t read it. I usually watch or listen. So, primarily for pleasure.
I think choice of genres is very diverse. I read a lot of fiction, I don’t read a ton of history but if it’s the right historical book I will read it. My sister-in-law gave me the entire Lyndon B. Johnson series, which is a really long series that I’ve read. I also read Steve Jobs. So, if there’s a really interesting story line to it I will read nonfiction, but no I don’t think it’s changed, but it’s broadened.
[So with your daughter, do you see any kind of a difference in generations when it comes to reading?] I do and I made it a point since the day she was born that I would read to her so she would ideally have an appreciation for reading. Although she got an incredibly high reading aptitude, she doesn’t particularly like to read like I did at her age. I could go read a book for 2-3 hours on a Sunday afternoon. She would much rather play on her Kindle. She might read something, but then she turns around and plays a game or gets on social media. So, it’s unfortunate. They do sort of create the need for reading at school, so she’s getting it but it’s not an organic pleasure for her at the moment, but hopefully that will change.
 
 

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Little Women

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

 
This is the first copy of Little Women that I received from a family friend when I was 10. You can tell by how battered up it is that I’ve read it a lot. I haven’t read it since junior high, but it was a favorite for a long time. I am still friends with that family today.
 

Tidewater on the Halfshell

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF NORFOLK-VIRGINIA BEACH

 
Next up: I brought a cookbook. I am one of those people who didn’t really cook much growing up other than making cookies. So when I got married, I didn’t have a very good skill set. This is one of my first cookbooks and it’s from a Junior League in Virginia. You can tell by all the stains and what not that I used it a lot. I still make some of the recipes for Thanksgiving. I love cookbooks and have a pretty good collection but this one is one of my favorites.
I have also bought it for my sister and sister-in-law so I try to pass it on.
 

Angela’s Ashes

FRANK MCCOURT

 
Angela’s Ashes was written in 1996 and won that year’s Pulitzer Prize. It’s an excellent book, but I selected it because it was the first book that my book club read together nearly 20 years ago. We’ve been getting together monthly ever since. The nice thing about this group is that some books are selected that I would probably never select on my own. It’s nice to get that variety. Plus, these women are life-long friends so we know what each other like.
I really read across the board. Some science fiction is too over the top for me, though. I really appreciate good writing because not everyone is a good writer.  If the writing is good and there is a good story or if there is something of value that I can learn, that’s what I tend to gravitate towards.
 

Humans of New York: Stories

 BRANDON STANTON

 
This one currently sits on my nightstand. I love oral histories – and this is basically just that. This author is interviewing random people from different walks of life and the photography is interesting. It’s not something I would sit down and read straight through but it’s just nice when you need some peace and quiet or something to think about before going to bed.
This was a Christmas gift from my sister Kelly in 2015, and she is one of the few people in my family that is brave enough to buy me a book. My interests in books are varied. I view books as an outlet for the imagination and for learning.
 
 
 

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Bible

You would not embark on a trip without a map. For me, the Bible and the wisdom it contains is the roadmap for my life. As with any trip, if you don’t follow the map you end up getting lost or having problems. In no means am I saying I always follow the map, but that is what I aspire to do.
As his Bible gets filled up with notes he rotates and get new ones, but he has used this one for 10 years.
 

Ogilvy on Advertising

BY DAVID OGILVY

 
This is one of the most famous books on advertising. The author, David Oglivy, is the patriarch of modern mass advertising and a brilliant copywriter. One of the main problems agencies and advertisers have is they forget that the motivating factors for consumers have stayed the same, we’ve just complicated things. The channels and tools have changed, but in its simplest form, we need to understand the problem the consumer has and how our product or service can fix it. Mandatory reading for anyone that wants to enter this field.
Ken has always had this copy of the book, but he has another one that is signed by David Ogilvy that was a gift from Mr. Ogilvy himself. He’s not one for autographs or celeb things but thought hey, that’s pretty cool.
 
 

The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook

BY JOSHUA PIVEN AND DAVID BORGENICHT

 
Now this one is interesting. This book is representative of the fact that I love learning things. My mind is a strange place and I consistently think in advance of a lot of things. I do a lot of scenario thinking whether that’s in work or my personal life. What happens if the power goes out – I think about that stuff all the time. I am constantly reading because I want to have a base of knowledge upon which I can draw because I think one of life’s most critical skills is problem solving. So in absence of having actual experience in a specific area or a partner that is an expert in that particular area, I want to have knowledge that I can rely on to solve problems I may encounter, like how to avoid a shark bite. So I have lots of these kinds of books. I also enjoy books written by people like Malcom Gladwell, he is a genius about making you think about what you think you know. He will take 2 disparate thoughts/ideas/notions and weave them together in a compelling story. His topics range from homelessness to why some kids excel more than others in a classroom. Once again, it’s giving me knowledge and information that challenges what I traditionally think or what I’ve come to believe. I think that we constantly have to challenge what we think we know.
From the time I was 7 or 8 years old, I spent so much time with my dad building things. My parents were very involved in a Christian camping ministry in Houston and that group raised money to buy about 500 acres of land near Huntsville. So from the time I was 8, I was out there with my dad cutting down trees, stripping the bark, building cabins and digging water wells. When you’re out in the middle of the woods you have to figure things out – if the chainsaw breaks you have to figure how to fix it, if the wood is too heavy for you to lift, you have to figure out how to move it. So from a very young age, my parents challenged me to figure things out. I treasure those roots. I treasure those lessons.  And I treasure books that challenge my way of thinking.
 
 

King and Maxwell:

BY DAVID BALDACCI

This is what I would call my airport or vacation reading. You get to the airport and realize you will be sitting in an airport for eight hours and then sitting on the beach for three days. So I like books that are thrillers or suspense – not scary. I hate scary stuff, but my sons make fun of me because I never finish any of these.
 
 

Power House CAA: The Untold Story of Hollywood’s Creative Artists Agency

BY JAMES ANDREW MILLER

 
This is a book I am currently reading. I enjoy reading biographical or autobiographical business books and this one is about the founding Creative Artist Agency – which is the most powerful talent management company in the world. It’s fascinating to, again, look at what other people have done and what can I learn from their experiences and apply to my own.

This book was a gift from a mentor, good friend and former client of mine, Frank Wyckoff. Frank is a man that important to Schaefer in the early years. He was head of the franchise council for Snelling Personnel Services – our first, really large national account. Frank has helped me navigate many business and life situations – I’m incredibly grateful for his friendship. Again, I love seeking knowledge from other people.

Important point – knowledge just for the sake of knowledge is gnostic in its quest. I want knowledge in order to gain wisdom. My family will tell you that when we do our devotion at night one of my prayers is often to gain wisdom. I treasure the wisdom of others.

 

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