Mike Marriner, Founder, Road Trip Nation
Post-graduation, feeling sheltered and underexposed to the world around him, Mike hit the road (with friends Brian McAllister and Nathan Gebhard) in an unsound 1985 Green RV to interview people who defined their own roads in life including the founder of Starbucks, Lobstermen, artists, the founder of Barnes and Noble, CEO of National Geographic Ventures, the scientist who decoded the human genome, CEO of Dell Computers, truck drivers, filmmakers, social activists, and many others. Contrary to what they had learned in school or from growing up in California, they learned that people can build lives in line with their passions and individuality.
That trip inspired them to create Roadtrip Nation a grassroots organization that mobilizes students to hit the road, interview leaders from all walks of life, and explore the world for themselves. Footage from these trips are shared with individuals everywhere through the Roadtrip Nation Series on PBS, books, various broadcast partnerships, and online at www.roadtripnation.com
Mike, Nathan, and Brian have written three books, and have been featured on the NBC Today Show, NBC Carson Daly Show, CBS Early Show, CNN, CNBC, CBS News, BBC World News, NPR, and many other broadcast outlets.
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