The Carpenter With 2.5M Views Who Almost Made HGTV

Chad and I used to close shifts together at Via, end up at house parties on Vernon Hill, and somehow make it back in for the next day's lunch service. That was Worcester, circa 2007. Then life happened.Now he's in Connecticut building custom built-ins, knocking out Barnes & Noble locations with a crew that shows up at 4AM to unload tractor trailers, going viral with 2.5 million views on a carpentry reel, almost landing an HGTV segment (they made him and his boss sit on milk crates to get the lighting right), and just got pre-approved for a mortgage on a three-family while four months into cutting out the stuff that was slowing him down.Oh — and I showed him a 45-minute house party video from 2007 that Cheryl accidentally recorded on my iMac. It is in sepia. He is on it.We talked about all of it — six Virgin Voyages cruises with his fiancé Rich, the old-growth wood hidden inside Worcester triple-deckers, losing his best friend to a gastric bypass complication, what it's actually like being gay in a veteran-owned trades company (spoiler: the guys have his back), DJ nights behind the Palladium, and why Connecticut is basically a creative desert that's forcing him to build his own backyard scene from scratch.⏱ CHAPTERS:00:00 Introduction and Backgrounds02:29 Travel Adventures and Experiences05:33 Carpentry Journey and Career11:24 Memories from the Past19:28 Reflections on Work and Life25:03 Nostalgic Memories and Connections27:37 Content Creation and Podcasting Journey31:23 Social Media Strategies and Engagement35:43 Reflections on Aging and Social Life39:09 Adventures in Hawaii43:13 Craftsmanship and the Value of Woodwork45:00 Personal Growth and Lifestyle Changes53:07 The Changing Social Landscape for Youth58:19 Hobbies and Personal Projects01:00:33 Navigating Loss and Personal Growth01:02:37 Travel Aspirations01:08:54 Workplace Dynamics in a Male-Dominated Field01:13:39 Future Aspirations in Content Creation🎙️ 20-Year Timeout — reconnecting with people from the past, unscripted and unfiltered.📲 Website: https://www.20yeartimeout.comSend us Fan MailSubscribe for new episodes and honest conversations.20 Year Timeout is a podcast where I reconnect with people I have not spoken to in over twenty years to see what time has done to our stories. Listen & Watch Here:https://open.spotify.com/show/7Aa3P0QSufFWzgbUSOtUTBhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/20-year-timeout/id1862794471https://www.youtube.com/@richmarksthespot