Eric G. Wiley

Back in 2001, I started catering after the agency where I worked lost a major client & laid me off. That is to say, whenever a movie mogul, studio or other large, wealthy organization in Los Angeles needed an army of people to serve them dinner on a lawn I was one of the people who got called.

The catering companies always overstaffed so the gigs were easy. Not to mention they paid well and we got to gawk into the homes and workplaces of the very rich & famous. There was always plenty of down time between setting up and tearing down so the catering folks would fade into the darkness and chat to pass the time.

On one of these occasions I crouched between luxury vehicles and smoked a cigarette with a guy named Dax. He had never had a 'real' job in his life. He felt that the nine-to-five model was very stupid because everyone knows that human beings aren't productive for eight hours straight, so why should they be expected to sit there and pretend? He and I saw eye-to-eye on that topic. The difference between us was that he had either managed to fulfill his financial obligations without violating the basic tenets of his principals or made peace with the fiscal loose ends.

For the next six years Dax maintained confidence in his writing and acting ability and continued to build his reputation. He started to land small movie roles and development deals. He persevered through tough times that would have sent most people running for the temp agency. After years of fits and starts, he made an ingenious move and all of his hard work and determination instantly paid off. He did something that would open every door in Hollywood, increase his per movie rate by millions and guarantee him the starring role in at least three upcoming films. Dax made the master stroke that spelled "check" and "mate" in the game of life.

Dax Shepard made out with Kate Hudson in front of paparazzi. Brilliant!