Premiere Issue 2017

the screenplay for the film; music and Bandstand
lyrics by Tim Minchin (Matilda The (Jacobs; previews March 31; opens April 26)
Musical). Although it’s set in 1945, this is a wholly
original musical – i.e., with new songs and
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a story not based on a movie, a book, a
(Lunt-Fontanne; previews March 28; play, or any other existing material – about
opens April 23) Another London import, how a young WWII veteran and his swing
though reportedly revised extensively for band try against challenging odds to win a
Broadway, is a new musical based on the radio contest that will bring them fame
children’s book by Roald Dahl that and fortune. Heading the cast are Corey
previously inspired the beloved 1971 Cott (Newsies, Gigi) and Laura Osnes
film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate (Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella).
Factory with Gene Wilder in the title role, The show is choreographed and also
as well as the not-so-beloved 2005 directed by Tony winner Andy
remake with Johnny Depp. This time out, Blankenbuehler, fresh off the spectacular
Wonka is played by two-time Tony success of Hamilton.
winner Christian Borle (Something
Rotten!, Peter and the Starcatcher), with
John Rubinstein – star of the original
Broadway production of Pippin – as
Grandpa Joe. Along with a few songs
from the 1971 movie, the score will
feature new numbers by Marc Shaiman
and Scott Wittman (Hairspray). Three-
time Tony winner Jack O’Brien directs.

Anastasia EVERY ONE IS LAMENTING WITH
(Broadhurst; previews March 23; opens F U L L J U S T I F I C AT I ON T HAT 2016
April 24) Based on the 1997 animated WA S A H O R R E N D O U S Y E A R I N
film musical of the same title, but with MANY W A YS ,BUT ON THE BRIGHT
several additional songs by the same SIDE , THE F ALL DID BRING US
team that scored the film: Stephen T H R E E N E W HI T B R O ADWAYS
Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, also known MUSICALS .
for Ragtime, Once On This Island,
Seussical, etc. Christy Altomare stars as
the young woman who may or may not
be the Grand Duchess Anastasia,
daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.
Derek Klena is her love interest, Dmitry.
Directed by Darko Tresnjak, who won a
Tony for helming the 2014 Best Musical
winner A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and
Murder.

53 – Premiere Issue

YEAH, I LIKE WHAT GOD , ALLAH ,
BUDDHA, AND GANESH HAVE DONE TO THE
PLANET. THAT’S THE BEST WORK EVER.

THEY ARE THE TRUE ARTISTS .

54– Premiere Issue

EDDYBOGAERT: THE LIFE OF A CREATOR

C ONTRIBUTING WRITER : MEGAN WRAPPE

You didn’t study art at all in college, when did you Are there any other artists who’ve influenced you?
start painting? Yeah, I like what God, Allah, Buddha, and Ganesh have
I started painting like every other child at the age of done to the planet. That’s the best work ever, they are
five. The difference is that I kept going. the true artists. We are just a speck of an atom
compared to how good of an artist they were and still
You didn’t have a typical childhood, what were your are. And if you say “why all of these deities,” well,
early years like? because who am I to say which religion is right.
I was both blessed in childhood and yet very not. But,
that’s okay because it has fueled my art and my heart One of the themes you paint about most is first
for others quite a lot. I’ve turned all that pain into impressions, how did you create your specific style? I try
beauty that can hopefully benefit others, like the act of to humanize the art piece and give it a sense of
transformation or metamorphosis. It’s pain made into humanity. So I start by putting the canvas on the floor.
something of real beauty.

How have you made it to where you are today? Like You work mainly with paint, canvas, and lighting but
anything in life, one has to love what they do, and I do are there any other mediums you can see yourself
love what I do. I’ve also been lucky enough to be creating things with?
introduced to some freaking amazing people who I I’ve painted on everything I could paint on from a piece
couldn’t have done anything without them in my life. of wood on the streets, to a Lamborghini. I dont limit
They have connected me to people I wouldn’t have myself.
met if it wasn’t for them. Life is a roller coaster, just
keep focused. How did you form “Eddy Bogaert and Crew of Misfit
Artists?
As an artist, what subjects, situations, or people are When I started I didn’t have anyone to go to. So, if I can
you most inspired by? do something that can help some of my artist friends, I
Sexy beautiful women. They get my heart pounding will do it. I don’t look at anyone as my competition. I
which is why I love to paint them on my canvas. I also am Eddy. I do what I do, I have my story, and so do my
work well under distress, I transform it into something artist friends. They have their story. There’s plenty of
new and beautiful that the universe gets jealous by. wealth in this planet to share, people need to stop
being greedy. Though, if I feel I’m being taken
advantage of, I withdraw and that person is gone.

55– Premiere Issue

What was your first show You’ve taken part in Art What are you currently When you’re not painting,
experience as an artist Basel in Miami the past reading, listening to, or what do you do outside of
like? few years, how does that researching that’s getting the studio?
I had a group of friends exhibition compare to you through your current I usually have sex, go out,
come and support me. others that you’ve done? projects? read a book, do some
There were no more than Are there any specific I listen to a lot of 90s homework on other
five people, but that for shows you want to be a rock, some classical artists, or listen to music
me was amazing! Now I part of in the future? music, some Hip Hop and which all helps in my
get anywhere from up to Art Basel in Basel, Art House. As for books right creative world. Also,
400 people coming to my Basel Hong Kong, The now, “The War of Art” is walking. I almost forgot, I
shows. Persistence is the Armory New York, Freize helping give me gain love walking by myself
key. London, and Cube in some perspective on and listening to music.
Brussels. different things and ideas. When I do that, I start to
56– Premiere Issue daydream.

You’ve accomplished so much in What has been your most Besides being an artist, what do you
the past few years, do you have memorable response to your want the rest of the world to know about
any specific goals for the future? work that you can remember? you?
I want my art work to be all over I had someone cry in front of my That I care. I care about this planet and
the world! There are some work. At first it felt awkward, but everyone in it. That I do the best I can do
incredible galleries picking me up then I felt very empowered. to make this world a better place with my
right now, and I eventually want art and help people around me. That’s
to be in museums. What is the best piece of advice the least I could do because if it weren’t
you’ve ever gotten? What would for my friends and people who cared
57 – Premiere Issue you say to new up and coming about me, I wouldn’t be able to make it
artists? by myself.
Never give up. I also want people to know that I go
against the grind and do it my way. Even
though the currents push me back on a
daily basis, I keep on swimming towards
happiness.

58 – Premiere Issue

THE NORTHPOLE, THE The trip is not cheap. Poseidon Expeditions, one of
the operators, charges $28,000 to $44,000 per person,
ULTIMATE based on double occupancy, for twin to deluxe berths.
(Travelers must get to Murmansk, reachable by air
DESTINATION from Moscow, and back home on their own.) Two
sailings are currently scheduled in June 2017 and they
C ONTRIBUTING WRITER : JOSEPH P . GRIFFITH usually sell out, mostly with European and Asian
PHOT OS PROVIDED BY : JOSEPH P . GRIFFITH travelers, and occasionally some Americans.

Many people have visited Antarctica, and many Summer is the only time of year when the tours are
can claim to have visited all seven continents. Few, operated, when temperatures range from 20°F to 40°F
however, can lay claim to one of the rarest and and average around freezing. During the winter, the
remotest destinations on earth – the North Pole. Russian government operates the ship as a research
vessel, studying climate, animals, geology and the
There is nothing quite like visiting the top of the world, a environment. In the winter, temperatures may plummet
place of ice, continuous daylight in summer, exotic animals to 90 degrees below zero.
and, paradoxically, both cold weather and warm feelings.
There is fierce political debate and opinion about
The two-week trip departs several times each year climate change, but the scientists and explorers who
between June and August. It begins in Murmansk, Russia, regularly go to the North Pole deal only in facts. Their
where travelers board 50 Years of Victory, a 75,000- data show that each year, the polar ice pack grows
horsepower Russian nuclear icebreaker, the most powerful smaller and softer, with enormous implications. Animals
one in the world. It takes 128 passengers and 140 crew such as polar bears have smaller habitats, less food and
members through the Arctic Circle, the Barents Sea and the a more difficult time surviving. The melting ice cap is
archipelagoes of Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen. When creating flooding and adverse weather around the
they reach the Pole, they have the chance to walk across world. At the same time, commercial shipping through
every meridian of longitude and circumnavigate the globe, the Northeast Passage along the northern coast of
as it were, all the while enjoying gourmet meals, fine wines Russia, which is limited by the ice, is becoming easier,
and a rare luxury experience. which will alter trade routes and possibly limit tourism
as it now exists.

Those who make the trip have a good be monotonous. For entertainment And then, the ship makes its way back to
chance to escape the real world; there is aboard the ship, there are movies, civilization. The ice thins into water, birds
no phone, Internet or e-mail service, lectures on geology, flora and herald the return to land, islands appear and
although satellite connections allow fauna, Russian lessons, the sauna, the sun begins to set. The predawn darkness
passengers brief, expensive contact. evening barbecues on the deck; of the Murmansk harbor is a fitting end to
and music and dancing nightly in the journey, but soon the sun rises on a day
In the Arctic summer, there is no night; the lounges. The unique nature of that finds the traveler irrevocably changed.
the sun never sets and shines 24 hours a the trip brings people together in a
day. The trips are fairly structured, which special sense of camaraderie. THERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE VISITING
prevents the days from blending into each THE T OP OF THE W ORLD , A PLACE OF
other. A typical day may consist of a Upon reaching the Geographic ICE , CO N T I N UO US D AYLIGHT IN S U M M E R
morning wakeup call and rundown of the North Pole, 90º00.000’North, with , EXO TIC ANIMALS AND , P ARADOXIC-
day’s activities on the public address everyone on deck, the captain ALL Y , BO TH C OLD WEA THER AND
system in several languages, followed by a sounds the horn and triumphal WARM F E E L I N G S .
sumptuous breakfast in the ship’s dining music blares through the
rooms. Meals are lavish and included in the loudspeakers. Passengers unfurl the
tour price; alcoholic drinks can be flags of their various countries, pose
purchased and added to a running tab. for pictures and revel in the
accomplishment. It is estimated
Passengers are briefed on safety that only 12,500 to 14,000 people in
procedures, the ship’s helicopter and all of human history have visited the
lifeboats and the various facilities, including Pole, and these lucky few celebrate
the gym, swimming pool, sauna, restaurant their entry into this exclusive club.
and lounges.
At about 80 degrees north, about
As the ship sails through the Barents Sea, 600 nautical miles from the Pole,
pods of humpback and fin whales may be there is no more land, only huge ice
sighted, along with seabirds like black and floes and endless expanses of water.
white guillemots, gray and white kittiwakes,
fulmars and glaucous gulls. On Bell and One of the cruise’s advertised
Maybell islands, two of the 191 rocky, ice- features is the chance to swim at
covered islands of Franz Josef Land, the the North Pole. The water is about
occasional polar bear can be seen looking 30 degrees F. and three miles deep,
back curiously at the ship and its tourists. but few pass up the chance to take
the Polar Plunge.
The route and itinerary may change,
depending on weather conditions, but Along the way back, there are
numerous excursions to the islands are barbecues on the ice, dinner-
made via the helicopter. At Hooker Island’s dances, vodka, of course, and the
huge Rubini Rock, the largest bird colony opportunity to meet many
in the Arctic, thousands of birds swarm and interesting, well- traveled people
nest, the sound a continuous swirl of from many different places. The
chirping and flapping wings, the smell that close encounter with the Wilczek
of fresh guano. Island glacier, sitting amid the eerie
silence, is a moment of staggering
At about 80 degrees north, about 600 beauty.
nautical miles from the Pole, there is no
more land, only huge ice floes and endless
expanses of water. The view is
mesmerizing but a long sea voyage can

60 – Premiere Issue

61 – Premiere Issue

62– Premiere Issue



TRAVEL & REAL ESTA TE

INSIDE TRUE LUXURY VACATION HOME EXPERIENCES
AROUND THE WORLD

C ONTRIBUTING WRITER : RICHMOND MENSAH JR .

ASPEN Initially established as a mining encampment during the In addition, the terrain allows for a plethora of skiing
Colorado Silver Boom; now a booming tourist destination areas, the most renowned being the Aspen Mountain.
and home of pristine properties, Aspen is one place you Enjoy the beautiful white topped mountains as you take a
must experience. The collapse of its mining infrastructure comfortable gondola ride to the submit and prepare for a
due to the Panic of 1893 gave rise to new possibilities. thrilling snowboarding or skiing experience down various
During the mid- 20th century, the nearby Aspen Mountain glades and steeps. You may also partake in aquatic
was designed into an elegant ski resort and many of the activates such as rafting and fishing.
surrounding properties were renovated. These changes
gave way to a wave of celebrities, musicians and corporate Among the luxurious housing available is the Villa Susanne.
executives, who still to this very day, come to enjoy the Approximately 14,000 square feet in size, containing 7
beautiful scenery of Aspen. Along the foamy rapids of the bedrooms and 9 baths. Not to mention an indoor jacuzzi,
Roaring Fork River, you are surrounded by the lush White pool, game room and easy access to the mountains from
River Forest containing four ski areas. The city is also skiing. In conjunction with the beautiful Aspen location, this
bordered by the Red Mountain, Smuggler Mountain and Villa will create an unforgettable experience.
Aspen Mountain. Due to its mountainous terrain, Aspen has
a myriad of hiking trails where one can enjoy the quiet of
nature and take in the scenery.

C ART A GENA Nothing can compare to the crystal clear waters of the The Bocagrande is a large peninsula that is dotted with
Caribbean seas and the cool, refreshing air of its breezes. exquisite hotels and condos allowing for a true experience
It is therefore no surprise that Cartagena de Indians is the of living on the coast. Nearby are Isla Baru and La Manga
most prized attraction of Columbia’s Caribbean coastline. containing residential areas. As a part of the Bocagrande
During the colonial period, Cartagena was an impregnable peninsula, there are a plentiful number of waterfronts,
fort that helped Columbia secure its independence from beaches and marine life just waiting to be explored. On
the Spanish Empire. However, the fort did not stop the the other hand, Ciudad Amurallada has a great number of
spread of Spanish culture that inhabits Cartagena to this high-end restaurants, hotels and clubs..
very day. Being one of the first cities to house freed
African- Americans; Cartagena has an ethnically diverse As you travel through Cartagena you will be sure to be
and mixed population. amazed by the colonial buildings that are still present as
well as the colonial architecture that was inspired from
This diverse population is what contributes to the the past structural design. The Villa Meris is an example of
relaxed, amiable, and accepting atmosphere that colonial architecture mixed with a modern style. Located
Cartagena brings. Cartagena is located on Columbia’s in Old Town, Villa Meris has a breathtaking view of the
Northern coast and is built on several islands. The city is Caribbean Sea and assorted greenery. In addition to
split into two halves known as the colonial city, called containing 7 bedrooms and 8 baths, the center of the Villa
“Ciudad Amurallada” and the Bocagrande peninsula. also contains a courtyard with an outdoor pool where one
may relax and take in the sunlight. Cartagena invites you
to its white sand beaches, shimmering seas and unique
culture to forge your own experience.

NO THING C AN C OMP ARE T O THE CRYST AL
CLEAR W A TERS OF THE

C ARIBBEAN SEAS AND THE C OOL , REFRESHING
AIR OF ITS BREEZES .

NOTHING C AN C OMPARE T O THE CRYSTAL CLEAR W A TERS OF THE

C A R I B B E A N S E AS AND THE C OOL , R E F R E S H I N G AIR OF ITS
BREEZES .

65 – Premiere Issue

BALI Among the collation of islands that Indonesia consists of lies a place rich in history, culture, geography and
much more; the island of Bali. Bali provides a mixture of modern day attractions such as sandy beaches
with beach resorts and an assortment of clubs and restaurants serving local delicacies. At the same time,
the inland sections of the island contain historic temples, places and more natural attractions such as
mountains, jungles and volcanoes. Influenced heavily by Indian, Chines and Hindu cultures, Bali’s
population majorly follows Balinese Hinduism. Besides religion, Bali is filled with various arts including
paintings, sculptures, music and dance. Your stay will be further shaped by the many native celebrations
and rituals such as cremation or the temple festival. As you explore the many wonders of Bali, be sure to
delve into the renowned Besakih and Tanah Lot temples; immersing yourself in the ancient architecture
and history. The coasts are filled with a great number of marine life and the Ubud Monkey Forest is the
home of grey long-tailed macaques.

Among the many properties available is Villa Arabel, equipped with a butler, chef, manager and more
personnel. The villa also features a game room, wine cellar and outdoor pool. In addition, the rooftop
terrace provides a perfect locale for parties or any gatherings. Come to Bali and you are sure to be lost in
its immersive culture, activities and your own enjoyment.

66– Premiere Issue

PRIV A TE ISLANDS In the deep blue expanse of the sparkling waters of Enjoy a fresh drink from the wine cellar or create
the Indian Ocean, emerges an island, often labeled as your own at the cocktail bar and have your private
the jewel of the Maldives, Coco Prive Kuda Hithi chef cook an array of dishes as you enjoy the gentle
Island. Not far from the local airport and in the North Maldivian breeze and sunshine. Take to the ocean
Male Atoll, Hithi Island is accessible through private to enjoy aquatic activities such as snorkeling and
yachts and is the perfect location for a respite of your windsurfing or swimming in a private infinity
own imagination. The experience is tailored to you swimming pool. Between the beautiful weather and
and is only restricted by your imagination. activities, we guarantee you’ll never want to leave.

The main housing known as the Palm Residence, If interested in leasing or purchasing any of
gives a magnificent view of the Indian Ocean. The the luxury homes mentioned in our article,
Palm Residence consists of a master bedroom on the please contact us directly for pricing and dates.
top floor and other luxuries such as an indoor jacuzzi We also have over 3,500 luxury homes in over
and sauna. In addition, 5 villas are also on the island to 37 destinations worldwide for you to choose
be used as residence for family, friends or guests. from.

67 – Premiere Issue

CESSNA: DOMINATING THE SKY

C ONTRIBUTING WRITER : JOSH KL OOSTERMAN You begin to notice the most modern technologies and
innovations littered throughout the entire plane, from the
There’s a particular feeling we all get when boarding airplanes. most up to date pilot tech to unlimited connectivity and
Regardless of reasons for flying or number of times we’ve been up complete cabin control at the push of a button without
in the air, the feeling comes back again and again. It’s the one ever leaving your seat. The many incredible features it
that makes you smile without hesitation and gives you the urge to has to offer, turn the Cessna’s luxurious cabin into a fully
laugh uncontrollably like when you were a child experiencing functional workspace, or even a boardroom fit for the
something profound. There’s a level of excitement that seems to most esteemed executives.You soak in the pristine
become lost as we age, until moments like getting to fly privately. craftsmanship as you momentarily stand in awe. That’s
It’s during these times we experience a level of bliss and freedom when it hits you.
only the birds were said to be privy too. Then, there’s the feeling
of flying in a Cessna. Cessna is not just an aircraft.

Before you even enter the plane, your heart rises with Cessna is a lifestyle.
anticipation and that childlike joyfulness is already
exponentially greater than ever before. There is an energy Considered to be the gold standard for decades, Cessna
around the plane that emanates from its sleek, gorgeous, and aircrafts have yet to cease elevating the bar when it comes
modern exterior. As if put together and painted meticulously to designing and building luxurious, safe, fast, and reliable
by hand, it is utterly Flawless. aircraft. They continue to provide the latest technologies
The stairs lower and you saunter up with suave, attempting to and ways to make their airplanes more pragmatic to any
hide your urge to race inside. As you enter, removing your type of pilot or passenger.
sunglasses and reaching for the already poured Dom
Perignon, you are met with the most modern, the most Today, they can be considered the platinum standard for
beautiful, and the most sophisticated cabin any aircraft has to aviation, because when it comes to high-class flying, nothing
offer. comes close to the power and grace of Cessna.
A spacious lavatory, covered in a glossy wood grain finish, sits
in the rear of the jet with counter space, drawers, and room to Fueled by a dream where he seemed to be hanging on to
move about freely. Modern and lustrous hand stitched the tail of a kite being flown by his brother, floating over the
leather seats line the walkway, and as your eyes drift from fields, and feeling that special exhilaration achieved only
the incredibly comfortable chairs they land on the large from flying, Clyde Cessna acquired a burning desire. That
personalized galley for glassware, beverages, and other desire was for flying, and that exhilaration continued to flow
personal storage. Just like the rest of the cabin, it too is through him even after he awoke. This dream led Clyde
covered in a wood finish and accented by chrome and Cessna to eventually build a company that produces the
stainless steel giving an inspired sense of class and wealth. most luxurious and pragmatic models of airplanes to date.

FUELED BY A DREAM WHERE HE
S EEMED T O BE HANGING ON T O THE T
AIL OF A KITE BEING FL O WN BY HIS
BROTHER ,
FLOAT I NG OVER T HE F I E L D S , A N D
FEELING THA T SPECIAL EXHILARA
TION A CHIEVED ONL Y FROM FL YING ,
CLYDE C E S S N A ACQ U I R E D A B U R N I N G
DESIRE .

In 1911, many years after his dream, Clyde Cessna built been referred to as the “Uber of private jets”, Cessna is
and successfully flew the first monoplane Cessna Aircraft setting the stage for a new future of flight. As Jetsmarter
called “Silverwing” during a time where biplanes ruled the creates the ability for more people to fly privately, the
air. From that moment in history, Cessna was on the map. demand for elite aircraft to rent, purchase, or become a
His success came from a relentlessness which caused him shareholder of, has gone up tenfold.
to persevere without any prior airplane knowledge. It
caused him to never give up, even after numerous Why settle when you can have the best?
unsuccessful flight attempts where many ended in painful
crashes. Despite any negativity, Clyde had a vision. He With company’s such as Jetsmarter making it easier to
wanted to build fast and affordable aircraft so that one day fly Cessna than ever before, why would you choose to fly
every person may have the ability to fly for daily business. or ride in anything else?

Cessna aircraft continued to gain popularity after not only Do yourself a favor the next time you need to fly or
winning a major air race in 1933 but also setting world travel. Find yourself a Cessna and allow your inner child a
speed records for engines smaller than 500 cubic inches. brief moment to escape and run around elated. Feel the
From that point, the demand for Cessna planes saw no end comfort and experience a higher level of luxury and class.
with the only halt in production coming from the great
depression. Aside from that scar on U.S history, Cessna has Do not settle, do not hide your smile, and do not hide
never stopped producing one of a kind airplanes. your laughter. Let the perfection of Cessna overwhelm you
while you remember the kite flying dream that started it all.
Today the demand for top of the line aircrafts, whether Keep that innocent and pure passion alive with Cessna as
Turboprop, Citation or Piston style, has risen to an all-time they continue to pave the way for luxury airliners
high. Now more than ever people want to fly private. In everywhere.
our modern society, where the private flying industry is
booming, it’s no surprise Cessna airplanes are right at the
top of the game due to their history and innovations.
Working with pioneering company’s such as
Jetsmarter, who specialize in jet rentals and have

69 – Premiere Issue

INTERVIEWS

MOGUL TALK WITH ENTREPRENEUR KEVIN

MCGOVERN and move forward. So my background in Queens, NY, being a little bit
of a fighter and a little bit of a kid that never gave up, really helped me
INTERVIEWER: J O S E P H G R I F F I T H as a entrepreneur. I was just on the phone literally this morning with
one of my investors and I just don’t give up. Persistence. It is dogged
DEKAD LIFESTYLE recently sat down with renowned persistence. Steady as you go. You got to be determined and you got to
entrepreneur, Kevin McGovern, for an exclusive interview. believe in what you are doing.
Kevin McGovern is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer You got to be a little bit crazy about what you are doing. Just like with
of McGovern Capital LLC and a principal and partner in a woman. You got to be crazy about your company. You got to believe
several other ventures. He has founded more than 20 in it. You got to dream about it. When you wake up in the morning you
companies including SoBe beverages, the fastest growing got to be thinking about it. When you go to sleep you go to be thinking
beverage company every in the U.S. and the TriStrata Skin about it.
Care Technology Company. Here is an excerpt from our
interview with him.

Joseph Griffith: You have a long resume. You have Joseph Griffith: How has everything in your background brought you to
accomplished a lot in a long career. When and how did this point?
you become an entrepreneur?
Kevin McGovern: I think I started to be an entrepreneur Kevin McGovern: It’s definitely has not been linear. My attitude has
probably when I was 10 years old. I lost my father when I always been “Can do”. I got a law degree. I had a law practice. I had 12
was 11 and my mother was handicapped. So I had three lawyers working for me. I represented the largest acquisition fund in the
jobs when I was 12. So I was doing entrepreneurial world. We did only M & A. And they say a small firm like that can’t
things like investing in the stock market in the 7th grade. represent big boys like that. Well, we did. It’s an attitude of “Can do”.
Communication satellite was a winner. I made some And so, every time I hear about new technologies…I’m literally here
money on that. And one of my brothers, six years older, I yesterday and I am learning from a guy from Silicon Valley about
loaned him money for his engagement ring when I was a transformative technologies. I love to learn new things. And it keeps me
freshman in high school. So I was a little bit of a young. It keeps me vital. I am learning, learning, learning.
businessman way back when. And I love business. To this
day, I just love to do business. I immerse myself and I
enjoy it immensely.

Joseph Griffith: What makes a good entrepreneur?

Kevin McGovern: You know, people use all sorts of NO TH ING C AN C OM P ARE T O THE CRYS T AL C L E A R W A T E R S OF THE
adjectives like persistence and things like that. There are C A R I B B E A N S E A S AND THE C OOL , R E F R E S H I N G AIR OF ITS B R E E Z E S .
other words I could use. But the real key and ingredient that
makes an entrepreneur successful is massy. If you get hit
and you go down with a left hook, do you come up with a
right cross or do you roll over? And when I interview people
for my companies I say, “You know if you think you are
going to have one of the successes I have without working
six and a half days a week until 10 and 12 at night you crazy.
Because it is all hard work and it is outworking your
competition, not just outthinking, but outworking. So really
I look for people who have the ability to withstand a setback

70– Premiere Issue

You stop me in an airport and check my briefcase…I read a lot on
the IPAD but also I have articles about whatever I am doing. I
need to know about that area and I don’t want to know about it
on the surface. I want to know in depth about it because the
more you learn about it the more you can understand what the
next trend is. I own the rights to an expression “Catch the
current, make the wave”. You don’t learn the current by
skimming across the water. You go down inside. You meet the
gurus. You meet the intelligent people who really know about
the industry and find out what is next and why. And have them
as your partners. Make them the rutters of your ship .

Joseph Griffith: You also work to groom young people in science and
technology fields?

Kevin McGovern: Absolutely. I work very closely not only with Joseph Griffith: You know Kevin, it is hard to say whether you are more of
Cornell…my favorite thing to do is to speak to kids in the inner city. I a businessman, or a scientist, or a philosopher. What does the future hold
speak to kids at Banana Kelly High School in South Bronx, Harlem, for you?
Newark, and Camden, NJ. I like to talk to them about my life. They
see this old geezer walking in. But when they find out that I was on a Kevin McGovern: More of the same. To me, being active is the key to
fire escape studying. I didn’t have a bedroom. I had a really nice being successful. I always tell people you got your mind, your body, and
couch. You “can do”. This is a great country. And with a little faith in your spirit. And the more they are aligned. The more you nourish them
God and a little bit of that massy I talked about, you can make it. So I every day. The happier and more successful you will be. So I will continue
always tell them, again one of my favorite expressions, “You can everyday to nourish my mind, my body, and my spirit. And do things that
achieve the impossible. You got to break it into possible steps”. And make me feel better about myself and what I am giving to my fellow
the next step in your life is tomorrow. Make it to school. And be a 9 mankind. Simple as that. Very simple. Life is not that complicated.
and a 10 instead of hanging out with people who bring you down.
Hang out with people who elevate your game. You can view the full video of our interview with Kevin McGovern on our site
and on our official YouTube channel, DEKAD LIFESTYLE.

71– Premiere Issue