Thank You For Being Such A Vital Part Of Our Team, Edward Prentice! We Look Forward To Sharing More About You So Others Can Get To Know You Better!
What keeps you motivated? What maintains your passion for and commitment to the work you are doing?
I had a pretty normal upbringing with my mom and dad and two sisters. As I got older, my independence motive kicked in full blast. I had a summer job doing telemarketing. That was back in the days when the phones looked like space shuttle control panels. I was mechanically inclined so had no problem with them. One day a young lady a couple of cubicles down was having trouble. I got up to go help her and as I was showing her how it worked, the manager came charging at me like a bull. By the time I looked up he was poking me in the chest and telling me “Get your !@$%$ back to your own seat and do your #$@%$# work!” I went to DEFCON 5 and grabbed him by the shoulders and pinned him up against the wall. I was pretty big at 6’5″ and 245 pounds – so that was easy. Before I knew it, security and police were en route, and I just knew I was going to jail being the only African American in the room. But, when they got there, everyone backed me and said I was not in the wrong and that the Manager attacked me first. As the cops were starring me down, even the manager told them it was his fault and that everything was ok. At that moment (first, I quit), I decided I could not work for anyone – period!. Since the next time I might go DEFCON 5 on an abusive manager (and they are out there), it might not turn out so well. So to this day I have never prepared a resume or worked for anyone but started on the pathway( with the Lord’s help, of course) to running my own business.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career?
My mom always backed up anything I wanted to do. I did many things from working on cars and engines to putting up ceiling fans to make money. The Lord pretty much guided my path back then as I look back. Nothing was planned out and most people thought I was nuts. Being at the right place at the right time and meeting the right people at the right time was always the next chapter in my life even today.
What keeps you motivated? What maintains your passion for and commitment to the work you are doing?
When I was younger, I had a good female friend that had great potential. She was very beautiful and intelligent. I was like her big brother and kept all the bad guys away from her and always told her she could do anything in life if she just stayed on the right path. Unfortunately, her home life was terrible, and her siblings were in and out of jail. I was hoping she could survive the negative forces and make it out. We did not have tech back then, so I lost touch with her since her family moved a lot. A few years later I was driving down the street; I looked to the left and there she was. I could tell she was in trouble. Her once long pretty hair was matted on her head and makeup was caked on her face that did not need it. I was frozen in time as we locked eyes. My mind was racing but I could not come up with any resources at the time that I could think of to help her. I was very low on resources, as I was just getting started and had to sleep in my car at times. A few years later, after I had started the first company, I found out that she was brutally murdered. That cut a hole right through my heart. That has stuck with me for many years, leading me to found what is now YEP Nation to help at-risk young women find a clear pathway in life. I did this to honor my fallen friend.
If you were granted three wishes, what would they be and why?
1. Unlimited Financial Resources so that I can help everyone that I want to help. For example, I could buy many of the negative game development companies and alter the product for good while at the same time providing jobs for the disadvantaged.
2. Access to all the brilliant talent that would be necessary to run all the activities of Wish 1.
3. Bring all the governments together to address poverty and homelessness.
Is there something exciting you are working on now? What is it and why did you choose to start it?
When I decided to start the Women’s Ministry, we need to switch to a product-based company so that we could have the projects for the young women to work on. We developed the Mass Communications Platform or MCPlatform. It consists of a 3D Virtual City, Virtual Career Exploration program, Virtual Real Estate Presentation, TrainingBYTES, and mobile Apps. With the code that we developed for these products, we can train young women on how to create a new client project in less than 1 week. Now we can build a Digital Media Center that is run by rt-Risk young women to provide them with a renewed life pathway.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? What is it and why did it resonate with you?
That’s an easy one: the Bible. While I have not yet read the entire Bible, I spend time in various books along with my fellow Concerned Christian Men. No matter what is going on at the time, a Daily Devotional seems to always be focused on the situation. I do subscribe to Intouch Ministries and receive their newsletters and information. All the modern self-help and management books have some principles from the Bible embedded into their foundation.
The road to success is difficult and requires tremendous dedication. What advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?
Use all the technology that is available to you to enhance your future. Spend more time online researching valuable information than playing video games. You can pretty much learn any skill online, and if you put in the work you can accomplish many things.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest number of people, what would that be?
I feel the videogame industry is off the chains. Many of the games are violent in nature. There needs to be a movement to start creating fun and positive games.
Please share your favorite Life Lesson quote. How is it relevant to your life?
Psalm 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” I am trying to accomplish a big mission, so need the motivation that it can be done.
Why did you choose to be a Board Member of Educate. Radiate. Elevate.?
E.R.E. is on the right track to help the youth. They are the future, and many of them can do much more than we can do in their lifetime.
