Take 5 Spotlight is a series of brief articles that introduce you to members of our National Office team, and many other SMART-types, in a short & sweet way.

Quite simply, he’s Ted the video guy. His job is not accounting (though his videos raise money), answering the phones (though his videos cause people to call), or directly training facilitators (though his videos are used by the training team). Essentially, Ted just loves telling stories, “Especially when it involves telling emotionally compelling stories of personal triumphs and overcoming adversity.”  

Ted (last name Perkins—not video guy) gains a lot of life satisfaction because his videos help people by providing information and inspiration. “I’m also very proud of the fact that [SMART meeting] facilitators use our Tips & Tools videos in their meetings, so I feel like my efforts help even more people in direct ways through them.” 

SMART is glad Ted found a way to combine his love of stories and his skill in making videos. It’s easy to see the combination in action. 

Here are Ted’s responses to the Take 5 Spotlight questions:

1.  Are there tasks you perform regularly during your workday? I constantly monitor SMART Recovery’s YouTube channel’s traffic and analytics to see how our video content is tracking.  I also spend time looking for volunteers and SMART Recovery participants who may want to share their stories with us.  
2. What are a couple of the ways you interact and coordinate your job with other national office staff? Our National Office staff are highly skilled and know SMART Recovery inside and out. That deep knowledge and concern for the integrity of the SMART Recovery brand means that my creative work making videos has to be fully vetted by the national office before we post it.  It’s the best way to ensure high quality and consistent messaging that is true to SMART Recovery principles.  Even though I’m a facilitator and know quite a bit about SMART Recovery’s principles and the organization, there is always something new to learn from the staff.  
3. What is one of the ways that you think you personally make a difference at SMART? Coming from a for-profit and technology background, I think I offer new perspectives on possible ways to help the organization grow, and generate actionable ideas that can be implemented.  The world changes so quickly.  I try to stay up-to-speed on anything I can because you never know what new trend or new technology or new software, app or social media platform could benefit the organization.   
4. What is your message to all those dedicated SMART volunteers across the country? I want to tell all the volunteers that they are rock stars.  I’m humbled by the work ethic and dedication of so many of them.  It inspires me to be a better facilitator and help SMART Recovery in any way I can. 
5. What kinds of things are you interested in outside of work? I like to play squash (very East Coast sport I know!), and swim, and I like to cook gourmet meals.  On weekends I go mountain-biking. I’m an avid reader and enjoy learning new things about any subject whenever I can. 

The next time you are watching a SMART video, rest assured that Ted Perkins crafted the story with an eye on clear communication of information and a flair for storytelling. It’s a combination that serves SMART in an excellent fashion, and it’s easy to see.

Learn more about the Take 5 Spotlight series and see others who have been profiled.

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