My name is on the cover and I am responsible for any mistakes, but I thank those whose guidance, decisions, and efforts turned this dream into a reality.
It took a ninja strike force to produce this book, and every role was important and contributed to our mission’s success.
This book began when my four grandparents escaped horrible conditions. They were each ninjas—confronting harsh realities and acting decisively, adapting, and, though not prospering financially, certainly surviving and giving their kids a better life.
My mother’s parents, Max and Manie, left Russia in a hay wagon and got married only after settling in Montreal. My dad’s mother, Jane, escaped the anti-Semitism of Poland and emigrated to New York, where she met Romanian Leon, my grandfather, and they launched a tiny grocery store, the Broadway Dairy, on Broadway and Ninetieth Street in Manhattan.
One summer, while serving as counselors at an upstate New York summer camp, my dad, Jerome, became enchanted with Mildred’s laugh, and they married the following January. Dad had returned from service in World War II and received a graduate degree in education under the GI Bill. Mom and Dad were teachers but held extra jobs to expose us to music, theater, sports, the ocean, and 4-H. After almost fifty years of marriage, Dad took care of my mom, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, for a dozen years in our family home until she died. Dad passed away a year later.
Dad was my first mentor. He spent thousands of hours with me—from weekly trips to the library to thousands of rounds of chess, cribbage, and other card games. He insisted that I learn the math behind cards. He never denied my requests for time and advice nor did he judge or direct me. He used questions to ensure that I thought through options and consequences.
Dad led with wisdom, but Mom grilled me on current events and etiquette—and had me walk for hours with a book on my head to improve my posture. She was tough but she taught me to respect my body, to exercise, to eat healthy, and to balance hard work with time at the beach. She composted and avoided meat before it was trendy and taught me to be a lifelong learner.
My three brothers, Eric, Ken, and Howie, and I grew up with an ethos of hard work, frugality, love for family, and value in education. Mom and Dad also gifted us with self-confidence and a sense that we could solve any problem. They gave us a ninja upbringing of creative problem-solving.
I had many great teachers and mentors who changed my life. In high school, my sociology teacher, Mr. Dinapoli, challenged me to reject status-quo arguments. At Georgetown Law School, my contracts professor, Richard Gordon, impressed on me how chance and action determine the course of life. Congressman Mickey Edwards gave me a Capitol Hill job, where I learned how government works and how Americans all have different views.
Former Federal Trade Commissioner Jim Nicholson gave me a clerkship at his law firm and taught me to quickly analyze merger prospects for our Wall Street clients. I learned to get competitive info, draw conclusions with partial data, and analyze judges as humans—all pre-Internet. Postmaster General, under President Kennedy, J. Edward Day took me under his wing at the law firm Squire Sanders and let me manage a big client, who soon offered me a job and put me in charge, the position I still hold today.
I began at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) under the tutelage of World War II Purple Heart recipient Jack Wayman. He thinks out of the box and is one fast-moving ninja. He not only launched the International CES but also approached COMDEX owner Sheldon Adelson about a deal to build a Las Vegas building, and then he turned the project over to me. Dealing with the legendary Adelson was baptism by fire, but I learned then that visionary ninjas do what it takes to realize their dreams.
I also learned much from association leader Pete McCloskey who elevated me to become his general counsel. Pete taught me that consulting colleagues and listening on big issues are how to get things done, that nastiness is not helpful, and that family should come first.
I had numerous directors from the industry who helped transform me from lawyer to leader. Jerry Kalov taught me about life and encouraged me to take risks—promising his support when I failed . . . which I often did. Jack Pluckhan showed me Japanese business culture and the importance of patience, respect, and loyalty. Peter Lesser served as a tough sounding board and taught me that New Yorkers are more direct than other Americans.
CEA is a ninja organization because we have strong leaders and a culture of street smarts, opportunism, ethics, and support for the newest entrants in an industry that continually redefines itself. Among them are ninja legends in their own right. I met Darrell Issa when he had a union problem as a CES exhibitor. I resolved the problem. Darrell engaged with us, moved up our leadership chain, and led our effort to break from our parent organization. Today, Darrell is a tough and effective congressional committee chairman.
Joe Clayton headed RCA, Global Crossing, Sirius, and now Dish. He is strong and smart, and a brilliant marketer. Under his leadership, the association grew, changed its name, and began the quest for relevance both in the industry and in Washington.
Kathy Gornik, Loyd Ivey, and John Shalam have been amazing by so many measures. They all are living the American Dream, running great companies that they began at CES. They are passionate about CEA and CES, and they carry the torch for ensuring that any entrepreneur with an idea can exhibit at CES inexpensively as well as meet buyers, media, and investors.
Randy Fry has been a fabulous chairman who is always pushing the envelope and encouraging the CEA’s efforts to advocate for innovation. Along with past chairs, Pat Lavelle and Gary Yacoubian, we have had stellar leadership and support for advancing innovation as a strategy for our industry and our nation. Of course, Ninja Innovation would not have been published without their support and that of their colleagues on the 2012 CEA Executive Board: Jim Bazet, Denise Gibson, Robert Fields, Jay McLellan, Phil Molyneux, Daniel Pidgeon, George Stepancich, Steve Tiffen, and Mike Vitelli. Indeed, CEA owns the book Ninja Innovation!
I must acknowledge the teachers at Kim’s Karate in Annandale, Virginia. They taught me not only technique but also discipline. I continue my physical training today under the tutelage of Jeff Strahan and Wolf Gottschalk of Fitness Image Results. A shout-out to my fellow CEA Boot Campers—a daily exercise program at our office! Your encouragement and support have been inspiring.
I also want to thank a few groups to which I give my time. No Labels is trying to change American politics and put the nation before political parties. Go to www.nolabels.com and join right now!
The World Electronics Forum gathers my colleagues from around the world. We are pushing worldwide innovation, and it matters!
The Northern Virginia Tech Council, led by the amazing Bobbie Kilberg, like its counterparts around the country, fights for innovation as a cause. I have visited and spoken before many of these groups during the past two years, and I am thrilled with the passion and ideas of these innovators. Our future’s bright if we unleash their power.
Similarly, Washington has brilliant people leading tech organizations that are making a difference in our innovation future: Grant Seiffert of the Telecommunications Industry Association, Bruce Mehlman of the Technology CEO Council, Robert Holleyman of BSA/The Software Alliance, Ed Black of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), Dean Garfield of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC), and Jay Timmons of the National Association of Manufacturers.
Some thoughtful think-tank and public-interest groups help push good innovation policy: Public Knowledge (led by the indomitable Gigi Sohn), the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and the Electronic Freedom Foundation.
A book requires many hands and experts. Inside CEA, Laurie Ann Phillips provided tons of heavy lifting and made sure the process worked. Jeff Joseph and Laura Hubbard helped in the op-eds and book process. Julie Kearney, Karen Chupka, Michael Petricone, Dan Cole, and Brian Markwalter read and commented on various sections. Susan Littleton, Michael Brown, and John Lindsey provided huge marketing and design support, and advice. My amazing and wonderful assistant Jackie Black made sure that the process worked every step of the way. And our sharp-shooter lawyers John Kelly and Kara Maser, along with our phenomenal COO, Glenda MacMullin, supervised the business arrangements. Glenda also managed the CEA ship so I could write this book.
Outside commenters on intellectual property included musician lawyer Bob Schwartz and business copyright expert David Leibowitz. I received wonderful input on the digital television section from HDTV legend Peter Fannon. Bob Schwartz and Seth Greenstein from Constantine Cannon weighed in on the HD radio section.
An incredible thank you is owed to editor Blake D. Dvorak of the Pinkston Group. He made this happen. His organization, research on ninjas, and rewriting of my submissions have made this book more readable and interesting. His colleagues Christian Pinkston and David Fouse also helped make this dream become a reality.
Of course, my publisher, William Morrow/HarperCollins, has been a delight. Creative, professional, transparent, and willing to negotiate. Thank you especially to Executive Editor Peter Hubbard, as well as to Andy Dodds, Cole Hager, and Tavia Kowalchuck. Also a big thank you to Lynn Grady, whose creativity in marketing and enthusiasm made the entire project so enjoyable.
And last but most important, I want to thank my family. My wife, Dr. Susan Malinowski, never hesitated to support my efforts to write this book, despite her own schedule of performing groundbreaking research, handling a busy medical practice, obtaining a patent, building our house, raising our four year old, being pregnant and then giving birth, and running a 10K race all in this very busy past year. But none of this could have happened, including quiet time for my writing, without the daily lengthy and generous child-care help from her parents, my wonderful in-laws, Drs. Jola and Edward Malinowski.
I am blessed with the love of family, the help of friends, and the support of colleagues and volunteers at CEA. They have been great to me and key in the success of an amazing industry. We are bound with a shared passion that innovation is the strategy that will make us all better. I hope you will join CEA’s Innovation Movement at www.declareinnovation.com.