It was non-stop laughing with Scott Siepker, Iowa Nice Guy, our Johnston Rotary Club presenter. Scott started out by humorously discussing his experiences in attending various school systems in different communities with populations of 100, 500 and then 10,000. He explained the transition from being an unknown in high school, to being one of the most well-liked students, all through chewing gum and claiming to need reading glasses!
The humor continued relative to his experiences at Iowa State University, especially his acting career. He talked about an ISU acting professor being painfully direct about his skill level, but the professor was quick to give a suggestion. Scott took that suggestion seriously and it worked out well. After graduate work at ISU and some Des Moines Playhouse acting, he started a film company.
The Iowa Film Tax Credit scandal sent filming companies headed back to the coasts. Scott started his film company about that time. Early on, Scott developed the Iowa Nice film. Iowa Nice was a film project created in response to the national media coverage of Iowa during the 2012 Caucus Season and the overall perceptions of Iowa across the country. Iowa Nice got more than one million views online, something unheard of for the time. This huge Iowa Nice success jump started Scott in all kinds of activities including; Hawkeye Nice, Cyclone Nice, hosting Sound Off, ESPN Iowa Nice sketches, RVTV, etc. Some sketches include; Sweet Corn vs Field Corn, The Native Fund (Ashton Kutcher and Dallas Clark), Niang for Mayor, Our Cubs, College Football Eye Test, SEC Myth, and others.
It was a fun and entertaining meeting. Rotarians can see why Scott has been successful.
More information about Scott and videos can be found at: http://www.scottsiepker.com/