THE ESCAPE ARTISTS

True Stories of People Who Turned

Their Obsessions into Professions

 

Tales of True Mavericks in Unorthodox, Sometimes Dangerous Careers

 

What if you prefer big game to the rat race?  What if your life’s ambition is to be a professional Trekkie, a deep sea diver, or a major leaguer? What if you want to devote your life to the traveling circus, tracking drug smugglers, or river rafting?

 

If you want an extraordinary life, you can have it – just follow your passion.  For nine years, Josh Piven has been tracking down THE ESCAPE ARTISTS (June, 2007), the unconventionally employed who have sworn off jobs in rigid boxes for risk, reward, and even danger – yet still have thriving careers and mostly-steady paychecks.

 

Unusual careers are a hot topic these days (witness “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel).  To Piven, chronicling an Escape Artist isn’t just about the job that’s out of the norm, but the full character and life story behind the livelihood. Who becomes one, and why? How do their choices affect their families? And do their parents think they’re crazy? (Answer: Sometimes.)

 

Passion is the connecting thread. For these Escape Artists, jumping out of the mainstream takes courage and chutzpah.  But the bottom line is identifying and seeking out what you love to do, that makes you happy and fulfilled.  Sometimes the job finds you in the most circuitous, unconventional, crazy ways. But it will never be found without desire and passion.

 

The other common characteristic is that these Escape Artists could never imagine themselves fulfilled in an “office” or “regular” job. They’re not entirely comfortable with reporting to someone else (though of course on some level we’re all answerable to the one with the checkbook). All are creative, independent thinkers who don’t always sit well with directives and missives.

 

Along the way, his interviews lead him to some amazing careers, life stories, and people:

 

  • The Trekkie who built “ray guns” and sold them at Star Trek conventions who became a professional prop builder – for Star Trek movies
  • The Navy SEAL who was once a Wall Street suit with an MBA
  • The minor league baseball player who twice passed up going to the majors
  • The extreme skier who became a ski-entrepreneur – and nearly died on a Russian mountainside
  • The professional clown couple who also teach “clowning” when they’re not working
  • The former Marine who went from pushing paper to chasing drug pushers
  • The Korean from Knoxville who ditched housepainting for stand-up comedy

 

 

Continued

 

 

  • The surfer dude turned teacher turned surf camp director
  • The Harvard Medical School surgeon and professor who quit and moved to a deserted isle to experiment with sustainable, self-sufficient technologies for rural African villages

 

These Escape Artists haven’t dropped out, but have embraced self-fulfillment and personal freedom. As they craft a life on the road less traveled, they show all of us how to pursue our own dreams, if we dare!

 

“Do what you love, have fun doing it, and worry about the money later.”

 

About the Author:

Josh Piven is the author of 15 books, including the globally best-selling The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, which has sold more than one million copies. He’s well known to viewers of “Today,” “Montel,” “The View,” “Dateline NBC,” “20/20,” and all the major news channels. He lives in Philadelphia.

 

 

The Escape Artists

ISBN 0-07-147926-0

June 2007

Paperback, $14.95

Category: Careers

 

 

For more information, contact:

Ann Pryor, Publicity Manager

McGraw-Hill Companies

2 Penn Plaza, 12th Floor

New York, New York 10121

212.904.4078 tel

212.904.4091 fax

Ann_pryor@mcgraw-hill.com

 

 

 

Learn More. Do More.

www.mhprofessional.com