An Interview With Edward Sylvan
… Leadership to me is taking an unpopular stand for the right reason, living with the adversity that results, and influencing others to act in a similar manner.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tom Hogan.
Tom Hogan has led a varied and interesting life — from a professor of Holocaust Studies to Silicon Valley marketing exec to now, full-time author. In his academic life, he designed and implemented some of the original Holocaust programs for universities and high schools. In Silicon Valley he was the original Creative Director at Oracle, then moved into the Venture Capital community, where he helped launch over 50 startups. He now lives in Austin and writes full-time as a novelist and screenwriter as well as a social and political contributor to such publications as Newsweek, The Jerusalem Post and The Bulwark.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I was a military brat, which means we moved every few years, both in the US and Europe (at one point, four times in four years). I was an altar boy for most of my youth, though I never encountered any of the priests or pedophilic activities that I write about in my book. Of all the children in my family, I had the good fortune of being in the same town for junior and senior high — a small, almost idyllic town of 25,000. We surfed, did sports, school activities. I’m one of the few people who enjoyed high school, much more than college.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
Grapes of Wrath had a significant impact on me growing up. The sense of injustice, of the tyranny of the rich and landed over the impoverished, made a social change a natural part of growing up. Catch 22 also had a major impact, as I came of age during the Vietnam war. The wisdom behind Catch 22 continues to amaze me, such as the statement by a 22-year-old soldier that he was an old man. When challenged, he says: “I’m seconds away from death every time I fly. How much older can you be at my age?”
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
As Creative Director at Oracle, I met with Larry Ellison every Friday at 3pm to work on advertising and other projects. I had been told by numerous folks never to question or challenge him, but these were my ads and projects and so we wrangled quite a bit. At one point we were supposed to film an interview — Larry and me — that would be shown at all new-hire orientations. But Larry, mindful that he wouldn’t have control over video the way he did studio photos for the annual report, kept sabotaging every answer, so that after an hour we had usable footage. I told him that we should call it a day and try another time and he went on the attack, accusing me of asking moronic questions (which I’d cleared with him in advance). I was pissed, so told him, ‘Do you want me to ask you the #1 question I get asked about you and the company?’ He said, ‘Have at me.’ So I swallowed hard and said: “Were you always this much of an asshole or was it the money that made you that way?” I got up and left, knowing that I’d been fired. But his Executive Assistant reached me in my office and called me back, said that Larry was ready to finish the interview. I think the only reason I kept my job was that he knew that the camera crew had all his boorish behavior on tape and that he had no control over it. The interview actually came off pretty good when I returned.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
Pedophilia is the Catholic Church’s original sin. While it is fine that Pope Francis is now apologizing for the events of the past, such as in Ireland, Canada and France, he and the Church need to own up to what is happening today within their clerical ranks, establish a zero-tolerance policy, and open their records to the authorities. Until that happens, I’ll continue to write and crusade on this front.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
This had less to do with pedophilia and more to do with the Church’s blind eye towards homosexuality within its ranks. Years ago I was having dinner with a monk whose ranks were being ravaged by AIDS. He smiled sadly at me and said: ‘Who would have guessed there were so many intravenous drugs users within our ranks?’
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
I wrote about this scandal for NEWSWEEK back in 2003 and all indications were that the Church could not continue to ignore it. Fifteen years later, when I was looking for a topic for my next novel, the events in Ireland and the US told me that the topic was still as fresh and damaging today as twenty years ago.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I wish I could, but the Church’s continued denial and closed-book strategy makes it impossible to hold priests accountable. I do audit the support work and groups that organizations such as SNAP conduct for survivors, but that’s their good work, not mine.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- The Church should adopt a zero-tolerance policy for abuse, purge its ranks of any known pedophiles, and work with authorities and social workers to create a new environment for incoming priests.
- Authorities can’t continue to run scared of the Church, worried that it will cost them votes or hurt their futures. These are criminals — whether they’re committing the acts or covering them up — and need to be treated as such.
- The Catholic faithful has to vote with its feet. If the Church continues with its current policies, believers should quit attending Mass until concrete action is taken.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership to me is taking an unpopular stand for the right reason, living with the adversity that results, and influencing others to act in a similar manner.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Don’t expect to make a living writing novels. (This is like my life as a Venture Capitalist — 10% of all those companies who try to meet with us get a meeting, and less than 5% of those get funded.)
- No matter how good a writer you were in school, nothing takes the place of experience. (My work was selected by the Nieman Foundation for sponsorship. I thought I was hot stuff until the novel was finished and couldn’t find a home — it read as ‘too young’ for the theme I was trying to cover.
- People vote with their wallets. (When I started out in human rights, establish programs on Holocaust Studies around the US, talk was cheap. The question was whether people would move beyond platitudes to actually fund the program in their university or district.)
- High-tech companies, unlike other industries, don’t care where you went to school. It’s what you can do. (Oracle, my first company, was the exception — Larry Ellison was determined to be the #1 hirer of MIT and Harvard grads, so he’d send me back on recruiting trips yearly.)
- Most founders don’t know what they don’t know. (When I left Oracle and went into the VC business, we made our money by teaching and instituting basic business and marketing lessons that brilliant founders either overlooked or didn’t care about.)
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“There’s a hole in Daddy’s arm where all the money goes.” Those lyrics by John Prine are, to me, the purest writing I’ve ever seen or read. I’m always looking in my writing to have that kind of impact, but fall short.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Unfortunately, it would be Muhammad Ali. I charted my evolution as a politically aware person by my reactions to him. I’d also like to watch some of his fights with him and get his commentary
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I’m at www.tom-hogan.com
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.
Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.
As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.
He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.
A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.
Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Author Tom Hogan Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.