An Interview With Martita Mestey
Nobody knows nothing. That’s a line from William Goldman’s book ‘Adventures in the Screen Trade’. He was talking about Hollywood, but it applies to everything.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Belefant, author of ‘The Sultan of Garbage’.
Brian Belefant used to be good-looking, but now he has a dog, and not just any dog, but a friendly goofball of a dog who loves everybody except Santa Claus.
His short stories, screenplays, and novels (Brian’s, not the dog’s) tend to be subversive commentaries on our society and have won multiple awards — far too many to list, especially since they want this to be a three-sentence bio and look how long this sentence is already.
His most recent book, ‘The Sultan of Garbage’, tells the story of a disillusioned product photographer who finds himself alone on a vast island of garbage floating in the middle of the ocean.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in a place where the past collided with the future: Cape Canaveral.
The space program was booming and developers bulldozed mangroves to build subdivisions for the hoards of NASA people moving into the area (including my dad). A lot of the locals didn’t take kindly to all them smarty-pants engineers and scientists who got to live in fancy suburban homes with terrazzo floors and air conditioning.
At my elementary school, when the boys were released into the field behind the school for recess, we almost always ended up playing a game called Rebels vs. Yanks. The basic idea was that the local kids would try to beat up the NASA kids and the NASA kids would try not to get beat up.
We weren’t allowed back into the school during recess. And we couldn’t run away, either. The ditch on the far side of the field had a gator in it.
The teachers weren’t any help. Most of them grew up in the area, anyway, so they took the opportunity to disappear into the cafeteria or over by the dumpsters for a smoke while we got to endure a nonstop 45 minutes of retribution. Every single day.
Stevie Killingsworth was big, so the local kids didn’t mess with him. And Randy Offerman could fight. The Ward twins were fast. Nobody ever caught them.
But me, I wasn’t big or strong or fast. So I learned how to be funny. Funny is was kept me from getting beat up.
You are currently leading a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
I love that you say I’m leading a social impact organization. Really, all I’m doing is working shit out.
I spent years making Super Bowl spots that were designed to persuade people to buy stuff they don’t need with money they don’t have. And then the weirdest thing happened. I developed a conscience. The work was fun as crap, but more and more I found myself asking what kind of a world I was helping to create.
My book ‘The Sultan of Garbage’ is all about waste and consumption. So yeah, it’s a form of penance. But it’s not a screed. Nobody’s mind is ever changed by a screed.
It’s a story about a pretty normal guy who has a nagging feeling that something is off with his life and decides to check out a huge island of trash floating in the middle of the ocean. The island is a metaphor for his fucked-up life, but it’s also an indictment of the culture we perpetuate, where shiny and new is so important that we’re willing to sacrifice what’s really valuable, not just to ourselves, but to the entire planet.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
Remember that Super Bowl spot for Samsonite, the one where the suitcase falls out of the airplane into the midst of a semi-nomadic tribe? I directed that.
That job was life changing.
We shot in Namibia, up by the Angolan border, in an area so remote, we were four hours’ drive from the nearest pavement. The tribe we worked with — the Himba — live a substance existence there.
The Himba don’t have money. They have no use for it. So we paid them in goats and blankets.
We planned to give the goats and blankets directly to the people we worked with — the ones who appeared on camera — but their culture is communal. They insisted that the goats and blankets be shared by the tribe as a whole.
The commercial was meant to be tongue in cheek, but the message was “Hey look. This suitcase is pretty useful, not just to those of us who embrace Western values, but even to an indigenous culture that has no concept of air travel.” When we were done shooting, we asked the tribespeople if they’d like us to leave them the suitcases we’d brought in for the shoot, the ones they’d spent days doing stuff with.
They said nah. They had no more use for a suitcase than they did for money.
That stayed with me. And since working on that commercial, the things I took away from the experience started infecting my personal work. Spending time with the Himba made me take a hard look at the extent to which our society is predicated on selling, not just products and services, but an entire lifestyle.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
I’ve always been that way, really. I set stupidly ambitious goals and then go for them, no real conception of failure.
Mostly I fail.
Sometimes I pull it off. Like with this book I wrote. I decided one day that I was going to be a published author. And look! I am! (Note: it was a lot harder than I’m making it sound.)
Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
Like I said, I’m not an organization. I’m just a guy trying to do a thing and when I need help I ask for it. I end up collecting a merry little band of like-minded people who support the same thing.
I think that’s the secret, at least for me. If I’d set out to build an organization, the organization itself would be the goal, not the thing I’d be building the organization to accomplish.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I was asked to do this interview.
Seriously, what’s interesting to me is how this book, ‘The Sultan of Garbage’ has taken on a life of its own. The messages about waste, consumption, environmental factors, greed, and consumerism are resonating more than I expected. I love that.
It has been said, that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake that you made when you were first starting and the lesson you learned from that?
When I got out of college, I decided that I wanted to be in the advertising big leagues, so I bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. I didn’t know the city at all — I’d never been there before — and I had only a tiny bit of money saved up, but I figured, how hard could it be?
Turns out, it could be really hard. I ended up renting a room in the basement of a frat house just off of the USC campus and working at the front desk of a Holiday Inn.
Back then, they didn’t have the internet, or if they did, they hadn’t given me a copy, so I had to go to the public library and write out the names and phone numbers of people I wanted to work for from the pages from The Standard Directory of Advertising Agencies.
They didn’t have cell phones, either, so I’d make calls from the pay phone at the frat house.
I never managed to reach anyone, which was a good thing because every time I picked up the phone to dial, Jake Demary would invariably crank the song ‘Homo Sapien’ by Pete Shelley while he anointed himself with Old Spice in preparation for trolling campus for women to spawn with.
There was one receptionist, though, who was kind. After calling a couple of times, she began to recognize my voice — or maybe the soundtrack. Each time, she told me politely that no, Mr. [REDACTED] wasn’t available, but maybe I could try again later.
I kept trying again later. For weeks. And finally, one day when Jake Demary was either dead or already out spawning, I called without my usual musical accompaniment and the receptionist said, “Just a moment. I’ll put you through.”
This was it. Finally. My break.
When Mr. [REDACTED] got on the line, I was about to launch into my pitch about how amazing their work was and how I really wanted to work for them, but before I could even start, he said, “The only reason I’m taking your call is to tell you to stop harassing my secretary.”
And he hung up.
I was devastated.
But then I thought about it. I wanted to work in advertising, and wasn’t the whole point of advertising to make a positive impression fast, lower your audience’s defenses, and persuade them to consider your proposition?
Exactly the opposite of what I’d been doing.
I’d like to say that as soon as I changed my approach things improved, but they didn’t. I gave up on LA, moved back in with my parents, and set my sights on New York. It took me another year and a half, but eventually, I landed a job at Scali, McCabe, Sloves, one of the most prestigious ad agencies in the world. From there, I had a dazzling run, creating world class ads for huge brands. I worked on five Super Bowl commercials — one of which became a part of our culture almost as big as “Where’s the beef.”
Mr. [REDACTED] is dead now, which is a shame. I never got a chance to thank him for teaching me — inadvertently — the fundamentals of advertising.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I wouldn’t call him a mentor or even a cheerleader, but my friend Jon Ross is a magnificent example. We worked on a bunch of commercials together and at the time, he was feeling a lot of the same stuff I was, about how the priorities of our society are messed up.
Jon decided to take a leap. He walked away from a pretty fat paycheck and started MicroAid International, a non-profit that gives survivors of natural disasters no-strings-attached hands-on assistance — rebuilding permanent houses and replacing tools of livelihood — to help them return to self sufficiency. I get updates from him about the work he’s doing in Mexico, Peru, Sri Lanka… wherever he goes to help. I just got one today from Nepal.
Jon isn’t really a mentor or cheerleader, but he’s an inspiration. Does that count?
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
There’s one thing. Think.
Think about why you’re making the decision you’re making. Be honest. Do you need the thing? If you need the thing, does it need to be brand new? Who are you buying it for, really? What are the consequences of making the decision? Where is it going to end up when you get rid of it?
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
My background is in marketing and advertising, so this is something I’ve given a ton of thought to.
When a business engages in sustainable or environmentally conscious practices, they try to make that the appeal. But with most consumers that doesn’t resonate. Except for a pretty small contingent of people who do make purchase decisions based on other criteria, our culture conditions us to look for the highest quality at the lowest price.
What makes it hard is that the pretty small contingent of people who take environmental and sustainability factors into consideration are extremely vocal.
So we’ve gotten ourselves into a situation where companies that want to be known for being “good” end up sacrificing their ability to compete either on quality or price.
It’s not a bad strategy, really, because activist consumers are incredibly loyal. They’ll stick with you, even when a competitor has higher quality or lower prices.
But there are two vulnerabilities to this approach. One is if you screw up once, you’re never forgiven. If somebody puts up a video on YouTube of one of your employees putting something recyclable in the trash bin, you’re toast. The other is that it’s not much of a moat. What’s to stop another business from doing exactly what you’re doing, only charging a bit less?
If that happens, it’s not long before you’re competing on price and you have no quality differentiator.
This approach is so pervasive that consumers have come to believe that business that engage in sustainable or environmentally conscious practices charge higher prices for lower quality.
So there are two possible solutions. One is to change our culture, which is what I’m doing my tiny bit to try and bring about through the propaganda disguised as stories I put out there. The other is to employ sustainable and/or environmentally conscious practices that increase the quality of your product or service — and increase it so much that consumers will happily pay a higher price.
Here’s an example. Portland has a ton of amazing pizza places, but my favorite is The Turning Peel.
They let me and everyone else know that among their other sustainable practices, they only leaven their dough with naturally-occurring yeasts. The important bit is the way they say it.
They don’t sound apologetic, like they’re trying to convince you that what they provide is just as good as their competitors, but you’ll feel better about choosing them because of the employ sustainable and/or environmentally conscious practices.
What they say is “Our pizza is delicious BECAUSE we use naturally-occurring yeast.”
See what I’m saying?
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
Nobody knows nothing. That’s a line from William Goldman’s book ‘Adventures in the Screen Trade’. He was talking about Hollywood, but it applies to everything.
Yeah, what you’re trying to do may not have worked before, but in your hands it might. Look at Greta Thunberg. What makes her exceptional is that she ignored all the “experts” who told her there was no way she could make a difference.
Whatever you’re paid, it’s less than what the people paying you expect to make off of you. Doesn’t matter if you’re making minimum wage at McDonald’s or you’re signing a $24 million contract to star in the next Marvel superhero movie. Businesses are not charities. They’re willing to pay you X because they expect you will make them X+.
Your value is more than you’re being paid. Period.
Today’s success is tomorrow’s baseline. When I first decided to get into advertising, I worked my butt off to put together a portfolio of work and it was damn good. It was so good that I got hired to work as a copywriter at one of the most prestigious ad agencies in the world.
The day I started, my portfolio became worthless. Nobody was going to hire me for another job with that portfolio because I wasn’t a guy looking for a job anymore. I had become a copywriter at that ad agency. I couldn’t leave that job until I had a portfolio of damn good work that I’d done there that I could show the next place I wanted to work.
The way you see yourself is probably not the way you come across. I’ve started three businesses. People think I’m an entrepreneur, some kind of a renaissance man. The reality? I didn’t have a choice. Every single time, my back was up against a wall and the only way forward was to go out on my own.
People call me brave. I think that’s hilarious.
You know that saying that life is a marathon, not a sprint? Bullshit. Life is an adventure. And you get to pick the adventure. You want to sprint, sprint. You want to run a marathon, run a marathon.
My daughter decided that it’s important for her to learn Spanish. So I’m taking her to Puerto Rico this summer, where we’re going to take immersion classes. Taking Spanish classes in Puerto Rico has absolutely nothing to do with any of the goals I set for myself, but everything to do with sharing something special with one of my three favorite people on this planet.
Will I write while I’m there? Nope. Will I beat myself up for taking the time off and not writing while I’m there? Nope.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
You live in the world you create.
Seriously, look around. What you do has an effect on others. And what others do has an effect on you.
Some people take the position that it doesn’t matter what damage you do because everybody else is doing it, too. I call bullshit on that. Just because everybody else is burning their houses down is no reason to set fire to yours.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
This isn’t really a quote, but it was a lesson I learned when my kids were like four and five. We were crossing the street and I saw some litter. I was going to walk right past — my son had to use the bathroom, so we were in a hurry — but it occurred to me that it was important for me to be the person my kids believed I was. So I picked up the litter.
And the quote it got me to, the thing I think about every time I come across a thing, whether it’s someone living on the street or a half-price sale on coffee mugs, is “What’s the right thing to do?”
When I ask myself that, I find myself breaking out of my automatic responses and sometimes doing things that surprise the hell out of me.
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. 🙂
Right now, top of my list is Pope Leo XIV.
I’m not religious, but I’m working on a new novel that takes place in the time of Jesus, which by the way has some remarkable parallels to the world we’re living in now. The story is audacious and subversive (go figure) and I’d love to have a chance to hear his thoughts.
How can our readers follow you online?
The best way is through my website: belefant.com. That will connect you to my writing, the Instagram profiles I have for my photography work, and the site that’s up for ‘The Sultan of Garbage’.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why and How Brian Belefant 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.