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Chrysler

Converse

Sanuk Footwear

Paul Mitchell Hair Systems
is the
alter-ego of writer, director, producer, actor and artist BILL RUSS. RUSS
grew up in a
Chicago
suburb. He's proud of the well-balanced, typical
American household he was
raised in. "I had a tree fort,
skateboard,
paper routes,
a bike and lots of corn fields, lakes and forests to
explore as
a kid," RUSS has said.
"I was raised by a Dad who was a
U.S. Army
Sergeant who instilled patriotic values into his children. He raised us to respect God, Country and
Family. Very typical American family values. Mom always made certain we had a family ‘sit-down’
dinner
prepared nearly
every night, which helped keep us a strong
family-unit
that continues today."
"I've always loved
the
1950s era
Elvis Presley!" RUSS has stated. Following his passion to be a role-model
and Motivational Speaker, RUSS studied psychology and
read HUNDREDS of self-help
motivational books and countless
biographies. His voracious reading habits
continue... in fact, he reads at least one book a week!

As a high
school senior, RUSS took to the motivational speaking circuit, beginning with
high school presentations where he spoke out against
drugs and
teenage
alcohol abuse. He also gained much attention for his
acting in
school plays and the
films and
videos he was writing, producing and
directing at the time.
Good
grades and Award-Winning student films took RUSS to college via
scholarships, where he studied Filmmaking, Television Production,
Art,
English, Psychology, History, Interior Design and Architecture. While
attending Columbia College in Chicago, RUSS caught the attention of
Steven
Spielberg and his company
AMBLIN
Entertainment. A meeting with his childhood hero ended with RUSS receiving a
scholarship to attend the prestigious
USC
School of Cinema-Television.
At USC, RUSS wrote, directed and produced an American
CINE Eagle Award-Winning student film entitled, "The Last Ride" starring
Academy
Award-Winning actor,
Ben Johnson. The film made its debut at the
Los
Angeles International Film Festival, where the Master of Ceremonies was
actor Charlton Heston. The film was remade into a feature film by
Warner
Brothers, entitled, "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,”
starring Scott
Glenn, Kate Capshaw-Spielberg,
Ben Johnson and Mickey Rooney
.
RUSS remembers, "While I was successfully directing music videos
for artists such as
Michael McDonald and
Kenny G, television programs, commercials
and infomercials, I came to the realization that it was time to devote my
full-time energies to following
my real passion in life, which was, and
still is, to make a positive difference in this
world! To inspire the next generation to be the best people they can be!” With that goal in mind,
RUSS (as
) took his
live presentations on the road full-time 11
years ago, touring malls,
elementary,
middle and high schools, civic centers,
military bases, college stadiums,
city parks, street fairs, and even
antique
car shows!
Russ directed, and as
co-starred
in numerous episodes of "LA Rat," a UK children's television program
starring beloved British puppet character
Roland Rat.
"LA Rat" was shot in Southern California and aired for two seasons on
the UK's
Channel 5. Russ has also done extensive work as a voice-over actor for
radio and
television.
In 2001, using his life-savings,
wrote,
produced, directed and starred in The Award-Winning "
Safety Tips Starring
" DVD and
video which is now being used by police officers in 350,000 classrooms
throughout
the
United States, and by thousands of other
Officers
worldwide! Over 36 million children
across the globe enrolled annually each year in the International DARE
program view the "
Safety Tips Starring
."
In 2008,
celebrated his
th year as
the “Official
Safety
Buddy.” Founded in 1983, the international
program is
a law
enforcement officer instructed anti-drug & violence program that educates 26
million American and 10 million foreign
school
children each year!
is proud
to be an Official "Celebrity Spokesperson for
KidsPeace," an organization dedicated to the physical and psychological
well-being of children.
is the
Official Host of
National Kids Day, which is held each August. National Kids Day is a nationally recognized day for families to
observe the
"importance of spending quality time together."
has
received "personal thanks" for his efforts on behalf of
America's youth from a number of prestigious organizations and government
entities such as the
United
States Senate,
The
White House Office of Drug Control Policy, the
FBI's Community Outreach
Program, and the United States
Drug
Enforcement Agency.
Since December
2004,
has proudly
hosted the FIRST LEGO LEAGUE's "Robotics
Championship" held in central California. The annual event is sponsored by
LEGO,
Corporation and
, and is a powerful way for
to assist in
inspiring America’s next generation of “Techies!”
believes
breakthroughs in
technology and the
medical
field can help to keep
America at the forefront of a global economy while protecting
the
Earth's environment!
Currently,
can be
seen on the
Trinity
Broadcast Network and on the
Smile of a Child children's network. He is also the spokesperson for
cable
television provider
Bright House Network 's
Keeping Kids
Safe project.
In 2009,
completed
his first live appearance tour in
Canada. He
is scheduled for a second Canadian tour in 2010. Retro Bill has also made
live appearances in the
Caribbean and
Mexico.
In November 2009,
released
his second DVD, "Retro Bill Safety & Self-Esteem Tips" to much demand and
acclaim.
In 2010,
will debut
on the
American Forces television network.
Over the years,
has lent
his support to organizations that he believes in, such as ,
Meals on
Wheels,
KidsPeace,
C.O.A.C.H. for Kids,
The Boys
and Girls Clubs of America,
The Boy
Scouts and
Girls Scouts of America,
Mothers
Against Drunk Driving (MADD),
The
Red Ribbon Coalition,
The Character Counts program,
The USO and
the
United States Armed Forces.
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