An Attitude of Gratitude; Celebrating UC&D’s 10th Anniversary

Michael J. Fox was among my favorite actors growing up— Back to the Future (easily a Top 10 flick) was released July 3, 1985, the summer after my high school graduation. I recently read about the premiere of a new documentary about his life, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, which debuted at Sundance Film Festival on January 20 in Park City.

Fox, 61, catapulted to stardom in the 80s, starring as Marty McFly in the BTTF trilogy in addition to his TV role as Alex P. Keaton in the hit Family Ties. He is also widely known for his public battle with Parkinson’s Disease, which he contracted in 1991 at age 29 at the height of his fame.

Fox has turned that negative into a huge positive for the six million people in the U.S. afflicted with Parkinson’s—the Michael J. Fox Foundation has raised an astounding $1.5 billion since 2000, and Fox remains active in raising awareness and money today.

During a press conference announcing the show, Fox expressed several noteworthy sentiments about his condition and his attitude about living life to its fullest. “With gratitude, optimism is sustainable, and that’s the way I feel about life,” he said. “I love what I do. I love that people react to what I do. I love that I can be an example to other people and help them deal with their issues.”

One of my goals for this year is to maintain a high level of gratitude for the opportunity to work in this transformative industry and appreciate the mundane, day-to-day chores as much as the lively conferences and fun networking events. More importantly, I hope to sneak in a consistent dose of quality time with family and friends for that ideal work-life balance.

Finally, this year is significant for our UC&D family in that it marks our 10th anniversary—the big 1-0! I’ve got to admit, hitting double digits feels nice, while at the same time reinforcing my belief that the older you get, the faster time flies! Considering 10 years as a finite amount of time reminds me of a line from Pink Floyd’s “Time”:

Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find, ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

We’re excited and humbled to celebrate No. 10 and hope to make this year—and hopefully the next 10—our best ever. We appreciate our many long-time display advertising clients and the dozens of firms and people that help contribute editorial content each year.

We wish you all a prosperous and safe 2023 and beyond and look forward to interacting with you!

Please reach out to me if you have any questions about our mission or if we can be of service.


I can be reached at (801) 433- 7541 or bfullmer@utahcdmag.com.

Regards,

Brad