Today we’d like to introduce you to R.W. Rushing.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in San Antonio, Texas. After I got out of the Army 101st Airborne Infantry, I ended up living in Greenwich Village and working for the New York Post and Wired Magazine. I was obsessed with starting my own business, so I moved to Austin in 1996 and started Rushing Advertising. We grew to eight employees and provided marketing services to many of the dot-coms that were thriving in the late ’90s.
Based on meeting some venture capital people, I started a new company, National Green Power Company, to provide solar and wind power to homes and businesses. We were too far ahead of our time and got swept up in the failure of Enron. I was able to successfully sell the company, though.
At that point, I decided that I was ready for something different, so I took a year off to write a novel, The Dead Enders, which won the Texas Writer’s Guild Best New Writer award. I found writing a novel to be lonely work, so I switched to starting a band, Lucky Malone. Then I discovered a band that truly took my breath away- a reggae-rock band called Subrosa Union. They were three 18-year-old kids who just got off the Greyhound bus from El Paso and were ready to take on any stage. For a few years, I became their producer, manager, and record label, and they toured the world twice. We’re still getting royalty checks from Japan, Germany, all over. I am still very proud of the work we did on Subrosa Union’s first album–Looking Forward, which is available on all streaming services.
Once Subrosa Union was launched with their own organization, I went back on stage myself with my new hip hop band, One Step Program. I co-wrote our songs, produced, played synth and guitar, and we toured the USA for six years. By then, I had two young daughters at home here in Austin. Wanting to spend more time with my kids, I switched over to doing stand-up comedy locally, screenwriting, and I have since written another novel called Amberlea. All that is what I’m doing today, mostly in collaboration with a group of writers, directors, and actors.
Moral of the story: Go where the love is, find your people, and do the work.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To quote Austin’s own Willie Nelson: “It’s been rough and rocky travelin’, but I’m finally standing upright on the ground.” I would say my most vexing problem along the way has been getting clear on what I wanted and how to be true to myself, that is, what my heart really wanted- and meanwhile, trying to take care of my family and friends. And I still try very hard to do all that, even as we speak right now. Some say Western civilization started when Socrates said: “Know Thyself.” I want that engraved on my tombstone.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What I say is, always look for passive income, whether it’s from royalties or from rental properties or whatever else you can think of. Something that’s going to pay you monthly for the rest of your life. Too many people I know live paycheck to paycheck, even if their paychecks are in the hundreds of thousands. To me, if you make a million dollars a year, and you spend a million and one, you are in poverty. Invest in yourself. Learn the difference in income and assets and focus on building assets. There are a million books on this topic.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
By far, my #1 champion is my ex-wife, Haley Rushing (Google her Ted Talk). Do an article about her! She has always been a wonderful supporter of all of my weird adventures. #2 is my mom, who always believed in me and has always provided wise counsel. Thom Singer gets credit for getting me into standup comedy- for an ex-musician, imagine not carrying amplifiers up many flights of stairs but still getting that stage rush! And standup comedy has provided endless energy and ideas for the screenplays.
Beyond them, my “Special Thanks to” list is a long one. You have to find your tribe, and I’ve been blessed with a huge tribe here in Austin. Lastly, I want to thank Austin and Travis County for being so damn cool. I could never have had the career I’ve had anywhere else. This is still a place where everyone wants you to succeed creatively, and people come to your shows and bring friends.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rwrushing1
