Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Matela.
Hi Michael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I would like to say that it all started out as a little boy being raised in Chicago. I was a very big sports fan at a very young age and I was raised by a dad who also lived and loved sports especially baseball. As a young boy my earliest recollection was meeting my dads hero Joe Dimaggio at Comiskey Park with my brother. From there it turned to playing field hockey at the age of 10 in the back of our Chicago home with the neighborhood kids and playing Little League in the Summer.
I would say the wildest thing that opened the doors to athletes was my dads best friend was the scorekeeper for the Chicago Blackhawks back in the 70s. I was introduced to some of the biggest names received signed sticks programs etc…
As I grew as a teenager I had an older brother who was a musician had a drum set in our bedroom posters incense beads surrounded me as I watched him transform our bedroom into a rock museum.
I began collecting memorabilia around 18 years old and saved everything I had. I would say the biggest event that happened was I became a huge Beatles fan again due to my brother. So in 1984, I chased Paul McCartney around Chicago as he was in town to interview with Oprah Winfrey for his movie Broadstreet. My persistence paid off and I met my idol in a hotel lobby shook his hand thanked him for everything he signed my photo..
That event was the birth of Vintage Enterprise Memorabilia
Later in life another door opened and my nephew became a sound engineer for one of the most prestigious sound recording studios in Chicago and New York
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?
Nothing is a smooth road, you get married you have children to move to another state but the passion was always there and I wanted to do this and nothing was gonna stop me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My life as nothing to do with my passion, I moved to Michigan to work at General Motors in 1985 I worked in the IT Industry for 25 years.
I would say the one thing I am most proud of is my determination my faith my goal setting dreams and being a father.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
None this all was created by me myself and I.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/shops/vintageenterprisememorabilia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VintageEnterpriseMemorabilia
- Other: https://www.vintageenterprisememorabilia.com
