Have you ever met someone and after only five minutes in their company, you knew you just loved 'em. Well, that was my reaction the first time I met Mark Ballard. I was in my hometown of Macon, Georgia for a big garden tour and Mark was hosting a craft demonstration teaching the audience how to apply a faux moss look to flower pots. He had us all laughing hysterically with his funny stories and escapades. Ever since then, I've been a huge Mark Ballard fan.
Mark Ballard is an artist, designer, decorator, speaker, author, columnist, chef, television personality and has been described as "a true Renaissance man with a Southern flair!"
Well, it just so happens, Mark is a huge Oprah fan. And get this, Oprah is holding a contest called: Do you know the ultimate male Oprah fan?! How fun is that?!
Ok, we know most guys who watch Oprah would probably never admit it for fear of having their guy card revoked. Well, Mark is a huge Oprah fan and proud of it. Recently, we were chatting via e-mail and he told me:
"I have just always had an unexplained connection with her! I remember watching her very first show and thinking to myself, "I will meet her one day!" I have watched most of her shows and learned so many things from her over they years. I have always felt like she is a "real" person and could relate to other people's struggles."
Mark was SO excited when Oprah came to his hometown, Macon, Georgia in 2007. He said,
"I remember when they told me at 13WMAZ she was coming, I couldn't believe it! I thought "This is my opportunity to finally meet her!" I tried everything I could do to get tickets - to no avail! I even missed seeing her out in public (Nu-Way and other places in town). I was devastated! I couldn't believe she had actually come to my home town and I had missed meeting her! To this day, every time I pass the 1842 Inn on College Street where she stayed while she was in Macon, I get disappointed all over again!"
Here's Mark out in front of the Nu-Way Restaurant where Oprah visited when she was in Macon.
When Mark recently filmed a pilot show for a possible national syndication, he was hoping that some time soon his path would cross with Oprah's....but so far that hasn't come to pass.
Mark told me, "My mother and Oprah always said to believe in the "power of the dream"! I always have done just that! Now I want to see how much power my dream actually has!"
So, I'm rallying the troops today! I know we can do this! Let's all recommend Mark for the "Ultimate Male Oprah Fan!" Can you just imagine if he is chosen to go on the show? Would that not be awesome?!
To recommend Mark as the Ultimate Male Oprah Fan, click on the link below and it will take you to a very short little form you complete for submission:
https://www.oprah.com/ownshow/plug_form.html?plug_id=4414147
You just fill in your name/address as the person who is submitting Mark for consideration. Then there will be a little box where you write why you are nominating Mark for the ultimate male Oprah fan. Feel free to use any of the quotes from Mark that you have found here in this post. I think his words say it beautifully. :)
Here's what I put in the box...
Mark Ballard, is the ultimate Male Oprah fan! He's lived his life by Oprah's words to believe in the "Power of the Dream." Mark is an amazing person, talented in so many ways. He is an artist, designer, decorator, speaker, author, columnist and chef...a true Renaissance man and he's been truly inspired by all that Oprah has accomplished in her lifetime. He missed his chance to meet Oprah when she came to Macon in 2007 and has been kicking himself ever since. Mark told me recently, " I have just always had an unexplained connection with her! I remember watching her very first show and thinking to myself, "I will meet her one day!" I have watched most of her shows and learned so many things from her over they years. I have always felt like she is a "real" person and could relate to other people's struggles. I was so excited when Oprah came to Macon in 2007. I remember when they told me at 13WMAZ she was coming, I couldn't believe it! I thought "This is my opportunity to finally meet her!" I tried everything I could do to get tickets - to no avail! I even missed seeing her out in public (Nu-Way and other places in town). I was devastated! I couldn't believe she had actually come to my home town and I had missed meeting her! To this day, every time I pass the 1842 Inn on College Street where she stayed while she was in Macon, I get disappointed all over again! My mother and Oprah always said to believe in the "power of the dream"! I always have done just that! " You have found your ultimate male Oprah fan and it is Mark Ballard!
There's a spot at the bottom of the little form that will allow you to attach three photos. Copy and paste any of the photos you have found here in this post today to your computer and then you can attach those to the form. To copy a photo from this post, just right click on the photo, choose "copy" and then right click either on your computer's desktop or your picture file and select "paste." The photo will be saved to your computer. Don't forget where you saved it on your computer. :)
Then you just click "browse" on the form on the Oprah site and click on the picture you have saved on your computer to add it to the form you're submitting.
In addition to the pics above, here are some others to choose from. Choose any three that you like from this post for submission with your Oprah entry.
This is Mark with his wife Debra. They have been married 28 years and have two great children, Courtney and Blake.
Mark...playing in the ribbon...again! :)
A nice fall shot...
This photo is actually the cover photo for Mark's latest book, Creative Thinking with Mark Ballard. It will be available for purchase soon.
Go Mark! Keeping fingers, toes and eyes crossed that Mark is chosen!
You can read more about Mark in these two previous posts, HERE and HERE.
You can also enjoy Mark's craft, decorating and cooking/baking videos at Macon.com.
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