Meet Brett Prieto | Director of Business Development (Rider Mobility)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brett Prieto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brett, how do you think about risk?
All the questions were very hard to choose from in the line-up. However, the one that stuck out to me most — it had me continually going back to it, so I chose to tackle this one. Risk. I believe my whole life can be summed in that single word; risk. Without going into a whole personal biography from my birth until now, I’ll take this question, and start from the time I finished my baseball career in college.

Since I was a kid I always wanted to be in movies. I loved film. I was drawn to action heroes in the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Swharzennegger and the list goes on. As I watched, I dreamt of holding the machine guns, taking out the bad guys and saving the girl — you know the movies. So as I was playing baseball, I decided to take theatre classes (as electives). I was now seeing if I could do it, and putting my dream into action. To say the least, it was terrifying! It was time to separate the men from the boys, and see if I had the [acting] chops. If I didn’t, the dream was dead. If I did… Hollywood here I come! Long story short, I had the chops!

Once baseball was done, I packed my bags and went. I went to several auditions, booked some commercials, and some shorts. However, getting more work wasn’t that simple; I was a little fish in a small pond. I had a small resume and there were 30 dudes that looked just like me at every audition… I was able to scratch my way into being a featured regular on the hit television show ‘Scrubs’, which paid enough to pay the bills, but it wasn’t getting me to the place I wanted. I had to take a look in the mirror and figure out how to make money because like all T.V. shows, they have an end. And ‘Scrubs’ ended… I made some calls and went into something I never thought I’d do; I decided to become a cop.

I moved back to Clovis, CA. (My hometown) and tested at the State Center Regional Training Facility at Fresno City. I scored high and they put me in not two months after I tested. I was as green as grass and didn’t have clue one on how this experience would be. Granted, I had watched a couple videos on what to expect, and thought “How hard could it be?” famous last words.

It was six months of boot camp. We had drill instructors, which were cops that had prior military experience, and their goal was to “weed you out”… We had tests every week, scenarios, driving, shooting, etc.; run the gamut of police related situations, and we were doing it. My time there was a risk: I had my parents putting me through (Thank the Lord for them), and they were counting on me to succeed. They had invested and I couldn’t let them down or myself, for that matter. The risk was high for the aforementioned reason, but there was another factor to pile on: If I failed one test, I would have to remediate said test, and If I failed that one — I was out!

I eventually graduated and was hired by the Madera Police Department in Madera, CA. A city were illicit drugs were common place and the gang presence was high! I found myself in situations that were high-risk and were life and death. I grew up fast, and learned how to deal with people from all walks of life. Fortunately I’m here to tell the tale (if asked). There is a twist , however. My phone started ringing for movies again.

By this time I was married with two children (I have 5 now), and director had seen one of my short films and wanted me to read for a part in his movie. I read for the part, nailed it, and got the part! Now, I had to tell my boss — the cops! It wasn’t easy, I had to tell them I still was a cop, but wanted to be in this film. What would they say? “Do your movie, but don’t come back!” Endless scenarios were running through my head, but I had to take the shot. It was my dream and I wouldn’t want to go through life playing the “What if game”.

Countless people that I encountered and have known do this constantly. They look back wondering and have regret. I didn’t want regret. I wanted to leave it all on the table and say I did it, whether it was win, lose or draw; you never know unless you try, and you can’t win the lottery if you never put the coin in the machine. So what happened?

I talked to my close friend, mentor and training officer, who knew my background and loved the fact I got my shot. He was my biggest champion, so he mentioned it to the brass (high ranking officers) in an effort to plant the seed. It worked! “Have fun, and don’t let it interfere with your work.”

The ride began! I did the film, which is entitled “Hollywood Road Trip”. It was from there I started booking more films, which led to my biggest film to date: “Victory By Submission” with Lee Majors, Eric Roberts, Fred Williamson and more. This was my biggest challenge yet! I was the star of the film, I had a wife, three kids (at that point) and my cop job. It was all a gamble. I had to balance all of these things simultaneously. If it wasn’t for an amazing wife and have God to lead the way, I would have spun out of control from exhaustion. But I had a verse that kept me going, “Commit your actions to the Lord and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3). And that they did.

I would later leave being the police department and work for my dad as a landscape contractor. I was having more children and I was gaining more responsibility as a police officer. With that, my wife and I were like two ships in the night, as it were. We were deeply in love still; however, where was the time for her and for the kids? I had to leave the department and get that family time. I wanted to lead my wife, and children that would honor the Lord and them. I took the plunge to tell my mentor…

I paced that police department for hours before I mustered up the strength to tell him. During that heart racing time, I had been thinking about the financial security I would be giving up, the benefits, etc. Finally I thought about my family, missed birthdays, events, and their future. I had to make the decision. I broke the news and my mentor was heart broken, along with the rest of the department. “We’re losing a good one” was thrown around a few times… Just those words were enough for me. They assured me that I did my best and had left an impression that would be remembered.

I would later work for my dad, and during that time I recieved a phone call from my brother in law asking me If I would be interested in starting a Durable Medical Equipment branch in Arizona. He and his wife were having success with their single branch in Vegas, so they wanted to expand. I thought “Sure, I know nothing about this — why not!” But… I had to talk with the old man i.e. Dad. Talking to cops about quitting is one thing, but talking to your dad is another.

I floated the idea out to him in a very nonchalant manner. He began to ask more questions about the gig: pay, benefits, etc. They all fit the criteria in his book, and he told me to go for it. He was saddened by the idea of taking 4 of his grandkids, but he knew I had to do what was right for me and my family.

I have been living in Arizona for about 5 years and have been running the business successfully with my wife, her sister and my brother in law. My wife had our fifth child, and is our first born and bred Arizonan. He’s also my first boy. He’s the apple of my eye.

We have been enjoying every minute here and it was all because of the risk. We uprooted our family and made the plunge into the unknown. But my family and I have always believed that we have a known God that will lead us through the unknown, no matter what we do.

As for me personally, I’m still in the acting game here and there, but haven’t pursued it hard. Rather, I have been writing screenplays in my spare time and recently wrote a screenplay that won Best Genre Script at ‘The Nashville Film Festival’. It has garnered attention from top executives in the industry like Dallas Sonnier who produced “Bone Tomahawk”(Kurt Rusell, Patrick Wilson) and “Dragged Across Concrete” (Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn). Stay tuned for that.

This was made possible after several emails in the hopes of my script being read. I heard plenty of “No’s”. Though hearing the “No’s”, I didn’t take it as gospel. I took it as fuel for my fire. In addition, I took it as a note to go back to the drawing board and research on how to formulate a bullet proof “query letter” (industry jargon) to get the big wigs’ attention. It paid off. It was a risk. I have since got the attention of others, who want to talk about the screenplay.

In summation to the above. Be willing to take the hits. They hurt, but they only form and shape you into the best version of yourself. If you want to succeed, It takes persistence. It takes patience. It takes trusting God’s ordered steps. And a whole lot of risk.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
At Rider Mobility I currently serve as the Director of Business Development. I market throughout the state of Arizona in hopes to provide the best Durable Medical Equipment (DME) for individuals who have complex diagnoses. The patients that we serve can range anywhere from someone who has Parkinson’s disease to a quadriplegic with serious neurological issues. It’s my job to visit various medical clinics in an effort to gain their business and come alongside them to optimize each clients activities of daily living. We are a family owned business, so we pride ourselves on communication and turnaround time. We also work with many wheelchair manufacturers, so our clients can be involved in their case, and choose which DME would best suit them. We aim to make each person as member of the “Rider Family”, not just a number, which is not uncommon in the DME landscape — we aim to change that.

Being a former cop and an actor, this occupation has been a fairly simple transition.. as a police officer I dealt with all walks of life and very dangerous situations, so you can say I was prepped for talking to people (daily) as well as going into the unknown. And in this current work, I do a lot of “cold walk-ins” at different facilities. So, you could say the cop-life was a good starting point to bolster some courage to pitch my product. However, you gotta know the product, which is where the acting kicks in.

I was used to performing as a film actor, and .with performing you need to be memorized and prepared for anything. My grandad always used to say, “preparation takes away nervousness.” It’s true. The more you prepare, the less nerves you have. In turn, the more fluid your pitch or presentation will be.

Do I get it right every time? No. But, I learn from my mistakes and will do better next time. Failures are just stepping stones toward greatness. I’ve also learned that if you don’t have all the answers, it’s okay to say, “I’ll get back to you on that.” Your buyer and target audience will have more respect for you. It also humanizes you. I’m always leery of the “know it all”— So are most people for that matter.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First I would take them to breakfast at ‘Butterfield’s Pancake House’ in Scottsdale. I’d make sure they ate the cinnamon roll pancakes — life changing!

After that I’d take them and the kids to either ‘Fat Cat’s’ in the city of Surprise or to ‘Ninja Kidz Action Park’ in Phoenix. After the kids are worn out, the next step would be a sitter (i.e. mother in law) and the adults have a dinner.

For dinner, I would definitely take them to ‘Cooper’s Hawk’ in my neck of the woods — Surprise.. The food and the wine are 5 star. They have a great wine tasting pre-dinner and the food is out of this world! Best jambalaya out there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are too many — The count would be endless. Countless books, countless men and women who have come and gone on this journey, who have made me into the man that I am today. So, the single person I dedicate this shoutout to is My Bride, Karin Prieto. She is my best friend, the greatest mother in the world, and lets me bend her ear with whatever is on my mind. She has made me a better person and challenges me to be better every day. She is the jewel in my crown and the one who I will grow old with. If she reads this (which she will), I love you, Karin.

Website: https://ridermobility.com/

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/brett-prieto-93939a305