The Interview: Life is Good for Patrick Macri

Still waters run deep.

That’s Patrick Macri, to the ninth degree.

While he may be quiet, it’s clear he’s actively listening. Actively compiling data and details of the situation that the big talkers never see. Actively designing new and better ways to connect the dots of what’s before him.

In many ways, he’s still the little kid in his jammies, mesmerized by what’s on the telly on Sunday nights. But today, as president and CEO of one of the first digital marketing firms (his story begins years before digital marketing was a thing), Macri is the one producing what others get to see.

He’s one Long Island business leader everybody wants on their team – a recognized doer, and widely respected for it.

Macri’s a Jets fan and a Deadhead with his feet in the sand: A year-round resident of Fire Island, he ends his days with family, friends and some of the best sunsets on the planet.

Read on to find out more …

FMC: What’s your current state of mind?

Cautiously optimistic.

FMC:  When you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up, and why?

I wanted to be involved in some capacity in the new rock ‘n roll music and television scene. I was a quiet five year-old sitting on the floor in my pajamas watching Ed Sullivan one Sunday night in 1964, when the Beatles were first introduced to America. I was hooked and it set me on my life’s path to become a producer.

When life looks like easy street, there’s danger at your door

FMC: What mistake did you make that turned out to be your best learning experience?

I left a stable, corporate job in my early years for a job I was passionate about without fully researching the opportunity. The job seemed “too good to be true” and as it turned out, it was far from what I thought it would be and I ended up quitting the position six weeks later. Humbled by the experience, I have always done my due diligence since that time in my life and have benefited several times by thinking through situations before jumping into them.

FMC: What are the 3 best things you’ve done in your life?

I married my childhood sweetheart, Theresa. Along with my wife, successfully nurtured the development of our two kids, Max and Aila Rose into becoming happy, well-adjusted young adults. And I started my digital agency, Millennium Communications, in 1993.

FMC: Why do you do what you do?

I enjoy bringing talented people together to create something special. As a producer, you need to clearly assess what you need to do to get a job done, identify the best people to support this objective, keep everyone focused on the outcome, and make clients happy in the end by delivering above and beyond what they were expecting.

FMC:  What’s your guilty pleasure?

Being a Grateful ‘Deadhead’ for the past 42 years, and seeing over 300 live shows in all permutations of this band.

FMC:  What gives you hope for the future?

Seeing how many young people today are championing and embracing an environmentally conscious lifestyle.

FMC:  What’s your idea of happiness?

Spending time with family and friends at our home on Fire Island.

FMC: Coke or Pepsi?

Pepsi

FMC: Who was/is the most influential person in your life?

My parents who ran our family businesses for 40 years were the most influential. They instilled the entrepreneurial spirit in me at an early age and it has stayed with me all my life.

And Steve Jobs. Without his vision and subsequent creations of Apple, I wouldn’t ever have created my company, Millennium.

FMC:  Favorite restaurant?

The Palm Too. The original one in New York City.

FMC: Last book read?

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

FMC:  Where do you get your news?

I’m a devout CBS This Morning TV watcher,  BBC News Hour listener on radio and CNN reader online.

FMC:  What five people, living or dead, would you want to have at a dinner party?

Jerry Garcia, Charlie Rose, Ben Franklin, Steve Jobs, George Harrison.

FMC:  Favorite drink?

Belvedere Martini, shaken not stirred.

FMC:  What’s the biggest misconception people have about you?

That I’m too laid back and not very aggressive when it comes to business. I am not “salesy” by nature and tend to win people over by my actions.

FMC: Define leadership and tell us, who is your favorite leader and why?

A leader is someone who can be relied upon to keep their composure in the  face of adversity and lead the team out of these types of situations and ultimately create a positive outcome.

My favorite leader is my father who helped navigate our family businesses through several tough period during my early life. He was able to look at situations objectively and create opportunity when no one else could see it. He was bold enough to take chances and reinvent himself as needed to achieve his goals.

FMC: What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?

Trying to convince people in 1993 that that thing called ‘Interactive Media’ – which ultimately became the Web – would not be just a fad, and that marketers would soon have a vehicle that allowed for instantaneous collection of consumer data.

FMC: What’s your choice of super hero superpowers?

Patience – although I’ve never seen this in any comic super hero!

FMC: What’s your idea of success?

Finding a healthy life balance between family, work and community service, while securing long-term stability for my family and my business.

FMC: What’s the best business advice anyone ever gave you?

When life looks like easy street, there’s danger at your door.

FMC: If you weren’t you, who would you want to be?

George Lucas.

FMC: What’s the biggest challenge facing your industry right now?

The ability to see the next digital trend coming. Back in the late 80’s to early 90’s I saw the power of interactive media before many, but today everyone is so keenly on the look-out for the next big thing that it’s virtually impossible for a new twist on technology to come seemingly out of nowhere like the advent of the World Wide Web.

FMC: What makes you tick?

Comedy. I have been told I have an upbeat sense of humor and an equally quirky, offbeat wit. I make a point of finding a way to laugh everyday even during the tough times. A funny movie or highly satirical sit-com usually does trick if I can’t find it inside myself.

FMC: Who inspires you?

My family, friends and the great people I work with every day at Millennium.

FMC: Favorite time of day?

Sunset.