How Moms Can Help Their Kids Build the American Dream

  “When you study great teachers… you will learn much more from their caring and hard work than from their style.” ― William Glasser

Walk in to Judy Gatena’s office at www.REPinteractive.com, an award winning digital media agency, and you see a beautifully framed photo of her and her hunky son Steve Gatena in his USC football uniform.   Below the photo you see a sweet hand written note to Judy from Steve… As a mother of two young boys myself, I only wish for the day to see my sons full grown still loving me the way Steve adores his mother!  I met Judy a few years ago at the Mom 2.0 blogging summit.  It only took a few days of hanging with her to see she was a loving easy-going person and a definitely a dedicated mother.  I liked her instantly and felt we had a lot in common.  She is also an award-winning American Business Woman and the co-founder of REP Interactive, for which Steve is CEO.  With over two decades of entrepreneurial success as the founder and President of Abacus One Computers, she holds the current position of President at REP Interactive.

I cheer aloud as one of her biggest fans because she’s an amazing successful businesswoman and is a MOM.  I post this story because she’s an incredible example of how moms can encourage their kids to achieve the American dream by doing what we do best. Guiding our kids, letting them make mistakes, allowing them to see our mistakes, having open communication and being flexible and willing to listen more, makes for the perfect recipe to inspire our children. At REP Interactive, Judy has helped grow the former “USC Homework Assignment” of Steve’s from a 5 figure media startup to a seven figure per year video and broadcast media agency. REP Interactive specializes in corporate communication and works with brands like Coldwell Banker, Dermalogica, the Dodgers, IHOP, Ogio, and Hilton.

When I asked Steve to tell me about his partnership with his mom he said the following, “When you have a strong female role model who doesn’t believe in or even acknowledge barriers, it establishes a high standard for what you expect from yourself and what you believe is possible. My mom has thirty years of experience as a B2B entrepreneur. I grew up watching her build the American Dream. Being able to rely on her leadership and her expertise was priceless during our startup phase. It allowed our business to successfully transition from a nascent college project to the countries fastest growing corporate video production company.”

It’ no secret that Steve’s overall success stems from both his outstanding academic achievement (holding a Masters in Communication from USC) and optimal upbringing by great parents… But his ability to get closer to being one of the top digital entrepreneurs of today clearly comes from having strong business-minded role models as parents. Judy is a successful businesswoman who taught Steve that anything is achievable if you work hard enough to make it your dream. Just when I thought I loved my boys more than any other mom could, I met Judy Gatena. Now I know that all moms love their kids exactly the way I love mine. No matter how old they get, we will always smile with that glimmer in our eye and think, “That’s my boy.”

About the CEO of REP Interactive, Steve Gatena:

Steve Gatena is an American Entrepreneur and award winning Executive Producer. Currently, Steve is the CEO of REP Interactive, an award winning video & broadcast media company, as well as the President of VideoFort, the first ever all HD subscription based stock footage company. In 2013, Steve and his mother Judy were named #8 on FORBES Magazine’s list of Famous Multi-Generational Entrepreneur Families. In 2012 Steve won 11 Telly Awards for his work in Video & Broadcast Media for brands like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Coldwell Banker, Girl Scouts of America, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Steve has founded three companies including REP Interactive, a video agency and digital media company; Sellap, a business intelligence software as a service platform; and VideoFort, a subscription based stock footage and media licensing company.

Gatena played football for the University of Southern California (USC), where he earned his Master’s. He also holds an Honorable Discharge from the United States Air Force Academy. Steve regularly guest lectures at the University of Southern California as well as Pepperdine University.Some of Steve’s personal achievements include: CSQ Magazine’s 2013 NextGen 10 Entrepreneur of the Year, Eleven 2012 Telly Awards, 2011 Communicator Award Silver Award of Distinction for interactive work with Coldwell Banker, 2011 USC Distinguished Speaker Award, 2007 College Humor Video of the Month Creator, 2005 Honorable Discharge United States Air Force, and a Congressional Nomination to Annapolis.