Who
is Steve Mozena?
Fearless
Steve Mozena is advocacy and action
in motion. He is an entrepreneur, technology innovator,
publisher, print and radio journalist, community activist,
and creative, out-of-the-box problem-solver.
Mozena
is a man who is not intimidated by large, unresponsive
bureaucracies or by those who wield power and privilege
but have forgotten who they are supposed to represent.
He works passionately, tirelessly and ingeniously
for the causes he believes in.
As
founder, CEO, and publisher of ETEXT.net Electronic
Textbook Publishing, an online academic publishing
firm, Steve Mozena pioneered the
electronic college textbook field. ETEXT.net was founded
in 1994, as Mozena's e-vision for
education propelled him to take advantage of the Web
before it was hip. See www.etext.net
ETEXT.net provides a service for college professors
and students. Professors receive higher royalties,
and students pay less for their custom etext than
for conventional hardcover or paperback textbooks.
Mozena
is a journalist by education. He received a Bachelor
of Arts in Journalism from the University of Oregon,
and has much practical experience as a news reporter.
Early
in his career, while working as a sports intern at
KPTV-12 in Portland, Oregon, he came up with a creative
idea that captured the public imagination. Building
on the Portland Trailblazers' Blazermania and victory
of the Western Conference in the late 1980s, Steve
created the hot-selling "Blazer Tails," a three-colored
streamer that people could tie onto their car antennas
to show their support for the Blazers. He made eight
thousand dollars from the Blazer Tails in one week!
Also
in the late 1980s, Steve Mozena was
a morning radio personality, giving drive-time broadcasts
on Phoenix, Arizona's FM 100 KLZI radio station. He
also created the persona of "Dr." Steve Mozena.
He would don lab coat and scrubs for public appearances,
and mix music and humor as he poked mild fun at himself
as "Dr. Steve." This routine was based on an earlier
stint of Steve's in which he owned and sold medical
and surgical supplies to doctors' offices, hospitals,
and nursing homes.
Steve Mozena is also a perpetual
investigative reporter; his observations about the
city, the media, and other items of importance to
the citizens of Los Angeles and around the country
have been widely published in cities such as Portland,
Ore.; Seattle, Wash.; Phoenix, Ariz., and even New
York. His latest undertaking is to promote fiscal
responsibility in government. See his Post
the Finances Web site at www.postthefinances.com
Mozena
also has a long track record as a community activist.
When he lived in Venice, Calif. he surprised everyone
by persuading the Los Angeles City Council to embark
on a long-overdue tree-trimming project. Local residents
had been trying unsuccessfully for more than ten years
to get this accomplished and turned to Steve for help.
He asked the Council for funds to beautify Venice
Beach and Boardwalk, joking that he represented the
"Merchants of Venice" because he had a petition with
more than 200 signatures of residents and merchants
along the World renowned Venice Beach Boardwalk. The
Council took the Shakespearean hint, and Venice Beach
was no longer treated like the city dump. With the
necessary funds, Steve arranged for 600 trees to be
trimmed. See the archives of the Los Angeles Times
for more information about his success.
See
www.latimes.com
Following
this success, Steve Mozena approached
the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission, requesting
grass seed for his community. The Commission said
there was no money in the budget, but Steve offered
to pay for the seed if the city promised to plant
and take care of the seedlings. They agreed to this,
but the city did not live up to its end of the bargain.
So, Mr. Mozena, after having exhausted
all measures to reclaim his money, as a final resort
sued the city in small claims court and won. The Los
Angeles Times' reporter, Bob Poole, wrote an article
about the incident. See www.latimes.com
archive for the story.
But
this disappointment was not the end of Steve's beautification
efforts. He enlisted the homeless to remove graffiti,
had the city post new recreational road signs, remove
debris, set up volleyball nets, repair potholes and
sidewalks, fix fencing around storm drains, fix lampposts,
and paint swing sets.
As
a problem solver and out-of-the-box ideas generator,
Steve came to the rescue of the City when it said
it did not have enough money to tear down an old dilapidated
building on Venice Beach. Mozena
suggested a land swap with the Native Americans, granting
them the right to build a casino on the site.
The
State of Oregon had made a similar land swap with
the Native Americans of Oregon. It was a typical piece
of artful Mozena persuasion. The
city managed to find the money to tear down the building
and create a park on the site. The homeless have often
had cause to be grateful for Steve Mozena's
assistance. He has volunteered in homeless shelters,
befriending these men and women of misfortune, even
taking them to music concerts and sporting events.
He helped a homeless man record a song on a CD, and
as a result of his efforts Universal Music Group is
ready to sign this new talent once he gets national
exposure or is played on major radio stations. Maybe
Simon, Randy or Paula will give the homeless man a
shot on "American Idol."
In
his spare time, Steve Mozena was
a singer and actor. He sang in choir at both St. Monica's
Catholic Church in Santa Monica, Calif. as well as
St. Mark's Catholic Church in Venice, Calif. He has
been a member of SAG and AFTRA actors' unions for
more than 10 years. In order to achieve this dream,
Mr. Mozena advertised himself on bus benches located
near major Hollywood Studios. Shortly thereafter,
a major motion picture was released about . . . an
actor who advertises himself on a bus bench and goes
from "Hollywood's Least Known to Hollywood's Most
Wanted." The movie, "Jimmy Hollywood," was released
by Paramount Pictures. It stars Joe Pesci and Christian
Slater, and is directed by Barry Levinson. Art imitating
Life! Rent it on Video or DVD.
Along
with his twin sister Kathleen, Steve Mozena
is the youngest of eight children born to European
immigrant parents. Steve's parents are proud of all
their children, who include four doctors.
His
father, now deceased, was born in Italy. He owned
a medical equipment and supply company in Portland
and Seattle. His mother, born in Ireland, founded
the first bed and breakfast in Portland and sold it
after 13 years. She named it "Portland's White House"
because that's what it looked like. It remains in
operation, under different ownership, today. After
her husband passed away.
Steve's
mom re-married, to a man 18 years her junior.
After 20 years, they are still happily married.
You Go, Mom.
Steve met his
wife, Lucille (Pedrita) Mozena, at Ralph's Grocery
store in Venice, Calif. He claims he found her
in the beauty section. They have a baby daughter.
Recently, their daughter was baptized into the
Catholic Church.
Steve hopes
his daughter grows up in a world that is fit
for her to live in, and he is determined to
do his best to ensure that such a dream comes
true. |
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The
Mozena family resides in Carson, California |
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