Murtzcellanious: Murtz Jaffer Talks To Apprentice 4's Randal Pinkett

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I think many of you know that while I liked Rebecca, I totally supported Randal’s decision not to advise Donald Trump to hire her. It was interesting to hear his side of the story and he proves his sensibility once again.


Murtz Jaffer: First, let me begin by congratulating you on the victory. I think that many Apprentice fans thought that you were the clear favorite from early on. Do you think that was because of your impressive resume or the way that you acted on The Apprentice?

Randal Pinkett: Thank you for your congratulations! It has been an incredible experience thus far and I am looking forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. To answer your question, I think it was a combination of both. There were some people who believed that I had an impressive resume and there were others who came to root for me because of the way I acted on The Apprentice. With respect to my resume, I will say that my accomplishments as an entrepreneur were somewhat overlooked throughout the season. I’ve started five companies including my current firm BCT Partners a management, technology and policy consulting services firm. For whatever reason, it seemed my academic background received far more attention than my professional experience, which is actually more extensive.

MJ: I am sure that you have heard the notion of Trump having to hire a minority for the sake of balance on season four. Has that opinion affected you at all? Clearly you were the most capable candidate, but has that stereotype been a problem?

RP: Not only has that stereotype not been a problem, it has also never held any weight. Almost ironically, I’ve heard more references to me being overqualified and not in need of an apprenticeship than anything else. Despite my academic and professional experience, I believe I have a lot to learn from Mr. Trump.

MJ: I know you have answered the question before and many times, so I won’t ask why you chose not to advise Mr. Trump to hire Rebecca Jarvis as well. Instead, my question is whether you think it was an unfair position to be placed in. It was clearly your moment in the sun and you were being asked to share a season that you dominated?

RP: I’m happy to respond to the question and, in fact, a formal statement is available on my website at: http://www.randalpinkett.com/forum/blog/ . Just to be clear, I did not advise Mr. Trump not to hire Rebecca Jarvis, I advised him that if he was going to hire anyone “tonight” that it should be one and only one as the Apprentice. Since then, I have received tons of e-mails, telephone calls and letters from people stating that it was a very unfair position to be placed in, particularly because I was the clear and decisive winner this season according to almost every objective measure of performance. I was not fully prepared for this question and it was a very difficult position to be placed in on live, national television. Anyway, I’m flattered you believe I dominated the season. I’ve heard and read similar statements from several other people.

MJ: In this same regard, if you were given the chance to hire somebody else from your cast, would you have rewarded one of your supporters like Josh or Marshawn, or maintained the same decision that you made on finale night?

RP: I’m glad you asked that question as it will allow me to clarify one of the major misunderstandings from the finale. It was clear to me that evening and Mr. Trump has confirmed that when he asked, “Should I hire Rebecca also?” that he was soliciting my opinion on whether she should be crowned as an equal co-Apprentice, not hired for a job. In that regard, my response is independent of who stood as my competitor. If I were asked this question about anyone from the cast my response would be the same: that the evening is about determining the Apprentice. I would recommend that Mr. Trump hire Josh, Marshawn, Alla, Rebecca and several others from the cast, because they were all outstanding individuals.

MJ: Do you think it was the right call?

RP: Yes, in terms of recommending that he choose one Apprentice. Ultimately, it wasn’t my call it was Mr. Trump’s call. Could I have added a few statements that encouraged him to still offer a job to the runner-up? Absolutely. But, once again, nothing I said that evening suggested that I was opposed to giving her a job because that was not my position. The fact that I didn’t make this explicit created more controversy than I could have imagined at the time. Nonetheless, hindsight is indeed 20/20 and Monday morning quarterbacking doesn’t change the outcome of the game!

MJ: Obviously we could talk at length about your storied career in academia, but I am interested in your motivation for studying so much. Was it just something that you were born with?

RP: My motivation in school was really two-fold. First, I wanted to honor the sacrifices made by my family that allowed me even the opportunity to go college. My father passed away when I was in high school. I was raised by a single mother who worked two jobs in order to support my older brother and me while in college. Second, I considered school a means to the end of pursuing business opportunities. In fact, I believe I was born with a more natural ability in business than academia. As a kid, I opened lemonade stands on the street corner. In college, I opened a compact disc store in my dormitory. After graduating from college, I launched an educational services and training company that worked with Fortune 500 companies across the country. Five years ago I launched BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar, management, technology and policy consulting services firm.

MJ: How important is it for kids to go into a post-secondary institution?

RP: I believe that experience is, by far, the best teacher. However, I think it is extremely important for kids to go into a post-secondary institution. Nowadays, a college degree is becoming what a high school diploma used to be: absolutely necessary to compete in the job market. For those that may not have the financial means to afford college tuition, as was the case for me, it is increasingly important to obtain good grades with the hopes of obtaining a scholarship.

MJ: Why did you choose the Atlantic City task?

RP: I believed the Atlantic City project was very high profile. My thinking was that it could help me to advance Mr. Trump’s agenda there while gaining a tremendous amount of experience at the same time. I expect to begin my assignment sometime in February 2006.

MJ: How much did it work to your advantage that Alla was fired in the second-last task and do you think she would have been stiffer competition?

RP: Most of the people I talked to during the season predicted that it would be Alla and me as the final two. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Alla and she is a dear friend. She is also a very accomplished businessperson and was a fierce competitor on the show. So, it certainly worked to my advantage that she was fired in the second-to-last task because I believe she would have been stiffer competition.

MJ: Why did you apply for the show?

RP: I applied for the show for three reasons. First, I wanted the opportunity to learn from Mr. Trump. He is an icon in business with a wealth of knowledge, whereas I am still relatively young in my entrepreneurial career. My company, BCT Partners is a multimillion dollar firm. I want to learn from Mr. Trump what it means to run a multi-billion dollar company. Second, I believed that the opportunity to showcase my talents and entrepreneurial experience on a nationally televised program focused on business, would open new doors and broker relationships for me and my colleagues that could not be achieved otherwise. Third and finally, I welcomed the opportunity to be challenged, to learn and to have some fun!

MJ: What was the biggest lesson that you learned while being on the show?

RP: The biggest lesson I learned while being on the show was that many of the leadership principles I apply in my everyday business interactions were equally effective in a reality television environment.

MJ: Can you tell me more about your company and what will happen now?

RP: I am the co-founder, president and CEO of BCT Partners. Stated simply, BCT Partners is a consulting firm – we work closely with our clients to help develop solutions to problems. We specialize in six areas: housing and community development, economic development, human services, healthcare, nonprofit and community technology and education. Within these areas we apply innovative management practices, uses of information technology, research and policy expertise to help our customers achieved desired results. Our clients include various government agencies, corporations, philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. We have a very capable executive team at BCT Partners, consisting of Lawrence Hibbert, our Chief Technology Officer; Michelle Thomas, our Chief Operating Officer; and Shawn Escoffery, our Vice President. These individuals will remain at the helm of the company while I take advantage of this opportunity with the Trump Organization. My goal is to bring the knowledge and relationships I am able to acquire back to BCT Partners to help continue our incredible growth over the past five years.

MJ: What’s next for you and can you give us an idea of your schedule for the next few months?

RP: The response to my victory has been nothing short of incredible. My primary focus will be to learn as much as I possibly can from Mr. Trump and from my assignment with the Trump Organization. The executive team in Atlantic City of Jim Perry, CEO, and Mark Juliano, COO, is among the best in the business. There is a lot I hope to learn from them as well. Beyond that, I have a number of plans for 2006. I hope to align myself closely with a few charitable organizations to raise awareness of issues affecting society. I plan to remain connected to BCT Partners in some capacity as we explore new markets in the government and corporate sectors. I will considerably expand my speaking engagements, having already received a huge influx of requests from various organizations. I am nearing the final negotiations of a book deal that will hopefully lead to a series of subsequent publications. I am excited to participate in future product introductions, events, promotions and promotional campaigns for Amenity, a men’s grooming line that provides the best, most effective shaving and skincare products. I am also currently in conversations with some major corporations concerning additional product endorsements and public appearances that I hope to announce soon! For future updates and information, I encourage people to visit my website at: http://www.randalpinkett.com.

MJ: Thanks!

RP: Thank you! I hope to be able to check back in at some point during 2006 to update the Inside Pulse audience on my progress!

Murtz Jaffer is the world's foremost reality television expert and was the host of Reality Obsessed which aired on the TVTropolis and Global Reality Channels in Canada. He has professional writing experience at the Toronto Sun, National Post, TV Guide Canada, TOROMagazine.com and was a former producer at Entertainment Tonight Canada. He was also the editor at Weekendtrips.com.