Austin Washington is the media's favourite descendant of George Washington, an Oxford trained historian, TV presenter and host, amateur song-writer, and professional bon vivant.
When he was twelve years old he saw a debate from the Oxford Union in an old video. It seemed as distant and remote to him as Monty Python, or The Beatles. (For those of you who don't know, The Oxford Union is the most famous place to speak, on earth. The first place Nixon spoke after Watergate, the last place Churchill ever spoke - Mother Theresa, once, on a trip to England, fell ill - she cancelled all her engagements but two - tea with the Queen, and speaking at The Oxford Union.)
Inspired with a Tony Robbins style American enthusiasm, he blustered his way into the greatest university on earth without even finishing high school (he now holds two degrees from this fabled institution, having dined in the "Harry Potter" dining hall regularly - really Christ Church's dining hall - befriended presidents of countries, billionaires, adventurous heroes and even the world's first "space tourist"...)
When he arrived at Oxford, he went straight to The Oxford Union, where he stood up in an introductory speaking workshop, and, knees trembling and sick to his stomach, uttered five fateful words that would change his life forever.
Sadly, he forgets what those words were.
But, everyone laughed. In a good way. With, not at.
Within a year, he was featured on The BBC as a "future leader of the world", and was flown by The Discovery Channel to New York, where he debated, live, from Rockefeller Center, on national television, an invitation that was to lead to further television work and media appearances.
But things have not always been easy for Austin. He has no patience for immorality and no fear to stand up for what he feels is right. On a small scale he has done such things, when still a teenager, as standing between two men with guns on the streets of Los Angeles to prevent violence. On a large scale, this penchant for justice once led Austin to a stand-off with one of the most politically powerful bankers in a purportedly democratic country, in which violence was a normal way of getting things done. Austin never blinked, but did learn an important lesson about the venality and corruption endemic in the world.
The Master of Lincoln College called his performance in Oleanna "better than the Royal Court", but after tiring of speaking others' words and turning his attention to "debating" (which, at the Oxford Union, at least in Austin's hands, was more a cross between comedy, politics, and theatre), news that he would speak at the union was said to pack the 850 seat chamber. Less known was that his spare time was spent doing charity work, helping disabled children with sports. He also used his empathy, enthusiasm, and experience, to help inspire people in need through local charities, as well as to advise the best and the brightest in Oxford on the most effective way to utilise their prodigious talents to help both themselves and the world. Both in person and on television, Austin has been using his gift to relate to almost anyone, which he developed as a teenager by interviewing people from all walks of life for PBS television, to try to be a force for good in the world.
Also useful in helping others was his personal story of self-transformation which, to bring it full circle, evokes his most well-known ancestor - George Washington - who, like Austin, did quite well for himself for someone who didn't finished high school. (Churchill is also in this illustrious group...as is Richard Branson, Abe Lincoln, and not so illustriously, John Major, who notoriously failed the exam to become a bus driver, before eventually coming a - albiet mediocre - Prime Minister...and so it goes....)
Austin has taken his message global, appearing in the main-stream media around the world, broadcasing interviews up to an hour in length to millions, speaking to graduating students, and even coordinating and hosting major international events such as the the first International Space Ball in Moscow. This anticipates the release of his book (scheduled for 2012/13) for Regnery Publishers , the most influential values-based book publisher in the United States.
Austin has been making music since he was four, and recording it since he was fourteen. His biggest success was writing and producing all the music for the largest theme park in the Middle East, Dreampark (formerly Dreamland), and writing a few million + downloaded songs. His first was Falling Out of Time, a bit of which is in the bio video on Austin's home page. More recently, his 18 song album Smile...World, including the song Fly, received over 22,000 downloads in its first weeek. Feeling music should reflect life (and vice versa), he spent one summer recently doing non-academic research into the most vital subject known to man - smiling! :D
Austin also has a few more incredible (but true) things up his sleeves, including projects with the most prominent artist in one country, and more - stay in touch here to get free stuff, and info,...thank you.
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