{EDITOR’S NOTE: Interview was recorded Tuesday, Aug. 25th. So, event references are for Wednesday evening}
An Invitation to “Meet the Makers, A celebration in collaboration”
By Anthony Corona
In this Pandemic world we must now navigate, it often feels as though our community is the forgotten orphaned-child. Accommodations and changes in the way we can travel, conduct our business and socialise often do not take into account our unique challenges. The world, with some exceptions, does not seem to recognise how deeply social distancing affects our daily lives. There are however lights in this pandemic darkness and tonight’s Meet The Makers is one we celebrate here on ACBVoices.
Responsible behaviour models suggest that we all wear masks not only for our own protection but to demonstrate a care for our community at large. This protective measure is becoming as natural as slipping on a pair of socks. Face coverings reduce the rate of transmission of this dastardly virus but they are often uncomfortable and lets face it folks, mostly very unattractive. That is unless you are designer to the stars Mark Zunino and industrial entrepreneur Megan Eddings!!
Mark is a world renowned designer for stars such as Mariah Carey, Angelina Jolie, Olivia Newton John and Beyonce. Using a sports engineered material that happens to have properties that make it just about ideal for protective covering and still allow for expression of style, Mark’s masks were born. Enter stage left is Accel Lifestyle founder Megan Eddings, inventor of said mentioned fabric who was already looking to answer the need for protective masks. A great partnership began, and they both decided in this time of uncertainty their craft could create awareness and financial contribution to charity.
Meet the Makers celebrates this unique partnership and the two communities they seek to assist, the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation and the American Council of the Blind. This evening, August 26th, Meet the Makers will highlight this dynamic collaboration in a fun interview and reverse interview between Mark and Megan. Their conversation will be followed by a 24 hour auction featuring their two one-of-a-kind masks.
The event will be streamed live at 8pm Eastern. Visit: https://tinyurl.com/yxwlvwhb
I had the pleasure of speaking with Megan and Mark about the collaboration, her path to inventing the revolutionary material used in these masks, and Mark’s passion for making amazing accessible. We spoke about how going from an athletic wear company producing high quality masks for our military and hospitals all over the country led to this charitable endeavour. Mark also shared how giving back through his creations has been one of his greatest passions.
I couldn’t let Mark go without asking about his friendship with Oscar winning actress Julia Roberts; so listen to the conversation below and find out if that much loved smile is as bright in person as it is on screen.
ACB Voices 