Matthew Zachary, Health Advocate at Off-Scrip Media

We are back for another great interview in our Entelechy Series   In today’s episode, we will focus on non-profit organizations. Our guest is Matthew Zachary.

Matt is the founder and strategic advisor of a nonprofit called Stupid Cancer, and he's a maverick, a cancer survivor himself, and a cancer advocate. He has a media company also called Offscrip Media.

In his early twenties, Matt was a  musician, concert pianist, going to film school to write for Hollywood. His dream was to be the next James Horn, John Williams. However, in the prime of his youth, he was diagnosed with Brain Cancer.  He lost the ability to play because the initial symptoms were his left hand up stopped working. When he was diagnosed. He had all sorts of issues that aren't relatable today but had acute side effects, he was put on a comorbidities liquid diet, he lost his hair, lost his fertility, lost 110 pounds, lost his friends, his career because he couldn't play piano anymore and completely lost his identity. 

However, since the age of 12, he had always been a nerd, hacking into UNIX and just interested in computers generally. So that became his plan B.

He ended up working in consumer advertising, where he learned about branding, brand planning, brand strategy. A couple of years after having survived brain cancer, he met an old college mate Craig Lustig who had also been diagnosed with cancer and survived and was now working on the board of directors of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, an influential legacy policy group.

Matt credits Craig for changing his life's trajectory because soon after meeting, Matt started Stupid cancer. A cancer advocacy organization  United everyone under one umbrella. , in his bedroom, 

Fast forward 10 years into a successful Stupid Cancer, fate came knocking at his door. His mentor Selma shamal was offered the opportunity to host an online talk radio show on cancer, she gave the opportunity to Matt. The stupid cancer show became  his flagship media juggernaut, After 13 years and four and a half million people listening to it, 

As a result of the show,  Time magazine, recognized them a top 50 website for 2007, which was seen by 40 million people.  

Over the 25years of running an NGO, Matt believes that We have to have a nonprofit for trust , Leaders don't have to follow the same old playbook. They can write their own playbook and rebel a little bit. NGOs can follow Dan Pallota's business model of success covered in his books. 

 In summary, Stupid Cancer’s largest impact is the thousands of people who say, a certain doctor may have cured them, but stupid cancer helped them get their life back together. 

 

 

Company Website: Stupid Cancer

Ofscrip health: Offscrip Health

Dan Pallota Website:  Dan Pallota

Dan Pallota TedX talk: The way we think about charity is dead wrong

Talk space: Talk space

Better Help: Better Help

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