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1954
Born at Wright General Hospital in Houston, Texas to Rudolph and Marie Harris, a physician and a homemaker, respectively. The hospital is later enshrined as a parking lot. |
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1960-1966
Harris attends private and public schools in Houston, including
the Lois Harmon School, Pilgrim Lutheran, and Kolter Elementary.
Harris embraces the role of class clown and lays the foundation
for his future role as an "attention-getter." While at Kolter,
Harris meet Patrick Magill, quarterback of the Kolter Kolts and
the two form a lifetime friendship. |
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1968
Despite the fact that he does not play chess, Harris is elected
president of the Chess Club at Pershing Jr. High School on the
strength of his "you can be cool, too" speech. One year later,
merges the Chess Club with the Slide Rule Club and the Number
Sense Club to form The Math Club Alliance, the largest student
organization on campus. That same year, cognizant of the dramatic
female to male ratio, Harris pursues and achieves the presidency
of the Library Club. |
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1969
Fellow classmates name Harris "Wittiest Boy in the H-9 Class." His parents are not amused. |
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1970
Dr. and Mrs. Harris send their eldest son on a month-long pilgrimage to Greece to explore his ethnic roots. Before leaving, their son drops a bundle at a newly opened men's
clothing store called Mr. B's and talks the owner into a job upon his return. This is the start of a ten-year stint in retail menswear. Later that same year, Pat Magill joins the sales staff at Mr. B’s as well. Bell bottoms and Nik-Nik shirts
abound in the Summer of Love. Mayhem ensues. |
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1971
After losing his best girl to the captain of the football team, Harris runs for cheerleader at Bellaire High School. He is elected. To fund the squad's trip to cheerleader camp,
Harris and his squad mates organize a commissary for summer school students, which proves to be dramatically successful. Proceeds allow all eight cheerleaders to fly to Dallas for a week long camp, and fund over a dozen different cheerleading ensembles
for the season, many purchased from Mr. B's menswear. |
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1972
Harris organizes the fourteen Bellaire High School students of Greek-American descent into the Greek Student Union, and features them on their own page in the yearbook. After
being elected president of the GSU, Harris convinces the school's principal that classes should be dismissed in honor of Greek Independence Day. The principal dismisses classes at 2:00 PM and allows Harris to produce a one-hour auditorium program
of Greek music and dancing. For his effort, the principal is named "Anglo of the Year" by the Greek Student Union. |
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1972
Harris enters Houston Baptist University as a freshman, and over the next four years is elected to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, The President's Council,
and the student senate. He is also twice elected president of the campus's Kappa Alpha chapter, twice elected cheerleader, and manages to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Business Management and the Psychology of Business
and Industry. |
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1976
From his savings, Harris buys 25% of Mr. B. Inc. and opens the company's second store in Houston. |
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1977
Harris is listed in the annual publication of Outstanding Young Men of America. |
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1980
Longing for a bigger arena, Harris sells his stock in Mr. B. Inc. Harris is then recruited by Rolinda Enterprises, operators of four nightclub/concert
venues in Texas. Spends the next three years maintaining his "young Republican" appearance while touring statewide with artists like Joe Cocker, Alice Cooper, Dave Mason, and dozens of one hit wonders. |
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1982
Fallen rock idol David Crosby is arrested during the intermission of a show Harris is involved with in Dallas. Harris subsequently spends time in and out of a
courtroom testifying on behalf of Crosby and his "reasonable expectation of privacy." |
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1983
Harris decides that the concert business is not for him, and sets up shop as D. Bryan Harris & Associates, a public relations and marketing firm. His first client
is a gay video dating service. During this same period, Harris is introduced to Patrick Fant who is working on a locally produced, MTV-style show for heritage AOR station KLOL and Channel 20. A mutual admiration society is formed, and
the seeds of capitalistic mischief are sown.
Harris is asked to oversee the operations of the KLOL promotions
department as an outside consultant. Within ninety days, Harris
is offered a full time position to direct the marketing of KLOL
and Newsradio KTRH-AM. He accepts and begins a twelve-year career
with the company, working side by side with Patrick Fant, who
has become KLOL's GM. |
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1984
Harris and Fant begin a creative partnership that results in award-winning billboards, TV spots, and sales presentation materials, as well as dozens of
revenue-producing, audience-building events. |
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1986
Harris's parents acknowledge that his career path "is not a phase" and begin practicing how to explain their son's new ponytail. |
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1987
Harris wins the first of his three Promax Gold Medallion Awards for Marketing Excellence, this time for a print ad. Awards for Best Station Premium and
Most Outrageous Promotion follow in the years to come. |
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1988
Because of his contributions to five years of steady revenue and ratings growth, Harris is invited to consult the Rusk Corporation's new acquisitions in Austin,
San Antonio, and Midland-Odessa. |
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1989
The Public Relations Society of America awards Harris a Bronze Medallion in the Best Press Release category for a promotion involving the Houston Oilers, a blacked-out
telecast, and a Schwarzenegger movie.
Harris and Fant create and launch new evening programming concept which doubles the station's nighttime ratings. Outlaw Radio puts Harris and Fant in the industry headlines again. |
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1990
Billboard Magazine names Harris Promotion Director of the Year and KLOL Large Market Rock Station of the Year. |
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1991
Harris directs the marketing and promotional efforts surrounding the re-launch of KISS-FM in San Antonio on a budget of less than $2000. Weeks of stunting, including an
"All ZZ Top All The Time" format, earn Harris and the station national recognition as well as the early confidence of advertisers. Station becomes a ratings winner within one year.
Harris is named Promotion Director of the Year by FMQB, a top rated broadcast industry publication focusing on the rock format. |
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1993
Harris is recruited by CRN International, a Hamden, Connecticut-based advertising agency as their creative director. For the next four years, Harris creates radio campaigns
and promotional initiatives for Fortune 500 companies including Lipton, Nestle, P & G, M & M/Mars, Kellogg's, and Pilot Pen. His commercials utilize celebrities ranging from Peggy Fleming and Phylicia Rashad to Terri Clark and Kid Capri. Ponytail
reappears.
To keep his radio skills sharp, Harris continues to consult radio stations in Syracuse/Utica, New Orleans, and Houston. Among his stable of clients is KTBZ-FM/The Buzz and later Q102 in Dallas, both managed by Pat Fant. |
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1995
The Connecticut Radio Network syndicates Harris' movie reviews under the banner of "Front Row Center with Brian West," a partnership that continues to this day. |
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1998
Harris signs a representation agreement with BCI in Germany, whose consultants begin booking him for speaking tours and training seminars for European broadcasters. |
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1999
Longing for Mexican food and barbecue, Harris resigns from CRN International and returns to Houston to hang out his "Creative Animal" shingle. He is immediately hired by
KODA-FM and KKRW-FM to provide revenue-generating promotion ideas to the stations' twenty account executives and managers. Stations around the country follow suit. |
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2000
KODA-FM and KKRW-FM become the property of Clear Channel, but despite their "no consultants" policy, Harris is renewed for a second year.
Harris inaugurates the Association of Radio Marketing Executives, and begins the online publication of ForIdeas, a weekly, subscription-based online newsletter. Its life span includes over 150 weekly issues before Harris
discontinues it due to his busy schedule. |
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2001
Clear Channel-Houston's Director of Sales issues a memo crediting Harris with generating $1.8 million in promotions-driven buys for the previous twelve month period.
Harris creates Noisemaker Communications to provide advertising, promotion, marketing, and public relations services. Harris dyes his hair blonde and his ponytail bites the dust. |
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2002
Arrival of new Clear Channel GM prompts a request to renegotiate Harris' contract. Within a 72 hour period, news leaks to new GM of Cox Radio-Houston who immediately requests
an audience, tenders an offer, and replaces Clear Channel as Harris' largest client. |
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2003
Susquehanna Radio Corporation recruits Harris to consult its 26 properties nationally, signing a two-year agreement. Continental Airlines awards Harris Platinum Elite status.
Gratuitous upgrades ensue.
To celebrate his 20th year in broadcasting, Harris accepts an invitation to address the NAB-Europe in London, his sixth such appearance. Girlfriend commences study of exchange rates for Pounds Sterling and Euros. |
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2004
Pat Fant, Pat Magill, and Doug Harris unsuccessfully try to purchase KILE-AM in Houston. After a year of disappointing starts, stops, and miscues with investors, the trio
returns to their various enterprises. |
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2005
Harris speaks at over a dozen broadcast industry functions, including engagements in Greece, Portugal, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. |
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2006
- Present
Harris' international business relationships have now taken him
to twenty-six countries on five continents, while his domestic
duties include work with clients as diverse as Nike and the Estate
of Sam Kinison.
Noisemaker Communications continues to grow its client list and
expand its scope of services to include the new frontier of viral
marketing. Strategic alliances with a number of results-oriented
agencies equip Harris to service marketing projects of virtually
every size and scope.
Doug Harris' parents still have no clue what he does for a living.
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Introducing Doug Harris
