We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew McGregor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
From my experience, whether to continue on the same course or make adjustments or abandon ship is a combination of reading the zeitgeist, vision, and revisiting the initial motivations of the endeavor. Alway being in touch with the ‘Why’ of one’s actions is a useful litmus. If the ‘Why’ is no longer connected to one’s energies, actions, plans, and vision then calamity and long-term problems may ensue. You can see this in ostensibly successful organizations and people whose vital purpose has long been lost to them and yet they continue because that is all they know and that is what gave them success at a formative period of development. I think it is better for society and the types of individuals who ask these types of questions of themselves to be grounded in principles rather than justifications. If you are doing something out of principle rather than a reactive justification that is another good test of one’s personal or organizational ‘Why’ and can serve as a solid lodestone in life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My current work is leading a humanitarian not-for-profit research project developing wearable technology to enable animals to communicate to a human when they find a landmine. I suppose what’s different about me in this field is that the endeaor started with a short film I wrote and directed that represented a moral and technological vision of robotics and animals working symbiotically to keep humans safe from landmines. Eventually, the technology left the screen and the project’s success can be attributed to the remarkable generosity and brilliance of people in Los Angeles and the UK who will lend their wonderfulness to endeavors like this in combination with my faith in the vision and methodical tenacity.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I will have to give a pandemic-centric answer to this as I am not sure if and when the joyous and rich cultural and culinary institutions of Los Angeles will return. So, getting a Godmother sandwich from Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica to go followed by a trip to El Matador Beach in Malibu would be grand. Then, hiking on top of Topanga Canyon in the late afternoon and watching the clouds roll in beneath you feels like one is gazing down on Heaven. Later, camping in Joshua Tree, SCUBA diving in Casino Point Dive Park on Catalina, driving up the PCH. Things like this!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to Douglas Campbell and the MindshareLA community he devotedly cares for and encourages.

Website: www.mightykingdrew.com/

Image Credits
Ian Ingram, Argwings Odera, Sekou Andrews & The String Theory

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.