Vocationally, with no grand plan, I am a generalist by definition ( Forbes, The Value Of Being A Generalist). If I’ve specialized in anything, that reduces to an amalgamation of business development, philosophy, music publishing and production, human rights advocacy, government affairs, child welfare, pastoral ministry, politics, speaking, and writing.
In 2017, I formally launched a campaign for United States Congress, running in California’s 48th congressional district. My campaign centered on the threat of Vladimir Putin to global peace and particularly his suspension of the adoption of Russian orphans to the United States in 2012 — a death sentence to countless sick children. My campaign received the endorsements of international human rights crusader, Bill Browder, and chess grandmaster and Russian dissident, Garry Kasparov. My message received national attention from national media outlets including The Atlantic, NPR, Forbes, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, and NBC.
In 2018 I accepted a role as President and CEO of a little-known child welfare organization, Royal Family Kids. In 2000, I led a rebranding effort, naming the organization For The Children. Under my leadership, the organization grew to over 20,000 volunteers across 250 chapters across the U.S., working in 45 states, 600 counties, and 12 countries.
My vocational background includes the corporate sector, general and faith-based non-profits, and government partnerships — from municipal projects with schools and law enforcement to collaboration with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the White House, under both Democrat and Republican administrations. I have advised and worked alongside socially responsible corporations including Bank of America, Chevron, FedEx, and Cisco
I’ve worked with and advised four founders of prominent international Christian organizations and have held roles as President, Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, Managing Director (UK), Vice President, Senior Pastor, and Executive Pastor. My geographical span has been local (greater Los Angeles), national, and international.
I’ve enjoyed being at the forefront of large-scale change initiatives, fundraising campaigns, substantive national project rollouts, and the development of innovative programs.
I started my career as a commercial real estate broker with one of Orange County’s largest firms. He recalls making thousands of “cold calls.” Grueling and often scary, I deem that work formative to my future development roles.
I was recruited to head business development for John Wimber’s Vineyard Music, where I led a restructuring effort that included spearheading domestic and international partnerships with global entities including EMI Music. My territory included the United States, as well as Western Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa. I later accepted a multi-year assignment to head the organization’s European operations in London, where I served as Managing Director and fostered the publication of Vineyard Music’s first foreign intellectual properties. He has contributed to a number of albums as both a bass player and an Executive Producer.
Upon my return to the U.S., I amalgamated my professional experience with my deep passion for philanthropy and the Christian humanitarian ethos. I founded the U.S. chapter of Soul Survivor, a UK-based ministry that produced prolific artists, Matt Redman and Tim Hughes. Soul Survivor events drew hundreds of thousands of youth on four continents and modeled servant leadership, the centrality of Jesus as a role model, and the importance of giving back to society.
Under my leadership, Soul Survivor U.S. hosted tens of thousands of young people via its events, many being at-risk teenagers. Students from around the country were mobilized to invest in servant leadership projects and the mentoring of at-risk children. During this time, I worked closely with local law enforcement, city government, and thousands of volunteers.
During my vocational journey, I continued to invest in my passion for learning, particularly my interests in history, philosophy, religion, sociology, and psychology. My formal studies focused on ethics, epistemology, formal logic, political philosophy, and the influences of virtue and truth within society. I audited dozens of courses locally and later earned a BA in philosophy from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and an MA in the philosophy of religion and ethics from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
I served in two Episcopalian/Anglican churches where my duties included family ministries, pulpit teaching, and executive leadership. For two years I served as an advisor and consultant for the late Dr. Robert H. Schuller in his deep passion create an international think tank to unite the realms of faith and science. I have served in various other non-profit assignments, including the March of Dimes and one of Orange County’s largest homelessness prevention agencies, Family Assistance Ministries.
In January 2022, I began a 6-month sabbatical. I focused deeply on “addition through subtraction” — living out of a suitcase across parts of the U.S. as well as the homelands of my mother and father: Italy and Mexico. During this season I came to a deeper conviction to actualize the calling of my former spiritual director — to use my voice to encourage and challenge others to think more deeply about life’s greatest issues. I launched The Paul Martin Show on YouTube and the Paulosophia Podcast. I also launched mEND labs — a tech startup to help address the devastating effects of developmental trauma.
My volunteer work has included mentoring young men, tutoring at-risk children, and coaching football, basketball, and soccer for my boys’ sports teams.
I am an avid cook, gardener, writer, bass player, traveler, and hot yoga practitioner. The son of an Italian immigrant mother, and a Mexican/Spanish father, I grew up on a six-acre working ranch in my native Orange County, California.