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Host: So did you tell me we have Robert on the line? Robert, Robert Brennan, how are you tonight, sir?
Robert: Good, and yourself? I’m good.
Host: I’m doing great. I appreciate you calling in. Do you know Derek personally, Derek from Suncoast, or have you been working with Heather also?
Robert: No, we were working with Heather and actually I’m new to learning about the organization and about the event. I was approached by one of my employees who has personally been affected. Her daughter and son have had very different addictions and they’re both recovering and I just heard it and it was very easy for me and my sisters and my company to support the organization and the tournament.
Host: Your company, and please, please forgive me, I’m just a simple guy down here in Clearwater, Florida. I just learned about your company this afternoon. Rasta Imposta?
Robert: Rasta Imposta. We created – well – around 21 years ago I created the first original Rastafarian dreadlock hat that was a novelty, fun product. It has grown into a costume – a Halloween costume manufacturing company. We also do novelty products, accessories, and just basically fun things, but primarily providing Halloween costumes to mom and pop stores up to the big box stores. I work with my sister Jodie and my wife Tina and we’re three partners in the company.
Host: Rasta Imposta, you can’t forget that name.
Robert: No, and I mean the dreadlocks is just one part – that’s like page one of our catalog, but we have like over 200 pages – but the name has stuck with us. We wanted to change it a couple times, but people know Rasta Imposta and that’s what we’re about and so it’s part of – it’s trademarked and part of American language – at least in the Halloween world.
Host: I’m assuming…now, you do business around the world? Or primarily…
Robert: Yeah. We do business in North America and we now have distributors in Great Britain, parts of Europe, Australia, and – Australia, Spain – and actually also in Japan.
Host: It’s spectacular. Your main headquarters – you’re up in New Jersey, is that correct?
Robert: We’re in New Jersey, Runnemede New Jersey, which is just right outside of Philadelphia.
Host: Drug problem in your part of the world?
Robert: I think everywhere. The interesting thing is… I have a five year old – or soon to be five year old – and a seven year old and I got exposed to some situations… my employee, her son and daughter both worked for me when they were younger and I had no idea that – and I was invited to her son’s wedding – and we were like how did the two meet? It turns out that the bride and groom met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. The next thing I know is that her daughter, who was a model for us and helped us in the back during summers, she actually had a more severe problem that involved heroin. I’m like, I never really knew anyone who had an addiction like that. It just really brought it close to home that anyone and everyone can and are affected at certain times in their life.
Host: You know, Robert, listening to your story brings back – I think a year, year and a half ago I talked to a congressman – I believe it was Robert Dold, he’s a congressman out of the suburbs of Chicago. He said that he never thought he’d have to discuss heroin with his eleven year old.
Robert: Wow.
Host: And the reason I thought of that is because your children you said were five and seven – still a little too early, don’t misunderstand me – but it’s a new world that our kids are walking into now.
Robert: And the designer drugs… you know. It’s interesting – part of our business is – we do a lot of college humor and interesting products. There are some things that people may say we go over the line or we toe the line – we don’t do anything that’s even pot related. We don’t do…there’s the drug… everyone kept on talking about ecstasy and people wanted us to do a “where’s molly?” costume. I was like “what’s molly?” and that’s something – I guess that’s the new designer college drug. There’s just things that we stay away from. Because, I said it to my wife, “I’m wondering where I – I want to know when will be the day where my children’s innocence is lost?” and I’m hoping it’s not for a very long time. But that’s something that I’m going to have to be aware of, you know? I think…
Host: Well, at least you’re aware of it, you’re aware of it. Unfortunately, in fact on the radio show, I’ve said many times, Robert, unfortunately the kids get it and the adults don’t and it should be the other way around. You’re obviously sharing that you’re a parent that does understand, so, the fact that – my goodness.
Are you coming down personally to golf?
Robert: No, actually my employee whose daughter is involved with the organization, she and her husband are going to represent the company. It’s a busy time for us – we’re busy shipping and doing… so I wasn’t able to get away, but my employees, they’re going to come and participate. I think it’s better for them – they’re the ones going through the healing process, and what better way than to support the organization and the people affected by letting them go and having them participate. And they’re much better golfers, so…
Host: Well, I understand, you don’t want to golf with Derek because, you’re gonna have to have a low handicap if you go against him.
It’s such a pleasure to talk to a business owner. I don’t get a chance to talk to too many, but when I do, it’s an interesting conversation for me, Robert, because most of the business owners out there understand that either directly or indirectly – either directly or indirectly businesses are affected. Either directly, with costs or just the cost of doing business and even as a taxpayer, obviously. This drug, I call it the drug fiasco. but it’s been real hard to get the business owners, they say “yeah, we have a problem, we know it’s a problem.” Any insights on how we can get this country moving to – into greater education? We just talked earlier about the prisons are overflowing – are overcrowded right now, we can’t put any more people in jail. Quite frankly we need business to step forward, and you’re an owner that clearly understands. Any insights on how we can get more people to understand that it really is a part of the bottom line?
Robert: Well I think, the interesting thing – and this brought back – one of my first employees when I started out twenty years ago, I was young and I basically, what I was doing was I was scrubbing wool to make dreadlocks on cement stone and I hired a husband, his wife, and a friend of theirs – Charlie. They were drinkers, they were blue collar, partying type people and I created a bond with them. They were really fun, they were hard working, and Charlie, who I didn’t know was a Vietnam vet; a great worker. One day, it was either Memorial Day or Labor Day, he didn’t come into work and the next couple days we found out that – they found him in his kitchen, OD’d from heroin.
Host: Oh my god.
Robert: That has stuck with me…
Host: Robert, Robert, please stick with me, you may have missed it, folks, we are going to move to the Dunedin Blue jays in just a minute. If you missed the previous announcement go on the internet go to WZHR AM 1400, WZHR 1400, the entire show can be picked up via podcast, so right now, locally, Dunedin Blue jays.
Oh, Robert, radio’s so cruel, we’re here locally in Clearwater, and we’re still live, we’re back live, but we did lose our station here in Clearwater, and the entire interview as we move forward is going to be available as a podcast.
Robert: Okay.
Host: What a terrible place for me to interrupt you.
Robert: No.
Host: So you have an associate who died from heroin overdose.
Robert: So he died and I was more, at the time, I was upset with – okay I definitely lost an employee and it was upsetting. To try to figure out how to – again, I knew this person, he had a soul, he had emotions, and I think putting emotions, names, faces, to people who – in businesses and employees, yes it does affect, and they – that might make it a little bit better for a business owner to reach out and say “Okay, this is affecting everybody.” I didn’t know that my employee had had this addiction. The one thing is that doesn’t make it easy is when you want to hire somebody and you have you have to give him a drug test.
How do you get over that? And to try to work with someone who is a recovering addict. Sometimes it’s just taking the chance with people and believing in them and giving them that opportunity, just to see, under your establishment.
Host: Well, you’re an amazing business owner, we’re talking, folks, if you just tuned in, to Robert Brennan, Rasta Imposta. I say New Jersey, what’s the big town in New Jersey, nearby there, Robert? I didn’t write that down.
Robert: We are…well we’re outside of Philadelphia, we’re by Cherry Hill New Jersey. We’re just – we’re pretty much about ten minutes from Philadelphia.
Host: Okay, so we can say right outside of Philadelphia.
Robert: Yeah. I mean we’re right near Camden, which is unfortunately the poorest city in America – or the toughest. But we’re right near Camden New Jersey.
Host: Well, you come across as an incredibly sensitive and caring human being. So, yeah, you see things and you want to reach out, so for radio show standards, it’s really a pleasure that we’ve had a chance to meet.
We just have a couple minutes here before we have to go on our hard break, Robert, we’ll have to let you go, but you mentioned again –I’m mentioning that you have young children at home, five and seven years old. Man, I’m sharing your frustrations because you can control everything within the four walls of your house – there’s no question in my mind that those kids are obviously being well taken care of and being told the right things, but how do you protect your kids once they leave your house?
Once they walk, go out the front door in today’s world, what a challenge.
Robert: Unless it’s legal to give them a ankle bracelet and then that be the only way, but I think – I was raised having breakfast with my family, having dinner with my family. I, my wife and I do that with our children. We try to share with them what’s right, what’s wrong. I remember growing up my parents never kept anything away from me, whether it came to having a sip of beer to – I didn’t smoke, my father was a tobacco distributor, but by the time I was growing up, it was like not cool to smoke anymore.
Host: Alright, it all, I’m so sorry, Robert, what you’re saying is it all starts with the parents, it starts at home.
Robert: Yep.
Host: Robert Brennan, thank you so much for joining us.
Robert: You’re welcome.
Host: Thank you for sponsoring, on behalf of Suncoast, I want to thank you for being part of this golf tournament in another week and a half.
Robert: Well, thank you, and hopefully everything goes great.
Host: I’m so delighted that you’ve discovered our radio show and on behalf of Derek, thank you.
Derek: Thank you, Robert.
Robert: Thank you very much guys.
Host: Okay, Robert, Rasta Imposta, what a name, I love it. Prescription Addiction Radio, Breaking the Silence. We’ll be back in five, folks.
