InvisiblePeople.tv Founder Mark Horvath Answers 5 Questions for YouTube

YouTube nonprofits and activism manager Ramya Raghavan spoke with Mark Horvath, founder of InvisiblePeople.tv, which brings the stories of homeless people throughout the country to the Google-owned video site, for a 5 Questions segment. Highlights and the video from YouTube follow:

16 years ago, I had a very good job in the television industry. 15 years ago, I became homeless, living on Hollywood Boulevard. I rebuilt my life to a point where I had a three-bedroom house and a 780 credit score, and then in 2007, the economy took a nosedive. Like many Americans, I found myself unemployed, living off my credit cards, and hoping for the best. The best never came, but several layoffs — along with foreclosure on my house — did.

By November 2008, I found myself once again laid off. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted and, to be honest, I was scared of once again living on the streets of Hollywood. I could see homelessness all around me, but I couldn’t bear to look. I was turning away because I felt their pain.

Don’t waste a good crisis. It’s a simple concept and it’s how InvisiblePeople.tv started. For the most part, I had lost everything but some furniture, my car, a box of photos, laptop, small camera, and my iPhone. My laptop could not cut video because it had a 5400 drive. Videos need to have a music bed, nice graphics, b-roll, and be well-produced. But after looking at what I didn’t have and all the problems that were stopping me, I decided to just use what I had. I registered a domain, changed the header on a WordPress theme, grabbed my camera, and started to interview people.

Please always remember: The homeless people you’ll ignore today were much like you not so long ago.

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