BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Laurent Crenshaw, senior director of government affairs at Eaze
How/where are you celebrating your birthday and with whom? “I’m doing my birthday right this year and celebrating in a couple of different places over the next two weeks. On the actual day itself I’m doing dinner in with my wife, Nikki. Later in the week I’m going to Poca Madre, a restaurant near Chinatown in D.C., with a small group of friends. At the end of the week, I’ll be traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 87th annual meeting. After the conference, Nikki will join, and we’ll stay in Kauai for a few days to get in some beach and hiking time.”
How did you get your start in your career? “When I graduated from Stanford in 2002, the internet bubble had burst and I decided to give politics a try. I moved to D.C. with no political connections and very few friends in the area but, like many others, was able to secure an internship in Congress. I began interning on Sept. 12, 2002, as a national security intern for the House Republican Conference back when J.C. Watts was the chair, but preparing to retire from Congress. That initial internship turned into a full-time role there and quickly led to other roles with the majority whip’s office under now-Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and then a long tenure with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).
What’s an interesting book/article you’re reading now or finished? And why? “I’ve
finally gotten around to reading ‘Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World,’ by Adam Grant. I’ve always had a fascination with emerging technologies and emerging industries, which I think is reflected in my career, as evidenced by my leadership in the effort to defeat SOPA/PIPA, my time at Yelp and now serving as senior director of government relations for Eaze, a technology company in the emerging industry of cannabis. Grant’s book does a phenomenal job of synthesizing what it takes to think outside the box, explaining how to confront seemingly impossible obstacles, and overcome them by using creativity to your advantage. I try to apply a lot of the principles the book discusses to my day job.”
What is a trend going on in the U.S. or abroad that doesn’t get enough attention? “I think that we’re at the very early stages of seeing a big debate around intellectual property rights in the augmented and mixed reality technology space. When Pokemon Go came out three years ago, it introduced many people to augmented reality, while at the same time upsetting a number of landowners who suddenly found their properties flooded with countless strangers. Furthermore, as more technology companies move into the augmented and mixed reality spaces for advertising purposes, lawmakers are going to have to set boundaries and standards for what companies can and can’t do without the permission of the individuals that own the physical space being used.”
How is the Trump presidency going? “The economy has continued to perform strongly during the presidency, and I can say that the Trump presidency has also served to make even more Americans -- on both sides of the aisle -- become engaged in politics and the political process. As I travel around the country and talk with people, one thing that stands out is how for many people politics has replaced sports as their main pastime.”
