Roadtrip Nation co-founder Brian McAllister takes some time out of his busy roadtripping schedule to talk with APT

Brian McAllister co-founded Roadtrip Nation along with Nathan Gebhard, Amanda Gall and Mike Marriner. Brian's role at RTN is to drive campus relations and fuel college student chapters.

Q: Have you ever had a roadtrip quite like this before? Tell us about the experience and how this series got started?

A: We had taken several roadtrips before we started Roadtrip Nation, but none of them were focused on interviews and discovering peoples' roads in life. That is what is so unique about Roadtrip Nation, it's a roadtrip for the purpose of exploring others' roads in life and hearing stories of how people got to where they are today. This helps our generation to gain a better understanding of our own paths in life. It all started out with a frustration of not knowing what we wanted to do with our lives after graduating from college. At the time of our first roadtrip we were paying off student loans and facing a standard graduation anxiety of, "Okay, what's next?" When we graduated, we didn't feel like we'd been exposed to all the opportunities out there, our options felt limited and all we knew about were the traditional career paths. There's nothing wrong with these paths if that's what is of interest to you, but we were frustrated that we didn't know what else there was. We did not identify with the so called "successful" jobs of business consultants, doctors, lawyers, or even joining in on the family business. So we hit the road to see what else was out there and to hear the stories of people from all walks of life who have embraced their own definition of success.

Q: How many days out of the year are you on the road? Have you counted the number of miles traveled for the series?

A: We were on the road for three-and-a-half months on our first roadtrip. Now we are on the road five weeks each summer with other students who have the same ambition of achieving success on their own terms. It is hard to say how many miles we have driven over the years. However, we have crossed the United States a dozen times and visited every state from Key West to Bar Harbor; Seattle to San Diego and every place in between. We continue to be mesmerized by the beauty of this country.

Q: Do you have an interviewee experience that stands out in your mind? Who and why?

A: I have several interviews that stick out, but one in particular, which will air this summer, is about Joel Klein, the Chancellor of the New York Public School system. After achieving so much in life, from battling cases in the Supreme Court as assistant general under President Clinton to acting as CEO in one of the largest media companies in the world, Bertelsmann Inc., he is giving his energy to the public school system. In the interview he said that without his teachers in middle school, he would not have had such a drive to make a difference with his talents. His life has taken so many different roadsand experiences, talking with him was inspiring and motivating. Stepping out of college and listening to his story gives you a unique perspective on life and how to make the most with your talents. Joel Klein was an amazing person to meet and it was an honor as well.

Q: What are your summer travel plans? What kind of interviews do you have lined up already?

A: This summer I will be on the road traversing across the United States with a new team of students. We are in the final selection process of choosing nine new students for this summer's roadtrips. It's always hard to choose the three new teams because there are so many phenomenal students that apply to our programs each year. Each team is responsible for booking their own interviews and I will mentor and help them when they need it. Each summer, the project truly reinvents itself with the new students choosing their own list of interviewees and itineraries. I don't know the exact states that my student team will choose to travel through this summer, but I guarantee I will be traveling in a green RV, having extraordinary experiences and capturing stories to share with our audience on Public Television.

Q: Are you planning any big promotions to help with visibility for the public TV series?

A: We will once again be promoting it through our partnership with Starbucks. During the month of July, our interview content will be available on the wireless internet in over 3,100 Starbucks' stores across the country. We also just published a book called Finding the Open Road: A Guide to Self-Construction Rather Than Mass Production, (Ten Speed Press, May 2005) that is available in Barnes & Noble and all other major bookstores across the country. Finally, we created a Roadtrip Nation T-Shirt with J. Crew that is available at www.jcrew.com and the proceeds go toward funding more student roadtrips.