Today we’d like to introduce you to Robbie Grayson
Robbie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born into a military family in 1972, and my upbringing unfolded against the backdrop of Cold War Europe. I began elementary school in 1977 at Bitburg Elementary School (Bitburg AFB, West Germany) and graduated from Mehlingen Christian Academy (Mehlingen, West Germany) in 1990. My formative years also included four transformative years in Oxfordshire, England, from 1983 to 1987. These experiences, deeply influenced by the geopolitical tensions of the era, fostered my curiosity about the world and a diplomatic outlook. While traveling Europe with my family and attending DOD (Department of Defense) and private American schools, I encountered a diverse array of individuals and witnessed significant historical events. The tumultuous late 1980s left a permanent mark on me, especially the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the eventual collapse of Cold War Communism.
After graduating from Pensacola Christian College in 1996 with a B.S. in Elementary Education, a minor in English Literature, and an eclectic concentration in psychology, I founded the alternative education program Stone Table School in Franklin, Tennessee. There, I dedicated myself to the minds of Music City’s elite youth until 2011. In 2007, I launched Traitmarker, an online non-clinical psychometric platform, and went on to establish Traitmarker Books, a book publishing company, in 2015. Most recently, in 2023, I founded Traitmarker Media, LLC, where I represent authors for media opportunities.
I have been married to my wife, Sharilyn Suzette Smith-Grayson, a writer and educator, since 1997. Together, we have six children and live in Franklin, Tennessee—“The Malibu of the South”—where I can be found several times a week at Starbucks on Main Street.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I came to the United States for college but always intended to return overseas. Deciding to stay in the United States after marrying and having children and foregoing military service found me having to “figure out” what America was all about, learning to be an American in America (versus outside America), and trying to figure out what I had to offer my fellow Americans by way of a career. Having worked my way through college, I determined that I would work for myself if I didn’t join the military.
My first business was founding and running an educational tutorial I eventually grew into a school called Stone Table. I ran it full-time from 2000 to 2011. From 2011 to 2013, I ran a company as an educational advisor. In 2013 I got involved in publishing, eventually founding Traitmarker Books in 2015. Just last year, I rolled my work as a publisher into brokering media opportunities for authors with Traitmarker Media.
The obstacles and challenges I’ve faced are not unlike the ones immigrants experience like language, tradition, religion, popular culture, etc. Being a “literalist,” I took everything anyone said (including media) at face value until I learned the nuances and varied meanings of American English. However, it took years of many misunderstandings to get to a comfort level where I was certain I was being understood at least 70% of the time as well as understanding what others were saying. Meeting tons of new people and having conversations with them was one way I overcame the “meaning barrier.”
Through that, I learned pretty quickly that virtually every person had some experience that was their claim to fame, giving them a unique vantage point. That’s one reason I developed a career in publishing: because I knew so many people with such interesting stories.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Traitmarker Media is a quality liaison for stories. My industry role is to craft and share compelling narratives with the people and places that need them: publishing and promoting. Making the right story-to-people-and-place connections constantly requires me to level up on refining a story’s message because, ultimately, I want your book to DO something.
As an example, I worked with a bachelor author a few years ago who badly wanted to fall in love and marry but wasn’t certain how (neither did I!). But I decided that the intent of his book was to do just that: find a wife. So, we tailored the book not only to articulate what romantic loneliness felt like but to frame it in such a way that it showcased his thoughtful and committed side. We did a pretty good job (especially on the cover). He and his lovely wife just finished their first year of what looks like a happy marriage.
Another example follows. Wally Funk wasn’t yet a commercial astronaut when I published her book in the summer of 2020. Not only was she in her 80s, but the world was in quarantine because of COVID-19. Nevertheless, I believe the WAY we shared her story (especially the book cover design) contributed to Jeff Bezos inviting Wally ONE YEAR LATER (July 20, 2021) to join him and three others on Blue Origin’s first suborbital space flight. For a short time, Wally was the oldest person to go to space (82) until William Shatner broke her record at age 90.
So, I work with authors who want their books to achieve something VERY SPECIFIC.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’ve done a lot of work related to China and have been learning Mandarin.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://traitmarkermedia.com
- Instagram: @pomozone
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robbiegrayson/