The words “broke” and “brilliant” may at first appear to be mutually-exclusive. However, it is an apt description for millions of college students, those in the first years of a career or building a business, and virtually anyone in the last few days before payday.
No one defines the “Broke & Brilliant” moniker better than Noonan. His early years seemed full of “potential.” While attending high school in Upstate New York, Noonan was elected class president four times, graduated salutatorian, lettered four times each in track and golf, and led his school to the championship of “Answers Please,” a college-bowl-type TV quiz show. Glory Days Indeed!
Noonan attended Virginia Tech, where he majored in engineering for damn near a full semester. Noonan joined the Sigma Nu Fraternity (an organization that made “Animal House” look like a bunch of wussies) where he attained the office of Pledge Marshall. Forsaking the humdrum world of engineering, Noonan graduated with majors in two renowned money-making fields, History and Political Science.
In an age when many college students take 5 or even 6 years to complete their 4-year undergraduate degrees, Noonan graduated a full semester early. “It was either that,” he said, “or risk death by cirrhosis of the liver.”
Upon graduation in December 1989, Noonan worked as a bartender at a ski resort, Snowshoe, West Virginia. Noonan moved to Charleston, South Carolina after the season ended, and planned to stay until the start of law school in the fall. Many years later, he still resides in Charleston. Noonan explains his apparent inertia with, “It wasn’t my fault. I got too broke to leave.”
With delusions of law school pushed far in the past, Noonan has occupied himself in Charleston as: A Business Broker; A Water Treatment Salesman (twice); An Account Executive at a TV station; Producer / Associate Producer on 4 varied, yet short-lived television projects; A Pizza-Deliverer; and A Repo man.
Concurrent to the above fruitless activities, Noonan has been a columnist for an alternative newspaper, Charleston's Free Time. Noonan's "Broke & Brilliant" columns serve as the basis for a book length "Survival Guide" that is currently being marketed to publishers, as well as the inspiration for his stand-up comedy act.
January 1997 marks the first major expansion of the "Broke & Brilliant" message with the syndication of the "Broke & Brilliant" columns to a Virginia Beach-area alternative newspaper, Flash Magazine, along with the development of The Broke & Brilliant Web Site.