• Vet who won KISS job gets roadie nickname, reveals best perk

    Paul Jordan

    Paul Jordan, a veteran who won a job on the KISS through TODAY, holds Gene Simmons' Axe bass.

    Paul Jordan, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, won a job with KISS as part of TODAY's Hiring our Heroes series. He's writing dispatches about his experience for TODAY.com.

    By Paul Jordan, KISS roadie

    It's a dream job, but traveling as a KISS roadie is not all fun and games. It requires a lot of hard work, long bus rides and little sleep.

    I was put into the carpentry team knowing next to nothing about that field. My education started immediately. On show days, my mentor and I set up and place various pieces of equipment on the stage. During performances, my workplace is between the barricade and the singers.

    I also assist with some of Gene Simmons’ theatrical effects. And if anything goes wrong during the show, I'm one of the guys scrambling to fix the issue. 

    Backstage is a professional environment where the band prepares to give fans the greatest show they've ever seen. The band members are friendly guys who stop and say hello. 

    One big roadie benefit: I have the best seat in the house every night. I still mouth the lyrics to my favorite songs when there's a free moment. I've also met some celebrities, including pitching great Randy Johnson, members of Pearl Jam, and "American Idol" contestant James Durbin. Vinnie Paul of the heavy metal band Pantera sat 5 feet away from me at the Dallas show. 

    Paul Jordan

    Iraq and Afghanistan war vet Paul Jordan, who won a dream job with KISS through TODAY, stands in front of their concert tour bus.

    I've been given the nickname “Hollywood” since joining the crew. It started when we were in DC, and I was asked to do an interview for a local TV station. One interview turned into four, and the nickname was born. Since then I've been on TV five times, radio once more, and featured on various Internet sites.

    Despite my coworkers' gentle teasing, I like talking with the press because it gives me a platform to spread the word about veteran unemployment.  

    I feel lucky: I get to travel the country, help produce the best rock show on the planet, rub elbows with celebrities, spread the word about veteran issues -- and get paid for that work. I have the greatest job in the world!

    More dispatches from Paul Jordan: 
    Living the dream: My new job as a KISS roadie
    Gene Simmons surprises vet with dream job: KISS roadie!

    Hiring our Heroes is an initiative from NBC News and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that aims to get veterans back into the workforce. Find a list of upcoming job fairs here. 

     

  • Living the dream: My new job as a KISS roadie

    Back in March, rock band KISS announced they wanted to offer a roadie job to a deserving U.S. veteran for their upcoming tour with Motley Crue. After receiving over 1900 applications for the job, Gene Simmons reveals the winner.

    By Paul Jordan

    My name is Paul Jordan and I work for KISS. It is my dream job. But how did it all happen? Why KISS, and why hire me?

    It all started in 1975, when I was 4 years old. A kid who lived near me came over to my house and asked if I could play. My mom sent him to my room. He was a few years older than me and not nearly as sheltered. He walked into my room wearing a down vest and acting very sneaky.

    He pulled a record out of the vest and we played it on my little plastic record player. He said to keep it quiet; it had a curse word in it. In 1975, that was a big deal and fairly unheard of.

    As the song “Black Diamond” started, we heard the word “bitch” and covered our mouths in amusement and disbelief. I grabbed the album cover to get a closer look at these crazy guys in costumes and face paint. The album was “Alive!” by KISS. I was hooked for life and have been a fan ever since.

    Courtesy Paul Jordan

    Paul Jordan's served in the U.S. Army 21 years, including deployments in Iran, Afghanistan, and the former Yugoslavia.

    In 1989, I saw a video on Army Rangers in a recruiting office and joined the Army as an infantryman. During my almost 21 years of service, I have been all over the world, including two peacekeeping missions in the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Kosovo) and combat tours in the Middle East (twice in Iraq and once in Afghanistan).

    I retired in November 2010. Since then, the only jobs I could find were through temp agencies working in manufacturing and production. I have sent my resume out to countless companies, only to receive e-mails stating that they have filled the position but would keep my resume on file (when I heard back from them at all). It was very frustrating.

    One day in March, a Facebook friend posted me an article that said the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Hiring Our Heroes, NBC News’ initiative to put military veterans back in the workforce, had joined forces with KISS to hire a veteran as a roadie for the band’s 45-city tour across the U.S. this summer with Motley Crue. I said to myself: “That’s me!!!”

    I submitted my resume and started a Facebook event to get people to write letters of recommendation on my behalf. I was very active, but I never thought I would get chosen. Then I got the call from James Cunningham at Hiring Our Heroes. He asked if I was still interested, interviewed me, and asked if I could fly to New York to be on the TODAY show as one of three finalists.

    So on live TV, with millions watching across the country, Gene Simmons announced me as the winner. I never imagined that I would be working for KISS.

    And so the adventure begins....

    Watch the Hiring Our Heroes blog for updates on Paul Jordan’s adventures as a KISS roadie. For details on the more than 400 job fairs being held across the country throughout the year, click here.

    Related:
    Gene Simmons surprises vet with dream job: KISS roadie!
    Comcast and NBC Universal will hire 1,000 veterans
    Hiring our Heroes 'unlocks the potential' of vets
    Capital One, Comcast pledge to hire vets

  • Gene Simmons surprises vet with dream job: KISS roadie!

    Back in March, rock band KISS announced they wanted to offer a roadie job to a deserving U.S. veteran for their upcoming tour with Motley Crue. After receiving over 1900 applications for the job, Gene Simmons reveals the winner.

    By Julieanne Smolinski

    Back in March, NBC News teamed up with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to launch Hiring Our Heroes, an initiative  to get veterans back into the workforce. Among the many organizations to step forward and pledge to hire vets and military spouses was the rock back KISS.

    KISS's job opening was for a roadie to work their upcoming summer tour with Motley Crue, and more than 1,900 hopefuls applied. And this morning on the plaza, The Demon himself, Gene Simmons was on hand to give veteran Paul Jordan a big surprise: He had been chosen to the new KISS roadie!

    Paul has logged in over 27 years of military service, and served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has had even more service as a veteran in the KISS Army (with a tattoo of Simmons to prove it), having been a rabid fan of the band since he was 4. So when Simmons told him on-air that the coveted job was his, Paul was ecstatic – particularly since he'd been looking for work for a year and a half.

    "Since I retired, I've had a really hard time trying to find a find a job," Paul told the TODAY anchors. "It's tough for veterans out there sometimes." He called the KISS roadie job a "dream come true. I've always wanted to be involved with KISS somehow ... This is incredible!"

    Simmons, whose reality series "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" is starting a new season, said that hiring veterans "is the most important thing that we can do," and warned: "If you don't give him a round of applause right now, I'm going to find out where you live."

    More from Hiring our Heroes:
    Young veterans share their skills, dreams
    Capital One, Comcast pledge to hire vets
    Comcast and NBC Universal will hire 1,000 veterans 
    Hiring our Heroes 'unlocks the potential' of vets 
    Jill Biden: Veterans will 'get the job done' 
    Bloomberg: NYC is committed to hiring veterans

    For more on Hiring our Heroes, an initiative from NBC News and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that aims to get veterans back into the workforce, click here. For details on the more than 400 job fairs being held across the country throughout the year, click here.