Off the Cuff: Virgin Entertainment Group

Robert Fort

AGE: 46

TITLE: Director of IT

COMPANY: Virgin Entertainment Group, Los Angeles

ANNUAL REVENUE: $200 million

INDUSTRY SECTOR: Entertainment retail

TIME IN JOB: Since 2003; on computers since kindergarten

BIGGEST CAREER INFLUENCE: My mom, an applications developer. I'd go into work with her when I was really young and help keypunch cards.

FIRST JOB: Computer operator at Computer Sciences Corp. I was 18.

ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE IN YOUR BACKGROUND: In junior college, I worked in theater arts behind the scenes. I did publicity, lights, sound, stage managing. I am a musician.

IF YOU WEREN'T A CIO, YOU WOULD BE: A rock star. I play guitar and keyboards in a Christian rock band.

BEST CIO DECISION EVER MADE: I decided that when our data warehouse went live, the first people that were going to receive the [sales] reports were our store personnel, not executives.

BEST TECHNOLOGY DECISION EVER MADE: [Selecting] the SQL server we use for our data warehouse

BEST PERSONALITY TRAIT: Passion

WORST PERSONALITY TRAIT: My kids will say I get grumpy.

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: Don't argue with a fool, because somebody walking into the middle of the conversation won't be able to tell you apart.

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