This past month, I had a brush with 15 minutes of fame – not my own mind you, but with the fame of two people who handled themselves very differently in the spotlight.

The first incident involved an actor friend of mine who invited me to the premiere of a film. Not exactly being the Hollywood glam type, I just considered myself lucky to be seeing a movie a couple days before it opened.

But I quickly realized what I was in for when my friend called me three times for advice on what to wear.

Nonetheless, nothing could have prepared me for the temper tantrum he threw when he realized he had missed the red carpet.

“This was a chance for me to get my picture in the paper,” he said, pouting.

I tried to be sympathetic, but when he said, “If I don’t get to see the movie in the VIP room with the talent, I’m out of here,” I couldn’t help but laugh.

Maybe that was mean of me, but maybe sometimes people need to be shamed into seeing the truth.

Which brings me to another talented friend of mine.

Billie Mintz has every reason to be a diva, and yet he’s not. He’s an award-winning filmmaker who, most recently, was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Enterprise Toronto.

Despite his success, Billie insists that any and all attention be focused on his cause, called Artists Raising Consciousness. It’s both a notion he believes in and the name of his business.

As a natural storyteller, Billie has tried to highlight the challenges that people face. His stories have always been touching and unique. I’ll never forget his tale of an imaginary friend who became depressed when he realized the boy who made him up was outgrowing him. Or the sensitivity he showed when telling the story of a young boy who was shunned by his classmates after receiving chemotherapy.

Now, he’s focused his talents on corporations and the responsibility they have to society.  

One of Billie’s most recent projects was partly inspired by his cousin, Cory Mintz, who died this past summer in a car accident in Muskoka. The project is titled Message in a Bottle, and it’s being undertaken in partnership with Molson.

It’s a mini-series about responsible choices, and it will pose important questions about the roles that the community and corporations have in ensuring young people get the right message about alcohol.

Billie could be using his enormous talent to catch the attention of Hollywood agents. Instead, he has chosen to focus on getting the attention of regular people in the hope of awakening their own sense of social responsibility.

When I asked Billie whether he would mind if I wrote about him, he said that he would, in fact, mind. He’s always quick to remind me that it’s about the cause and not the person.  

But there’s a quote that comes to mind from another formidable entrepreneur and philanthropist. Seymour Schulich once said, “If you say you are great, you’re a braggart, a bore or someone that people will flee from. If someone else says you are great, people pay attention and are at least intrigued by the possibility.”

So here I am, Billie, pointing out the greatness in what you are doing – and doing my part to raise consciousness about your efforts to use your talent to make the world a better place, and hoping others will be inspired to do the same.