Steve Laffey

Every career begins with a defining moment. For me, that moment came in 1983, when I brought Richard Pryor to speak before more than 1,500 Department of Agriculture employees. I was young still in my early twenties—and tasked with selecting a keynote speaker. I decided to take a risk and set my sights on Pryor. That decision led me to meet him and his attorney, Terry Giles, a meeting that opened doors to media, Hollywood, and the broader world of business. What began as a single assignment became the turning point of my life. It set me on a path that allowed me to build businesses, form lasting friendships with leaders around the world, become one of the nation’s largest minority broadcast owners, and ultimately co own a major newspaper, The Baltimore Sun. One speech changed everything. You never truly know what a single decision or one bold step—can set in motion.