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If you asked 100 people on ABestWeb what
kind of experiences they have had interacting
with B. Knoblach, they probably wouldn't
have a clue as to who you are talking about. But if
you say the name Billy Kay, you're likely to get a
huge reaction.
Billy Kay is not just a screen name on ABestWeb; it's the business identity of a man who has a
huge personality and huge heart.
And yes, his first name is really just the letter
"B" and no, it's not short for something else. He
claims that his dad was named Walter and didn't
want a junior so he named him B. Although it
seems like there might have been other choices for
his father, in the tale Knoblach tells that's how it
goes. Period.
One thing about Knoblach is that it's hard to
know just when he's kidding or saying things for
effect. Most of his talk seems designed to provoke
and titillate. The way he says things is a huge part
of who he is. He's a fast-talking native New Yorker,
who still has a noticeable accent despite having left
his home state more than 30 years ago.
Back in the '70s he made his way out west to
California. He served in the Air Force straight out
of high school and then used his GI benefits to attend
college at CW Post. Armed with a degree in
music and $10,000 worth of musical equipment
(including keyboards, drums and guitars) to his
name, he headed to Los Angeles with a big dream
to make it as a professional musician.
But he claims that a shipping problem changed
the course of his life. The instruments he shipped
to LA arrived and were signed for, just not by him
or at the correct address. Back then the tracking
and authentication methods of package shippers
weren't as sophisticated as they are now. So after
months of arguing with UPS about not receiving
his instruments and also trying to file a police report
(which was declined because the police said
the goods weren't stolen since someone signed for
them) he called it a wash and started hunting for a
job to pay the bills.
An ad in the paper looking for ex-New Yorkers
who were musicians caught his attention. It was
for a telemarketing job. He jokes that New Yorkers
are ideally suited for telemarketing because they
have the natural gift of gab. He has that in spades
and thrived in the business. In fact, he did so well
that he stayed there for eight years. He was a standout
and not surprisingly was noticed by the owner
of the company. His boss was apparently infamous
for questionable money-making tactics. Billy Kay
won't reveal much more about those early days except
to say that his tax forms listed his occupation
as "publishing."
But it was clear to him that something was missing.
He had good money coming in and a serious
girlfriend but he really wanted to be a parent. He
thought about being a big brother but that wasn't
permanent enough. He jokes that he already had
season passes to the zoo and lived near Magic
Mountain, he just needed the kid. Someone suggested to him
that he might want to think about being a foster parent.
So nearly 13 years ago Billy Kay took the steps to become
a foster parent to a six-month-old boy named Jesse. He says
it was the best thing he ever did. But being a parent meant
undergoing some serious life changes.
In his personal life, Knoblach's longtime girlfriend wasn't
willing to change her pampered lifestyle to accommodate a
child, so they eventually split. "It changed our whole lives.
Jesse wasn't a puppy that could take care of himself. He needed
someone who wanted to be there for him and share a life
with him. She cared about getting her nails done and rubbing
shoulders with stars."
On the work side of things, Knoblach needed more "respectable"
employment. He claims that he "knew what I
was doing was wrong," and started to look for other things
to do. It all started with a Web ring for personalized gifts.
He began his online marketing career as a drop shipper, and
then one day in 1999 a merchant asked to place a banner ad
on Knoblach's page. He was stunned, given that the business
wanted to pay him $5,000 and could have just put the ad
up on the ring for free. Knoblach took the deal and the next
thing he knew that merchant's direct competition called and
wanted to place an ad. Suddenly there was a bidding war and
Knoblach was the beneficiary.
Then "affi liate marketing was invented" Knoblach says,
and the merchant asked if instead of incurring the shipping
charges and the hassles associated with drop shipping if Knoblach
wanted to be an affiliate.
Meanwhile, four years had passed and within the California
foster care system, you had to relinquish care of a foster
child or adopt them. There was no question in Knoblach's
mind that he could never give up Jesse.
So he began the complex process to legally adopt, but
there were some huge hurdles. The first and foremost issue
was that Jesse is African-American and Knoblach is Caucasian
and California had very strict state laws governing interracial
adoption. After years of legal battle, racial sensitivity training
classes and a yearlong court-imposed order whereby the two
had to move to New York for a year to be close to Knoblach's
Long Island family, the adoption was legally sanctioned.
When the year in New York was up, Jesse was fi ve and they
immediately planned to move back to LA but "stopped in Las
Vegas on the way home and never left."
Viva Las Vegas!
Living in Sin City isn't for everyone, but Knoblach isn't like
everyone. For him that straight-laced life conjured up images
of parents that spent little time with their kids. "I didn't want
to see Jesse just 10 minutes a day. Continued on Page 2...
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If you asked 100 people on ABestWeb what
kind of experiences they have had interacting
with B. Knoblach, they probably wouldn't
have a clue as to who you are talking about. But if
you say the name Billy Kay, you're likely to get a
huge reaction.
