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Bay Area firefighter sent to Palisades fire on same day of music video release
John Preston was excited for the release of his latest music video Rise. The day of its release, he got word that he was headed down to Southern California wildfires as part of the Santa Clara County strike team.
John Preston was excited for the release of his latest music video, "Rise."
On the day of its release, he received word that he was headed to the Southern California wildfires as part of the Santa Clara County strike team.
Preston is a musician and a firefighter for the Palo Alto Fire Department. He is also a Marine veteran and an advocate for the mental health of veterans and first responders.
He has always juggled many roles. As he focused on saving lives and homes at the Palisade fire, his latest video was released in what he calls a watershed moment.
He said his song "Rise" is an anthem.
"It's my whole life's work," he said, remembering back to when he was 18 years old. He had just enlisted, following the tradition of his brothers and his father. He was on deployment with his guitar, "singing to whoever would listen at the time."
Courtesy John Preston
Preston said that kid has grown into a man who has been able to see what is possible, and so he wrote Rise, which is both a walk back in time and a look forward.
In the video, his children represent younger versions of him, walking through a warehouse of televisions playing scenes from his life. The screens flash images of Preston as a Marine, musician, firefighter, husband, and father.
It's the first time his two kids have been in one of his videos, but he says he loves the idea of them "actually seeing that could be a possibility of what their life is."
The video is another partnership with Paul Sadowski of Full Range Films, a company also working on the documentary of the 2023 hike Preston and his wife, Cory, took. They walked 700 miles, 22 miles a day, carrying 22 kilos, a 50-pound pack.
They started from South Carolina, where he and his brothers began their Marine careers, went through his hometown in Kentucky, and ended in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The hike was to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention in veterans and first responders. Along the way, they were joined by both groups to take those steps together.
It is just one more chapter in the story of Preston, who recently signed with the Lobel Music Group and is now working with people like Mark Wahlberg on collaborations to advance his message.
As he looks to this new chapter, one that takes his message to a new level, he finds himself in awe of the journey he has traveled. Each milestone allows him to do the one thing he has spent his life doing: "It's going to reach people. We know it's going to help people."
The video can be seen on Instagram and YouTube at JohnPrestonMusic, in collaboration with Mark Wahlberg's Municipal Clothing and Lobel Music.