SEATTLE - Mark Horvath knows what it's like to live on the streets.
Once a Los Angeles TV executive, Horvath lost everything after becoming addicted to drugs.?
While on the streets he realized there were people just like him, with stories to tell.
"Whether you're homeless or whether you're a truck driver everybody's different, and everybody has a story," he said. "These are real people."
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Last year, he decided to take this idea a bit further.? He purchased a video camera and hit the streets.?
Today, with the support of sponsors like Ford Motor Company, Horvath is traveling the country, visiting 25 cities in four months, and documenting the stories of the homeless.
"I come along and tell the stories that the nonprofits can't," said Horvath.
Horvath spent Friday at Nickelsville, capturing the story of a father and son who recently moved here from Montana.
"I came here looking for work. I'm a college educated man, who fell on hard times," said Terry Bailey.
He says it makes him feel validated to see what Horvath is doing.
"It shows we are people, and we matter," Bailey said.
Along with sharing the story of Nickelsville, Horvath is also using Twitter and Facebook to relay his message.
"Instead of just sitting there and saying 'oh I went to lunch or I saw a cute dog' or 'oh my life is groovy' you can do something with you have a lot of power of influence," Horvath said.
Horvath will be sharing his philosophy at this year's Gnomedex Social Media conference.? He hopes his message strikes a core in those who have the power to make change.
"I think it's gonna get worse until we get better," he said.
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