In 2014, Hague’s life was a bona fide rags-to-riches success story. After nearly twenty years of steadily climbing the corporate ladder, he had risen from living in the back of a fish-and-chips shop to becoming the CEO of one of the top hospitality providers in the world.

But when a video surfaced on Twitter of him kicking a dog in an elevator, everything changed. A mob formed on social media that spread like wildfire. Despite expressing deep regret for his actions, he was forced to resign from his job, and his family was threatened.

What the mob didn’t know was that the person depicted in the short video clip was the exact opposite of who Hague really was—a man who had survived a childhood of physical and sexual abuse, spent decades building a loving family and a high-flying career, and raised millions to fight child homelessness. Though ultimately there was little harm to the dog, his life was nearly destroyed in a few short days by thousands of people he had never met.

In Fifteen Minutes of Shame, Hague tells the inspiring story of how he overcame the odds to find improbable success and not only reveals the person behind the forty-two-second clip but makes a compelling argument against the dangers of embracing cancel culture.

Des “D.G.” Hague is an acclaimed executive leader with a proven track record of leading global brands. In his private equity ventures he has returned over half a billion dollars to shareholders. Hague is the co founder of Hague Enterprises LLC and has made several investments since its inception in 2015. Hague has served on the board of over 20 companies and currently serves on the advisory board of several companies; YoungCaruso, MRGN, Ikoniq, Happy Clinic, and Messenger Corporation, Hague also advises several start ups and not for profit organizations. Additionally, Hague provides expertise and advisory services for several private equity firms specializing in turnarounds, buyouts, and industry consolidations.

Most recently Hague served as the President and CEO of VIPER EA a leader in retail profit optimization. During in his three-year tenure Hague increased the enterprise value of the company to $100 million a 20x plus increase.

Between 2009 to 2014, Hague held the position of CEO of Centerplate, Inc., which grew under his leadership to become North America’s largest hospitality business, operating in sports, convention centers, and entertainment venues in over 40 US states, Canada, and Europe with more than 40,000 employees. Sold to Olympus Partners resulting in Kohlberg (equity owner) largest return at the time of the transaction.

Hague elevated the performance of Centerplate to unparalleled heights, resulting in numerous awards and recognitions, including “Best Food and Beverage” by Convene Magazine, “No. 1 NFL Experience” by Stadium Journey among others.

Prior to Centerplate Hague has had the pleasure of working for iconic brands such as Safeway, IHOP, 7-Eleven, Maytag, PepsiCo and Whitbread and attributes his success to a never stop learning mentality.

Hague is heavily involved in the community and his efforts to date has helped raise over one hundred million for worthy philanthropic causes. Hague has won numerous awards throughout his career but is most proud of the ones associated with being a force for good from Baltimore, Toronto, Vancouver, California and Connecticut among others.