diff --git a/example-protobuf/main.go b/example-protobuf/main.go
index df751a2..1705e70 100644
--- a/example-protobuf/main.go
+++ b/example-protobuf/main.go
@@ -51,17 +51,7 @@ func marshalWriteToFile(myWriter *bufio.Writer, e *pb.Event) {
 func TestWriteEvent() {
 	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
 
-	// [START populate_proto]
-	e := &pb.Event{
-		Id:       1234,
-		Name:     "jcarrEvent1",
-		Email:    "jcarr@wit.com",
-		Results:   []*pb.Event_Response{
-			     {Name: "foobar", Type: pb.Event_ADD},
-		},
-	}
-	// [END populate_proto]
-
+	e := pb.CreateSampleEvent()
 	e.Id += 1
 	e.Name = "jcarrEvent2"
 
@@ -76,14 +66,7 @@ func TestWriteEvent() {
 }
 
 func marshalUnmarshal() {
-	test := &pb.Event{
-		Id:       1234,
-		Name:     "jcarrEvent1",
-		Email:    "jcarr@wit.com",
-		Results:   []*pb.Event_Response{
-			     {Name: "555-4321", Type: pb.Event_ADD},
-		},
-	}
+	test := pb.CreateSampleEvent()
 	data, err := proto.Marshal(test)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal("marshaling error: ", err)
diff --git a/sampleData.go b/sampleData.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a2ffe0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sampleData.go
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+package witProtobuf
+
+import "log"
+// import "bytes"
+// import "os"
+// import "bufio"
+// import "io"
+// import "io/ioutil"
+
+func CreateSampleEvent() *Event {
+	// TODO: flush this out to do all the fields
+	log.Println("CreateSampleEvent() is generating a example protobuf Event")
+
+	e := &Event{
+		Id:       1234,
+		Name:     "jcarrEvent1",
+		Email:    "jcarr@wit.com",
+		Results:   []*Event_Response{
+			     {Name: "foobar", Type: Event_ADD},
+		},
+	}
+
+	e.Id += 1
+	e.Name = "jcarrEvent2"
+
+	return e
+}