Watch out Cannes & Sundance! Here We Come!

 It is not easy getting into the swing for 2015.  The cause is probably a combination of wicked indulgence over the holidays and wanting to just sit back and rest on the accomplishments of 2014.

I am delighted with the fact that I really managed to do the 2 ½ months road trip to capture videos stories of folks creating transformational change around the country.  I also love the uplifting videos—38 in all—and I am so impressed with what people are doing in the arts, neighborhoods, economy, education, environment and more to make possible a future that takes care of people and the planet.

Now, what to do in 2015? In 2014, I traveled around the country in a state of high anxiety related to using the video camera so I am hugely surprised by the fact that I have been bitten by the documentary making bug and want to do more. I love my “body of work”, as some folks refer to the video interviews, and I want to get these stories on a bigger stage to engage more people so we are working on a social media campaign for that.

Our CIA (Cultural Innovations Agency) Board of Directors is meeting this month to develop plans for a professionally done documentary that both entertains with lots of humor and goes deeper into the transformational change that is happening now on the ground in the New Economy. We’ll also make sure that food and wine have their moments in the spotlight….not just talking about it but indulging in it…..after all, this is an Operation Bon Appetit initiative.  In addition, we’ll be covering how the New Economy message is getting out with interviews with artists, educators and media people.

Before I go further into the documentary development, I will be getting immersed in the subject with tutoring by Gregg Perkins, Associate Professor and Chair of the Communication Department at the University of Tampa.  He has already given me five textbooks to read on the subject.  CIA also has great people on our board with expertise to contribute to the development of the documentary.

Premier Eye Care has stepped forward again this year to assist us with funding for this project and we are very, very grateful for their ongoing support.  We do need additional funding for the professional production so we will be preparing a video for crowd fundraising organizations.  I believe that it helps that we have an excellent group of video interviews that demonstrate our knowledge of the New Economy. They also show the terrific connections we have to people around the country working in the field and in those related to it.

This time around I will be on camera instead of behind it so I am already focusing on losing 25 pounds and getting this face looking better somehow…..no Botox, though, that scares me. I am going to hope that there is a make-up wizard out there who can make miracles happen.

There will be traveling again this year not only to shoot the interviews but to promote the documentary at festivals and hopefully get it into university conferences and exhibits.  All in all 2015 is looking like it will be another exciting year for us!

Meanwhile, I think I’ll do a bit of research for a unique veggie dish for dinner….that should keep the calories down.

[ultimate-recipe id=”7094″ template=”101″]