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Bridles & Blue Jeans

April 26, 2009 By Don 1 Comment

For the past several weeks, I have worked almost non-stop on a fund raiser promo video for STAR.  STAR (Shanghai-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding) holds a very special place in my heart.  Four years ago, after seeing the impact that Dolphin Assisted Therapy had on Katie, Leeann and I were looking for a program to get Katie into that would help her on a more consistent basis.  Katie has a long list of special needs, both medical and emotional.  We wanted to get her in a program that would build her confidence and her self-esteem and hopefully provide an extracurricular activity.

When we heard about the STAR program, we knew we had to get her in as soon as possible.  The only problem was there was a waiting list (there still is a list of 113 waiting to get in).  I think we called the STAR office about once or twice a month, we wrote letters to the Board of Directors and to the different staff members to see about getting Katie in.  It paid off and there was finally a opening that fit Katie and we were able to get her started with the winter session of 2006.

Katie instantly fell in love with the program.  We had never really seen her “look forward” to anything the way she looked forward to her weekly sessions at STAR.  She’s worked with Cocoa, Maria, Zipper and RB and she’s fallen in love with all of them.

I had volunteered a few times to help out with volunteer training videos or anything else they needed.  Well, three weeks ago, I was asked to put together the promo video for STAR’s Bridels & Blue Jeans.  This is their annual fundraiser. I was honored to be asked to produce this video and it has been a true labor of love for the past two weeks.  I have worked on this video everyday, every spare minute I could find.  I was worried about how it would play to a large group of people.

This video needed to tell the stories of the riders, the parents and the staff at STAR.  The story of how STAR had come to exist had been told for many years at this fundraising event. The amazing thing about this video is, it never felt like “work”.  The video mostly put itself together, I just put the pieces in place and the video did the rest all by itself.
It was a great success.  I don’t take the credit… but it was an amazing experience to help tell the story.


Note:  The little girl with the sign “I take meds every day to stay alive” is our Katie.  Also, the photo of the little girl with pigtails pulling up on the reins in her too!

Filed Under: Giving Back, Special Events

VERY busy couple of weeks

April 21, 2009 By Don Leave a Comment

Since the last wedding I covered a few weeks ago, my life has been very busy.  I have been meeting with so many brides lately and I will tell you about some of them in up coming blogs.  I have been in meetings also with The Brides Lounge about some new advertising options not only for The Brides Lounge, but also for Midnight Magic Studios.   I would keep an eye on this blog in the next couple of weeks as I am hoping to make a big announcement about some new things.

However, the one project that has been all involving for me the past two weeks is the STAR Bridles & Blue Jeans 2009 promo video.  I have been working on this video almost non stop since the end of Corissa’s wedding April 3rd.  This project has been a true labor of love for me and I can’t wait for it’s debut this Saturday night at Bridles & Blue Jeans.  I will post the video on this blog next Monday, April 27th so that all can see and understand how important STAR is to not only our family, but to hundreds of other families in the East Tennessee area.

This past weekend, I took a much needed break from the STAR video to work a wonderful wedding for Rachel and Jason.  This couple was really something special.  They have a true love not only for each other, but also for God.  They both work for Athletes in Action, which is a great ministry for college kids. They had a wonderful wedding and the reception really rocked.  The guest hit the dance floor after the last toast and kept it rockin’ until the happy couple left for their honeymoon in Jamaica. The day was perfect weather wise, you could not have asked for a better day.  I truly wish both Rachel & Jason nothing but love, luck & happiness.  Here is a trailer of their video:


Filed Under: Advertising, Weddings

Corissa & Alex Wedding Trailer

April 7, 2009 By Don 1 Comment

This past week has been a very busy week for me.  Let me give you the quick run down:

  • rehearsal on Thursday night
  • wedding on Friday night
  • then shooting at STAR for their promo video on Saturday, Sunday and then again today and more to shoot this week.

Add to that, moving our horse Monday evening (again) and our crazy weather… sunny and summer like with 80 degree temps, snowy, rainy, sunshine, windy, freeze warnings, rainy, etc… and that is just in a matter of hours.  It has been a busy, long but very rewarding week.

The weather last week was so great, it was springtime in East Tennessee.  Clear skies, warm days with a slight breeze.  I swear you could not ask for better if you tried.  The rehearsal for Corissa and Alex was Thursday night and of course that is when the weather started to turn.  We were rushed to get it all in because of a bad storm rolling in.  When I left Magnolia Manor Thursday night, it was 60 degrees.

Friday morning brought a windy, cloudy rainy day.  At best, we were hoping for temperatures in the 50′s.  I think it got to 56 degrees at the time of their wedding.  The bride was beautiful and the only hitch in the entire day was the horse drawn carriage did not show.  To look at the bride, you would have never known anything went wrong.

The entire ceremony was broadcast during The Phil Williams Show on WNOX-FM 100.3.   The bride a groom had a blast at their reception and had the biggest smiles on their faces as they left for the night.  The entire wedding was a sponsored wedding provided by some of the best vendors in the East Tennessee area.  It was an honor to work with them and I thing we all had a great time.

I hope you enjoy the short trailer of their great wedding day.  Corissa and Alex, I wish you both the best of luck and many blessings in the future.


Filed Under: Weddings

Great wedding tomorrow

April 2, 2009 By Don Leave a Comment

I just got back from the rehearsal for the sponsored wedding that I will be shooting tomorrow.  The couple is so great and they are just a bit bewildered by all that is going on for them tomorrow.  Corissa, the bride, is on cloud nine tonight. Her groom, Alex, is just like most every other groom (read GUY into that) the night before the wedding, relaxed and just wants to be sure he is not late for the wedding.

If you would like to hear the ceremony you can go to WNOX via their web site or if you are local to the Knoxville area, you can tune to 100.3 fm to hear the whole thing.  I am going to post a trailer on the web site early next week, so be on the look out for it.  I will fill everyone in on the event tomorrow night.

Filed Under: Weddings

Old Post, great story

April 1, 2009 By Don Leave a Comment

I am going to post an older entry from this past October.  I was reminded about this blog while I was talking with a new client tonight.  I hope you enjoy the story, it’s true:

How do you define love? Is it something you can see? Something you can touch? Or is it just a feeling? Many say it is none of the above but merely a state of mind. I say it something you can touch, something you can see. You just have to look in the right place and open you mind. How do I know this, read on:

We are in Key Largo, FL spending a week here with Katie while she is doing dolphin assisted therapy. We did this 3 years ago and are kicking ourselves for not coming back sooner. Anyway, the first time we were here, Katie spent the week with a wonderful dolphin named Squirt and her calf Fiji. We could tell that something special was going on from the moment Katie got on the platform to get in the water. She could not wait and had no fear of being next to the dolphins.

That week was a wonderful and magical time. You could see the bond that Katie made with Squirt and the entire staff at Island Dolphin Care. The high point of the week was on Wednesday. You see, the dolphin will only do what the trainer on the platform tells them to do. They are trained that way. It is a safety issue of course. Well, half way through her time in the water that day, Katie, in loudest voice said, “I love you Squirt, you’re my best friend”. Squirt stopped in the water half way between the platform the trainer was on and where Katie was. She looked at the trainer then back to Katie. Leeann and I were confused as to what was going on, but the trainer just nodded her head yes and Squirt swam over and gave a Katie a kiss.
Not a big deal you say, well it is. You see that had only happened one, let me repeat that ONE other time at Island Dolphin Care. Everyone who saw it was in tears and when the trainer told us how special that was, Leeann and I both started to cry.
We have always said that Katie has a special connection to animals. Look at her room, it looks like stuffed animal kingdom in there sometimes. You should see her at the farm with the horses, it’s almost like she talks to them at times. But this, this was so different.

Well, that was three years ago. We had been trying for the past 3 years to go back but the timing was never right. This year everything fell into place and we were able to make it back. It worked out well since this is Katie’s fall break, so no school was missed. One thing we were worried about was if Katie would remember much about the dolphins or if the dolphins would remember Katie. We weren’t sure she would even get to be with Squirt this time. Much to our surprise, Katie remembered it all the moment she walked in the door. She remembered the tanks in the lobby, she remembered where the dolphins were at and couldn’t wait to get to them. But most of all, she was going to be with Squirt again.

Katie got in the water with Squirt and she was right at home. But the minute she said, “Squirt, I love you”, Squirt knew just who Katie was. The trainer, Wendy, looked at us and said “now I remember her and so does Squirt”. She wasn’t kidding either. It was almost like Katie was one of her own calf’s. Squirt could not get close enough to Katie. She was always checking on how Katie was doing, where she was and allowing Katie to touch her and hold her in places she won’t let others. Even the owners of the facility came out to watch and talked about the bond between Katie and Squirt.

That bond is so strong that today the trainer and the therapist in the water with Katie just let them do their own thing. Katie would ask if she could do something and the trainer would give a quick hand signal and that was it. They danced in the water together, Squirt took Katie around the lagoon a couple of times and they both laughed and smiled together. It was almost like they were meant to be with each other.

Tomorrow, they are going to allow Squirt to dive with Katie. Only two other kids have ever done this before. Katie is in here element here. Katie is truly happy here and in the water with Squirt.

I have attached a photo of the two of them dancing in the water. Look at it with the mind of a child, look at it with the mind of a parent who wants nothing but the best for their child and I know you will see LOVE. But, most of all, you will know that for this week, Katie can touch love. And for this week, love is named SQUIRT.

Filed Under: Personal & Family