As cliche as it is to designate November the theme of

I can’t help it.  It just seems to come with the territory as we are thrown into a string of family holidays which, for the most part, make us feel thankful for various aspects of the holiday season.  I’m not sure if I’m all that thankful for the extra stress that it brings with menu planning, new work projects and upcoming travel BUT I am thankful for the opportunities that it brings. I’m still trying to figure out how to make this time of year less stressful as it all seems to culminate into one large stress fest, but so far I am at a loss.  Anyone have any ideas here?  I suppose I could just say “screw it all” and forget about a lot of it but that wouldn’t be in my nature.  Darn myself and my over commitment!

To prevent myself from digging myself into a rant, I’m going to list a few things that I’m grateful for, which in many ways can reconsidered a work update:

1. Since leaving film school almost two years ago, I’ve worked on four major projects, each with their own international distribution/broadcast deals.  (The Human Face of Big Data, The Breach, Wall of Fire: A ChefSteps Story and Out of Print)  Not too shabby if I do say so myself.
2. In the last three months, I’ve picked up two new projects and there are several others pending.  One being a film called Crazywise (click here for more info) and another that I will share more about in the near future.
3. And last of all… there are more announcements to come but I’m going to wait a little bit longer before I share them.

Despite their warnings, seasoned filmmakers can never really prepare you for the slog that is getting your foot in door to this industry.  I have been extremely fortunate to have met some incredible mentors along the way and I am extremely grateful for their guidance and jobs in the last few years.  Their lessons and support have been invaluable.  I have a long way to go before I’m going to feel more comfortable with where I am in my career, but for now I’m grateful for all that has come my way.

My theme of giving thanks though is not just giving thanks for the various aspects in my own life, but I want to focus on others who are doing amazing things out there but with hardly any recognition.  There are so many of us that work in the stage wings and are hardly ever seen – even if we like this covert role it is nice to have the occasional moment in the limelight. So here you are – just a few remarkable people who are doing their part to make the world a better place.