Introducing Inside|Out Global™

Posted in culture, film, Inside|Out

Back in 2009, I went to New Zealand for 15 days to be part of a group that taught filmmaking to urban youth as a way for them to discover their strengths, tell their stories and influence their culture.

A year later, I joined them again in Washington DC to do the same workshop with Metro DC youth. Two weeks after that I found myself moving to Alexandria VA with only what I could fit into my SUV.

So what have I been doing this past year in DC? Helping to get Inside|Out Global (IOG) established as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We’re finally official!

The mission of IOG is to empower young people to tell their stories and discover their gifts and strengths through filmmaking and the creative arts. Our vision is to see the world’s youth find, embrace and offer their unique gifts to influence and enrich their cultures.

Bonus: now that we’re a 501(c)3, means that you can make a tax-deductible donation to help us do this year round! (We accept checks of all sizes *wink).

This year, in 2011, we’re bringing the same workshop that’s been done in New Zealand and DC to the Denver area at the end of the month! I’ll definitely be blogging more about this experience as it unfolds.

Be sure to check out our brand new website and watch some of the videos the students have done. Keep in mind, these are filmed by students that (in some cases) have never picked up a camera before or seen the inside of Final Cut Pro. The stories they tell are true. I’ll post more videos this week as we gear up for Denver.

update on a crazy week

Posted in Inside|Out, lifestyle

Wow, what a whirl wind week this has been. Here’s an update:

LAST SUNDAY: drove back to Nashville from DC with the decision made to move to DC in two days.

LAST MONDAY: I packed up my office in CoLab Nashville and said goodbye to the folks there.

LAST TUESDAY: I packed up my belongings in the house I was staying at. I was able to take most of everything. I had to leave my mattress, the Christmas tree and some other storage bins. I was only taking what would fit in the back of my SUV. I was able to say “farewell for now” to some really great people at aLoft Hotel in Coolsprings that night. It was great seeing everyone there.

LAST WEDNESDAY: I made the long drive back across I-40, up I-81 and over I-66 to the capitol beltway and arrived around 8PM exhausted.

LAST THURSDAY: was spent looking for jobs around Shirlington, Ballston and McPherson Square area. Lots of Metro riding!

LAST FRIDAY: I interviewed at Union Jack’s British Pub in Ballston and had a second interview at A|X Armani Exchange. I met up with two new friends for a happy hour at Capitol City Brewing Company in Shirlington (the coolest little neighborhood and mainstreet… more on that later).

SATURDAY: I hear back from A|X Armani Exchange and they offer me a part time position. I take it.

SUNDAY: Church and a MUCH needed day of rest.

YESTERDAY: I work on GO projects, open a PO box in Shirlington, and have my first day of training at A|X. I also get a DM tweet asking if I’m single and would mind having a date with me auctioned off for a great cause. I agree to it and will now be up for auction at Busboys and Poets in downtown DC for the Citizen Gulf National Day of Action. Read more here: http://bit.ly/a2PCA1

So I haven’t even been here a full week and already I have a job, am making new friends and will have a date by the end of the week. That is if someone bids on me… ladies, you can’t just leave me standing up there. Awkward.

This just wasn’t happening in Nashville. It’s amazing to see how God moves us by closing doors and opening others. Everything was closed in Nashville. Everything.

To many, the decision to move seemed VERY fast and almost like a knee-jerk decision after a “mountain top experience” (Inside|Out).  Truth be told, I was ready to leave last October when I came back from New Zealand. I knew that God was moving me in a different direction, but I wasn’t sure which way to go. Was it to New Zealand, Los Angeles, New York? As time went on that year it became harder and harder for me to really feel contented there. The only thing that made it livable was my relationship with my friends. Y’all are awesome.

So for the record, the decision to move had been a long time coming and when I saw the open window I jumped through it before it closed; Indiana Jones style.

Currently it’s been decided that I’m to be the Communications Director for Inside|Out Global. I’ll be working on Global branding initiatives, communications collateral as well as attending all of the film intensives world wide. We’re trying to work out a way to go to Australia three times in the next year and a half to further develop a ground team there. There is a lot going on and I can’t imaging myself doing anything else right now.

More updates on the way!

moving forward

Posted in Inside|Out, lifestyle

There is so much to write about that I’m not sure where to begin. I’ll break it down and manage it the best I can.

THE SHORT OF IT:

• I had another amazing experience with Inside|Out Global that I’ve decided to move to Washington DC to help it get off the ground. My last day in Nashville will be Tuesday night, August 17th. I know… less than a week.

• I’ll be working any part time retail/restaurant job I can get while working with Inside|Out Global to get that off the group and running. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us and I’m excited to get my hands dirty. Gradient Overlay will still be up and running so clients, don’t worry about that. Think of it as a change of address.

• I’ll be back in Nashville Sunday evening and packing up Monday and Tuesday and driving back here on Wednesday. I have a second interview with Armani Exchange here on Friday in Pentagon City.

• Final get-together will be on Tuesday night from 5-8 at aLoft Hotel in Coolsprings. Come and go as you please. If you’re in the area, I would love the chance to say “farewell for now.”

THE LONG OF IT:

Those of you that know me, know that I’ve been involved twice now with an organization called, “Inside Out.” Essentially we teach filmmaking to under-served inner-city youth as a means for them to tell their stories. And boy do they have some stories. It’s always fascinating to see God move in the lives of  the students, but also in the lives of the mentors and instructors.

After I came back from New Zealand I felt so moved to be involved that I sold all of my possessions (you can read about all that here) so that I could go anywhere at anytime.

Finally, this is my time!

Over the past year God has closed ever single door to me in Nashville and other cities where I’ve applied for jobs: Dallas, TX with Southwest Airlines, Martha’s Vineyard with Vineyard Vines, along with many others.

Over my 5 1/2 years in Nashville I’ve made the best friends and the best memories of my life. I can’t thank each and everyone of you enough for the tremendous blessing you’ve been in my life. The relationships and the people is what I’ll miss the most.

Please try to stop by aLoft Hotel in Coolsprings on Tuesday night between 5-8 so I can give you a hug and say farewell! I’ll be driving out early the next morning.

I don’t see this as an ending at all… it’s a new beginning; a fresh start. And I can’t wait to get started.

have I got a story for you…

Posted in culture, film, Inside|Out, inspiration

This past week I’ve had the privileged of visiting my Grandparents in North Carolina as well as my Dad’s brothers and their families down in South Carolina. If there’s one thing we all have in common (other than being family) it’s that we all have stories.

Whether they’re well told in great suspense and laughter, or whether the punch line is given too soon it became apparent to me that the people in my life (well, and everyone for that matter) have some incredible stories to tell. Stories of strength, honor, laughter, humility, vacation goof ups… the list goes on and on.

My Great Granny (my dad’s Grandmother on his dad’s side) wrote in her journal every day for years. I’m talking every, single, day y’all.  She documented everything from how many pints of pickles she canned in the smokehouse to processing her grief after her husband died.

My dad’s younger brother’s family now has her journals and diaries. Years and years of stories and every day encounters. And it got me thinking… what are people going to read about me when I’m gone? Will whatever legacy I leave behind be passed down to my great grandchildren? They’ll probably get some microchip from the Library of Congress that contains every blog, tweet, Facebook update (and whatever else comes along in years to come) that I’ve ever written. So there’s that I suppose. I digress.

Let me get to the point: everyone has a story to tell. And the cool thing is it’s YOURS. It’s your very own. It’s something that you can pass down from generation to generation, or write online about, or write a short story about, or make a movie about.

How are you telling your story?

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Tomorrow I leave for Arlington, VA for another Inside|Out workshop. Inside|Out workshops empower students from many different histories to tell their stories to the world through film. We have filmmakers from literally all over the world come in and teach students every aspect of the filmmaking process.

Through a week-long film workshop, students learn how to tell their story through film and showcase their 5 minute short film at a red carpet premiere at the end of the week. It’s amazing to see students “come alive” when they get in and create through film.

Inside|Out is the same workshop that took me over to New Zealand almost one year ago. It was a time that turned my world upside down. I’ll do what I can blog about my experiences this year as I go through the workshop again.

For more information about Inside|Out and how to get involved click here.