Take A Leap Teaser Videos

Rhonda and I have been keeping some abnormal hours the last few nights.  We have interviewed via Skype two superb individuals thus far.  Latraia D. is a 25-year old SC-resident that moved to China 10 months ago to teach.  Arlene G. is a former Hollywood-based screenwriter and current "Roman" who has expanded her creativity with the launching of her home decor business, Arlene Gibbs Decor.  Check out excerpts of their interviews at http://indiegogo.com/takealeap.  The teaser videos can be found on the home page and in the gallery tab.

We will have one more teaser video to add by the weekend with our interview early in the AM with personal trainer Coach G., who currently resides in Rome, Italy.  And guess what....he has a South Carolina connection as well.

Coach G (pic via Twitter)

As a point of interest, we have landed an exclusive interview with a fashion media entrepreneur and world traveler (over 40 countries visited) during our visit in Florence, Italy in November.  We'll share more about this travelista in later blogs.

Don't forget about supporting our funding efforts.  Our goal is to raise $5500 by September 1.  We're a far cry from our goal, but we haven't lost faith.  Spread the word to your Facebook friends, twitter followers, email recipients, and word-of-mouth.

A closing note to this post is that Rhonda and I will be on the radio show Urban Scene with Don Frierson on Columbia, SC 620 AM on June 4 at the noon hour.  We're going to talk about We Connected Productions, LLC and our various projects, specifically Take A Leap.  Please take a listen if you live in the area or have access to internet radio.   Blessings!!

Morning Inspiration

This morning I was inspired by the message of Pastor TD Jakes. What's interesting to know, is that I was first introduced to the message by an acquaintance earlier this week. To awake this morning to see the show with that very message was very confirming.  The topic: Live On Purpose. I can go on and on about what I got out of it, but to sum it up..don't procrastinate; give yourself permission to succeed; and you have more purpose than life you have left.

Isn't that the essence of what Take A Leap is about.  Even beyond the inspirational stories we will be sharing, Take A Leap is about "living your purpose".  It's OK to be a dreamer!! But you have to act on it to bring it into reality.  The guests we will have on our show went beyond dreaming. They took a leap of faith!! They found their purpose. Similarly, as you apply it to your life, you can also Take A Leap.  That may mean a career change, moving to a new location (not necessarily overseas, maybe across town or a neighboring state), or creating a financial plan you'll actually follow (make it automatic).  It's about taking the next step, and having a purpose behind it. You get no where by remaining constant.

The purpose of Take A Leap is multi-faceted. Yes, it'll give us the opportunity to travel, meet exciting people, and share their stories. But it has also awaken two very different purposes within my sister and me.  We love our current careers as educators, but we know that it is "temporary".  We love where God is leading us with Take A Leap, yet is also "temporary".  We have to go through these temporary career paths to lead to our "purposeful" career paths.

Anyone that knows my sister, knows she has a knack for financial planning, whether it's personal or business, short-term or long-term. She has spending, savings, and investment plans, and doesn't waiver from her financial goals.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I love to look at houses. When I turn the TV on in the morning, if it's not currently on HGTV, the channel is programmed on my remote recall button. I also have a rental property that I bought several years ago.

I say these things because we both want to live our lives with purpose.  I see it in my sister's purpose to help persons get their financial plans (including mine) in order.  I see it in my purpose to help people find the "American Dream"....for those that saw my short film The Resolution Pact, you know where I'm coming from.  So take the time to find out how you will Live On Purpose. Blessings!!

Blessings

We had a great weekend in Detroit at the Glory Reelz Christian Film Festival. We won Best Short Film for That's Bull: Elijah and the Prophets of Wall Street. We also received free writing software, Final Draft, for our Mac computer. The winner for Best Feature was Broken & Beautiful, a faith-based musical filmed in Chicago by D.A.S.H. Entertainment. Check out their trailer at http://www.brokenandbeautifulthemovie.com/.  It was a blessed time by all.

We are also blessed to have supportive family and friends. As we begin to speak out about our newest venture, Take A Leap, the interest has grown.  And because of it, we have booked our second international trip, so that in addition to going to Italy in November, we'll be heading to China in late December during our two week work hiatus. We found a great deal on a discount vacation site called www.friendlyplanet.com.  Our vision is materializing, but we could still use some help. In addition to your much needed prayers, please consider supporting our fundraising effort through September 1 by donating to our Indiegogo campaign at http://www.indiegogo.com/TakeALeap?a=18608.

Peace and Blessings,
Sharee Washington

Speak Up!!

Today is Rhonda and my birthday! We've been responding through a slew of Facebook msgs, tweets, emails, and text messages of well wishes.  But only a few well wishes in person.  It made me think of how we've been promoting our new project, Take A Leap. We tend to promote with emails, tweets, and Facebook. Very little by word of mouth. So as we head into a busy weekend that includes flying to Detroit to attend the Glory Reelz Christian Film Festival and then back Sunday to attend our dad's church service and celebrate Mother's Day with our mom, we've both made vows as a part of our birthday wish.  We need to open our mouths and speak up.

Speak up about what we've accomplished in filmmaking. Speak up about the DVDs we are selling. Speak up about our new project, Take A Leap. Speak up about the boy we like. So, I snuck the last one in there, but it served as a point. In speaking up, we are formulating relationships.  We are getting people to trust us, and we them.  Relationships are reciprocal. It's a give and take.  In selling a DVD, we take in $7 and viewers are given a 4 short stories to watch. We take that $7, and give a portion back to God. The viewers take the DVD and share with others. A relationship has developed, and the circle of trust has begun.  Makes sense! Well it does in my mind.

Anyways, the same can be true about speaking up about Take A Leap. Instead of talking about the money , speak more to what we want to experience. We want to experience the life of an entrepreneur with the "power" to create and shape our careers. We want to travel not only for cultural sake, but also with a purpose of sharing inspirational stories of African-American expats not often heard.  For that reason we have narrowed our international abroad locations to Rome, Italy; Florence, Italy; and Shanghai/Beijing, China for our pilot, second, and third episodes.  We'll take some time in Spring/Summer 2013 to promote the three shows in NYC and LA.

These are the experiences we want to share with people not the dollar signs. When we talk to people about Take A Leap, we're developing a relationship with people who are also trying to find their calling in life. Many people  "dream" about a new job, new home, or a new relationship, but fail to speak their "dream" into existence. So I say, shout it to the universe. To anyone that bears to listen.  From day 1 we've been told that our lives are purposeful, and the only life to live is the one we're destined to live. The more we speak up, the more likely it'll catch on, and the support that we'll have will be tremendous. We can't stay quiet any longer!!

Sharee