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How
to describe our April workshops: Simply Extraordinary! |
They came from Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington - even from Canada. From April 25 to 28 they
converged on Tucson, Arizona to learn how to create video biographies for fun
and profit during two workshops run by Steve Pender and the Family Legacy Video
team.
It was an amazing four days.
The seventeen classmates from across the U.S. and Canada bonded almost
instantly. They filled the classroom with energy, excitement and lots of
questions while they received instruction and inspiration from Steve Pender, Dan
Crapsi, Ginny Temple and Dan Blumenthal. Outside of class, they formed a merry
band and explored the sights and restaurants offered by the Old Pueblo.
Family Legacy Video's "Create Your Own Video Biography" and "The Business of
Video Biographies" workshops provided an extraordinary experience for both
students and instructors.
Said workshop attendee Melissa Edwards of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma:
I have attended MANY seminars and would rate yours at the very top. You are
so very knowledgeable and understand that sharing information will only be
better for your business (as my
husband says, "the pie just gets bigger"). You
are a very eloquent speaker and have organized it all so well. The handouts were
helpful, the CD-ROM info very concise and the practical application
sections
were great. Bravo!! Ginny and Dan certainly are gems. I believe we all enjoyed
them so much! Your graphic designer, Dan Blumenthal, was also WONDERFUL!! A
great speaker, full of vitality, a wealth of ideas and even a good sense of
humor to boot.
You are a class act Mr. Pender - no doubt about it - we discussed it - you
are our new hero. You are an inspiration. You have given us a direction for
which to aspire and shown us the criteria of a quality product - for that we are
so grateful.
Family Legacy Video's president, Steve Pender, had this to say:
I've always been lucky to have great folks attend Family Legacy Video's video
biography workshops. The "Class of 2008" however, brought with them an exceptional passion for video biography as well as
a wonderful sense of community.
Being able to help them along their personal history paths left me with a great
sense of fulfillment.
To learn more about Family Legacy Video's workshops and to add your name to the
waiting list for future workshops, visit the
workshop page of the Family Legacy Video Web site.
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Video
biography project leads to a high-flying experience. |
In 2006 I interviewed Charlie Wilson. Charlie is a former B-17 pilot and a large
part of his interview focused on his exploits during WWII. Little did I realize
that, two years later, Charlie's video biography would lead to my own flight in
a reconditioned B-17 - and a chance to experience, in a very small way, the
aircraft that Charlie and his crews flew under very perilous conditions.
Charlie's video biography featured a large amount of archival footage showing
B-17 crews in action during the war. The more footage I watched, the more I
marveled at the daring, bravery and resilience of both the crews and the
machines they flew. I'm sure I remarked to my wife, more than a few times I'm
sure, how exciting it would be to fly in a B-17.
Then, as a 50th birthday gift, Halina gave me a ticket to what turned out to be
the ride of my life.
On April 19, the Collings Foundation, an organization that preserves vintage
aircraft, brought three WWII bombers, all in working order, to Tucson: a B-25
Mitchell; a B-24 Liberator; and a B-17 Flying Fortress. Halina, myself, my mom
and brother arrived to find all three planes sitting on the airstrip and open
for inspection. We spent some time climbing in and out of each plane - and then
it was flight time.
As the flight crew slowly rotated the props to get the oil circulating, my group
of ten passengers climbed into the plane. I was lucky to get a seat behind the
co-pilot (not a seat, really, just a patch of deck with a seat belt). Across
from me, behind the pilot, was a fellow, now retired, who was only six years old
when his brother died while piloting a B-17 over Germany. He was flying as a way
to honor and remember his brother. His story reminded me how many men
sacrificed their lives in planes just like the one we were about to fly.
Then, one by one, the engines kicked in. The plane began to vibrate, the roar
from the engines grew and the scents of fuel and oil wafted through the air. Then
we were aloft and got the signal to unbuckle and move about the aircraft. My
seat mate and I made a beeline for the nose. There, in the area once occupied by
a bombardier and gunners, we gazed through the Plexiglas covering at a panoramic
view of mountains and homes.
Moving back towards the aft end of the plane, I popped my head through an open
hatch and was treated to a breathtaking view of the B-17's tail and the
mountains and desert landscape beyond. It was a challenge squeezing my 6'2"
frame through the tight confines of the Flying Fortress - but I managed to look
out every window and sit or stand in every crew position available (except for
pilot and co-pilot, of course).
And then, all too quickly, we were given the signal to buckle up and prepare to
land. After a gentle touch down I swung myself out of the hatch and, adrenalin
still pumping, rejoined my family.
The ride brought me a much deeper and visceral understanding of the B-17 and
also a greater appreciation for the tight and uncomfortable conditions endured
by the plane's crews.
It was, truly, the ride of a lifetime - one for which I have to thank my wife,
the Collings Foundation, Charlie Wilson and all the B-17 crews that risked and sacrificed so
much to preserve our freedom.
- - Steve Pender
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