What up, doggie?

A lot of things have been coming along nicely lately in my life. I've gone from being a freelance videographer (pron. "vid-ee-AUG-rah-fer" and not "vid-ee-OH-aug-rah-fer") to a full-fledged c-corporation owner. Services include video production, graphic design and web design/consulting. It's pretty exciting and also demanding since I'm responsible for everything. The company name is Element Studios Inc. and I'll have a nice little web site up soon that I designed with the help of my beautiful and creative wife Jeanne.

Yes, I'm still on the skatepark train and it's a loooong process. One just doesn't jump up and open a skatepark- it takes time as research, networking and planning are keys to success. I've sought the insight of many great people and they have given me great feedback. It's not just a skatepark either. My scope has grown a bit and I'm looking to have a friendly, positive and safe place for teens and up to come and hang out. I want it to be a skatepark, music venue, pool hall, chill room and video game room complex. Some of you are aware of my passion for youth and I believe this will be a great venue that's needed and a great way to build relationships with teens and rub shoulders with them. I want to reach out to all the youth in Chicago, not just in one neighborhood and having a place where they'll want to come out to is the answer.

Right now, I'm trying to get the owners of a certain property to sell the building instead of leasing it, come up with a solid business plan and praying about it. I'm still hardcore about skateboarding and believe it will be the activity that is already outnumbering any other sport in terms of participation. Many youth take it up as a means of expression than as a sport, and it's easily accessible. If you want to know more about what skateboarding is really about, I recommend a DVD called "Drive: Notes from the wilderness". Not a typical skate video, it follows pro skater Mike Vallely across country and even to Africa as he makes surprise visits to small town skateparks, skates demos at small strip plazas to mega-shopping malls in a grass-roots approach to skateboarding. It's beautifully shot with captivating cinematography and an emoting, soft soundtrack that draws you in to the atmoshpere and spirit of the film. The scenes in Africa are especially touching, with Mike giving the shirt off his back to to a Zulu teenager, who thinks it's the greatest thing in the world. If you have Netflix or a Blockbuster online account, it's there to rent.

A fun and endearing side project I'm working on is a screenplay. I can't say much about it, except that the story follows two racially different adopted boys that grow up in a violent neighborhood in Chicago, later commanding an elite black ops squad and eventually become the wealthiest men in the world who do extraordinary things with their power and wealth.
It's been fun coming up with different scenarios and creating characters that people relate to and would wish to see in real life, but also challenging to create something unique and different. More on this as things progress.

Hope your life is well. I know that God never promises an easy one, but the fact that He's there with me all the time is astounding and encouraging. I hope you experience the same thing. Peace.