So I took my trip to Nashville yesterday to meet with Healing Hands International. We discussed the idea of doing the show and considering their donation base, they were a bit hesitant to try various avenues of content distribution considering GBN being out of the deal. Understanding that a large portion of their donation base is make up of “little old ladies” the wouldn’t be too keen on pink haired ladies and gilded, golden thrones. So the idea of a “show” is on hold but…
They have been considering developing a series of videos to use for outreach and fundraising. Now that they are in a position to take on such an endeavor, I show up.
The result of this meeting is that I'm tentatively scheduled to shoot and document an agricultural symposium (all still tentative because they've not gotten the budget yet) running from July 30 to Aug 6 in Zimbabwe. Yeah that's in Africa.
Healing Hands International http://www.hhi.org/, as you may know, has been around for some time and has done some really amazing stuff. They recently bought almost an entire village worth of fishing boats and nets for a country devastated and all but completely wiped away by the tsunami. They were in Sri Lanka less than a week after it happened. Same thing with New Orleans, partnering with c.o.C Disaster Relief located one block away from the HHI facility. While the Red Cross was turning aid away they got in the back door and began delivering goods.
The Africa trip is based on a drip irrigation system they've helped develop that so far has turned one drought ridden growing season into three. So much so that in one area the locals had such a surplus that is was able to fund the only local hospital and build a 600 bed orphanage which currently holds and cares for over 300 HIV positive children.
Four successful countries are going to show (total DIY stuff) 12 other African countries how to develop their own systems so the communities can try and become self sufficient and actually, maybe, make some money. My job will be to document this "class" and the process and then create a five minute video HHI can then use to publicize their work.
I was offered a trip to Cuba in March but I've just started applying for my Passport so it might no be ready in time and because they are a non-profit their budget for this trip is already set it would cost me $2K to tag along. The Africa trip will be completely covered on their tab.
There is a lot that I don’t know beyond their very intense interest in “documenting” this stuff for their marketing needs but as I know more you’ll know more.
The picture is of a Victoria Falls a place that if all goes well I’ll get to visit. It’s ranked one of the top ten waterfalls in the world so that should be pretty neat.
4 comments:
Wow indeed...
Thats cool stuff!
Wow!
That's some cool stuff, Mullins.
Sounds like you at least might have your foot in the door.
Do you think you'll try TBN out now?
Sounds like pursuing the HHI thing might work out, though.
I’m waiting on a call from a missionary named Tim Hines with InterAmerican Restoration Corp http://www.irccorp.org/. They are apparently a big money group that does scads of work in Honduras and the Central America’s.
I’ll talk to him about the idea and also suggest going the route HHI wants to pursue in making videos to support their work rather than “making a TV show.”
Beyond that I’ll hold my ground on pushing the “show” and see how the project with HHI turns out because that could be a more beneficial route to take considering my main goal is to help the brotherhood.
The nice thing is that if I’m going five minute videos of their work the need for a cappella music is very easy to come by. They have a connection to Keith Lancaster and his group and are pretty sure they can get him to “give us some music.”
I’ve got to develop a budget for HHI and submit that to then and see where it goes from there. The figures I mentioned didn’t make then flinch and that’s good.
The president of HHI is a marketing prof at Lipscomb she one the subject of money vs. marketing he’s going to be pretty unflappable.
Most excellent, my friend! Hey, if this works out and y'all get the money rollin' right, try to hook us all up with an all expense paid "mission trip" to Europe.
We'll, of course, need Eurail passes to any country and some dough for food and the like.
Work the swag, Mullins!
Kidding, of course...
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