"The Stuff that dreams are made of."

For those of you that already know me or are just now reading about me for the first time...my life has always revolved around movies and the dreams of being a filmmaker.  From the original Star Wars and Back to the Future Trilogy's, to Close Encounters, The Last Starfighter, Tron, and Explorers (the list goes on); right from the beginning of my life, I knew I'd somehow be involved with Movies and Television when I grew up. And I was right! But I'll get to that later.

George Lucas once said, "Dreams are extremely important. You can't do it, unless you imagine it." As he had one of the biggest dreams of all...I tend to believe he was right.  In today's world, society has basically divided itself into two primary categories, The Realist and The Dreamers. But which one should we be and which one are you? I know that for the first part of my life, without a doubt, I WAS A DREAMER. No doubt about it, I had big dreams for myself. I was going to grow up and become a famous Film Director and nothing was going to get in my way of that. Period. End of Discussion. (Wave of the Force Hand here) These aren't the Droids you're looking for. You can go about your business. Move along...move along. 
I wish I had had a bad feeling about that when I was younger, because I should've known that I wasn't going to be the next George Lucas or Steven Spielberg. 

With each passing year that went by, my Big dreams for myself kept getting further and further out of reach. Sure there were occasions that I went left, when I clearly was supposed to go right. There were also everyday life situations that clearly didn't help my dreams become a reality either. But I kept trying to stay involved in movies and television no matter what. By the time I reached High School, I began making short films and even volunteered at the local PBS Channel. I needed to keep my eye on the prize. I even went to MTSU and majored in TV Production with an emphasis in Digital Animation. Look out Hollywood and Pixar, here I come! After college, I became employed at the Shop at Home Network in Nashville; working my way up to Studio Supervisor. I figured that was a great place to learn about Studio Lighting...and it was. During my time there, life happened again...finding myself and pregnant wife of 9 months moving back to the city of my birth, Mobile Alabama.   Decisions had to be made and it was time for The Realist in me to take control, settle down, have kids, a dog, mow the yard, clean the house. In other words, it was time to Stop being a Dreamer and become a REALIST. 

Over the next several years, I went from working at a News Station to becoming an Educational TV Producer for a local school system.  Along the way, I had some great learning experiences and made some wonderful friends. However, I still wasn't the Famous Man I originally dreamt I'd be at this point in my life. 

Yes I settled down, have an awesome family and live on one of The Most Beautiful Islands in the Southeast United States....Orange Beach, Alabama. But something inside me was and is still motivating me to keep my Dreams Alive even today. You see, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. Every crazy job we do, every new friend we make along the way...happens for a reason. It was time for me to take a stand and become a DREAMER again.

I launched the 1st ever Fairhope Film Festival. If I couldn't go to Hollywood, I would bring Hollywood to me. This festival was a blast! It was everything I had dreamt for so long. I met Actors, Directors, Writers and Producers. I met film fanatics like me whom we had so much in common. I was finally one giant step closer to reaching my End Goal and the festival went off without a single hitch. I had a success on my hands. Then...the Economy collapsed. The 2008 Recession was in full swing. My film festival and my new dream came to a sudden halt. Dream Over.  

 Ever since, my straight and easy path to Stardom, that I foresaw as a kid,  has become a twisted, tangled labyrinth that's been continuously winding around and around thru adulthood. There were a lot of low times as finding a job in my field was non-existent. FACT - I went to an employment agency for career suggestions. I was told..."You need to move far away or change careers, because your field of expertise doesn't exist in this state." Wow, I couldn't believe that I was told to dream somewhere else or stop dreaming all together. Something needed to be done and fast.

After a brief stint at a local tourism channel in Gulf Shores, my new media company, "Option 3 Media" was born. Here at O3M, we've done everything from Commercials, Documentaries, Music Videos, Corporate Videos and Educational Videos too. All we have left on bucket list that has yet to be fulfilled...Film! (But don't worry...I'm on my 2nd feature Script). :)

Now I frequently get asked, "What does Option 3 mean?" So growing up, I was always told that I had basically 2 Options to choose from. I could either wear this shirt or that shirt, eat this or that and so on and so on. But I didn't like having only 2 options to choose from...I wanted a 3rd Option; Something that always seemed unattainable, something that was always unaffordable. I wanted Option 3. Thus the name of my company, Option 3 Media, and a new dream became a reality. 

As of today, I have kept my dream alive. Through thick or thin...I am still dreaming.  Even though I haven't made a single film yet and become Mr. Spielberg, I have accomplished quite a lot of personal goals over the last 20yrs of my career. Earlier I asked you, are you a Realist or a Dreamer. Did you choose one that best suited you? I know I did. I chose.....Option 3....both. I believe that we don't have to be one or the other to reach our goals in life. And as Rocky Balboa once said, "Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!"

I'm here to tell all the young dreamers out there, "never, never, never give up"! Keep moving forward. 
I know I will. :)