My favorite thing about speaking is meeting amazing people afterward. Often, it takes a few hours to hug everyone. It's my honor to hear their stories & share an affirming word.
I met Carol at a recent speaking engagement. She took notes on a postcard during my keynote & then mailed it to herself so she wouldn't forget!
This beautiful story came from last night's charity showing of our new film near Seattle.
Oh, my heart is SO full!
Thank you for sharing this, Violet Brielle Spataro:
A boy named Lukas attended our screening of 'Look to the Sky'. He was introduced to Violet and right away she asked him if he wanted to play with her and help her hand out Live Love Foundation cards to everyone in the theatre. They were giggling and instantly having fun together before the movie started.
This morning, I awoke to messages in my inbox from his family. My eyes filled with tears as I read them. Here is just some of what was messaged to me (shared with permission):
"I wanted to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for making my nephew feel so welcome tonight!! I had double booked myself on accident and my nephew went in my place and I'm SO GLAD HE DID!! Violet, you've changed my little guys life tonight with your kindness! My nephew Lukas has been through so much. He gets bullied a lot in school and he has an illness that makes him feel different and alone. He only has a couple friends and he was SO EXCITED to feel like he found a friend in you!! You showed him around and let him help, he was blown away that someone would be so kind. He talked the whole way home about how he can be more kind and how he can help others. You were your own blessing bundle to me tonight, THANK YOU!"
"He felt seen and loved just in that short time with his new buddy!! He's so special to me and seeing him make a friend is everything. You have a gift in your daughter!"
"He walked away from that film knowing he wasn't alone! He LOVED being with Violet and he hopes one day he can see her again!"
I believe last night was meant for Lukas. Sometimes, we work so very hard on things and we don't know if all of our efforts are making the impact we pray they are. Knowing this sweet boy felt loved and empowered to make a difference is everything. I'm grateful we were all brought together, and I'm happy to share this story today.
Such a joy sharing inspiration & insights with all types of organizations! My keynotes are filled with uplifting stories from my filmmaking adventures about the power all of us have to make a positive impact & bring more hope into the world.
My recent travels have included Sonoma, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Orlando, and Madison, WI.
I continue to be privileged to share these experiences with heroes around the country!
"Brett Culp's documentary Look to the Sky proved even more inspirational than I anticipated. The film featured stories of hope from young people... and received a well-deserved standing ovation at Tampa Theatre this past weekend."
- The Tampa Bay Times
So inspired by these showings of our new film Look to the Sky! Proceeds from each screening benefit charitable efforts.
Learn more at: www.RisingHero.org
INCREDIBLE! This short film expresses the heart of my work & my passion to help others make a positive impact.
The talented team at Sublime Media Group captured this footage at one of my speaking engagements. I had no idea they were planning to create this encouraging piece. So honored!
We instinctively see the possibility in children. But sometimes, as we grow up, we stop seeing it in ourselves.
When we focus on HOPE, we have the ability to see light in even the darkest spaces.
Loved sharing this message at the conference for Leading RE.
Our new film Look to the Sky is now screening in theaters with proceeds benefiting charitable efforts!
Loved talking about our mission with this movie.
Artist Sherrill Knezel shares amazing Daily Drawings on her Instagram page. I'm honored that she has created these wonderful pieces from my posts on social media.
I started a video production company when I was 20-years-old. My Dad taught me how to do it.
When new entrepreneurs ask for my opinion about starting something new, here’s what I typically say. There are other ways, but this is what has worked for me:
This approach creates more than a 'one-off', transactional business built on advertising. You are building long-term relationships.
Some of the effort is wasted, no question. Some people won't be able to help you. But this is how you can create the foundation of a career.
This is how I built my business. I believe if you commit yourself to seriously investing into this for 1 year, and you continue the process, you will probably be buried with work.
The premiere of Look to the Sky was phenomenal! A packed theater, an engaged audience, and several of the young people from the film joined me on-stage afterward.
Proceeds benefited Starting Right, Now, an organization that assists teens who are homeless.
The first reviews of the film are beautiful:
"Look to the Sky is an inspiring and deeply thought-provoking work."
"Just when you think there is no hope for goodness in this world along comes a documentary that proves that there is. And it is an amazing thing."
"Look to the Sky was every bit as inspiring and challenging as their first film, Legends of the Knight... It made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me want to go out in my community and make it better."
"This film is a remarkable creation of heroic stories that defines hope in a powerful way."
"I was once again blown away by the positivity that Brett Culp puts into his films."
YOU can request a screening of 'Look to the Sky' in your community benefiting the charity of your choice.
On today's flight, the passenger next to me got really upset with a woman who didn't end her phone call after the cabin door was closed. The frustration escalated as the passenger's demands for her to end the call were completely ignored. The passenger loudly repeated the rules about turning phones to airplane mode, with no effect. And this cellular rule-breaker was slowly driving her insane.
After a few minutes of this, a flight attendant casually wandered by and asked the woman to stop her call. She immediately hung up. And we flew to Los Angeles.
This experience reminded me to stop attempting to be the general manager of the universe.
Some of my greatest emotional struggles have been with problems that were not within my power to fix. I've wasted lots of energy on those challenges, and I don't want to keep doing that.
The next 10 days are going to be a whirlwind for me. So many wonderful things are happening right now, and I am committed to contributing my whole heart to these moments. But, I also want to trust that a power bigger than me is going before me, guiding the journey, and taking care of the stuff I can't handle alone. That thought removes the emotional weight of trying to fix everything, leaving me free to be joyful, relaxed, and confident.
So, I'm happy that women kept talking on her phone, even though it was kinda annoying. She reminded me to do my work in the world, and then let go of the rest.
People often ask me how to become a filmmaker. I tell them: Just start making films.
Grab a smartphone & begin. Don't worry if the films are good. Your first films will be bad no matter how much thinking & planning you do. So just begin right now. Make the mistakes, learn the lessons, & make more films.
As you go along, you find your voice. And, one day, you make something that's pretty good. And it leads you to the next thing, which is even better.
That's how you become a filmmaker. In fact, it's pretty much how you become anything.
I enjoy sharing and celebrating the successes with you. However, I often make messes.
There's a voice in my head that tells me I'm supposed to be perfect. But I'm not.
There are perfect meals, perfect shoes, and perfect sunsets. There are NO PERFECT PEOPLE. Not even on Facebook.
Perfection isn't how life works. Life is filled with u-turns, rough edges, and re-starts. That's normal. There is no straight line to success.
So, please stop being so hard on yourself, and just keep going. The rest of us need to see the beautiful stuff that's inside you.
I am a filmmaker. But I'm convinced that filmmaking skills & knowledge are only about 20% of my work.
The other 80% is building relationships, finding the best in people, offering encouragement, listening, hugging, believing in what's possible, being nice, inviting people to be heroes in their communities, staying vulnerable, focusing on the values that matter to me, & dreaming of new ways to help others.
I spend very little time thinking about whether I should buy a new camera, and more time reading books & learning how to be better at the 80% stuff.
I think this way of seeing my career has allowed me to be a person who does MORE than make films. I hope it has allowed me to make an IMPACT. And that's the legacy I want to build.
The fine details of your craft are important. Devote yourself to being the best you can. But don't neglect the other essential skills that transform your work into a gift that makes a lasting, positive impact.
With 2:38 left in the 4th quarter, I knew the New England Patriots would win Super Bowl 51. I'm not a big football fan, but something inside me knew it. Maybe you knew it too.
But the computer at ESPN didn’t know it yet. Based purely on the numbers, the Atlanta Falcons were still overwhelmingly poised for victory, with a 95.3% chance of winning. But I was so confident the computer was wrong with 2:38 left that I took this screenshot & started writing this post.
Statistics are important. They provide vital data for making many decisions. But they are often bad predictors of the human spirit. They easily miscalculate determination, heart, & willpower.
Perhaps you’ve heard statistics about your life from a parent, friend, teacher, or boss. Maybe those percentages are controlling your story.
Here’s the good news… YOU are NOT a statistic. There’s stuff in you that my son’s fancy scientific calculator can never accurately analyze. There is a truth about you that cannot be input into the formula ESPN’s computer uses to predict winners & losers.
So, keep fighting. Because YOU are MORE.
Three years ago, I was driving through a snow storm to get to the Boston premiere of Legends of the Knight.
The process of making & sharing these films is tough. Each film is 3 years of frustration, insecurity, & confusion. It's not glamorous. It often feels lonely & exhausting.
Our next film Look to the Sky is almost finished. This week I showed my wife Tricia the rough cut of the entire film. When the closing credits started, we cried together for a while, and she said, "It's beautiful. Probably your best work. It was worth it."
In every epic journey, the middle is the hardest part. The beginning & end are filled with excitement, passion, & hope. But the middle is brutal. It's mostly just you & the struggle. It's the part that very few people know about.
But the middle is where the magic happens. It's where you discover the beautiful stuff inside of you, & your unique kind of genius emerges. It's the hard place where you find yourself.
The dark moments in the middle of the journey are the inspiration you need to uncover the light.
Some days this feels impossible. That's normal. But these are the days where you will do your most beautiful work. These are the spaces where you need to dig deep & ask for help to keep moving.
And then, one day, you find that your struggles in the middle have transformed your heart. You have become something better than you were at the beginning. And you have created something that blesses the world. And you say to yourself, "It was worth it."
If you are struggling today, you are probably in the middle of the adventure. It's hard, & it hurts. Keep going, surround yourself with support, & decide every morning to choose hope.
It will be worth it.
I was honored to produce the Pre-Show Film for Michael Cerbelli's: The Hot List! Here's a short clip from it.
Thank you, Michael, for inviting me to be part of this phenomenal event for 10 consecutive years!
After yesterday's speaking engagement, someone I'd never met rushed straight over to tell me a story.
Two years ago, he & his wife were deciding if they were ready to be foster parents. They happen to watch my film Legends of the Knight on Netflix, and it inspired them to take the leap. They ultimately adopted the kids they welcomed into their home.
I never imagined the film impacting a family this way. It was a reminder that when you choose to express hope & kindness it spreads beauty into unexpected places.
Dear friends, keep shining!
Dear Friends,
I just launched an online campaign to finish our uplifting film Look to the Sky.
The film will be available for charity screenings Spring 2017, but we are working to raise $18,000 to cover the costs of completing it.
Learn more and/or support the campaign at the link below:
https://www.generosity.com/fundraisers/1956788
Thanks for being a superhero!
- Brett
