Happy Veterans Day
Congrats to our featured Warriors and everyone who supported our inspiring tribute Wounded Warriors’ Resilience that received the Audience Favorite Award for Best Documentary Short at the 2011 Virginia Film Festival.
Thanks to the VA Film Fest, volunteers and those who attended our screening.
Most importantly, Thank You to all who have served and continue to serve us.
WOUNDED WARRIORS’ RESILIENCE
A short documentary film about the extraordinary sacrifice and inspiring resilience of brave American men and women in uniform who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, been wounded, and are role models of the human capacity to overcome adversity.
Directed by Jay Lavender, Produced by Col. Randall Larsen (Ret) & Jay Lavender & Dickie Morris for NSPYR • GoodBlood in association with Wounded Warrior Project. Executive Produced by Stephen Flynn & Sean Burke with generous support from Talisman Energy. The film premiered on September 8th at the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit: Remembrance, Renewal, Resilience at the Newseum in Washington, DC.
The Summit kicked off a national movement to foster community and national resilience in the face of future crises. Visit Road2Resilience.org to join the campaign to build a more resilient world.
It was an absolute honor to meet our Warriors and help share their stories. We enjoy the freedom of working to make a living as storytellers thanks to the men and women who risk their lives protecting our nation…
In WOUNDED WARRIORS’ RESILIENCE we attempt to shine a light on our Warriors that reflects our immense gratitude for their service & sacrifices.
Fueled By NSPYR: GoodBlood
We’ve created GoodBlood as an arm of NSPYR to celebrate real heroes.
Inspired by our family, friends, neighbors & coworkers who dedicate their lives—even risk their lives—to protect, serve & heal us…
We’re finishing up our first few projects—including the short inspiring documentary Wounded Warriors’ Resilience premiering at the Newseum in Washington, DC—and will be sharing them soon…
Thank You to all who have served and continue to serve us!
CALL FOR STORIES: WOUNDED WARRIORS Tribute Documentary for the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit
(photo by Dickie Morris @ Middletown, RI Fire Dept. September 11th, 2010)
NSPYR has been commissioned to film a short documentary that honors Wounded Warriors who enlisted following 9/11 and celebrates their resilience while recovering from injuries.
The Wounded Warriors Tribute will premiere on September 8th, 2011 at the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit at the Newseum in Washington, DC.
We are looking for Warriors interested in being filmed at work, home, rehab & play as well as Warriors willing to share their stories with us…
If you or a loved one is a Warrior and interested, please read more…
The Vasseghi Family Story & NSPYR’s Trip Around The World
Thanks to you reading and sharing www.NSPYR.com we’ve been viewed in 54 countries on 6 continents and all 50 states in the USA!
We’ve photographed our next three stories and are writing away. We’re also working on a short documentary for the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit that we’ll share more about soon. For updates, follow NSPYR on Facebook & Twitter.
Until then, here’s a behind-the-scenes pic from our day with The Vasseghis last fall. Dickie wanted some reflected lighting while shooting and put me to work…
That’s the giant commemorative Mega Millions check providing the bounce!
Thank You Collegiate School in Richmond, VA!
One of our goals when creating NSPYR was to share our stories and experiences in-person with people we met online.
This came to fruition last month when Debbie Miller at Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia invited us to share the spirit of NSPYR with the entire middle school. We were introduced to Collegiate by middle schooler Peyton Lyons, who followed our journey last year up Kilimanjaro with Summit on the Summit. Peyton’s Mom and accomplished photographer, Patricia Lyons, has worked several events over the years with NSPYR’s Dickie Morris and she connected us with Peyton via email after the climb.
Patricia kindly summed up the morning at Collegiate…
Thank You & What’s Next
We started NSPYR.com a few weeks ago by posting The Vasseghi Family Story: Love, Luck & a 175 Million-to-1 Jackpot and emailing the link to some friends…
Since then, we’ve been viewed in 31 countries across 6 continents and every state in the USA except for Alaska, Mississippi & West Virginia!
From a 7th grader in Virginia to a high-schooler in South Africa…from a banker in Philadelphia to the head coach of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks…from Moms & Grandmothers to Dads & Grandfathers…we’ve received wonderful & touching messages sharing your heartfelt responses to our first story.
THE VASSEGHI FAMILY STORY: Love, Luck & a 175 Million-to-1 Jackpot
By Jay Lavender with photos by Dickie Morris
“It’s like playing the lottery. The saying, ‘You can’t win if you don’t play’ is a worn cliché that continues to be true. Even though the odds for your winning the lottery are minuscule at best, one fact prevails: Every single winning lottery ticket has come as the result of a proactive measure taken. Whether it’s a group’s weekly purchase or simply an extra buck spent on a single ticket at your local convenience store, that action was rewarded with a winning ticket. You have to be prepared to take advantage of luck when it presents itself to you. It may take major effort on your part, or it may be as simple as buying one lottery ticket, but when you nurture an optimistic and hopeful heart, you can maximize that luck and often create your own.”
- Sourena Vasseghi
Love Your Life and It Will Love You Back, page 75 (2007)
Welcome To NSPYR
There’s never been a better time in human history to be a storyteller…
More of us on the planet. More ways to connect.
More ways to share our stories.
I’ve been fortunate to spend the past 11 years earning my living telling stories. Now I want to help you tell yours.