Wednesday Women: Roma Downey's PURPOSE - make things that inspire or elevate

@RealRomaDowney

Last week I attended the Variety PURPOSE Summit: One of my favorite events to cover as a journalist and documentarian - partly because it's about creating better Family Programing but also because everyone that attends is really nice. Seriously. And the Keynote Conversation with Roma Downey was perfect to highlight in my Wednesday Women of the World blog post.

For the fourth year in a row in association with Rogers & Cowan, Variety's PURPOSE: The Family Entertainment & Faith-Based Summit dedicated to the growth of family entertainment.  

PURPOSE features leaders at studios, networks, digital media, and brands who are succeeding in the family and faith-based entertainment space. Storytelling innovators also shared what content is best connecting with today’s audiences and key industry leaders discussed various upcoming projects and their involvement in the Family & Faith markets.

This year the Keynote Conversation was with Roma Downey and her husband, producer Mark Burnett. If you're not familiar with this team - they are doing some pretty amazing work. 

Below are a few quotes I tweeted last week from the PURPOSE Summit that sums up this couple perfectly. 

"Love is a verb. You have to do something. We decided to take our celebrity and reach out and do something. We try to choose smart things. You have to really dream big. Be bold and be willing to trip." 

"Everything begins with intention. We do have a bias toward family and stories that shine a real light of positivity and love," Roma said about LightWorkers Media, their faith and family film and television production company. "We want to make things that inspire or elevate,"

Roma's latest project is "Answered Prayers" for TLC a show about modern day miracles and divine intervention. In Roma's words, "It's TV as a window into Hope."

And although TV and Film is what they are best known for – I wanted to highlight another aspect this power couple has been working on: Operation Smile - read on for more.

First a little background from wikipedia:

Roma Downey is a Northern Irish, British, actress and Emmy nominated producer from Londonderry. She played kind-hearted angel Monica on the American TV series Touched by an Angel, alongside Della Reese; they remained close friends after the series. Downey received two Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role on the show.

She was the executive producer of the television miniseries The Bible on the History channel, in which she also played the role of Mary. Roma and her husband Mark Burnett produced the movie version of the series, Son of God, which was released on February 28, 2014 it's sequel, A.D.: The Bible Continues, premiered on NBC Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015.  She is an author of three books for children and producer of the children's series, Little Angels.

BUT my favorite part of Roma's work is an ambassador for Operation Smile.

Today, Roma continues her role as a real-life angel by touching children's lives through her work as a spokesperson and Board of Governors member for Operation Smile.

In 2003, she traveled to Vietnam to take part in an Operation Smile international mission, where she met and fell in love with 2-year-old Son, born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. After helping the child through surgery, Downey was touched by the child's bravery. In February 2006, Downey traveled with Operation Smile to Honduras and met Madelein before she received surgery to repair her cleft lip.

At Operation Smile's Los Angeles fundraising gala in September 2006, Downey was reunited with Madelein. In March 2008, Downey traveled with her husband Mark Burnett and their three children to Amman, Jordan, to attend an Operation Smile medical mission as well as the opening ceremony of the Roma Downey Life Support Training Center.

The Training Center will provide local medical professionals with Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) training in accordance with Operation Smile's International Training Organization accreditation with the American Heart Association. Downey donated life support program equipment and books, as well as funds needed to support training programs for one year.

Roma's husband, Mark Burnett, known for pioneering reality television, joined his wife in February of 2006 on an Operation Smile medical mission in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and in 2008 in Amman, Jordan. He continues his support as a Smile Ambassador for Operation Smile.

More on OPERATION SMILE

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Linda Kruse

KRUSING AMERICA

Creator / Producer / Director

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Sunday Saying: "In life the things that go wrong are often the very things that lead to other things going right" – Arianna Huffington

Hangs next to my desk….

"In life the things that go wrong are often the very things that lead to other things going right."
Arianna Huffington

Please feel free to send any sayings or inspirational quotes my way.

CONNECT with us, JOIN the conversation and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel.

Thanks for reading.

Linda

Throwback Thursday: Recycling my closet

I had the pleasure of working on a crazy fun shoot this weekend that was a total Throwback! From the 1950's to the future and crazier still I had all the outfits!

It started with me wearing my grandmothers dress and apron from the 1950's with the milkman delivering milk. From a rocker dude pizza guy delivering pizza in the 1980's, to a paper boy smacking me in the head each morning with the paper and finally being attached by a drone - I had too much fun and very funny pictures to prove it.  Reminded me of all the crazy things my brothers and their friends would do. Soo much fun! Life has not been dull nor was this shoot! Great job guys! Thanks for including me in the antics. 

Watch the behind the scenes clips:

Chasing and being chased by a drone!

In the end…it all works out!  (One handed catch while drinking coffee, my brothers taught me well!)

Thanks for reading. 

xo

Linda 

Tuesday Travel: KRUSING AMERICA VIRGINIA PROMO...Where would you live if you could chose?

Where would you live if you could live anywhere? 

We would love to know where you would choose if you were KRUSING AMERICA.

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CLICK to watch KRUSING Virginia Promo & Subscribe

Sunday Saying: Cry a River….

I'm hoping to make the Sunday's posts quick notes of inspiration.  I just came across this one thanks to a new friend, Karla Cipriano …it certainly is now one of my favorites. 

Life seems to be more about "building a bridges" than almost anything else.

And today - I'm building a bridge to connect with all of you. If you have any favorite inspirational quotes or stories - please send them our way.

CONNECT with us, JOIN the conversation and SUBSCRIBE to our Channel.

Thank you! 
Linda

PRESS RELEASE: Krusing America creator Linda Kruse earns highest rating from DOVE Foundation

Press Release

Krusing America creator Linda Kruse earns highest rating from DOVE Foundation.  

Los Angeles, CA [PRWEB] March 18, 2015

Producer / Director / Creator, Linda Kruse earns the highly sought after title of; DOVE Approved Director, with a 5 DOVE Approval – the highest rating – for her family travel docu-series, KRUSING AMERICA.

THE DOVE FOUNDATION


For 24 years the Dove Foundation has encouraged the entertainment industry to create, produce and distribute more movies appropriate for family viewing. A non-profit foundation born out of a desire to help consumers identify movies and DVDs family's can enjoy together. The Dove Foundation has gained the respect of over 50 million Americans with wholesome entertainment. With it’s entertaining and educational adventure and now backed by the highest Dove rating, Krusing America is part of that prestigious collection of family-friendly entertainment.

KRUSING AMERICA

After spending most of his life outside the United States defending a country he’s never really lived in, where does a decorated 20-year US Army soldier, back from the War, go home to…if he’s never really had one? In this 6-part family travel documentary series, Lt. Colonel Victor Krus and his family travel the country in search of their home, sweet home.

     “It’s the story of an American hero without an American hometown”, said Linda Kruse, series creator and the sister of Lt. Colonel Krus.  "With the war coming to an end, no story resonates more than the story of coming home. I designed the series to offer a twist on the classic feeling of ‘coming home’. I started an online search for great places to live and it seems to have resonated with it's now growing 180,000 interactive online community. I couldn't be prouder," said series creator Linda Kruse. 

THE DOVE REVIEW

"Krusing America is an awesome two-disc set. The cinematography and landscapes are also terrific. You will enjoy this DVD and this family! We are happy to award this terrific docu-series five Doves, our highest rating. Travel with this family and re-live their journey!", Edwin L. Carpenter, Senior Reviewer at The Dove Foundation.
    “Getting the highest rating from the DOVE Foundation is an honor and certainly a great way to reach a larger family-friendly audience. Plus being a DOVE Approved Director has been one of my    professional goals. I just want to create work the whole family can enjoy," Linda said. 

LINDA KRUSE & ATTICUS PRODUCTIONS, INC.  

Linda Kruse is also the Owner / CEO of Atticus Productions, Inc. a production company producing projects all over the world that explore challenging, intriguing and sometimes controversial topics – all while definitively capturing real people and the worlds they live in. 
     “The look and feel of all of her work combines amazing HD images with engaging interviews woven into stories that are presented with a creative elegance that is Linda’s signature style. Krusing America reflects a vision that is both creative and comfortable, making Linda Kruse an emerging director worth watching. “ said Howard Benjamin, TV / Film Critic with The Interview Factory.

For Distribution inquiries contact Atticus Productions, Inc.  

linda@atticusproductions.tv or (818) 370-4649. 

What is Travel Tuesday?

Tuesdays are dedicated to Travel & Tourism and with a series like KRUSING AMERICA - 
I wanted to share what I learned from so many Tourism Bureaus, Travel Advisers and Travelers along the way. I hope to create a place where I can help you in your travels.  

We will find the best travel ideas & connections and post them here. But first –

According to Wikipedia - Travel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Travel is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations, and can involve travel by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, airplane, or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip.Travel can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.

PURPOSE & MOTIVATION to travel include 

• pleasure
• relaxation
• discovery and exploration
• getting to know other cultures
• and taking personal time for building interpersonal relationships

So my question is - what does travel mean to you? Where would you go if you could? 

CONNECT with us. JOIN the conversation. 

And we're still looking for the story that will be the next KRUSING AMERICA episode.
So please share.