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Inspirational Film Maker Eric Saperston to Speak at SLAM
by Yonatan Arnold
Saperston and his film
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The founder and chief creative officer of Journey Productions, Eric Saperston, is coming to Mars Hill College on April 9 as the keynote speaker for the Second Annual Student Liberal Arts Mosaic (SLAM).
Saperston was born in Chicago and lived there until he was about the age of 10. His family then moved to San Diego, California. This is where he was raised. In 1994 he got his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Communication from San Diego State University.
Soon after college Saperston bought a 1971 Volkswagon Bus. He left his work at a ski resort in Aspen, Colorado, and headed across the country to visit his parents in Florida. A mentor of his suggested that he make the trip more meaningful, so he decided to talk to people about what makes success and happiness
Accompanied by his Golden Retriever named Jack, Saperston now started a journey that would help define his future and his search for many of life's questions -- questions like: Why am I here? How can I find happiness? What is success? His quest soon became much bigger then he ever had imagined.
He used pay phones in rest areas to call the most successful people in the world. His mission was to "to take the most powerful people in the world out for coffee."
At first he didn't have a lot of luck. But when he got to Atlanta, things turned around. He met Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot, and that led to other encounters. Soon he was talking to people from all walks of life -- writers, artists, and activists, as well as CEOs of big-time companies such as UPS and Coca-Cola. He simply asked if they would join him for coffee and an inspirational talk, as it is described on Journeythefilm.com.
As he went across the country from Atlanta, Georgia to Seattle, Washington, three other people quit their jobs and joined him to find out what life is all about: Dave Murcott, Paige O'Brien and Kathleen Kelly. They bought a camcorder and interviewed more than "200 of the world's most passionate and successful thinkers, leaders, and doers" in search of wisdom and inspiration.
They got over 500 hours of interviews. After they had worked on the project for three years, Walt Disney Studios offered Saperston a deal to develop a film. He gathered all of his footage and produced what became "The Journey."
"The Journey" has won six major film awards. The first was at the twenty-fifth Annual Atlanta Film and Video Festival, where it took the Audience Choice Award. Eric Saperston has appeared on countless shows such as The Today Show and CNN, and has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and countless others.
His message is about inspiration and, as he says, "Don't take no for an answer." When he comes to Mars Hill College on April 9, he will bring his questions and answers from his "journey." He will bring a message of self-determination and that laugher is always needed. Eric Saperston says on his web site to ""Never underestimate the power of the individual. If you think something small cannot make a difference, try falling asleep with a mosquito in your tent."
For more on "The Journey" and Saperston go to: http://www.thejourneyfilm.com
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