Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.”

As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4-years-old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was “sub-normal,” and one of his teachers described him as “mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in foolish dreams.”

He was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School.

He did eventually learn to speak and read. Even to do a little math.

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade.

He was subsequently defeated in every election for public office until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62.

He later wrote, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never -in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up.’’

Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.

Henry Ford could not read nor write, failed and went broke five times in business before he succeeded.

Sunscreen Film Festival - Grab Your Camcorder and Become a Filmmaker

Clearwater FL, December 12, 2008 - The Sunscreen Film Festival Film School has announced a brand new program for new and existing film makers. It will cover the process of making a film from concept to public screening.

"Technology is democratizing film making," said Tony Armer, director of the Festival. "Anyone with an off-the-shelf video camera and a PC editing program can come up with a pretty entertaining film. Just look at YouTube. We want to help people learn and enjoy the collaborative art of making films."

Armer added that the course is available to all. No prior experience is necessar. Additionally, it's geared to use equipment readily available to anyone at reasonable prices.

What Brings $521,300,000 to Tampa Bay?

Tampa Bay FL, March 2008 - Tourism…the Port…Phosphate…Citrus…Construction…These are some of the industries that come to mind when we think about the ones that contribute significantly to our local economy. It is time to add a new industry to that list, an industry that brings over $521.3 million annually to our region. Not only does this industry pump a significant amount of money into our local economy, it provides a diversity of benefits to add to the quality of life in Tampa Bay.

This major industry is THE ARTS. The Tampa Bay Business Committee for the Arts, Inc. (“TBBCA”) recently announced the results of a professional study of the economic impact of the arts in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. This is the first measure of arts impact on the two counties since the original joint study conducted in 1999. The report was sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and conducted by the PwC Sports, Convention and Leisure Practice.

Take Two…Awards at the 48 Hour Film Project

Tampa-St. Petersburg

According to their website “The 48 Hour Film Project” (48HFP) is a wild and sleepless weekend in which you and a team make a movie—write, shoot, edit and score it—in just 48 hours.

I have just seen one of the most artistically and musically expressive films in a long time, "August Rush".

In the film, music is boldly exemplified as the non-physical or spiritual force that unites a separated family…music itself becomes the main story-line here, the backdrop being the relentless search for a boy who has never met his Mom and Dad, and the reunion of those parents.

I was reminded, upon seeing this film, of my own sense of purpose for ever walking out on a stage to entertain audiences throughout my many years of performing and producing music and theater. My purpose re-ignited.

Key word is “purpose”. Surely every performing, literary or fine artist with any sense of integrity to his public in giving a performance or creating an art form, carries their purpose with them.

An artist “gives” a performance or creates an effect through his art …and it is so vitally valuable that these gifts carry the purpose of unburdening or dissolving the most stressful and negatively-impacted elements of our society and uplift the individual recipient.