No Legs. No Arms.

Overcoming the adversity donkey

by Steve Kayser, Editor - Expert Access

The mission of Expert Access is to provide objective, business-critical strategies, innovations and actionable ideas to the 25,000 subscribers worldwide. Our readers range from CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, senior-line business managers, programmers, technology users, industry analysts, educators, systems integrators, engineers, entrepreneurs, geeks and my 90-year-old grandmother (who is also an annoyingly proficient geek). So what does a human-interest story and interview on overcoming adversity have to do with the mission?

Nothing.

Everything.

Uh-oh.

Typical Steve.

Hold tight and I’ll explain. This is not the intellectual treatise normally associated with a “ Shoot the Donkey” I or II interview. However, it does pertain to the Shoot the Donkey Key Principle of:

"Taking decisive action to remove all obstacles to success."

We’ll get back on track next issue.

The Life of Business and the Business of Life

To win at business or life, adversity has to be encountered, faced, fought and defeated. There is no other way. No options. You either beat it, or it beats you. Win, or you lose.

Simple. Right?

No.

The interview that follows is not for the squeamish, nor the faint of heart. It’s graphic, sometimes accidentally humorous, and hopefully, inspirational. Not just for your current position (whatever that may be) in the life of business, but also … in the business of life.

But first …

Several years ago I was turned down for the CEO position at a well-known hosiery company. Now granted, I didn’t have much (any) experience in the creation, production, marketing, sales or distribution supply chain of the hosiery industry, but being of the gender I am, I was quite certain I could articulate the benefits and unique selling proposition (USP) of the product in a compelling and profitable way.

Upon rejection (there was some confusion upon my departure. The mistaken impression that I was ejected from the premises may have been surmised had one been watching), I forlornly began wandering the streets of Cincinnati, with my head drooped just about level with my navel.

Walking like this has some disadvantages. Clarity of vision is one. I ran into something hard, looked up, and before me was … an apparition, an event, a pre-destined meeting, a saint.

A woman in a wheelchair.

But Steve, you say to yourself, that’s not terribly uncommon. A little melodramatic aren’t you?

No.

She had no legs.

And …

No arms.

She controlled the operation of her motorized wheelchair by blowing through a tube.

I was humbled. Dropped low. Deep. My problems were now nothing but a smashed proton in the unfathomable singularity of a black hole.

She was navigating the sidewalks of Cincinnati by herself.

Alone.

To educate people unfamiliar with Cincinnati on how daunting a task this could be, Cincinnati sidewalks were built before sidewalks had been imagined and possibly even before the invention of the wheel. A rut in the sidewalk is typically referred to as an “improvement.”

Cincinnati Sidewalk Improvement

I saw her get ready to enter a building and leapt forward to open the door. As I did, she spoke, my apparition, my saint, with an angelic voice.

“Hey, Bozo, what do you think I am some useless quadriplegic?” she said.

I guess even saints have rough days.

Term of Endearment

I considered the reference to me as “Bozo (the clown)” as a term of endearment.

Why?

My face had turned absolute white, my nose vivid red, my hair popped out like a bad 70’s Afro (I used to have a good 70’s Afro … I know the difference).

“I’m sorry, I was just trying to help.”

“You want to help?    Get in here and buy something.”

She was the owner of the shop.

And, in one of those weird synchronicities not fully explained, but hinted at in Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, she sold, you guessed it, women’s apparel. Mostly hosiery.

Her name was Antonia Maria, and that’s all the personal history I ever extracted from her.

Market Research

I was so overwhelmed, humbled, and awed at the obvious obstacles and adversity that Antonia Maria was overcoming daily, if not nanosecond-by-nanosecond, that I bought 37 pair of every imaginable type of hosiery (under the guise of real-time market research for my next hosiery CEO job application).

Her eyebrows arched a bit (well, maybe more than a bit) when I piled them up on the counter.

And, with my usual sophisticated schmoozing aplomb

I explained I had an extended family.

“Lots of females,” said I.

For nearly a year, once a week, I stopped by her shop and bought hose. We became Forrest and Bubba Gump-ette close.

“Hey Bozo.”

“Hey Antonia Maria.”

Each visit was an inspiration. A lifting up, not sad, not melancholy, but a moving, life-affirming, sharing of the human spirit and journey. To trek through this world as she did, daily overcoming the obstacles (physical, economic and social) and adversity she faced … was truly amazing.

Occasionally she’d catch me in a mathematical obfuscation.

“How many females in your extended family?”

“28.”

“Was 25 last week.”

“Newborns … you know, the woman thing.”

Right Thing. Right Time.

In addition, she was quite the enterprising entrepreneur, having an in-depth, innate grasp of contextual marketing concepts. Antonia Maria had the incredible knack of saying the right thing, at the right time, to the right person, to move them deep into the buying cycle.

“I’m guessing you’ll need a few extra pair of hose this week then?”

I nodded.

I Am Rude and Dumb

I am rude and dumb. Yes, I admit. I could not, often times, refrain from staring at her when I felt she wasn’t looking. I wondered how she did it.

How she coped.

How she smiled.

How she woke each day and got out of bed to go to work.

And a million other “hows” that crossed my misfiring neurons.

Then, it was over.

She disappeared.

Her shop closed. No signs. No explanations. No forwarding address. I inquired, but no one knew anything. I hesitated to do any extensive investigation for fear of what I might learn.

The Eyes Have It

It’s said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. If that’s true, Antonia Maria’s soul was on fire. Her iridescent brown-green eyes absorbed and expressed life. Faith. Spirit. Strength. Hope.

To this very moment, I remember everything about Antonia Maria. Everything so incredibly resilient, hopeful, happy, glad and beautiful she ever said.

How did she do it?

I don’t know.

I’m not smart enough to answer that.  Never will be.

I couldn’t do it.

I do know that she had a vigorous life-affirming charismatic spirit that shone through all her adversities. She had a heart wider than the Grand Canyon that would take on any issue with uncharacteristic straight-forwardness. And …

Never

Not once, let me repeat this, not once, did she ever complain about … or for that matter even explain, her physical condition.

If I had to guess how she did it?

Spirit. Heart. Guts. Faith … and life-enabling technologies.

The technological marvels wrought by industry research, development, application and availability that enabled Antonia Maria to face, fight, defeat and triumph over her physical obstacles were, unless you actually saw it, almost ineffable. Every person and company associated, in any way, with these technological donkey- shooting, life-enabling wonders, epitomizes the oft-quoted lines:

Time passed.

Eventually our relationship had a downside that ultimately gave me the opportunity and skills to overcome an adverse moment in life. Last month, my grandmother, sister, daughter and aunt were rummaging through my basement workshop for “yard sale” items.

They found 2,093 pair of hose. 

When confronted by this gathering storm of frumpettes, I quickly used my marketing abilities to “reposition” this disturbing find and utilized a UES (Unique Explanation Statement) touting the find as in-depth “market-research.”

This was supposed to overcome the obstacle of false impression embedded in their minds.

It failed. Utterly.

Miserably.

Only one supporter swallowed the UES - my dog, Tolstoy.

(Named so not because he looks like Tolstoy, but because he always backs me during war or peace … provided he receives his weekly stipend of Scooby snacks.)

But being the absolute ruler and king of the castle, I decided to imperiously tell them to mind their own business.

Lunch anyone?

That didn’t work either. No go.

 Takes

So, I confronted this impending doom of an adverse moment, and took decisive action. I grabbed the donkey by the horns and used a tried-and-true Venture Capitalist tactic.

It worked.

The tactic?

  The Exit Strategy.

Preacher's-kid-turned-preacher-turned-writer-turned-producer interview.

What if every time you moved, your skin snapped, popped, cracked, crinkled and rippled loud enough to make those around you wince? And, your body was so wracked from pain caused by a crushing auto accident that you had to have a morphine pump embedded into your stomach just to function on a semi-human level again? And you had lost your job, had to move, and your two kids were about to start college?

Wouldn’t that be the perfect time to start a new business? Does it get any better than that?

Let me introduce you to a very special person. You may have read his newspaper column, you may have read one of his books, or, you may have never heard of him. But if you haven’t, you will soon.

This person has overcome adversity, obstacles and physical disabilities, in pursuit of a dream, and steadfastly refuses to quit. Just keeps plugging away, day-by-day, putting one foot in front of another and guess what?

Something truly magical happened. And is still.

A person that Mike Farrell, best known for his role as B.J. Honeycutt in the much beloved television series, "MASH," says of, “His work ... offers exciting possibilities for those of us interested in developing and producing motion pictures with positive messages and life-affirming themes.”

A person that Rev. Bob (Bernard R.) Bonnot, Senior Vice-President for Special Programming of The Hallmark Channel says of, “is a good storyteller, a good writer and a good human being.”

Meet John Tuft ... John is a widely experienced writer as well as a skilled motivator of people from different backgrounds. He has a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.S. Ed. in counseling from Duquesne University, and a M.A. from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Religion/Pastoral Counseling.

John wrote a popular newspaper column near Pittsburgh for 10 years, which became the basis for his first nonfiction book in 1992, Mark My Words. His first novel, Even the Darkness, was published in 1994, and he teamed with producer and screenwriter, Tim Wells, to create a script adapted from the book. John has also worked as a creative consultant for Guidepost Books (true stories of hope and inspiration), as well as Thomas Nelson Publishers - the seventh-largest publishing company in the US.

STEVE: Preacher's-kid-turned-preacher-turned-writer-turned-producer – 1.) How do you get that on a business card, and 2.) How did this journey begin?

JOHN: 1.) The business card is my website 2.) And, as so often happens, a teacher had a major impact on my life.  After I finished college, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do and sought out the advice of a favorite teacher, the kind who makes you work harder than you thought you could ever work, and you end up thanking them. This scholar suggested going to seminary to continue to "learn how to learn" in a professional setting, one that would make use of my creative ability and my interest in helping others.

STEVE: Preacher to writer?

JOHN: I grew up reading, reading, reading. My father used to take a half hour a day with one of us, seven kids, seven days, and we could do what we wanted with him. My usual choice was to have him read. It’s ingrained in me now - language, words, scenes and characters, all of it. My favorite part of being a minister was writing my sermon each week. They were well received because I write like I talk, and I told stories mostly. People responded.

JOHN: Then I heard about a two-day writer’s seminar at my alma mater, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.  We were allowed to submit one piece ahead of time to the retired editor conducting the seminar.  I sent in a sermon that was really a short story.  He wrote back and told me to turn it into a novel.  He’d read the chapters as I wrote them and coach me along the way. 

STEVE: And this later lead to?

JOHN: Hard work. Writing isn’t easy. I practiced my craft by writing a general and human-interest newspaper column for over 10 years.  I started by simply walking into the office of a small weekly paper in West Virginia with two sample columns and was hired on the spot.  To work for free.  Luckily I kept my day job as minister of the local Presbyterian Church. 

JOHN: Then, I sent out sample columns to several papers and ended up writing the column for two papers, and this time, was paid for them.  I was now a professional writer.  Over 100,000 readers followed my column.

STEVE: These columns eventually lead to …

JOHN: My first book, Mark My Words. It wove together my columns and short stories to create an inspirational trade paperback, which led to invitations to do inspirational speaking for several organizations.  My second book, a novel, Even the Darkness, was published in 1994.  It is about a fish-out-of-water pastor of a small church in West Virginia, who must confront his own doubts as he deals with life-and-death issues.

STEVE: But, we have left something out …

JOHN: Yes.

STEVE: The accident.

JOHN: My life has been greatly affected by an automobile accident that happened in 1984. After numerous back, and other surgeries, along with life-threatening complications, I live with severe chronic pain. But now, I come equipped with a really nifty morphine pump embedded in my stomach that handles it quite well. See … the self-service concept (as with gas stations) has even made it into the medical world.

STEVE: Nifty morphine pump?

JOHN: Yes - before I received it I had to give myself shots of some awful, and extremely addictive, narcotic.  Left me spaced out.  With the pump, and a catheter from it directly into my spinal cord, I have no side effects.  I went from walking with a cane, not driving, not sleeping, no life, to now starting my own production company, and looking forward to all the rigors of that.  It sits inside my abdomen, and a catheter runs around my side, internally, and into my spinal cord, right above where they did all the surgeries.  A doctor refills it about every three months with a long needle.  They stick it through my skin, search around for the pump’s port, and draw out any old drug and put in a new batch.  It gave me back my life.

STEVE: I had my first and only experience with morphine this summer. My appendix ruptured. Or for you "techies," out there “My appendix did an unplanned and costly migration from the human mainframe.” Morphine certainly did stop the pain. Immediately. And, it had the added benefit of making me extremely funny. Or so it seemed. The doctors and nurses certainly seemed to think I was a riot.

JOHN: Your experience sounds absolutely terrifying.

STEVE: It was, until they downloaded the morphine.

JOHN: I had a spell in 1987 when there was an infection next to my spinal cord after one of the surgeries and I was hospitalized.  Morphine directly by IV.  Whoa, I was incapacitated by it. In crazy pain.  My wife had to go to the other end of the hospital hallway whenever they wanted to move me because of my awful screaming.

STEVE: Mine screamed too. Isn’t that an amazing coincidence? She made the mistake of driving me to the hospital.  Driving to the hospital someone that has a rupturing appendix is an experience. She thought I was possessed. I could speak in 57 languages … at once - and even throw my voice into the trunk. By the time we got there, she was so distraught the emergency room personnel rushed to her side. But fortunately, I collapsed at the entrance and garnered their attention. Anyway, onto your incredible journey.

JOHN: Okay.

STEVE: In the Dark Night of the Soul, what was your bottom? I know “bottom” is a complicated thing. Sometimes finding the bottom and knowing that you’ve hit bottom are two totally different things.

JOHN: Good point. I think the bottom came when a good friend of ours, a 33-year-old woman, was dying from brain cancer.  Near the end, I drove out to her house every day and stayed late into the night with the family.  I was in agony.  A hospice nurse suggested I ask my doctor for injectable pain medication.  It got me through her funeral.  But the stuff was so addicting, so powerful.  As soon as it would start to leave my body, I’d be feeling sick, wondering if I had enough left in the bottle to make it to the next prescription.  I felt like a junkie.  Fortunately, later, it was that experience which later led to getting the pump, which gives me no side effects.

Then I had four surgeries on my lower back, and one fusion of my cervical spine.  An infection started right next to my spinal cord.  We had just moved to Pittsburgh, where I was the new minister of a larger church.  But there I was, laying in the hospital for close to three weeks with shots of morphine every four hours directly into my vein.

I lost my new job.  We had to move.  Again. I faced months of agonizing physical therapy.  The worst.  The infection created so much scar tissue around the nerve roots in my lower back that I was in constant pain.  A year later, when I felt reasonably human again, I tried to get a job.  I sent out my resume to over 200 churches and counseling centers.  They all said no.

JOHN: But enough of that. Good things happened.  I learned about life from the other side, I call it.  The other side of health, work, self-image. I learned to adapt and make peace with my body. That battle is not over, but I’ve come a long way.

STEVE: Then some amazing things began happening, didn’t they? Let’s talk about the Rwanda genocide.

JOHN: Yes. Five years ago I was on permanent disability and stuck in my writing. The director of a nonprofit organization I knew had won a prestigious award in New York for a radio interview he’d done with a nurse who’d lived in Rwanda before the genocide, and had written a book about going back to search for her husband seven months later.  The director was a fan of my columns and books.  In March of 1998, he invited me out to lunch and proposed hiring me as a consultant to read the book written by the subject of that interview and determine if it could be made into a movie.

STEVE: Does he hire people to read books often? I have time on the weekends.

JOHN: (Nervous chuckle) I said yes. I was sent to London to talk to the writer, a nurse from Scotland.  I'd never been out of the USA before! Then I was sent to La-La Land (LA) for a pitch meeting with Mike Farrell.

STEVE: Pitch meeting? In your condition? Had you even played baseball in a while?

JOHN: Uhmmm, not baseball. I had no idea what a “pitch” was.  I simply talked for 20 minutes about what kind of story I thought I could write. I'd never written a script before.  Mike agreed on the spot to be Executive Producer.

STEVE: That had to be an amazing moment in your life. What was going through your head?

JOHN: Really? Don’t screw this up. Then, if this is a dream, please don’t wake me up.  Actually, I was very impressed with Mike and was excited at the opportunity to work with him.  Little old me, making a movie with somebody I’d seen hundreds of times on my television!

STEVE: What happened next?

JOHN: Then I went to New York, another first, and signed with an entertainment attorney who worked with a lot of independents. But remember, I still needed to learn the craft of screenwriting. I begged money from everyone in my family to spend 10 weeks in LA going to writing groups three nights a week.  Had another first, spending time on the set of "Providence," which moved from a warehouse beside Van Nuys airport to rented space on Sunset, to the lot of Universal. In the 18 months of trips out to LA, I first worked with a writing mentor recommended by Mike, Joe Bratcher.  After I learned the basics from Joe, I worked exclusively with Mike until we had gone through nine drafts.  We worked either in his office or in his trailer on the set.  Finished it in July 2000.

STEVE: So to remove the obstacle of not knowing how a script was written or filmed, you took decisive action – the key Shoot the Donkey principle by flying out, at your own expense and working for free?

JOHN: Yes.

STEVE: Next question. Does your wife have access to firearms?

JOHN: There’ve been times I’m sure she wished she did.

STEVE: No doubt.

JOHN: But then an amazing thing happened.  Mike contacted the people who hired me to say he wanted me to be a producer on the movie since I had worked so hard and was eager to learn the whole filmmaking process. Next thing I know I'm signing a low-six against mid-six figure contract.

STEVE: Low-six against mid-six contract?

JOHN: Six figures, as in dollars. Hundreds of thousands.

STEVE: Writers don’t make much these days do they? What an insult!

JOHN: And then I get a copy of the budget, find out I'm going to be paid more than I would make in three years to work as a producer.

STEVE: Three years? As in three (3) years? Or is that counting by 2s?

JOHN: Yes. Three years. Plus have all of my expenses paid for to spend 22 weeks in South Africa AND receive three screen credits, "story by,” "screenwriter" and "producer.”

STEVE: And all this, although you were an accomplished writer, you had never written a screenplay? A screenplay and novel are vastly different formats.

JOHN: Absolutely.

STEVE: But not knowing what you couldn’t do led you to doing what you didn’t know you couldn’t do? (That sentence breaks all rules of logic and grammatical construction.)

JOHN: You’re quite the discombobulator. I take it you are saying, forget not knowing. Learn. Learn. Learn. And you’re right. Remember? Learn to learn … I set out to write the screenplay, green and wet behind the ears.

STEVE: Let’s talk a little about the business side. I suspect you had some rude awakenings?

JOHN: Yes. This is a business where so much information is passed by word of mouth. Your name, your reputation is gold. While searching for money for one of our current projects, someone I've known for years arranged for me to take Mike Farrell to a meeting with a representative of one of the world's biggest foundations set up by the owner of one of the largest mutual funds in the world.

STEVE: Do you keep falling into success – or are you just on a hot streak?

JOHN: Let me finish the story. The guy was a complete idiot. He presumed to tell Mike, who got the Patch Adams movie going as a producer, (one of the all-time highest-grossing comedies … over two hundred million dollars) how to make a movie! And he insisted that I had to run the script through a script consultant’s hands before he would ever pass it on to the foundation - a script Mike and I had spent a year on getting just right, since he is going to direct. I was mortified.

Fortunately, Mike knew me well enough to know I hadn't seen this guy coming and relied on someone else's word, and he shrugged it off. It was a case of a little man being a tiny cog in a big wheel, but acting like he invented the wheel."

STEVE: Something good came out of this?

JOHN: Yes. Long story short, I'm now in direct contact with the man who started the foundation himself. Best of all, Mike wants to continue to collaborate with me (he put it in writing to include in my business plan) because I listened to direction, stayed true to myself, and acted like a "terrier" (his words) going after the money.

STEVE: I’ve been called a dog myself on occasion – but never with positive connotations. Let me ask you a writing question. Most people think writing a novel and writing a script are similar. You’re trying to communicate a message to the audience, who, hopefully will pay for it. This is, in effect, exactly what any good business tries to do, communicate their unique value proposition to acquire and retain customers. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?

JOHN: Yes. It is similar, isn’t it? A screenplay is a completely different beast than writing a novel. Fortunately, I had two very kind and patient teachers. First was Joe Bratcher, a writing mentor in Sherman Oaks, CA. He got me through the first few drafts (without laughing too hard at my efforts) then he sent me on to Mike Farrell, who had agreed to be Executive Producer and Director. Well, I had been used to writing novels, where you get to go inside the characters' heads. Mike Farrell practically had to beat me on the head through nine drafts until I learned that key part of the craft. He also kept cutting out parts of my opening until it was gone! It felt like I was ripping my own heart out. Then he said, now start the story. Get the lead on her way to Africa by the second page. And I did. Less is more.

STEVE: Tell me about Rwanda. How has it affected your life?

JOHN: There is “Before” I wrote about Rwanda and there is “After” I wrote about Rwanda.  2004 will mark ten years since it all happened.  I’m hoping to have the movie out by then so we’ll at least remember all those killed in that genocide one time during our lives. As I mentioned, it takes place mainly in Rwanda.  An American nurse leaves her home and job in the US to go and rebuild a health care clinic in a rural village.  She’s driven, passionate, dedicated, stubborn and terribly naive about the political situation.  As were, and are, most Americans.  In 1994, over 800,000 people were slaughtered.  Mainly with picks and axes, and machetes.  Neighbor against neighbor.  And because of what had happened in Somalia, (you can see that in the movie Black Hawk Down), the United States and the UN didn’t want to call it genocide because we are obligated by treaty to go in and stop genocide.  So we had this absurd situation where Clinton administration officials were going through all kinds of verbal gymnastics to avoid using the word “genocide.” But that’s what it was.

Steve: Words are funny things aren’t they? They can lift up. Or smash down. Inspire greatness or cover madness. And so malleable.

JOHN: Absolutely. But don’t misunderstand me. The movie is not just a recounting of the genocide. It is a love story, and the story of this woman’s awakening. She makes friends of many Rwandans who are killed later. She is loved, and falls in love, with a Rwandan teacher, who sacrifices his life in order to save hers.

And I felt somebody needed to speak for all those dead. It crushed me, physically and mentally and spiritually. I struggled to convert from writing novels and local newspaper columns to screenwriting.

STEVE: But you were determined, persevered and were persistent.

JOHN: Is there any other option? When you need to speak for the dead?

JOHN: I spent a lot of lonely nights at my desk in the corner of the basement weeping over what I’d learned about Rwanda.  You understand that don’t you? You told me you cried once when you were coaching basketball and you had a little deaf boy trying to play. You knew the tremendous obstacles and adversity he would always face because of his condition.

STEVE: Hmm. You must have me confused with some other Steve. In the Jewel of the Midwest, Cincinnati, typical Steve-like men don’t cry. They may “Mist” occasionally, but they don’t really cry. Unless of course, they’re fans of our semi-professional football team, the Cincinnati Bengals.

JOHN: I could’ve swore it was …

STEVE: Okay, we must move on. What kind of financing is involved in a project like this?

JOHN: Our production budget is $15 million now so I'll have to make it go as far as I can.  Mike's main concern is having the highest production values.  We want it to look great on the screen.

STEVE: $15 million just doesn’t buy you what it used to. I know. I have teenage boys with cars. My insurance payment is more than my house payment. How are you keeping the costs down?

JOHN: One word. Outsourcing. In order to hold down costs, my company will contract with outside sources for work such as postproduction, advertising and marketing, accounting and legal services.

STEVE: What makes your new company, StoryGuide, different?

JOHN: We want to tell stories that make a difference, stories that empower and enrich the audience. We feel strongly that part of our responsibility in creating and marketing such stories is to demonstrate our own willingness to work for change and to break down barriers. My goal is to assist those who face the barriers, obstacles, and prejudices of age, race, sex, culture, and disability to overcome and realize their own goals. Just as I struggle daily with the disability of constant severe pain for the past 19 years, I know what it’s like to have the talent and the drive, but constantly come up against closed doors.

STEVE: Anything else?

JOHN: Yes, actually, at the risk of self-promotion …

STEVE: That’s a shameless trait. I never do it. More than once a day.

JOHN: (Laughs) You’re a somewhat happy fellow aren’t you?

STEVE: Strange you should pick up on that. My friends have repeatedly told me I epitomize a world-famous philosopher’s adage:

“My Life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?”

- Charles Schulz

STEVE: Okay, let’s see, anything else?

JOHN: First, I’m not a businessman. I am a man learning the business in order to achieve my goals. Yes, a percentage of our profits will be designated for use in the greater community at large through organizations such as Multi Family Initiatives, a non profit company that brings health care services onsite in housing for those of low income or the elderly. Also, since we are making films for worldwide distribution, and from different cultures, as well as our own, that means participating in working for the betterment of life in cultures of less opportunity.

STEVE: Future plans?

JOHN: I want to expand StoryGuide through the acquisition of small companies that fit our needs. Companies that will give us flexibility to write and produce movies we can sell and distribute ourselves to customers who are already clamoring for more American-made movies and programs.  I’d like to capitalize on that and show them that we do care, we do want to get to know them, that good storytelling is good storytelling the world over. And … to do it profitably.

STEVE: How has all of this, this strange journey, the accident, changed your perspective on life?

JOHN: It’s for living. Not waiting for it to begin, but deciding how to live.  And doing it.  Not focusing solely on a career.  It’s for learning to love.  That’s the biggest lesson I would wish on anyone.  We all want love, but we don’t give ourselves the time or energy to learn how to love.

STEVE: What’s the one thing you could say to someone struggling with adversity and obstacles right now, that would lift their spirits, inspire them onward and upward?

JOHN: Simple. It’s one thing, but has many intricately interwoven facets. Believe in your dream or it won't happen. Breathe your dream or it won’t happen. Work your dream or it won’t happen. Never quit, even when the pain makes your mind and body writhe. Never quit from ridicule. Never quit because of age, sex, race or creed. Most of all, never quit your dream. It can be for real. It does happen ... it happened to me.

STEVE: And is still.

JOHN: Yes.

STEVE: Thanks, John.

Normally I would add some pithy analogy, summary, conclusion or otherwise effervescent display of intellectual gravitas.

I can’t.

So … I will.

About John Tuft: John is currently in pre-production and completing financing for "While God Was Sleeping," a love story set amidst the genocide in Rwanda. It will be produced and directed by Mike Farrell and written and co-produced by John Tuft. If you have any comments or suggestions for John, he can be reached via the StoryGuide website or telephone at 724-266-4182.

About Steve Kayser:

NAhhh … not right now, I’m too tired to write anymore. skayser@cincom.com

A special thanks to Chris Wood, Cincom graphic designer, for the great donkey illustrations. Contact Chris at cwood@Cincom.com. Chris’ most quotable quote, “But Steve, donkeys don’t have horns.”