I preface this with the warning that this first post is going to be long, because I believe you deserve to hear the story of how this blog got started. So, stick with me and enjoy the ride, I promise it is worth it!
It began in July 2011 when I bought the films “Beware of Christians” and “One Nation Under God“, and not 30 minutes later received a call. It was from Riot Studios who made the films and they were trying to have “Beware of Christians” be shown in Abilene and in particular Abilene Christian University (ACU).
So, because of my address I got a call that literally changed the course of my next school year. After that call I started working on finding out how to get the film on ACU’s campus. Unfortunately, I was unable to have the film come to campus during the fall due to a filled chapel schedule. However, through a girl connected with YoungLife it was possible for the film to be shown in downtown Abilene, and I was able to meet three of the cast members and Riot Studio Owners Will, Michael and Alex as well as Kelsey (Alex’s wife). It was really fun getting to meet them and hang out with them, as any know who knows them can attest to.
It was after getting to help out with this showing that I decided if it was the last thing I did at ACU I was going to make sure that the film was shown on campus. Thus, I started politely hounding ACU’s chapel guy Mark Lewis and finally we got it worked out that the film would be shown on January 23, 2012. Then one showing became two, when it was realized that there was a conflicting event that would make it so some student’s would not be able to attend. Therefore, to make sure that student’s had the option of 3 chapel credits (that is a lot) another show was set up. During the scheduling of the shows, I had a phone conversation with Alex that was hilarious, due to my being left in silence after I told him there was a very high possibility that here would be around 1500 students watching this film.
Well, ACU didn’t disappoint. After having the Will, Alex and Michael come to 11 am chapel to promote the movie there was a lot of enthusiasm from students. Which is why it was not surprising for the 3 pm showing to be packed with around 400 students (the auditorium was full). Then it was time for the evening showing in ACU’s coliseum, and that is when everything was blown out of the water. There ended up being around 1600 people, not just students, in attendance. The beloved Chancellor and former ACU President Dr. Royce Money and his wife even attended. It was the largest showing the guys had ever done and as far as I know it still is (AWESOME). So, it is safe to say that the movie was a hit at ACU and success. (Check out ACU BOC Tour Stop Video here: http://youtu.be/FEV03ixG0Ec)
But, the journey was still only in its beginning stages for me. Due to my involvement in the coordination of the event I was asked by Mark Lewis to do a follow up speech in chapel the next day. This meant walking on stage in front of more than 3000 people (my peers) to speak (daunting). It went well and I was very blessed to have the support of my friends and church family as well as some of the Riot people who watched online. It was really exciting and I was on a true adrenaline rush, because after I came off that stage I crashed physically.
However, that didn’t stop me from saying yes to serving as a chapel campus conversations (7 Tuesday chapels) leader for a conversation that discussed each of the 7 topics presented in the film (that was easy). So, I lead a chapel that invited guest speakers both student and faculty/staff. It went over pretty well and was definitely and journey in itself. However, I don’t really have much anxiety over talking in front of people, which is a plus that goes with the honor that was to be able to serve in such a position. The chapel has now concluded, but my journey still hadn’t.
In fact during this time I stayed in contact with Riot and applied for an internship. Before Easter I found out that I got the internship and would be working with them in Austin beginning June 11th. So, I worked on finding somewhere to stay and was able to reconnect with some friends who said I could stay with them if I helped out with rent. Which was great and it was a great deal for Austin and it was even pretty close to where I would be working.
However, after talking with Alex again I found out that the internship’s scope had changed and I would be needed in Dallas, North Dallas more specifically, at the beginning of the internship. So, I called my Aunt and Uncle asked if I could stay with them and they welcomed me with open arms. For the internship, I helped with a start up real estate photography company named QuickPics Photography and worked with them until they moved the operation to Austin and we parted ways for the summer.
Fast-forward another school year to the following summer that held the announcement of Riot Studios new film “Believe Me” which starts production on Monday. After a long and tormenting war with myself on whether or not I should go ahead and apply for an internship, I finally bit the bullet and applied because I knew that this was something I was supposed to be doing. In fact idea of not applying actually caused me more pain than anything else. Then at the prompting of my friend Breahna Jordan I went ahead and texted Alex to let him know that I had applied and wouldn’t you know he called me back within a few minutes.
After a very fast and excited conversation, it was decided I would head to Austin to be there Monday a week ahead of the internship start date. So, I called my friend, Sarah, who I would be staying with to make sure it was okay if I came in a week earlier than we had discussed. She got as excited about my opportunity as I was and said lets do this! Soon after I got off that call Alex called me again to say I would be working with the production department team, working as a liaison between actors and crew and helping with any tasks that come up. Awesome, perfect, right up my alley!
Now I just needed to let everyone know what was going on. I started talking with my friends in Abilene and letting them know that I was not going to be in Abilene for the rest of the summer. I let Mark Lewis know I was going to be working on the film and after congratulating me, he said you should blog about it. My reply, ‘Excellent Idea!’ and we have BEcomingaWARE which was also the name I gave to the Chapel Conversation I hosted. However, the name has stuck with me and definitely explains my journey so far, not only with Riot but in life. I have been blessed with what my friends and family would like to call an obscene amount of luck in that things kind of fall into my lap. However, they also know the wars that I have with myself in making decisions. I don’t like messing up and getting things wrong, and when you are working to pay for school sometimes those decisions are even harder. But, when you feel like God is moving you in a certain direction, you need to go. However, sometimes for me the signs need to be blatantly obvious. Like when you need a rainbow over your university to tell you to this is where you need to be going to school (that is a different story for later).
Therefore, to Austin, Texas I go to see where the Lord leads. So come back here and check in for updates on what I am doing and my experiences during my time on the of set “Believe Me.”
Oh, and did I mention that some of the stars in the film are Alex Russell, Max Adler, and Christopher McDonald?
Yeah, this internship is going to rock!!
Katheryn Canisno 