Lost and Found

     Years ago, my brother and I left our home of Whidbey Island to pursue our dreams.  He moved to LA to pursue a career in the film industry.  I followed him south a year later, moving to San Diego, to pursue a career in cycling.  We didn't know what we were doing, but we pushed and struggled forward.  We learned as much as we could, at USC film school for him and for me on the roads testing myself against other racers.  Time passed.  We established ourselves as adults.  We had children.  We marked the passage of time with small achievements - a win in a local race here, a short film project in India there.  When we would get together we would encourage each other to keep pushing forward.  We often lamented our lack of progress, but I always told my brother that as long as he stayed with it, he would make his dreams come true.  It didn't matter if it happened next year or when he was sixty.  Just stay at it, I told him.  Keep pushing forward.  

My brother and I with our kids.

     My dream of racing in the Tour ended when a car smashed into me and broke my neck.  When I saw my brother again I told him he had to keep going.  There was nothing to stop him from pushing forward.  Not the relentless passage of time that eventually catches up with athletes or the dangers of the road.  The only thing that would stop him would be the overwhelming pressures of life - making enough money, being a good husband and father, and managing the ups and downs that come along.  He could settle down, or he could keep pushing forward.  
       For years my brother has pursued the dream of being a Film Director.  He has worked on lots of little projects, but his dream has always been to direct feature films. To that end, he has spent countless hours writing and polishing a script that he wrote.  He has relentlessly worked on finding funding for his project.  Looking everywhere he could - asking friends, starting a Kickstarter, pursuing investors.  For years he would tell me about promising leads and opportunities.  As each turned out to be nothing more than false hope, he became more realistic and pragmatic.  He still kept working away, but he stopped getting excited about opportunities.  

      Last year it finally seemed as if the dream was getting off the ground.  My brother had secured funding for a small budget and was ready to move forward.  For several months he began pre-production on Whidbey Island - scouting locations, working with local producers, and trying to get everything moving forward.  In the end though, it didn't come together.  And, as he said, "I was so heartbroken when it fell apart, that I sobbed and then jumped in Puget Sound.  It was cold." 
      Time passed. Life goes on, even when things seem lost.  I've kept moving forward since my accident.  Coaching cyclists at the elite level.  Writing two books.  My brother worked on other projects in music and production.  We kept pushing forward.  Continuing to hope and believe that anything is possible.  
       Just when it seemed like things would never come together, something happened.  My brother wrote this, "out of nowhere, an old friend from school happened to read the script and he had raised enough money to double our budget so that we could make the movie properly.  Suddenly, the film had wind in its sails - and it
wasn't just a breeze, it was a gail.  And, just like that, it all came together.  Jason Patric and Cary Elwes came on board to play the leads and we cast 3 of the most amazing young actors I've ever seen to play the 3 lead kids.  We shot the film over the past 4 weeks, in Northern Ontario.  It is more incredible than I ever hoped or dreamed it could be."  

My brother Joseph on location Directing Cary Elwes.  

      

Lost and Found Stills.

     The title of the film is "Lost and Found".  An appropriate analogy for a project that seemed like it might never happen.  But, through relentless determination my brother made it happen.  It took him ten years to turn it into a reality.  TEN YEARS!  Like I always told him though, it didn't matter when he finally got it done.  What mattered is that he stayed at it.  He is my inspiration to keep pushing forward.  Dreams can become reality if you stay at them.  Semper Porro.  

P.S.  This song makes me think of my brothers movie.  I think it would be amazing if they could use it as the title track for the movie.  Either way, it's just a really good song.