Thursday, December 17, 2015

A Labor of Love

Often I find myself procrastinating when writing a post like this. You know, the ones that dig deep into emotion. The ones that find you grasping for words to express yourself.

It began earlier this fall, when I stumbled upon the results of a study on the type of content people enjoyed and trusted the most when online.

 Turns out we all love funny videos. But ranked #2 are the "cause" videos: those touching, thoughtful ones that tug at your heart, that rally like-minded people who believe in - well, a cause.
I'd been working on a ton of video projects for work. And they were looking for more ideas. More ways to get the word out, to build awareness about Hallmark and our products.

I'd already been jokingly labeled as "the one who will put a cat in any video she can."
Uhm, gee, I wonder why... Hey, I managed to place cats in at least 6 of them. See?


So I asked The Question.

"We're partnering with Best Friends Animal Society to help find loving homes for shelter pets. One that is connected to our plush dog named Jingle, a homeless dog who found his boy. What if we reached out to people and asked them to share with us what their hopes and dreams are for the future of companion animals? What if that became a video?"

I love it when my vocation and my avocation - my passion for helping homeless animals - align.

Two and a half months, and dozens of Facebook chats and emails later, I had a script. It came straight from the letters, video and audio files sent in from pet bloggers, animal lovers, foster moms and shelter volunteers - from as far away as New Zealand.

A few screenshots from my POV as we edit the video

It took some time to piece it all together. Hunting for just the right music alone was a monumental task. And everyone involved, including me, wondered when it would ever, ever see the light of day.

Do you recognize any of these stars? From left: Glogirly's Waffles, Island Cats' Ernie and Amy Shojai with her Karma.
Yesterday, it premiered.

This video was truly a labor of love.  These are messages from the heart, and I was honored to be able to represent the ones speaking.




Many thanks to:

Connie from Tails from the Foster Kittens
Linda from Savannah's Paw Tracks
Debbie from Glogirly
Jeanne from Random Felines
Julie from Cats Herd You
Marjorie from Dash Kitten
Sam from Vegas Rock Dog
Susan from Life with Dogs and Cats
Stephanie from Snotface Ferret
Dawn from Pet Product Review
Kevin from Animal Shelter Volunteer Life
Sue from The Island Cats
Melissa from Barking from the Bayou
Jenny from Pixel Blue Eyes
Paula from Sweet Purrfections
Jenny from As the World Purrs
Ann of My Pawsitively Pets
Pet behavior consultant Amy Shojai of shojai.com

Special thanks to the non bloggers who also participated, such as Amy's husband Lee, Wayside Waifs' extraordinary cat whisperer, Jen... and Fred & Bison's mom Vanessa.

I hope I did you proud.






22 comments:

  1. At work and have already shed a tear or four. A wonderful video....you can tell it's from the heart. purrs

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  2. Excellent video. I think I saw some familiar kitty cameos!

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  3. Absolutely beautiful! Really flows together with the music, images, interviews with people. Great job!

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  4. We love the video! Your work is beautiful and inspiring! We loved seeing and hearing our friends included! You should be very proud of this video - we're certainly proud of you!

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  5. The video is beyond amazing and had my eyes leaking in a happy way! You should be so incredibly proud of what you've accomplished.

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  6. I knew before I watched that I would cry.....because my heart aches for all the animals in the world who have no home and no voice but you gave it to them by way of representing them in the video. It's precious - it's heart-warming and most of all it's HOPEFUL. My wish would be as everyone who adores animals is - happy, healthy, homes for all. Well done. Truly a wonderful video!

    Hugs and Happy Holiday, Pam (and Sammy)

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  7. You did such an amazing job....we have been sharing and have already watched it several times. we hope it impacts MANY people out there

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  8. That is amazing! Mom says videos are her weak point, but you have it down!

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  9. We can't imagine what it takes to put a project like this together. You did such a pawsome job and we LOVE it!

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  10. ::Slow Paw Clap:: R.E.S.P.E.C.T

    Really awesome job and so great to see so many of our friends involved!

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  11. It's amazing, Lisa. AMAZING. And yes, we cried when we watched it. The fact that this was a labor of love shows in the final, beautiful result. And we are so very honored to be - along with so many beloved and respected friends - a part of this important project. Thank you!

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  12. Oh Lisa, it's wonderful!! Really in tears here! You did a fantastic job! brilliant! xxxx

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  13. I am so very proud to be a part of this video. Thank you so much for the opportunity. Just holler if I can ever help again!

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  14. I need to get on a PC that has volume that works; hopefully this shows well on my cell....the video itself is amazing Lisa....I recognized some friends .... high paws to you as the tabbies say on a job... very well done ♥♥♥

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  15. YES...you did us proud...you did more than that, actually. The video is truly amazing...I've watched it numerous times. I am honored to be part of it. ~Island Cat Mom

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  16. Well, you certainly did me - and many many others - proud. Well done!

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  17. Oh, Wow!
    Its wonderfur! And how great to be able to meld your work and your hobbies together.

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Coolio! A comment? For US?