There are many moving parts - none taking the same shape or form - in film or television production. If you ask any juggler what one of the keys to keeping the 'balls' in the air, they will tell you there is a rhythm that is created because the 'balls' are generally the same shape and weight.
Well, you can toss that idea out the window when dealing with production. From creating the 'right' script, to selecting the 'right' cast, to the ever-consuming budget issues, scouting and location issues, having a host of personalities to deal with in front of and behind the camera, and then the ever daunting challenges of distribution, not to mention the agenda or agendas of a studio or network, a producer is problem-solver, thoughtful storyteller, cheerleader, and thinker who must walk a trapeze line while juggling a large number of different sized 'balls' in the air at once, knowing that if any one ball drops the production they are carrying on their back will fall off the high-wire.
Fun stuff.
But in reality, producing is a great deal of fun when you get it right.
On this note, I am very pleased to share that the I CARE Foundation is co-producing (along with Mark Joseph Productions) a television special on international parental child abduction prevention in hope that as the summer months approach, we will be able to reach a large group of targeted parents at risk of having their child or children kidnapped. The show will initially air throughout the New York metropolitan area and then is expected to be distributed in large metropolitan areas.
Location for the show will include taping at the United Nations, which in my opinion, makes a great deal of sense. In fact, yesterday was a fun day spent scouting key locations at the United Nations for the upcoming shooting schedule. It is a great honor to have been granted permission to film at the United Nations, as it was a great honor previously to have the I CARE Foundation host a conference on international parental child abduction at the United Nations previously.
As the upcoming television production's host, it is my hope that the information shared in the segment will help protect children and their families.
If there is one thing more than anything else I have learned during my years of advocacy for children at risk of kidnapping, it is that stewarding the message of risk factors and warning signs of abduction does make a major difference in preventing abduction.
Now you might ask yourself, "Really, how impactful has stewarding the warning signs of abduction actually been?'
Consider this: prior to the I CARE Foundation's formal operations commenced, and using outbound cases of abduction originating from the United States, the international parental child abduction rate experienced substantial increases in abduction for each of the first 30 years since the United States became a member of the Hague Treaty on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. includng long periods when the abduction rate grew on average of 20% per year; however, over the past 2 years, the rate of outbound cases of abduction have dropped by over 15% per year during fiscal years 2011 and 2012 as reported by the Department of State to the U.S. Congress this past February, 2013. Now what has not changed, but has increased, is the primary reason why international parental kidnappings take place: multi-national relationships fail, and one parent abducts a child to their country of origin. In fact, more people than ever before from different countries are having relationships, which in theory means more children will be born from these relationships.
So what's the difference?
Clearly it is stewarding the message that the term 'international parental child abduction' exists, what the warning signs, risk factors, and immediate course of action should be if a parent finds themselves at-risk of having a child taken, or, what they should do if a child ws kidnapped abroad. Weaved into the grass-roots awareness campaign is the fact that part of 'awareness' has been to raise awareness in courts and wherever possible, create case law and new precedent so that courts can protect defenseless children.
Getting the information out into the public's view has been key.
On that note, I am so pleased to share that the ongoing production of the documentary film '150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children' will also film several important scenes at the United Nations.
Step by step, the I CARE Foundation along with many other individuals and organizations continue to make a difference fighting against abduction.
A fight well worth joining as children are indeed our greatest resources . . . and worth fighting for.
- Peter Thomas Senese -Author of the critically acclaimed novel on abduction titled 'Chasing The Cyclone' available on Amazon (Peter Thomas Senese Donates 100% of all proceeds to the I CARE Foundation)
Click Here To Learn More About The Warning Signs Of International Parental Child Abduction
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