Trailer for the Hallmark Hall of Fame Production of Mitch Albom’s ‘Have a Little Faith’

Watch the Hallmark Hall of Fame® production of ‘Have A Little Faith’ on ABC, November 27th.

Later in the week, SpiritClips.com Premium Members will be able to watch Have A Little Faith online at SpiritClips.com, or streaming-to-TV on the SpiritClips Roku™ channel. Have A Little Faith will also be available on-demand for non premium members. Simply join to watch the SpiritClips.com catalog of Hallmark Hall of Fame® as VOD.

SpiritClips.com is the official source of Hallmark Hall of Fame® movies online, on-demand, or streaming-to-TV with Roku™.

Send Unique & Customizable Season’s Greetings

Join SpiritClips.com to send charming and memorable Holiday eCards this year! Some of our digital greeting cards allow you to upload your own photos to truly personalize your greetings. If you are looking for a charming Christmas, Chanukah, New Year or general Season’s Greeting eCard, we’ve got you covered.

Hallmark Hall of Fame ‘Have A Little Faith’ Premiere

Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images North America

SpiritClips.com Founder and CEO, Rob Fried and wife, actress Nancy Travis (Last Man Standing, ABC,) attended the Disney ABC Television Group & Hallmark Hall of Fame® premiere of Mitch Albom’s Have A Little Faith at Fox Studios on November 3, 2011 in Century City, California.

The film, based on Mitch Albom’s true story and starring Laurence Fishburne, Bradley Whitford and Martin Landau, will broadcast on ABC Television stations November 27, 2011. Later in the week, SpiritClips.com Premium Members will be able to watch Have A Little Faith online at SpiritClips.com, or streaming-to-TV on the SpiritClips Roku™ channel. Have A Little Faith will also be available on-demand for non premium members. Simply join to watch the SpiritClips.com catalog of Hallmark Hall of Fame® as VOD.

SpiritClips.com is the official source of Hallmark Hall of Fame® movies online, on-demand, or streaming-to-TV with Roku™.

Dante Rossetti and an Old Man

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the famous 19th-century poet and artist, was once approached by an elderly man. The old fellow had some sketches and drawings that he wanted Rossetti to look at and tell him if they were any good, or if they at least showed potential talent.

Rossetti looked them over carefully. After the first few, he knew that they were worthless, showing not the least sign of artistic talent. But Rossetti was a kind man, and he told the elderly man as gently as possible that the pictures were without much value and showed little talent. He was sorry, but he could not lie to the man. The visitor was disappointed, but seemed to expect Rossetti’s judgment.

He then apologized for taking up Rossetti’s time, but would he just look at a few more drawings – these done by a young art student? Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. “These,” he said, “oh, these are good. This young student has great talent. He should be given every help and encouragement in his career as an artist. He has a great future if he will work hard and stick to it.”

Rossetti could see that the old fellow was deeply moved. “Who is this fine young artist?” he asked. “Your son?” “No,” said the old man sadly. “It is me – 40 years ago. If only I had heard your praise then! For you see, I got discouraged and gave up – too soon.”

The Elephant Rope

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.

The Spirit Is Willing – Interview with Rob Fried

Catherine Clinch’s Media Grazing: The Spirit Is Willing

You know you’ve said it to yourself a thousand times. It’s a great weapon in the toolbox that enables us to manage the endless rounds of rejection we all face in Hollywood. “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” When Albert Einstein uttered those words, he empowered us all to self-identify as great spirits. But what, exactly, is required of one to achieve the designation with authenticity?

Rob Fried fits easily into the category. In the first chapters of his career, Fried earned an MBA from Columbia University following an undergraduate degree from Cornell. He jumped onto the studio executive fast track and served as President of Savoy Pictures, Executive Vice President of Columbia Pictures and as an Executive at Orion. He produced and/or executive produced “Collateral,” “Rudy,” “Godzilla,” “Man of the Year,” “Boondock Saints,” and many others. Then, his career got interesting.

It’s possible the Oscar that he (and Seth Winston) won in 1992 for “Session Man,” a dramatic short subject, inspired Fried to give greater thought to the short film as an effective medium to reach people. After marrying actress Nancy Travis and having two sons, Fried longed for a different existence that was more satisfying and peaceful. So he shifted his creative energies from long form to the short and redirected his career toward the challenge of uplifting the daily experience of your life. He launched www.SpiritClips.com and began to both produce and curate inspirational short films that encourage you to “watch, feel and share.”

“You’re on a treadmill as a producer,” Fried explains. “It becomes difficult to express yourself.” Acknowledging the fact that “the whole project is sort of a rebellious move in itself,” Fried doesn’t care what people in the industry think about what he is doing. “What I really care about is making Spirit Clips as good a service as we can make it.” His goal is to create stories that touch people. “We tell the stories we love and that we think will have a positive impact on the lives of our viewers.” He believes that by combining high quality story content with state of the art tools of filmmaking and technology he can help people improve their emotional and spiritual existence.

Fried doesn’t know the economics of any particular short. “We just make or license the films and offer them to people on our website. We don’t sell the films. It’s a membership subscription system.” A significant percentage of his subscribers are teachers and clergy members who discuss the films in their classrooms and their sermons. Often, parents watch the short films with their children and use them as a starting point for the important discussions that many families overlook in our chaotic society. The rest of his subscribers are people who enjoy the kind of entertainment that makes them feel good about the world and the positive impact they can make.

How’s it working out for Rob Fried? “I feel better every day than I’ve ever felt. I like what I do and so I’m rolling with it.” How many of us can honestly say that?

Catherine@nuclearfamilyfilms.com

Originally posted on http://filmnewsbriefs.com

Send A SpiritClips Gift Membership

Sending a SpiritClips Gift Membership is a unique and thoughtful way to show someone you care. A SpiritClips Gift Membership is an inspiring gift idea for the whole family. Give a gift membership for a subscription to uplifting & heartwarming films and family friendly content. Whether you are seeking a special thank you gift for colleagues, rewards for your employees, a touching birthday gift for family members, a great gift for teachers, or a wonderful holiday gift solution, a SpiritClips Gift Membership is the answer!

To celebrate the Holiday Season, we are pleased to offer a special savings on Holiday Gift Memberships. Save 35% by using promo code GM3512D today!

Watch a sample of our award-winning SpiritClips Originals short films, behind-the-scenes, and sneak-peeks on our SpiritClips YouTube channel.

Win A Roku 2 XS Player from SpiritClips.com

You can win a new Roku 2 XS player and watch our new SpiritClips Roku channel on your TV. To qualify, simply follow us on Twitter, watch one of our inspiring SpiritClips Originals short films and let us know your favorite. Full contest details may be viewed here. View free and premium SpiritClips Originals, uplifting & heartwarming films for the whole family, here. Good luck!

Watch Hallmark Hall of Fame on SpiritClips.com

Watch Hallmark Hall of Fame On SpiritClips

Thanks to our esteemed content partner, Hallmark Hall of Fame®, many wonderful Hallmark Hall of Fame movies are available for viewing on SpiritClips.com. View online, or on your TV with Roku™ as part of your Premium Membership. Hallmark Hall of Fame® films are also available On-Demand. Simply register on our site to watch VOD.

To celebrate the holiday season, we are sharing a special offer with you:

SAVE 30% ON PREMIUM MEMBERSHIPS. This offer is valid through December 25th, 2011. Simply enter Promo Code HHF3011B when joining. Join Us Today!

We are always updating our Hallmark Hall of Fame catalog of films. Here is just a sampling of the films you can watch on SpiritClips.com:

Mitch Albom’s Have A Little Faith, When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story, Loving Leah, A Dog Named Christmas, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, November Christmas, The Lost Valentine, The Love Letter, The Magic of Ordinary Days, Cupid and Cate, Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness, The Russell Girl, Blind Spot, Front of the Class, The Water Is Wide, Plainsong, Beyond The Blackboard, The Boys Next Door, Back When We Were Grownups, My Sister’s Keeper, Riding The Bus With My Sister, After the Glory, The Blackwater Lightship, To Dance with the White Dog, Grace & Glorie, The Piano Lesson, A Painted House, Little John, Follow the Stars Home, Missing Pieces, Season of Miracles, Durango, What the Deaf Man Heard, In Love and War, Fallen Angel, Seventh Stream, Silver Bells, Pictures of Hollis Woods, The Valley of Light, Candles on Bay Street

SpiritClips Originals Presents a Sneak-peek for Veterans Day

In this SpiritClips Originals documentary, Veterans return to Vietnam on a trip of inspiration and healing. Coming soon to SpiritClips.com. (Click image to watch a sneak-peek of this film.)

 

In honor of Veterans Day, 2011, SpiritClips.com is sharing this sneak-peek of our upcoming SpiritClips Originals film, which documents the moving stories of Vietnam Veterans returning to Vietnam on a journey of inspiration and healing.

We encourage you to remember and honor our Vietnam Veterans by sharing this inspiring film clip.

This film is as yet untitled. It will be available exclusively on SpiritClips.com. For updates about its release, please join our mailing by becoming a free member of SpiritClips.com.