Dear Documentary,

Thank you. Thank you for the inspiration. Thank you for the creativity. Thank you for the passion. Thank you for the love. Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for pushing me. Aiming me toward my destiny. It’s an arduous road with you but its rather cleansing. In my most darkest hour you showed me the light. When all things made little to no sense you brought clarity and ease. Your simplicity warmed me against the cold and bleakness the world often falls to. You never abandoned me. You never scared me away. You challenged me. You took me in; under your wing. Sent me journeying to personal levels I never thought was possible. When career marks leave me guessing you were the assured answer. I hope until my time expires in this temporal human experience I can be your most fervent servant beholding your grace and presence until the very end.

The world chose favoritism through corporate hierarchies. The talented chose the path of money over career longevity. The smartest and ablest of us stayed away because of the risk taking up your calling. You operated differently than all other genres. You moved at different paces than all the other art forms. The greedy and corrupt couldn’t enter your doors. The opportunist came and went but never stayed in your humble space and grace. You spoke to me at my level and assured me along the way. You molded me. Crafted me. Excited me. Whether I was watching enthusiastically in movie theaters or whether I streamed your presence across my computer screen I know I could always count on you.

You have a godlike presence appearing at the right times. You were there in Errol Morris’ The Thin Blue Line. You were felt in Spike Lee’s 4 Little Girls. I even saw you in Searching For Sugar Man. Your spirit fills up scripted outlines and budget summaries. Your spirit brings ease to narratives and tone. Your energy always aims for completeness and thoroughness. Your best work is that which refines and educates. You were there with me when I went out in scorching heat shooting necessary b-roll footage. You were there with me as I logged hours and hours of interviews transcribing that perfect soundbite every time. You were there with me in edit bays going through hundreds of files of instrumentals aimed at picking the right music score. You were there through laborious hours of logging content. You were there in the audience when my film was being screened.

Thank you for keeping me alive. Thank you for helping me evolve my conscious state of being. Thank you for helping me wake up with a smile. Thank you for piercing through my identity with a realized personhood. Thank you for being real and articulate. Thank you for being my love. I went through all the pits and avenues television, film, and digital media has to offer. But you were by far the best. Honest, probing, focused, sincere, gracious, courteous and sagacious. That first project was rough but worth the entrance in your ultimate embrace. The research that brought projects to life made it all too real your love and appreciation for facts, reality, and the truth. Even the seamless editing that delivered your finished product was a beautiful experience. It married creative expression with lucid narrative. Thank you for all that. Thank you for all this. Thank you.

Yours truly,

A humbled documentarian