Years ago, my mother had all of our family movies dubbed down to VHS video tapes. I remember seeing the movies of my childhood and special events that took place in the history of our family. My parents wedding, my aunt’s wedding, baptisms, first communions, our family trip to Disneyland and our trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when my Grandma Anna Battista walked on a beach and journeyed into the ocean for the first time holding hands with my Nana Concetta Carolis. Memories of a lifetime!
Unfortunately, over the years both the original 16 mm films and the VHS tapes have disappeared. We looked everywhere and haven’t recovered them. I can’t believe that we have misplaced some of the treasures that cannot be physically replaced. I did manage to discover a box of old Korean War photos from my father’s 17-month stint in the U.S. Army. I had never seen them before, and it led us into a discussion I may not have had with my 93-year-old Pops.
I have heard of a few companies that will take old films and photos and digitize them, and I kept saying “one of these days” which of course, didn’t happen. That was until I got a phone call from a former hockey player, Mike Messner, one of my all-time favorites from my days as coach of the Penn State Icers. I coached Mike from 1988 to 1992 and he was an integral part of our Penn State hockey team’s first ever ICHL championship in 1989, as well as our ACHA national championship team in 1990.
Mike was one of the most creative individuals I ever coached, and it did not surprise me that he would make the most of his broadcast/cable degree from PSU’s College of Communications. He has become an award-winning producer and director of “films of every shape, size and length” for every kind of platform. He was an integral part of producing and directing the “Penn State Football Story” for years and continues to give back as he produces the “Penn State Hockey Story” for the varsity hockey program.
Last March, Mike and his partner at Awesome Films, Barry Reese (a long-time hockey acquaintance,) reached out to me with the idea to do a project with their subsidiary, Illumin8 Films, that would give me the opportunity to leave a digital heirloom for future generations. For family, friends and Penn State hockey. I was all in. First, because I knew if Mike, Barry and their team were involved, it would be a first-class production and a great story. One that I could leave behind for future family members to look back on years from now and know more about our family by seeing us and hearing our voices. Mike gifted it to me as his way of showing an “attitude of gratitude.”
The filming took place in mid-March in Pittsburgh. The Illumin8 crew (Adam Warner, Mike Nicolazzo, Jeff Stich and Carson Spence) could not have been nicer, more respectful and professional. My wife and family, especially my parents, were so impressed. My mother even treated the crew to her famous meatballs! They made it easy on all the participants because not everyone is comfortable being interviewed on film. They came to my parent’s house to film, and we shot footage at the Monroeville Mall (where my hockey career humbly started), Penn Hills Community Park (where I played baseball and softball and my father coached until his early 90s!) and at The Alpha ice rink in Pittsburgh.
As part of this project, the crew from Illumin8 Films digitized thousands of photos, VHS recordings, DVDs, copies of old newspaper articles and magazines. We have plenty of pictures from our younger days, but they weren’t very organized and this gave us a chance to tell our story. These hard copies of media resources were a stroll down memory lane for sure. But it’s the interviews with my father and mother (93 and 88, respectively), my wife, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew that are most important to me so that future family members will hear first-hand stories in our own voices.
The end result was a 50 minute digital heirloom titled, “Somebody Has To Care: Faith, Family and Frozen Dreams” (Click on the title to watch). It left us in tears. It was magnificent!
If you want a 90 second preview, click here to get a sense of what the story is about.
We shared an advanced copy of the link to “Somebody Has To Care” with some close friends and family, and it’s gotten a universal thumbs up as a great family heirloom. I love hearing the feedback from relatives, old friends, former teammates and players and recent friends who were blown away at the quality of the video, the sound, and the storyline.
Here are just a few responses that I received:
“The 3 of us just finished watching “Somebody Has to Care” and it was Awesome!!! The stories were incredible, fantastic pictures of Grandma Anna and you guys and your other Grandma and the whole family. It brought back so many memories and the hockey team and the old ice rink. It was so wonderful to see everyone, and you shared a beautiful story. Love ya! I loved seeing you, Jan and Uncle Joe together! I like hearing Uncle Joe’s stories too. Thank you for letting us see the preview!” –Anne S.
“This is awesome. Both Mike & I watched it. Tremendous life. Tremendously blessed.” – Karen T.
“Well done. A great trip down memory lane. A great gift for your kids! – Terri B.
“Just finished watching your documentary. It’s fabulous! The best compliment that I can give you is that I didn’t want the film to end. Wonderful gift, my friend.” – Jonathan W.
“Donna and I just watched; it was unbelievably great! I actually have tears in my eyes!” – Glenn D.
“Wendy and I give two thumbs up!!” —Ken B.
“It made me cry. Well done, good and faithful servant!” — Scott G.
“I think it’s great… You should be very proud of it.” — Jeff B.
Here’s the good news: This is available to anyone who wants to leave behind a digital heirloom for future generations or to recognize a special employee upon retirement, or a major donor, or to memorialize a family reunion. The possibilities are endless and you are left with all the digitized photos, 16mm film, VHS tapes, DVDs and the interviews, as well on your own flash drive in case you want to take a deeper dive into the past. You also get a personalized gift box with a video screen as a physical remembrance. But it’s the digital link that is the forever element that can never be misplaced and can be shared by email, text or social media over and over again.
Here’s a link to Illumin8 Films website where “Everyone has a story” and a preview of what you will see on the website:
An illumin8 film is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give. A few examples:
For Parents — Gift your mother or father a film that captures their life stories, allowing them to share their journey with family now and for generations to come.
From You to Your Children — Create a film of your own stories, then pass it on to your children as a legacy they can cherish and share with their children and beyond.
For Someone Who is Important to You — Present an important person in your life with the opportunity to preserve their story as a gift to their children, their family, and future generations.
Every illumin8 film is delivered with an eloquent presentation—a moment of giving that makes a statement in itself and becomes an unforgettable experience.
Life is all about relationships and connections, and the guys at Illumin8 Films were terrific at telling our family’s story and capturing my Penn State hockey story on film forever for posterity.
So, if you want a truly unique gift for your family and loved ones, take a look at what Illumina8 has to offer. A gift that keeps on giving!
