Live events made me.

It’s not quite accurate to say “I made this film” because it really feels like this film, and this story, made me who I am today.

In the 1990s, when I was very small, my dad had a passion for bringing people together for live events through the Christian Music Connection.

He loved the excitement of setup, the buzz of guests arriving, and the energy of the crowd during the show.

He also loved celebrating others, and I saw from an early age the impact that anniversary, retirement, and celebration of life videos made on the families and viewers of those early films.

So it is no surprise that the greatest moments of my own career have also been at live events, celebrating people and their legacy.

16 years ago, it was a short film about my grandpa’s attempt to write his life story as a high school entry in the Highbridge Film Festival at Asbury University (pictured below).
14 years ago, it was an original musical about Facebook as a college entry at the Highbridge Film Festival at Asbury University.
11 years ago, it was a women’s empowerment program highlight video at the U.S. Department of State.
8 years ago, it was my grandmother’s legacy film at her 90th birthday party.
2 years ago, it was my midwife’s legacy film at her 10-year career anniversary.

Elisa Trentham approaches Hughes Auditorium at the 2007 Highbridge Film Festival where her short film “Attempt at a Memoir” won best high school entry.

I saw an opportunity.

In 2020, we didn’t know what would happen to Eventbooking, a robust web-based calendar and booking software for the live entertainment industry, which was experiencing huge challenges due to shows being canceled.

We certainly never expected it to sell a year later.

After the sale, I saw an opportunity to surprise my dad by capturing interviews with as many employees as I could to celebrate what he and my mom built together.

I knew timing would be critical here, because the company would change, and I wanted to capture the “special” in what he built before people forgot.

As we got into the planning and filming for my dad’s 60th birthday surprise, we started to realize how much everyone appreciatead the opportunity to celebrate this business, and how telling this story was helping them to have closure after the sale, which happened during covid.

The moment where we played the “trailer” at Blackbird studios is one I’ll never forget…

Jonathan Trentham, Elisa Trentham, Mitzi Platillero, John Platillero, David Platillero, and Kristi Platillero standing together at Blackbird Studios in Nashville

We took my dad around Blackbird for a “studio tour” after one of my brother’s speaking gigs.

The staff worked with us in advance to load the film in one of their special “listening rooms.”

When they asked my dad if he wanted them to “play an example video” to hear how it sounded in the room, he couldn’t believe it when he saw my face on the screen, wishing him a happy birthday!

My mom was just as surprised, and they both bawled with every familiar face they saw on the screen, telling their story with honor, truth, and love.

Telling the full story.

And like his business journey, the path to telling this story was had unexpected twists and turns too.

After watching the “trailer,” my dad agreed to work with me on telling the full story.

First, we met for a Story Framework Session to determine how best to tell this story, identify the audience, and come up with a plan to film a few more interviews that would bring this story to life.

We filmed with my parents together, we filmed with my dad in the old office just before the building sold, and we hit the road to interview some of his best clients at their venues in Nashville, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.

We event spent some time on our family trip to Spain to record some reenactments.

John Platillero and Jonathan Trentham on the side of the highway in Spain where my dad ran away from home and hitchhiked to France, ultimately landing in Knoxville, TN with his grandfather.

What is success?

As the scope of the project grew, I found myself putting an insane amount of pressure on this project, to become something “Netflix-worthy” or something that would win awards at film festivals. I started having creative blocks, staring at the timeline on my editing computer and wondering how to make what I had really impressive.

I struggled with this block for several months, and almost gave up on this project altogether.

Until one day I realized that I wanted this story told for us. For our family and employees, no matter who else gave it their seal of approval.

Once I made that shift in my mind, the story came together. I recorded the intro in my own voice, sharing very clearly the purpose of this project, and once I did that, it felt like something special.

The last step was getting my friend Paul Jones at Auralation Studios involved, who mastered all the sound for us to elevate the project.

It’s showtime!

For the premiere, we booked an evening at The Relix Venue, and their team did an incredible job with food and drinks and setting up tables and chairs. My Aunt Mary created beautiful centerpieces, and my dad came up with a hilarous EB trivia game.

Over 50 former employees and investors came out to celebrate and honor my parents. The surprise twist was when my parents turned around and handed out awards to each of the employees.

“Classic John Platillero,” said Steve MacKenzie, former company President.

Many stayed well after the official party was over, and that in itself is a testament to the strength of the team they created.

I can now say that this is a project I’m proud of. Not because it has won any awards (but maybe some day it could), but that it gave our audience something really special, celebrated them, and inspired them.

This reminds me of conversations I have all the time with clients, “What does success look like for this project?” to which many are tempted to reference some metric or trend.

I would encourage you, as you watch this story and consider what success looks like in your own life, think about how you want to impact the people working with you, above you, under you, around you.

How can you take the time to see others, help solve a real problem, and make someone’s day just a little brighter?

And now, enjoy the film.