The Journey Begins Wins DV Award

Jeff Apel, Straight Arrow Productions LLC

In our ongoing effort to promote "The Journey Begins" we recently entered two competitions, the Telly Awards and the DV Awards.

On Monday, December 14th we received some unexpected news in the mail, a letter of congratulations from the DV Awards administrator informing us that "The Journey Begins" was selected as a WINNER in the Fall 2009 DV Awards competition! It was entered in the long format nature/wildlife category. We are overwhelmed by this honor and will be receiving a beautiful acrylic sculpture and certificate in recognition of the achievement.

The DV Awards is an international competition celebrating outstanding creative and technical achievements in the emerging world of digital video production. From independent films, commercials, corporate communications and industrial videos to 3D animation, special effects and event videos, dozens of categories will be recognized.

With the advent and increasing affordability of digital video, a rising number of outstanding productions are not being produced in multimillion dollar film and television studios, but in small desktop studios, manned by a few determined and creative individuals. The DV awards were created to honor these individuals and their accomplishments.

The three years spent producing "The Journey Begins" and then introducing it in June of this year has been quite a journey of its own. As some of you know we set out to produce "The Journey Begins" with the goal of reaching as many young people as possible with a positive message about bowhunting and the outdoors - we had high aspirations but no prior experience in the filming or production fields. The resources devoted to purchasing the necessary equipment and the thousands of hours devoted to learning the skills and acquiring the footage needed to produce the project are beginning to pay dividends in the lives of the next generation, as described in some very encouraging comments received from kids and adults. We are both honored and humbled to know we've had a small part in inspiring a kid to begin exploring the outdoors with a bow in their hand. For this we are truly grateful.

We especially want to thank the many people who have helped us with the production, promotion and distribution of "The Journey Begins" - we share this honor with all of you!

The Telly Awards will be judged soon and although its a long shot - we're hoping!

Thank you for your ongoing support and may you be richly blessed this Christmas!

Yours Truly,
Jeff, Esmeralda and Lucas Apel
Straight Arrow Productions LLC