It's been called "The Secret meets Harry Potter." It's
The Keeper of the Keys, and it's the newest personal development movie, now available on DVD. The movie stars success and personal development icon
Jack Canfield, along with
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus author
John Gray. The movie is the first film of this genre to take a lighthearted look at self-help, while still maintaining a deeply moving storyline that is sure to empower viewers.
Producer
Robin Jay, who is also an award-winning author, motivational speaker, and president of the
Las Vegas Convention Speakers Bureau, said, "
The Secret and
What the Bleep? were both outstanding. But ever since those two movies achieved such high levels of success, there have been many self improvement films produced. For the most part, they are little more than endless streams of talking heads. Even as a fan of the self-help industry, I found them incredibly hard to watch."
"I wanted to raise the bar on the entire genre," Jay stated. "I know that people today are looking for answers to our current economic situation, lay-offs, foreclosures, and feeling their own self-worth. All of these elements are tied together; the more negative one becomes, the more they create a vicious cycle of negativity. It can become increasingly challenging to move beyond that. When I wrote this movie, I wanted to address these concerns. This is why the main character has to get through such a trying time; he loses his job, his house is in foreclosure, and his resulting negativity causes his fiancée to break off their engagement. He's really having a tough time on ALL fronts."
She continues, "I wanted to produce a movie that would empower viewers, but I believe you can't empower anyone unless you first engage them. That is how I began my journey to produce the first funny self-help movie."
Jay credits her mentor,
Stephen Simon, with taking the movie into the realm of comedy. She explains, "Stephen said, 'If you want to make a movie that is different from all the other talking head movies, it will have to be CRITICALLY different … maybe even funny?' I loved the idea. In that moment, it was decided that I would produce the first funny personal development movie. Even when I'm speaking professionally, I work hard to put a lot of laughs into my programs. Audiences love to laugh. There is no better way to engage someone by making them laugh. I had a challenge, though, in making the movie funny without taking away anything from the experts or their stories."
The answer, Jay found, was in a dream sequence. "The movie," she says, "is loosely based on
A Christmas Carol. " VERY loosely!" jokes Jay. Jack Canfield, co-creator of the
Chicken Soup for the Soul series and author of
The Success Principles, plays a sort of Jacob Marley character. He tells the main fictional character, Michael Walden, that he is going to send some friends, experts, to help him through a challenging time. So begins an outrageous and funny dream sequence where Michael, led by a mysterious spiritual guide, Elizabeth, encounters experts in an eerie mansion. It all works tremendously well."
Jay adds, "The other important aspect to this movie was to avoid the trite sound bites that we've seen in previous movies. Even for fans of the genre, these sound bites can become tedious. I worked with the experts in the movie to bring out their most deeply personal stories of transformation. Many of the experts were – at first – reluctant to share how they came to be the people they are today. Yet, I know viewers will relate to their stories. By tying these stories in to the seven keys featured in the movie, viewers will come away with a new foundation for progress and their own personal growth."
The seven keys are:
- Appreciation (Gratitude)
- Harmony in Relationships
- Courage (Not the absence of fear, but moving forward in spite of it)
- Faith
- Passion
- Vibration, and
- Empathy
For interviews or more information, please contact writer/producer Robin Jay at
Robin@RobinJay.com or call 702-460-1420.