Empowering Youth: A Tennessee Adventure with Motivational Speaker… Nathan Wray!
“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”
That is the quote that ran through the auditoriums of six schools in Weakley County, Tennessee. That is the quote that started the thought process of today’s youth making decisions when at a “fork in the road” moment in their life. Understanding that quote will help illustrate why Nathan Wray is the man he is today. So let’s jump into it!
Wisconsin Videographer in Tennessee… HOW?!
When starting a video company, or any company at all, the one important thing is connecting with your pre-existing relationships first. Why? Because those relationships will bring you the opportunities to shine. That is exactly what I did for Gavin (Bison) Videos.
Nathan Wray is a motivational speaker out of East Tennessee who dedicates his life to helping youth overcome the same issues that he struggled with as a youth. He brings youth a sense of understanding, accountability, and comfort because they know they are not alone in dealing with these issues. The youth, or leaders of tomorrow, listen with great intent and heart with ears as Nathan speaks every word of his story.
I met Nathan while working at a Non-Profit that covered the entire state of Tennessee. The moment we met, it was immediate friendship and then family. Once I decided to leave that Non-Profit, due to the toxic work environment led by the CEO and VP, to start my own business. He was the first in line to allow me to showcase my abilities behind a camera. Even though he had no business in hiring me to create the Marketing Video for him at that moment, he did. Nathan hired me to come to Oak Ridge, Tennessee to film him speak at several schools to then make a video that would be shared with future schools and communities to speak at.
That first opportunity was amazing! That video was good, but it was time to bring it to AMAZING. So I phoned Nathan and discussed an offer he could not refuse. Within minutes… he said, “Deal!” This opportunity that led me back to Tennessee for three days to a small community in Martin, Tennessee was… GLORIOUS!!
Prior Video… Oak Ridge, Tennessee; 2023
Martin, Tennessee… WHERE?!
I arrived in Martin, Tennessee with great anticipation of what the next three days would be like. But also with the question of… “What is in Martin?” Martin, Tennessee is a rural town filled with 10,000 people that are spread out. The University of Tennessee - Martin resides in the center of the community where students live for a majority of the year. The rural community gave off college town vibes in small town USA, which led to the next question… What is the impact that is needed?
This type of community comes with a unique struggle. The struggle is that many youth who grow up in these types of communities do not see that there is a land of opportunities outside of their zip code. The youth in these communities find that if there is nothing to do besides smoke, drink, and drugs, then why not join in and not worry about the repercussions? Little do they know many repercussions could affect them. This is exactly what we found out when discussing with the community leaders and school officials where Nathan was speaking. These students were finding themselves with temptations from the media, peers, family situations, and personal stress which led to trying alcohol, nicotine, or drugs.
Pause… Food Break!!
If you ever find yourself in Martin, Tennessee, for whatever reason, you MUST check out The Grind: Mac and Cheese Burger Bar! This place is fun, electric, and surrounded by servers and waitresses who have positive fun vibes. But the food… THE FOOD IS AMAZING! But… that is only the first part of this.
Do you remember the scene in Men in Black, when they use the Neuralyzer to make witnesses forget all the monsters that they just saw? Well… this restaurant does not have a Neuralyzer but they do have a secret menu. And all you have to do is ask. I unfortunately do not remember what was on this menu because when asked I was met with a group of individuals that surrounded our table. These individuals wore sunglasses, took my phone, and had a silver briefcase. What happened next is… fuzzy! I do not remember but I remember this, the food left me full and happy.
The Grind: The Mac and Cheese Burger Bar
112 Lovelace Ave, Martin, TN 38237
The Impact!
Nathan partnered with Weakley County Prevention Coalition to travel to six different schools in two days. Every school would vary in size to how many Nathan would speak to, but on average was around 250 - 300 students. While each school presented a different challenge with each set of students. The message, however, did not change that came from Nathan’s mouth. And the impact only became more clear.
As the videographer, I witnessed every conversation and every moment that showcased why Nathan was there. It started at the very first school where I found myself seated by the most enthusiastic student of the week. The student while seated next to me, took me on the roller coaster of emotions by their reactions to the story that was told. At one point, this student threw her hands up in the air in dismay of what was being told, and almost took me (the cameraman) out at 8:20 in the morning. When Nathan was done asking for questions, this student was chosen and what happened next was iconic. The student came down from the stands grabbing the microphone from Nathan. Struck with fear with no idea what was coming, Nathan stayed close to make sure nothing bad was about to happen. The student followed by giving a huge testimony about having to make a tough decision that led to a healthier lifestyle, and the student body went crazy in excitement after it was done.
Later in the trip, I caught another moment after Nathan was done speaking to the student body. The student came up to Nathan, who was cleaning up to head to the next school, and asked… “How do I start making good decisions?” This question was from the heart. You could tell that this student was searching for someone who would listen and could relate to the struggles. Nathan was that. Nathan looked the student in the eyes sharing valuable advice that the student leaned into. Not only listening to the advice but asking more questions to gain more understanding. This student walked away with a ton to think about. And left Nathan driving to the next school smiling, because that one impact is what it is all about.
The MOMENT though…
There was one school on this trip that did not allow videoing at all. Not of Nathan nor of the students. This is not unusual during these types of videos that require schools. But the impact that came from this school was so palpable. It left an impact on me.
The group of students was only a classroom full, about 45 to 50 students, which was the smallest group of the week. Small groups are fun to speak in front of because they can be the most intimate and impactful due to being able to connect with them all. But also gave the spectating adults the time to watch the reactions on faces during Nathan’s message.
And that is what I did…
During the speech, I was located in the back of the room overlooking the crowd of students facing the front. I noticed a group of students who with every keyword would react. These keywords were vaping, drugs, alcohol, and destructive decisions. The reactions to these keywords gave the impression that those were the struggles that those students were already involved in. But it didn’t stop there. During question time, Nathan was asked questions by one student a majority of the time. This student connected to what was shared due to some core similarities of stories. It led to some hard questions that led Nathan to have to think before answering because he wanted to be honest but not be taken out of context.
When the students got dismissed, Nathan and the group met with the principal who was not available to meet before speaking. The principal showed her gratitude to Nathan for sharing that story because what we all did not know was that many of the students in that room come from broken homes and bad situations. The student who was filled with reactions and questions… was on suicide watch weeks prior. This led the group to understand that there was a bigger reason to why we were here. And the stars aligned for that moment.
New Video… Weakley County, Tennessee; 2023
Impact Videographer is What I Do!
This trip to Weakley County, Tennessee proved to me why I started my own business. It was to catch the moments, the emotions, and the impact that individuals, businesses, and organizations are having on their communities. Nathan Wray is an example of that. Because of people like him, I got my opportunity to capture the impact that his story was having on the schools and communities he was speaking at. And as a videographer, I strive to showcase that all in what I provide to the client.
So just as I started this blog, I will end by saying….
