A Day with the Mayor

This past Tuesday I had the good fortune of tagging along with a documentary film team that was shadowing Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard around for the day. My task was to document the day shooting stills. They may or may not be used - that's totally up to the producer/editor of the film. Part of the deal was I retain full license to them so I can use them however I wish in the future. Because of that, I'm going to share a few here with you.

It was a long day that started off meeting at radio station WZPL at 6:30am and finally finished around 9:30pm at the conclusion of a mass Valentine's Day wedding the Mayor presided over at a Mexican Restaurant. In between we had stops at the gym for a workout, a press conference at Kroger's headquarters, NBC affiliate WTHR, Hispanic radio station LaLey 1590AM, Indiana Math and Science Academy West, Steak & Shake, and the Fieldhouse for the beginning of the Pacers game against the Miami Heat. Most of our afternoon was spent at the Mayor's office on the 25th floor of City Hall. We sat in on a couple of meetings, got a tour, met a lot of the crew up there, and just hung out a bit.

Everyone we met was extremely friendly and accommodating. I couldn't have been more impressed with Mayor Ballard and his team. I'm sure it was a bit annoying having four of us tagging along and having to explain our presence all day. He, his wife, and son were all so nice and so down to earth. It was an honor hanging out with him for the day.

I also want to give a special shout out the Mayor's Press Secretary, Paula, who was a huge help in getting us around from place to place and giving us the lay of the land. Yet another super nice person working to make Indianapolis a better place to work, live, and play.

And of course I want to give a shout out to Alan Berry for inviting me along for the day. He and his crew of Mark and J.D. were fun to hang with for the day. As for the documentary, hopes are that it will be entered in the Heartland Film Festival this year. No promises, but if it does, I'll be sure to let you know.