I recently learned of a movie called Darius Goes West, that chronicles the journey of Darius across country in a wheelchair-accessible van.

Darius Weems, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, had never left his hometown of Athens, Georgia. In the summer of 2005, he and a group of young college students traveled across the country in a wheelchair-accessible RV to test accessibility in America. Their ultimate goal was to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV's hit show, "Pimp My Ride," to customize Darius's wheelchair. Along the way, they found joy, brotherhood, and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.

Screenings of the movie are being shown around the country and recently in Cleveland. A dear friend of mine attended the viewing and said that at the end of the movie each audience member received a postcard pre-addressed to Oprah Winfrey.

Participants were asked to write a quick note about the film and how they thought it would be a great segment for Oprah to cover.

My first thought was - wow - what a clever idea.

My second thought was - is Oprah the best choice? Certainly she is the pinnacle - the ultimate. But would the film makers have been better served to address the post cards to the Today Show or Ellen if their goal was national attention.

Oprah is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but imagine how difficult it would be to stand out amongst all of the requests her producers receive.

Question.

What do you think of asking the audience to write out a postcard AND which show should it have been addressed to?

Is this an idea YOU could use to take your idea to the national level?

Deborah Chaddock Brown
Professional Writer, Asker of Questions
AllWrite Ink