DESPITE STAGE FRIGHT, EXTREME SHYNESS AND
SOCIAL AWKWARDNESS, EVERYONE CAN FIND THEIR VOICE AND
SPEAK
Dramatic, Inspiring And Moving Documentary About The Fear Of
Public Speaking And The Quest To Be The Best; Features Chris
Matthews, Caite Upton And Some of the World’s Most Celebrated
Public Speakers
Debuts on DVD on September 18
LOS ANGELES (June 1, 2012) – Experience the trepidation, rippling anxiety, awkward silence and
soaring highs of conquering one of humankind’s greatest fears – public speaking – when the inspirational
documentary SPEAK debuts on DVD on September 18, from Tumbleweed Entertainment. Examining the
hurdles everyday people face when it comes to speaking in public, SPEAK chronicles the wins and
losses of six individuals, on and away from the stage, as they compete in the Toastmasters International
Speech Contest finals for the coveted title of “World Champion of Public Speaking.”
In his stand-up routine, Jerry Seinfeld points out that according to most studies, people’s number one fear
is public speaking and their number two fear is death, which means the average person who goes to a
funeral would rather be in the casket than give the eulogy.
For nearly two years, filmmakers Paul
Galichia and Brian Weidling conducted interviews with hundreds of individuals to explore the physical
symptoms and the emotional paralysis that public speaking can cause. On one extreme, speaking in
public and social awkwardness hinders some from living productive lives. When presented with having to
speak in public, even public figures experience painful and incoherent rambling. Then there is the crème
of the crop – the people who have triumphed over their fear and now have an even bigger mission – to
tell their stories.
“Every person has a voice and every person’s life story matters,” said Galichia. “If you tell that story and
share it with an audience, you can change someone’s life forever,” Weidling commented.
Set against what has been referred to as the Olympics of oratory, SPEAK takes audiences on an
intimate, emotional journey into the lives of an out-of-work father of six, an architect turned actor with
incurable heart disease, a university professor and retiree who reconnected with his high school
sweetheart after 50 years, a single mom living with Lupus – all battling for top honors in the tense, highly
competitive Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking. What is at stake in this
competition is more than just momentary success and a trophy; it is a life path.
SPEAK features interviews with former Toastmaster and “Hardball” host Chris Matthews, past
Toastmasters World Champions and communications professors. Ann Hastings, Distinguished
Toastmaster and former Board member for Toastmasters International, discusses overcoming her
extreme shyness, which at one time prevented her from walking into a restaurant alone. Audiences also
hear from Caite Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen USA, whose nonsensical “out of body” answer during a
pageant gained her international notoriety, as well as sportscaster Brian Collins, whose ‘boom goes the
dynamite’ on-air comment became the pop culture catch phrase for public speaking gaffes.
The six competitors who SPEAK focuses on were carefully chosen by filmmakers Weidling and Galichia,
who put their experience as storytellers and documentary filmmakers to the test. Though the competitors
have traits in common, their personalities and backgrounds are unique. They are full of great aspirations
and willing to risk everything to become the next World Champion of Public Speaking. They have no less
than four minutes, 30 seconds and no more than seven minutes, 30 seconds to prove why they deserve
the title over somebody else. With their futures on the line, each takes the stage to speak. As they begin,
you quickly realize that what you are about to experience is not a lecture - it’s a one of a kind, passionate
performance that they hope, on that day, will be the best performance of their life.
Priced at $24.99, the SPEAK DVD bonus materials include more than 20 additional minutes of extra
footage, as well as the inspiring speeches from two of the finalists, Rich Hopkins’ “Unthinkable,” and
LaShunda Rundles aptly titled, “Speak.”
With an extensive background in documentary filmmaking, including The Goal – Claudio Reyna, which
Sports Illustrated called “a soccer nut’s dream,” Galichia and Weidling are filmmakers dedicated to telling
inspiring and entertaining stories with unique and unforgettable characters. The documentary film
A Symphony of Hope, directed by Weidling, is scheduled for release this summer. A Symphony of Hope
takes a behind-the-scenes look at the collaboration of 25 of today’s leading Oscar, Tony, Grammy
and Emmy award-winning composers who create an orchestral piece to benefit The Haiti Project for
earthquake relief. The filmmakers are also in production on The Forgotten Voices, a documentary that
chronicles the journey of inmates at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
About Tumbleweed Entertainment
Founded in April 2006 and headquartered in Brentwood, CA, Tumbleweed Entertainment develop,
produce and distribute documentary feature, reality television and digital media entertainment,
including Go Green, an original eco-series created for Discovery New Media. In addition to Speak, the
studio has a number of entertainment properties in development and production, including A Symphony
of Hope, chronicling the creation of a symphony by 25 Hollywood TV and film composers to benefit the
people of Haiti, and Twin Country Dreams’ following the lives of aspiring teenage twin musicians
Nikki and Samantha Setian, as they move to Nashville to make it in the recording business. MTV,
Best Buy, Burger King, Clorox, Tylenol, Visa, Ameriprise Financial, BMW, Purex and Walmart are among
the company’s work-for-hire clients. For more information on Tumbleweed Entertainment,
visit www.tumbleweedentertainment.com.
About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and
leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Founded in October 1924, the organization
currently has more than 270,000 members in 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Each week, Toastmasters
helps more than a quarter million people of every ethnicity, education and profession build their
competence in communication so they can gain the confidence to lead others. For information about local
Toastmasters clubs, visit www.toastmasters.org.
Visit www.speakthemovie.com and follow Speak on Twitter @speakthemovie
Speak
Street Date: September 18
Prebook Date:
Screen Format: 16:9
Audio: Surround
U.S. Rating: NR
Total Run Time: 89 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes
Media Contacts:
Kelly Kimball
310.701.7773/ k2@kkimballpr.com
Sarah Gumina
310.714.0350/ sgumina@sarahguminapr.com
Bios
Rich Hopkins is no stranger to painful moments in life. The Iowa native's first career was door-to-door
sales, despite a birth defect in his left leg that hindered his ability to walk and eventually led to
amputation. Thanks to the unwavering support of his dedicated wife and six children, his life experiences
as a husband and father fueled his motivation to build a successful career as a professional speaker,
author and speech coach. He is the author of the “Speak & Deliver,” “Go Ahead and Laugh: A Serious
Guide to Speaking with Humor” and “Win, Place & Show,” blogs dedicated to entertaining and embracing
a “win anyway” mindset. Hopkins lives in Broomfield, CO.
Twelve years ago, Robert MacKenzie was diagnosed with incurable heart disease. After giving up on
his future, he turned loss into a win. He became a successful architect and developer whose company
oversaw the design, construction and sales of over $50 million in real estate. In addition to his career as
an architect and developer, MacKenzie is an actor and public speaker whose heartfelt and humorous
talks empower audiences to overcome loss, adversity and crisis. MacKenzie lives in Santa Monica, CA.
Dedicated to exploring the impact of violence against women in communities of color and finding methods
for preventing violence against women, Dr. Katherine Morrison has been the recipient of several honors
including the Malcolm J. Dantzler award from the South Carolina Public Health Association and the
American Public Health Association’s Delta Omega award for outstanding research. She was a
postdoctoral research associate and public health researcher at the Wellesley Centers for Women from
2002-2007. A native of Cleveland, OH, Morrison lives in Boston, MA.
Starting his public speaking career in 2004 by entertaining audiences as a comedy stage hypnotist,
Martin Presse quickly took the next step and became a motivational speaker and speaking coach,
helping others achieve their goal of becoming influential and successful speakers. As President and CEO
of Booya Seminars, Inc., Presse travels across North America acting as emcee, presenting keynote
speeches and putting on seminars teaching audiences to communicate with Passion, Purpose and
Commitment. He is the author of "The Booya Guide to Great Public Speaking - How To Speak and
Present Like the Pro's." Presse is based in Toronto, Canada.
Growing up in a small Texas town, LaShunda Rundles was terrified at the prospect of addressing an
audience, but as the daughter of an educator mother who was determined to hone her skills to develop
poise and presence, Rundles was steered into making public appearances regularly. Diagnosed with
Systemic Lupus in her senior year of high school, she has since struggled with numerous physical
challenges associated with an unpredictable disease that affects the joints and tissues throughout her
body. Rundles entered the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking
competition to test if her early training and stern encouragement from her mother might pay off. Today,
through her Dallas-based company MaXXimum, she trains people on communications techniques and
relationship management. She is also an active member of the Friendship West Baptist Church and a
member of the North Texas Lupus Foundation, where she works to raise awareness about the illness.
An emeritus retiree from the faculty of Penn State, Charlie Wilson is an active member of six
Toastmasters International clubs, achieving Distinguished Toastmaster, serving as District 13 Governor
twice and reaching the finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking. Active in community theater,
Wilson has been in 78 productions over the past 14 years. He lives happily with his high school
sweetheart, Caroline, in State College, PA. They reconnected online, 50 years after their courtship in
high school.
Filmmakers
Brian Weidling a native of Hillsborough, NJ attended Emerson College, in Boston Massachusetts, where
he studied television and film producing. He briefly attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC
before beginning his professional career producing and directing The Goal – Claudio Reyna, narrated by
Robert Duvall. The film followed Claudio Reyna, captain of the US Men’s Soccer team on their quest to
the World Cup in 2002. Since Tumbleweed Entertainment’s founding in 2006, Brian has produced and
directed over 400 animatics for advertising clients, co-created, produced and directed a new media series
for Discovery Channel titled GoGreen and A Symphony of Hope.
Paul Galichia, a native of Wichita, Kansas, graduated from Stanford University in 1996. Upon graduation,
Paul attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. Soon after USC he produced the
documentary The Goal – Claudio Reyna, about the 2002 United States World Cup Soccer team, narrated
by Robert Duvall. In 2006 he co-founded Tumbleweed Entertainment with partner Brian Weidling. In
addition, Galichia recently finished the screenplay “Minivan” with Creator/Executive Producer of the Fox
animated comedies “American Dad” and “Family Guy.” He has also has completed a short documentary
about the We Advance clinic in Haiti with acclaimed actress and activist Maria Bello.