The I Will Thrive video started, like all good things, on a dark and stormy night when some of us were in the office far, far too late on a Saturday.  We had stopped work to grab some food at a nearby eatery (Mooncake Foods, a favorite haunt of the team) and got to talking about the things that inspire us, specifically the things we want to help people accomplish.

Then it just sort of happened.  We wolfed down our food, ran back to the office in the pouring rain, and in less than 15 minutes, the entire script was written, the director and producer were booked, and the date was set.

We went from that rainy night to actually filming the production in just three weeks.  In true Thrive style, we kept costs down by casting friends and family in addition to a host of professional actors, so you can actually see a sister-in-law, a girlfriend, a grandparent, a niece, and a whole host of friends in the video.  Bonus points if you can figure out the two Thrive team members that also appear!

Highlights include:

• Trying to get the toddler to stop saying “NO!” after the mother said “I will teach you about money”.
• One of the producers (who also appears in the video) using his screentest to repeat “Avi Karnani is beautiful.  His muscles…mmmm.”  Avi Karnani is our CEO.  His muscles, apparently, are delicious.
• The punk girl mugging for promo shots and yelling “Crazy Eyes!”
• Trying to remember the Chinese word for daisies (our offices are in Chinatown NYC and I got the flowers from a local store).
• Finding out the makeup artist is also an actress and speaks fluent Turkish, then casting her to do an unplanned section.

At some point, I’m sure we’ll come up with a blooper reel or similar treat, but for now, you can check out the video on the Thrive homepage or Vimeo.  Or, right here -