ggproverbs31

[ggproverbs31]

Countdown to Christmas 2021

Countdown to Christmas 2021

Christmas Day is over, but not the season, which most of us hang on to until the ushering in of each new year. And hopefully the spirit of Christmas that most people are willing to embrace for the days and weeks leading up to the holidays, will be something that continues well into the next year; maybe even last as long as a Hallmark Christmas season! Hallmark has already began running promos…

[ggproverbs31]

Five Things I Learned from Watching Hallmark Channel's Christmas Movies

Five Things I Learned from Watching Hallmark Channel’s Christmas Movies

So let’s go ahead and get it out of the way. You know. All the jokes about the movies that air on the Hallmark Channel, and the people who watch those movies; particularly the Christmas movies! I’m one of those people. I’m neither proud nor ashamed of that. 

I started watching movies on Hallmark many years ago; but I didn’t really “get” into the Christmas ones on a regular basis until a few years…

[ggproverbs31]

A Little Soul for Christmas!

A Little Soul for Christmas!

NOW BOOKING!  Juan & Lisa Winans – Christmas 2018 and 2019!

Hailing from the legendary Gospel music family, The Winans, Juan Winans is a Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, who began his career as part of Word Records’ Gospel group Winans Phase 2. He has written and produced for a myriad of Gospel, Pop and R&B artists; from Mary Mary and Lalah Hathaway to Smokie Norful and Michael Bolton.

After…

[ggproverbs31]

Going Beyond the LIKE to the SHARE!

Going Beyond the LIKE to the SHARE! "You can't get mad about a store being closed or a show being cancelled, if you're not willing to support it before that decision is made."

About a year ago I was having lunch with friends catching up on lots of things. I don’t really remember how the topic of TV programming came up, but one of my friends was complaining about the cancellation of one of her favorite television shows — Last Man Standing. I told her that happened to be one of my favorite comedy shows as well, but I admitted to her that I would often forget to watch it…

[ggproverbs31]

Motivated to Do Better. Inspired to Do More.

Motivated to Do Better. Inspired to Do More.

As I mentioned previously, last weekend I spent my Saturday at a Creative Writing conference. You know something has impacted you when you can’t stop thinking about it, or what you learned from it. I’ve had many moments this past week, in between my prepping, teaching, and grading commitments of my teaching job, where I would think about something that I learned; something that was shared during…

[ggproverbs31]

The Black Box Assignment

The Black Box Assignment

I recently attended a Creative Writing conference at MTSU. This was the fifth year for me to attend; something I look forward to each Fall. This year’s theme was The Writing Life, because “being a writer is a full life experience.” The table centerpiece was a tree of inspiration, both inspirational quotes and writing prompts designed to encourage the creativity of writing.

I’m still trying to…

[ggproverbs31]

Kansas Calkhoven Fergen should never have been born! She isn’t even suppose to be here today. 

At least not as far as what the doctors told her parents, James and Janice Calkhoven. After marrying in 1980, Jim and Jan started trying to have children a year into their marriage. After remaining unsuccessful, the Calkhoven sought out several doctors to determine why they could not conceive. Numerous doctors, tests, and several years later, they were told that Jan had several medical factors that put the likelihood of them being able to have biological children at less than ten percent.

But as much as God has given those in the medical field great knowledge, skills, and intellect; the one thing God has not given to anyone is the ability to block His will and plan for our lives. And so just a year after they’d been told they would not likely be able to get pregnant or carry full-term if they did, Kansas Calkhoven was born on April 14, 1985.

Remarkably, two years later, her sister Jamie was born, followed by Kasondra two years after that; and then Kelsie, followed by Jasmyn. Over the course of seven years, the Calkhovens had given birth to five daughters. Nine years later, a sixth one, Jamaica, arrived!

As young girls, Kansas, along with four of her sisters, started singing together, performing live shows throughout South Dakota where they grew up. When they became teenagers, they decided to make their group official, and TruEmotion, a Christian vocal group, began performing around the country. In 2007, the group was signed to the William Morris Agency’s Christian Music department.

Today, all of the sisters, except Jamaica, who is still in high school, are married and have children.

Kansas met her now husband, Danny Fergen, in 2006. Danny, who is a twin to David, grew up with three brothers, and no sisters. He and his brothers started singing together with their grandmother as young children in nursing homes and at church. By high school, they had all learned how to play instruments, formed a worship band, and began leading worship at youth events, retreats, festivals, fairs, and at their own church.

Kansas and Danny Fergen married in June, 2007.

Before they got married, Danny and Kansas had shared with each other their desire to start a family with both biological and adopted children. So shortly after they married, they began the adoption process, thinking that it would be years before a child was placed with them. Instead, just one year later, the Fergens welcomed their first son, nine-month old Coyer, into their family.  Eleven months after Coyer joined the family, Kansas gave birth to their first biological son, Kedren. Three years later, Danny and Kansas added their biological daughter Baylic, and three years after that, they adopted an infant boy, Daeston, from North Carolina. 

Part of their family story, like so many others, also includes disappointment and loss. Danny and Kansas experienced a failed adoption, and had to deal with the emotional trauma of returning a child to its birth mother. Later they experienced the physical trauma of losing another child in a miscarriage. But neither of those experiences kept them from continuing to do what they felt God had not only called them to do, but equipped them to do. While their other adoptions had been with infants, God lead them to an eight-year-old Ethiopian boy, Oaklin, from Minnesota, whose adopted parents could no longer care for him.

It would be less than a year later that Kansas and Danny would find out that they were expecting their sixth child (third biological one), born in February, 2018, who they named Attwood.

Feeling lead by God, and encouraged by family and friends, Kansas and Danny began publicly sharing their family’s story several years ago, launching a family website and various social media platforms. In 2017 they were nominated by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) Angels in Adoption Program. The CCAI is a non-profit organization that works to raise awareness about the needs of children without families, and to remove policy barriers that hinder children from knowing the love and support a family provides. The Angels in Adoption program provides members of Congress the opportunity to honor an individual, couple, or organization from their district that have made an extraordinary contribution on behalf of children in need of homes. Past recipients of this award include Korie and Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty, Katherine Heigl, singer/songwriter Josh Kelley, PEOPLE Magazine, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, First Lady Laura Bush, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Kristin Chenoweth, Rhea Perlman, Bruce Willis, Al Roker, Muhammad Ali, Patti LaBelle, Jane Seymour, and Henry Winkler.

As part of their nomination, the Fergens traveled to Washington D.C. last fall and participated in a three-day event designed to train them in using their personal experience to affect change on behalf of children in need of homes, and to celebrate their hard work and dedication to the issue.

Danny works full-time outside the home as the Technical Director of Central Church in Sioux Falls, where he also leads worship. Kansas works full-time in the home, running a daycare, being a fitness coach, and homeschooling her children. In addition, Kansas launched a lifestyle brand focused on helping moms choose a lifestyle of fitness, nutrition, healthy cooking & eating, and spiritual growth as a woman, a wife, and a mom.

Both Danny and Kansas have started speaking at churches, conferences, retreats, and other events, sharing their God-story and the specific work He’s called each of them to. During their personal appearances, the two talk about going through the adoption process, growing a blended family, raising Christian kids, homeschooling, and providing for your family’s overall spiritual, physical, emotional, and nutritional needs.

If you’d like to learn more about the Fergen Family directly from them, check out this video introduction about their family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbAVcn30Jh8&feature=youtu.be and/or go to their website at www.fergenfamily.com

For more information about Kansas’s lifestyle ministry click here: https://linktr.ee/kansasfergen

And to have Kansas or Danny in to speak at your next women’s or men’s retreat, adoption or homeschooling conference, church, or other ministry events, contact Gloria Green at ggreen@gloriagreenentertainment.com.

An American Family: Meet the Fergens Kansas Calkhoven Fergen should never have been born! She isn’t even suppose to be here today. 

[ggproverbs31]

Why I Watch the Hallmark Channel

Why I Watch the Hallmark Channel

It’s a Saturday afternoon in mid-July and I’m sitting at home watching Mistletoe Over Manhattanon the Hallmark Channel. If it sounds like a Christmas movie, you’d be correct. Both Hallmark stations are featuring Christmas in July this summer, running previously aired Christmas programs. I’ve seen this one numerous times, as I did the one that was on when I first turned on the television. But I’m…

[ggproverbs31]

Learn by listening and by doing

Learn by listening and by doing

With my spring semester in the rearview mirror, and the fall semester up ahead, I’m trying to take advantage of this time of year — the summer months — to catch up on and even get ahead on my work with a few things at Gloria Green Entertainment.

I don’t keep my company going each year because I have nothing better to do when I’m not in the classroom. I keep Gloria Green Entertainment going…

[ggproverbs31]

This month. It’s March! And it’s almost over. So quickly it slid in, and so fast it’s marching out towards April.

This is the time of year when I like to take a little time to reflect back over the years since I shifted gears and went into a different direction. It was nine years ago when I launched my new company (www.gloriagreenentertainment.com). The date I chose to go live with my website and the announcement about my new venture was not random. I chose March 20 — the first day of Spring — for a reason. Actually, for many reasons.

Spring has always been the season many people associate with new beginnings. Life! Fresh starts. It’s the time of year when early flowers force their way up through the ground, and trees start greening up; others budding in preparation for the blooming show they’ll give us later!

I had every reason for wanting to make a fresh start in my career when I did. So the seasonal timing of it seemed only fitting. And while I have no regrets for forging ahead with Gloria Green Entertainment, there’s a lot I would do differently. If there was a time machine that I could jump into, and take the knowledge I have gathered, I would definitely apply that information, and make some major changes to my launch, my focus, and my time; doing things a little differently than I did starting out in 2009.

Looking back over the past nine years, here’s what I learned.

People will use you. This was not a new concept to me. I’d met users throughout my life, and even worked with some, no matter what job I was in. But striking out on my own, where my income was dependent upon closing deals, it was definitely frustrating after spending hours in meetings and/or conference calls; even traveling to the location of potential clients, only to figure out what they wanted more than hiring my company was gathering my expertise.

People will take advantage of your knowledge and network. I’d been somewhat forewarned about this one. After reading a blog by an Industry Insider, I attended a seminar he held that was designed for the many music industry people who, at the time, were all finding themselves in this new “entrepreneurship” world all around the same time period. His caution…don’t let someone pick your brain for a cup of coffee. It was interesting that he used that term, because I’d stop counting the number of people who wanted to “grab a cup of coffee,” and “pick my brain,” which was just code for “I want to know what you know and who you know, but I don’t want to actually pay you any money for it or invest in you by hiring your company.” I was surprised and then somewhat sad that so many other of my industry associates were having the same experience. Some of us even dealt with some of the same “brain pickers.” It was one thing to receive email from complete strangers. Those I could blow off, questioning the gall of someone to think what I spent over 20 years building, they could just take advantage of over a $3.00 cup of Starbucks! But then there were the people who worked in the industry; other areas, or perhaps just not as established as where I was. Those are the ones where I had to take a step back, shake my head and wonder why (sometimes after the fact), they could think it’s okay to take advantage of their former industry peers.

People will want something for nothing. Probably the biggest lesson learned is just how much some people want something for nothing. It’s one of the biggest issues I caution my students about even today — to beware of the “friends” and other people they might know who ask for something (input on a project, help with artist development, assistance connecting with people in the industry, access to network and favors, hours of phone calls “bouncing ideas around!” etc.), but don’t want to give anything in return! I would even have been happy if they were willing to barter our expertise or services. Once, I had someone who wanted my help in public relations for one of their clients. I was willing. But weeks later, when I asked the same person if I could see a sample copy of a management contract they had for one of their clients, there was silence. No return email or text…for weeks. Until I happened to run into that person at an industry event, and asked them in person. The excuse was to blame their partner who didn’t want to share information that they had paid for. I went home from that event with the “REALLY?” expression still on my face. What the heck did they think I had just done for them?!

There are many lessons I learned over the pat several years. Actually, anyone working on anything over the course of time, will learn lessons that they wish they’d known sooner, and with the additional experience that years bring you, discover which of those things they would make a point of not to repeating.

Springing forward into the coming years, I’m more ready now to deal with all of those same things today than I was all those years ago. I am moving ahead with many things that’s to come, which not only includes relaunching Gloria Green Entertainment later this Spring, but also continuing my full-time job as a college professor teaching Music Business to the next generation of music industry executives.

Lessons learned. Time passed. After looking backwards at my mistakes and successes; I’m ready to look forward to my next season. And so much more…

Looking Backwards. Springing Forward! This month. It's March! And it's almost over. So quickly it slid in, and so fast it's marching out towards April.

[ggproverbs31]

What's College for Anyway

You want to succeed in college? Show up. Be on time. Read the material. Ask questions. Complete the assignments. Do your part to learn!

One of the more frequently asked questions my students hit me with on the first day of school: Professor Green, How many absences can we have?

What do you mean “how many can you have?”

Absences aren’t a given for the number of days you can plan to miss each semester. Having an excused absence is reserved for those family and health emergencies. And if it’s not excused, you probably shouldn’t be…

[ggproverbs31]

There's No Such Thing as an Overnight Success

There’s No Such Thing as an Overnight Success

I spent my Friday afternoon at a workshop designed for faculty and staff development.  The speaker started off by sharing some of his background and his personal and professional journey, which was very impressive. At one point we had open dialogue about some topics, before he returned to his powerpoint to share some final thoughts and quotes.

We talked about the importance of taking care of our…

[ggproverbs31]

Torrez Marketing & Productions

So 2018 is here! You’ve made more personal new year’s resolutions, and now you’re re-evaluating your professional goals; reassessing which ones you reached last year, and what changes you want to make for this year.

If one of those goals include starting your own business, expanding the company you already have, creating a secondary revenue stream, or turning that hobby into a source of income,…

[ggproverbs31]

What Did You Get for Christmas?

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? Was it a brand new guitar? No? Perhaps you already have one that’s been collecting dust because you never learned how to play. Or maybe you play a little, but haven’t figured out how to go from amateur hobbyist to a professional guitarist. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to play guitar and work professionally at it, but haven’t found a teacher who can…

[ggproverbs31]

As the calendar year winds to a close, I decided to take some time to think back over the last two academic semesters this year. This has been busy year, both in and outside the classroom.

I have always approached teaching in the Music Business program with the thought that Academia needs the Industry, as much as the Industry needs Academia. Educated graduates benefits everyone. So from day one, I’ve always looked beyond the textbook, choosing to incorporate guest speakers from the music and entertainment industry into the curriculum of every course I teach. In addition, I make it a personal practice to remain engaged in the industry, through organizational memberships, presentations at industry conferences, and attending industry events to maintain business relationships, and to continue learning and remaining current with what’s going on in the music business today. I do all that so that I’m always able to present my students not just with the knowledge of industry terms, definitions, and the basics of working in the business; which are all very important. But also in an effort to help them to be ready to walk across the commencement stage, right onto the stage of life; the real life of working, growing, and succeeding in their chosen field.

Bringing industry executives in to speak is always a real treat, as students have the opportunity to hear from Song Pluggers, Publishing Administrators, Booking Agents, Artist Managers, Entertainment Publicists, and Tour Managers.

We traveled down to Nashville for some industry showcases:

And again to Nashville to visit top Talent Agencies:

    I also encourage my students to volunteer at various music conferences and attend networking events:

I’ll admit that my approach to teaching does require more of my energy, more creativity, and more out-of-the-classroom time, as I work to make every event tie-in to what we’re learning, and how to apply it to real world working. But it’s worth it as I watch some students listen more intently when they meet people who are doing what they want to do when they graduate. And pushing students out of their comfort zones, getting them to do some things they don’t want to do, or they didn’t think they could complete successfully. And then seeing the results of them making a connection, and getting that internship or job. Or getting email from former students who talk about how they didn’t realize just how much they were learning in class, until they had to apply that knowledge at work.

An industry friend shared this graphic with a group of my students at a Tour Management Workshop.* I kept it because it applies to so much more; to life itself. It was a reminder to them that success (the iceberg) required a lot of sacrifice to achieve. Sometimes people only see what’s above the surface (the success), but they don’t take note of all of the hard work, persistence, discipline, rejection, courage, risks and other things required to achieve it. But that’s also why it’s important for people to surrounded themselves with good habits, passion, honesty, and dedication to maintain that success.

Education is important. But where education meets real life makes it even more worthwhile. Helps me to enjoy what I do even more. I can’t wait to get another year started!

  Success graphic provided by Eric Kilby, Director of Touring for Compassion Productions

Where Education Meets Real Life! As the calendar year winds to a close, I decided to take some time to think back over the last two academic semesters this year.

[ggproverbs31]

So I survived! I made it to and back from Beijing, China! I have to say I had a wonderful time. It’s not that I thought I wouldn’t. I guess I never really gave it much thought because it all happened so fast. But once everything came together, it was a really great experience, and I’m glad I accepted the invitation to go.

The journey began on Halloween, departing Nashville on that Tuesday morning, then the 14-hour flight out of Chicago, straight into Beijing. In addition to the long flight, the 13 hour time difference made for quite the shock to the system when we landed at 4 PM on Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately the only thing on the agenda was dinner and rest! And at dinner we met one of the other professors from Liverpool, UK.

Thursday morning the three of us set off for a little sightseeing with three students from the Communication University of China (CUC), the host school who invited us to speak at the Fourth Music Industry Forum. We managed to be able to go to two places before we had to get back to prepare for the evening. We toured the Forbidden City, but because of how huge it was, we only walked through about half the place. I honestly can’t even imagine what it must have been like to live there all those hundreds of years ago. I would have probably used a horse to get from one end of the palace to the other! Then again, it was the Emperor’s palace, so I wouldn’t have been moving about anyway.  Ha!

After that we went to Tiananmen Square, which is located in the center of Beijing. I quickly learned that what we (the western world) talk about, in terms of what happened there in 1989, is not the same that the Chinese people or government talk about. So I’ll choose not to discuss it here.

Thursday evening the three of us walked across the street from the hotel to the CUC and taught our courses to a group of music business students, some of whom we had previously met when a group of them came to MTSU in July. They had a beautiful campus, and the students’ attendance to our lectures was optional. That made speaking in the class even better; knowing we were teaching students who really wanted to learn more about the music industry in America.

The conference on Friday was all day. The morning portion consisted of several keynote addresses, including from members of the government. We were able to understand what was being said because we had translation devices. At times I felt like I was sitting in the UN, listening to Chinese in one ear and English in the other. It really was quite the learning experience being able to hear what was going on. It was even nicer that the conference organizers had taken the time to create separate folders for the few of us, less than a dozen English speaking American, British and Australian guest speakers.

All of the afternoon and evening sessions were breakout sessions. I was part of a mixed panel and presentation format, which was pretty cool, I think. It was definitely different than what I’m used to. But it gave us a chance to interact with the audience (they also had translation devices), as we talked about changes in the music business landscape.

Throughout the day, I had a chance to learn more about some of the challenges in the music industry in China. There’s a lot of work still be done there for them to even come close to where we are in western countries; especially regarding copyright laws and live entertainment. But being able to hear about some of the things they are working on and trying to do helped to make this whole experience well worth the flight.

Never stop learning. Never stop sharing.

My Trip to China: An Educational Journey So I survived! I made it to and back from Beijing, China! I have to say I had a wonderful time.

[ggproverbs31]

My Midterm Exam -- A Trip to China!

My Midterm Exam — A Trip to China!

It’s the middle of the semester, and nearing the end of another year! And what a busy year this one has been. I saved one of the best part of my summer review for now, because it connects with what the rest of the year has to offer!

I had the please of teaching a group of Chinese students in July; part of the Confucius Institute’s exchange program with the Communication University of China. I had…