Hello everyone! As I mentioned in my last entry here on the blog, there has been a lot happening in the past month or so, and I am so excited to tell you that one of those is that I now have a fantastic business partner and is the new co-founder of the business as a California Limited Liability Company of Abilities United Productions, LLC. Please welcome, Jose Rafael Fayette! We met through a mutual friend, Rob Romani an actor and performer with a disability (PWD), the second to the last week I was in the hospital. We talked through emails and phone and had the undeniable force to meet in person as soon as possible.

Our first meeting lasted over 2 hours and felt like only a few minutes! We have a lot in common and some things that compliment each other in the business of Abilities United. First let me tell you that he is also a spinal cord injured survivor. His happened in 1977 as a 16 year old surfing the beaches of San Pedro, CA. Amazingly, even miraculously, a young 12 year old surfer, David Cole, came to his rescue as he lay helpless in the water. It left him as a quadriplegic. You can read more of this fateful experience on Jose’s bio page on the website which will be up soon. But just like my self, Jose didn’t allow this traumatic event stop him from living life to the fullest!  

In the years that followed, Jose has been actively engaged in things that were passionate for him and included the studying the areas of theology and philosophy, (such as St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica and Aristotle’s Ethics, etc.), which in turn uncovered a deeper interest in social sciences and the performing arts. And to expand on his diverse interests he also worked at and earned a degree from the Blackstone School of Law. As a lawyer Jose has worked diligently on compliance issues of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and consulting services to many including A-list actors and independent film festivals.

With experience in his company, International Funding Solutions, Jose, has engaged in providing various financial services by and through its relationships with banks, savings and loans, finance companies, private investors and/or financial institutions, including private placements, and debt equity financing for independent film projects.  He has also been active with owning and managing the movie production company, Palomino Entertainment which produced, the “Art of Boxing” with Welterweight Boxing Champion, Boxing Hall of Famer, and actor, Carlos Palomino. And as if that isn’t enough he followed a deep passion for acting and has just recently, in February 2009, graduated the Sandy Meisner Acting at Barron Brown Studios. 

This has all culminated into years of helpful hands-on experience with Hollywood industry executives much related to financing and creating viable solutions to a variety of funding problems for projects over $10 million. Jose has formulated approaches to solve complex situations and with his close relationships with attorneys, bankers, accountants, and entrepreneurs have strengthened his interpersonal skills and the art of business.

All of this has given Jose the type of experience that along with his passion for working in the industry and desire for equal access to break down the Hollywood stereotypes and end the industry wide discrimination of those with a disAbility, will vastly assist Abilities United Productions’ reaching the mission of providing an authentic voice, vision and representation of those with a disAbility in the motion picture and television industry.

There is a lot more I can say about Jose but for now, let me stick with I am so glad we have met as he has quickly become a dear friend and is an excellent partner at Abilities United Productions, LLC.