How it all got started

I got hit with the original idea for the BIG dream gathering when my wife Melissa and I were working on one of our own big dreams.

We were having some challenges with that BIG dream and we were in need of some serious help and encouragement.  So we invited our friends over and asked everyone to write their dreams up our walls.  Then we all dove in to see if we could help each other.  It was amazing!  Plus, it wound up lasting for a week!  (You can read more about that by clicking here.)

We… and a group of amazing people… felt so strongly about that first BIG dream gathering that we decided to keep them going!  (Although we’ve never done one at our house again!!)

The cool thing is that we’ve now been freakishly blessed to work with communities and organizations to bring BIG dream gatherings to other cities and states.

My Other “Jobs”

Lastly… I have an absolute passion for helping individuals and organizations to think and dream BIGGER!  Plus, I just love to find ways to help people to connect.

Find out Mitch's "other jobs" by visting MitchMatthews.com.

So I get to do that through entrepreneurship, speaking, coaching and inventing.

I’d invite you to find out more about all of that at: MitchMatthews.com.

Lastly… A HUGE thanks!

So… thanks to you for checking out the BIG dream gathering… for dreaming BIG and for believing in other people’s BIG dreams too!

And thanks to ALL of the amazing people that have helped with making the BIG dream gathering possible… whether it’s members of our Dream Team or the countless volunteers that have helped at the events!  We couldn’t do it without you all!

Keep dreaming BIG,

Mitch

We first met Calvin at the BIG Dream Gathering at the University of Northern Iowa in the Spring of 2010.

His big dream stood out to us and we followed up with him about it.

The more we spent time with Calvin… the more we liked him and the more we were impressed by him.

He was not only great with a camera… he was a freakishly cool person!

So, Calvin has joined us on a number of video projects this year.

In fact, he shot and produced one of my favorite videos that helps to capture the feel of the BIG Dream Gathering.  You can check it out here… Big Dream Gathering – West Des Moines from Calvin Johannsen on Vimeo.

Not surprisingly, over the past two years, Calvin’s business has started to explode too.  He’s been traveling all over the country on video projects.

So we’re freakishly blessed to be working with him on capturing the BIG Dream Gathering!

Here’s Calvin’s professional Bio:

Calvin Johannsen is a video producer and animation artist who recently founded VisualHouse – a  creative video production company-emphasizing on story-telling. His passion, and willingness to explore all types of media in different markets have allowed him work on projects with Redbull (action sports), Mudd Advertising (automotive), and The Webcentric (financially web marketing). His experience and proficiency of Adobe software has led him to instruct younger generations in animation. In his spare time he actively writes music, smiles, and photographs life around him, all while pursuing his big dreams.

Calvin’s many big ideas, or dreams, allowed him to connect with BDG founder, Mitch Matthews at UNI. He’s currently living one of his immediate big dreams as an entrepreneur.

His long-term dreams are still evolving, but being able to travel, and tell other people’s stories through video and photography, is a lifelong dream.

He hopes that persistence and willingness will turn that dream into a reality.

We first met Lindsay at Succeed Faster in San Antonio, TX in January of 2012.

During my “Bootstrapping Your BIG Dream” presentation, I gave the example of someone having a big dream of becoming an event planner.  This led to a light bulb going off in Lindsay’s head… and she began to wonder…

“What about being an international event planner?”

She knew that she loved to travel and wanted to incorporate that into her career. She thought she could combine her organization and planning skills to create her dream career.

The Succeed Faster event and the BIG Dream Gathering experience left her on fire!

She wasn’t 100% sure how to get closer to her dream but she knew she had to do something.  So… she decided to follow one of the Bootstrapper tips and she created her own internship. She was soon doing special event projects… including planning many of the events around the next Succeed Faster conference in Chicago!

It has been amazing to see her go after her big dream.  Her go-getter attitude and inherent planning skills have been off the charts!

Recently, Lindsay and I connected and she let me know about a campus-wide event she had planned that attracted over 450 students.

Since we’ve started to hold BIG Dream Gatherings on more and more college campuses, we started to brainstorm about the possibilities.  Then we thought… “Why not have her help us improve our systems as we start to bring the BIG Dream Gatherings to colleges and universities around the country?”

So… that’s what we’re going to do.  Lindsay is going to help us work on our “systems,” especially when they apply to campuses… and we are so excited and grateful to be working with her!

Here’s Lindsay’s professional Bio:

Lindsay Palmer is a junior International Business and Marketing major at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.

She has a passion for planning, organization, and travel. She is currently working as the Director of Event Planning for Tim Augustine’s ‘How Hard Are You Knocking’ Seminars as well as the Event Planner for the Succeed Faster Conferences.

In her spare time she is the Vice President of Pledge Education for Delta Sigma Pi, the international business fraternity, the Vice President of Membership and Communications for the American Marketing Association, and serves on the board for the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Marketing Association.

She thrives on being busy and never loses her cool… even when she has 10 projects going on simultaneously.

We’re honored to be working with Lindsay and in many ways… we’re convinced we’ll be working FOR her some day!

Okay… so as the BIG dream gathering grows and gets 1 year older… we have new additions to our “Dream Team.”

Two of those incredible additions are Lucas Casey and Mike Cisney!

They joined the team after their youtube blockbuster “Alleyball” hit!

They’re now offering their talent to this year’s BIG dream gathering with all sorts of creative video support!

Here’s their BIO in their own words:

If Martin Sheen ever makes a bid for the White House as Jed Barlet, you could probably find Lucas and Mike hot on the campaign trail hanging banners, registering voters and selling buttons.  Since that’s probably not going to happen, you’re more likely to see them playing Alleyball, laughing at their own jokes, and most importantly, dreaming BIG.  Lucas and Mike became friends while working together in the University of Northern Iowa admissions office and have been brainstorming ever since.  No they are pledging their creative abilities to make Big Dream Gathering videos.

So if you see these two guys around, don’t be afraid to tell them and their cameras about your BIG dream.  It might just come true.  Oh and by the way, these guys have regular jobs and lives too.  So here’s their info in case you want to contact them.

Lucas is a government flunky at a suburban municipality by day.  He and his wonderful wife, Lindsay live in Windsor Heights, Iowa.  Lucas has been making the “talkies” (old school for movies) since he was in 7th grade.  You can email him at lucasjoncasey@yahoo.com.

Mike is the manager of a major bank downtown Des Moines and he’s funny (first person ever to be described as a banker and funny).  His quick wit and comedic timing are matched only by his height – 6 feet 4 inches.  You can email him at mcisney@hotmail.com.

Justin Wise and Deviant Design provided the initial design genius and the logo for the BDG.

Here’s his bio:

Deviant Ministries was birthed out of a desire for the mystery of God, evidenced in Jesus, to become a lot less… well… boring.  The contemporary Christian culture has drifted farther and farther away from becoming a relevant impact on society and more into a nice, neat, Sunday morning club that society, in general, has written off.

Deviant Design & Ministry (www.bedeviant.com) originally was started in 2003 as a clothing company, aimed at giving followers of Jesus something to wear that was visually exciting yet reflected deeply the beliefs that they hold.  Since its inception, Deviant has morphed into a design studio with a clothing line on the side.  With clients all over the Midwest, Deviant Design creates dynamic design pieces for businesses, churches, seminaries, and individuals, with designs including logos, imaging pieces, wedding invitations, t-shirt design and production and marketing materials.

Justin lives in West Des Moines, Iowa with his beautiful wife, Kerry and their awesome son.  He’s a seminary grad from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul and is on staff at Lutheran Church of Hope.  He enjoys listening to music, drinking espresso, longboarding, and wearing flip-flops.  You can contact Justin at justin@bedeviant.com.

Brad was in charge of all things… film production in 2007.

He was behind the camera in 2007!  He edited all of our videos.  Yup… He did it ALL!

He’s a amazing guy and an incredible friend… and although he continues to be a great friend of the BDG… he’s serving in different ways in 2008.

His videos are STILL important to us… and they help people’s dreams live on!

Here’s his Bio… in his own words:

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Oscar Wilde once said, “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life”. Whether that’s the case or not, my goal is to give people something visual that not only inspires, but reveals truth. That’s where Issachar Factor Productions comes in. The Men of Issachar were part of King David’s mighty army. Their role was vital because it was said that they were men who “understood the times…”

I love the quote that says, “There is no new news, only old news happening to new people.” So what does that say about us? Are we really that unoriginal? Only if we haven’t heard the old news before. So my dream is to make films that share cultural bedrocks with the world. Things that have been “old news” for centuries. Things that we continue to do generation after generation. Things that unite us and reveal truths about who we are. I also want to be a part of the history that’s being written every day. My dream is to share with you my vision to invade the impossible…and in turn have you share yours with me. There’s an amazing movie in there just waiting to be made…

Issachar Factor Productions is owned and operated by me… Brad Jorgensen.

I’m  a 30-year-old filmmaker who is a pharmaceutical representative by day.

I have lived in Des Moines for seven years. I have an amazing wife, Stacey who loves me well and knows how to encourage me and offer discernment. Together we have a 15-month-old daughter, Jensen, who lights up my life with kisses and amazing stories that I’m going to completely understand someday very soon. We also have a dog, Tag, who is the ambassador of love in our neighborhood.

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You can contact Brad at issacharfactor@gmail.com.

Drew has been one of the best surprises for the BDG.

Within minutes of hearing about the vision for the second BDG… he offered his building as a location.  He also jumped in by helping us navigate all things media.  He’s been incredible to work with… and he’s pretty dang funny too.

Here’s his bio:

Drew McLellan gets branding and marketing and he desperately wants you to get it too.

So he tells stories, asks questions, and milks sacred cows. All to help clients discover their brand so they can create authentic love affairs with their customers.

Drew has not only survived 20 years in the advertising and marketing arena, he’s thrived in it.  After working for several other agencies, including Young and Rubicam’s CMF&Z, Drew created McLellan Marketing Group in 1995.

Considered a national branding expert, Drew is a highly sought after speaker and has given about a zillion presentations at national conferences, key note addresses, training for his peers in the profession, college students and even his daughter’s eighth grade class.

Over the years, Drew has lent his expertise to clients like Nabisco, IAMS pet foods, Kraft Foods, Meredith Publishing, John Deere, Iowa Health System, Make-A-Wish, University of Central Florida, SkiDoo and a wide array of others.

When he’s not out preaching the good word of marketing & branding at work and on his blog Drew’s Marketing Minute,  Drew spends time with his family and pondering why the Dodgers can’t seem to get back to the World Series.

Drew has a Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota but alas, he cannot remember their fight song.