About Inspirational Media International (IMI)

Inspirational Media Inc. has been in existence for over 20 years, formerly known as Whitely Productions (1980-1987) and Ohio Says No To Drugs (1987-1992)

Originally formed as a family production company, the organization began writing and designing multimedia productions for school organizations and the North Coast Hunger Project. These productions focused on historical topics such as the evolution of music, the history of dance, and a history of American motion pictures that have played significant roles in the evolution of American culture.

In 1987 the president of Whitely Productions, Michael J. Whitely, was asked to help incorporate a new anti-drug organization entitled 'Ohio Says No to Drugs' (OSND). Within a year, the company was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in America that focused on anti-drug programming for educational settings. OSND went on to produce an anti-drug musical entitled Let Me Hear it Out There that toured the Greater Cleveland community theaters before giving its encore performance at Cleveland's prestigious Ohio Theater in Playhouse Square. This final show was produced as a way of promoting the soon-to-be-built Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, emphasizing the educational goals of the museum's Board of Directors. As stated by Michael K. Benz, former director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, "…the play, like what we will be doing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, uses rock and roll as a medium in which to educate and deliver an important message to rock and roll fans."

Due to the success of the Playhouse Square event, the OSND Board of Directors sought to expand the objectives of the organization in 1992 to include productions outside the exclusive sphere of anti-drug programs. The 501(c)(3) status of OSND was transferred to the new name of the organization, Inspirational Media, with expanded goals and objectives. With the financial support of JB Investments, Inspirational Media produced its first full-length motion picture, entitled Shooting Star. This musical film not only incorporated an anti-drug message, but also emphasized the power of choice, family values and the importance of positive role models. Shooting Star is now being represented by New York entertainment attorney/agent Laurens Swartz.

Outside of musical productions, Inspirational Media has also assisted in the design of an educational talk show for the Tourette's Syndrome/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic at Yale University. This talk show was developed for school-aged children with Tourette's Syndrome and their parents to help them gain a greater knowledge of this neurological disorder. The panel talk show was produced for the Tourette's Syndrome Association, Connecticut Chapter, for two consecutive summers during 1997 and 1998.

In May 1998, Inspirational Media developed an initiative to address the issues of conflict resolution in Northern Ireland. Their involvement overseas led to the founding of The Northern Ireland Community Cooperation Initiative (NICCI) aka Mission IMPROVE (International Model of Partnerships for the Reduction Of Violence through Education). Under the auspices of NICCI/IMPROVE, Inspirational Media produced Breath of Heaven: The Nativity Musical. During December 1999, the Northern Ireland audience watched the movie on a large screen, as the play was performed live on stage. This was Inspirational Media's second play that has been adapted into a motion picture. This production also incorporated over 600 children from the Coleraine and Portrush School Districts in a variety of skits and musical performances that led up to the interactive movie/stage play. As stated in a news segment of Ulster Television, "This is the largest and most ambitious cross-community initiative ever to take place in Northern Ireland."

The success of the event was recognized by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who stated,” This project is most worthwhile…. This can only be beneficial in the long term and will enhance the prospects for improved community relations, mutual understanding, and respect between people of all ages". The NICCI 1999 project also sparked an invitation from a representative of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Inspirational Media to continue its conflict resolution work. This resulted in the creation of an international awards ceremony for the following year. The NICCI Awards premiered on January 10, 2001 at the Belfast Waterfront Hall and was received with great enthusiasm. 'Model of the Year' awards were given in 17 categories, highlighting the numerous and diverse peace efforts of Northern Ireland community relations initiatives.

During the development of the Inaugural NICCI Awards ceremony, Inspirational Media was invited to appear on the Disney Radio talk show, 'You Can Do Anything'. This special program generated the idea of developing a 'Peace Fountain' to be presented as a gift from the communities of America to the communities of Northern Ireland. For the next several years, Inspirational Media constructed what has now become a lasting symbol of America's support for the Northern Ireland peace process. The monument itself is full of symbolism, with cascading water representing the washing away of old conflicts and the promise of new beginnings. The Phoenix Peace Fountain was unveiled during the 2nd Annual NICCI Awards in July 2002 in Belfast, Northern Ireland and is permanently located in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.

To date, Inspirational Media has created a myriad of multimedia presentations, live stage shows, 16mm and 35mm motion pictures, and domestic/international community-based educational events. Inspirational Media has gained a reputation for quality educational programming through the efforts of its talented administrative staff and production crew. Through these successes, Inspirational Media has gathered a wide-ranging team of key professionals and expert consultants.

Currently, Inspirational Media is involved with producing Finding Your Way to an “A” in conjunction with Herzing University Online. Other projects in pre-production include the films: The Ninth Intelligence - An Intellectual Paradigm Shift; Underlying Currents - the NICCI Story; Signing Off, a dramatic script centering on suicide intervention; Second Chance, a musical retelling of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve; and the remaking of Shooting Star into a children's musical.