Great Falls HomeLifeStyleHomeHomeLifeStyleLifeStyle Page 10 GrowingGrowing upup WithWith BaseballBaseball Classifieds, Page 17 Classifieds, ❖ InIn GreatGreat FallsFalls Senior Bryan Even pitches for the News, Page 4 Langley baseball team. Even will News, Page 4 head to St. Anselm’s next fall to play Division II baseball. Sports, Page 16 ❖ Entertainment, Page 14 ❖ Opinion, Page 8 Finding Motivation In the Movies News, Page 3 Langley Orchestra Presents Final Concert News, Page 6 Photo contributed Photo www.ConnectionNewspapers.comJune 12-18, 2013 online at Greatwww.connectionnewspapers.com Falls Connection ❖ June 12-18, 2013 ❖ 1 Summer Sale! Visit Our Showroom to View the New Masland Collection! Since 1866 SERVING YOU SINCE 1998 THE SOURCE OF FINE FLOORS, EXCELLENT SERVICE & CRAFTSMANSHIP Great Falls OPEN Leesburg Floors GREAT FALLS Calico SUNDAYS! Rt. 193 Georgetown Pike Rte. 7 and Georgetown Pike (Route 193) . Rd. Old DominionMcLean Dr . Seneca Square (Next to Calico Corners) Dranesville Pkwy Rt. 7 Fairfax Co. 703-759-9200 1025-K Seneca Road RestonPkwy Monday through Saturday 10-6 • Sunday 12-4 • VISA • Master Card • Discover • AMEX Herndon Reston Tysons Corner 2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ June 12-18, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Great Falls Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic News 703-778-9414 or [email protected] Finding Motivation in the Movies Scott DiGiammarino uses film clips to get the message across. By Alex McVeigh The Connection reat Falls resident Scott DiGiammarino knows the power of movies. In his re- Bob Gilbert’s Gcent TED Talk at TEDx Rock Creek Park, “New World entitled “Why Movies Move Us,” he Trade Center.” spoke about the impact movies have, and the neuro- science behind it. contributed Photo He mentioned a study that was conducted three years ago, where 50 percent of the world admitted to being afraid of swimming in the ocean. Eighty percent of those people said that they didn’t want to go in because they were still afraid of “Jaws,” de- spite the fact that it came out in 1975. He also knows that enrollment in martial arts Great Falls resident Scott DiGiammarino classes tripled in the year “The Karate Kid” came out, has started a company, Reel Potential, and that after the release of “Top Gun,” recruitment which uses movie clips to convey inspira- of Naval aviators increased by 500 percent and sales tional messages. of Ray Ban sunglasses, bomber jackets and karaoke machines skyrocketed. develop a culture and environment that encompassed Tapping into the effect movies have on people is what the new generation was demanding.” what led DiGiammarino to start his company, Reel A self-proclaimed “movie guy,” DiGiammarino has Potential, which uses Hollywood movie clips to help a collection of more than 600 DVDs. He saw movies business leaders inspire, engage and communicate as something that everyone could relate to. Great Falls Studios Artists with employees in a short, entertaining and memo- “We started sending out theme based emails on a Exhibit at the Great Falls Library rable manner. weekly basis. An example of a theme could be cour- An award-winning senior executive for American age. I would then write up a short statement as to Mirrors framed in clay, quilts, the board and chair of the GFS Express Financial Advisors, he moved to Great Falls why being courageous was so important. Then, we’d photographs, oils, watercolors, Exhibits Committee says, “The in 1992, taking over a market that was ranked 173 attach a movie clip that supported that theme. I mixed media, abstracts quite Great Falls Studios member out of 176 regions. During his first year, he led his would ask people to write down the most courageous large, prints very small and show is an opportunity to see team to number one, and they maintained that rank- moment in their lives, and if they wanted to, feel much in between: 36 pieces by the talents of neighbors and ing for over two decades. free to send their story my way,” he said. “What was 23 artists, including several friends in our community. From amazing is that most of the stories had nothing to do new to Great Falls Studios realistic images in photos and IN THE PROCESS, DiGiammarino saw the scope with business. They were mostly personal in nature. (GFS), are on exhibit at the paintings to abstract colors of the business expand rapidly. Over a six-year pe- They were stories that happened in people’s every- Great Falls Community Library studies, there is something for riod, he went from one office to more than 200, from day lives. They were incredibly emotional and com- in the Large Community Meet- everyone.” 32 employees to more than 1,600 and from three pelling.” ing Room, 9830 Georgetown GFS invites all to the artists’ leaders reporting to him to over 120. But the growth He found his employees responded very well to Pike, Great Falls through June reception at the Great Falls came with challenges. this: He started getting 200 to 300 responses back a 2013. GFS members, artists Community Library, Large Com- “When you have one office, it’s easier to lead. You week. working and living in Great munity Meeting Room, 9830 can see people’s faces and know when they’re hav- DiGiammarino, with approval from the writer, Falls, number 113. The village Georgetown Pike, Thursday, ing a good day or a bad day. You know when people would choose a story a week to send out to the rest is increasingly known for its June 27, 7-9 p.m. need some direction, some motivation or just some- of the organization. He says that sharing helped build cottage industry of artisans Check out a book and see the one to talk to,” he said. “But as we grew, our leading a culture where people started to understand and working in individual studios show, during regular library indicators started to show some cracks and we knew believe in one another. and three group studios on sce- hours: http:// that if we wanted to continue our success, we needed The numbers eventually led American Express to nic roads in Great Falls. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/li- to get creative to ensure best efforts from everyone.” see if DiGiammarino’s success could be replicated, Cindy Grisdela, member of brary/branches/gf/. Not wanting to throw away the results and the and soon he was on the road, speaking throughout goodwill that took him years to build, DiGiammarino the country. After one speaking gig in Las Vegas, went on a quest to understand what made people where he used a number of movie clips about leav- tick, adjusting his strategy based on those findings. ing a legacy, a woman came up to him and told him “I learned that the average attention span was that she experienced the entire gamut of emotions shrinking. We now start losing people after 17 sec- during the talk. She said that she’d never forget the onds. The days of the three-hour meeting are gone. presentation. Silvia Gonzalez I learned that most generations these days like to be “That’s when I realized I may have stumbled on Roman’s entertained, and they prefer short video versus white something big. As soon as I got home I started call- photograph boards, Power Points and boring emails,” he said. ing the Hollywood movie studios to see if we could captures a “We also wanted to know what people wanted to partner together to try to change the world. The ne- corner of “Sion stand for as an organization. What would make our gotiations lasted more than nine years,” he said. “I Chapel Door.” employees proud to come to work every day? What finally got a call from Universal Studios, and in 2010, were our collective values and principles? Together, Reel Potential became the first company in the his- our employees built a list of over 200 themes. Some tory of Hollywood to gain legal access to movie clips of the top ones included service, ethics, persever- for business-to-business purposes. This was a mas- ance, honesty, principle based decision-making, hope sive coup.” and fun. My task was to figure out a way to take what I learned and the feedback we received and See Memorable, Page 13 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Great Falls Connection ❖ June 12-18, 2013 ❖ 3 News Photos contributed Photos Langley senior Bryan Even swings at a pitch during one of the team’s Langley High School baseball player Bryan Even tries to tag a base games this season. Even will go on to play Division II baseball next runner during one of the Saxons’ game this season. season at St. Anselm in New Hampshire. Growing up With Baseball in Great Falls sir, yes sir.’ I knew that if a ball was in play, Langley senior Bryan Even to play Division II baseball next year. I could trust the defense enough to get the By Alex McVeigh would be there at the end of our parade, share of memorable moments. He started outs, so I just had to pitch to each batter. The Connection giving us high fives and giving us something off his junior year with a grand slam, his And once our offense got us a few runs, I to look up to,” Even said. “I used to look up first hit of the year. was good to go.” rowing up in Great Falls, Lan- to them every year, they were my inspira- He also went out on top, capping his high Varsity coach Kevin Healy says he noticed gley High School senior Bryan tion when I played, because that’s what I school with a 5-0 record as a senior start- Even come into his senior year with a spe- GEven found his second home on wanted to become.” ing pitcher, as well as one save.