Escapeseeker

Bonjour Escapeseeker friends,

Just want to quickly let you know that we have returned after an incredibly adventurous two weeks in French Polynesia.  We’re reviewing thousands of images captured by our team of photographers, Justin Grant and Peyton McCollum, and will be back in the next few days to share them with all of you.  Get ready to be WOWED!

Until then,

Mel

No destination is too far or too difficult for Escapeseeker to reach!
Now, how appropriate is that Escapeseeker tag line?

Nomade Yachting…

The only way to cruise along this heart-stopping,
breathtaking, azure blue seascape
amidst emerald mountain vistas!

Blue and every shade thereof…

It is from the vantage point of this beautiful vessel that we will gain a new perspective as we explore and navigate our way through the four Society Islands. And, as ESCAPESEEKER executive producer, host and writer, I’m feeling so incredibly fortunate to have on my ART, three wonderfully talented individuals to help me capture and record our priceless experiences:

1. Justin Grant – We’re so excited to have Justin on board . He is in such high demand and to be able to have Justin capture Phase 1 of “The Making of” Tahiti episode(s) is a gift.  Speaking of gifts, feel free to view and experience his amazing gift for photography–it is easy to see that Justin was born with this talent.  http://www.justingrantphotography.com/
 
2. Peyton McCollum – I’ve never met such a bright, spunky, natural born ESCAPESEEKER as Peyton!  She has traveled to 33 countries, most recently her travels include Galapagos, China, Mongolia, Namibia, Botswana, and Costa Rica.  Peyton majored in Biology and Athropology at Duke University, with a certificate in Primatology.  She lived in Kenya for 4 months studying wildlife management, and loves nothing more than hopping on a plane and seeing where life takes her.  Sharing in the ESCAPESEEKER mantra, Peyton truly enjoys learning about new cultures and gaining a deeper appreciation for our beautiful planet…and caring for our planet is something she takes seriously.  Peyton has completed three Earthwatch projects!  We cannot wait to get her input as we work to shape the Tahiti episode(s).  

3. Roy A. Henderson – our team leader– As a former CEO of several financial institutions, Roy’s leadership and management skills instill such order and peace amongst the entire ESCAPESEEKER creative team.  As those who know him well are often heard saying, “Roy is as calm as an inland lake!”  And, calm is exactly what our team needs as we’re often  logging in thousands of miles, criss-crossing continents and defying time zones!  It’s also a nice bonus that Roy is not only an expert pilot, but a seasoned, competitive sailor too.   However,  for this ESCAPESEEKER assignment, he’s totally content to be on the gorgeous TI’A MOANA!

I think you’ll agree, we have one very exceptional research team.

Here’s a sneak preview of what is in store for our ESCAPESEEKER ART:

 
 
Bora Bora: The Supreme Island

Huahine: The Island of Bards

Mel Gee Henderson, Creator/Writer/Host/Executive Producer of
Escapeseeker Travel Series, with her Escapeseeker team on assignment in France:
(Front) Mike Ryan, Sound Engineer; Jackson Myers, Director of Photography;
(Back) Jason Wise, Director; Christina Tucker, Co-Writer/Producer

Orange County, California — After months and months of filming all over our beautiful planet–you will finally have the opportunity to view two full episodes of ESCAPESEEKER on KOCE-TV, Channel 10 (your channel may vary depending on your carrier), tonight, October 5th at 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Please tune in! Thank you Escapeseeker friends!

Yours truly,

Mel aka Escapeseeker

Dear ESCAPESEEKER fans,

I am so pleased to announce that our program is all set to premiere on KOCE-TV on October 5, 2009 at prime time viewing– 10:00 pm. Our ESCAPESEEKER team is excited beyond words. Promise us you’ll tune in! I know we’re competing with my favorite comedian–Jay Leno. But you can all TIVO him right? Ok, all you CSI Miami fans–same goes for you! Yes, you Mr. H!

Our ESCAPESEEKER team will be departing on September 16th for another exciting filming adventure in Ireland and Italy’s Amalfi Coast–but you can bet we will be back on October 4th, just in time to view our premiere episodes together!

Thank you everyone for your unwavering support! Check out our program promo below: Please forward the info to every Southern Californian you know!

Love,

Mel aka Escapeseeker

ESCAPESEEKER ROAD ADVENTURE:
UNVEILING FRANCE’S BEST KEPT SECRETS
Monday, October 5 at 10:00 PM, KOCE-TV, Channel 10

The Banks of the Brazos River – – Hi Y’all! Yup, that’s Texas talk. I’m spendin’ my August days in the Lone Star State…and I tell ya, there’s nothin’ like this Texas heat to remind me that in just one month, September 17th, I’m gonna be tradin’ this heat for some cool lucky Irish green clover, as our ESCAPESEEKER team begins our filming assignment at The K CLUB, on the Emerald Isle, home of the 2006 Ryder Cup.

There’s so much happening in the next few weeks that our ESCAPESEEKER team is barely keeping up with all the excitement!

We are just weeks away from our Season Premiere. We do hope all of you stay tuned. We will definitely be updating this blog before our air date to let you know which PBS stations will be carrying it. Meanwhile, here’s a reminder of what is in store on ESCAPESEEKER…when I prove once again that there is no destination on earth too far, or too difficult to reach! By the way, our new ESCAPESEEKER theme song is composed by an incredible talent: Hollywood music producer, Griffin Boice.

FOREVER SISTERS, FOREVER FRIENDS!
This photo is a wonderful reminder that God does answer prayers.

Los Angeles, California–Sometimes, something so unforgettable happens that one just has to pause from everyday life–even if you’re engaged in the time sensitive task of producing a TV Travel Series that’s about to air…and give thanks.

You have to live in a cave to not know that the most miraculous event occurred this week–which apparently has been weeks in the making. Former President Bill Clinton successfully negotiated the release of fellow journalists–Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Ever since I heard of their arrest on March 17th–a day has not gone by when I haven’t said a prayer for Laura and Euna, along with so many other deeply concerned friends and family– particularly those of us united via facebook and kept updated by Lisa, Laura’s older sister… (also a brilliant journalist). Well, tonight I signed onto facebook, and above is the photo that Lisa had posted for all of us to see…and just like many times before, I cried tears…but this time, they are tears of JOY!

And, the joy-filled photos did not stop there. On Paul Song’s (Lisa’s husband) Facebook page, we see the “A Team” family photo!

THANK YOU PRESIDENT CLINTON!
THANK YOU “AL” (what Laura called her Current TV boss)

Here’s a recap of the now famous rescue by President Clinton, written by Maynard Institute columnist, Richard Prince:

“Two American journalists jubilantly reunited with family and friends early Wednesday upon returning to the United States with former President Bill Clinton, whose diplomatic trip to North Korea secured their release nearly five months after their arrests,” Robert Jablon reported Wednesday for the Associated Press.

“The jet carrying Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for Al Gore’s San Francisco-based Current TV, and Clinton arrived at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport at dawn. Clinton met with communist leader Kim Jong Il on Tuesday to secure the women’s release.

“Lee emerged from the jetliner first and was greeted by husband Michael Saldate and 4-year-old daughter Hana. She hugged the girl and picked her up before all three embraced in a crushing hug as TV networks beamed the poignant moment live.

“Ling embraced her husband, Iain Clayton, as teary family members crowded around.

“‘The past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching days of our lives,’ Ling said, her voice cracking.

“Thirty hours ago, Ling said, ‘We feared that any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp.’

“Then, she said, they were taken to another location.”

“‘When we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton,’ she said to applause. ‘We were shocked but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end, and now we stand here, home and free.’

“Clinton came down the stairs to applause. He hugged Gore, then chatted with family members.

“Gore described the families of the two women as ‘unbelievable, passionate, involved, committed, innovative.’ . . .

“After 140 days in custody, the reporters were granted a pardon by North Korea on Tuesday, following rare talks between Clinton and the reclusive North Korea leader. They had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for entering the country illegally.

“The women were kept in enforced isolation and fed poor-quality food, Ling’s sister said.

“‘They were kept apart most of the time. . . . On the day of their trial, they hugged each other and that was it,’ Lisa Ling told reporters outside her sister’s home in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.

“‘She’s really, really anxious to have fresh fruit and fresh food. She said there were rocks in her rice. Obviously, it’s a country that has a lot of economic problems.

“‘The little bit that she was able to recount of her experience of the last 4 1/2 months has been challenging for us to hear,’ Lisa Ling said. ‘She’s my little sister but she’s a very, very strong girl and a determined person.’

Lisa Ling, the reporter for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “National Geographic Explorer,” spoke briefly to the media this morning outside her sister’s California home.

“We are gonna go have a little powwow at home,” she said, according to the NECN cable network.

“We are gonna stuff her with food that she loves.”

##

I LOVE HAPPY ENDINGS!!

It is 3:06 a.m. It is time for me to stop reflecting on life, and close my eyes.

Goodnight Escapeseeker fans,

With love and peace,

Mel

Hello ESCAPESEEKER fans,

I hope you’re all having a beautiful week. I just wanted to take a moment to update you on all the exciting activities preceding and surrounding our ESCAPESEEKER October 5th KOCE-TV Fall Premiere.

At this moment, the talented members of our ESCAPESEEKER team, from the post production group (writers/director/editors/sound) to the graphics artists, to the composers, have all begun an intense ESCAPESEEKER “repackaging” in preparation for our BIG TV premiere. In the next following weeks, several crucial steps are being taken:

1. The first six episodes will be completed and submitted to PBS/KOCE-TV for review by August 1st. We have acquired enough footage for 8 episodes, but at this time, PBS only needs to see the first six. As you can imagine, our entire film post-production team won’t be seeing much real daylight before August 1st.

2. A brand new updated ESCAPESEEKER promo is being cut, hopefully complete with our newly composed ESCAPESEEKER theme song. This will be the promo that will run on PBS/KOCE-TV during August and September leading up to our program’s premiere. Talks are also in the works for additional PBS member stations to carry the program–which may result in joint premieres in major cities across the U.S. whose audience demographic is similar to KOCE’s.

3. A brand new official www.ellcprd.wpengine.com website is currently being built, which will enable visitors to view the promo instantly, view a photo gallery complete with images from all the global destinations we are featuring, provide background info on the ESCAPESEEKER film team, but more importantly, the website will link our destination partners, and enable the visitors to go directly to their site to make reservations. In some instances, visitors will be able to click and request the “Escapeseeker Package” which will closely duplicate my experiences they’ve viewed on our ESCAPESEEKER program.

By the way, this escapeseeker.blogspot.com site will continue to function as is, but now, visitors will have the additional option to be directed to the escapeseeker.net website too.

4. Ancillary products’ design have also begun for the following items:

a. ESCAPESEEKER, journalism -style, glossy coffee table book, highlighting the global destinations we are featuring on the ESCAPESEEKER program.
b. ESCAPESEEKER cookbook, featuring the renowned/talented Chefs featured on the ESCAPESEEKER program, including their signature (often secret) recipes, and the /restaurants destinations with which they’re affiliated.
c. MUSIC CD, comprised of all the music/score used in each episode.
d. ESCAPESEEKER inspired fashion line and accessories.

As you can imagine, these are exciting, albeit intense, times for ESCAPESEEKER! Who needs to sleep right? We purposely did not schedule any new filming until mid-September for these reasons.

If you’re one of our corporate sponsor prospects, or an interested ESCAPESEEKER investor, may I recommend you ACT FAST, ACT NOW, before you miss one of the most exciting travel adventures ever!!! Call +1 949.689.3297 or write: escapeseeker@gmail.com

In the meantime, here’s a sneak peak of where our film team is slated to travel to for our future episodes during the month of September, October and November: Enjoy. Better yet, why not join us? Write or call and we’ll give you the details.

www.kclub.com

September 17-24:
At The K CLUB resort, we will set out to “Prove the Luck of the Irish” as we capture on film its stunning championship golf courses, try our hand at Ireland’s gentleman style fly-fishing on the River Liffey, and maybe even try our luck on horse racing, fully decked out in the right fashion, hat included of course! Less, we forget, The K Club is also famous for its signature SPA pampering…after all, it isn’t easy being the ultimate ESCAPESEEKER!

I love starting my day off with a swim in this climate-controlled swimming pool at the K Club Spa!

Then on September 28th-October 4th, we will continue on to the AMALFI COAST, PALAZZO SASSO in Ravello, to be exact! Now repeat after me, “HEAVEN ON EARTH!” That’s exactly what we are calling this episode…and if you have ever set foot in this part of the world, you know what I’m talking about for sure.

You can expect ROYAL TREATMENT only at this Palazzo…nothing less!

October 5th will find our team around the biggest screen possible for the premiere of ESCAPESEEKER…but no worries, we will not rest on our laurels, as we continue to span the world seeking out the greatest destinations on earth. You’ll be excited to know that we’re including four of our most favorite places in the United States:

www.cavallopoint.com
Stay tuned for this one-of-a-kind tribute to the City By The Bay, complete with our salute to the brave men and women who protect our freedoms (Fleet Week with the famous Blue Angels), and bring you the most amazing luxury hotel transformation you’ve ever seen–CAVALLO POINT, a once upon a time army housing? You’ve gotta experience it to believe it!!! The only luxury hotel in the U.S. located in a National Park…with a view of the most famous bridge in the world!
Honestly, you’ll be singing the famous Greenwood tune, “God Bless The U.S.A” by the time this episode is done.

www.postranchinn.com
Can you combine “Green” and Romance? Absolutely!!!
If you believe in being earth-friendly, without sacrificing luxurious comfort when looking for the ultimate romantic retreat–you’ll definitely want to tune in to this “Greening of America” episode featuring the best kept secret of California’s Big Sur coastline: POST RANCH INN–noted as “the most eco-friendly hotel in the U.S.”

POST RANCH INN
BIG SUR VIEW

www.montagelagunabeach.com

Need a little help learning “The Art Of Living”…MONTAGE LAGUNA BEACH, California living that is! This episode is for you. From the moment you arrive at these architecturally/ authentically designed California beach bungalows, you’ll know you’ve found the place you’ve spent an entire lifetime searching for. At first you may think you’ve stepped into a painting…an absolute work of art…but this is no momentary illusion. MONTAGE LAGUNA BEACH is set on a coastal bluff overlooking the Pacific along the beautiful, vibrant Laguna coastline of the ‘California Riviera’–offering 30 acres of oceanfront luxury! Welcome to your new found life……yes, you can start humming the Beach Boys tune, “I wish they all could be California Girls…”…as a matter of fact, that just may be a California girl…no it’s not her look alike…This is a favorite of Jennifer Aniston’s too! Congratulations…you’re learning the art of California living!

www.montagebeverlyhills.com

Want to feel what its like to live like a HOLLYWOOD LEGEND? Well, not a problem. Check in to the luxurious MONTAGE BEVERLY HILLS…and it won’t take look before you will begin to feel and look every bit as glamorous as Hollywood’s most famous names…Garbo, Monroe, Newman, and Rock…Hudson that is. If you don’t arrive as beautiful as you’d like to be, no worries, MONTAGE BEVERLY HILLS has partnered with Hollywood’s famed KIM VO…repeat after me, “salon masterpiece!” Yes, you are truly BEAUTIFUL…a star like no other!

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR ESCAPESEEKER IN NOVEMBER?

Here you go, click at the link below and take a sneak peak at what awaits our ESCAPESEEKER team as we travel to INDIA to film our ROMANCING INDIA episode…if I may borrow the poetic expression describing India by Ananda Coomaraswamy, “It has proved impossible for those who have not seen the ancient gods to represent them: and the powers to be are not yet seen or heard, only the movement of their dance is faintly felt.”

And, if I may also add the words of Pliny the Elder who wrote, “India aboundeth in wonders.” After you view this footage from THE LEELA Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, you will absolutely agree.

http://www.theleela.com/live-the-leela-dl-low.html

Thank you fans and Friends of Escapeseeker for your continued support and contagious enthusiasm as we strive to bring the JOY and PASSION back into TRAVEL!

With love,

Mel aka ESCAPESEEKER

NOTE: Just click on the images to view in full size.

Writer, Nature lover, HENRY DAVID THOREAU, who always looked to nature for greater intensity and meaning for his life once said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined!”

Welcome to Three Forks Ranch. A nature lover’s paradise…a place built on one man’s dream. This week, the ESCAPESEEKER film team had the opportunity to experience what life is like in the remote corners of Northern Colorado–where God seemed to have worked overtime creating one of the most beautiful, breathtaking place on earth!

Our entire team discovered a new reverence for nature, and for the cowboy’s way of life, which by the end of the week, we were more than happy to embrace in every regard…as we quickly learned, it is tough work being a real cowboy!

We hope you’ll stay tune to PBS/KOCE-TV ESCAPESEEKER episode, entitled, “Rocky Mountain High” slated to air in October when we will introduce you to the hearty, genuine folks whose vision and focus now enable others (just like me) to live and enjoy the life they’ve imagined!

Mike, Mel and Jay after a successful cattle drive. I’m sure Jay, Three Forks Ranch GM is very relieved that I managed to stay on my horse. Frankly, so am I! Look around, this is definitely “God’s Country!”

Proof that you can make a cowgirl out of a city girl!

Thank you Jay, Justin, Allison, and all the seasoned cowboys who helped our ESCAPESEEKER film team capture your unique western lifestyle!

Less we forget, we must also thank our supporting cast, Augustus McCrae Linderman, Ranch Mascot, who kept a lookout for us city folks, every step of the way. Thanks Gus!!

With love and respect for your nature-loving way of life…

Mel and the ESCAPESEEKER team