Nevertheless, Michael had no intention of giving up on his life long ambition to make movies. Sensing her husband's growing frustration and his looming 40th birthday, Lesa struggled to find a gift that would honor his 40 years of achievements. After months of agonizing over her gift idea she realized that there were only two things Michael relished in life: to have another child and the chance to direct a film. Lesa was personally not ready to have another child so instead she dusted off her laptop and began writing a script that they could produce and finance with their personal savings. From hence Cordially Invited was born and it was the chance of a lifetime.
They called their stockbroker and sold their entire portfolio, then withdrew every dime from their savings account, with which they were originally planning to purchase their dream home in the new Play Vista community of Southern California. Pre-production on Cordially Invited began in November 2006. The next four months emotionally and mentally resembled a war zone; the production was so hectic it could have been a movie in its own right. Before principle photography began they had fired half their cast and crew. The tribulations in the beginning paled in comparison to the first week of shooting when two days before the first payroll was due they discovered that their major investor backed out on them.
It was the most exhilarating and exhausting 21 days of their lives, but through it all they triumphed! Slightly over budget, deeply in debt and mentally and physically spent, they had achieved a feat that many have attempted but few have completed. The payoff came when they finally had a chance to review the 100 hours of footage they had begged, borrowed and stolen for. The principal footage looked like a million bucks. The performances were poignant and peppered with wit. The leads of the film looked radiant. To aptly quote from Dickens "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
Postproduction began in early June 2007 and the filmmakers could finally breathe a
collective sigh of relief. In the end through the adversity and achievement, if you asked either of them if it were worth it, they would both give a resounding yes! However, their greatest fear over all other perceived risk was losing each other, but seven months later they emerged stronger than ever as best friends, partners and, most importantly, husband and wife. They've beat the odds and are ready for the next chapter which they will face as they always do, fearless and broke, fighting each other every step of the way, yet madly in love.
Come what may, Lesa and Michael know the key to their success is their ability to stay together as a team, as Equalaris, equal links between two ideas. With major distributors courting the film, the couple has new battles ahead. Hollywood had better brace itself for Equalaris Productions because they are gearing up to take the film industry by storm.
Cordially Invited was a runner up in the Screenplay Category at the San Francisco Black Film Festival. The film has been submitted into the following festivals:
• American Black Film Festival
• AFI Fest
• Bahamas International Film Festival
• Harlem International Film Festival
• Hollywood Film Festival
• Turks & Caicos International Film Festival
For More Information about Cordially Invited contact or visit our website at CordiallyInvitedMovie.com
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On the set of Cordially Invited
On the set of Cordially Invited 
