Michael Barnard

Michael and I went lunch together today. He told me some extraordinary experiences he had from the past.

He is the Producer, Director, Designer, and Editor of Lightning Bolt Pix, a surfer, and he travels often. On top of his countless shooting projects, he has been working with UCLA for 12 years for the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center documentary project. The architect is I.M. Pei, a great wise man whom I adore greatly. Michael is hired by UCLA to produce a film to persuade FEMA and to pass a substantial budget for building a world-class facility hospital. It took only 2 weeks for Pei to come up a brilliant plan for the new building. Because of funding, it took UCLA 12 years to complete the project. The final total budget is 1 billion. Hundreds of patients from the old Medical Center moved in in June 29, 2008. Michael is going to NYC this week to do the final shooting with I.M. Pei. He is going to ask Pei to talk about how he came up the extraordinary plan for building the Medical Center.

Michael has many beautiful stories from the past 12 years working with Pei and UCLA. With a limited budget, Pei asked Carlo Mariotti, the owner of a family company since 1895 in Tivoli, Italy and the supplier of many prestigious projects worldwide, for help. Mariotti donated more than 3 million pounds of travertine marble. Michael told me that Mariotti wanted to show his gratitude to the UCLA for saving his life twice, Mariotti supported Pei's request without asking further.

I.M. Pei is working together with his son Didi Pei, Michael's son is also used to work with him, and now Mariotti's son is running the family company. It is marvelous to see when two generations are working hand in hand for a greater goal. And it is certainly a blessing for both generations.