Profile: Mick Richards

Q. Please tell us about DeepLight Television and what it does.
A. DeepLight Television is a video and new media production company that focuses on original television programming, infomercials, marketing videos, commercials and videos for Web sites.

Q. How did you get involved in doing programs in conjunction with the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA)?
A. Almost 10 years ago I partnered with Jeff Rabin, a NEFBA board member at the time, to create a TV show called New Homes & Designs. This show served the needs of people looking for new homes by featuring the work of NEFBA builders, designers and trade partners. Through that show, I have been very fortunate to work with some of the most incredibly talented people in the home building industry.

Q. Please describe your new project, Building a Difference.
A. Building a Difference is a new worldwide TV series that features non-profit organizations and construction ministries that are making a difference in the lives of people in desperate need.? The first volume of this series focuses on the incredible work of Builders Care, the non-profit construction ministry of NEFBA. We’re excited to be able to share with the rest of the world beautiful stories of how Builders Care and its volunteers have helped restore peoples’ lives right here in our own neighborhoods.? The series debuted in February and is already receiving such accolades as a “5-Dove” rating from the Dove Foundation and the official Seal of Approval from the Parents Television Council.

Q. How did you get your start in video production?
A. When I was a kid, my parents gave me two things that completely shaped my life. One was a video camera. After years of torturing my parents and featuring my friends in crazy home videos, I was very lucky to get a job doing video production at a local cable station in Jacksonville" target=_blank>Jacksonville Beach at the age of 16. My boss took me under his wing, taught me everything he knew, and I have been producing in the TV industry ever since.

Q. You also write music. Tell us about that.
A. The second thing my parents gave me was a piano. Although I never really learned how to read music very well, I play totally by ear. Now I write ambient and electronic music for solo projects as well as orchestral and inspirational soundtracks for documentaries and TV shows. I was able to compose all the music for the entire first volume of Building a Difference.? I feel very blessed to be able to combine the passion I have for telling moving stories with the passion I have for writing music in the Building a Difference series.? I’m currently finishing up several CD projects for release soon.

Q. Who is your personal hero?
A. That’s a difficult question to answer because I have many heroes in so many different ways. However, the older I get the more I am realizing the deep influence my father has had on who I am becoming. Although he passed away when I was 21, I feel his influence now more than ever when I’m faced with some of life’s most difficult challenges. It’s times like these that I hear his wonderful wisdom surfacing within me—and that’s one of the greatest blessings I think I could ever have. He was a man of integrity and I hope one day I can be just like him.