film reviews

"With a mother like his, no wonder Richard Branson became an entrepreneurial dynamo... After all, Eve Branson, 80, once talked her way into a glider pilot training program by masquerading as a man. "These are definitely traits which I inherited," Richard Branson says with a grin in a new documentary, Lemonade Stories. The film raises critical questions that experts are debating more than ever: Are entrepreneurs born? Or are they taught to turn good ideas into great companies?" - Jim Hopkins, USA Today - Cover Story. For entire article with streaming video, please click here.

"Based on what I learned from the mothers in Lemonade Stories, it occurs to me that if American parents want to raise children who think entrepreneurially, have initiative and become innovative and truly independent adults, it might serve us all well if we stepped back and let our sweet darlings make mistakes and fall on their faces from time to time." - Mary Mazzio, Time Magazine. For entire article with links, please click here.

"Lemonade Stories...suggests that much of what entrepreneurs need to know they learned well before, perhaps from the hand that rocks the cradle. Entrepreneurs taking after-and inheriting from-their go-getting fathers is hardly news: Ted Turner, K. Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump are just three examples of this phenomenon. But Lemonade Stories highlights the fact that sometimes it's a mother's touch that fuels the business-building spirit... no one yet has endowed a chair in entrepreneurship at the grade school level. Lemonade Stories suggests that doing so might not be such a bad idea... - Dan Ackman, Forbes.com - lead story on Breaking News. For entire story, please click here for MSN Money article. Click here for original Forbes.com article.

"Researchers have long said that someone who grows up with an entrepreneurial parent is much more likely to launch his or her own business. Lemonade Stories explores the less tangible influences parents have had. "I loved that all of these women were risk-takers," says Mary Mazzio, director of the documentary. "Some of them were businesswomen, some of them weren't, but it didn't matter — they all had that adventurous spirit." Mazzio herself left a partner position at a law firm to make documentaries that herald women's often-hidden contributions. Confessing that her own children are sometimes overscheduled, Mazzio says this project reveals how important it is for kids to daydream, to be left to their own devices...Along with life lessons, the film includes humorous stories... The film brings out what can never really be shown on a business spreadsheet: a mom's love - and an occasional wad of cash - when a business was struggling to get off the ground; the refusal to let a child be shy or mope around the house or watch too much TV; the living example of how to pick up and start over when a plan fails..." - Stacy Teicher, Christian Science Monitor. Click here for article. This article also appeared for several months on ABC News.com - front page business section.

"Behind every great entrepreneur is their mom. Or so film maker Mary Mazzio found in her soon to be released documentary Lemonade Stories... [The film] strikes a relevant note with its focus on this class of risk-taking business persons. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, learned lessons in risk-taking from his mother, Eve, a pilot and WWII Veteran. Billy Starr, founder of Pan-Mass Challenge, was motivated by his mother's death from cancer to raise more than $100 million for cancer research. Arthur Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot, learned from his bother that a widow with a young child can successfully run her own business..." - T.K. Maloy, UPI Deputy Business Editor, The Washington Times. Click here for entire article.

"This film begins with this wonderful shot of boiling eggs... fascinating... it's just a lovely film..." - Gail, Harris, NPR. For entire show (On Point) with Mary Mazzio, Arthur Blank, Tom Scott and Billy Starr, please click here.

"This is a great great film...I think the Branson segment is the best 10 minutes I've ever seen on television" - Jim Braude, Anchor of Newsnight - New England Cable News (NECN)

"To create business entrepreneurs, there needs to be entrepreneurial parents ... especially mothers. That's what Mary Mazzio will speak about when she kicks off the 5th Annual Create West Virginia conference in Charleston. Mazzio is a film maker from Babson Park, Massachusetts just south of Boston." - Beth Vorhees, News Director of West Virginia Public Radio. To hear the complete interview please click here.

\Check out this article: "What Richard Branson's Mother Taught Me About Raising Entrepreneurial Kids" - Mary C. Mazzio, The Huffington Post.

"an amazing new film... it blew me away with its focus and straightforward story telling. If ever there was an accessible documentary, this was it." - George T. Marshall, Executive Director of the Rhode Island International Film Festival

"still a handsome blonde at 80, Branson beside her son is electric side by side for her interview... as for the 6 and 7 year old children of Mary Mazzio... [they] pulled in $27.50 from the entrepreneurial enterprise that launched many a spectacular career in Lemonade Stories. A lemonade stand of their own." - Margery Egan, The Boston Herald

"Arthur Blank, a founder of Home Depot, learned from his mother to be fearless. Kay Koplovitz, founder of USA Networks, picked up her stubbornness from mom. For Virgin Atlantic Airways founder Richard Branson, flamboyance was a key trait. Nantucket Nectars' Tom Scott learned fun can be put to use..." - Kimberly Blanton, The Boston Globe. (Click here for full article. Please click here for photo gallery.)

Check out coverage in Fast Company .

"... an amazing new film about extraordinary entrepreneurs and their mothers. It blew me away..." - George T. Marshall, Executive Director of Rhode Island International Film Festival

"It was excellent" - Kera Trowbridge, NPR (WXEL-FM, Miami)

"This is as good as it gets..." - Al Mayers, General Manager of Bloomberg Radio, after broadcast of "Simply Put" hosted by Tom Moroney and Michael Goldman, with Mary Mazzio, Tom Scott and Jane Scott.

"I just heard about this new film, Lemonade Stories... It's airing on CNNfn... Now this is what I call "must-see TV."... - Scott Allen, About.com. Click here for more.

"A mother's love is unconditional, and for many successful entrepreneurs, it is a lifeline as they navigate fledgling businesses through uncertain waters. Lemonade Stories...highlights that bond between mother and child. It explores how that relationship influenced executives such as British airline tycoon Richard Branson, rap and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, home improvement innovator and pro football owner Arthur Blank and cable television pioneer Kay Koplovitz..." - Kathleen Yanity, The Providence Journal. (Click here for entire article.)

"Mazzio never does anything halfway. Passionate, visionary, and bent on social change... - Helen Graves, Boston Herald Women's Business

Please click here for Kodak Magazine's coverage.

"In most of these stories, there's a sensor of humor about mistakes," said Starr. "I think there's just an overwhelming sense in our society that finishing second stinks and you've got to be the best. But it's more important to find a path that's true." - Chris Helms, The Wellesley Townsman - Cover Story. Click here for entire article.

"The film gets its title from the lemonade stands set up by budding entrepreneurs. And the mother connection? While the children sell the lemonade, it's more than likely their mothers made it..." - Bob Tremblay, Metrowest Daily News - Cover Story.

"The other day, I had the occasion to catch on TV ... a panel discussion being held at Babson College... One of the panel members was Arthur Blank...when asked what he remembered most from his mother while growing up, he quickly responded that it was her daily mantra of "It’s the principle of the thing" that he considered to be her greatest gift." - John Ridell Jr., Chattanooga Times Free Press.

"The straight-talking Molly Blank, mother of Home Depot cofounder and former Babson student Arthur Blank, drew laughs from the crowd as she punctured any notion that she set out to turn her sons into titans of business..." - Chris Helms, The Wellesley Townsman. Click here for entire article.

"At a time when there is significant discussion about family values, I can think of no better way to celebrate a mother's impact than Lemonade Stories. The stories in the film are riveting and diverse, but the common theme is the same. Family values aren't defined by Disney movies, Chutes and Ladders, and freshly-baked cookies. Family values can come in the form of a sweating mother who teaches her children to believe in themselves and to strive for self-defined success. That's a lesson I can live with." - Tony, RollingDoughnut.com. Click here for entire review.

"Mary Mazzio and Richard Klug, her chief cinematographer appear on Spotlight and talk about their partnership and filming of "Lemonade Stories"... the two are lively entertainment... As Mary and Richard worked, she wanted to film her logo, boiling eggs. This was a bone of contention. Klug told Mary, "That's not possible to film, it can't be done." Finally they were able to film furiously boiling eggs. Richard says, "I join a long list of people Mary has proved wrong." - Katherine Prins, Spotlight Television. Click here for article.

Official Selection - Rhode Island International Film Festival (a qualifying festival for the Academy Award) - winner First Place Judge's Commendation for Best Documentary Official Selection - Palm Beach Intl Film Festival Official Selection - Tiburon International Film Festival Official Selection - Roving Eye Documentary Film Festival Finalist - 35th Annual USA Film Festival Film Competition

NOTE: The USA Today, Forbes.com, Christian Science Monitor and UPI articles have been syndicated in websites and newspapers across the US, Europe, and from China, Singapore, and other parts of Asia to India and Pakistan. The film has been covered, in addition to the above, in over 200 dailies across the country. (Kudos to Mike Chmura and his Babson PR team)

Click here for Babson Podcast with Mary Mazzio and Mike Chmura

Television/Radio: C-SPAN; ESPN2's Cold Pizza, CNN's Headline News; CNNfn's The Flip Side, Channel 5, NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook, 96.6's Eagan & Braude Show, Bloomberg Radio, NECN's Newsnight, WBIX radio, and WXEL-FM Radio Miami.

Other print coverage: Washingtonpost.com; Rockford Register Star (IL); Sun Sentinal (FL); CBS Marketwatch.com; MSN Money; Yahoo Business; Canarsie Courier (Brooklyn); Tribune USA (LA); Southeast Kern Extra (LA); Independent Bulletin (Chicago); Alexandria Times (IN); Silver Creek (NY); Fairfax Chief (OK); Vinita Daily Journal (OK); Weakly County Press (TN); Athol Daisy News (MA); Siouxland Press (IA); West Lyon Herald (IA); O'Brien County Bell (IA); Lyon Country Reporter (IA); Rock Valley Bee (IA); Northwest Iowa Peach (IA); Osceola Country Gazette; Sioux Center News (SD); Valley Morning Star (TX); Jackson Country News (FL); Antwerp Bee (OH); Honalulu Advertiser; Pakistanti Perspective; AllMedia (Russia). This list is a sample list of local print coverage, which was covered in over in 220 articles in 19 different states.

"I cried at least 5 times” – Mike Wheeler, former head of Financial Network News

"I'd watch Lemonade Stories over Survivor any day..." - Lora Kolodny, Inc. Magazine

“Amazing is all I have to say about Lemonade Stories. I showed the [Arthur] Blank segment to my entrepreneurship class and they begged me to see the rest… - Heidi Neck, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Babson College

"the screening [here] was wildly successful... it will be passed around to teachers all over the state..." - Tim McClung, Entrepreneurship Center, University of Charleston

"Loved the film. What a great concept.. what I think I liked most was that none of them took credit for what their children did, they loved them, were present and available to them, led by example not tyranny - in this day of self-help books, shows, tapes - it was nice to see something that talked about the value of just being human... Great work... - Kelly Fallon, SVP- Hill Holliday

"I was blown away... " - Ralph (Bud) Sorenson, former president, Babson College

"My favorite part of Lemonade Stories is when Russell Simmons tells the story of his mom giving him money when he was down, and Russell says. "It wasn't the money that meant so much to me, it was that she believed in me." I gave a copy to my mom for mother's day... we watched it together and I think her tears made it apparent it was my best mother's day gift ever..." - Rob Crawford, Director of Development - The Park School

"Loved the film. LOVED IT. LOVED IT. LOVED IT." - Morgan Zalkin, Good Morning America

"Your session [at the Price-Babson Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators] was awesome..." - Jeffry Timmons, Founder, Price-Babson Program

"The teachers loved it. We are formally including this film into our economics curriculum for all 12th graders..." - Sally Farr, Katy Independent School District (Texas)

"I called my Mom from the parking lot to thank her... the movie really hammered home for me how much our children watch and learn from simply observing the actions of their parents. The courage that the mothers in the film showed, especially during times of crisis, really influenced the lives and attitudes of their children. I left the movie extremely moved and committed to being a courageous role model for my kids... - Tracy Rude Smith, mom and Olympian

"I can't begin to tell you what you've done... it was incredible..." - Jane Scott (mother of Tom Scott, co-founder, Nantucket Nectars)

""I watched Lemonade Stories last night and I have to tell you, I absolutely LOVED it. Kay Koplovitz's mother was priceless and I cried my eyes out during Tom Scott's dialogue about his mother. What GREAT stories." - Katy Milmoe, Advertising Executive, EURO MVBMS Partners

"it deeply touched me... beautiful... one of the great films I've ever seen in business..." - Steve Mariotti, founder of NFTE (National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship)

"Just brilliant... you are brilliant..." - Eve Branson, author and mother of Richard Branson

“It was great.. you did a wonderful job... thank you..."- Danny Simmons, co-founder of Def Poetry Jam

“Loved it. Very well produced and created. Great learning and great fun also. I was wondering if Brazil in in any of your plans..." - Bob Wollheim, founder of e-labSSJ, San Paulo, Brazil. For his article in Brazil, click here.

“My family really enjoyed the film… I got a real kick out of Art Blank’s mom and Richard Branson’s, too.” – Kay Koplovitz, co-founder of USA Network and first woman to be president of a network

“I screened the Tom Scott and Kelly Reinhart segments to 70 6th graders. I wasn’t sure how they’d respond, but they loved it.” – Andrea Thies, 6th grade teacher

"Mary, in making this documentary, really opened up my eyes as to how interesting and significant this topic is... it's not a trite thing, it's a powerful thing and very real... " - Tom Scott, co-founder Nantucket Nectars

"I would not have missed this day for the world." - Dorothy Lundberg, Tom Scott's grandmother

"Loved it. You rock the house." - Mark Young, Communications Counsel, partners+Simons

"Thoroughly enjoyable... fun to watch... great stories. I loved Nantucket Nectars and Branson - his mother was so cute." - Ed Harding, Channel 5 News Anchor

"My parents were born in Cuba and I'm a first generation American. The relationship I have with my folks is profoundly strong and special. Both are my best friends, mentors, and strongest unconditional supporters... so to see others living life and sharing their love for life as Mary does through her movies makes me smile for hours... As my mom always taught me that kindness goes a very long way, I wanted to let her know the special trickle down effect her efforts have had on me alone... " - Angie Farinas, CPA

"I had the privilege of being able to attend the premiere today. As a filmmaker, I kept thinking, "Wow, I wish I had thought of this idea. As a parent, I kept thinking, "Man, I hope I let my kids grow up right and challenge them." - CC Chapman, co-founder Random Foo Pictures

"It was the most inspiring thing I have seen in a long long time..." - Luke O'Neill, founder of Shackleton Schools

"we are all jammed into a conference room laughing and tearing up over LEMONADE and APPLE PIE. thank you! - Derrick Wood, VP - Creative Director, Staples!

"Your movie was very touching. I loved it." - Lauren Silva, Wellesley High School Student

"Lemonade Stories will be the backbone of my children's education..." - Jose Cattani, Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators participant

"I even cried ... but you can't print my name because no one will ever go out with me for beers again..." - unidentified male college student, Anytown, USA

"My mom's movie is called "Lemonade Stories." It was fun. The movie was at Babson." - Jamie Mazzio-Manson, Book Report

"Best film I have ever seen... you are a genius” – the unbiased view of the film maker’s mother, Paula Mazzio