Watch & Share The Full Story
About The Film
“Flying Fortress” follows the story of retired World War II veteran Mel Jenner. Mel served in the 8th and 9th Air Force as a gunner in A-20 and B-17 bombers. Flying in a bomber during WWII was risky to say the least. After surviving 45 aerial combat missions, Mel returns home and is diagnosed with PTSD.
Despite the trauma of witnessing his best friend’s aircraft being shot down next to him, flying over the beach in Normandy during D-Day, and countless battles; Mel and his family cling to faith through community in VA groups, church, and small groups hosted by First Orlando.
When Mel was asked how he maintains positive and high spirits despite the trials he’s been through, he responded “I have great God loving friends that love me, pray for me, and help me at First Orlando”.
Resources For PTSD:
Those with loved ones tormented by PTSD understand how destructive it can be. Mel is an inspiration of how faith and community can help battle PTSD. Below we have listed some resources we learned of during the production of his story that may help if you or a loved one suffers from PTSD.
Behind The Scenes – Making The Film
“Flying Fortress – The Mel Jenner Story” was produced by 5-Time Emmy® Award Winner Shawn Vela of Vela Visuals and First Baptist Church Orlando.
First Baptist Orlando is a 14,000 member congregation. The church’s 130 acre campus is located at 3000 South John Young Parkway, Orlando, FL 32805. The church meets for worship services Saturday at 5:30pm and Sunday at 8:30am, 10:00am, and 11:30am.
Others who contributed to the project include: Emmy® Award Winner Jeff Ottum, Kai Honeck, Teri Hummel, Mel Jenner, Joyce Jenner, and Fantasy of Flight.
"Flying Fortress" - The Mel Jenner Story
About Director Shawn Vela
Shawn Vela is a 5-Time Emmy® Award Winning Director, Cinematographer, and Editor. He is the Founder of Vela Visuals, a video production agency based in Orlando Florida that specializes in creating lifestyle, commercial, and documentary films.
Vela has been recognized for filming on four Super Bowl Commercial sets, IMBD credits on Documentaries, and director of photography on the Business Travel Show Ambitious Adventures. His work has been showcased on “Entrepreneur Network, Facebook Watch, Amazon Prime Video, ABC, FOX, My65, CBS, NBC, and THE CW Television Network.
Shawn holds a BSBA in Marketing from the Lebow College of Business at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA, an AS in International Business, and an AA in Communications from Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA.
Interested in working together?
At Vela Visuals we work with story-driven companies, cutting-edge agencies, and inspired faith-based non-profits. Whether you’re just starting with video or you’re a seasoned marketing manager, Vela Visuals offers authentic storytelling that inspires your audience.
We will work with you to discover and craft the right stories within your organization to that motivate your audience. From conception to completion and beyond!
Whatever your goals are – to inform or inspire on the web, on television, or internally – our ability is to make the world’s most relevant form of communication work hard for you. If you have a story to tell we can help you bring it to life!
Make Your Message Come To Life!
