Teddy James
AFA Journal staff writer
October 2015 – On a day that should have been one of the happiest of their lives, Patrick John Hughes and his wife Patricia received devastating news. Their firstborn son, Patrick Henry, was born with multiple handicaps.
The next day, their pediatrician delivered Patrick Henry’s diagnoses: bilateral anophthalmia with pterygium syndrome and congenital bilateral hip dysplasia. In layman’s terms, Patrick Henry’s arms and legs were disproportionately short and his body never developed eyes. He would never have the ability to walk or see.
Patrick John had dreamt of his son being a star football player for the Cardinals of Kentucky’s University of Louisville. With the diagnoses, Hughes’ dreams for his son were shattered. But from the pieces of broken dreams, God built a masterpiece.
At only nine months old, Patrick Henry began playing the piano, and a new dream took shape as his remarkable musical gift blossomed. By high school, he had also mastered the trumpet. Father and son began to see a new way for Patrick Henry to earn a Cardinals uniform – in the university marching band. But that dream would require a sacrifice only a father would make. Their story is chronicled beautifully in AFA’s latest film I Am Potential.
Behind the story
I Am Potential comes on the heels of AFA’s first feature-length film Summer Snow. After completing work on that first project, the team at American Family Studios began brainstorming for their next project.
Among the great story ideas offered, someone mentioned the Hughes family. Zach Meiners, an AFS staffer at the time, knew the Hughes family personally and was tasked with writing the script and directing the film. Meiners drew inspiration from a book chronicling the Hughes’ story, I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams. The AFS team bought copies of the book and carefully reviewed each page.
One of the biggest lessons AFS had learned while making Summer Snow was the importance of bringing together the right people.
Jeff Chamblee, director of AFS, said, “When you make a movie, you are basically building a small company. You have to hire people for wardrobe, makeup, location, etc. Then you start working on the cast.”
Since the movie budget was tight, the first challenge was to make Tupelo, Mississippi, in 2013 look like Louisville, Kentucky, in the 1980s.
Having great actors and a skilled wardrobe department helped, but there was much more work to do. With each new challenge, the team worked together, prayed, and sought creative solutions.
Chamblee said, “At its core, the story of the Hughes family is one of sacrificial love, perseverance, and facing challenges head on.” The same could be said of putting the Hughes story to film.
The cast and crew commented that the set of I Am Potential was different from what they were used to in Hollywood. No one was screamed at or cursed when a mistake was made. Respect and grace were given to everyone. Chamblee said, “Even though many of the cast and crew were not Christians and had not worked on many faith-based films, they asked me to hire them again if we ever make another movie. They couldn’t wait to work with AFS again.”
The goal for AFS was to make an encouraging, inspiring, and motivating film. They also wanted to make it in such a manner that they would show Christ to everyone on the set. God blessed both efforts.
I Am Potential stars Burgess Jenkins (Remember the Titans) as Patrick John Hughes, Jimmy Bellinger as Patrick Henry Hughes, Jama Williamson as Patricia Hughes, and Judge Reinhold as Dr. Greg Byrne. For more information and photos visit I Am Potential on Facebook.
The film will be released on DVD November 2. It will be available at afastore.net or by calling 877-927-4917. 
