John Felder
Submitted photos
WADESBORO — Pamela Smith-McNeil, formally of Wadesboro, and her husband Peter McNeil, founders of A Brighter Path Productions, produced and directed a documentary that highlights the journey of John Felder, the first person to receive approval from the United States Government to sell electric vehicles to Cuba. Receipt of this license is remarkable because the export of vehicles from the US to Cuba was banned over half a century ago.
John Felder, formally of Hamlet, and President and Founder of Premier Automotive Exports, is the first person to receive a license of this kind. It was a seven year journey, that required the support of the US and the Cuban government, and he has already sold his first vehicle.
The couple, producers of a dramatic feature titled ‘Urge,’ currently on Amazon Prime, feel honored to tell Mr. Felder’s story and to be a part of history. They also feel blessed to have been provided the opportunity to produce, what will be, their first documentary.
Completing the project included a trip to Cuba with Mr. Felder back in April. The couple had to obtain special permission to travel to Cuba. They explained that they never imagined in a million years that they’d set foot in the country of Cuba, but have come to recognize that it was all a part of God’s plans. They described the experience as very educational and enlightening. Both Felder and the McNeils hope that through this documentary, people will not only learn of John’s remarkable accomplishment but amass more knowledge of Cuba, a place very few Americans have the opportunity to visit.
Late last year, when Mr. Felder received this historic license, he was ecstatic, but as he puts it, “not as ecstatic as the Cuban people.” Cubans have not been able to receive any American cars since the trade embargo that President Kennedy enacted, as required by law, in 1961. Thus, this is the reason that thousands of vintage cars dating back to the 1940s and 1950s remain on Cuba’s roads. These cars have been passed down from generation to generation, but with the approval of Felder’s license, they will now have options.
Although Smith-McNeil and Felder are from neighboring counties, neither knew of the other’s existence prior to this occasion. The McNeils currently live in Charlotte, while John Felder currently resides in Columbia, Maryland. Once they learned that they were from the same ‘neck of the woods,’ collaboration on the project became even more exciting for both parties. Mr. Felder’s administrative assistant introduced the couple to Felder once she learned that they were filmmakers. The documentary is titled ‘Driving Towards Change.’
The documentary premiere, a black tie event, is scheduled for August 26th in Columbia Maryland.
Interested in learning more please visit drivingtowardschange.com.