Dale Ledbetter has enjoyed a great deal of success: success as an attorney working with investors and institutions that have been victimized by the negligence and abuse of Wall Street; success as an author of five books and now he’s about to enjoy success as a movie producer.
The movie is about his mother, told from his point of view. Getwell Road is about Lee Ledbetter, one of the first women to rise in the workplace in 1950s Memphis, Tennessee. Based on a true story, it’s about how a charismatic single mother fought her way to become the first female sales rep at a large pharmaceutical company focusing on selling feminine products including the original birth control pill.
“So many of the women who are standing as CEOs and other roles politically are standing on the shoulders of my mother in some small way,” says Ledbetter about his mother. “The things that are happening today would not be happening if not for her and others like her and their contributions.”
In what was at one time a male-dominated profession, pharmaceutical sales representatives are salespeople employed by pharmaceutical companies to persuade doctors to prescribe their drugs to patients. These days drug companies in the United States spend $5 billion annually sending representatives to doctors to provide product information, answer questions on product use, and deliver product samples.
Originally penned by writer Tiffany Romigh, she says writing a story about such a breakout individual was truly inspiring.
“What I loved about her and what I loved about the story was she had a lot of struggles, went through a lot of things that I thought would resonate with people of many ages,” says Romigh. “She was dealing with things that people all over deal with: a child and better opportunities that she wasn’t getting because she was a woman.”
Dale Ledbetter was raised in Tennessee and watched as his mother navigated gender bias and other financial hardships in a field that was dominated by men. He has published several books based on his mother’s life including “From Mother, With Love.”
“I’m tremendously excited to see my mom’s story come to life,” said Ledbetter. “She was a pioneer in so many ways and was continually fighting for women’s rights and civil rights long before it was hip to do so. My mom has had a positive influence on an untold number of lives and ‘Getwell Road’ will spread her lessons to millions more.”
Ledbetter says his mother instilled in him the idea that he should always give back in some way to the community.
Nearly three decades ago he learned he had hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) after he landed in the emergency room. That’s when he discovered the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation (HSF) and received a life-altering education. He has been an active supporter ever since, serving as a donor and board member over the years.
“One out of three children in the U.S. is obese and metabolic disease now impacts the majority of the global population,” says Ledbetter. “I’m proud of the fact that HSF just established the first hypoglycemia website dedicated to children.”
Ledbetter graduated from Rhodes College and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University Law Center. He is admitted to practice law in Florida, Tennessee and the District of Columbia. He is a magician member of the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood , California. He served as a Florida delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business and speaks frequently on securities and economic matters.
Ledbetter’s law practice has focused on representing investors who have been victimized by the negligence and abuse of Wall Street. He represents, not just individual claimants but ,also, banks, charities, endowments and a large number of pension funds.
Always a champion of the little guy, Ledbetter is using his small business expertise now by representing a growing merchant cash advance Firm which provides funds for small business entrepreneurs.
Gold Star Films co-chairman, Joey Tufaro, is producing Getwell Road. He says Lee Ledbetter is the type of character any A-list actress would love to play.
“This is a strong female driven role. It’s a story about the impact that she had on her family’s life while going through a pretty tough time in the American south with racism, sexism all around her,” says Tufaro, who himself was raised by a single mom who decided to go to law school in her 30s. “I really think this is a story that’s not only inspirational but relevant in today’s world.”
Los Angeles Based Steven J. Brown will serve as executive producer, as will Dale Ledbetter and Gold Star co-chairman Todd Trosclair.
Producing credits for Gold Star Films include The Power of Few starring Christopher Walken & Christian Slater, Maggie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and the upcoming 2017 release of the highly anticipated thriller Kidnap starring Halle Berry.
For Ledbetter, none of this can be any more thrilling than to see a movie about his mother coming to the big screen.
“She impacted my life in so many ways. If I had two people applying for a job and one of them was a woman I would always hire the woman over the man. I was influenced so much by her.”
SOURCE: Gold Star Films
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