I wanted to write a post about a project that Larry McKurtis - the star of such films as For Thousands of Miles - has kicked off to promote sustainability, environmental awareness, and healthy lifestyles.

In true expedition style - Larry, along with Jayson Hale, and Jake Barrett, will be traveling by bike from Alaska to Argentina, a distance of over 16,000 miles!

It's quite the ambitious undertaking - and personally knowing what it's like to start a project from scratch with little to no support structure in place, I wanted to help send all the love their way possible. They need eyes on the project, they need feedback, donations, sponsorship, word of mouth, but most of all they need to know people are out there cheering them on.


I was very happy when I heard about Larry's involvement with Expedition to Endure - I guess because I always felt like my 1st bike trip really set into motion the drive to take on large projects. That when the miles were over, and I was back home, I felt empty and cut off... and taking on Pedal was a way to start to fill that void back in. So I suppose, what I'm trying to say, is that watching Larry take on something overwhelming like this is not only reassuring but reinforcing.

These three are setting out on a long, long road - long before they'll ever arrive in Alaska - and what they're doing is inspiring. They want to spark people's interest in the world around them, and the benefits of exploration and adventure. Let them know what you think.

Labels: Expedition to Endure, Larry

It's 11am, EST, and that means we're kicking off our day long Digg*athon! I'll keep this post short and to the point. Let's start with the shortened URL for easy sharing:

digg.com/d318Fjp
And if any of you are reading this post via your phone, you can Digg our submission here on mobile Digg:

tr.im/D6tn
Here's a quick snippet from the description if any of you would like to pass the above links along to friends:

A film project six years in the making - with only 31 days left on an all-or-nothing Kickstarter campaign, it's time to see just how far we can push this ambitious documentary during post production!

Just have 15 seconds? Digg this story. Have a $1 you can pledge? Each backer goes a long way. Help spread the word, and be a part of our indie film!

Keep an eye on our KSR campaign and our twitter account for updates on how things are going. Here's to an exciting day!

Labels: Diggathon, Kickstarter, Outreach, Post-Production

Several days ago, I posted a quick question about setting a date to Digg our current For Thousands of Miles (FToM) Kickstarter campaign - all the feedback we received was positive.

So with only 34 days remaining, we're going ahead with what we're calling a: Digg*athon. Here's everything you need to know to be involved.

We'll be Digging the film's campaign at 11 am EST on Monday, October 26th. The first 2 hours following will be the most critical in pushing Pedal towards the front page of Digg, but the Digg*athon will last the entire day, as all diggs will be very helpful.

Once the story is submitted, I'll post an update with a current shortened URL here on the production blog, as well as all of our social sites: Facebook, Twitter, IndieGoGo, Virb, Tumblr, etc.

It's important to clarify "why are we doing this?". Digg can be a very powerful site, and it can help reach out to hundreds-of-thousands of new people in a matter of hours.

The last time we submitted something Kickstarter-related to Digg, we spent only about an hour pushing the story on Twitter and Facebook, and had just shy of 40 people help Digg it. What was most amazing though; was at the start of that morning, our campaign was lagging at around the 20% mark for total funds raised, by the end of the night, we had jumped to over 60% - raising more than $4,200 in pledges.

But Kickstarter is an all or nothing campaign - if FToM is even $1 short of it's goal (of $8,300), the film will received none of the pledges these people have made during the last 60 days.

We know that Digg was just one part of the equation that afternoon, but we're excited to see what kind of effect the site could have if FToM's campaign received, say, 100+ diggs, or even 300+ diggs? How many new people would that put the film in front of? How many of those new people would find the film worth pushing forward?

We are hoping that by taking the weekend to help spread the word about Monday morning's Digg*athon - we will be able to pull in at least 70 diggs within the 1st hour.

A few things to keep in mind: if you'll be away from your computer during the first 2 hours - you can very easily help Digg with almost any cell phone (ie: iPhone, Blackberry, or any cellphone with internet access) via mobile Digg.

If you don't have an account already, make one early so you'll be able to simply click the URL, and then the "digg it" button and be done with it. You can even connect Digg to your Facebook account to make signing up much faster.

Also, comments are factored into the algorithm for Digg's site -if you are able to, leaving something as simple as a one sentence comment could help launch the submission ahead of several other stories with the exact same number of Diggs. If you have a question regarding the film, it would be a great place to post it, it could help spark a conversation.

The hashtag we'll be using for all related tweets, post, or status updates will be "#diggathon", if you'd like to help spread the word, using this hashtag will help us track that progress.

We're only $1,900 short of meeting our goal! Let's see how much closer to that goal we can get by the end of Monday night. Mark your calendars or add yourself to our event page, and thank you all so much to everyone in advance for your involvement and support.

Labels: Diggathon, Kickstarter, Outreach, Post-Production

I've spent most of the last week going over and over the same three pages of script. I'm not at the stage yet where I feel mostly frustrated, I just have yet to find how they fit together and overlap.

The three pages all deal with the moment Larry arrives at the Atlantic Ocean, in Bar Harbor, and for the first time in 4,200 miles, has reached the end of the road.

The first of the three pages was written well over a year ago, and the 2nd two are variations on the same moment from different approaches. One version focuses more on the "chain of events" perspective; that Larry's own experience will go on to influence other people's experiences, and how that relationship feeds itself at a level that often goes unnoticed.

Another page deals with the rush of emotions that come at the very end of any long adventure... all the memories associated with your trip, all the struggles and little memories seem to snap together at once and it's an overwhelming rush that comes and goes all too fast.

Some of the script tries to touch on how these memories are all filed away in your brain, how the human body works in an environment that's always changing and always challenging. There's also a layer of the anti-climatic, when you come to end of something grand and ambitious and no one around you seems to have any idea or any or interest.

I guess I just thought that writing about this might help me find what I'm looking for, and also it's been 9 days since my last post and I wanted to let people know what I've been working on piecing together. All this talk of Bar Harbor and arriving at the Atlantic has reminded me of this video Amanda and I recorded, knowing that we had finally made it to the end of production:

Bar Harbor (Aug '07) from mike ambs on Vimeo.

Also, before I sign off, I wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the feedback on the Digg*athon question. I've been working on putting that together as soon as possible. Stay posted.

Labels: bar harbor, Digg, Post-Production, Writing

I've been procrastinating on this question for a few weeks now - mostly cause it wasn't necessarily pressing, and I had a lot of other higher-priority things on my "to do" list - but with only 49 days left in our post production funding campaign, I figured sooner was better than later.

Nine days ago, I launched a new KSR introduction video - I submitted that new video to Digg, where more than 30 people helped vote it up. By the end of the day, we had raised more than $4,000 in new pledges!

I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself.

First the "idea", then the question: The idea is pretty simple; pick a date (just a few days out) to submit Project Pedal to Digg. Spend those 2 or 3 days getting the word out to people - with tools like twitter, facebook (an event page), emails, etc - to mark their calendars, and (if they don't have one already) quickly create a Digg account.

Considering what 30 diggs helped accomplish, you can imagine all the ways 100+ diggs could help change things for Pedal.

Having said that, I wanted to get feedback, before committing to it, from everyone out there reading: Should we try this? What area of the project should we digg (our film's homepage, our kickstarter campaign, a specific blog post)? How many days out should we set the "Digg*athon"?

This post is all about feedback. If you have any questions, comments or thoughts, please leave them so we can openly discus this and make a decision. Thanks!

Labels: Diggathon, Feedback, Kickstarter, Post-Production

There are days, weeks even, where this project can feel stuck in the mud. That no matter how hard I try; I just spin in place - and it goes without much saying that it's a difficult feeling to put up with. Whether it's accurate or not.

And I'm not writing this post to whine or sulk - I'm writing to say that I feel quite the opposite right now. A month ago I was still running over and over the same 4 pages of script and barely making any real progress... I was also starting to worry that I wasn't able to reach out to enough new people for our current Kickstarter campaign.

I felt like I was dragging my feet on both fronts. I know a lot of people find themselves in these situations, that no matter what it is you're working on or busy with, that there are times when you just want to crawl under a rock and sleep.

And, I admit, that I did that for several days... not literally, but I would sit at my typewriter and blank out... I would walk around in circles with the script in hand, reading the same 4 pages out-loud on repeat. I would see that we had a slow day on Kickstarter and instead of pushing harder to get the word out, I wouldn't mention it anywhere.

But last week, something finally shifted and I began to make leaps and bounds with the script. Long lost pages and narration began to fit together and tell a story that felt smooth and progressive. Which, I believe, lead to the burst of confidence and momentum I needed to re-record and re-edit a new intro' video for our Kickstarter campaign.

The morning I uploaded our new intro', we currently had raised 20% of our goal - a handful of RTs, a few dozen diggs, and a wave of status updates later - and by the time I had gone to bed we jumped forward to an amazing 60%!

Which means a few things: a) we might actually be able to pull this funding campaign off after all (which means lots of exciting progress just ahead)! b) that in the next 52 days, I should be able to piece together large and completed sections of the film (writing, editing, voice-over, etc). c) that we are reaching all kinds of new people out there... and that we are very anxious to make a lasting connection with them. d) I felt like I a fourth point... but it is past my bedtime and I'm feeling groggy. So, I don't think it's coming back to me.

Now I'm sitting here on the floor, listening to The Wind, and blanking out in the direction of my typewriter - and I just want to finish this post by saying: Everyone gets into a slump. Everyone. But in my personal opinion, it's important to let it to depress you... to let it eat away at you and your confidence... to let your lack of action get under your skin and leave you feeling anxious.

Because when all that gives way and eventually comes out in full force - you can use it in your favor. You can come out swinging harder... as if you'd been up against the ropes with the timer running out. It might not be the most efficient way of working, but it does feel damn good sometimes.

Labels: Inspiration, Kickstarter, Post-Production, Writing

FToM + Kickstarter = Love from mike ambs on Vimeo.

33 days ago, Amanda and I launched a brand new Kickstarter campaign to help fund the last stages of post-production.

Since then we've been backed by over 40 people, with pledges ranging from $1 to over $500! We have raised $1,638 towards our goal of $8,300!

This is an all or nothing campaign. Meaning if we don't hit $8.3k, then no one's pledges go through.

Help support For Thousands of Miles, plus get awesome stuff like Pedal buttons, posters, autographed scripts, a 64 Days DVD with audio commentary and even my personal typewriter.

If you're new to this project, take a quick moment to check out our "hi, hello" intro page, it's a very informal, brief recap of the last 6 years.

Please consider backing our film with a $1 donation, or help spread the word by liking this video, sharing our KSR project with your followers on Twitter or your friends on Facebook. We are really excited about the next stages in post - and we are very, very grateful for all of your support!

Labels: Fund, Kickstarter, Outreach, Post-Production, Vimeo