We Reached Our Crowdfunding Goal!
Wow. We did it. We raised $30,280 in 45 days with our Seed and Spark Campaign!!!! That was an incredible feat and I am beyond grateful for the outpouring of support from you all. I am further humbled by the fact that 40% of the donors are people I do not personally know. That means the network effect worked and my personal efforts were amplified by your sharing effort and we grew by 60%. This is the power of media, story, and people who care. And this is only the beginning.
I had an interesting week since we reached our goal. Last weekend I was visiting my sister, niece and nephew when we reached the goal, and we celebrated with ice cream. The next morning, I was sick from exhaustion and a stomach bug, which lasted a few days. Then, after the recent passing of my uncle, I boarded a flight to New Jersey for his funeral, where I reconnected and mourned with my extended family.
My uncle Bob was an exceptional man. The valedictorian of his high school class, he received a scholarship to attend Columbia University to study journalism and philosophy. In his early 20’s he began to hear voices and he was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. Like Icarus, his genius lifted him so close to the sun that his wings melted. I have always felt a deep kinship with Uncle Bob, who inspired me to think deeply and differently about the world. I use his life story as a guidepost for my mental health and as an invitation to have compassion for all people. At his funeral, I was given a collection of short stories that he wrote in his early 20s. It was another powerful reminder of the power of creating media and telling stories, as a way of sharing and connecting across the separation of our inner worlds and individual lives. It reminded me that stories are vehicles for meaning and emotion that can be delivered in no other way, and they continue on, even after we pass on from this life. Telling powerful stories is the best strategy we have for changing the world.
Sunday morning, on the TV in my parents house, there was a news report about the most recent IPCC report and the closing window for action that humanity has to change our systems and our relationship with the Earth. This is a stark reminder of the uphill path we have to walk. And yet, with your support, I am more motivated and optimistic than ever. The time is now and we are the ones we have been waiting for. Change is not linear so we must continue to amplify the stories we are telling about climate justice.
This group of 312 people, we are part of something larger than ourselves. We are supporting a film that has a world-changing message - that with community, all things are possible. So, I am wanting to open a space for this community around this film to connect and thrive.
I am looking for your feedback about how you would like to engage with film updates and this topic, as a community. If you would, please complete this brief survey to help orient me to making the biggest possible impact with the film: https://forms.gle/GcAJGcXGWscA9PaF7
This is the final update via Seed and Spark. Future updates will be sent via my personal mailing list.
Thank you so much for your support and joining this campaign! I am already hard at work with edit version 11 of the film and I look forward to premiering the film later this year.
Lots of love,
Brian Hedden
Earth Dog Films