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Seeking grant writer and funding for legally disabled filmmaker

I was in a car accident 8 years ago that left me partially paralyzed and legally disabled. I did the whole relearn to walk and use your hands thing and now it's just a funny story.

I have traveled over 103,000 miles by automobile in the last two years. I have been in all 48 continental United States, every national forest, state park, nuclear power plant, army core of engineer dam, every major city, minor city, amazing restaraunt, museum, art gallery, night club etc, that I could possibly get to. At the prompting of everyone in my life, including a producer for the history channel, I began filming my life and travels.

Before my accident I attended Berklee College of Music for guitar performance and music business management. I was voted best guitarist in Ohio in 1998 by Guitar Digest. During this period I also working in logistics as a transportation logistical routing administrator and General Services Administation liason.

In addition, my family is in the printing business so I have very good concept of merchandising. Until recently I was co-owner fo a textile screening company in Akron, Ohio. I essentially transfered ownership to my friend because i was undertakling this project. I have contracts to print every kind of swag imaginable.

I have a business plan, marketing plan. Until recently we were sponsored by a major hotel chain. We are talking with several energy drink manufacturers about being sponsored.


Essentially I am trying to fund Travel Beast Films which has three major projects going on right now:

Wayward Traveler: Wayward Traveler is a first person show about travel filmed in HD. It couples HD footage of the most beautiful places on Earth and a director commentary style narration. We recently interviewed Mad Magazine artist Sergio Aragones--the guy whos done the margin drawings for the last 48 years--in San Francisco. The show is my semi-surreal take on my own travels and the things I see. The show is punctuated with short humourous pieces inspired by Gilliam, Kubrick, McFarlane, and other Adult Swim programming.


Unititled Documentary: Six months ago I began pre-production for a documentary about the homeless mentally ill set against the deinstitutionalization movement of the early 80's instituted by Reagan. I literally lived on the streets of Portland for three months immersing myself in the homeless cuture there. I was hospitalized with hypoethermia twice. I did all of my test shots, and locaton scouting during this period of time. I have interviews with the director of Portland Missions. He is going to help me interview the mayor as well. I have shots of human trafficking, a 48 year old crack head who has his 90 year old mother begging for change to support his habit, gay males exploiting the homless exchanging sex for a bed to sleep in. I have quite a bit. We are returning to Portland next week to begin filming the final part, and b roll footage. The second half of the docu is filmed in Salt Lake City where his no visible homlessness. They ship them out of the city. The two cities contrast the differences between the ways the left ad the right have both created a cluster*** homeless cutlure in this country. This is an apolitical take on a very plitical issue that essentailly points the finger at everyone, inlcuding myself. I am well aware that other people hae done homeless documentaries but it is a subject thatr needs to continually forced down the aerican publics throat. The dirty little secret of ther american dream, essentially.


A YouTube video involving Micheal Winslow--guy who makes sound effects with his mouth and the actor that played Carl Winslow on Family Matters. These guys have fees.





I am looking for someone who can help me fund some of this. Aa far as Wayward Traveler is concerned, it is a fully functioning and operating production. I would like to get our fuel covered as that is our greatest hinerance to effectively producing this show. Right now, the RV in the promo video below gets 5miles to gallon and has a 60 gallon tank. To move 300 miles it's about $250 in gas. An operating budget of $3000 a month would fully fund and market this show. This would cover fuel, lodging, and production costs. I have a modest income already that covers the rest of our living expenses.

The documentary is a whole other monster when it comes to funding. It's essentially charity work. After my paralysis I ended up homeless. I have suffered. It is very important to me to do everything I can to help people who are struggling. It would be in th spirit if the movie itself to have it completely funded by donations and grant money.

The third piece is just plain viral video material with the two actors parodying themselves. Again this one just takes cash to do to cover thr appearance fees.

I am legally disabled so i qualify for massive grant funding. Anyone willing to meet with us and agree to help us keep producing art, is not going to be let down. Even if no one funds us these productions will still get made and distributed. Essentially we are talking an executive producer credit, a commision grant funding, backend, and merchandising royalties.

Here is a link to our most recent video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8s6qgU-x2k this may be nothing but i posted this video yesterday, told no one about it, no marketing, no real explaination for what it is, just a random faceless posting. I am getting 10 views an hour right now without any support. I'm happy with that.
 
If I were you I would focus on the first idea.

It's the sort of idea that could gain real traction through social media and crowdfunding. Take a look at http://ayearwithoutrent.com for a template of how it could work. I think that your show has a lot more potential if it were done right.

Best of luck! :)
 
wow

wow, thank you. I am finishing up a wa better trailer for the show that is more asccurate to the tone of the show/ The show is my primary pursuit. However, I have been on the road for several years now and occasionally have to stop, re-assimilate myself with reality and the news, and decompress. I have been wokring 20 hours a day for 4 months on this project. Please be patient and wait for the pilot episode. I am am having issues due to time and technology with the scoring of the first episode. I think it's music director time. I am also at the point where I need to be able to hire an intern/assistant. Assoon as I have my llc I will be able to offer college credit for Portland Art Institute students, and Berklee College of Music students. I am working towards YouTube partnership, and facebook adverts. I m designing a line of custom imprinted merch.

Really, I am doing relatively well but I desperately need the financial worries to subside a bit so i can focus on art. Our RV needs plugs, points, air filter, back disc brakes. I work on cars so it's not that big of a deal to do these things but as of right now we do have our times where we have to sit there with an acoustic guitar and play for money. I'm definitly starving artist. lol

Thank you for your support. The only thing I want out of all of this is to share my amazing world with people.
 
The more I think about it another reason I came here was to find other people working in this buiness that can relate to the sheer volume of work I have done to make this happen, the sacrifices. I meet a lot of people while filming this show. I don't find too many people who can relate to the things i am dealing with on this production. I was talking to a guitarist last night who was complaining about the local scene in San Jose. I said, "You need to tour if you want to get away from that." He said, "Who has the time for that... full time job."

I get that but I could easily have a full time job and not live in an RV filming a show--because you are looking at our house in these shots. I made the sacrifices. I have not found too many people who have willing to give it all up and chase a dream. I was hoping I might find some kindred spirits here, of sorts.

At the same time everything I want to do pertaining to filming something I have to shoot twice and learn how to do it in the process. After 4 straight months of filming this show I am just starting to feel comfortable with the processes: filming, editing, audio, color correction, titles, foley
 
I have been working on a project with a similar jyst to it. I won't get too much into the specifics as, while I have run into roadblocks with it, it is still both viable and extremely marketable over the short and long term. I am in a rush to leave on a trip for the weekend but I would be interested in chatting with you about your experiences. I could use some advice and I rather learn all I can from someone that was in the same situation instead of repeating the same problems.
Your documentary sounds great.
A suggestion I would have is to contact local RV places and ask for a free repair or a free used RV. In return you will include their name in your video, news interviews and also offer to have a large decal on your trailer showing them as a sponsor. Maybe, "Suchinsuch RV store, when a home on the road really is a home on the road, we got your back". Or something...
I am a big fan of getting something for nothing...or at least in term of money. Contact a major gas company...in Canada I would try Canadian Tire...it has a hardware store associated with the gas station, so it is not just a gas station and would be more inclined towards sponsoring you. Be ready with a pilot, business plan and a demonstration to what you can offer in return for their sponsorship. I would probably ask for 300 dollars a week for 12 weeks to start and work from there. They can issue a gift card for the cost I am thinking.
Well you get the idea anyways,
shoot me an email sometime if you are interested in trading ideas and input.
busterhamilton@aol.com
Good luck,
Buster
 
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