So much good news, I don't even know where to start!
Here we are with our MADLAWMEDIA crew, and the team at Fleet Feet Sports after winning the Soul Proprietors 2016 Film Competition!
First off, last week we had the screening for the Soul Proprietors 2016 Film Competition, where we won the Grand Prize of $5000 and a giant check! (And apparently a trophy, which in my glee, I accidentally gave to Fleet Feet. Oh well. We still got the giant check.)
We were paired up with Fleet Feet Sports Savannah by a random drawing on the evening of Thursday, April 14, and the rest is really just a blur. As we sat to eat dinner together, Cookie Espinoza (the owner of Fleet Feet) asked me who our first choice was for the competition. We knew going into the evening that the three companies highlighted were Fleet Feet, Service Brewing, and Local Farmbag. Being that I am incapable of lying, I had to tell her that we were really hoping for Service.
I felt terrible that Fleet Feet wasn't our first choice, but with Kyle's family having a military background, and our team's all around love for beer, it made sense. Not until we actually began filming did we realize that drawing Fleet Feet was a blessing in disguise. The team at Fleet Feet are wonderful human beings, the charitable work they do is incomprehensible, and even more importantly, the effect that Robert Espinoza (the late husband of Cookie, and founder of Fleet Feet Sports Savannah) had on the running community of Savannah is legendary. From all accounts, Robert shaped Savannah's running community into what it is today, all of which we learned as we raced to complete our 5-7 minute film over the course of five day. Let me repeat that. FIVE DAYS. Kyle and I always offer a quick turnaround, but that is downright impressive!
I am positive that we could have done an excellent (perhaps even giant-check-winning) job with any of the businesses, but honestly at the same time we were making a film about them (in five days flat), they were changing the lives of our crew. Each one of our core crew has started running again, or for the first time, and exercise and healthy living has become a constant on all of our minds. We couldn't be more grateful for the five days we got to spend with this team, and the amazing influence it's had on us all. Thanks Fleet Feet for a great time!
Take a look at our winning documentary below:
Cookie and I high-five as we meet for the first time. Marianne Ganem-Poppell, Debbie Brannigan and Will Hammergren watch from the Soul Proprietors background.
In other news, we are working on our proposal for The Big Five Dive. Here is our pitch:
"The Big Five Dive is a feature length documentary in pre-production about a group of adventurous women attempting to dive one historic shipwreck in each of the five Great Lakes within 24 hours. The film follows a dive team consisting of six women led by maritime archaeologist Stephanie Gandulla, as they tackle issues of women’s equality, human impact on the Great Lake’s ecosystem, and global climate change. During this never before attempted mission, the clock ticks against the backdrop of some of the world’s most historic, and irreplaceable, treasures of American history: the estimated 6,000 shipwrecks at the bottom of the Great Lakes. The team will be challenged by fast currents, zero-visibility dive conditions, traffic jams, harsh weather...and of course a massive time crunch. Can they beat the clock and find a place for themselves in the history books?"
What do you think? Would you watch this film? We are filming in July of 2016, mainly in Michigan, as well as in Ohio and New York state. We've got a great group of women who are really going to drive this film with their quick wit, charm, and Madonna-singing skills. Believe me. You don't want to miss this!
If you'd like to learn more, visit www.bigfivedive.com. Facebook page coming soon!
We are all super excited about this project. If you are interesting in helping out, sponsoring a part of the trip, or giving us a wad of cash to help it get made, please, by all means, send us a message!
Lastly (for today at least) a film that we worked on a month or so back is finished and will be available for viewing soon! Check the website soon to see Digital Edition, a film by James Kicklighter.