Don't Sell Yourself Short

Published Sunday, January 29, 2006 by Dan Gainsford.

In response to Forbes' blog entry on selling out and marketing I have this,

"The trap for the artist is not the market, not the business and not the commerce. The danger is to lose the mission!" - Swiss-born, Paris based artist Thomas Hirschhorn

Build It Up!

Published Saturday, January 28, 2006 by Dan Gainsford.

So it's January 28th and I've just gotten back from working on the van up North on my family farm. I've missed a few blogs due to being mad busy and out of technological reach... It's amazing to think and exist for a moment in a world without ubiquitous internet and cell phone access.

I've also been spending a lot of time over the past few weeks talking to sponsors and sending out information packages on the project. Some people aren't sure what to make of things and thus send out an initial luke warm reception. Others are hyped from the moment I get them on the phone and mention what the project consists of. Last week Baffin Footwear came on board with supplying boots for the entire journey! These boots are solid! Check them out on in the equipment section of the site... -100c and toasty warm feet! ... Insulated rubbers for trudging through mud.. and guide boots for general trekking. I'm blown away and I really appreciate all the positive support coming from the Baffin team.

Back to the van.. I'm going to throw up some pics here and on the site very soon and you'll see. It's macking! I love to build!

peace.. hopefully back on blog schedule this wednesday.

d

Sponsors Make It Happen

Published Wednesday, January 18, 2006 by Dan Gainsford.

Here at Windpath Films we're still in sponsorship mode and things are going great! We've isolated all our targets and are receiving great feedback on the packages we've been sending out. Hopefully by the time we leave we'll have a solid crew of partners on the path with us.

I've also gone out to speak with a friend about welding a bushbumper and tow hooks onto our van. He thinks it'll be a snap to get the van set up and looking more like the bushmobile it's destined to be. He's also going to attach a ladder on the exterior so I can access the van's rooftop for tripod setups and sleeping under the desert stars.

Forbes Campbell is officially on board as the Assistant Filmmaker for the Northern Portion of the expedition and he's also been a great help in the sponsorship drive.

peace,
d

Pre-Production Sponsor Search

Published Wednesday, January 11, 2006 by Dan Gainsford.

So it's Jan 11th and we're ready to get out and start talking to corporate sponsors for The Searching for Dragons Film Project. What we're looking for is sponsors who can provide equipment and gear for winter camping and trekking across the Northern snowscapes. Imagine -30C and living in a van... Brrrr.. we'll need camping stoves, amazing sleeping bags and lots of fleece ;-). Then there's the boots and pants for the journeys on foot across the arctic tundra. I've been working on the sponsor package and cover letters and I'm confident that they'll like what they see. So far we have great organizations on board including The Canada Council for the Arts, The City of Ottawa, The Independent Filmmakers Cooperative of Ottawa and the builders of this epic website, ProtonMedia. I hope the list gets longer as the project picks up steam!

Other than that I've been talking to an engineer friend about building the interior of my van out of metal instead of plywood. He has a full welding setup and I'm going to pay him a visit this weekend to talk about the possiblilities. On a personal level I'm packing up my life and getting ready for life on the road, although it's still a little while off.. I'd say publicity release Feb 25th and departure somewhere around Mar 1st.

peace,
d

Subscribe

Check this space for filmmaker updates from the road!


Links