What’s It About and Where’s The Money Going?

What’s It About and Where’s The Money Going?

I’ve been pulling my hair out the last 4 months or so, trying to think of creative ways to raise funds for this big dream of mine….the documentary. So I put a call out for help on Facebook and a couple of my fans (I LOVE you guys) threw some ideas my way that maybe, just MAYBE people have been holding off on contributing because they don’t really know what this project is about or where the money will be going. I never thought of that and it sounds logical to me. There could be lots of you who are thinking I’m just trying to get a free vacation out of the money I collect! This is NOT the case and keep reading this post – I’m about to tell you exactly what the project is about and where the money is going.

I was forced to expand on my ideas after I pitched the idea to the Jamaica Tourist Board and they shockingly responded that they MIGHT be interested in assisting and they needed more specifics. I was beside myself knowing they’d even read my proposal! They’re solely responsible for my new energy towards this project. Even if they decide they will not assist I’m now inspired to hit up other Jamaican businesses for assistance. The reason personal fundraising (YOU GUYS!) is important is that these companies will want to see that I’ve put my own efforts in before just handing over sponsorship dollars.  NOTE:  The JTB is not considering financial assistance, they are only considering partial assistance with accommodations and a vehicle.  These are the only items I asked them for.

 

Things You Will See In This Jamaica Documentary

The following are pieces of my response to the Jamaica Tourist Board when they asked the questions you all want to know – WHAT is this documentary about?

The focus of the film will be the people of Jamaica, their culture, vibes and fun spirit. I have been traveling to the island since 2003 and I can honestly say the locals have made my experiences so rich and vibrant. Without them I would have never discovered half of the greatness Jamaica has to offer – they are truly a proud and happy people who love to share their knowledge with travelers. These are examples of items we would like to capture, all while still focusing on Jamaica as a vacation destination:

• Focus on children. Talk to them about what they would like to be when they grow up, learn games and songs from them, let them educate us on what’s great in their world.

• Dance lessons. See if we can learn some of the popular Jamaican dances from locals because we know they can all dance!

• Work at a local business for a day, perhaps with a vendor on the roadside, in a shop or small bar, craft market, or spend a day on a farm. Of course they would keep the profit, we just want the experience.

• Community photo shoot. Organize a family fun photo shoot in a community that otherwise might not have the opportunity to capture those moments due to lack of equipment. We will do the shoot for free and return back to the area to give them prints of their photos.

• Let Jamaicans interview us. If they could ask a foreigner any 3 questions what would they be? I suspect this exercise could be quite humorous and enlightening.

• A constant but variable question – ask the same set of questions to people from all different parts of the island and find out how their answers differ.

• Volunteer – we haven’t chosen where we would volunteer yet but have some ideas on notable experiences such as schools.

 

Those are just a few of the best examples I can give you at this time.   I also believe that many spontaneous experiences will arise as the planned events are happening – those are the moments I live for!

 

What Do I Need All That Money For?

How did I arrive at a $6500.00 fundraising goal?  I can tell you exactly what it’s all for.  

• There are 4 people involved in this production – Myself of course, a travel partner (because having a sidekick always brings out the best, most adventurous side of people), a camera person and a local Jamaican who will serve as a guide/middleman when we need to negotiate or communicate in ways that foreigners might not do so well with on their own.  Airfare is NOT included – we are each paying our own way to Jamaica.

• Accommodations – We will be utilizing every single resource we have for free-ness but it will never be 100% free.  Even the tourist board said if they choose to assist there’s no way they can provide for us in every single location we visit.  And even though I will be offering review articles to every place we stay in exchange for discounted rates, we still won’t be able to secure FREE accommodation for 4 people for the entire production.  Make no mistake, all four of us will be piled into one room every step of  the way.  We aren’t stoosh and don’t need to overspend.

• Transportation – This will be a major expense having a rental vehicle for the duration.  I have asked the tourist board for this luxury and if they don’t provide I will be hitting up every major car rental company on the island for sponsorship, but in the event none come through I have to have it in my budget.  And along with a vehicle comes fuel expenses for island wide treks.

• Food – Yes I know how to score $150 jmd box food but multiply that by 4 people a few times a day and it adds up.  Why am I feeding everyone?  Because the the camera person and the guide aren’t getting paid for this project.  They are going to be volunteering their time so the least I can do is feed them and give them a place to stay!

• Compensation & Contribution – This entire project is about the PEOPLE of Jamaica and giving back to the country who has given so much to me!  Every person who participates in the documentary will be compensated in some way whether it be financial or in other ways that can make their lives easier.  We won’t just be dropping in on communities, using them and taking off without leaving behind tokens of our appreciation.  If not for Jamaicans I would have nothing to film.

• Post-Production – This is what I have to do with all the footage after we leave Jamaica.  There is editing, sound, captioning, credits, etc.  I would love to say I’m doing this all myself but that’s not likely.  It all takes a lot of time which I won’t have once I’m back at work after the trip.  Bless those who have volunteered to assist and if at all possible I will try to utilize those offers first.  I’m also looking at hiring a film student to do the job because I need the person to be local to me in Calgary.  I have to have input into finishing the product.

I hope this gives you a clearer picture of how this project is going down.  I’ve seen a families of 4 people blow through more than $6500 on a ONE WEEK vacation and all they do is sit on a beach.

In case you haven’t seen my little video trailer that will give you the feel for what the project will look like, you can view it below.  I hope you enjoy the little teaser and I hope you feel as inspired as I do! If so, you can MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION today!