Growing Inertia

Last weekend felt pivotal to me, as more and more people take interest in the film project. My improv team, Big Fat & Stealthy, performed to a sold out crowd! There were so many people there, a few of which are friends who recently found out about this film project. And I realized that I had not shared the news among the improv community (except for those who know me well).

Many of them asked me what I'm working on, how I got interested in the subject, and how we plan to make money off of it. It's been a very interesting series of conversations with people that I know, and each of them lights up when they hear me talk passionately about the process. And those conversations are great, because they prepare you to answer the question the next time. And the next time. And then, you are able to speak eloquently about the subject matter because you've had that practice.

Just how much effort I am putting into the film was solidified when I realized how long it's been since I have seen some of my family and friends, though. And then on Sunday I got a fairly pointless ticket from a very polite Raleigh Police officer while Surry was in the car with me. His kindness was just what I needed as I grew angrier and angrier at myself for getting a ticket for an expired tag. His perspective was a healthy one, and helped keep me on track.

In fact, his expertise and coaching is something for which I have been incredibly grateful over the years. He is undeniably a guiding light for so many people he meets, and I honestly hope that I might be able to pay that forward one day. He's reading this so I won't gush too much, but I wanted to capture how absolutely grateful I am for that support.

Each day I also feel very lucky to have a growing number of volunteers helping with the project, too. There are so many aspects to the project, and making it all come together is becoming more and more feasible with all of the well-qualified volunteers that keep knocking on the door.

Just this week alone I have gotten emails from three key individuals who are making this happen. Matthew Duckworth is capturing the footage we've shot, and has helped create a process by which we can now start editing the film together without having to drive back and forth repeatedly. Annie Beth Brown Donahue, a friend from my hometown of Little Washington, has also been incredibly helpful in gathering music samples from local artists who can help us (hopefully) create an original score! That is something I certainly had not dreamt of doing with this project because of the lack of time to focus on the organization, and she has been hustling a lot to create a pool of talent. And Emma Finch, one of my old coworkers, has been doing research on film screening venues and film festivals so that we can be sure people get to see the film. She sent me a long email the other day just full of delicious information!

And the list of volunteers continues to grow. I've been talking to graphic designers, editors and media relations experts as well. I am hoping to put together a "street team" of people who can help deliver fliers and put up posters in local businesses when we get venues and screening events organized. And perhaps even some fund raising events could take place! I had a dream about a black tie benefit, which would be incredibly cool to arrange. It would take a lot of effort, so I have not thought on it too much as I am focused on finishing the first cut of the film right now. But this visual experience continues to return to me on occasion while driving or walking, and so I feel I cannot ignore it too much.

These next two months will be absolutely critical in getting this project completed. We have a lot of work to do in order to get it finished, but I am certain it can be wrapped. All in all, I feel so lucky each day that I think on the project. And as more and more people find out about it, and as more conversations take shape on their own (without me leading the conversation to the subject of this film), I feel the inertia growing. I feel the interest growing each time someone excitedly asks when they can see it. "Soon," I tell them. "Sometime very soon!"