And the beetle keeps marching on...

I made the front page of the Lincoln Journal Star today with news of my beetle documentary!

   

Pretty cool - huh? You can read the article online here. And in even better news the project is over 60% funded! So if you haven't jumped on the beetle bandwagon yet, there's no time like the present! Go here to join the party: www.BeetleMovie.com

I like to spend my time with endangered beetles

So what am I doing until the Un-Road Trip premieres? I've been working on a documentary about one of the rarest insects in the world. And then I realized I needed a little more money to really do it well. So I started a Kickstarter project! I've been a fan of this site for a while. Basically it's a place to fund any creative project you can think up. You choose the amount you need, tell your friends, give rewards to everyone who pledges (sort of like an NPR drive), and then triumphantly finish your project - but you only get your money if you reach your selected goal amount. You get the idea, now check out my project:



Click on the above box to visit my project page and to get involved. And remember - a contribution of 5 bucks goes a long way. And if you pledge you'll get some cool beetle mementos like this awesome block print by Christopher Flanagan:

Now go tell your friends!

T - 3 Months!

It's crazy to think that after nearly three years of planning, traveling, filming, and editing the Un-Road Trip is a mere three months away from premiering on television. I'm going to have a real TV show. That still sort of blows my mind. There's still work to do - we've only finished editing 5 out of 10 episodes - but we're definitely in the home stretch. The scripts have been written, the narration has been recorded, and now Todd, (the producer of the show for Halogen), has to finish assembling the footage and finalize some graphics. Then we put it out into the world and hope that some people tune in. It actually sounds sort of scary.

In this media rich world that we live in, how are you supposed to draw people's attention to a little TV show? We don't have the budget to put billboards up or advertise in magazines or get my face on a box of cereal. We can do a lot of cool stuff with social media, but millions of other folks are hocking their goods/services online too. All you can do is be creative, be genuine, and hope for the best. I know we have some fun/compelling ideas and hopefully I'll be hitting the road to visit a few cities (without a car, of course) to do some free screenings of the show. While it's certainly daunting I can't help but get enthused after talking to the folks at Halogen who are already working hard to market the show. What they lack in budget they certainly make up for in enthusiasm and a hard-core commitment to the message of the Un-Road Trip. It's really inspiring to be working with these guys and no matter how many folks tune in to watch in May I know we will have fought the good fight. Our ratings may not rival Two and Half Men, but I can think of a lot of reasons why that's a good thing. I have a feeling we'll succeed in finding an awesome niche audience who not only likes the show but gets engaged in the greater discussion about transportation in America and living sustainably. And that sounds pretty good to me.

Kazoo Day A Humming Success

Last week's National Kazoo Day Celebration at Backspace was a blast! I could tell you all about the plethora of free kazoos (sent by Kazoobie Kazoos) or the thrilling 'kazoo-that-tune' contest or the rockin' melodies provided by the How Long Jug Band - but I'll just let you see for yourself. Here's all two hours of fun condensed into three minutes:



I'm already thinking about more elaborate kazoo hysteria for next year's celebration.

National Kazoo Day Celebration 2011

It's your favorite time of year - National Kazoo Day! So come on down to Backspace (115 NW 5th Ave, Portland, OR) for Portland's first annual National Kazoo Day Extravaganza!

It's all going down at 7PM, Tuesday, January 25th. Festivities will include:

• A rockin' performance by Portland's own How Long Jug Band (www.howlongjugband.com)

• The premiere of a new kazoo art exhibit by local photographer Daniel Stark (www.danielstarkphotography .com)

• A rare display of pieces from The Kazoo Museum collection - first time on display in Portland!

• Kazoo-related surprises!

It's all-ages, free, and there will be complimentary kazoos* for everyone!

Hope to see you there!

*until we run out
Tell your friends and click here to RSVP!

National Kazoo Month Has Begun

It's January. Which means that National Kazoo Day (January 28th) is just a few weeks away. But why stop there? The few days around National Kazoo Day naturally turn into National Kazoo Week. And by default that makes January National Kazoo Month. In honor of the occasion I've started a tumblr for The Kazoo Museum and I'll be updating it all month with kazoo related videos, articles, and interviews. Don't worry - I'll still be posting kazoo-related information here too.

I can't think of a better way to get this month started than with a Kazookeylele:



Happy National Kazoo Month everyone!

Kazoos in the News

The Kazoo Museum just can't stay out of the papers. A few months back a writer from Beaufort Lifestyle contacted me and now there's a great piece about the kazoo factory and museum in their latest issue.

You can read the whole issue on their site, but here's the part about the museum:

It's almost inspirational - isn't it? Are you planning your trip yet?