Somehow I find myself sitting in La Grande, Oregon, starting what seems like the 3rd cross-country road trip in as many years. Three years ago, we were starting production on this film - and now we’re traveling across the country to play the film in theaters. We’ve booked 23 cities and started it all off this past Saturday in Seattle. It played in two theaters and the crowded audiences loved the film. Great to see it on the big screen again. Tonight we’ll screen in Boise and will be in a new place every night for the next 22 days. No breaks. Check out this killer review from Travis Estvold of the Boise Weekly. And please do us a huge favor - tell your friends by using the easy form on our tour page.

So, we’ve had a heck of a month and can’t be happier with the response to 10 MPH’s release. As crazy as it may seem, we’ve also been working on another film called 10 Yards: Fantasy Football. We just finished the rough cut after about 6 months of editing. It’s a crazy flick that will feel like 10 MPH, but a whole lot different. I’m loving this life but had already forgotten just how much work it is to get a film cut together. I remember when I was making $30 an hour for doing just about nothing. Now I probably make $1 an hour for working all hours of the night and sometimes sacraficing just about everything to get a film done. It’s really crazy when you look at that dichotomy. It’s no wonder people don’t do their thing more often. But…somehow I’ve gotten to a point where I don’t think about work & money in the same way. That’s what counts. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky with 10 Yards and strike up a big fest buy somewhere and then I’ll have to adjust my perspective again…

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be ‘indie’. I’m fascinated by artists and people who express themselves, create things, and provide something without a major backer. There are thousands of shades and ways of being independent. When working on films, you spend a lot of time getting to know music. It’s such an integral part of how the story comes across. In 10 MPH, we chose to use all independent musicians in our soundtrack. This was in part due to the fact that we had zero budget and needed people who were striving for recognition and looking for new ways to get their music out there. The talent we found blows my mind and makes me realize how many thousands and thousands of us indie artists exist. Last night I went to a Brett Dennen, Ben Folds, and John Mayer concert at Red Rocks in Colorado. It was a phenomenal show and very interesting to see the line up of artists - from indie to not-so-indie. Brett Dennen has two songs in 10 MPH and he’s now starting to break into the mainstream scene. He’s awesome; his music, personality, philosophy, and drive….and this is what is ultimately leading him on a path from being indie to being…uh…well, not-so-indie (when are we really not indie?). We are blessed to have two of Brett’s songs in 10 MPH. Speaking of blessed, the last song in our movie is Brett’s song titled “Blessed“. It sums it up. Live this philosophy, live Brett’s philosophy, embrace your indie-ness, and great things will come.

The last week of launch activities has been quite a rush. I’ve also been working pretty hard on some things for our next film - 10 Yards (www.fantasyfootballfilm.com) - and it’s looking good. I’m really excited about all the responses to 10 MPH and to take note of how many people are getting to see it. I realize more and more how important the message in our film is and that when people ‘do their thing’, they seem to be a lot better off. It’s crazy, too, because this is universal. Today we had a front page article in the second largest Italian newspaper. People all over the world are downloading this film and even buying the DVD. Who woulda thunk it?

It’s a few hours from launch day for this film. Finally, the world gets to see it. It’s been a fast and furious ride lately getting here, which is ironic considering what this story is all about. I’m loving it, though, as it is opening the potential to so much. As we work hard to finish the website and prepare for mass consumerism of our DVD (and download), I’m really excited to hear, read, and see what people think and take away from this. I think many of you will agree - this is a lot more than just a film. Please, share and experience the ride with us.