I have to admit, as much as I want Barack Obama to win the Presidency, I didn't think it was possible. With how this country has been making decisions and how things have been going, I lacked hope for something good to happen. I feel a change and conscious shift in the country.

Its not over yet, Barack has to first get the Democratic nomination, but it's looking better and better every day. The above image I grabbed of Draplins site, a true blogger.

Posted by Gary at 9:39 AM | Permalink

Throwing an event, party, or premiere is always just as entertaining behind the scenes as it is for the attendee. There always seems to be a little stress, anxiety, doubt towards success, and exhaustion upon completion. The world premiere of “Hunting Yeti”, presented by K2 Skis, at evo was no exception.

The question you have to ask yourself in the beginning, is how big do you want to go? Since this was a ‘world’ premiere I wanted to go freaking HUGE. But going big takes serious budget, something Nimbus doesn’t have yet. I had visions of renting a thousand dollar HD projector, getting a band or big name DJ, finding a drink sponsor (booze), hiring an event staff, filming the event, and presenting to a sea of people. It’s important to aim high, even if you miss the mark.

So we showed the film without the band, DJ, booze, event staff, or red carpet. Instead we showed the film to a smaller crowd of friends, evo employees, industry insiders, our partners, and about 150 people who were truly interested in the project and there to support the cause. It was as I should have envisioned from the beginning.

Leading up to the show, the amp blew so we had no sound. I rushed to American Music up the street to rent one, just to arrive as they closed. Then I called my friend, Ryan Goedhart, who rushed over to the POW Gloves office and we ripped out the company stereo. Then rushed back to evo just in time to set up before the show started. The sound problem was averted. Thanks buddy, I owe you one.

The next challenge was my very own computer. My old Apple Powerbook is lacking the processor strength to play a 10 GB HD movie file without becoming jerky. It drove me crazy but the crowd didn’t seem to notice.

The first episode ended to the sounds of applause and praise. We then cleaned up, put merchandise back on the floor, and the crowd headed for the High Dive for something to quench their thirst. I told people I needed to drop gear off in my car and would be right there, but pulled a phantom move instead, went home, and crashed.

A big thanks to everybody who came and showed their support. Also thanks to all our partners, as it’s been a collective effort. Thanks to Matt, Molly, Peter and Grace at evo for staying late and hosting the event.

Posted by Gary at 9:15 AM | Permalink

Whew, what a couple of weeks. I can honestly say I haven't worked this hard and enjoyed my work like this since my prime at Helly Hansen. I love coming up with a new business plan and doing things different. The beginning thought you have, "is this possible?" Then as you explore the opportunities and things take shape, I can see that "yes" it truly can happen. Which makes my mind race and sleep hard to find. It's the uncertainty of every day and the learning that comes with trying something new that becomes more of an adventure than a job.

Had a prescreening of the film on last Monday, then a world premiere on Friday night, and have been pressing hard for a while. More to do than there is time in a day, week, month... But we hit our deadlines, at least pretty close.

Probably the most fun and passion I've had for a project was a promo film I produced and directed called HAPPY HAPPY. I worked 14-16 hour days with my good friend Kris Ostness for two months straight and loved almost every minute of it. Every day doubt seeped into my mind whether or not we'd accomplish the objective. Yet we did. We distributed more ski/snowboard DVD's than anybody ever has (412,000). The goal was to reach as many people as possible. This new project feels much the same. Lack of sleep driven on potential and passion.

The fuel? People telling me that they'd be surprised if we accomplish 50% of what we set out too. Those nah sayers just motivate me to prove them wrong. There is so much potential here it's ridiculous. Every night new ideas come to me which I promptly put down in my journal. It"s a feeling of accomplishment that can not be measured monetarily.

It's a great group of people which also makes a big difference. I want to see everybody in the group feel the same sense of satisfaction that I am. That and I know, respect, and enjoy working with all the partners. I get just as much fulfillment from them sharing and contributing to the project then just us doing it ourselves. For this business plan (I'm not going to get into it fully, but we're trying to revolutionize the way people view wintersports films) to succeed, it will take all of our business partners working together collectively towards our common objective. Alright, enough of my babbling and time to get on with the show.

So we have only released two parts of the first "Hunting Yeti" webisode. They are about 10 and 13 minutes in length. Then you can also go to our producer page and download them for your iPod. We will also have HD computer and another iPod download of a full-length version that's 28 minutes long. We may release the full length one on a couple sponsor sites and do some guerilla marketing where kids find it and tell the rest of the viewers via different chat rooms. That and we need to share the streaming and downloading so Rip doesn't take as big of a monetary hit. But hopefully all formats and all versions will be available for free to anybody who has the patience for the download.

Okay, okay, I'm getting to it. Here's Webisode One - This is opening day at Mt. Hood, some night riding, and then a little kicker session. The second half of the episode is all riding at North Cascade Heli Skiing. Just to give you a taste of some big mountain and amazing powder pillow riding action. Wow what a great early season it's been.

Hunting Yeti Episode One from Gary Winberg on Vimeo.

So this has been the only client of mine for the G Brand so far. I keep contemplating how much further I go just working for them, as it's not enough money to make a comfortable living, yet. Do I keep charging forward and try to raise enough support so that it's my one and only client? Do I put everything I have into Nimbus, although I'm not an owner? Do I change the way the film industry does business or do I take on other clients and dilute the potential for success I may achieve if I stay solely focused? I hope that in the next couple weeks I can raise the support I need to just do this project, at least for another 5-6 months. I have other potential clients just waiting for an answer. I keep putting them off to keep on the Nimbus, Hunting Yeti quest. I guess it's just a matter of faith in the group and faith in my abilities to make it happen. Stay tuned.

Hope you like it. Be sure to check out our producer page and download the film for your computer or iPod HERE

Posted by Gary at 9:25 PM | Permalink

Getting ready for the first webisode for Nimbus Independent. Too busy to blog really. Hope to get back on a regular schedule again. Come check out the prescreening Monday and the big public showing this Friday.

Posted by Gary at 11:12 PM | Permalink

I am more interested in the upcoming election than I ever have in my lifetime. We need CHANGE. We need HOPE. We need TRUTH. We need to help one another. We need more LOVE and less HATE. We need JUSTICE. We as a nation need to do what's RIGHT.

I have read up on the candidates, listened to the debates, and feel that Barack Obama is the person best qualified to lead us into the future. I"m almost through his book, "The Audacity of Hope", and recommend it to everyone.

GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

Plus, check out this cool video.

Posted by Gary at 1:13 PM | Permalink