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about 11 hours ago
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
Posted project update #9Memorial Day Weekend Update!
Post CommentHowdy Pocket Grill fans, another quick update on what we’ve been up to:
Earlier today we had our first marketing email go out, for testing purposes to see what kind of interest there is in the groups we were targeting. We don’t have the results yet but early signs are promising. It’s a small sample of about 100 prospects, but the group itself is about 10,000 strong so we feel there’s a lot of opportunity there if approach carefully. We’ve been reaching out to various online camping communities as well, most recently Reddit looking for feedback and opinions about the Pocket Grill and seeing what other campers think of it. So far it’s all been pretty positive!
In addition to this we’ve reach out to a few National Parks we’ll likely work with in the future, showcasing a few of their parks in our future newsletters. We want to find the best places around the globe for you to visit and use your Pocket Grill.
As always we’re very appreciative of everyone’s continued support and thank you very much to those who became our fans, subscribed to the newsletter, followed us on Twitter and of course purchased a grill in our last update. You have our thanks and we will continue working hard to make this dream a reality.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, hope you guys get a chance to go camping over it.
Happy Grilling,
-Ross Johnson
P.S. I’m including the links from the last update here as well if anyone missed it. Thanks again for the all the love!
If you’re looking to continue to support this project here’s a few ways you can do it:
1. Purchase your very own Pocket Grill here: www.pocketgrill.com/purchase
We’d love to get a Pocket Grill to you before the summer camping season gets here, and some of you have already ordered one (thanks!)
2. Sign-up for our newsletter list here: http://eepurl.com/lA9D1
Eventually we’ll be doing our updates via newsletter and we plan to keep our Kickstarter supporters fully in the loop on our progress we’re making. In addition we’ll share Pocket Grill tips, open fire cooking recipes and blog about general camping topics!
3. Become of a fan of the Pocket Grill: www.facebook.com/pocketgrill
4. Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pocketgrill
5. Or just click this to tweet a little love for us:http://clicktotweet.com/1kFjA
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on May 11
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
Posted project update #8The Pocket Grill Team is growing through your support!
Post CommentMy name is Ross Johnson, and I’m the newest member of the Pocket Grill team. My role on the team is to take over the marketing and communications for the Pocket Grill!
In fact, I received my own Pocket Grill this weekend, Jay and Ben don’t lie — it really does fit in a pocket. Not sure why I was surprised. But opening up the tiny box, I was able to assemble it no problem in under five minutes, without reading the instructions (I’m a man!). I haven’t had the chance to cook with it yet, but when I do I’ll take pictures and get an updated post on here.
Over the next few weeks, we’re reaching out to national parks. We'd like to do a few guest posts on their regional newsletters on the topic of open-fire cooking. In addition, we’re going to begin our own e-mail newsletter that will focus not only on the Pocket Grill, but camping in general. Some ideas we’ve had so far is to share the best places for open fire camping, open fire cooking techniques and safety, and guides to building a proper campfire.
We’re doing every we can to bring this product to market, and I personally want to thank every one of you for the support shown so far. Because of it, Jay and Ben felt comfortable in creating new position to help get this product on the market. I appreciate and thank everyone who has pledged support to this project.
If you’re looking to continue to support this project here’s a few ways you can do it:
1. Purchase your very own Pocket Grill here: www.pocketgrill.com/purchase
We’d love to get a Pocket Grill to you before the summer camping season gets here, and some of you have already ordered one (thanks!)
2. Sign-up for our newsletter list here: http://eepurl.com/lA9D1
Eventually we’ll be doing our updates via newsletter and we plan to keep our Kickstarter supporters fully in the loop on our progress we’re making. In addition we’ll share Pocket Grill tips, open fire cooking recipes and blog about general camping topics!
3. Become of a fan of the Pocket Grill: www.facebook.com/pocketgrill
4. Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pocketgrill
5. Or just click this to tweet a little love for us: http://clicktotweet.com/1kFjA
Any way you can help out is greatly appreciated and once again thank you all for making this possible. Your support is what pushes us forward and what keeps us working towards the ultimate goal of getting the Pocket Grill to market.
Thanks again,-Ross
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on April 26
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
Posted project update #7Technical Difficulties
For backers only
Post Comment
If you’re a backer of this project, please
log in
to read this post.
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on April 19
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
Posted project update #6Pocket Grill Available!
For backers only
If you’re a backer of this project, please
log in
to read this post.
Post Comment -
on September 10, 2011
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
Posted project update #5Many Thanks and Moving Forward
Post CommentDear Pocket Grill backers,
We would like to thank you all once again for supporting our project. Many of you are new to Kickstarter, and it means a lot to us that you not only were interested in the Pocket Grill, but also took the time to learn how the Kickstarter system works in order to contribute. Veterans of Kickstarter, you too know that even though a fundraising goal looks ambitious or even unreasonable, everyone's help counts.
The Pocket Grill lives! Despite Kickstarter calling our campaign unsuccessful because we didn't meet our fundraising goal, we by no means consider the experience a failure. First and foremost, we verified support for the Pocket Grill from family, friends, and especially from people we didn't know before from all over the world—at least 5 continents! We also got some great exposure in the media: mentions at Wired, Gizmodo, the Discovery Channel, the Times-Union newspaper, and an extended profile in Technically Philly, among others. Ben was even on a television news segment! There has been retailer interest too, and we're in a good position for moving forward.
Even better news: despite not being able to do the larger manufacturing run that we had hoped for, we're in the process of ordering a smaller volume for public and retail demonstrations. However, there are going to be plenty for you, our Kickstarter backers, to purchase too, and you'll have the first opportunity to do so. (As the email from Kickstarter indicated, your credit card hasn't been charged.) We'll have more details later and we'll message you again as the time approaches.
We're still working hard to get the Pocket Grill into your hands. We'll continue to publish updates here, which in the coming weeks will include manufacturing news and a compilation of bloopers from our video shoots. You can stay up-to-date in other ways too: "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Finally, if you'd like to get in touch with us, you'll always be able to send messages through Kickstarter, but you can always reach us at info@pocketgrill.com or by visiting our website.
Thanks again for all your help and support. We're still really excited about the Pocket Grill, and we hope you are too!
Best,
Jay and Ben
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on August 26, 2011
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
Posted project update #4More Press!
Hi Pocket Grill backers,
This has been a fantastic week for the Pocket Grill; we were mentioned in both Wired and Gizmodo! Thanks to all our backers, new and old. The campaign ends on September 9th, and we need your help spreading the word to help make it a success.
New backer ZuRG has requested a video showing the entire continuous assembly of the Pocket Grill, which you can view here. It takes less than a minute to set up!
If you have any other video requests or suggestions, let us know!
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ZuRG on August 26, 2011
This is a great demo! Thanks for filming it and for making this product happen.
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on August 25, 2011
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
commented on a projectHi ZuRG, When folded, the Pocket Grill is 6 by 3.7 inches, and when assembled, is about 2 feet by one foot. As for the assembly procedure, it really is simple and can be put together in less than a minute. We'll have that video for you tomorrow!
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on August 18, 2011
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
commented on a projectMini Angel, your video is now up! Check out the updates page to watch it and let us know if you have any questions.
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on August 18, 2011
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
Posted project update #3Backer Requested Video #1
Post CommentHi all,
New backer Mini Angel requested a video demonstration of food being placed on, flipped, and otherwise manipulated on the Pocket Grill and we made just that. (Video is below.) If you have any requests, questions, or demonstration ideas for the Pocket Grill, contact us directly or leave a message on the comments page. No matter how crazy the idea, we'll try to make it (or some version of it) happen.
We've also been receiving more media coverage, which you can find all in one place on our website press page: http://pocketgrill.com/press/
We'll try to provide updates for major things here whenever possible, but for the most current news, be sure to follow us on Twitter and "like" our Facebook page. Enjoy the video!
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on August 17, 2011
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
commented on a projectMini Angel, you got it! Stay tuned—we'll get that video out as soon as possible (this week).
Ben Ashpole & Jay Olman
Philadelphia, PA
Ben Ashpole and Jay Olman are product designers located in Philadelphia. We're passionate about inventing things that make life easier and more fun.
I'm from France, does this apply, can you ship to europe ?
I'm really interested by your offer and wouldn't mind paying for the shipping
Ok, I went through the checkout process and think I figured it out, after all :D
Looking forward to receive the product and grill something on it
My Pocket Grill arrived today!