About this project
My name is Dave. I am a veteran podcaster and online radio host and I live in a small town far from the major actions of the Occupy movement. (An example of my work can be found here.) I've been a lifelong believer in social and economic justice and consider myself a part of the movement, though I haven't been able to make any significant contribution yet. I hear many of my neighbors expressing confusion about Occupy, and believing that they have little to nothing in common with the people involved. I want to change that by showing that Occupiers share the same concerns, hopes and values as our neighbors. In doing so, I will also be documenting a part of what I believe to be an important moment in history.
In order to bring these people's stories to the rest of us I will produce a webseries in which I will travel to meet with one small Occupation group in each state, interview their members and take part in events with them whenever possible. As I travel the country I will make updates on my journey available in the form of frequent blog entries, social media postings and podcast episodes and I will conduct a weekly online radio show, discussing my journey with callers and playing excerpts from selected interviews. I will also provide streaming video during events, if possible.
It is my hope that this multimedia webseries will help to illustrate that the people involved in the Occupy movement are not so different from their fellow Americans.
FAQ
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I'll be travelling by bus and boots and staying in the cheapest lodging I can find that has internet access (most of the groups I am going to meet are not large enough to have a physical camp), but the cost of storing all of my personal belongings for the duration of the project and moving them out of my apartment will be quite high. I will also be using the money to pay for a premium subscription at the online radio site where the live show is hosted and to maintain my own website for the time that the series will take to produce. There are a few items of equipment that I still need to purchase for producing good quality audio and video for you. Factor in the cost of the final two legs of the journey, Hawaii and Alaska, and expenses mount even further. Add an emergency fund to cover damaged or stolen equipment and it really adds up.
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In my first update you can see my tentative itinerary. The map of registered members of Occupy groups on Occupy Together's site was the best single resource I could find, so I chose groups of 20 or fewer members in each state. There are exceptions to that size limit, due to lack of registered members elsewhere in the state.
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The onset of winter does make it likely that many of these small groups will take a well-deserved break from their more visible actions. I plan to interview individual members of those groups in such cases. Instead of what they are currently doing, the focus will be on what their group has done and what their future plans are.
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I am planning to travel to two cities per week (ambitious, I know), so I expect it to be roughly 6 months in the making.
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I will travel to two cities each week. At the end of the week I will host a two hour long online radio show. Each hour will feature audio clips from one of those locations and discussion with callers. The episode will be available for download as an audio file after it is broadcast.
During the course of travel I will tweet and Audioboo updates and observations from the road and post photos and video from my journey.
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on December 31.
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CD copies of all photos taken during the course of the project.
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CD copies of all photos and all of the audio collected for the series (including unpublished interviews).
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CD copies of all photos and all of the audio, plus all video recorded during the project.
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All of the previous rewards and a miniature flag (2'x3') for their home state signed by myself.
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Each of two donors will receive one of the boots that I will wear during the entire project, bronzed and mounted.
Project By
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I am a multi-tour combat veteran, experienced podcaster and inveterate raconteur who wants to turn his restlessness into an educational and entertaining experience for others. I believe in fighting for economic and social justice. I believe in the power of the common person. I believe in the promise and potential that America's people hold within them, and I believe I'll have a cup of coffee now.
