Welcome to Kickstarter! We need YOUR help to make this documentary a reality! This is an all or nothing proposition so either we meet our goal or we get nothing and you won't be charged a penny. Please take a look at the backers rewards on the right and pick something out at a funding level that's right for you!
Please watch the video above and read more about the project below. Thank you for considering to back this project and remember, this documentary can only be made with your help and support! 

Thanks!
Nic and Steve 

What’s this documentary about?

We're glad you asked!

It’s about Steve Marshall, a professional magician who has been living his childhood dream of entertaining children of all ages, all over the world, for more than 30 years.  

It’s about choosing one thing and sticking with it, believing in it, practicing it, and learning how to adapt so you can live your dream.

It’s about change that comes unexpectedly and forces you to really think about your life, make changes, adapt, and continue on.

OK, you got me… tell me more!

In 1998, Steve Marshall packed up everything he had in Florida and moved to Japan to continue his already successful career as a comedy magician while, at the same time, having to adjust to a totally different culture. He has been living and performing there ever since.

Japan has given Steve so many opportunities and today he can add published author, actor, director, songwriter and painter to his resume. As a matter of fact, Steve also achieved celebrity status in Japan appearing in national TV commercials and TV shows both as a magician and a comedic character actor. One show that Steve was a guest on, he was called the “Ambassador of Magic from the USA,” a name that he has been associated with ever since.

The recent earthquake in Japan affected the lives of many. Although Steve and his family were safe, immediately following the earthquake all of Steve’s work was cancelled. Fortunately, he was able to book shows in the USA, and for three weeks, he returned with his family to Florida. During this time he also added a new title to his resume, magic lecturer.

In September of this year, Steve will be returning to the USA for his first major tour of his home country in almost 14 years. He'll start in Florida and travel up the East coast doing a few public shows and 17 lectures for different magician's organizations. Steve will be accompanied by his friends and fellow RIngling Bros. Clown College alumni, Billy Scadlock and Nic Beery. As a matter of fact, in the early 80's, Steve and Nic drove almost the same route as this tour will take when they were clowns on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. 

 

"Sayonara to Hello" is a documentary that will chronicle Steve Marshall as he makes his way back to the USA, performing, presenting magic lectures, and continuing his career in the country of his birth where, today, he almost feels like a foreigner.  The film will also parallel the first major tour that he ever took as a Ringling Brothers clown fresh out of Clown College in 1983.  With archived footage of that tour, combined with his present journey, this documentary will dig deep into what it takes to succeed 30 years in a profession that is far from what most people would consider “normal.”

 

OK! How can I help?

We’re really glad you asked!

Shooting and editing a documentary like this takes a lot of time and money to produce in the right way. Award winning filmmaker Nic Beery, from Beery Media in North Carolina, has agreed to take a month and bring all of his equipment on the road with Steve to film everything that happens on this tour. We need your help to cover production costs and Nic’s expenses while he is on the road.

Candid, humorous and inspiring, "Sayonara to Hello" needs your help to become a reality.  Please donate generously to help us bring this project to life. Every penny will go to the production of the film. There are many thank you gifts on this page, listed to the right, so please take a look at the list and choose the one that's right for you.

Also, please help spread the word about this project by letting your friends know about it and posting to this link to your social media pages.

Thank you for your consideration to help us make this documentary a reality!

A Personal Message from Steve

When I first started organizing this lecture tour, my idea was to film all the funny stuff that just happens when you get clowns and magicians driving over 4,000 miles together in less than a month. And believe me, funny stuff does just happen. But also there are some pretty deep conversations that occur between friends on long drives like this.

As mentioned above, this is going to be a big trip for me for several reasons. It is going to be interesting to perform back in the USA after almost 14 years of living in Japan. I will be making adjustments to the culture and language since some of the routines I will perform on this trip I have never performed in English! I'm also excited to be sharing with other magicians some of the lessons that I have learned from performing in other cultures for these many years.

I want to thank my old friend and fellow Ringling clown Nic Beery, of Beery Media, for having a bigger vision of this project than filming a bunch of funny stuff that happens on the road. Through our conversations, he saw a bigger story and got me to see it too. My hope is that this documentary will entertain and make you laugh, but also inspire people and show them they can live their dreams if they believe in themselves and the gifts they are given.

This is really a once in a lifetime chance to make a film like this since I probably will never again be returning to the USA after living this long in another country. 

My close friend Billy Scadlock will also be joining me on this trip. Billy is someone who has gone way past friend status and is more like a brother to me now, since we have known each other and have kept in close contact for over 25 years.

As we’ve said above, this film cannot be made without your help and support. I’ve recently learned a lot about the film making process and it takes a lot of money to do something like this.

By joining this project, my hope is that you will feel like you are "on the road" with us as we share this great adventure together. On the right side of this page, there are different reward levels and I hope you will find something that you like. 

Thank you so much for considering this project, for sharing this adventure with me, and for any support you are able to give!

And remember…. The first three letters of “funding” are FUN!

You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

Onwards and upwards,

Steve Marshall