About this project

The Documentary

Carpe Kilimanjaro is the story of my coming-of-age and approaching fatherhood in the face of Alzheimer's.  In 2005 my future father-in-law asked me to join him on his quest to climb Kilimanjaro.  This was our opportunity to get to know one another beyond our shared love of his daughter and establish our own relationship. 

As we prepared for the climb, my own father began his journey down the rabbit hole of Alzheimer's.  All three of us were facing the climb of our lives and the mountain became a metaphor.  This is the story of my father-in-law, my father in Alzheimer's, and me---a father to be, trying to glean wisdom and grow up in the face of new beginnings and the sunset of the man who was supposed to give me all the answers.

This film has been six years in the making. Over the course of two trips to the mountain, many trips to visit my fading father, and my recent marriage, we were able to capture hundreds of hours of stunning, provocative, and very telling footage that is at the heart of our film.  But the Alzheimer's story is shared by millions, so we wanted to create a story that includes this collective narrative.  Therefore, the Carpe Kilimanjaro story will exist on three platforms:

1.  The documentary
2.  The website
3.  The mobile application

Over the course of the last few years, we have funded the entire effort ourselves, but we need your help in bringing this project to the finish line.  Our funding goal of $65,000 will allow us to:

• Edit and complete the documentary film
• Develop a mobile application and website that will turn our film into a Transmedia project geared toward providing clinical information as well as establishing a web of human wisdom to be shared among all touched by Alzheimers

In success, we hope to raise additional funds to market and distribute the film, enhance the mobile and site offering to the global community, and further utilize this personal story as a way to kickstart the effort to support those afflicted and rid the planet of this horrible disease.  

Mobile App and Website

We want Carpe Kilimanjaro to reach and touch people well beyond the power inherent in our film.  To that end, we are designing a mobile application and website that bring the power of story to audiences who may be living with Alzheimer's. 

Simply put, the mobile app will allow YOU to share your story and this is why your perspective is so important.  Finding the cure for Alzheimer's needs its own kickstart, given (1) the relatively minor attention it is getting from the major research funding sources and (2) the dearth of both clinical and human wisdom available to those in the midst of this disease.  We need more awareness and early diagnosis, as well as more robust enrollment in clinical trials.  Only with the increase in crucial data on biomarkers and the progression of the disease, can clinicians find a cure.

The free app and the accompanying website will, among other things:

• Provide information on clinical trials being pursued worldwide
• Connect patients, caregivers, and physicians with relevant clinical trial data
  
• Educate the public on crucial information and the latest research
• Connect like-minded and similarly situated patients and caregivers around the world
• Raise funding for ongoing research and patient / family support

The money you pledge will allow us to complete the design and programming of both the mobile application as well as the site.  Our ultimate goal is to use our story to disseminate information and establish a global dialogue in which state-of-the-art medical information, as well as the all-important layer of human experience, is readily available to all in need.

The Team

The principles of Joe Digital have produced major television series for broadcast networks and cable outlets, independent films, and more online and multi-platform content, covering more verticals, than any other content entity.  We have worked with major brands on content development, production, as well as distribution and audience engagement strategies.  Our formula is simple, yet powerful:

Great Content + Strategic Distribution = Loyal Participation

Lastly, the development team we have put together to build our apps has experience in bringing over 1500 apps into the iTunes App Store, as well as the Android and Amazon marketplace.  To find out more about the executive producers of this project, please visit our website.