So you can imagine how excited I was Friday night to learn that the godfather himself told his 600k Twitter followers that “Lemonade: Detroit” was a ‘gob smacking 17-minute short.’

You know, independent filmmaking has its ups and downs. One day, the pace of progress can feel glacial and frustrating. Then the next, the universe is kicking doors open everywhere you look.

Today, the potential positive impact of “Lemonade: Detroit” has been affirmed by a renowned movie critic who has seen it all. And I’ve never been more thankful or optimistic of my role in the telling of Detroit’s incredible story.

Sincerely,
Erik Proulx
Director, “Lemonade: Detroit”

PS: If you aren’t already a subscriber, I would highly recommend joining The Ebert Club, which is Roger Ebert’s premium newsletter that you can’t get on his free blog or main website. The content is worth far more than the $10/year he charges. Plus you get to hear about movies you would have never been exposed to otherwise. (Like Lemonade, for example.)

I would certainly call the first leg of our “$25k in 25 Days” campaign a success.

Here is the 7-day tally:
65 merchandise orders for $1622
4416 frames bought for $4416
Four Corporate Sponsorship Inquiries for $?
A fundraiser at the Ann Arbor office of Google on March 2: $?

We’re overwhelmed by the support so far. Thousands of dollars (not to mention the tweets and FB updates) is a huge initial accomplishment.

But we still need more – much more – to reach our goal. Like any microfunding campaign, there’s always an initial batch of excitement, then a lull, and then a surge as the deadline approaches. But this deadline is only a couple of weeks away, and there’s no time for an extended lull.  We NEED to raise an additional $19k in a little more than two weeks.

“WHAT CAN I DO NOW?”

• If you haven’t already, buy some merch.
• As before, the best possible thing you can contribute is a few moments of your time to help spread the word. If you bought a shirt, wear it in public. If you’re on Twitter, tweet about it. If you’re on Facebook, tell people that way. If you tell two friends, they’ll tell two friends, and on and on it goes.
• If you want your name up in lights, become a producer for as little as a dollar and as much as infinity.
• And if you work for an organization that can match individual contributions, email me. We even have a fancy PR engine that will make sure it is money well spent. (More of which I’ll tell you about when you email.)

I also want you to know about a personal commitment I made literally five minutes ago.

Yesterday, I was offered a two-week freelance opportunity in NY that would have kept me extremely busy right up until the day I leave to film in Detroit. It would have meant late nights at an ad agency, virtually ignoring everything else in my life. Including the preparation to film Joe Faris and Fashion in Detroit.

Financially, I’m in no position to be turning down gigs. But I did, because the film requires it. Why am I telling you this? I want you to know that I’m all in. And because for the last three years, time and time again, the decision that felt right but created the most uncertainly was, universally, the right one. I’m jumping with absolute faith the net will appear.

And your support in this endeavor means everything.

AND LASTLY, ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• I’ll be holding another Google+ Hangout tomorrow (Thursday) at 12:30 PM EST. Last week went very well. And I’d love to continue doing that on a weekly basis.
• “Lemonade: Detroit” now has its own Facebook Page. Fan/Like/Subscribe here
• There will be a new t-shirt added to the Lemonade: Detroit collection in a few days. Click here to see the new design. (Not yet available for order.)

The last announcement (and the one I’m most excited about) is that in the coming days we’ll be asking our producers to make a little video telling us why they contributed to “Lemonade: Detroit.” When we get the first batch submitted, I’m going to edit the best ones into a broadcast-able format. At the very least, there will be an extended video for the website. But you could also see a 30-second commercial air on TV. (Late night buys are dirt cheap.) Perhaps there will be a pre-roll commercial on Hulu. Who knows?

At the heart of it, “Lemonade: Detroit” boils down to amazing stories. And the stories of why people contribute are amazing in and of themselves. Stay tuned in the next day or two for more about that.

That’s it for now. Thanks again everyone.

Sincerely
Erik Proulx
Director, “Lemonade: Detroit”

THERE’S A PROFOUND PARALLEL between how we’ve gone about making “Lemonade: Detroit” and how Detroit is re-imagining itself. The latent hope around the D is that some mega industry – whether it’s automotive or green technology or urban farming – is going to fly in and fix everything. They’ll rehire a half million people and, bam, just like that Detroit will become a beacon of innovation and education and racial harmony.

But it’s messier than that. It’s more grueling than that. It’s more work than that.

Believe me, the same hope applies to “Lemonade: Detroit.” It might, it should, it could happen that a white-horse underwriter will write one big check, take away our fight for money and let us focus instead on our fight to tell the city’s story.

But until that time, it’s you and me, baby. It’s 9 businesses. It’s thousands of Daisuke Hugheses and Reverend Barrys and Chazz Millers and Phil Cooleys. It’s little bets and big balls. And it’s films like “Lemonade: Detroit” that aim to tell the dramatic story of Detroit’s hustle. One frame at a time.

In a review of David Korten’s book, Agenda for a New Economy, CSRwire writes:

Our hope lies not with Wall Street but with Main Street, which creates real wealth from real resources to meet real needs . . . locally based, community oriented, and devoted to creating a better life for all, not simply increasing profits.

Detroit is a testament to the satisfying, frustrating, mess that is the maker economy. It ain’t pretty. But, damn, won’t it be something when it takes shape.

One building at a time. One block at a time. One life at a time.

Be well,
Erik Proulx
Director, “Lemonade: Detroit”

After two days of our “25 in 25″ campaign, here is where we stand in our effort to raise enough money to do more filming in Detroit:

Two-Day Totals
49 Merchandise Orders: $1242
3782 Frames bought for $3782
3 corporate inquiries for sponsorship:   $??

At first glance, we are on pace to reach our goal. But a look at the numbers more closely shows that a huge majority of the merchandise sales came from the initial push and “newness” of the campaign.

Day 1:
35 merchandise orders for $828
Fourteen people bought 2062 Frames for $2062

Day 2:
14 merchandise orders for $414
Nine people bought 1720 frame for $1720

In terms of merchandise, if day two is the norm, we won’t get there.  Also, both days had very generous individual frame buyers, (one for $1500 and another for $1464). As much as I’d love one individual contributor to give $1000+ every day, it’s unrealistic of me to put all our eggs in that basket.

The only true, real, lasting effort can come from people who buy a few frames, a bumper sticker, or a shirt. The author Peter Sims calls these “Little Bets.” We need a million individuals to contribute a little instead of one millionaire doing it all at once.

Soon to be a t-shirt?

So if you’ve already purchased your merchandise or bought frames, thank you. Please encourage others to do the same on Twitter. While you’re at it, tell them on Facebook, too.

Also, I’m going to be adding more products to the Merchandise page soon. There was a lot of positive response to the billboard campaign we ran around Detroit last year. I’ll be turning at least one of those into a t-shirt. And who knows what else?

Let’s make day three kick ass!

To start the process of reversing that trend, I’ll be holding a Google+ Hangout at 12:30 PM EST on Thursday. In fact, I’d like to make it a regular thing . . . at least every week, if not more often.

If you aren’t on G+ yet, maybe this is your chance. On top of other things, it allows members to have a video conference with up to 10 people at a time.

This link will get you started on G+. Once you’re there, just sign up for my (Erik Proulx’s) Hangout. I’ll make it public.

This will be the first time I’ve done something like this, so bear with the lack of structure. Really, it’s just a way for me to communicate our progress to you in real time.

See you at 12:30 EST!